The Sun. — London, England, 1840-02-29 00:00:00

EVENING EDITION. IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT HOUSE OF LORDS, F; D. 23. Their L-mdsliips met at. Five o'Clock. Lord RE 0E SD ALE presented Ft petition from Upton eve- Svere, in favour of Church Extens'on. SUPPLY OF WATER TO THE METROPOLIS. Os the motion of the Marquis of WESTMINSTER, Lord Portmut . „was excused from attendin. , in the Com mittee riven ILO Supply of Water to the ,Metropolis. Lord . INSFIBURTON presanted it petition from inha bitants of the borough Lf Marylebone, complaining of the present mode of supply:zg the metropolis with water. The petiticu was referred to their Lordships' Committee on that subject. COSTS IN LIBEL, TRESPASS, &c. On the motion of the Earl of SHAFTESBUR.Y, the Ord.•r of the Day for the Committee on Lord D:nman's Bill for limiting the costs io action for libel, slanfler, awl trespass, was discharged, and the Bin was orde, ed to be committed on Tursbday week. CHURCH INTRUSION. Tbc Duke of SUTHERLAND and other Peers pre sented numerous petitions against the intru , ion of incum bents into Scovh parishes against the wish of the parish ioners CHINA. Lord ELLENBOROUGH complained that papers for which he had moved, in relation to the affti-s of China, had not been returned ; and he suggested that as the delay was °sting to the papers being re quired from different depertments, the heads of which did not always know where to send them ; the rule, which was adopted some years .yo in the House cf Commons, th(de is, to send the notice for all returns to the Treasury in the first instance, should be adopted in this House. Lord MELBOURNE was understood to s:y that Ie would be fl e d t o acce d e t o any arran gement wei, : h w old facilitate the return of uny papers required by their Lore ships. THE COMPTROLLERSHIP OF THE EX CHEQUER. The ctrl of RIPON thought it his duty to take an early opp o rtu n ity o f contradicting a rumour which pre vailed respecting tote nen-appointment of thea genllernar who was near ly connected with him, tooffice of i Comptroller of the Exchequer, that office having been promised to him. He understood the rumour to be that a Neble Friend of his, who recently filled the office of Chancellor of the Exch«tuer, and was now a member of this Haase, stated although he would be glad to give Mr. Ellis the appointment in consequence of his connection with him (Leeei Ripon)' yet for other reasons he did not thiuk he could recommend that Gentleman to the office. Now he (Lord Ripon), could g ive that st a t ement t h e most positive contradiction—h e could at least state that such was not the opinion of Lord Althorn, who had as sured him in 13.33, of his entire approbation of Mr. Ellia's fi•ness, and of that gentleman's claims to the appointment hem his service in that department. Imme diately upon receiving Lord Althorpe's assurance, he (Lord Ripon) wrote to Mr. Ellis, repeating the conver sation, and congratulating him upon his having obtained the appointment. He did not now complain of the nen appointment ; but he felt that it was due to the character of Mr. Ellis that he should take the first opportunity of euetradieting the prejudicial and unfounded statement. Lord MELBOURNE said it was very natural the .Noble Earl should wash to receive some explanation, but though lie had heard something of the circumstances, he was not, from the office which he held at that time, in the slightest degree cognizant of them. The Earl of RIPON—Oh, no ; certainly not. I merely wished to make this statement. Lord DUNCANNON presented apetition from a Com pany who had expended the sum of 100,0001., for the pur. pose of bringing water from the river Coln, by pipes, in consequence of a Report of a Committee of the House, praying for a Committee of Inquiry as to the practicability of doing so, and that they might be heard by counsel be fore tie Committee. The Marquis of LONDONDERRY gsve Notice that he should, on Tuesday, or, if that day should be inconvenient, on Thursday next present to their Lordships a petition from Liverpool relative to the Irish Municipal Corporation Bill, and that he should, at the same time, in consequence of what had taken place elsewhere, ask the Noble Viscount to give some explanation on what principles he meant to ,tsrry on the Cabinet. Ha hoped the Noble Viscount would show some Ministerial manliness, and would think that it bet ame him to give their Lordships some little in formation as to the composition of his Cabinet. The Earl of SHAFTESBURY said the Noble Mar tinis could not regularly present a petition against a Bill not before the House. The Marquis of LONDONDERRY said the petition was not against the Bill, but the general measure. AFRICAN TRADE. , Viscount STRANGFORD presented a petition from all the merchants of the City of London engaged in the African gum trade, complaining of certain injuries to which they had been subjected on the meet of Africa by the French authorities there. The Noble 'Viscount said that as he should have occasion to advert to it at length he should now merely move it should be laid upon the table. In the course of last Session he brought under the considera tion of their Lerdehips various injuries upon our treerqliw on the west ern coast o f A mer i ca, w hi c h had &IVe inflicted by certain French authorities there, and the amount of loss incurred in consequence. From the spirited conduct of the Noble Viscount opposite on that occasion, and his assurances that the matter would be taken up as it behoved this couatry to take it up, he (Lord S.) hoped that the Komonstranees of ch. Government, if they did not obtain redress fur past injuries and insults, at least would have prevented them from being renewed and repeated in a yet more extensive and objection able form. ( Hear, hear.) He entertained too high an estimate of the assurances of a Bri tish Minister ever to have believed for one moment that it would have been his lot, in the very next Session of Parliament, to present a petition stating that not only hod those representations and remonstrances been un availing as respected the past, but so entirely disregarded as to Lil in restraining France from making fresh at tempts to ruin our commerce and humble our flag. The petition which he had presented a few moments ago em bodied the proof of his assertion, and he would merely ask their Itaielehips what state of things that must be when the subjects of the Queen of England, smarting nader injury, and hopeless of redress, approached that House with such a prayer as he would proceed to read : " However deeply your petitioners may feel the importance of duly protecting and maintaining those settlements (in Africa), as weil with the view to commerce as for the ex tirtetiou of the slave trade—however anxious we may he to maintain them, as opening up fresh markets for British enterprise, at a time when new openings for our 1 manufactures are so muc h requ i re d ; yet the neglect of our own Government, and the losses we have experienced, and the insults which we have so long suffered from the French, without any prospect of redress, constrain your pivitis.ners to pray that a negotiation may be opened for selling those possessions to that power which appears so much to court them—a negotiation under which your pe titioners may withdraw their property, be indemnified for lit, or that your petitioners niay oc allowed to remain in those possesasons under a Government disposed to protect therm." Now he would as their Lordships what state of things that could b e , w h en t h e su bj ects o f the Queen of England saw no other escape from ruin than by transfer ring those possessions to other and more powerful hands than those to which they at !present below ? The yeti. tiouers further stated th a t th e F ren ch had' possessions on that coast, of which Senegal and Goree were the most im portant, they having been taken from her in time of war, and reetored on the peace. The petitioners then referred to the treatment of the ship Highlander by a French force, which, Ai Is the other insults and injuries the settlers there ha 1 received, they Attributed to tee want of naval protec tion. While upwards of twenty ships of war were employ , ei on the coast, the settlernent oe the River Gambia was fre quently left for six months together without a ship of war. It was througe the inltence of the seitlereent at Gam bia that slavery had been put down on that coast, but the petitioners regretted to find that, accordieg to the last ac counts received from that colony, the French authorities , were throwing es-cry obstacle in their power in the way of the suppression of the trade—( LI( ar, hear) —that the trade with the British was of great advantage to the natives, who received our products ditty free ; whilst 1 the French did every t hi ng to i n j ure the trade, usurping 1 privileges which they refused any tither nation to partici. j pate in. All th at was b ut part of the series of aggres s i ons which commenced at Portendhine six years ago, and which he then t ,ok th- liberty of bringing before the Eloise. But, bad as were the circumstances ettendire, i. the eggreseitea e 4t that time, those to which he had ad_ verte.l at present 'were. invested wah a more offensive (-ha ratter. The port no more bel , need to the French than to us—it indisputably belonged to Portu„eril—t o a once prized, once beloved, once ancient ally —a s we were wont to term her, 'in th es e da)a when an insult or a violation of her territory or indepsnd nee would have e died forth first, i e t di gnant remonstra nce , an d i t that failed h our prompt a n d certain veneeence. The French lad en tskea foscible possession of the territory ; becausep get wa s a wea k and helpless State, and .a(2.)rtud. ing to the morals an d l og i c of mightier Powers could he wronged and oppressed with impunity, what was chivalrous England doing all this time?—( A lauel i ) Yes, that was th e l anguage of the Noble Vis.touot offset site, who gave the name of chivalry to the soul luet of his Government tow-LT.ls Portugal. But the chivalry was the same as we had displayed towards Brazil, when a portio n of the territory of agnit weak state was ueltrped by F rance. When he (Lord &trangford) took the liberty of callin g the attention of the House to that usurp:Hon, the Noble r.scousit l'aughed outright, and said that he ( Lord Strang_ ford) was obliged to go to very outlandish places for his rivanees, and took very extraordinary views of the sub_ ''cis which he brought before the House. The Noble iee.ount assured the House that the territory which the French occupied was extremely small, and was not worth I talking of. Thst reminded him of the Young lady who, upon being told that her sister had had a little baby, geld it was perfectly true, hut that the baby was a very little one in deed, such a puny little thing as not to be worth talking of. But the! Noble Viscount's Government would find, like the young ladies, that the having many of such babies was ' inconvenient, and not reputable: They had . het another little baby in Mexico, and another in AV ' 1 twins upon the coast of Africa, and A bia"bnyrceal—evetin'e)Yehaar's of age is Algiers, where his educet n ien was now pretty forward. The Noble Viscount did fi e r' to all this, which showed that lii:sitosriedovlitd7cuir)nm'ootosnk.ra,(,l;iivvy: was rather relaxed. He (Lord Stran whether complaints had been made to her A ) I subject of Gambia, nor whethe r her Majesty }itcitlnswered 1 v had evidenzo them or net. But this he knew, becaus e l nioe, Was,essel of any of the fact, that no British ship of war, sort or kind, bearing her Majesty's pennant those transactions, sent to that place, for the purposeduring ring watching over British interests, and protectin g airt British subjects engaged there in lawful commerce. The conts'e_ quence was, that the French had everyt h ing their owe w ay, recogn i zing no law but the law of the strongest, trampling on the rights of Portugal and B r i ta i n. And every nation trading with those settlements. These things were done in times of perfect peace, which was more ritE SUN, LONDON, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 1840 knew how to take care of our Colonies and our foreign trade—or, we did know how to take care of them in those old.fashioned days, when Mood bird fighting and not political subserviency constituted the merits of our naval character, and formed its claim , stinction and reward. —( Hear, hest.) The fleets of France acre more formid able to us in times of peace than war, and it was not only of great national disgrace that we had to complain, but that individuals were stripped of their property, their fa milies plunged into absolute ruin through these outra geous proceedings, and then they were coldly told to look for redress through the tedious and dilatory forms of offi cial correspondence, and a lazy and loitering diplomacy, occasioning a grievous anxiety which aggravated the origi nal wrong " Full little kaowest thou, who bast not tried What Hell it is in suing long to bide ; To speed to-day—to be thrust back to-morrow, To feed on 'hope.—yetpiae in fear and sorrow. „ This was a course which, if persevered in, must lead to a collision between the two countries, arid thus to the inter riiptien of the peace and happiness of both. He trusted the Noble Viscoient would not be guilty of the false in sinuations which had been unfoundedly insinuated else where, that in bringing these matters forward the Tory party, as they were ealier!, had no other object in view than in embroiling the two Governments, and plunging the two countries is war; they were hot SC utterly and hopelessly moon-struck as to wish for war under present circumstances; on the contrary, he wished for peace, not only with gay and gallant France, our ancient foe, so worthy of our steel, but with all other Lotions. Ile had several reasons for wishing for peace, and he saw some of them on the benches opposite, one of the most grac.ful relics of antique art which had descended to us, bore for its impress Cupid wielding a thunderbolt, by which the sculptor was supposed to designate the union of persuasion and power. For the persuasive faculty of her Majesty's Administration let Mexico, and Buenos Ayres, and Rio de Is Plata, and our merchant trade with Africa speak ; and es to their power, he did trust, and so did England with him, that we should see the day when the dignitsbthe interests, and the safety of this empire should be confi'led to their direction, and its resources against the attacks of a foreign enemy ; but short of any_ thing in the slightest degree resembling war, he was convinced that some means must be found to put an end to those outrages of which they had so long had reason to complain. He would suggest to the Noble Viscount to adopt a system of retaliation, not in a hostile sense, but one of which France could not complain, viz., to put the French traders to the Gambia on the same footing as they put the English vessels trading to the Sene gal. Every assistance was afforded to their vessels at Port St. Mary, while in the P or t o f St. L ou is a Bri tish vessel would' not be allowed to approach, and at Goren, which enjoyed roost of the privileges of a free port, the severity of the French system was such that they would not allow a single package of goods to be transhipped in the harbour if they were destined for a British settlement. If the Noble Viscount would only direct or hint that a system of retaliation be adopted, the whole proceeding would shortly be put an end to. Another point he wished to advert to was the eacouragenient given to the revival on the western coast of that sinful traffic, the slave trade. The Noble Lord then referred to the Senegal gum trade, for the purpose of showing that the importation of that article had been very considerably diminished. He now left the case in the hands of the Noble Viscount to form a new item in the outstanding accounts between the Noble Viscount and the merchants of England. He could not cen elude without a word on the subject of the original possession Portendique. It was no party question—it was neither a Whig nor a Tory question, it was an English question, and us such only did he presume to bring it forward. It had twice been brought before the House of Commons during tile last Session by one of its most able Members, the Hon. Member for the Tower Hamlets, no mean au thority on such a subject. Twice hall that Learned Member been told by the Noble Lord, the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, that the matter was under dis cussion beaween the Governments of England Atli France. Now he wished to know whether these discussions had yet terminated. Six years had elapsed since the date of tae ttansactions referred to, and if the reasoning of the Noble Lord, the Secretary of Sta'e for Foreign Affairs, had in all that time failed to convince the French of the justice of those claims; he could not help thinking that it would have been his duty to come to Parliameat for its advice and assistance. He was perfectly confident that such would have been the course of Mr. Pitt or Mr. Can. ning, or of his Noble Friend near him, or of that Illustrious Duke whose absence they regretted. such he was surd would have been the conduct of the Noble Viscount himself, had it been a question of a feebler State than France. Had it been the question of Portugal, their Lordships might rest assured that long ago they would have had upon the table bills of coercion to enforce those claims. These parties had a right to their Lordships' consideration, because it was mainly owing to their reliance upon the Government that they had been drawn into these difficulties After the first aggression in 1835, they made application to the Colonial Department, and the answer from Downing -street was, that their statements had been laid before Mr. Secretary Spring Rice ; adding, that her Majesty's Government would be prepared to extend to British tommercial interests in that quarter every protec tion, and to secure to them every right guaranteed by treaty, or any other mutual obligation subsisting between Great Britain arid France. Now he wished to know what was the present state of negotiations between Eng land and France on the subject of the Portendislue trade— whether any sort of convention hail been promised, and upon what principle it was founded. It the French had no legal right to establi4li these blockades, they were responsible for every species of injury and damage that had been inflicted. The Noble Viscount might say that these claims were un reasonable nod exaggerated, and it certainly might appear so from the circumstance of the French Government having assessed the damages at the insignificant sum of 60,000 francs. Bat these transactions referred to two distinct occurrences—the first of which was the seizure of two ships, and for which that sum of 60.000 francs had been awarded. lie was ashamed to trouble their Lord ships at such length, but the question was one of such importance ti.at be trusted he would be excused for done by those who had no confidence in the Noble Vis count or his colleagues? He assured the Noble Viscount that the complaints in this case were not l!ke that about the case of Captain I ) .trkins, but were real and well founded. It %Tax owing ,to the want of energy of the Noble Lord's Government that the state of our foreign relations gave cause for such complaints, and compelled him to go on increasing the military establishments of the country for the last three years, to an amount above the actual revenue. Lord STIZANGFORD replied, and denied that be had in any way been instrumental in getting up the peti tion. With the permission of the House he would with draw the motion. iicount MELBOURNE denied that he had made any charge against the Noble Lori in such a sense. if it were so under4,tood, he withdrew the word. Lord HOLLAND said even if it were true there was no charge in it. What was there wrong in any one going to those with whom he agreed in opinion, and asking them to sign a petition—it was perfectly regular. Lord S I RANG FORD (with warmth)—No; fur I would have been approaching this House with my own sen timents cloaked under other names. The Marquis of LONDONDERRY was very happy that the Noble Viscount had with so much good taste withdrawn his charge. The apology—( Cries of " No, no")—he thought was a very proper one. Viscount STRANG FORD—It was no upolo2y—he required a nd expected no apology. The explanation was very satisfactory. The house then adjourned. HOUSE OF COMMONS, FEn. 28. The SPEAKF.R took the Chair at Four o'Clock. Mr. MARK PHILLIPS moved, pursuant to notice, that the Commissioners of Ardwick Improvements have permission to proceed with their Bill, notwithstanding the unfavourablo report of the Standing Orders' Committee. Sir E. KNATCHBULL said that tho case had un dergone much consideration in the Committee, and there did not appear to be any sufficient grounds for which the orders should be set aside in favour of the parties to the Bill. Mr. GREG said that the object of the Bill was to im prove the drainage, and widen the streets of the town, of which the prevent condition was extremely prejudicial to the health of the inhabi,ants. Mr. GREEN felt that it was an ungracious task to oppose the present application, but he was con •inced, whatever might be the case of individual hardship, it wculd be for the advantage of the public that the Standing Orders should be enforced. The Committee had been appo:nted to prevent the time of the House from being occupied with the details of such bills, But there might as well be no Committee if parties were encouraged to come down to the [louse and obtain a reversal of its decisions to remedy the consequence:, of their neglect. Mr. AG LIONBY was obliged to come to a different conclusion to that come to by the Hon. Member for Lac caster. Ile agreed with him that the House should, as a general principle, support tht se Committees, but if they should commit a mistake or misconceive the powers dele gated_ to them, it would be a monstrous injustice if the House, as a Court of Appeal, had not the power to set matters right. In this case the parties ought to have power to proceed with their Bill. He should therefore support the motion of the Hon. Member for Manchester. Sir THOMAS FREMANTLE opposed the motion, believing it to be a most novel application. Mr. BR 0 TH E RT ON believed thatthe Standing Orders had not been complied with in this case entirely through in advertence. He knew there was an almostunanimous feel ing in favour of this Bill, and he trusted, thcreforc,:that the motion would be adopted. Sir G. STRICKLAND thought a case had been made out for proceeding with the Bill, although he was opposed to appeals being made to that House from the Standing Order Committee. Mr. Estcourt was of opinion that no special case had been made out to induce the House to deviate from its ordinary course of supporting the decision of the Standing Orders Committee. It would be much better for the House to abolish the Standing Orders Committee at once, and take the jurisdiction in their own hand, than to allow appeals of this sort to be constantly made. Mr. FRESH FIELD was of opinion that the Standing Order Committee had not bad the whole case before them, This appeared to be a case in which the whole township were agreed, that certain improvements ought to take place, and therefore he thought the 13i11 ought to be allowed to be proceeded with. Lord SA NDON was a member of the Committer, and unwilling to weaken the Standing Orders of the House, but thought the present was a proper case for the House to interfere. Mr. SANFORD recommended a strict alherence to the Standing Orders. Mr. T. EGERTON hoped the House would allow the Bill to proceed. Mr. 31A PHILLIPS said he had, in bringing for ward this question, been anxious to abstain from making any statements as to his own opinion on the subject ; but as he found that the members of the Standing Orders Committee were divided in opinion among themselves, he thought he was not acting improperly in stating that he considered a strong case was made out for the Bill on the ground of necessity. The streets of the town were in a very bad condition, and the heal - h of the inhabitants had become seriously affected in consequence. On public grounds, therefore, he thought this matter worthy of se rious consideration. He believed that this error, so far from being intentional, had originated entirely in over sight ; and he thought it only a fair act of justice, to grant them relief on the present occasion. This was no public company, it was the case of a whole town, all the inhabi tants of which were in favour of this Bill, without one dissentient voice. Strangers ere then ordered to withdraw. The House then divided, when the numbers nere— For the motion Against the motion Majority —43 On the motion of S:r E. FILMER, the London and Greenwich Railway Bit! was read a second time. laving done so. If the honour of France, wounded by an affront to her Consul by the Dey of Algiers. could only be appeased by the expelsion of the Du from his dominions, the subjugation of his subjects, and the occu pation of not the city only, but of the whole of the Regency—if France had a right to blockade Mexico, to bombard Vera Crez, and to tak e possession of the River Plata—if she had a right to all this in order to avenge real cr fancied injuries, he could not understand upon what principle it was that this self-same France, vindicating her rights in every quarter of the world, could thus deny justice to the subjects of the Queen of England, and set at nought, as it were, the Majesty of the British G own. The Noble Lord then moved for copies of all despatches to the Go vernor or Deputy-Governor of Gambia, relating to the in terference of the French with the British gum trade. Viscount MELBOURNE fully admitted that these mat ters wore of the greatest importance, and well worthy of the consideration of their Lordships. He should have com plained of the tone and manner in which the Noble Lord hadintroduced the motion, of the manner in which he had complained of the conduct of Foreign Governments, had it not been fur the latter portion of his speech, wrapt up as it was in so much romance and poetry, which rendered it so innocuous that it was not likely to be at a ll i n j ur i ous. But as it seemed th a t their Lordships were likely to have many arguments, many motions, many statements, and discussions upon subjects of this nature and character, he would at the beginning, in limine, implore their L rdships t 3 C insider them calmly and with temper, yet firmly, and s decision. The Noble Lord stated that on a former occasion he (Lord Melbourne) had shown great firmness and resolu tion. He trusted that he never would be wanting in firm— ness and resolution in whstever situation he might be plaeed, Ile hoped he would ad l calmness and temper in the consideration of a subject so important as the present. A hundred years ago England was urged by similar com plaints into a war, which was nei:h e r very honourable ncr very profitable in its result, and which entailed upon the country a great part of the debt with which it was now burthened. The incredulity of modern times regarded those complaints as ungrounded, and though he did not think they were so altogether, he had nedoubt that thee were very much exaggerated, and he tho ight with Mr. Burke that they were brought forward as means of attacking and embarras sing the Ministers of the day by the party in opposition. He would not say the statements of the petition were alto gether unfounded, but eltniely they conclo7 - led with a somewhat absurd and cetravaeant prayer, that if the House did not think those settlements worth protecting, it would recommend the Crown to get rid of them alto gether. From what had fellen from the Noble Lord, from the tone and temper of his speech, he (Lord .Melhourner could not help suiseetinss that the Noh'e Lord had hart something to do with drawing up the petition. It was very like his style. only a little more calm and simple.— ( A laugh.) He could not help thinking that the language of the petition had been dictated by some one who had political objects to serve or political feelings to gratify. A 3 to the eutrege on British vessels at Portendique, a raised commissien had been appointed. and would immedi ately proceed to business ; arid he had every hope that they would soon bring th e negee i s tion to a satisfactory termi nation. With respect to the river Caramanza, it wss true :hat the territory nominally belonged to Fertegal ; but that CCUntry hivin g a vet-, small esteblishment there, wits not abl e to enforce its rights. T he F renc h had purchased ground for a factory at a distance up the river, n ear a n- ,rice village named Sere ; and notwithst an di ng the declaration ot tbs , had n ot said, and would natives, that . they n sell to the French the freedom of their t own and trade, the et form er i ns i ste d on s h utt i ng out In ) all other nations. i F ifisfu„he:e a ii n s c e of thei r v i ew o f th e care they to it hed run 2shore yV which was , accord rri nis estaidisbed cotrieree trading with the natives of th e village, The British Government )) of Gernha rernor strated on the sebjeet wi t h t h e e e t being satlsfi c e se al, t h e of.ed Senegal, but ceived from the officer commanding the naval force upon th • station, a ship of w ar of sufficient force for and re to British trade in the rive r . Th e dispatch frr n o Prn t t h ect the 1 rernor of Gambia had only b een rece i ved en the letG 0 hof n. gFeliruary, end in the present s t ate o f the negotiation s on r the subj, et, he apprehended th e H ouse would not inter fere, calling fur those papers. The Noble Lord h a t complained of there being no force present at the time to protect the English vessels; but although there w ere no ships in the Gambia, there were 20 ships of war cff the coast ; and in every case where a vessel had been wanted upon any part of that coast, it was immediately dispatched there. Lord ST RANGFO RD having heard that the Noble Viscount accused him of having had something to do with writing the petition, assured the House that he had never seen it until it was put into his hands to present. Lord M INTO said the Noble Lord had said that all the grievances were owing to tile want of a naval force on the coast, and that he had represented the state of the force there in the latter part of 1835. The fact was, that at that time a considerable increase was made in the naval force on the coast of Africa, and it had been further in creased every te•ar since. Lint ABERDEEN admitted that it was desirable to avoid such discussioos as the presect ; tpt caat would to Sir E. WILMOT gave notice that he would, at'an early pt•riod, bring in a Bill for the recovery of small debts. Mr. H C JI E raid he would tAke that opportunity of ask- Lig the Noble Lord the Secretary for tho Colonies whe ther the Government had any intention of bringing for ward a Bill OE* the subject of the recovery of small debts. Lord J. RUSSELL said (as we understood him), that information would soon be laid before the House, which would enable them to legislate on the matter. Mr. BA RNEB Y gave notice of his intention on Tues. day next to move for certain returns with respect to gaols in England and Wales. FROST, JONES, AND WILLIAMS. Mr. LEADER wished to put a question to the Noble Lord the Secretes! for Colonial Affairs. The notice re specting Frost, Jones, and Williams, had appeared upon the Votes several times. He had attended the House every day on which that notice had appeared upon the Votes, and he had done all he could to bring the question before the House, but he had been unsuccessful iu that endeavour. But he did not accuse the Government of having put him off, because he was really induced once or twice to put off the motion, in consequense of representations made to him by the Coansel fur the prisoners, that there were negotiations pending between them and the Government, which might be damaged by his bringing the qu es ti on be fore the H ouse . B e i ng influenced by that opinion of counsel, of course he would not have proceeded with his motion even if he had the opportunity of bringing the question before the House. He understood that the pri soners had already lett the country. lie did not mean to say that the Government had not a right to send them out of the country if they pleased; but he thought they might have waited a few days longer in order to give the House of Commons an opportunity of expressing au opi nion on the subject, and they ought not to take it for granted that the House of Commons would agree with them. However, as the prisoners had sailed, and as the question in issue, which was a constitutional question, and one affecting the administration of the law, would not I be at all prejudiced by his putting off his motion, he wished to give notice that lie should bring the question before the House on the first notice night in the week after next. !Ls, therefore, merely wished to ask the Noble Lord if it was true that the prisoners bad stifled, and it the Noble Lord told him they had sailed for their destination, then he wished t t give notice that he should endeavour to have the question at issue discussed in the House en Tuesday week. If the prisoners had not sailed then he should feel justified in asking the House to have the ques'k discussed immediately. Lord JOHN RUSSELL said the prisoners had for New - oi.i'tll Wales. NEW SOUTH WALES. GOULBURN wished to ask the Noble Lord a qbestion respecting New South Waes. He observed there had beer, in the Legislative Council a measure pro pounded by the Governor for the general education of the youth of that colony. It appeared that by that measure the Roman Catholic youth of the colony were to be edu cated in one school on the principles of their own but th it all the other youth of the colony wero to be edu• csted in ene common school, in which, in order to avoid religious dissensions, no religious instruction Was to be given, therefore giving to the Roman Catholuss the benefit of religious instruction, but withholding it from the eltildr, n of p ;rents professing other religions, This proposition had, however, not met with the approba tion of the Legislative Council ; now, what he wished to ask teas, if this propoition had been made by the G overnor in consequence of any di:cetions from the - Governm e nt at home. ----- - Lord J. RUSSELL must say, in the first place, that he had received no despatches stating on the authority of the G overnor what Was the proposition that had been made by him on the subject of education to the Legislative Council, and that he had only derived his information from comma nications with individuals, or from newspapers published in the colony, which was probably the source from which the Right Hon. Gentleman had derived his :nformation. But what he had gathered from these sources was rather different from the statement of the Right Honourable Gentleman He had understood that the Governor had Lade a proposition to the Council of the Colony, that the instruction given to the children of Protestants should be instructions given according to the rules and regulations nr the British and Foreign School Society, and the Right lion. Gentleman was not justified in saying that in the plan of tThe British and Foreign School Society, religious instruction did not form a part. Ia the system of instruction adopted by the British and Foreign S c h oo l S oc i ety, i nstruc tion in the Holy Scriptures formed a prominent feature. And unless the Right Hon oura bl e Gentleman was prepared to stMas the Bi s h op o f A ustra li a i n d ee d had said, a perusal o f t h e Holy Scriptures did riot constitute reli g i ous i nstruction, it could not be silk! that that proposition of the tant children should be taught t System . of the British and Foreign School Society. The Governmentthat all Protes toresdwaisn version of the floly Serithe authorised constit wed religious instruction. n That, w according to his idea, chil dren of Roman Catholics, it ° .had With respect to the een proposed that a separate vote should be given for them, and the religious instruction of those child ren should be given according to their own tenets in a separate school. Great chjec. ticns had been made to this, and the proposition had been withdrawn. He di: not find that any instruc tions had been given to the Governor from the Govern ment at home, authorising him to make this proposi tion. The only despatch which had been sent to him on the subject being one in answer to a despatch from him, requesting that masters might be sent out competent to teach according to the plan of the British and Foreign School Society: Mr. GOULBURN said the Noble Lord had mistaken his question. The question was not whether instruction in the Holy Scriptures did or did not constitute religious instruction, but whether Roman Catholic chil dren should be educated in schools where the particular tenets of the Roman Catholic religion were not tiughr, while Members of the Church of England should be edu cated in schools from which the particular tenets of the Church of England should be excluded. Lord .1. RUSSELL said he had had no official juror nuttiest from the Governor on the subject, but lie ima g:ned that the system proposed by ti! Go vernor was, that the children of Protestants should ba instructed either in the tenets of the Church of England, or in those tenets in which they believed what instruction should be given to the Roman Catholic children separately, but whether that instruction was to be according to the peculiar tenets of the Roman Catholic religion, or merely instruction in the Scriptures according to the Roman Catholic version, he was not cor rectly informed Mr. 13 ARNEBY said that as the second reading of the Prison Bill was to come on that night, he wished to ask hethcr any means had been taken to ea , ry into effect an Act previously in exist , nee with reirard to the subject. Mr. FOX M A ULE said that the provisions of the Act should be duly attended to. Colonel T. WOOD wished to ask the Under -Secretary of State of her Majesty's Government, whether it was the intention of that Government to introduce any Bills to alter two Acts of the last Session, the first of which related to the Metropolitan Police, and the other to the Metropo litan Ceurts. Mr. FOX M AUL E said that Government had no in tention of introducing a Bill to alter the Municipal Police Bill, but that they intended to introduce a measure to alter the law with regard to Municipal Courts. PERTH ELECTION. Mr. Rose having appeared at the Bar, stated that he was the Clerk of the General Committee of Selection upon Election Petitions. Ile made oil: notices, in the Ludlow Election Committee, to Mr. Alcock and the petitioners, azainst the return. He delivered those notices, for the purpose of their being served, to one of the messengers of the House, with directions that they were to be delivered in the same manner as melees were delivered last Session. The messenger to whom he delivered them had not informed him whether he had served the notices on the several parties or not ; it was his du y, however, to tell him if he had not served them. He had received information since, that those notices had not been served upon the petitioners, cr their agents, and he was informed on Monday ILIA to that eff..ct by Mr. Ellis. lie had seen the notices which be had given to a messenger in the h ands of Mr. Coppock, but that he gave him la's re ison for retaining t! em in his pos session. He considered it to be a mistake on his part. The messenger to whom he entrusted those notices was Mr. Steine, to whom he had applied in con.equenee of his being the oldest officer of the House. The same course had been adopted in the other petitions as had been pur sued in the Ludlow. Mr. Steine, the messenger, was then called to the bar, and stated that he had received from Mr. Rose certain notices to serve upon the parties, on the Ludlow petition. He could not recollect the day upon which he received them, but he gave them to Mr. Poingdcstre, who had been appointed by the Committee for the purpose. Ha told him that if he could not find out the agents, be had better apply either to Mr. Coppock or Mr. Parkes, the letter of whom, he had no doubt, was well acqu Anted with the agents in the case. Mr. Poingdcstre “as then called to the bar, and he stated that he received certain notices from Mr. Steine in the Ludlow petition to deliver to the parties, with a direc tion that he was to serve them upon the agents or the par ties, and tiara he had better apply to Mr. Coppock or Mr. Parkes to ascertain who the agents were, if he did not know. Shortly after receiving the notices he met Mr. Coppock in the lobby, and upon his asking him who the agents were, he stated that if he would give the notices to him, it would be all right, He then delivered to him all the notices, except one to Sir Thomas Cochrane. He had all the notices both in the Ludlow and Ipswich cases, all of which he gave to Mr. Coppock on the 18th inst. In answer to a question from Mr. GOUL BURN, th e witness stated that he had served the notices in the Tot nes case on Mr. Parkes, on Mr. Vcldwill, and another Pursuant to the order issued yesterday, the Clerk of the Crown attended at the bar for the purpose of cxelaining to th e House the circumstances that attended the issuing of the writ for Perth, and in answer to the question of Sir U. CLERK, he stated that it wag his duty to make out the new writs for Members to , erve in Parliament That on Friday evening last, about seven o'clock, a warrant was received at his office from the Speaker, ordering hint to issue a new writ for Perth. That the writ was immediately made out, and shortly afterwards it was sent to the Lord Chancellor to be sealed. The writ was not prepared in exact conformity with the Speaker's warrant, but had been drawn cut in tile usual form ; but that error was not disco vered till some time afterwards, and upon its Ling found out another writ was sent down there next morning by the nine o'clock mail, and the Sheriff was written to to return the first writ. The clerk in the office, as was usual, when notice was given of a writ having to be moved for, drew up the writ before the Speaker's warrant was received, according to the usual form. The chief clerk in the office, immediately that he discovered the error that had bean committed, went to the Speaker to ask his advice as to the course he ought to adopt, but that Right lion. Gentleman declining to interfere, the clerk took upon him self to issue a new writ. He had now possession of the writ that was first issued, but he did not find in his office any precedent for the return of such a writ by the She riff. He was not at the office at the time, or the error would not have taken place. The witness having withdrawn, Sir G. CLERK said it was not his intention to press the subject on the attention of the House, but he hoped it would have the effect of making the Clerk in the Crown. office more careful in future. Lord J. RUSSELL thought that the Right Hon. Gentleman had done exceedingly right in having the sub ject inquired into. LUDLOW ELECTION. Mr. ORD moved that the petition of George Hooper and others respecting the Ludlow election be referred to the General Committee on Elections. —Ordered. The Hos AiIIIIIIER then reeved that the order for the attendance of Panels 1 and 2, on the 12th and 16th March, be discharged. The SOLICITOR-GENERAL thought the course proposed to be taken would lead to great difficulty. The Ludlow election petition was presented during the last Ses sion, and by the 93d section of the Bill introduced by the Hon. Baronet opposite, it was to be brought forward and be considered as the first petition under the Bill, and be subject to all its provisions. The sitting Member had de clined to defend his seat, and certain of the electors pe titioned to be let in to do so. The 19th section of the Bill provided that in such a case notice should be given in the Gazette. The 20th section provided that the petition of the electors should be treated in all respects as an elec tion petition. Section -30 provided that all election peti tions should be referred to the General Committee ; and that where the Member declined to defend his seat, pro ceedings should be suspended for 30 days after the notice in the Gazette, and that when the sitting Member declined to defend his seat, the petition should be struck out and placed at the bottom of the list. The 47th and 48th sec tions provided for the appointment of the Select Committee, and that notice should be given to all parties interested. k appeared that it was neglected to refer the Ludlow pe tition to the General Committee, but the General Com mittee supposin g that t.l.e petition seas regularly before them as the rest, proceeded to name a day for the Special Committee. It had been since discovered that by reason of the omission to refer to the Committee the petition of the electors, there was no provision for giving notice to the party connected with the petition. The day was now approaching on which the General Committee should no minate the Special Committee in the order in which the petitions stood on the list. The Ludlow petition stood early in the list. It had been proposed to postpone the whole, but he should submit that was not necessary. By the 30th section, to which he had referred, the Legislature had contemplated the suppression of proceedings upon an election petition contained in the list, and had provided that in case of any such suspension it was provided that the petition should be struck out of the list and placed at the bot tom. There was no difficulty therefore in the General Com mittee striking out the Ludlow petition, and inserting it at the bottom, because the proceedings might be suspended in consequence of the petition not having been properly before the Committee. Those clauses were a'l of them, according to the rules of legal construction, directory clauses. From all that had taken place in Courts of Election, and particularly in the case of the Ip , wich election, the clauses of the Act would be obligatory with respect to those to whom the authority of the Court extended, but the observance of them was not neces. vary to insure the validity of the proceedings. He there fore submitted that it would be unnecessary to put the parties engaged in other elections to the inconvenience of a postponement of those Committees ; and that the exigen cies of the case he met and the Act of Parliament com plied with, if not to the letter, at least in spirit, by post poning the Ludlow proceedings with the others. Mr. ORD then withdrew his motion. S:r G. GREY said that if the House had no doubt as to the construction pot upon the Act by the solicitor-Ge neral, the House could have no objection in treating the Ludlow Committee 11.1 a suspended one. Sir G. CLERK thought that the order on the subject should proceed from the House itself for the purpose of suspending the proceeding. That order might be made by the House, should it be their opinion that the construc tion put upon the Act by the Solicitor-General was a cor rect one. He hoped that any power that it might he thought proper to exercise is this case would be exercised by motion, and not be let to the discretion of the Com mittee. The SOLICITOR. GENERAL said that the 80th section of the Act was thst under which the power of sus pending was given ; that section enacted that in every case in which the proceeding of a petition should be suTended, the petition should be struck out. and placed at the bottom of the list. That appeared to him to apply to cases in which no petitioners appeared. Possibly this having been the first case which had arisen under the Act, the House perhaps would not think it pro per to adopt those steps which the case trOght not seem absolutely to require, and he thought that if the flouse ;tere to make an order now, it might be rather calculated to produce inconvenience in future. Sir T. FIZEMANTLE hoped that the use would be now settled in such a manner as to avoid all inconvenience for the future, by laying do.vn a plain and uniform course of proceeding.; in these c‘ses. The course proposed by the Hon. and Learned Solicitor- General would he by far the easiest, if they were s3tistied that the General Committee of tkernselves possessed the power of suspending the pro ceedings of a particular Election Committee, but ha doubted if they did possess this power under the provisions of this Act of Parliament. He conside•cd that a petition waA referred to the Committee as soon as it was placed on the list. _ _ Sir E. SUG DEN thought it desirable that the debate should be adjourned to MOnd.ay. He thought it impos• sib', Ow the Committee could take upon itself to suspend an el cti;n petition, and pace it at the bottom of the list. The real question at issue WAS, what was to he done to tipply the omission which had taken place,. The General Committee had given all the notices they were bound to do agreeably to the Act of Parliament Sir ROBERT INGLIS said that the Hon. Member for Bucks thought that the suggestion of the Solicitor 6enernl would b e su ffi c i ent if th e C o mmittee possessed a discretionary power. But he trusted that the House would recollect that at the commencement of this Parliament forty.sev e n Election Committees had sat, and what would !lave been their position, if, in consequence of any little n:regulnrity, all proceedings had been suspended, and peti tions liad been struck out of the list? Sir R. PE EL s4id they should first of all endeavour to do strict justice, and next, not to establish ass inconvenient precedent, lie thought it advisable that they should have a few hours granted them fur consideration, The Soli citor-General had said that he had not had Cme to con sider the Act of Parliament. If he had not said so, be ( IL Peel) should have considered the Learned Gen tleman's decision decisive, but as he had not had time to consider the subject, with a perfect respect for his legal opinion, he thought it might not l.te inconvenient if they were for a short time to delay their decision. lie thought they would be able to come to a more satisfactory decision if the question was postponed till Monday, and perhaps the lion. and Learned Solicitor-General would have the goodness . ......_ ......,.... . _ . to consid er i t i n t h e meantime. _ Lord J. RUSSE LL had no o bj ec ti o n to the question being postp one d . H e did not wish to give any upon the poi n t, opinion hut he thought if it appeared that by the Act the General Committee could decide the question, it would be better to leave it to the Committee, than to bring before the House._( Hear, hear.) Sir G. CLERK said, that as some error had been corn. witted in serving the notices, and as it was of some im portance that the regular delivery of those notices should be insured, he wished to inquire, from the .Clerk of the Committee, in what manner he had executed the c•rdrrs given him. Ile therefore moved that Mr. Rose, the clerk of the Committee, be called in. person. By Colonel SA LWE Y—l delivered the three notices to Mr. Coppock separately. The witness then withdrew. Sir GEORGE CLERK said, that after the negligent manner in which these notices were served, the House would feel it was impossible the matter could rest there, and that Mr. Coppock ought to be ordered to attend the House on Monday next.—( Hear, hear.) He would there fore move that Mr. Coppock be ordered to attend o❑ Monday. Mr. GOULBURN observed that as Mr. Coppock was an amicus curia in this matter, it was probable that he was in the lobby at this moment—(Langhtcr)—and there for,. he might be ordered to attend at once. The Sergeant stated that Mr. Coppock was in the lobby, and he was ordered to attend at the bar forthwith. Mr. Coppock was then placed at the bar, and in answer to questions by Sir George Clerk, said, I am the agent for the parties defending the return for the borough of Ludlow. I received three notices from Mr. Poingdestre. The notices I received were addressed to the parties petitioning against the return. When I first saw the messenger he had not the notices. He asked me if I was concerned in any election petition ? I told him I was. He said he had notices for me. I told him to give them to me, and it would save him going to my house. I took the three which I conceived related to myself, and gave back the others to him. I never said it was of no consequence to whom the notices were delivered. By Mr. THORNE LY--I received a notice, which I ought not to have received, and a notice which I ought to have received was kept back. The witness then withdrew, and on the motion of Sir G. CLERK, the evidence taken at the bar was ordered to be printed. Sir G. CLERK also moved that Mr. Coppock be ordered to deliver to Mr. Rose, the Clerk of the Commit tee, the notices intended for Thomas and Marsden. After a short discussion. Lord JOHN RUSSELL moved that the House do meet at three o'clock on Monday, in order that the discus. sion might be finished :n time for the notices in the Lui low petition to b' served before six o'clock. IRISH MUNICIPAL CORPORATION BILL. Lord MO R PETH presented a petition from the town of Galway, praying that town might be removed from Schedule A. of the Municipal Corporation Act to Sche• dule B. A petition to a similar effect was also presented from Sligo. Schedule B was passed without opposition. On Schedule C being proposed, Mr. DUNBAR objected to the boundaries prcposed for the town of fleif:eit. Lord MOR. 9 I4:Tii ciid that any :olg,gestion the Hon. Member would favour hint with should receive attentive consideration. Mr. BLAKE wished the boundaries of Galway to be enlarged. Lord MORPETH could not consent to any alteration. The Scriedule was then agiced to, es se re Schedules D, E, F. G, H, and I. Mr. Sergeant JACKSON then rose to bring forward the clause, of which he had given notice, relative to the reservation of the rights cf freemen.. They had a vested in crest in the local government at present, and they were therefore entitled to have a voice in the election of muni cipal officers. It would also operate as a balance to the preponderating influence of Roman Ca:holics in the new corporatiens sic would conclude by moving that the clause should be brought up. Lord MORPF,TEI ,aid that the Hon. and Learned Gentleman could hardly be serious in thus brining for ward a clause it variance with the whole framework of the Bill. He would not, however, go over the arguments already urged on the subject, and he was sure the Com mittee could never consent to the adoption of the clause. Mr. W. ROCHE objected to the introduction of the clause. Mr. O'CONNELL said that the Corporation of Dub lin had already squandered a suns of 200,000/ The facts adduced by the Hon. and Learned Sergeant were of very bole value. lie remembered that when the evidence of a witness had once been objected to, he acknowledged that it was n,,t worth much, but added, that it was good enough fur the Jury.--( flear) It seas so with the Learned Ser geant: his facts were worth little, but he seemed to think them good enough for the House of Commons. Mr. M. BELLE \V opposed the introduction of the clause. Mr. Sergeant JACKSON made a few observations in favour of the clause. Sir R. H. INGLIS defended the clause, and said that Hon. Gentlemen opposite had had recourse to vulgar squabbles oh the matter. Nothing, he thought, could be more unjust than the total destruction of the vested rights of a very large body. He trusted, that if the sights of these men were to be sacrificed, they would be sacrificed for some useful purpose. Lord JOHN RUSSELL said, that if "vulgar squabbles" had risen on his side of the House, the same reproach might be made far more fairly to the course pur sued by Hon. Gentlemen opposite. Mr. M. J. O'CONEELL objected to the introduction of the clause. Mr. W. ROCHE offered a few words in explanation, and again objected to the clause. Colonel PE RCE VAL supported the clause, and made a few observations in defence of his party and of the Right Hon. the Recorder of Dublin, then absent from the House, whose present unpopularity would soon, he be lieved, pass away. After a few words in explanation from Sergeant JACK SON and Mr. M. J. O'CoNNELL, Mr. YOUNG rose and said that though he had hitherto supported the Hon. and Learned Sergeant, he could n o t go with him i n vot i ng f or t h e present clause. The Committee then divided, when the numbers were— For the Clause 44 Against the Clause 97 Majlrity 53 Mr. O'CONNELL gave notice that when the Report was brought up he should have to move three amendments. The House then resumed, and the Report was brought up, when on the motion of Mr. MORE O'FERRAL the House went into Committee on THE NAVY 'ESTIMATES. Sir T. COCHRANE could not but express his sur prise at the very small information which had been given on the Navy Estimates. He could not learn the number of ships being built, or being repaired, and many other matters connected with the subject. He could not, how ever, believe that any disclosure made by her Majesty's Government would be half so injurious as the statements which every day went forth to the world relative to the present decrepitude of the navy of this country. He be lieved that however painful any disclosures on the subject might be, they would induce Parliament to place the navy on a solid and efficient footing. He now wished to ask the Right Hon. Member for Kildare how two different rums had been disposed of, the one a sum of 472,892/ 12s. 10d., and the other a sum of 46,3404, the first of which was a saving on the wages of seamen, and the other a saving on victuals ? Mr. M. O'FERR A L said that the balance-sheet showed how the money had been applied. Sir T. COCHRANE said that the present mode of presenting the estimate to the Committee, and the appli cation to one purpose of funds which had been voted to another, were in direct contravention of the rule laid down by Lord Grey's Government, and led to the renewal of the abuses which the balance-sheet was to have put an end to. Mr. WOOD defended the course now pursued. It was considered most expedient to make the augmentation of naval stores from year to year. Occasions had arisen, which rendered it necessary to exceed the estimates of the year, and it was perfectly impossible to keep the expenses at all times and altogether within the estimates. But there was no department of the public service in which the rule, laid down in the Act of Parliament introduced by the Right Baronet, the Member for Pembroke, was so strictly adhered to as in the Admiralty. Mr. WARBURTON said that as the returns, which his Hon. Friend the Member for Middlesex and himself had procured, as to the number of soldiers sick, incapable, or invalided, had led to very beneficial results, he wished to know whether similar returns were to be made from the navy? The House then resolved itself into a Committee on the Irish Municipal Corporation Bill. A conversation took place respecting the boundaries of he town of Galway, in which L or d Nlorpeth stated that t was the intention of the framers of the Bill to adhere to the original boundaries. On the motion that the town of Belfast stand in Sc c dole A., Mr. DUNBAR opposed the motion, and moved that Belfast .be placed in Schedule B. Lord MORPETH opposed the amendment. Mr. LITTON and Sergeant JACKSON opposed the amendment. The House then divided, when the numbers were For the motion Against it Majority for the original motion for retaining Belfast in Schedule A. 41 On the motion that Clonmel stand in Schedule A, Sergeant Jackson entered into an explanation of the state ment he made on a former evening, and on which a dis cussion took place relative to the amount of property at which the parties to a petition from Clonmel were rated. He concluded by moving that Clonmel be remoeed to Schedule 13. Mr. PIGOT said that his statements on that subject were fully authenticated. He had taken some pains to ascertain the truth, and had found that out of 18,000 or 19,000 which was the population of the town, but 171 per sons had signed the petition, of whom 75 were not rated at all, and 46 were rated at sums less than 1/. He de nied that the petition contained the wishes of the inhabi tants of Clonmel. Sergeant JACKSON said he had the best authority for saying those who had signed the petition fully represented the proprietary of Clonmel, while the statement of the Hon. Gentleman was made on anonymous authority. Mr. PIG OT said his informant was named O'Leary. After a few words from Mr. M. J. O'CONNELL and Colonel PERCEVAL, Mr Sergeant JACKSON said he should not press the matter to a division, and Clonmel was ordered to stand in Schedule A. The various other towns, up to Dublin inclusive, were then ordered to stand•part of Schedule A. On its being proposed that the town of Galway should stand in Schedule A, Mr. BLAKE opposed the proposition. The people of Galway had suffered so much from the malversation of a former corporation, that they had bean obliged to apply to the Court of' Chancery, and ultimately, to Parliament, for relief. That corporation, although existing in name, was in fact, extinct, and the town had greatly increased in pros perity in consequence, and, therefore, he hoped that they wonld be permitted to remain without a corporation. In the House of Lords last }ear, the town of Galway had been placed in Schedule B, and the majority of the inha bitants were desirous that it should be placed in Schedule Bon the present occasion. He would therefore move that Galway be expo :Ted from Schedule A. Mr. Sergeant JACKSON seconded the amendment, having boon requested to do so. The inhabitants of Gal way did not think a corporation good, and it was a most extraordinary thing that one should be forced upon them. Mr. LYNCH said that believing it to be the wishes of his constituents that the town of Galway should be placed in Schedule B , he felt it to be his duty to vote in favour of the amendment. Mr. O'CONNELL raid that the population of Galway was more Catholic than any other in Ireland, and there fore, at all events, this corporation reform could not be con s:dered a Catholic conspiracy, as otherwise Galway could nit be petitioning against it. He never could understand tha grounds of this Galway squabble. Mr. BLAKE said there was no Galway squabble. The inhabitants were unanimous in their desire to have no cor poration. Colonel PERCEVAL supported the amendment, and thooglit that all towns desirous of it should to placed in Schedule B. Lord MORPETH was sorry he could not consent to the amendment of his Hon. Friend. He felt convinced there was nothing in the present Bill which could inter fere with the prosperity of the town of Galway, as the new corporation would be subjected to popular control. Mr. DU NB A R, although he had not succeeded in getting Belfast into Schedule B, would yet be most happy to see Galway placed there. Sir W. SOM ERVILLE was not surprised at the ner vousness of the Hon. Gentlemen opposite at the idea of a Roman Catholic majority, when he recollected the tyranny which had been exercised by the Protestant corporations. He could not vote for the amendment on general end coirlitutional grounds, as he considered corporations most useful in the maintenance of liberty. Colonel PERCEVAL said corporations in Ireland had originally been instituted for upholding the Protes tant religion. He could not understand the policy of forcing corporations on towns unwilling to receive them. Mr. SMITH O'BRIEN said he considered the case of Galway was one of great argument in support of this Bill, as it appeared that in fact it was already in posses sion of a reformed corporation, and as they wished to con. tinue in possession of it he should support the amendment. After a few words from Mr. BLAKE, Mr. O'CONNELL, in reply to the observations of the Hon. and Gallant Member for Sligo that corr_ rations were instituted in Ireland for the purpose of up holding Protestantism, would remind the Hon. Gentleman, of all the places in Schedule A., only one had received a COLBURN'S NEW 11-10NTIILY MAGAZINE charter for the first time from James L The date of the AND lIUMOURIST FOIL Ma abounds . with contributions of latest charter of the other eight places was in the time of a character which well sustain reputation as one of the most Edward ll[., when the Hon. and Gallant Member would amusing periodicals of the day. Among other dnguished hardly contend that the corporations were all sound Pre writers who have lent the aid of their pens to increase the testants. at- Strangers were th en or dered to withdraw, and the traction o h f e c vtle o p un present of i3i i, ntnun i hz, g, ]]serval Theodore Hook (the Bdi Committee di v id e d, w h en the r e appeared— tor) ; Captain arryat ; Mrs." For retaini ng G a l wa y in s chedule A 79 Trollope ; " Ni mro d" ; J. H. Merivale; the Hon. C. F. Against it 47 Saville ; " Koondah" &c. Besides the papers of these writers, Majority On its being proposed that the town of Sligo be Placed teresting article on the Poetry and Music of his Royal High in Schedule A, I ness Pnnea Albert. GRATIS, Mr. COOPER sa id t h a t he knew that all the most' GRATIS, AND POSTAGE FREE.—Bull's New influential inhabitants of Sligo were desirous of having • Library System can now be had gratis, and postage free., in all pet'_ part s of England, S co tl an d, an d I re l and, b y pr i vate f am ili es , the town pla ce d i n S c h e d u l e B. He bad presented a lion to th a t e ff ect , w hi c h was signed by persons of a ll reading so c i et i es , an d b ook-clubs, desiring to be supplied in any political opini ons , quantity with all wor k s , magaz i nes, and reviews regularly for perusal, upon the most advantageous terms. A Facet list is Colonel PERCEVAL said his Hon. Colleague, who included of nearly one thousand modern p ublications, with all had last spoken, was one of the largest proprietors in Sligo. the valuable new works, published to the present day. Apply Sligo was then ordered to stand part of the Schedule. to Mr. Bull, Public Librarian, 19, Holles-street, Cavendish- All the other towns were passed over without opposition. square, London. Sir T. TROWBRIDGE said that such returns were in preparation, and would soon be laid before the House. Mr. HUME asked whether the Admiralty bad it under consideration to pay the seamen as often as possible, so that they might provide themselves from time to time with small accommodations, fur the want of which they often suffered when on service; whereas, on receiving their pay ment in larger sums, they were frequently plundered —in when paid off, three or four of them were generally plundered in a week of their whole pay. Admiral A DAM said that in the administration of the Board of Admiralty, under Sir James Graham, a system of monthly payments had been adopted, and which he consi dered a very wise regulation. But the whole subject of short payments was under the consideration of the Admiralty. Sir G. CLERK observed, in the course of some gene ral observations, that he was aware there was considerable difficulty in the manning the navy, but he thought that this difficulty might be remedied by allowing those who had long-service pensions to re-enter into actual service without forfeiting their pensions. He had no doubt that such an arrangement would secure to the country, in an emergency, the service of the old men•or-war's men who were still capable of rendering valuable service on board ship, but who would not re-enter the navy at the expense Of their pensions. Captain PEC HELL concurred in the observations of the Right Hon. Baronet as to the advantage which the country would derive from allowing the oid seamen to re tain their pensions upon re-entering the navy. Mr. H. BERKELEY urged the necessity of sending nut ships with complements sufficient to protect the flag flying at their mastheads. Unless this were the case, he thought events would occur which would cause the country to rue it. Sir H. VERNE Y thought the present system was a premium for the best of our sailors to forsake our own and cuter the American navy, to retain their pensions. He did not believe our shins at present were s ufficiently manned. Lord INGE sTRI E quite agreed with the observation of the Hon. Member for Bristol respecting the manning of the navy, but could not agree with hint we were likely to incur disgrace. Ha had that confidence in Bri tish seamen that he did not believe, under any circrm stances, they would incur disgrace. He thought the Ad miralty had exercised its pltron3ge in a most improper manner. Sir THOMAS TROWBRIDGE said it would be the most absurd and useless thing in the world to keep up large complements in our navy in the time of peace. The information necessary to fix the :lumber of men to be employed was obtained front those in active service, and bc.t qualified to do it. Our sailors had never forgot their duty; they had over shown the same b ra v er y, an d ever with the same success. He defended the Government from the charge of unfairly bestowing their patronage. Lord GEORGE LENNOX thought there ought to he a separate estimate for marines. Capt. A'COURT complained of the unfairness of promotion, as respected mates and midshipmen. A conversation ensued in which Mr. Jones, Sir T. Trowbridge, Capt. Boldero, and Mr. Ltbouchere took Pa'• Mr. [TERRIES complained 'that the Government had given no information respecting the interruption of our commercial intercourse with China. In former tittles an address to the Crawn would have been made on th e sub- _ _....._ Ject. He hoped it would he speedily afforded. Lord PALMERSTON was surprised at the observa tions of the Hon. Gentleman, after his official experience, who must know the difficulties of preparing the papers alluded to. They would be laid upon the table in the early part of next week, when he had no doubt they would be found satisfactory. Captain BOLDERO wished to ask if any accounts had been received of any assault made by the Chinese o.; ;he British friga'e%;n the B9cea Ti rria ? Lord PALMERSTON had as ; . et received no official informa`ion on the subject. After a short conversation, the vote was agreed to. The Chairman reported progress, and the House re-mmed. The Vagrants' Removal Bill was read a third time, and passed. Col. SIBTHORP gave notice that on the motion for going in Committee of Supply on Monday, he should move for a return of all applintments which had taken place, the salary of which exceeded 200 i per annum, including household appointments from the Ist of November, 1830, to the present time. The other Orders of the Day were then disposnd of, and the House adjourned at One o'Clock to Monday. London : Printed and Published by MIIIIDO YO . (1 6 , r No. l 12, Strand, at Tire Sun Oftlife, No. 112. trawl " 1 ", county of Aliddlefex. —Saturday, Fel,ruary 29, 1840. EVENING EDITION. COURT OF uomMON CM:NM Yestcd:y a Court 'as heldfor ciL.patcli of business. THE ADDEF.SS TO TUE QUEEN. The LORD MAYott informed the Court that it tins his intention to go up to the Queen on SaterdAy (this day) t t tarn r, ien her Maj.;'s.ty would be giaiously plcaF , ed to receive the address of the Corporation.—( H ar, hear ) WARD REPRESENTATION After some conversation, it vvosreterred toe Committee, to tiring in a Bill to asAmilate the number of rcprrsenta tives to be returned from the different Ward.s, to the re], tive number of inhabitants, arid amount of rateable prt perty tbiretu, as far as it prPeticable. PATONi PRNMANSHTF. The LORD MAYou stated that he had received a moat splendid specimen of ornamental penmanship, from Mr. Walter Paton, who had been for several years employed by the Corporation as pemnan. And that Mr. Paton rc quc►ted the Corporations' acceptance of it as a small and inadequate proof of his gratitude. The specimen attracted the treat - est admiration, and was most warmly accepted by the Court. Mr. Paton has, since the death of the celebrated penman, Tornkins, exe cuted the most important writings for the City of London, the Royal Academy and other public bcd:cs. TILE UNNECESSARY SUIUNIER EXCURSIONS OF TILE coßro- RATION Mr. NVELis moved " that this Court (anx 7 ous to comply with the avowed wishes of their constituents in reducing the expenditure of the City cash by all practical m.:-at.s) do now totally repeal tie standing order of tic kith of June. 1837, authoriz:ng the expenditure of the sum of 7601. fur the expense; of unnecessary summer excursions." • He declared that if the Court decided against his motion, he should move, poor a man es he was, for an injunction to the Court of Cnancery to prevent them from appropria ting the money to the grvification of their appetite.— ( Laughter, and cries of •' Hear, hear.) Aldermen COPELAND seconded the motion, which was supported by several members. Mr. LAWRENCE oppus,ed the motion upon the ground that if the Committee were not recompensed in some way or other they would not assemble to du the duties of the Corporation, end that all the duties, and consequently all the influence would devolve upon the officers. The motion of Mr. WELLs was carried by a majority of 17 ; the numbers for it being 40, and against it 23. The LORD MAYOR, with great kindness of heart, in formed the Court (no doubt with a view to mitigate the pang of yielding up the Summer Excursions) that as Prince All:ert would be of age in August, in the very prime season of turtle and venison, his Royal Highness should be invited to the City to receive the freedom in that month, and to have the Chief Magistrate, with his Company, to dinner, and that all the members of the Corporation should receive invitations upon the occasion. —(Loud cheering.) LAW INTELLIGENCE. COURT OF QUEEN'S BENCH, FEB. 28. (Sittings at Nisi Prius in the Guildhall, before Lord DENMAN and a Special Jury.) COLLARD V. ALLISON. This was an action 'lrought by Mr. Collard, the cele brated pianoforte maker, against the defendant, who was in the same business, for an infringement of his patent tights in constructing square piano -fortes, with dampers, resembling Stuart's patent dampers, the property in which vested in the plaintiff. The case was net concluded up to the hour of our going to press, and there appeared every probability of its lasting the whole day. The floor of the Court was covered with models of piano-forte hammers and dampers, and the Court was crowded with musical instru ment makers, among whom the case seemed to excite especial interest. The ATTORAEY- GENERAL, Mr. TnEstmart, and Mr. KELLY conducted the prosecution ; and Sir W. FOLLETT and Mr. RICHARDS appeared for the defence. COURT OF COMMON PLEAS, Fan. 28. ( Sittings at Nisi Prins, at the Guildhall,) Lord Chief Justice TI;q2OAL was occupied the whole morning in trying Common Jury cases of no public in terest whatever. POLiCE INTELLIGENCE. BOW-STREET. Yesterday Thomas Dunn Webb, late a clerk in the Bimingham post-office, was brought before Mr. JARIANE, charged with stealing a letter, which came into his posses sion in the discharge of his duties, containing a bill for 201., the property of Messrs. Nathaniel Grace and Co., paper manufacturers, Newcastle-upon-Tyne. The priso ner, it will be remembered, had been examined already on charges of a similar nature, which were brought against him by the Post-office authorities, upon each of which he stands committed for trial. Evidence on this charge was heard at considerable length, when the prisoner was ordered to be committed to Warwick gaol. Th offence was committed in the county of Warwick, and he will be tried at the present Assizes. 1V UNSHIP- STREET. A tall young man, having the appearance of a decent mechanic, who gave the name of Henry Harris, which is known to be assumed, was brought before Mr. Grove, upon a charge of having unlawfully obtained certain legal docu ments under false and fraudulent pretences. The case excited unusual Interest, and numerous Char tists, whose interests, it will be found, were materially in volved in it, crowded the Court. Mr. Henry Boyden Roberts, the solicitor for the pro secutors, stated that he had been employed to defend certain Chartists, who were under prosecution for having taken part in an alleged illegal meeting at Bethnal-green, and, to enable hint to prepare their several pleas, copies of the intended depositions of their witnesses had been made at his offices, which were afterwards sent to *c witnesses for perusal. The trials were to have come on in the ensuing Sessions, but they had been very recently removed by certiorari into the Court of Queen's Bench. The charge he had to prefer against the person was that of having gene round to those witnesses, and under the false represeteation that he had been sent to him (Mr. Roberts) of having applied for those depositions, in one instance successfully. He considered the prisoner to be a tool in the hands of some evil-disposed perso as who wished to deprive the accused of their means of defence, and to defeat the ends of justice. The Learned Gtentlo • man then called witnesses to prove the charge, whey Mr. GROVE, the Magistrate, committed the prisoner for obtaining a clocumeitt under false pretences. The Perth election takes place on Thursday next ; polling, if gone into, on Friday and Saturday. MILS. TROLLOPE'S NEW NOVEL, " THE Wjnow Maxatrp."---We are requested to state that Mr. Col burn, of Great Marlbor oug h- s t ree t, h as t hi s d ay pu bli s h e d " The Widow Married," a sequel to " Widow Barnaby-," by Mrs. Trollope, in 3 vnls. post Bvo., with twenty-one humorous illustrations, by R. W. Buss, which can now be had at all the libraries. Mr. Colburn has also published, this day, the Fccond volume, price Bs. Gd. bound, of Miss Agnes Strickland's " Lives of the Queens of England, with Anecdotes of their Courts," now first published from official records and other authentic documents, private as well as public. Dedicated, by permission, to her Majesty. It will he seen by an advertisement in this day's impression, that the Metropolitan Anti-Corn-law Association are up and stirring in the good cause. We widen tand that some of the most influential men in the metropolis have em barked their energies in this holy work, and we sincerely hope the odious food-taxes will fall before their well directed. efforts. Mr. A. W. Paulton delivered a Lecture on the Corn-laws, at the Jamaica Tavern, Bermondsey, on T hursday night. The large hall was crowded with a most respectable and intelligent audience, who manifested, by their deep attent ion and the frequent plaudits, their sympathy with the Lecturer's views. Mr. Redmond was called to the chair. An individual of the name of Emmett frequently interrupted the lecturer in the course of his observations. and was challenged by Mr. Sidney Smith to a public discussion. S ee i ng th at t hi s was mot as• sented to, the Chairman called Mr. Emett to the platform to discuss the matter on the spot. The gentleman accin•dingly appeared, and attempted to maintain the old fallacy, that the price of, bread regulated the wages of labour ; but h e was laughed down by the common sense of the meeting. • Mr. Smith addressed the audience at the conclusion of the Lec ture, and the thanks of the meeting- were most enthusiasti cally carried to Mr. Paulton and himself A great number pressed forward to sign the petition for total and immediate repeal of the Corn-laws, and the meeting broke up with three deafening cheers for the abolition of the bread tax, and three groans for Mr. Emmett. sue " SPOONS and FO RKS, strongly plated with Silver on a white metal, and conse::ucntly not liable by wear to show any other colour. Table .Spoont, cr Furks 21. 19s. per dozen. Dessert Spoons or Forks, Two Guineas per dozen. Tea Spoons, 255. per dozen. Gravy Spoons, 9s. 6d. each. Soup Ladles, 16s. each. T. COX SAVORY, Silversmith itz.e., 47, Cornhill (Seven doors from Grace church-street), London SHEFFIELD MADE PLATED DISH CO VERS.—A. B. SAVORY and SONS, Goldsmiths, No. 14, Cornhill, London, opposite the Bank of England, submit for selection, i n th e i r s h oe . rooms, a very large variety of SHEF FIELD SILVER-PLATED DISH COVERS, from Fif teen Guineas the set ; they have silver edges and handles, and silver shields for engraving the crest or coat of arms. Doubie Dome Pa l t,rn2 The Melon Pattern. s. d. Size..£ s. ( 1 . 1 Plated Dish Covers, 20 in. 5 18 t , 1 Mate:l Dish Cover, 50 in. 5 1 7 t) „ Dish ('over, IS in. 4 7o 1 Dish Cover, 18 in. 414 t, „ Dish Cov ers , 14 i n. SP' , 2 Dish Covers,l4 in. 0 0 4 ' 1 7 Per Set £l5 13 0 Per Plated Currie or Hash Dishes Seven Guineas the Set. Price Cu rrent, S tamped as a Newspaper, containing drawings and every information relative to the purchase of silver or She fit Id plate, may be had on application, or will be sent into the country, free of postage, in answer to a paid letter. _... ~1.- -... __.~ BIRTL.7. On the 16th inst., at Florence, the Hon. 3lrs. B. N. Gar flier, of a daughter. On the 2lst inst., in Guernsey, the lady of Captain fienvey, R.N., of a daughter. On the 23d inst., at nolt, near Mrlkaham, the lady of th e Rev. James Bliss. of a son. DIED. On the 20th inst., at Little Grimsby, near Louth. Lincoln shire, the Rev. Edward Cove, vicar of Brimpton, and for zoleY years rector of Woolhampton, Berks. aged 64. On the 22d inst., at Sydenhara, Kent, Mrs. Welsford, vrid °W of the late John Parr Welsford, Esq„ aged 76. On the 22d inst., at Chil:, Denbighshire, Richard Jeb b ' Esq., aged 71. On the 23d inst., Mrs. Jane Laughton, of Gainford-place' Pentonville, aged 51. On the 231 inst., at NewcaAle-upon-Tyne, Sir Robe rt Shafto Hawks, aged 71. On the 25th inst , at Sydenham, Kent, Haskett Smith, EF 4 " aged 91. On the 26th inst., at Vicarage-place, Kensington, Charlotte' relict of the late .I(hn Weston Goss, Esq., of Teignmeuth, Devon, aged 72. On the 26th inst., Thomas, son of Mr. Wilkinson, of Jam"' street, A delphi.