The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1839-03-29 00:00:00

Imperial parliament. HOUSE OF LORDS.-MONDAY. EASTER RECESS. Viscount MELBOURNE said, that it might be convenient to the house to know that it was his intention to move to morrow that the house should adjourns for the Easter recess to Thursday, April 11. CORN LAWS. Lord BROUGHAM said, i 3 had to present petitions from certain unhappy persons, who either were or ought to be con fined in lunatic asylums in different parts of the island, because, according to what the noble viscount near him (Melbourne) had laid down the other night, those who were in favour of a repeal of the corn laws must, of course, needs be in a fit condition for confinement in such places. Ac cordingly the inhabitants of Great Torrington, and other lunatics, had signed the petition he held in his hand, and prayed for a total repeal of all restrictions. The next peti tion which he had was from the inhabitants of Great and Little Woolton, and Childwall, in Lancashire, who only prayed that a strict inquiry might be instituted on this sub ject, and who, therefore, were only verging on a condition to call for confinement in a lunatic asylum. (Laughter.) Viscount MELBOURNE said, that his observation was ap plied to those who stated that there should be an immediate repeal, not only of all duties on corn, but also of all other prohibitive and protective duties at once, without further consideration. CRIME IN IRELAND. Lord WHARNcLIFFE stated, that he was directed by the committee appointed by this house upon the state of crime in Ireland, to move for the production of copies of certain medical certificates produced upon the granting commutation of punishment in certain cases. The noble lord also moved that Colonel Shaw Kennedy and two other witnesses should be summoned to attend before the committee to be examined. The motions, it was understood, were granted. After some other business of no general importance, their lordships adjourned. HOUSE OF COMMONS.-MONDAY. Mr. Ellis took the oaths and his seat for Leicester, intro. duced by Mr. Easthope and Sir De Lacy Evans. BEER BILL. Mr. PAKINGTON postponed the day for going into corn. mittee on the beer bill, from Wednesday the 24th day of April, to Wednesday the 28th day of May. THE IRISH GOVERNMENT. Sir ROBERT PEEL wished to ask a question of the noble lord relative to the notice he had given the other night, in consequence of the motion that had been carried in another place. It was. a matter of importance that the house should know when it was intended to fix this motion for, and the convenience of members would be consulted if the noble lord would at once state the day that he proposed to bring it forward. Lord JOHN RUSSELL replied that he wished to bring for ward his motion as soon after the recess as he conveniently could, and have it discussed at as early a day as possible. He had no objection to state, that he proposed to bring it forward on Thursday, the 11th of April. ECCLESIASTICAL APPOINTMENTS SUSPENSION BILL. The house resolved itself into committee. A number of clauses were added to the bill. The house resumed, and the report was ordered to be received on Tuesday. THE NAVY. Mr. T. Arrwoon, in a speech of some length, moved that an humble address be presented to her majesty, praying that she may be graciously pleased to adopt timely and efficient measures for obtaining a due supply of able seamen for the royal navy. The motion, not being seconded, fell to the ground. The house having gone into a committee of supply, the navy estimates were proceeded with ; and, after many inci dental discussions on naval affairs, the votes were all agreed to. In the course of these discussions, Mr. C. WOOD said that he had stated a few evenings ago that he believed a pension was vacant. On inquiry he found that that was the case ; and that the board of admiralty had met that morning, and had conferred it on Captain Napier. (Hear, hear.) TURNPIKE TRUSTS. Mr. MACKINNON moved for a select committee for the purpose of ascertaining how far the formation of railroads may affect the interest of turnpike trusts, and the creditors of such trusts ; to consist of Mr. Mackinnon, Sir Henry Parnell, Mr. Vernon, Mr. Mildmay, Mr. Greene, Mr. Geo. Wilbraham, Mr. Ormsby Gore, Mr. Dunbar, Mr. Henry Thomas Hope, Mr. Ainsworth, Mr. Henry Baring, Colonel Rushbrooke, Lord Viscount Clive, Mr. Shaw Lefevre, Mr. Parrott.—The motion was agreed to. The house adjourned at a quarter before one o'clock, to Tuesday. HOUSE OF LORDS.—TUESDAY. The royal assent was given by commission to the Duke of Wellington's estate bill, and several other bills. Petitions on various subjects were presented. CANADIAN PRISONERS AND THE STATE OF MAINE. Lord 11RouGn Am, having understood from the Marquis of Normanby that there was to be no opposition to the return relative to the Canadian prisoners, said he did not wish to give rise to any discussion, but only to press upon the atten tion of her Majesty's ministers a regard to justice and humanity in the treatment of those prisoners. Although many of them were persons who had moved in a respectable sphere of life, and were well educated, they were associated with housebreakers and thieves, they wore the prison dress, had their hair cut close, and were in all respects treated as common felons, although they had only been guilty of a poli tical offence. Surely this was a remnant of the barbarism of by-gone ages, when there was no distinction made between ordinary felonies and political offences. He did not mean to have it understood that the treatment of the prisoners was the result of any active interference, but only according to the ordinary course ; he was sure it needed only to be noticed to be redressed. The noble and learned lord then went on to say, that he sincerely hoped the powerful necessity of a war with America would be avoided. He would not counsel the government, nor would their lordships sanction any course contrary to public honour ; but, on the other hand, no appre hension need be entertained in consequence of the high war like reputation which we had acquired all over the world by the valour of our heroes both by sea and land ; no apprehen sion need be entertained that it would be derogatory to our honour to concede as much as possible for the maintenance of the inestimable blessings of peace. This was the princi ple upon which the government ought to act in every case, and above all in respect to the unhappy differences between this country and America. There was one consolation on this subject, which was that we were undeniable, clearly and manifestly in the wrong ; and giving up when we were in the wrong never could harm us. The Marquis of NORMANBY said, that in reference to the &Magri -rlatte.pligorieTO ioRA - filit - i - E6larly in 1:3! department. They had been transferred to the convict ships, as all other convicts coming from that part of the world were, there having been no doubt of the legality of their trials. He had received a communication respecting them to-day, but he should make further inquiries on the subject, In re ference to the other part of the noble and learned lord's speech, he had no observation to offer on that. Lord BROUGHAM wished to know whether the noble marquis had any objection to state whether he had heard any thing from the Mauritius or not? He understood the eman cipation of the slaves had been rejected by the council there, by a majority of one. His noble friend, who preceded the noble marquis in his present office, had stated, a few months ago, that if the emancipation were !ejected by the council, an order had been sent by her Majesty's government to the local government there, ordering the slaves to be emancipated. The Marquis of NORMANBY said no information had been received at present, but the provisional order had gone out, and he had no doubt the local government would act upon it. Lord DUNCANNON laid upon the table abstracts of monies received and expended in the burghs of England and Wales. The Marquis of NORMANBY laid on the table copies and extracts of correspondence between the government ann the Governor of Upper Canada; copies and extracts of answers to commissioners sent out to inquire into the affairs of Malta, and other returns. The Earl of ABERDEEN presented petitions from different parts of Scotland, in favour of church extension. On the motion of the LORD CHANCELLOR, an address was agreed to be presented to the crown, praying for a copy of the report of the assistant hand-loom weavers' commissioners. The bills on the table were forwarded a stage, and the house adjourned at half-past five o'clock. HOUSE OF COMMONS.—TUESDAY. There being only thirty-one members present at four o'clock, the house adjourned till to-morrow. HOUSE OF LORDS.-WEDNESDAY. The royal assent was given, by commission, to the Duke of Wellington's estate bill, the tithes arrears (Ireland) bill, &c., &c. On the motion of the Earl of SHAFTESBURY, their lord ships then adjourned till Thursday, April 11. HOUSE OF COMMONS.—WEDNESDAY. Lord G. SOMERSET presented a petition from certain car riers of goods between London and Birmingham, complain ing of the conduct of the railway company in refusing to carry their goods, though they carried the goods of another firm in the same business ; praying the house to interpose their authority to put an end to what they considered a most injurious monopoly. His lordship asked if it was the inten tion of government to regulate the proceedings of railways. Mr. P. THOMSON said, that on the 11th of April, he should move for the appointment of a committee to inquire into the subject. Mr. LABOUCHERE stated, in answer to Mr. Hume, that the charges against Colonel Prince, for ordering prisoners taken by the Indians in Canada to be shot, were under inves tigation by a court of inquiry. He added that the reports in circulation were greatly exaggerated. Mr. LABOUCHERE said, in answer to Mr. Gladstone, that government was willing to produce all the information re ceived relating to the Hill Coolies. Lord J. RUSSELL (in answer to Lord Granville Somerset's inquiry) cid, that in the course of the session he intended to propose the continuation of the poor law amendment act, renewing the powers of the commissioners, but adopting some of the recommendations of the committee of last ses sion. There would be additional powers regarding unions under Gilbert's act ; but he was understood to add. that if there were any alteration in the bastardy clauses it must be the subject of a separate bill. Sir STRATFORD CANNING, in order to afford the ministers the opportunity of allaying public anxiety, asked whether the government had received any official information of the ap pointment by the United States of a plenipotentiary to open further negotiations in London regarding the Maine boundary question ; whether the government had received any infor mation of Sir J. Harvey having, contrary to instructions previously received, acquiesced in the suggestion of the Bri tish minister at Washington, touching present occupation of the disputed territory ; and whether there would be any ob jection to produce the instructions referredjto by Sir J. Har vey, in a despatch dated Feb. 18, as to maintaining possession of that territory. Lord PALNIERsTos answered, that as he had understood, from despatches received on Tuesday, that there was a ques tion before the United States government, as to whether a special plenipotentiary should or not be appointed, he con sidered it would be improper in him, until that question was decided, to give any answer to the questions, or to pro duce the required instructions. Sir R. PEEL said he should not embarrass the government by making any remarks now; but would reserve the right, when the information and papers were given, of expressing his opinion whether or not our government had shown suffic ient energy and decision on this subject, in their proceedings with the United States. Mr. LABOUCHERE, in answer to Col. Sibthorpe's inquiry regarding delay in producing papers he had moved for, said that it resulted from the difficulty of estimating the exact ex penses of Lord Durham's mission in consequence of sales now taking place. There was no indisposition to produce them as soon as possible. Lord .1. RUSSELL said that with regard to the motion of which he had given notice for Thursday, the 11th of April, in consequence of the request of several members to whom it would be inconvenient to attend before, he would now fix that motion for Monday, April 15. Sir H. V ivinx then, in committee of supply, moved re solntionson the ordnance estimates; which, after some de sultory discussions, were chiefly agreed to. The house adjourned till Monday, April 8. ROCHDALE FLANNEL MARKET, MONDAY, MARCH 25. — There has been but little change in the market to-day. The demand has been rather better, and perhaps some few more pieces sold than on the preceding Monday. In prices there is no alteration. Wool remains firm, though there has not been much business doing. CAPTURE OF ADEN. (Official account from Tuesday night's Gazette.) ADMIRALTY, MARCH 26, 1839. COPY of a LETTER from Captain SMITH, of her Majesty's ship Volage, to Rear Admiral Sir Frederick L. Maitland, dated Aden Back Bay, 22d January, 1839. Her Majesty's Ship Volage, Aden Back Bay, 22d January, 1839. Sir,—l have the honour to inform your excellency that the expedition under my command against this place anchored in the afternoon of the 16th instant. The same evening I received a letter (No. 1) from the political agent, informing me that all negotiation on his part had failed, and that hostilities had already commenced. On receipt of this letter I communicated with Major Bail lie, the officer commanding the troops, and we determined to lose no time in attacking the place. The lith was spent in drawing up the plan of the attack, and in making the necessary preparations. On the morning of the 18th I weighed with the squadron* to proceed to the front of the town, which I reached in the afternoon, in company with the Cruizer, (towing a mortar boat) and Mahe schooner. On standing in towards the island of Seerah, a fire was opened on the ship with musketry and several large guns, when I commenced a partial attack. The Coote (corvette) and transports not having come up, I hauled off and anchor ed for the night. On the morning of the 19th, the whole force having arrived, I made the signal to prepare to attack, and the troops to be held in readiness for landing in two divisions ; at half-past nine the Volage anchored, with a spring on her small bower cable, in four fathoms water, at about three hundred yards distance from the lower battery on the island of Seerah, at the same time the Mahe took up her position to the south ward of the island. On standing in, the enemy opened a fire of great guns and musketry on us, but the ship being laid so close to the shore, the guns on the heights were rendered useless, their shot passing over us. At ten the Cruizer anchored, and was of essential service in destroying the flank of the battery. During this period a heavy firing was kept up, but in a short time two of the guns in the lower battery were dismounted, and most of the people were driven from the remainder, they, however, took shelter behind the ruins of the battery, and kept up an incessant fire of musketry on the ships, and although the lower battery was almost knocked to pieces, still we had great difficulty in dis lodging the men. At this period I directed the fire to be opened on the round tower and batteries on the hights, which were filled with men armed with matchlocks, and in the course of one hour I had the satisfaction to see this tower (though sixty feet high, and strongly built), a mass of ruins. At eleven the Coote anchored with the second division of the troops to the southward of the island, and opened her fire upon the town. Finding the firins had not ceased from the lower battery, I directed the Mahe schooner to proceed to the end of it, and endeavoured to drive out the men from behind it, by musketry; this service was performed by her commander, Lieutenant Daniels, in a most gallant manner, but I regret to say that Mr. Nesbit, midshipman, was severely wounded. The firing having now almost totally ceased, I gave direc tions for the boats of both divisions to land. Lieutenant Dobree, who had charge of the first division, Mr. Rundle, mate. and a quarter-master of this ship, were the first on shore, and made for a 68 pounder, which had been fired at us several times, when a matchlock was fired at the quarter-master by a man behind the gun, who was immediately cut down by him, and the first British flag was planted by Mr. Rundle. So completely were the enemy driven from all points (with the exception of the Island, when I directed Lieutenant Dobree (who had returned) with two mates (Messrs. Stewart and Rundle), with a party of seamen, and Lieutenant Ayles with the marines, amounting altogether to 50, to land and take possesion of it ; this was gallantly accomplished, the party ascending the heights, spiking and dismounting the guns, taking the flag which had been flying from the tower, and making prisoners of 139 armed Arabs, who were conduct ed from the island to the main by the party, and given over tnto the charge of Major Osborn. In an attempt to disarm the prisoners (made by the military), they made a most formidable resistance, and I regret to say that several lives were lost on both sides. Mq. Nesbitt, a midshipman of the Mahe, was the only person hurt on board the squadron, and on part of the military, 15 were killed and wounded, most of them danger ously, and one serjeant has since died. The enemy's guns were served badly and fired irregularly, they appearing to have most confidence in their matchlocks ; and there can be no doubt that if it had not been for the total destruction of their defences by the squadron, the troops would not have been able to have accomplished their landing without a very severe loss. I have not been able to ascertain the number of armed men that defended the town, but from what I can learn there must have been upwards of 1000 ; nor can I come at the exact number that were killed or wounded, 25 dead bodies were found on the island of Seerah alone, several in the town, and this moment there are 25 wounded lying in the mosque, amongst whom is the Sultan's nephew, who defended the island. I beg to recommend to your notice the gallant conduct and services of Lieutenant Dobree and Messrs. Stewart and Run dle (mates) ; nor can I omit mentioning the assistance I re ceived from Captain Haines, the political agent, who from his local knowledge, piloted the ship in, which enabled me to take up so effective a position. I herewith transmit to your excellency a plan of the attack (No. 2), and a list of the ordnance stores (No. 3) captured. Lieutenant Dobree is now employed with a party of men in endeavouring to get off the three large brass Turkish guns, which it is the wish of the captors should be presented to her Most Gracious Majesty. I intend to send the Cruizer to Barbara for water, and I shall leave this place as soon as tranquillity is restored and measures are taken for the security of the troops.—l have &c. (Signed) H. SMITH, Captain Commanding the Expedition. His Excellency Rear-Admiral F. L. Maitland, K.G.C.8., &c., East Indies. Hon. Company's Sloop of War Coote, Aden Black Bay, Jan. 16, 1839. Sir,—All negotiations with the chieftains of the Abdalla tribe have failed in bringing them to perform their written promise of transferring Aden to the British, and their having declared war by opening a fire on the hon. company's sloop of war Coote and her boats ; in fact, after all reasoning and every strenuous endeavour has been exerted on the part of the Bombay government to bring the deceitful and dishonour able tribe to their senses by mild and conciliating measures have proved unavailing, I am under the necessity (as the last and only resource left to obtain satisfaction for the repeated #3l4tth ground ceded to the British, under their Sultan's seal, in January, 1838. 2dly. I have, therefore, the honour to request that you will, with the squadron under your command, in co-operation with the troops under the command of Major Baillie, adopt such measures for the immediate capture and occupation of Aden, as may appear to you both best calculated to obtain it. 3dly. I take the liberty of pointing out that many of the poor inhabitants of Aden have been compelled by the chief tains to remain there, consisting principally of Jews, Banians, and Zoories ; I therefore earnestly solicit that, if possible, their lives be preserved. 4th. I also beg, that if fortune should place the Sultan or his sons, any chieftains or Seids, in our possessions, that their lives be spared ; and that any individuals so captured be se cured to await future decision regarding them. sth, Havinc , a perfect knowledge of the localities of the place, I shall feel most happy to afford you any information on the subject ; and if from a thorough knowledge of the bay and anchorages, my services or advice be advantageous, I shall feel proud to accompany the commander of any vessel or squadron in taking up a close position for the destruction of their strongest battery.—l have the honour to be, &c., (Signed) J. B. HAINES, Political-Agent. To Captain Smith, Her Majesty's Ship Volage, Senior Office, Aden. RETURN Of BRASS and IRON ORDNANCE captured at ADEN, on the 19th January, 1839. In Battery, on Carriages.-1 brass 85-pounder, 1 brass 68- pounder, 1 brass 32-pounder, dismounted by tire of the squad ron ; 4 iron 11-pounders, dismounted by fire of the squadron; 2 iron 12-pounders, 5 iron 9-pounders, dismounted and thrown into the sea by sailors ; 5 iron 6 pounders, 1 iron 4 pounder, 5 iron 3 pounders. Not in Battery.-1 brass 89 pounder, 6 iron 6 pounders, and 1 iron 4-pounder.--Total, 33 guns. 3,000 pounds of powder, 1,200 shot of sizes (85 stone,) 88 grape shot, 2 pigs of lead, 114 matchlocks. (Signed) W. WILLOUGHBY, Captain, commanding Artillery, Aden Force. * Her Majesty's ships Volage and Cruizer; Honourable Company's ships Coote and Mahe ; Transports, Lowjee Fa.: mily, Ernaad, and Ann Crichton. THE BOUNDARY QUESTION. TO THE EDITOR OF THE TIMES. Sir,—ln The Times of Thursday last appeared a propo sition for the settlement of the boundary dispute between Great Britain and the United States, of so extraordinary a character as to demand a few observations. It is proposed that Great Britain shall cede to the United States that por tion of New Brunswick west of the city of St. John, along the shore of the Bay of Fundy, until it meets the frontier of Maine at the River St. Croix, including the whole of " Charlotte County," extending north to the military port on the St. John River, and thence to follow that line along the highlands from Mars-hill, which we claim to be the true one. This, it is said, would be better for both parties, be cauze it would secure to England the whole of the disputed territory, and keep unbroken the communication between Frederickton and Quebec, while Maine would acquire a fine country, to which she has never yet dreamed of putting forth a pretension. Certainly, Maine, grasping as she is, and ready to acquire territory by any means, never has dared to ask so much ; she would be well aware that such a proposal would be too monstrous to be listened to for one moment. In the first place, all the harbours on the Bay of Fundy would be yielded to Maine, and possession of the islands of Campo Bello and Grand Marian would not only give her the entire of the fisheries but complete command of the coast. It so happens that all the villages on the St. John are on the west side of the river, as well as Fredericton, the seat of go vernment. It would be ridiculous to yield Frederickton, with all the public buildings and extensive barracks, to the Americans, for the purpose of *securing a road from it to Quebec. The great road from St. John to Fredericton is also on the west side of the river. The distance between these places is 65 'miles by land and 84 by water, and there are such physical obstacles on the east. side a. will for ever prevent a road being established there, independently of the increased distance. _ _ The portion of New Brunswick proposed to be given away contains a very respectable proportion of the whole popula tion of the province. Charlotte County alone numbered in 1834 no less than 15,852 inhabitants, That county manufac tures more lumber than any other in the province. The amount sawed in 1835 was estimated at £124,343. and it has much increased since. St. Andrew's is the capital of Charlotte County, and owns about 15,000 tons of shipping. To the inquirer into compa rative national statistics it may be observed, that the imports of St. Andrew's in 1834 fell little short of those imported into all England in 1534, the latter being only £117,000, and the former £llO,OOO. Besides St. Andrew's, there are also the ports of St. Stephen and St. George, in Charlotte County, each owning shipping, among which there are a number of whalers. A very considerable part of the city of St. John would be given up, including several batteries, and the complete com mand of the harbour, while a population of not less than 40,000 as loyal subjects as breathe under the British flag would be coolly handed over to the tender'mercies of their Yankee neighbours, in return for the relinquishment of an unrighteous claim to a few hundred square miles of the unin habited wilderness. Much more could be said, but I think there is enough. In short, making the St. John the boundary between New Brunswick and Maine would be precisely similar, and have a very similar effect to making the River Thames the boundary between England and France. A NEW BRUNSWICKER IN LONDON. On Tuesday, the coroner for Derbyshire held two inquests at Ilkerston, on the infants of labouring people, both of whom had been killed by the improper use of lau danum, which had been administered by their mothers in order to keep them asleep whilst they went out to their work. In both cases verdict of Accidental death" were returned. —Derby Mercury. STATEMENT IN VINDICATION OF LADY FLORA HASTINGS. Sir,—Many false and contradictory reports of the deplora ble insult which has been lately offered to my niece, Lady Flora Hastings, at Buckingham Palace, having appeared in the public papers, I, as her ladyship's nearest connexion, feel it my duty to request of yohto publish the following ac count of the transaction, for the correctness of which I vouch. An imperfect knowledge of the details of this odious affair has produced various false conclusiong. In well informed circles, where the Lady Flora is known, the idea of her guilt was never entertained for a moment ; but in other quarters, where, inthe absence of positive information; a judgment is formed by what oozes out in the public papers, I find that an injurious idea exists, " that she has been spared, or let off easy." The facts are these :—Lady Flora arrived some weeks since, from Scotland, very unwell. She immediately con sulted Sir James Clarke, the physician to both her Majesty and the Duchess of Kent. One sympton of her complaint was a swelling of the stomach. By dint of exercise and medi cal treatment she was getting better, the swelling had con siderably subsided, and she had every hope of a speedy re covery, when, on or about the lst of March, Sir James Clarke went to her room and announced to her the conviction of the ladies of the Palace, that she was pregnant. In an swer to all his exhortations to confession, "as the only means of saving her character," Lady Flora returned an indignant but steady denial, that there was anything to con fess. Upon which Sir James Clarke told her, " that nothing but her submitting to a medical examination would ever satisfy them, or remove the stigma from her name." Lady Flora found that the subject had been before the Queen's notice, and that all this had been discussed, arranged, and announced to her without one word having been said on the subject to her own mistress, the Duchess of Kent, who had no suspicion of what was going on, and whose sanction was not sought for the humiliating proposition which had been made to Lady Flora. On leaving Lady Flora's room, Sir James Clarke went to the Duchess of Kent, and announced, his conviction that Lady Flora was with child ; and was fol lowed by Lady Portman, who conveyed a message from her Majesty to her mother to say, that the Queen would not per mit Lady Flora to appear till the examination had taken place. Lady Portman (who with Lady Tavistock are those whose names are mentioned as most active against Lady Flora) ex pressed to the Duchess of Kent her conviction of Lady Flora's guilt. -" Her beloved mistress" never for a moment doubted Lady Flora's innocence. She said that she knew her, her principles, and her family too well to listen to such a charge. However, the edict was given ; and the next day, Lady Flora having obtained the Duchess of Kent's very reluctant consent —" for her Royal Highness could not bear the idea of her being exposed to such a humiliation"—but Lady Flora, " feeling it her duty to her Royal Highness, to her family, and to herself, that a point-blank refutation should be instantly given to the lie," submitted herself to the most rigid examination ; and now possesses a certificate, signed by Sir James Clarke, and also by Sir Charles Clarke, stating, is strongly as language can state it, that "there are no grounds for believing that pregnancy does exist, or ever has existed." Lord Hastings, though at the time very ill from influenza. went to London instantly, and demanded and obtained from LOrd Melbourne a distinct disavowal of his participation in the affair, and demanded and obtained an audience of her Majesty, in which, while he disclaimed all idea that the Queen had any wish to injure his sister, he plainly, though respect fully, stated his opinion of those who had counselled her, and his resolution to find out the originator of the slander, and bring him or her to punishment. Lady Flora is convinced, that the Queen was surprised into the order which was given, and that her Majesty (lid not understand what she was be trayed into—for ever since the horrid event her Majesty has showed her regret by the most gracious kindness to Lady Flora, and " expressed it warmly with tears in her eyes." The Duchess of Kent's conduct was perfect ; " a mother could not have been kinder." " She immediately dismissed Sir James Clarke from her service, and refused to see Lady Port man ;" and has crowned her goodness by most beautiful letter she has written to the Dowager Lady Hastings, from whom the accounts were kept till all hope of avoiding pub licity were impossible.—l am, Sir, your very obedient ser vant, HAMILTON FITZ GERALD. March 21. THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF JAMAICA On Saturday, a numerous meeting of proprietors, mer chants, and others, connected with the colony of Jamaica, was held in the West India Committee-rooms, 60, St. James'- street, London, for the purpose of taking into consideration the measure about to be submitted to parliament by govern ment for suspending, for a limited period, the Legislative As sembly of Jamaica. Viscount St. Vincent was unanimously called to the chair. The noble chairman having stated the purposes for which the meeting had assembled, a gentleman proposed the following resolutions 1. That this meeting earnestly deprecates and protests against the adoption of the proposed measure, which deprives the great colony of Jamaica of the functions of its assembly, and thus suspends a constitution contemporaneous with the first settlement of that colony, which has been uninterrupt edly enjoyed, and which is based on the fundamental princi ples of the law and constitution of Great Britain. " 2. That, in the opinion of this meeting, tine suspension of the functions of the Assembly will be injurious to the in terests of Jamaica land-holders, and the community in gene ral, and is calculated, in the present critical state of the colony, to place in still greater jeopardy its property and welfare, and the successful issue of the great measure of emancipation." The resolutions having been seconded, a gentleman rose to oppose them. An animated, and, in some respects violent, discussion, which lasted nearly four hours, ensued. The meeting at length divided, when the numbers were—for the resolutions, 64 •, against them, 7 ; making a majority for the resolutions of 57. It was also agreed that a copy of the re solutions should be transmitted to Lord Melbourne and the Marquis of Normanby, accompanied with a request that they should appoint an early day for an interview with a deputation on the subject. The following gentlemen were appointed a deputation for the purpose—namely, Sir W. Wyndham Wil ing, Mr. Phillphots, Mr. Taylor, and Mr. Byng. Thanks having been voted to Lord St. Vincent for his conduct in the chair, the meeting separated. SAILING OF THE GREAT WESTERN STEAMER It is again our duty to report the sailing of this vessel. She left the buoy in King's Road a few minutes after , one o'clock a.m., of Saturday. The departuie was somewhat de layed in consequence of the absence of a portion of the crew ; otherwise she would have left at an early hour yester day. We were on board in the'morning of yesterday and everything was apparently ready for } an immediate start ; kV, Me' PPeriuirirZeS 4 =ka n nCel7silteal such an early hour of the day. There was again great competition for berths, every nook being occupied, and several passengers gladly availed themselves even of sofa accommodatio . ns, rather than lose the opportunity of going in her. The num ber of passengers was 110, among whom were Lord F. Paulett, Hon. J. Lunard, Lieut. Colonel Oldfield, Captain John Forbes, and Mr. Kaye (charged with government despatches) ; also Judge Halliburton, of Nova Scotia, the reputed writer of Sam Slick's sayings and drollery. We were honoured with an introduction to this gentleman, who possesses, without doubt, an immense fund, not only of witticisms, but of the soundest views relative to the policy which Great Britain should pursue towards her American colonies. The time occupied by the Great Western in the perform ance of her several out and homeward passages having been much misrepresented, we have great pleasure in laying before the readers of the Standard a statement of the number of days and hours on each trip, and as our information is de rived from her log book, its correctness may be depended upon. _ _ • _ _ _ On the first voyage from Bristol to New York, exactly 15 days and 6 hours elapsed from the hour of leaving her moor ings in the King's Road, Bristol, to that of being secured to the quay at New York. From land to land she was 14 days and 12 hours only, viz., from Lundy Island, in the Bristol Channel, until they obtained sight of the high lands off New York. On the first voyage, from New York to Bristol, the time occupied from the quay at New York to King's Road was 14 days 14 hours, or 13 days 20 hours from sight of high lands oft New York, called Never Sink, to sight of Lundy Island. 2d Voyage.-15 days 4 hours from King's Road to the quay at New York; or exactly 14 days 10 hours from land to land. On this homeward voyage she was 12 days and 12 hours from New York quay to King's Road, or 11 days and 20 hours only from land to land. 3d Voyage.-14 days 18 hours from King's Road to New York quay ; exactly 14 days from land to land. On the homeward voyage, 13 days 2 hours from quay at New York to King's Road, and 12 days 10 hours from land to land. 4th Voyage.-16 days 9 hours from King's Road to quay at New York, and 15 (lays 16 hours from land to land. On the homeward voyage, 12 days 10 hours from quay at New York to King's Road, and 11 days 18 hours from land to land. From Sandy Hook to the longitude of Cape Clear, was this voyage run in the extraordinarily short space of 10 days and 22 hours. sth Voyage.-18 days 18 hours from King's Road to quay at New York ; 18 days from land to land. On the home ward voyage, 14 days 11 hours from New York quay to King's Road ; and 13 days 16 hours from land to land. 6th Voyage.-19 days 6 hours from her moorings in the river Avon to quay at New York ; 18 days 12 hours from land to land. On the homeward voyage 14 days 17 hours from quay at New York to King's Road ; and exactly 14 days from land to land. In the course of these voyages the vessel had steamed nearly 38,000 miles. The engines were stopped for the pur pose of speaking vessels, tightening screws of the machinery, &c., for a time not amounting to more than 10 hours, five of which were during the first voyage homeward, when a large brass was twice broken. On one passage the engines never ceased working during the whole time occupied in its per formance ; and during another voyage only for a few minutes, on the banks of Newfoundland, for the purpose of getting fish from a vessel occupied in the fishery. The above statements, compiled with accuracy, show an average rate of speed unattained by any other vessel. The iron vessel now in course of building by the spirited owners of the Great Western, is confidently expected to attain even a greater speed. We observe that some discontented radical has been endeavouring to prejudice the shareholders against the management of the company : but setting aside the in accuracy of the statements advanced by him, it turns out that the party is intimately interested in sailing vessels employed on the same line, and consequently speculatively opposed to the steam ship company. However, it is for the citizens of Bristol to decide, whether motives of this kind shall be allowed to operate in a manner detrimental to their interests. —Standard It is utterly untrue that any troops have been ordered into the manufacturing districts. The only movement has been of the usual routine description at this season of the year.— Globe. COMMON INFORMERS.—In a case heard at Hatton-garden on Saturday, on an information preferred by Stowell, Mr. Greenwood, the magistrate, said to the informers, " Your race is nearly run ; the legislature is about to take away from the informers the moiety of the fines." The men looked aghast at this information. MURDER.—Ann Burton, a married woman, separated from her husband, had been for some time cohabiting with a man named Leddington, by whom she was in the family way ; the fellow neglected her when he found the expense that her con dition would entail upon him, and on Thursday morning he gave her sixpence, advising her to buy two pennyworth of arsenic,, as it would destroy the child, and she would be able to go to service in May next. Impressed with this idea the miserable woman bought the poison at a chemist's at Clifton, and took the whole of it at the house of a friend at Park Horn, near Bromyard, after which she went to her breakfast. Shortly after taking the arsenic, all the symptoms of suffer ing incidental to mineral poison manifested themselves. Ann Burton was very reluctant to implicate her paramour, but when she was informed she was dying, she stated on her oath that Leddington had induced her to take the poison, assuring her that the effect of it would be to destroy the child alone, and that no harm could come to her, and that she would not have taken it if she had known that her own life would have been endangered by doing so. Soon after giving this evidence she expired in dreadful agony, and a coroner's inquest was held on Monday. The above evidence was given before the jury, and the coroner, in summing up the case, explained that if they believed the depositions of the deceased, Led dington was plainly guilty of murder, as accessary before the fact. The jury returned a verdict of wilful murder against Joseph Leddington, who was committed to Worcester gaol upon the coroner's warrant on that charge. Leddington most solemnly declared that the whole of the statement of the deceased as to the affair was false, and denied either giving her the money or the advice.— Worcester Journal. CAPTURE OF THE PASHA'S HAREM RELATED BY AN EYE-WITNESS. (From Bentley's Miscellany.) In 1823, the Greeks, in one of their marauding expedi tious, captured the entire harem of the celebrated Cherchid Pasha. The instant this affair was made known to Sir Fre- derick Adam, he sent to negociate with the capforA for their prize, and ransomed them for 10,000 dollars. With the kindest and most' delicite attention, Sir Frederick had a house fitted up expressly for the reception of these fair infi dels, and had them conveyed to Corfu and landed in the night, unseen by the curious inhabitants. During their re sidence, the strictest privacy was observed with regard to them ; not an individual in the island was allowed - to see them, except Lady Adam, and a very few of the ladies of the ;arrison Sir Frederick lost no time in communicating with the Pasha, and informed hini of all he had done, and the scrupu lous care which had been observed respecting the privacy of the ladies of his harem. The Pasha returned the most pro - fuse 'acknowledgments to Sir Frederick for his kindness and attention, stating the satisfaction he should have in repaying the ransom, and requesting Sir Frederick to oblige him by sending them to Lepanto as soon as possible. Sir Frederick Adam engaged the first merchant brig he was able, and had her fitted up for the reception of its fair freight with such care, that none of the people on board could, by any possi bility, catch a glimpse of their passengers. Many of these in teresting creatures had.ingratiated themselves wonderfully with the ladies who were allowed to visit them, by their en tire artlessness and unsophisticated notions of the world and its ways. One was,tlie favourite of the Pasha, and was said to possess great influence over him. She was a native of Circassia, and was called Fatima, and possessed a greater profusion of ornament and rich lothing than the others. Lady Adam described her as the most decidedly beautiful creature she had ever beheld. She had large dark eyes, with a 'peculiarly soft and pleasing expression, which ,could not fail to interest auy one who loOked upon her ; her eylashes were very long.and black ; her complexion was of the purest white, and her teeth like ivory. She was not more than eighteen years of age, and Lady Adam could not refrain from tears at parting with one so young and so beautiful, about to be se cluded for ever from a world which she might, under happier circumstances, have adorned. When the brig was ready for their reception, they were put on board without having been seen by a single individual, excepting the ladies already mentioned. Captain Anderson. in the Redpole, acted as convoy, and Capt. Gilbert, A.D.C., was sent from Sir Frederick Adam with despatches for the Pasha, and to receive the ransom money. I bad been cruiz ing for some time with Anderson, and therefore accompanied him. We had a most delightful trip from Corfu up the Gulf of Lepanto, where we had orders to deliver up our interesting charge. Some of the Turkish authorities, charged with the orders of his highness the Pasha, were there to receive them. They reiterated the Pasha's acknowledgments for the kind ness and care with which the ladies had been treated ; and the ransom money was told into buckets of water, to prevent contagion. The beautiful Fatima, at parting, left two hand some shawls as a remembrance—one for Captain Anderson, and the other for Captain Gilbert. They were conveyed from the brig so closely enveloped, that not even a figure was discernible, and on their landing were surrounded by a troop of blacks, or guards of the harem, 'and conveyed in closed litters to the town. The Redpole then sailed for Zante, whither Sir Frederick and Lady Adam had gone to whom the captain gave an account of his mission, and truly delighted they were to hear that their protegees had been so kindly received. On our return to Corfu, the following 'most distressing intelligence awaited us. Scarcely had the two vessels sailed from the Gulf of Lepanto, than the ruthless monster of a Pasha, placing rio faith in the honour of British officers, and deaf to all remonstrance, caused the whole of these unfortunate creatures, the beautiful and interesting Fatima amongst the rest, to be tied in sacks, and drowned in the waters of the gulph ! The horror and indignation with which this shock ing intelligence was received at Corfu can hardly be de scribed. Not a man but would have gladly volunteered to have burnt Lepanto to the ground, and have hung the dog of a Pasha by his own beard. But we were poweress : we had no right to interfere, and were to smother our indigna tion as we best could. There was many a wet eye in Corfu for the fate of poor Fatima and her luckless companions. But judgment speedily overtook - the perpetrator of this most wanton deed of butchery,—though it is strange how noble were the last moments of this man of blood. By some means, Cherchid Pasha had incurred the suspicion of the Porte. There is but one way amongst the Turks of explaining these matters. A Tartar shortly arrived at the head-quarters of the Pasha, bearing the imperial firman and the fatal bowstring. The Pasha no sooner read the fatal scroll than he kissed it, and bowed his forehead to the earth, in token of reverence and submission. " Do your instructions forbid me to use poison, instead of submitting to the bowstring?" calmly asked the pasha of the Tartar. " His highness may use his own pleasure," answered the Tartar. " I have with me a potent mixture which, with his highness's permission, I will prepare." The Pasha then called together all his officers and his house hold. He was attired in his most splendid robes, and received them in his state divan, as though in the plentitude of his power. The fatal messenger stood by his side. In one hand he held a golden goblet, all enriched with precious stones, and in the other he held the imperial firman. " I have sent for you," he said, addressing them in a firm voice, " I have sent for you all to shew you, by my example, that it is the duty of a Mussulman to die at the command of his superior as well as to live for his service and honour. The Sultan, our master, has no further occasion for his servant, and has sent him this finnan. It remains for me only to obey. I might, it is true, resist; surrounded as I am, by guards and friends. But no; I respect the will of God and our blessed prophet, through the word of his successor. I value not life in comparison with duty ; and I pray you all to profit by my example." With a firm and unflinching hand he carried the poisoned goblet to his lips, and drank it to the dregs ; then, shaking his head as one who has had a nauseous draught, he handed the cup to the-Tartar, and said, " Keep it ; your potion is bitter indeed. Present my duty to our master, and say that his servant died as he lived,— faithful and true. And you," he added, turning to those who stood dismayed around him, " if it ever should arrive that any of you should have to undergo—the same — trial," his voice faltered, and his face became deadly pale,— " remember Cherchid Pasha!—Allah—Achar !—God's will be—" but before he could finish the sentence, his bead fell .upon his breast, and he sunk back upon the cushions of his divan, and expired. The Tartar took a bag from his girdle, and with a knife separated the head from the body, _the blood staining the jewrlled vpis7Pts. Tb, l - 1 ,44d he deposited caref u lly in the nect round his waist , and in a fe w mi nu t o . was on his fleet steed on the road to Constantinople. The Glasgow Chartists had a meeting last week, and it ap pears from the proceedings that they have had an accession to their numbers of two clergymen. One of these, the Rev. G. Harris, complained that the National Petition did not go far enough for him, he was a decided Republican ! The cheers with whicn this announcement was received showed that the meeting felt the same dislike to monarchical govern ment as the preacher himself. The Rev. William Paterson, of the Universalist Chapel, sent 1:3 4s. 9d., the amount col lected by him on the previous Sabbath for the " National Rent."—Scottish Guardian. STATE OF TRADE.—There was a rather limited demand yesterday, both for goods and yarn, and the business done was on a limited scale, but without any alteration in prices. It is understood that the Liverpool steamer, which was expected to bring a considerable number of orders from the United States, has brought very few ; and it is even said, that some countermands of former orders have been received by her. The working of short time continues in the neighbour hood of Mossley, and in several other places where yarn is spun for export ; but it is entirely at an end at Stalybridge.— Manchester Guardian. THE SWEDISH MOUNTAINEER.—The Delcarle still thinks himself, as our Highlanders do, of a superior caste, and adheres proudly to his white wadmal coat, his breeches with huge buttons and knee buckles, his hose gartered below the knee; and his wife to her red stockings, high-heeled shoes, and yellow cap. Every parish or dale, however, has some peculiar color or stripe ; but all the women use this shoe with a high heel or prop under the hinder part of the foot. It has given them a peculiar kind of gait, from the back sinews not being so much exerted, and the fore sinews more. When they are walking barefoot at this season, they bring the fore part of the foot first to the ground, as soldiers of old used to be drilled in vain to do. I can distinguish a Dal woman Walking barefoot by her gait.—Laing's Tour in Sweden. THE CHINESE.—There is perhaps no country in the world where a greater degree of deception is carried on than in China. The handicraft of the people is extraordinary, and they contrive to turn almost every article, indigenous to the country to some profitable account • which though valueless_ in itself, they manage, with the aid of labour and art, to im pose on foreigners who are in the habit of trading with them, either as objects of value or curiosity. The grass cloth is manufactured from the fibres of a specbs of iris, a plant that grows abundantly in most parts of India. Their card-counters, which they represent as being manufactured from rice, are wrought out of the shell of the ostrea gigans, from which that valuable article of elegance, the pearl, is extracted, and which shells they procure in large quantities fron the gulf of Mana, and other isles in the'lndian Archipelago, whilst their rice paper is produced from the solah, an aquatic plant, which is to be found in almost every bog in southern India. The stamen of this succulent herb contains a very fine pith, which is capable, by a turning machine, of rendering a most delicate kind of paper. This pith is used the natives of Hindostan in the construction of hats, one of which, of a commodious size, will not exceed in weight two ounce. The wild hog feeds voraciously on the root of the solah. A DISTINGUISHED COOK.—The following anecdote of Prince Talleyrand is from the Quotidienne:—ln 1772, when the celebrated diplomatist, then a secret agent from some par ties in France, was compelled to quit London within 24 hours, he embarked on board a Danish vessel, which was to convey him to the United States. At sea the vessel met with an English frigate, which made a signal to her to lie to, and sent an officer in a boat to inspect her, the principle of England in time of war being that a neutral flag protects neither persons nor goods of a hostile power. Talleyrand, who had an insuperable dislike to the idea of being taken back to England, implored the Danish captain not to declare him, and the officer could devise no other expedient than to pass him off as the ship's cook. After some wry faces, Talley rand consented to the captain's proposal, and with a very ill grace assumed the cotton!cap, kitchen apron, carving knife, and other appendages, in keeping with his new office. When the English officer boarded the vessel, and demanded in the usual terms if there were any French passengers on boiird, the captain replied there was " only one poor devil of a limping French cook," who being immediately called up for inspection, Talleyrand made his appearance, saucepan in hand, and with such a piteous countenance, that the English officer laughed heartily, and consented not to make a capture of him. M. Watersdorf, the Danish ambassador, under Buonaparte, is said to have been acquainted with this anecdote, and to have invariably brought it on the tapis whenever he felt a grudge against the ex-Bishop of Autun. PEDESTRIANISM.—On Friday and Saturday last, two of the most extraordinary feats ever, perhaps, witnessed in this town, were performed by Ensign Smith and Lieutenant Ste phens, of the 61st depot stationed here. The ground chosen was the infantry barrack square. Mr. Smith undertook to walk 30 miles in six hours, on Friday, and accomplished it in 15 minutes.less than the time. From the time lie commenced until he had finished, .his. space never slackened, and on the last round he appeared quite fresh, exhibiting no symptom of exhaustion. On Saturday, Mr. Stephens undertook the her culean labour of walking 50 miles in 13 hours in the full dress of a private soldier in heavy marching order, with knapsack, watchcoat, canteen, firelock, and bayonet, and the usual ap pointments, weighing in all forty-six and a half pounds. The day was very unfavorable for the undertaking—it being very cold, the wind blowing sharply, accompanied at intervals with heavy showers of sleet. He commenced his task at 20 minutes to six in the morning, and walked in gallant style during the entire day, preserving all through the same pace with which he set out. He stopped half anhour to breakfast, and changed three . times when drenched with rain ; and in despite of the numerous disadvantages with which he had to contend, he performed. his task in splendid style, having 54 minutes to spare.. On. coming up on the last round, he asked one of the umpires if he won ; being answered in the affirmative, he threw up the musket with astonishing dex terity and marched off apparently quite fresh to his quarters amid the loud shouts of the spectators. Large sums of money changed hands on the occasion ; and the chagrin of the dis appointed parties was ludicrously visible on witnessing the successful issue of what at first appeared a physical impossi bility.—Tipperary Constitution. LIVERPOOL MECHANICS' INSTITUTION. LECTURES ON ORGANIC CHEMISTRY. On Wednesday evening Dr. Brett delivered the fourth lecture of his course. [Owing to the excavations now in progress for the sewering of Mount-street, it is extremely difficult, if not dangerous, to effect a passage to the Institu tion, and we beg to call the attention of the commissioners to the subject, with a view of urging them to increased•ex pedition in the prosecution of their operations, so as to render the street again available for the numerous ladies attending the lectures at the Mechanics' Institution, who are now un able to obtain access to it.] In the present lecture I have to continue the consideration of the artificial neutral organic products which come under the denomination of ethers. The term ether was originally applied to an extremely light and volatile fluid, obtained by the action of sulphuric acid upon alcohol. Modern disco veries, however, have brought to light a very numerous class of compounds, which are all arranged in the family of ethers, in consequence of their chemical composition, but which differ very materially from each other in respect to certain of their physical properties. Some of them, instead of possess ing the great levity of the ether first discovered, are heavier than water or even oil of vitriol, one of the densest fluids with which we are acquainted; others again are not only'much less volatile than common ethers, but actually exist in the solid form at ordinary temperatures, so that the advances of modern science now render it necessary to abandon that apparently natural association between the term ether and some substance possessing very light and volatile properties, and apply the term generally, as indicative of a class of bodies endowed with a certain and well defined chemical compo- sition. When equal weights of alcohol and sulphuric acid are placed in a retort and heat applied, an extremely light and volatile fluid comes over when the temperature is equal to 280 degrees Fahrenheit. If the temperature be not raised to that degree, we obtain a very small quantity of ether. As soon as the development of ether takes place, spirits of wine are al lowed to flow into the retort from a reservoir placed above, to an equal amount with the, ether obtained. In this manner we are able to produce as much ether as we _wish from the same quantity of sulphuric acid. For this mode of preparing ether, we are indebted to the French chemist Boullay, and it is a process much superior to that first employed for that pur poSe. The ether which comes over under these circum stances; is always mixed with a certain proportion of water and spirits of wine, and the specific gravity of the product is equal to that of the spirits of wine originally employed. I stated in a former lecture that alcohol was composed of olefiant gas and water. Now ether on the contrary contains just one half the quantity of water which alcohol contains, consequently, if from this alcohol we take one half its water we convert it into ether ; and this view of the question, extremely simple as it is, is borne out by the chemical com position of still - its of wine and ether, respectively, as de duced from experiment : for if we mix sulphuric acid with alcohol, we obtain ether mixed with water, arising from the de composition of the alcohol. This was the original view of the mode in which alcohol was converted into ether ; but it was found, by subsequent experiments, that certain other effects are produced besides those to which I have alluded : that, for example, when sulphuric acid is added to alcohol, a new acid is formed, called the ethero sulphuric, or sulphovinic acid. The fact of the existence of this acid was established in a very simple manner. Sulphuric acid is known to pos sess the power of combining with barytes, or oxide of lead, to form air insoluble compound ; but when alcohol was pre sent, it was found that the salts of barytes or lead then formed became soluble in water, which proved the existence of anew acid in combination with the metallic oxide. .How ever, although the existence of sulphovinic acid be admitted, it does not militate against the previous theory, that the change which takes place is ,due to the abstraction of the water from spirit of wine. It has, indeed, been attempted to shew, that the production of ether depends . upon the con tact of sulphuric acid and alcohol, and it is certainly a fact, that sulphovinic acid, when mixed with an excess of a base, will not yield ether when subjected to distillation. We therefore add the sulphuric acid in excess to the alcohol, when we wish to obtain the ether. But, on the other hand, if we combine the sulphovinic acid with lead or with barytes, then, by the application of heat, we are enabled to get ether, provided the bases be not in excess. All these circumstances taken into consideration, we are led to conclude that the simple change produced during etherification is the abstrac tion of water from the spirit of wine, and very recent expe riments have in my mind set this matter completely at rest. It was formerly thought that no substance possessing a strong affinity for water, excepting sulphuric acid, was capable of converting alcohol into ether,—such, for example, as dry muriate of lime, dry caustic potass, &c. ; but it has latterly been discovered that the chloride of zinc, which has a great affinity for water, is capable of converting alcohol into ether. Thus, if we take an excess of chloride of zinc and alcohol, and submit them to distillation, we shall find that ether will flow over,, testifying, as far as it can be proved, that the mere change in the conversion of alcohol into ether was the ab straction of water. I have stated that ether differs from alcohol in containing only one-half its proportion of water, and we find that this difference in the amount of water ac cords completely with the weight of the vapour of ether and the weight of the vapour of the spirit of wine. Having spo ken thus much upon the mode of producing ether, I shall direct your attention to a few of the more striking properties of this substance. In the first place, it is characterised by the properties of being extremely inflammable, and exceed ingly light compared with water, although its vapour is very dense. So extremely volatile is this fluid, that it will actu ally boil in vacuo at the ordinary atmospheric temperature ; and if a glass bulb containing water be enveloped with cotton wool saturated with ether, the evaporation will be so rapid as to freeze the water in the btilb even in a warm room. The extreme inflammability of ether may be shewn by placing a. little cotton wool, saturated with it, in an open tube, when, by blowing through the tube, the vapour of the ether may be driven out and inflamed, as it issues from the tube. Ano ther simple mode of exhibiting its inflammability is by drop ping a feW lumps of sugar, saturated with the ether, into warm water, when the vapour of ether, being liberated, will rise to the surface of the water in large bubbles, where it may be ignited with a taper. If, again, we fill a jar with warm water, and invert it in the pneumatic trough, and open beneath it a bottle containing ether, the heat of the water will at once convert the ether into vapour, which will occupy the place of the,water. Ether has the peculiar property of acting as a solvent upon a variety of substances. We find that it exercises a very powerful solvent action upon most of the resinous substances, as well as upon sulphur and phos phorus, with the latter of which substances it forms a corn . pound luminous in the dark. Certain gaseous as well as fluid substances exercise a peculiar influence upon, ether. The electro-negative substances—iodine, chlorine, and bromine— arP of flPentnopioff it. and forming new substfin , os, when mingled with it in proper propOrtions, and inflamed. When chlorine and the vapour of ether are inflamed in con tact, we have a considerable evolution of carbon, as well as the formation of muriatic acid. Having stated the most remarkable properties connected with ether; I shall direct your attention to those additional eombinations termed ethers which have been discovered since, and which differ materially in their properties from the ether "which we have considered, riot only as regards their volatility and weight, but as to the form in which they exist, some being gaseous at ordinary temperatures, and others fluid. The term etherin is given to olefiant gas for convenience, 'so that we call sulphuric ether the hydrate of etherin, because it is a compound of olefiant gas and water. Muriatic acid is capable Of producing another compound of etherin, the water being replaced by muriatic acid, therefore the resultant com bination is termed hydrochloride of ether, or hydrochlorate of etherin. Hydriodic acid also replaces the water, and produces hydriodate of etherin. The nitrate of etherin contains one proportion of water, with the addition of a proportion of nitric acid. The acetate and the oxalate of etherin are simi larly constituted. It must not be imagined, that these ethers represent all with which we are acquainted, as they do not, in fact, represent one fourth part of them, but the considera tion would occupy more time than could be devoted to them in a particular lecture. The combination of muriatic acid and etherin produces an etherial substance, which at ordinary tem peratures is gaseous, and which does not assume the fluid form unless it be submitted to a low temperature. It is in flamed on the application of heat, and burns with a cha racteristic green colour. The properties of hydrochlorate of etherin are not of any further interest in any point of view, but the acetate of etherin being used in medicine, is deserv ing of some notice. Like the common ether, it exists in the fluid state at ordinary temperatures. It inflames like spirits of wine, and during its combustion evolves a quantity of acetic acid. The oxalate of etherin, is one of remarkable interest. It is much heavier than any of the other ethers, just noticed, and when acted upon by ammonia, forms a pe culiar substance, called oxamide. If to a portion of oxalic ether, a little liquid ammonia be added, it will be found that the oxalic ether will suffer decomposition, as will also the ammonia. The oxalic ether is composed of oxalic acid, etherin and water. The compound which results from its decompo sition, occurs in the form of a white powder containing car bonic oxide, and a substance called amygene. Now, if it be true, that oxalic ether suffers decomposition by the addi tion of ammonia, oxamide being produced, which only differs from oxalate of ammonia in containing less oxygen and hydrogen, we ought to find that upon the decomposition of oxamide by supplying it with the element of water it should evolve ammonia. If we are able to prevent the ammonia from entering into fresh combinations, we shall be able to demon strate its presence. This can be done by means of an in genious apparatus, of which this (contrived by my friend Mr. William Radcliffe, whose chemical acumen is too well known to most of you, to require my dwelling upon that circum stance now) is a specimen. Into one retort we place oxamide and caustic potass, by which ammonia is driven off : this ammonia, upon issuing from the beak of the retort into a receiver, there meets with muriatic acid produced by another retort,hy the decomposition of salt with sulphuric acid, by which muriate of ammonia is formed. • We now enter upon the consideration of a substance of a peculiar nature, possessing many of the properties of alcohol. It is called, in commerce, wood naptha, and is produced during the time when the acetic acid, formed in the distilla tion of wood, is being manufactured. When we apply heat to the harder kinds of wood, in an iron cylinder, it is found that, besides the acetic acid or vinegar which comes over, a spirituous fluid is distilled, for the most part mixed with a quantity of tarry ,matter, which renders it brown, and gives it a peculiarly disagreeable odour. By repeated subsequent distillation it may be almost entirely separated from this tarry substance, and thus it is 'introduced into commerce under the term wood naptha, or pyroligneous ether, in con sequence of its supposed etherial propertids. When perfectly pure, and it can only be obtained pure by repeated distilla tion, especially when mixed with dry muriate of lime, to free it from - water, it assumes the form of a colourless fluid, with a disagreeable odour, is extremely inflammable, and answers many of the purposes to which common spirit of wine. is applied. This fluid has undergone a severe chemical exami nation•by two distinguished French chemists, to whom we owe almost all the knowledge we possess of it. I may state to you that it has been termed alcohol of wood ; and that term is very applicable to it, because it possesses almost all the striking properties of alcohol, not only in its very combustible nature, but also in' its properties of a solvent nature. There are very few substances which alcohol is ca pable of dissolving which are not also dissolved in this fluid ; and with respect to the action of acids, in converting alcohol into ether, the same action obtains with respect to the alcohol of wood. It is a compound of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, differing from spirits of wine in containing a smaller propor tion of olefiant gas and a larger quantity of water. This will be rendered very obvious by this formula. If we take half a pint of olefiant gas and Combine it with one pint of aqueous vapour, we shall form one pint of the vapour of methylic alcohol as it is called. As methylic alcohol contains oxygen, it is acted upon by potassium. It is likewise capable of combining with acids, and forming a class of bodies analagous to the corresponding ones of alcoholic ethers. I have already stated that the olefiant gas which enters into the composition of the ethers has, for convenience, been termed etherin ; now that which enters into the composition of the alcohol of wood has been termed methylene. When sulphuric acid acts upon the alcohol of wood it converts it into the hydrate of methy lene, which differs from the alcoholic ether in containing less olefiant gas. The hydro-chlorate of methylene' ' except at a very low temperature, exists in a gaseous state. The hydrio date of methylene is a very interesting ether, derived from the alcohol of wood. It is one of the heaviest ethers with which we are acquainted, being heavier than oil of vitriol, aid is an instance of ether possessing a snperior density to that of one of the heaviest fluids with which we are acquainted. ' This ether is not inflammable by itself, and requires to be mixed with an inflammable substance before we are able to inflame it. If we mix it with a small portion of alcohol we inflame it ; and by afterwards inverting a bell glass over it, the fumes are collected, the iodine being set free, and we detect its presence with starch. There is one more compound of this class to which I wish to direct your attention, because it is the solid form, and is an etherial substance entirely divested of fluid properties, existing in a solid state at ordinary tem p eratures. This compound is termed the oxalate of methy lene. It is very soluble in the alcohol of wood, and if a little of it be be submitted to the action of heat it passes to the fluid form, and is driven off in a white dense vapour. It is somewhat interesting to mark, that if to this solid ether we add .ammonia, it is converted into oxamide, precisely as the oxalic ether from alcohol is. This circumstance, as well as others already noticed, show the remarkable similarity of the etherial compounds, whether derived from the alcoholic or the methylic series. On Saturday evening, It. H. Brett, Esq., delivered the fifth lecture of his course, to an attentive audience. In the present lecture I have to continue the consideration of vegetable organic sub.tances of neutral origin. In the last lecture we entered into the nature and composition of those organic bodies of artificial production, and we have now to treat upon those bodies which, although equally neutral, are of natural production or occur ready formed in the plant. The first of these are the resins which are diffused exten sively throughout vegetable bodies. They are to be met with in almost every part of the plant, whether we examine the . . root, stem, flower, or fruit. ThiS peculiar proximate princi plei which has been termed resin, is for the most part obtained from incisions which are made in the trunk or stem of • the plant or tree, or from spontaneous exudation. The general properties belonging to this proximate principle are the following :—Resins vary very considerably in their colour ;. for the most part they possess a yellow or a yellowish brown colour. They are totally insoluble in water, but are readily dis Solved by spirit of wine or ether. They possess the pro perty of being rendered electrical by friction, and are hence frequently called electrics. They differ in the degree in which they are rendered electrical by friction, and some chemists have arranged the resins, according to their electrical proper ties, into those which possess very striking electrical proper ties, and into those in which electrical properties are by no means very obvious. These substances are dissolved by the alkalies—by potass and by soda. They are acted upon in a peculiar way by the acids ; for instance, nitric acid•will con vert some of the resins into a substance very analagous to tannin, which has, therefore, been called artificial tannin. Some, but very few, of the resinous substances are converted into oxalic acid by the action of nitric acid. These properties are sufficient to distinguish the resinous bodies from the other proximate principles wh ich we are called upon to consider. In their chemical constitution they also differ very materially from the other forms of vegetable principles. Although composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, their carbon predominates to a considerable extent, and the hydrogen and oxygen are not present in the proper proportions to form water, whereas in sugar, starch, and gum, and some other proximate principlei, they exist in the proportions requisite to constitute water. That substance which is commonly met with, and is more frequently recognised by the term resin than any other, and is more familiar to most persons than any other, is the resin obtained from common turpentine. It is procured froth those species of plants which belong to the family of the pines, from which there exudes, especially by incision, a large quantity of a resinous substance, mixed with an essential oil. When this essential oil is separated there then remains a brown substance. — This resinous substance is exceedingly inflammable, and during combustion sets free a large quantity of carbon. The quantity of carbon being so great that the oxygen of the at mosphere is not capable of converting it into carbonic acid. A very interesting substance, which may be classed amongst the resins, is one obtained from the plant termed the guiacum officinale, from iyhich the resin is termed guiac resin. Like the one I have alluded to it is exceedingly inflammable ; it is soluble in alcoho and ether, and insoluble in water. When we take a solution of resin in spirits of wine, and mix with it distilled water, we shall find that the resin will be separated from its alcoholic solution, and the alcohol combining with the water will set the resin free. The same thing occurs with respect to guiac resin. This variety of resin, however, possesses very peculiar properties in its relation to oxydizing agents. As met with in a pure state it is found to possess a yellowish brown colour. But when exposed for no very great length of time to the action of the atmosphere its ordinary colours is changed into green or blue by the absorption of, oxygen. When the resin, therefore, is pure, and has not been exposed to the oxydizing influence of the atmosphere, or some gas or fluid capable of affording oxygen, it loses its yellowish colour and becomes green or blue. If I take a so lution of this resin in alcohol, and place it upon a white sur face, and then expo - se it to the influence of some gaseous sub stance capable of acting upon it by supplying it with oxygen, you will find a bluish green colour struck. This colour is evanescent, and its place will soon be supplied by a yellowish tinge. Now in this experiment I simply cause a current of nitrous acid gas to flow against the white surface. This is precisely the change which takes place when the guiacum resin is exposed to the action of the atmosphere. The change, however, is much more slow. If we allow a current of chlo rine gas to be passed through a solution of the same resin in alcohol, in which it is soluble, we shall also find that a bluish green colour will be struck. The cause of this change is the same as that in the former experiment, the guiacum resin receiving a quantity of oxygen,—the chlorine decomposing the water which is present, and uniting with its hydrogen to form muriatic acid, by which the oxygen of the water is sup plied to the resin. Not only does chlorine possess this pe culiar property„ but bromine and iodine, which in other respects are very analagous to chlorine, also possess the power of changing the original colour of guiacum resin to blue. I shall trace upon a portion of paper a few letters, and then I shall cause the vapour of bromine, which is ex tremely heavy, to fall upon them, and you will observe the bluish green colour produced. This circumstance clearly shows the strong properties which the electro negative agents and oxygen gas possess in altering the colour of a resinous substance, and we are not able to explain this change, except on the supposition that the resinous substance abstracts oxy gen. The guiac resin presents the property of combining with certain metallic oxides, and in this case also we observe a change of colour; but there is in some instances a combina tion between the metallic oxides and the resin. I shall first take a solution of chloride of gold, and add to it some of the resin dissolved in alcohol, when we shall have a bluish colour struck, and if we examine the compound formed, we shall find that it is combined in definite proportions. The same thing will take place with other metallic oxides. Here I have sulphate of iron, and here also we observe a deep bluish co lour, and the change which takes place is precisely the same as in the first instance. There is one rather strange exceptiqn to this action of resin upon a metallic oxide, and this occurs in the cases of the salts of copper. Thus, if the alcoholic solution of resin be added to the salts of copper the blue co lour is not immediately struck, but upon the addition of a small quantity of prussic acid a pale blue colour is immediately produced. Therefore prussic acid and the resinous solutions have been employed as a test for the salts of copper. When I add a solution of resin to the cupreous salt, we observe a white film upon the top, but as soon as I add a small quan tity of nrisirt .rid a very remarkable blue colour is produced. A very minute quantity of the resinous solution, mixed with a very small proportion of copper, ,will, upon the addition of prussic acid, cause the blue precipitate to which I have al luded. There is no one substance amongst the whole class of resinous bodies which possesses the characteristic besides besides the guiac resin. And this circumstance is of great importance in testing that substance, entering as it does very .extensively into medicinal preparations. Quitting the conversation then of the resinous substances, I proceed to notice another interesting and important class of neutral organic bodies, namely, the volatile or essential oils, and here I may obse rve , th a t th roug h ou t vege t a ble bodies, oleaginous substance s ex i s t i n t wo f orms . I n the first, the oil is volatile or essential as it is termed, in the other, it is fixed or non volatile. To the volatile or essential oils, I will particularly direct your attention. They are met with in considerable abundance, and they occupy very different positions in the plants from which they are derived, as re gards the different structures o f th es e plants. They are sometimes to be met with in the leaves, very frequently in the flowers, and still more frequently in the fruit. We are able to separate them by two different operations,—by expres sion, that is by subjecting that part of the plant which is found to contain them to pressure, or by subjecting it to the ac tion of heat in combination with water. The latter mode is the most frequently resorted to and the application of heat causes the essential oil to be carried over by distillation in connection with the water, and it is afterwards separated by removing the essential oil which floats upon the surface of the water, or by remas ing the water when the essential oil is heavier than the water, a state which sometimes obtains. We may, for the sake of convenience, divide the essential oils into two classes, into those which contain oxygen, and into those which are entirely free from that substance. Amongst the essential oils which are free from oxygen, and those which contain hydrogen, and carbon, and the oil of turpentine, the essential oil of lemons, and one or two others, I shall direct your attention to the essential oil of turpentine. There is an oil which assumes the .solid state, the oil of roses The essential oil of turpentine possesses the chemical corn• position of the essential oil of lemons, although, every on. must be aware of the difference of value between these oils, but yet, they contain the same proportions of carbon and hydrogen. The essential oil of turpentine is obtained by submitting the resin derived from the pine tribe to distillation with water. The oil being volatile, passes over with the water while the common resin remains behind. This oil, when pure, and perfectly rectified, is colourless. It contains no oxygen, and ,consequentiy, does not act upon potassium. This substance is extremely inflammable, the quantity of its carbon, which it contains is comparatively small with carbon, consequently a large quantity of carbonaceous va pour is evolved during its combustion. Containing no oxygen it possesses a very powerful affinity for that element, so that if we place it under circumstances favourable for the obtain ing of oxygen, it is found to absorb it with the evolution of .much light and heat. In this dish I have a small quantity of the essential oil of turpentine, to which I shall add sul phuric acid mixed with nitric acid. The nitric acid possesses a very large quantity of oxygen which enters into its compo sition, and when it is brought into contact with the oil, the union is so energetic as to cause combustion. The action of muriatic acid upon the oil of turpentine is somewhat inter esting in a chemical point of view. If we cause muriatic acid gas to pass into oil of turpentine, we shall find that the oil of turpentine will be converted into a solid crystalline substance, which has been denominated artificial camphor, because it not only resembles camphor in appearance, but possesses also a crystalline form, whiteness, and transpa rency. In this case, there is a chemical combination of mu riatic acid and oil of turpentine. The action of chlorine gas upon oil of turpentine is interesting. It sometimes happens, when oil of turpentine is placed in chlorine gas, that spon taneous inflammation takes place, although both the gas and the cil of turpentine were previously cold. - So energetic is the action that combustion immediately takes place, a large quantity of carbon is set free, and the chlorine for, the most part combines with the hydrogen of the oil of turpentine to form muriatic acid. This is an instance of the extraordinary power of chemical union, in producing the evolution of light and heat by the simple mixture of two substances, without previously raising the temperature of either of them. The essential oil of lemons has certain chemical properties, inde pendently of a similarity in its ultimate atoms with the oil of turpentine, which are very analogous to those of oil of tur pentine. It is a combination of carbon and hydrogen, which, when mixed with muriatic acid, is capable of forming a solid substance very like the artificial camphor. Ordinary camphor has, with some reason, been ranked among the essential oils, although it might appear, at first sight, diffi cult to separate it from the resinous substances, because it does possess several properties which belong to the resins. But, in its checaical composition, it would appear to belong to the volatile oils. Camphor is obtained from a species of laurel, called the Laurus camphora, which is a native of China and Japan. It is, like the essential oils, obtained by taking a portion of the tree, boiling it in water, and collect ing the camphor, which is very volatile, in a receiver adapted for the purpose. If a quantity of the Laurus eamphora be placed in a large boiler with water, and a vessel of large capacity, filled with straw, be placed over it, the heat of boiling water will be sufficient to volatilise the camphor, which will rise and crystallize upon the straw. When sepa rated from this straw, the camphor is in an impure state, and is placed in a vessel to which heat is applied, when the vapour arising is collected in a glass vessel. This mode of obtaining camphor in a pure state is somewhat expensive, because the glass vessel is obliged to be broken to obtain the camphor ; but it is found to be the best mode of obtaining it in a pure state. Camphor in this state is translucent. Al though so firm a solid, it is extremely volatile—so much so, that if a large mass were exposed to the atmosphere, it would, after a time, entirely disappear. In this it differs from the resinous substances, which are not volatile at ordinary tem peratures, but agrees with the essential oils, which are vola tile at ordinary temperatures. Independently of this ana logy between the volatile oils and camphor, they possess several other analogies. The essential oils of turpentine and lemon differ only from camphor in possessing no oxygen ; and if we were, chemically speaking, to supply the oils of lemon and turpentine with oxygen, we should constitute camphor ; and it is singular that these two oils are callable of being converted into a substance very like camphor in some of its properties, and which has been termed, as before stated, artificial camphor. Camphor burns with a brilliant • flame with the evolution of carbon. It contains a very much portion of oxygen, in consequence of which not so ~ carbon is released during combustion as in the case of regt.i', A very remarkable property appertaining to camphor is th!s . ' if a portion of it be excavated, and a quantity of spongY tinum, previously made red hot, be placed in the excavatTnr the platinum will continue red hot as long as any earriP as d remains, precisely as it would in the vapour of alcohol ; it is a very curious fact, that the vapour of camphor s i ll N T e d possess the same properties with respect to finely -d. ' the platinum which spirits of wine do. In consequence of . inflammability of camphor. it burns with great brillianeY 'Ol oxygen gas, if previously inflamed. Camphor is cap able d combining with certain simple bodies, such as sulphur p l phosphorus ; and these combinations take place more rea; when the substances are brought together in a fluid state. lil y compounds of sulphur and camphor have not been ca ref ? ee i examined, but it will be found, no doubt, to be a ch er° f union. I shall place a small quan tity of the combination a. phosphorus and camphor in a spoon, and inflame it in ox); gas, when an intensely brilliant light will be produced. , he last essential oil to which I shall direct your attention, e essential oil of bitter almonds, and in a scientific point. ori view this substance is of much more interest than any °We, which has previously been c ons id ere d. Prior to taking, ne tice of this essential oil, I may obser v e th a t the oil of ros.e.si or that which exists in a solid state, is one of those essern oils which is free from oxygen, co ns isti n g simply of ea r f s j and hydrogen. As met with generally, it is made tiP a • L i fluid and solid oil, the solid oil readily s e p a rates from the / 1,1 " a oil at a somewhat reduced temperature. The solid and fis i t i ,e oils differ in the former, containing no oxygen ; and in latter, containing oxygen, hydrogen, and carbon. To re1111:8 then to the oil of bitter almonds. This oil, unlike th e e which we have considered, does not exist ready formed ee ry plant or in the fruit. The bitter almond, with which e one is acquainted, the poisonous properties of which has, been much spoken of, is not poisonous of itself. There ,I'o ists, however, in bitter almonds a substance, which wae. 4 brought into contact with water, at a certain temperatureo't resolved into essential oil, and into that peculiarly poisontu'r, substance called prussic acid. Without employing ws :he therefore, we cannot obtain the oil or prussic acid from ..re almond. I have already stated that the essential oils soluble in alcohol and ether. Now, if the essential oi l isted in the almond ready formed, we ought to be able to e(e. tract it by means of alcohol or ether, which is not the' I ' l ,, But as soon as we bring the almond into contact with waLui and simply allow it to remain at a temperature even bons that of boiling water, the principle belonging to the a litiona ci ' d resolved into essential oil, and into that poisonou s a termed prussic acid. The substance met with in bi tter h a o monds, from which these two principles are obtained' e s. been termed amygdaline. It is a substance which we e aa ,,licl tract from the almond by means of alcohol. It is 3 white substance, capabie of crystallizing. It is nu t j 5 poisonous, but hen brought into contact with water , ki• resolved into essential oil of almonds and into prussi e 2 e r e. The essential oil of almonds when in a pure state, may be garded as free from prussic acid. Under such circuintte...K it differs very little in appearance from some other or cu r;s essential oils, and may be regarded as innocuous, as f a fi'd refers at least to prussic acid. When the essentia l on be , almonds is exposed to the action of the atmosphere , it comes converted into the benzoic acid. aria I shall now dismiss the subject of the essential oils , s proceed briefly to consider nn important class of substages,„ connected with organic chemistry, namely, those subsi a b 'elt which belong to the fatty tribe of organic bodies, and w, are derived both from the vegetable and animal king D int and which are of such great importance in a practical 11°00 of view, because they involve the theory of saponifieaLeo, I have stated that the_volatile or essential oils, more °P o o ally the oil of roses, are capable of separating, int o the distinct substances by a reduction of temperature, .cell one a solid body, and the other a fluid, and nre el- oil the same is observed of fixed oils. The corinn' „ t e to of olives, by a reduction of :temperature, is resolved ito• a fluid and a solid substance. The same thing is ar y served in many of those fatty bodies, which, at ordi O temperatures, possess a certain degree of solidity. pr ne e" animal fat, such as common suet, consists of two substanieid the one a fluid like ordinary oil, the other a solid. Tbe.i.oe. ption has been termed oleine, the solid portion st eu i / efl Ti same substances exist in olive oil, and certain other r jer vegetable oils. A knowledge of this fact is necessary i n °i o n• to have a clear scientific view of the theory of saponifiet,ito If we take a portion of olive oil and boil it for some time into caustic potash, or soda dissolved in water, we conver t it ll' what is termed a saponaceous mass, soluble in wate r ' r tie s other words, we destroy one of the very essential proP e „der of oils, namely, their insolubility in water, and we re'the them soluble in that fluid. It might be asked, what is the cause of this change ? Is it a mere solution of this oil iarroe alkaline fluid ? No ; the oil itself undergoes a change . er ic stearine, or solid portion of it, is converted into the s7 t ies, and margaric acids, two substances possessing acid prol ie e d. while the fluid p or ti on i s conver t e d i n t o the oleic : ell These acids, like those derived from the vegetable and al' a te ift kingdoms, possess the property of combining with ce r n hY alkalies and becoming soluble in water ; therefore we s ee a ble 4 oils and fats, acted up on by p o t ass an d so d a , become t hese in water. It might be asked, hw dwe rove th,,,at,.; f a ct oily substances have been converted into p acids. was proved some years ago by a most celebrated F re a ll)" chemist, who has done more for or gan i c chemistrythan l ife individual before his time. He devoted ten years of to the consideration of the fatty substances, and I 15 a s 'i a his hesitation in saying that, until we preser ve d the result " a t t ic° labours, we had no very clear idea regarding the true a'" to of saponification. He applied his scientifi c knowledgeoe practical purposes, and showed the advantage of suel l , l ' s ledge in the manufacture of soap upon. the large sc ale ' i 0 what I have said about the union of an acid with a base: ~10 the composition of soap, be true, we ought to find, that orone the addition of a more powerful acid, that the weak er . g e would be liberated, and this we find to be the case, for frits add a portion of muriatic acid to a solution of .soap in l o ud of wine, we shall have a white deposit formed which is din to possess acid properties, so that when carefully wa sl ' e f water, dissolved in spirits of wine, and crystallized ou t , e ,„0 0 , spirituous fluid, it is obtained in an isolated state, an u capable of exerting an acid reaction. It is the stearic also with the margaric acid. The oleic acid is of the fluid4o. form. These several fatty acids combine with other ;leaf stances besides potass and soda, and hence we have a ;01 5 exposition of the reason why what are termed hard 1 0 form so copious a milky deposit when mixed with soaPrtioo proportion to the purity of the water, in the same proP ° o ftli wil there be an inconsiderable milkiness when ordinar,Y ro bY is mixed with it. Common w ater co n tains a consi c t e t ia o quantity of lime ; and when the fatty acids are broug' 0 1 0 ' combination with lime, a solid salt of lime is formed, induce ble in water. A solution of a salt of barytes will Pratbing nearly the same effect as a salt of lime. The sanle, a ptlf obtains with magnesia ; and lime and magnesia are abunuwor met with in most of the ordinary waters. IndependentlY%':, 0 44 ever, of the formation of these three fatty. acids u `' , ; .6 saponification, we have another substance produced of interest, termed, from its sweet taste, glycerine. Ti lls ,;fidi stance is produced whenever a fatty substance is saPl;,;le" If a quantity of common oxide of lead or litharet'e be 001.! with olive oil in water to form lead plaster, it is foul'', e ar, large quantity of this sweet substance remains dissu",,,` . c e the water. Now the only source of this sweet sub s t'',ll 4 the oil, because neither the water nor the lead could p .. „0 DI a substance of a sweet character, and it is actually 0 70 0 a careful examination of the substance, that its el%defl, when added to those of the acids to which I have an, IC! constitute precisely the original oil or fat first employe'', therefore find that by the simple presence of a base ° I. , together with water, that oily or fatty substances ar' o , o cl' verted into four separate principles, three of them be ia s 0) ; and the other neutral, sweet like common sugar 1111„oied flammable. The vapour of Glycerine burns witlia foe flame, but this inflammability does not depend 11P°":,,e1li oleaginous property belonging to the Glycerine, for i t it i ; soluble in water, and indeed it is with much diflie n ',its , the last portions of water are separated from it ; the 1 ' rf , " mablc oils on the contrary are not soluble in viateriajeift hypotheses have been advanced for the purpose of e s Poy the changes which take place during saponification. . one it is conceived that the stearine and oleine entelOrts the composition of the original fat have their oc e pj ranged so as to produce three acid and one neutral sou. viz. the stearic, margaric and oleic acids, and glycerine oil the other it is supposed that the acids ore-exist intm:poi fat, neutralized by the glycerine, and that the alkal i ' ofe i it or soda merely take away the acid principles, and t hrs. ,s the glycerine, The former of these views perhaP s nr 4 l ',l more rational, seeing that we can sep ara te from th e : " e, oil two substances, the solid oleine a n d the fluid °le a ' oft- - that these substances can then by th e ac ti on of stro ng be This lecture was o illustrated by fore a variety allud of novel as te' resting experiments. , o r d THE MANCHESTER VICTORIA BRIDGE.—On 4e '',3, at twelve o'clock, the key-stone of the Victoria 13 T r A it ,y• laid on the east side of the new erection, by Thomas '6O? Esq., attended by the officers of the 2d Dragoon ~ i tta i The splendid band of the regiment was present, at t , afternoon th e wor k men were rega l e d w ith "a sn''' luncheon on the new arch. ve'e; SUDDEN DEAT H IN A STAGE COACH.-ollTties ,,, v 4 ing, a gentleman, an inside passenger in the Cory:alit, if from this town to Leeds and Wakefield, was suilae`';' r cs y l f ill, near Slaithwaite. The only other inside passel i qjiii;ei , out " Stop, coachman ; here's a gentleman sick. „4 within a hundred yards of the inn, at Slaithwaite ; 3 ",,,t5? the coach drew up there, it was found that the g entlet: t , fr, expired. At first it was not known who he was .. !ree'd letters in his pocketS, and other circumstances, he W''', lo lS e il nised shortly afterwards as Mr William Naylor, a n l '•ver bi a mercantile house, having establishments both at ',,,,01v and Wakefield. We understand that he left L,.,ive r ,jeopt the twelve o'clock train yesterday, and that at i" sl ;i s eil r ly was spoken to by a gentleman, to whom he apolo, po t e t not ;,quitting his seat, alleging that he was rathe,r,. jog ° We believe the remains are at Slaithwaite, where tn` A io 1 we presume will be held.—Manch. Guardian. ifil , : i i SEIZURE OF GUNPOWDER.—On Friday, MessS' t , s'r and Co., the extensive carriers in Montrose-st,l' - of Pi charged before the Police-court with having 2 95 l u r s : s , b e ) powder, contlined in seven Casks, on their prerV: ) , s 285 lbs. more than is allowed by the statute. 1 -r o arf 'of that the casks had come from Edinburgh in the or"' 01 Of their business, addressed to a person in this city, oetill they were ignorant of their containing gunpowder., _mei son to whom the casks were addressed, an iro.Uge , w,,, town, stated that the powder was intended for a i to Ptlo distance from Glasgow, and that the intention w! l .' es to r il had it removed directly from Mr. Howie's M'e rni ' - ' Ai te Di' l j carrier who was to take it to its final destination' o f 1 examination into the circumstances—in the cours, e ee p pall itwas'stated that the gunpowder ought to have '-'• „ il ea' tV in skin bags, according to law—the case was eiit; e a i 0,,, l the meantime, the powder, for safety, was dePos i be e° • ' Infantry Barracks, and in all likelihood wills in ,t, sr/ confiscated, the act being quite imperative on i ` t ",, e tl o9 o l , o l The attention of the police was originally directed 7: Oa in consequence of complaints from the neighbour 090, turally were alarmed at the near vicinage of 3 , ll goa ti t v . ii i gunpowder large enough to blow up the half ol,, to tet',,, street. Of course, it is absolutely necessary t 0 /dol e e inhabitants against all risk from the explosion oi i ii le co s' but it cannot be denied that, until a powder sta g are , tablished, a great hardship is inflicted upon all w" 11 4 0 nected with the trade.—Scottish Guardian. latlile6';'°l; STEAM NAVIGATION.—We are glad to learn t! 4o cl‘t fl are in progress towards the forMation of a join' e ' st co7", e i pany for establishing steam navigation on the `-',),' t tlo . i e t j the Clyde and Liverpool, for the . conveyance Of c;.,, v e7'.,,, wool, &c. and that there is a speedy p 350 tons, having engines of 1.50 horse power, in 111 , the 6 ,„ti) prospect ?; ;o,.."t'A being put on the station. The proposed route o' alter vessel is, we learn, to be from Stornoway, call,,i tot `by•,,* at . Lochinver,.Poolowe, Portree, TobermorY, Vi WI ) 4 other intermediate places ; and on each secont , o ,bo ~e , 0 Long Island, calling at Rondil, Dunvegam t he co iii Lochboisdale, Bahirva in Barra, &c. ; ana in oo rtsroc these routes, calling occasionally at ColonsaY _.(), tlle r co), Islay, by the Mnll of Kintyre, to Liverpool; an" o r ', f iej to the Clyde, calling at Campbeltown, Ardrol\,oo:;ts,,r,, We understand this projected company is w. , tilt , hag` o f i) and likely to be joined by nearly the whole of b_ qui tit e p e ) most influential of the landed proprietors and te" s to %. ej West Highlands and Islands • and that a meeting.,ltietitn; II on the 20th March, in Edinburgh,' to consider al`,, e cti . .i fo rli determine the mode of management ; and a lir ° ; o 3' 0,4, f t o _Ai, ,Ir soon appear from the Interim Committee 0 „ 25 ,uv- t lid" The capital stock of the company is said to be has tne sj oy raised in 2500 shares of £lO each. The s chen o llYe` o st o ; b it4 , very general approbation throughout the line , l ei . job 01 1,y) meeting of the merchants, shipowners, and otL' s be lk t ord , of Stornoway, and tacksmeu of the Lewis, v. l l t he 1 1 e ifi 6th instant, on the subject. We heartily wl i s o i ng lo° v e every success, as we believe this will s upply a► , 5. ....P 1 desideratum by all classes in the West Highlan' Herald. I. li ib( d, f ( w hi ch El, the talented garden, Dru of the Theat Theatre, the FORTNIGHT it whi ch '2 which Th e N ew in which Alr ti2A:r ent:lsem‘peNlidrafasortd:EoteuliAxedelid,l', formed Roya fl ans, (hi Klein e r , (Go (his N ephew Webste r ; R Rudolph , m Norwich, hi: Liodo w • . k Mr T: ic ' 1 Rid g Alas Clea , cl Edwards (H I Esther, (Ho T ii Mr. Webst ° Mrs•Corsetel 41 Work,) j‘ To conetul tucaPtairl V t 2lllllB l (witl Theatre Roy Miss Ca Deborat Rose Ca (As I° the eours 7 irtie 2eestT;Be:nt ;c . - u; t c en Ticket oenefits, ma e n gaged, i Due Is Und er the s WorBhipf Edinburg, On MoiN , g 1 .11 7 , he M x i e r t e e t s ilt r i e el e p. l lAs et : t r t . l ad . S i o t b n a d p ' re (3, : rvs yEd it ' time in Live tel; i i , Rove 4 "• G al so R( appear l ament (w Performei t: e, under th Augusta, an ~,_gland, Sc ~,,rhat all I w onde r of 1 4iees of adr Doors Gd the to 0 . .1 le bills, to 13 1,,,Xes Can b ' N ' l3--- -M1 ~...4 ' ellts for hii smAttninicat --------______ unnounee with earl executed 81 vrwEI T 'heY also i next w hi the proce Irednesd toblishind of E ny k, the Crou PRIL We are Ilri e B B to p recce to qt t'cal discus whi ch our reolenabrat vle w of oU 4 Inerale/ We sha] 411 Portant Pire and ti the hula], the zealou , candidly at °f that eau meat o f m ar e hangin