The Sun. — London, England, 1857-02-17 00:00:00

MONEY MARKET AND COMMERCIAL INTELLIGENCE. CITY, Two O'CLOCK. Letters f r o m Li v e r pool state that the Cotton Market yesterday closed firmly, and prices of Ame ricans were 3-16 d. and Brazils .j 3 d. per lb. dearer than last week. The sales were 20,000 bales, 2,000 9f which were taken for export and 8,0 00 on specu lation. Th e R a il wa y Sh are Market was quiet, at a slight decline on Saturday's rates. A meeting w as h e ld yesterday of the creditors of Mr. G. B. Rocca, whose failure we announced on the 3 let of December last. Tho balance-sheet presented gives the total liabilities at 77,634/. 12s. I d.) while the assets are stated at 20,8961. 2s. 10d. .r 4t is expected that a dividend of about 4 s. Gd. in t he Pound will be realised. About 10,000/. in gold was withdrawn from the Bank of England yesterday for transmission to the continent in payment for silver, but it is now t hought these purchases will temporarily receive some check, as a large remittance from the West ladies is daily anticipated. The latest advices re ceived from Mexico, via New York, however, re- Port fresh insurrectionary troubles in Puebla, which may interfere with the transit of specie to the port of shipment. Th e Emperor's speech at the opening of the French Legislature is more satisfactory than was anticipated, as it Was feared that some new financial operation Would be necessitated by the impoverished state of the treasury. The only hint at anything of the kind is reference to the new tax proposed on mov able property, but at present it is not known how th . is will be levied. It is expected that railways will be included, but as the war tax is to be remitted the effect of the new measure will not be so severely felt. There has been a stormy meeting of the Black- Wall Railway Company to-day. A dividend of 38 . 6d. was proposed on the revenue of the half- Tear, which had improved over that of 185 G. A ( mg dismission took place in consequence of the P r °l 3o sal to lay out 116,0001. for the convenience 0 1 the Victoria Dock and the Southend and Tilbury Ita ilway Companies, but who proposed to give an annual interest of 6 per cent. with cutting, and to guarantee a net total of 4,0001. a-year. The dis cussion was going on when our reporter left. At the adjourned meeting of the importers and dealers in Tea, held this day, it was stated by Mr. Moffatt, M.P., that tke deputation had been cour teously received by the Chancellor of the Exche quer, but there seemed no hope of their inducing bin to remove the present war tax on tea. They thought, in that case, it would be better to get a fixed duty to save that disturbance to contracts which %•as likely to arise. They therefore proposed a fixed duty of ls. 4d. a lb. for the next three years. The loss on this would not be more than 130,0001.; which Would be more than made up by the increased con ountption through the trade being more regular than it would be by a fluctuating duty. A resolution to this effect was proposed and was passed unani lnously, and was as such to be conveyed to the Chancellor as the views of the trade. The English Stock Market has remained in ra ther a weak condition, in the absence of any new influence to affect them. Sales, however, have been less numerous, and the general appearance of the market has been quiet. The dearness of money and the continued drain of gold still prevent buoyancy, and until some favourable change takes Place no material improvement is likely to be es tablished. Consols for money have been 931 I, 0 3i f, and 93k ; while for account the dealings have been at 931 to 93/, and the Reduced at 93 to 94. Bank Stock is 2161, and India Stock 220 to 221. Exchequer Bills are par to 3s. premium. Foreign Securities are exceedingly dull. Turkish e per Cents., however, have been firm at 95 to 95 4, and the 4 per Cents. are marked 1014 Vene zuela Deferred are 15k, Portuguese, 45, and Bra zilian 5 per Cents., 1021 to 103. The following are the nominal prices of Foreign stocks :—Grenada Deferred Bonds, 61 7 Mexi can, 22 J ; Peruvian, 80 1 ; ditto 3 per Cents., 65 56; Portuguese 3 per Cents., 43 5 ; Russian 6 per Cents., 108 10 ; ditto 4-i per Cents., 96 8; Spanish 3 per Ceuta., 401 ; ditto Deferred, 244 ; ditto Certificates, 6k ; ditto Passive, L 6. The dealings in the Railway Share Market have been of a very moderate character, and previous Prices have in most instances been supported. Bristol and Exeter have advanced 11. ; Caledonian, 10s . . ; Great Western, 10s. to 15s. ; Lancashire and YOrkshire, 55. ; North-Western, ss. ; and Midland, 6s. The other lines dealt in realised previous values. , The French lines are at nominal quota tions, no business having been reported in them. Grand Trunk and Great Western of Canada rule firm, as also Great Luxembourg, Namur and Liege, and Sambre and Meuse. In Mining Shares there is very little business doing, and prices are quite nominal. Joint Stock Bank Shares rule very inactive. English, Scottish, and Australian Chartered im proved 10s ; London and County, Unity, Mutual, and Western Bank of London were dealt in at about previous quotations. In Miscellaneous Shares, the only feature to report has been a decline of about 2/. in Canada Land ; Australian Agricultural, London General Qmnibus Company, South Australian Land, and Tan Dieman's Land brought full rates. BRITISH FUNDS.—CLOSING PRICES —THIS DAY. (From the O f ficial List:) BlistnecA done Rink Stock 3 per Cent. Reduced Annuities 932 4 32 3 per Cent. Consols Annuities 93 a t i i i i Xiew 3 per Cent. Annuities 94 a h /keg Annuities, expire bth Jan. 1860' Ditto 30 Years, e x pi re sth April, 18851.. 18 15-16 Xudia Stock . "Consols for Account 220 21 * Exchequer Bills , 2 4 d • ..... .. 93i 2 i ' £lOOO . .. par 3 p £5OO Small _ . ......... par 3 p Ditto Bonds, 1858 , 34 per c e ,;i: ........... Par 3 p . Ditto, 1859 ......... 98i i PRICES OF FOREIGN FUNDS—TEfIS DAY . ' &milieu Bonds, 5 per Cent. lO2l 3i Ditto New. 1852, V per Cent. Bones Ayres Bonds, per Cent. Ditto Account - •Datch Exchange, 2 per Cent., 12 Guilders 64i . ytrurian Bonds 4i per Cent • Ditto Account Ibrtuguese Bonds, 5 per Cont., Con. 1841 . Ditto 1853, 3 per Cent l5 Ditto 1856,3 per Cent. 43 • 811snish Committee Cert. of Coup. not fun. 6a '. trkieh Bonds, 6 per cent 9 5. uitto Account ............. . Ditto Guaranteed, 4 per Ce nt . loli 1 Venezuela Bonds, 41 per Cent Ditto Deferred, 4 per Cent. . lsi bit idends on the Above payable to Londcn. Edell Exchange, 2i per Cent., 12 Gull — Ditto 4 per Cent. Certificates .....THREE 1 O'CLOCK. Consols, money .............................. 93i II Ditto, Account (Marsh 5 ................ 932 . • HEE MAJESTY'S VISIT TO VENT.—Yest er d ay morning, her Majesty, accompanied by his Royal Highness Prince shortly r t l y HOUSES Albert, the Princess Royal, before ten o'clock, and her Serene Highness OP PARMA the Princ ess of Hohenlohe visited the new Houses of Parliament, w h ere the illustrious visitors were received by Sir Benja m i n Hall, Sir Charles Barry, and other at eleven o, officials. Hclock.er Majesty returned to Buckingham Palace LUNACY.—The receipts of the Lunacy Commissioners in the 14,491 t., yearand ended the 31 s t of July, .1856, amounted to the payments to about 13,1531. The Master in Chancery charged with the winding up o f Cameron's Coalbrook Steam Coal and Swansea and Laughor a R callof Company p roposes on the 23d inst. to make 2/. per share upon the contributories. THE SPANISH LOAN. —The Madrid journals of the 9th state that the representative of MM. Mires and Co. had paid into the Treasury half of the second instalment of the half onloan he 16th of 300 millions of reals, an d was to Pay the other t, the last day fixed. M R . FBEWEN AND HIS SEAT. —We are i n f ormed that Mr. Frewen has not yet resigned his seat for East Sussex. 1 „ le h on. mem b er h as retained it in order that for the repeal of the income tax, which he might vote the will soon be under consideration of the question house. of licensed vioLuallers wa it ed upon Sir ,-*, A deputation know they possess e d Saturday, to whether G. Grey on police to clear thei r h ouses cf the right o f ca lli n g in the Sir George saidat present th e disorderly persons. right, licensed victuallers did not possess the but he n to the subject. would give hie ser i ous attentio THE TEA DITTY. —(Meeting this Day.) THE THEATRES. pleased with this dramatic trifle, which was given out for repetition eve!) , evening until further notice. The adjourned meeting of the merchants and traders connectel with the tea trade was held this afternoon at the London Tavern, Bishopsgate-street, to receive the report of the committee, appointed at the meeting yes terday ; Mr. Moffatt, M.P., in the chair. Amongef those present were Alderman Sir J. Duke, M.P., Mr. Gregson, M.P., and Alderman Sidney. The Criarnmarr informed the meeting that immedi ately after the adjournment of the meeting yesterday, the committee met, and after a full discussion of the question, they came to the conclusion that prompt and efficient action was necessary, and of seeing the Chancel loiof the Exchequer, and of impressing on him that it would be a breach of faith to the trade if the Government de parted from the Act of 1853, and if they saw an oppor tunity to agitate that point or any other that might be for the benefit of the trade, without materially affecting the fiscal condition of the country. It was considered desirable to have an immediate interview with the Chan cellor of the Exchecv.er and enforce on him the views of the trade, and they accordingly waited on him yesterday without notice. The right hon. gentleman received them very courteously, and they informed him of the feeling of the trade on bis proposed mode of dealing with the duty. It was also suggested to him that it would be very desirable to avoid the continual gradation in the duty for the next three years, but that a fixed and immediate duty for the three years should be substi tuted, and then for it to come down to (Hear.) From the calculation the committee had made, they considered the duty should be fixed at ls. 41. per lb. for the next three years— (hear, hear)—which would give a loss of 130,0001. only. The Chancellor of the Exchequer in formed the committee that, as regarded the departure from the act of 1853, he was very sorry for it, but that he could not help it, and that as regarded the second proposition he received it with favour. He said that he saw difficulties in his own scale of averages in the rate of duty. He thought the proposed fixed duty too low, but he rather liked the plan of a fixed duty for the next three years. The Chancellor of the Exchequer, be thought, had said as much as could be expected from a person in his position. Mr. GREGSON, M.P., moved, and Mr. MATTHESON seconded, the following rosolution :—" That this meet ing views with deep regret and disappointment any de parture from the provisions of the act of Parliament by which the duty on tea was fixed at Is. 3d. for the ensu ing year. That an alteration to any higher rate of duty involves a serious inconvenience in the arrangements made for importations of tea from China, and deplorable disturbances of existing contracts which have been ex tensively made throughout the United Kingdom upon the faith of that act ; but that, owing to the alleged exigencies of the State, it reluctantly acquiesces in the recommendation of its committee for the adoption of a fixed rate of I.s. 4d. per lb. for the three years next ensuing, as, although that alteration involves loss on existing contracts, it prevents any fur ther fiscal disturbance of the regular position of the trade until the final reduction of duty to is. per pound, as proposed by her Majesty's Government. The resolution was supported. by Alderman Sir J. DUKE, Bart., M.P., and Alderman SIDNEY, and agreed to unanimously. On the motion of Mr. KIRKItA.N HODGSON, seconded by Mr. SMITH HARRISON, a petition to the House of Commons, embodying the foregoing resolution, was adopted. Thanks were then voted to the chairman, and the meeting terminated. LYCEUM. STRAND. For some time past a piece has been running in Paris called " Les Pauvres de Paris," and last night a trans lation of it was produced at the Strand Theatre, under the title of "Pride and Poverty ; or, the Real Poor of London." The drama commences with a prologue, the scene of action being at the house of Vernon, a banker, who, on the eve of a fraudulent bankruptcy, receives a deposit from a shipwrecked emigrant (Ranger), and devotes the property of the dying man to his own purposes. The family of the emigrant are consequently reduced to great hardships, and the piece terminates by, the villains hav ing to make restitution of their ill-gotten gains. The drama is thoroughly French in every respect. It was most effectively played by ail engaged in it. The English authors,of the piece were loudly called for, awl Mr. Benjamin - Barnett and Mr. J. B. John• stone appeared before the curtain. A triumphant success signalised the first performance at this theatre, last evening, of Mr. Westland Mareton'a new five-act play, entitled "A Life's Ransom." A success at once dramatic, histrionic, and managerial. Nothing could possibly have gone off better altogether. The house was literally crowded throughout—pit, boxes, and gallery. Tile audience —evidently, for the most part, the pick of the playgoers of London —were as attentive as they were enthusiastic and discriminat ing. Nothing whatever flagged. The performers, one and all, were well up in their parts. And —strange to tell, strangest of all to tell in regard to a new play—the piece itself appeared to our watchful observation no where at all to require the least degree of pruning. We are not simply writing all this in sheer good humour — we are penning each syllable bluntly, in soberest truth and justice. Drawing not upon our imagination for our facts, though we are compelled, it so happens, un fortunately, to draw upon our memory for our argument. Had the printed copy of Mr. Marston's very charming and effective drama reached us beanies this morning, we should have selected from it with peculiar satisfaction to ourselves, and, we doubt not for one moment, to our readers' signal gratification also, passages which must have justified to the full every word of commendation, besides attesting, in a remarkable manner, the-ripened powers of one of . the most accom plished dramatists of the day. A worthy contemporary of Bulwer Lytton and of Sheridan Knowles, Westland Marston had already proved himself to be,by the produc tion (among other elegantand scholarly dramas) of "Anne Blake" and the "Patrician's Daughter." His new play produced last evening at Mr. Dillon's Theatre with almost unexampled success—a success almost unex ampled, we mean, in unanimity and completeness— cannot but tend very materially to elevate and strengthen its author's already high and solid reputation. Sym metrical in construction, diversified in character, replete with pathetic incidents and dramatic situations, " A Life's Ransom" is written throughout with true poetic feeling, and with all a master's evidence of the skill, the art, the grace, the verve, the finesse requisite in the con stitution of the genuine playwright. And such Mr. Marston unmistakeably is. The period of "A Life's Drama" is immediately at the clone of the reign of James the Second. Tue scene—the southern coast of England. The principal characters, five in number, may be readily enough indicated. The plot, in which the fortunes of the dramatis persona be come entangled and intertwined, although simple to the last degree when told, has about it, while in course of being evolved in word and action upon the stage, an appearance of intricate and at times almost bewildering elaboration. Situated somewhere in the neighbourhood of Torbay, aro the old ancestral estates of Basil, Lord .Revesdale(''ir. Charles Dillon), a noble of ancient lineage, but one who is deplorably impoverished. The property of the family having fallen into irretrievable dilapidation dur ing the Civil Wars, by reason of the exertions made on be half of Charles the First by Basil's father, an ardent Royalist. So utterly decayed, in truth, that the young lord, on succeeding to the title finds that ruin to him seems to be the only result of the Restoration. The embarrass ments of the house increasing only with the lapse of time during the reigns of the two last of the Stuarts—Charles the Second and James the Second. Added to the misery of hie pecuniary involvements, Lord Revesdale has in curred the hatred of the evil genius of the dratna Ban croft (fir. Stuart), a country magistrate. Besides which tha yuined peer is grievously troubled by his sister Felicia (Mrs. Charles Dillon) rejecting the offer for her hand preferred by Lord Norrice the Prime Minister, through whose instrumentality, in all likelihood, the fortunes of the family might have been restored—his influence being paramount at Court, and the King's readiness to redeem the estates of Revesdale being a wetter of absolute certainty in the event of the Premier's intervention. Not merely, however, is Lord Norrice rejected as a suitor by Felicia —but be is rejected (to her brother's mingled shame and indignation) in favour of the opposing suit of Arthur lingwood (Mr. M`Lien), the son of elfatth,cie .Rengwood (Mr. Barrett), a wealtby brewer and country gentleman. The ruined patrician haughtily rejects the notion of any such plebeian alliance —his sister remaining true, however, in spite of all this, to the loved and lot , . ing Commoner. Leaving Revesdale for a while in dud geon, Brasil hears afterwards, through Bancroft (who has followed him for the purpose of conveying to him the agreeable information) —that his estates have been sold during his absence—that old Ringwood has been the purchaser—that young Ringwood is more than ever in favour with his lordship's sister, Felicia—that all kinds of villanous rumours are afloat in regard to the two latter, hinting that Cupid has tripped up Hymen plodding to the Altar Infuriated by these insinuations, Basil (who, in an earlier part.of the story, has saved Arthur's life, by sheltering him at Revesdale, when the young man bad become inadvertently involved in Monmouth's miserable faelere of a Rebellion)—denounces the ingratitude of the friend who is indebted to him for his existence, and, in a paroxysm of indignation, lets Bancroft into the secret of Arthur's traitorous participation in the insur rection. Bancroft, whose evil heart cherishes a deadly hatred against young Ringwood, i mmediatel y pro poses his betrayal to Lord Revesdale. Instead, however, of finding his suggestion 'received with favour, he finds himself spurned with all the scorn of the noble heart of the patrician, and flung aside with withering disdai n as a " Bloodhound." Inflamed with rage Bancroft hisses through his teeth a vow of vengeance. Revesdale is dismayed—repents the hot words by which his own friend and his sister's love has been betrayed inadvertently— hastens back to what was once his home to urge Arthur to escape from danger by instant flight. Scarcely, how ever, has he learned the falsity of the hideous rumours about Felicia by finding that she has been actually mar vied to young Ringwood, scarcely has ho had time to im plore the bridegroom to escape from certain death by immediate departure when Bancroft arrives with his myrmidons. Ringwood is arrested. Felicia declares her resolution to share his captivity. Basil is announced to be the Accuser. It is the close of . the fourth act-- and Lord Revesdale, stricken to the heart by his own apparent turpitude falls, with a cry of anguish, insen sible, upon the stage, as the curtain descends. The fifth act reveals the deep and passionate significance of the LIVE'S RANSOM—Lord Revesdale sacrificing himself to redeem those his words of fury have unintentionally betrayed. Bancroft consents to connive at the escape of Arthur and Felicia on condition that Basil reveals to bins (after they have actually left the shores of England) the name of some "one" of thedaring conspirators against King James, who have actually signed the requisition to the Prince of Orange. This Basil does, as we have said, by heroically denouncing his own name in defiance alike of death and torture saving Arthur and Felicia by giving his life as their Life's Ransom ! The villanous Bancroft, however —as all villains do invariably, both on and off the stage—exults in having outwitted his antagonists by intercepting the fugitives a little way outinthechannelandso securing them "all" in his grim clutches. Everything appears to have gone wrong with the hero and heroine of the piece. It is the close of the last aot. There are heard behind the scenes the cheers and the tramping footsteps as of the approach ing army of James—the roll of drums and the boom of the cannon. The fugitives do return in point of fact, and Bantroft is in the midst of his exul tation when—le ! the situation is instantly reversed, from one of defeat to one of triumph. Ringwood and his bride have been intercepted and brought back, not by the Royalist emissaries, but by the fleet bringing the Prince of Orange and his troops over to England. As Mr. Macaulay writes at the first sentence of the first page of the third volume of his history—" The revolution was accomplished." The scene opens at the back—disclos ing to view an exquisite panorama of Torbay, with the Dutch vessels gliding in and dropping anchor—and on the left, upon the conspicuous elevation of the landing place, surrounded - by his courtiers, and soldiers, and attendants—William 111. The spectacle, as a tableau, is eminently picturesque, and was greeted accordingly by the audience last evening with unaffected delight and admiration. Nothing further in regard to the plot of the drama remains to be related. It is to us now as a tale that is told. An exquisite tale, told exquisitely. The curtain which had fallen upon each preceding act with loud applause, fell upon the last amidst ve r y gene ral and unmistakeable enthusiasm. The two principal performers were summoned before the footlights, and duly welcomed—Mr. Charles Dillon having again won for himself new histrionic glory , by his noble and affect ing impersonation of Lord Revesdale. Lastly, but not "least" among the incidents of the night—the Author, being loudly called for, bowed from one of the private boxes in acknowledgment of the very cordial acclamations which greeted his appearance. HAYMARKET. theatre. Another Thisn e w " A. Wicked Wife," and is evident l y from a French lapsitec ise was iaptreondsuscleidttlleasdt ranmigah,teaattitthleids piece, whieb, by its obsequious abuse of revolutionary doctrines, has probably been produced lately to support o " f T a h v e e E r ym, noble pi wife, h plot Madamean d i D n t e e r L e s a t n r g e e s a t on i s ( t n h e i s e ffs n o e r y t nolds), who, in order to conceal her husband, who has been denounced as a Royalist during the Reign of Terror, professes an ultra-Republicanism, and forsakes nature and virtue for the current republican patriotism and sublime doctrines of liberty ; and pretends to endure the overtures of Citizen Rozaire (Mr. Rogers), an emissary of Robespierre, and renounces her husband and her children. All this time the husband is concealed in a closet, and comes out in the intervals of the visits of the guardians of liberty and equality. The principal parts were excellently sustained by Miss Reynolds, Mr. Howe, Mr. Rogers, and Mr. Compton. The success of the piece was decided, and there cannot be a doubt about its proving a great attraction. THE SUN, LON DON, TUESDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY 17, 1857. IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT. HOUSE OF LORDS.—(YEsTERDA .) The LORD CHANCELLOR took his seat ou the wool sac►k at five o'clock. LAW OF LIBEL. Lord FAVERSHAM presented a petition from the proprietors of the York Gazette, praying for an immediate rlteration of the law of libel, in consequence cf the deci sion lately given in the case of Davidson v. Duncan. • Lord BROUGHAM also presented a petition from the Messrs. Baines, proprietors of the Leeds Mercury, complaining of the difficulty in which they we"e placed in consequence of the recent decision in the Court of Queen's Bench, by which it appeared that the law al. forded no sound protection for publisher; either of newspapers or of books, or of the speeches or proceedings at ordinary public meetings, however regularly constituted in case of any libellous matter being reported. SEE OF LONDON. Viscount DUNGANNON mit% on Thursday next be shoald ask a question of the Lord Pr ivy Seal, whether there was any intention to bring in a bill this session to divide thelSee of London, and also whether there was any intention on the part of the Government to introduce a bile to provide retiring allowances to bishops. JUDICIAL STATISTICS. Lord BROUGHAM brought in a bill which he had placed upon the table last session, to facilitate the col lection of judicial statistics. After a few words from the LORD CHANCELLOR the bill was read a first time. PERSIA. The Earl of CLARENDON said that, seeing the noble earl (Albemarle) bad a motion on the paper for that evening, he ventured to appeal to him, because at that moment negotiations were going on at Paris in re spect to our relations with Persia. That morning he had received a communication from Paris, stating that satis factory progress was being made, and, under such cir cumstances, he thought that any discussion at the present moment would greatly endanger the success of those negotiations. The Earl of ALBEMARLE said, under such circum stances, he would withdraw the motion that stood in his name that evening. The motion was accordingly withdrawn. PRIVATE BILLS. Lord BROUGHAM called the attention of the noble lord the chairman of the committee on private bills to the latest period fixed for the introduction of private bills, which he believed was March 23. The noble and learned lord, after alluding to two particular cases which de manded the special attention of their lordships, said that such an order as he had referred to would occasion great injustice. Lord REDESDALE admitted the special character of the cases referred to, and said be should not offer the slightest obstacle to the bills passing through the house. MR. SHEEPSHANKS' PICTURES. Lord MONTEAGLE moved for a copy of any cor respondence between her Majesty's Government and Mr Sheepshanks respecting the gift of his collection of pie ores to the nation. Lord STANLEY of ALDERLEY said it was impos sible to speak too highly of Mr. Sheepshanks, who had exercised great Last Band expended a large sum of mono in making the collection. It was a collection of some of the choicest specimens of British art, which Mr. Sheep. shanks, now in the full enjoyment of his health, offered to the nation, hoping to see himself the good it might do in improving and refining the taste of the people. The conditions were that the collection should be placed in A position accessible to the people, but free from dirt and noise, and in immediate connexion with those schools of art to which be thought it might be of great advantage. He was anxious also that the collection should be placed under the sole responsibility and superintendence of a minister of the crown, and not handed over to trustees, who might not be so responsible to public opinion. Tile selection was the minister who presided over art edu cation, and in the present instance bad fallen upon him (Lord Stanley). It would, however, soon fall into the more worthy bands of his noble friend the President of the Council. Mr. Sheepshanks wished that a suitable building might be erected on the ground in Kensington purchased by the Royal Commission in 1851, and on which were to be erected also the schools of art hitherto held in Marlborough-house. He wished that a portion of the pictures might be occasion ally sent to the provinces and sxhibited to the working classes. Further, it was his wieb, although be did not make any stipulation to that effect, that the collection should be open for a portion of each Sunday evening, in order that men who were employed all the week might have an opportunity of cultivating their judgment and improving their taste. These were the simple conditions of Mr. Sheepshanks' gift, and he wished his collection to farm a nucleus of British art, rather than preserve any distinctive name having reference to the donor. Mr. Sheepshanks was fully convinced that the great Exhibi tion of 1851 had given a great impulse to the taste and love of the line arts of our working cl lases, and he hoped that his munificent gift would aid in the salutary move ment. He (Lord Stanley) was strongly of the same opi nion, and he could only repeat his admiration of this munificent gift, so creditable to the country, and so honourable to Mr. Sheepshanks as a citizen. He hoped that this case would prove to those who might become donors to the nation that there was no fear but their gifts would be worthily housed, and duly and th an kf u lly appreciated by her industrious citizens. (Hear.) THE YEOMANRY. The Earl of POWIS moved—" That an humble ad- dress be presented to her Majesty for a return showing the years since 1815 in which the yeomanry have not been assembled either for permanent duty or training and exercise ; and ;Also copy of any circular from the Secretary of State to the lords-lieutenant of counties as to the assembling of the yeomanry daring the present year." Lord PANMURE had no objection to give the returns asked for, and in reply to the noble lord's remarks could assure him that he should be extremely sorry to see tpe yeomanry dispensed with. He looked upon that corps, as he had stated before both in that and the other house, as an extremely valuable one, not only from the 11803 which might be made of it, but that .its mem bers were always desirous of making themselves ser viceable, both in peace and war, to their county. But he thought that they might without impairing that force, knowing as they did from the reports which had been presented to Government that it was now in a mot efficient state, dispense during the present year with calling it out. It was of little benefit to the corps to bo called cut, so far as its military duty was concerned. He wished that the day was gone by when they would need to be called out in aid of the civil power. The im provement in the !internal state of tranquillity of the country, and the extra strength which the police bill f last session had placed under the control of the civil power, warranted him in supposing that that time had gone by. One matter, however, deserved consideration, and that was the question of withdrawing the contin gent allowance. That subject certainly ought to be re considered, and he would therefore promise that it should have his careful reconsideration. The motion was agreed to. THE LAW OF LIBEL. Lord CAMPBELL, who was very imperfectly heard, was understood to present a petition praying their lord ships to take into consideration the present state of the law with reference to the publication in newspapers o ] reports of the proceedings at public meetings, and con sent to an alteration in that law, providing that the pub lication of a fair and accurate report, without malice, o such proceedings should not subject the publisher to a la action for libel. The noble and learned lord said—My lords, this is a very important subject, and very well de serves the consideration of your lordships sitting as a branch of the Legislature. There came before the Court of Queen's Bench last term, in the case of " Davison v Duncan," the question whether all the proceedings public meetings when bona fide published may be pub lished without any danger of any legal prc ceedings, however much they may calumniate an individual and be injurious to private charac ter. I and my brethren in that court arrived without the slightest hesitation at the conclusion that, as the law of England now stands, there is no such immunity. We were not at liberty to consider whether the privilege eought for ought to be given to the press. It would have been a most monstrous usurpation if we had de cided that the publication before us was not liable to an action ; for it had been determined over and over again by our predecessors, by whose decisions we are bound, that if there be anything slanderous in a writing it is subject to an action, and that it is no justification to plead that the slanderous matter has been written or spoken by another person: Such is the law of England at present, and to call upon us to alter the law, if we think it wrong, would be as preposterous as to say that we are at fibeity to set aside the law of primogeniture and divide the landed estate of a deceased person equally among all his children. Our duty is to administer the law, not to abolish or even amend it. When I had the honour to propose in this house a bill which afterwards became law, and which effected a most material improvement in the law of libel, I submitted a clause very limited in its nature—for I was afraid to go very far—providing that any bona fide account of the pro ceedings of either House of Parliament should be privi leged, and not subject to an action. I was unable to carry it ; there was a majority against me, because it was said not only that the law gave no such privilege, but that it ought not to give it. After having failed as a mem ber of this house to alter the law, it would have been a breach of my duty if, sitting as a judge in a court of jus tice, I had declared the law to be contrary to what your lordships had decided it to be, Your lordships may recon sider that decision, and, in that case, if my proposal with respect to the proceedings of the two houses should be again submitted I shall be glad to give it my most ardent support. For it seems to me monstrous to say that if there be a bona fide report of a speech in Parlia ment published the publisher should be liable to an ac tion. That is different from a case which occurred about 0 years ago, when a noble earl in this house made speech calumniating his steward, and published it him self. The publication in question led to an action, because it was not a bona fide account of the proceedings in this house, but was intended to calumniate a private indivi dual ; and such an action would continue to be available if the clause which I proposed were passed into a law to.morrow. But while, as far as the proceedings of the two Houses of Pailiament are concerned, I would zea lously support the extension of the privileges of the press, I am not sure that I would grant the same immunity to reports of the proceedings of all public meetings, because to say that the publication in newspapers of whatever is said at any public meeting, or at anything which may he called a public meeting, should he privileged would be going rather too far. It has been said that the parson calumniated may bring au act'on against the man who makes the speech ; but it must be remembered that a speech silken is a smaller offence than one that is published and sent all over the world. Still lam not prepared to say that the liberty of publica tion should rot be extended to all public meetings under certain limitations and restrictions, but I hold that it' wool! be preposterous for the judges sitting on the bench to legislate as well as to declare what the law of England is, and I hope that such a precedent will never be estab lished in this country. (Hear.) the Customs at 22,350,0001. ; the Excise, 17,450,0001. ; stamps, 7,550,000/. ; Post-office, 3,000,000/. ; Crown lands, 265,0001. ; miscellaneous, 1,385,0001. ; making a total of about 62,800,0001. The extraordinary liabili ties of that year were 3,500,0001., being 2,000,0001. in Exchequer Bills and 1,500,0001. for sinking fund. Deducting that amount from the 62,800,0001. there would be a net revenue of 59,300,800/. He would now proceed to the year 1859-60. He estimated the Ces'orns at a reduced sum, owing to the reduction cf the duties on tea and sugar, and his estimate was as follows :—Custems, 2 2,000,0001. ; Excise, 17,700,0001.; stamps, 7,700,0001.; land and assessed taxes, 3,150,0001 ; income tax, 7,150,000/. ; postage, 3,000,000/. ; crown lands, 265,000/. ; miscellaneous, 1,300,0001. ; making total of 62,265,0001. Then th ere wou l d be required, for the repayment of debt, ;500,000/ ., and the net revenue remaining, after that deduction, was 58,763,000?. Th e expenditure in the year 1853-4- 2 —the year immediately preceding the war — was 55 , 84 0,0001. Ac cor di ng to hi s estimate of the revenue and expenditur e o f t h ese two years, after discharging all liabilities, Exchequer Bonds and sinking fund, there would remain an excess beyond the expenditure in the last year before the war of about 3,000,0001. The whole of that 3,000,0001. became anpli • cable to any increased charge of the army and navy or civil servioe which might be requisite, with this single deduction —viz., the increased interest of the debt which had been created during the war. The liabilities were in the nature of repayment of principal, but there was also an ankmen tation in the interest of debt which had been incurred during the war that was necessary for him to account for. In 1858-9 the addition would be 640,000/. ;in 1859-60, in consequence of the repayment of debt it would be reduced to 510,0001. Therefore there would be a margin of 3,000,0001., from vs hich nothing would be taken except the payment of interest and the increase of the army, navy, and civil service estimates from the last year of peace. Now it seemed to him that that was a sufficient margin for those two years. And observe this, his estimate of revenue was not a sanguine estimate. He had not made any large allowances for the possible in crease in the indirect taxes, but the committee should bear in mind that when they removed so large a sum as about 9,000,0001. of direct taxation, they might under ordinary circumstances reasonably expect tbat there would be an increase in indirect taxes. He thought, unless it could be shown that there was some error in this estimate, that he had proved there would be sufficient revenue for the years 1858-9, 1859-60. That, as he understood, was the point to which the resolution of the right hon. gentleman was directed, and it seemed to him it would be more con venient to discuss the question at present, now that they were in committee of supply, rather than wait for the report being brought up. Mr. GLADSTONE entirely acceded to the propriety of the resolution, but with regard to the statement of his right bon, friend , it appeared to him to properly belong to the speech they had from him on Friday night, and it was only from the great circuit he had then to make, and the quantity of matter he had to lay before the house, which prevented his laying this estimate before them when he laid before them the others. He should therefore only, so far as he was concerned, say that he could not as at present advised accept the cheering pros• pect which his right hon. friend had held out to them. He should say that the same consideration which in duced them to postpone the discussion on Friday night, would induce them to postpone the discussion to-night. He would therefore, as they were to have an opportunity of discussion, resery e himself. Sir F. BARING remarked that the charge for col lecting the renenue was 4,215,0001., which, with 440,0001. for the Coast-guard service, made an increase of 532, 0001. He asked, if the charge for collecting the revenue was increased 532,000/. ? The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said the estimate of the expenditure for the collection of the revenue in 1857-8 was 4,215,0001. Then there was transferred to it, for the first time this year, the super annuation of the revenue department, 475,0 001 - Mr. T. M. GIBSON asked whether it was intended to lay on the table any statement of the expenses to be incur, ed in the Persian war during the next year ? They ha got the expense to be incurred up to the let of April, but no estimate o! any further expense. He also wished to know whether they were to have any estimate of the expenditure now going on with respect to the China war. Their I,,rdshlps adjourned at half-pact 6 o'clock. HOUSE OF COMMONS.—(YESTERDAY.) SAVINGS BANKS. The CLIANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER gave notice that to-morrow he should move for leave to bring in a bill rtlative to savings banks, and to provide for the establishment of those institutions on the security of Government. NEW WRIT. On the motion of Mr. HAYTER a new writ was erdered for the borough of C.,',lnter, in the room of Lord John Manners, who has accepted the office of Steward of the Hundred of Hempenholme. SUPPLY—EXCHEQUER BONDS. On the motion of the CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER, the order of the day for the house going into committee of supply was then read. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER, before moving that the Speaker do leave the chair, said it might be convenient if he stated, for the information of those members who might not be familiar with the somewhat in tricate rules of the house on the subject of money votes, the course which he proposed to pursue with regard to the vote which he intended to propose. The act under which the Exchequer Bonds were borrowed contained a proviso authorising the money secured by such bonds to be re paid out of such money as should be provided for by Par liament, and Government could not be provided with the means of paying the 2,000,0001. Exchequer Bonds now due without going through the forms of the house ; first, by vote in committee of supply ; next, by a vote in com mittee of ways and means ; and, thirdly, by a Ways and Means Act, covering the original vote of supply and the vote of ways and means. The national faith was pledged to the payment of these Exchequer Bonds, and he did not anticipate that the house would resort to the plan of disoharging their obligation by re-bonding. The statement which he made on Friday last was in committee of supply, and was contrary to the usual practice of - making such statements, and he concluded with a mo ti m for a committee of supply for the payment of these 2,000,0001. Exchequer Bonds, and that was the only mo' tion which he intended to proposein the present committee. For the convenience of the house he had circulated on Fri day last his resolutions on the income tax, together with the scale of duties which he intended to propose on tea and sugar. By some accident, for which he was not re sponsible, these resolutions were not printed as a sepa rate paper, but were mixed up with the votes. They were now printed correctly. He mentioned tais for the purpose of guarding the house against these resolutions in committee of supply. They could only be moved in committee of wa s and means. Whenever the house should agree to the resolution relating to Exchequer bonds, it would be competent to them to appoint a com mittee of ways and means, and then he should have the opportunity of submitting his resolutions to the house. The right hon. gentleman concluded by movirg that the Speaker do now leave the . chair. Mr. DISRAELI said there was a c =mon understand ing on Friday nigl.t that on the present occasion an op portunity would be afforded of discussing the proposi tions of the Government, and if necessary of taking the sense of the house on those propositions ; and in look kg at the votes on Saturday morning he observed the reto:utione to which the right hon. gentleman bad alluded, which, if brought forward as then announced, would have afforded the opportunity of considering the financial arrangement of the Government. But on com ing down to the house to-day he found that the paper had been changed ; and, although he accepted without the ilighteet hesitation the account of the inadvertence which bad been given by the right hon. gentleman, still it must be admitted that great inconvenience bad arisen from the mistake. (Hear, hear.) It appeared to him extremely desirable that an early opportunity should be given to the house to enter upon this discussion. (Cheers ) If the resolution respecting the Exchequer Bonds should he now agreed to, it might he reported to-morrow, and then an opportunity might be afforded of considering the financial propositions which bad been submitted by the right hon. gentleman. If that course should meet the views of the Government, he would take the opportunity of moving as an amendment the resolution which he now begged to read to the house : " That in the opinion of this house it would be expedient, before sanctioning the financial arrange ments for the ensuing year, to adjust the estimated in come and expenditure in the manner which shall appear best calculated lo secure the country against the risk of a deficiency in the years 1858-9 and 1859-60, and to provide such a balance of revenue and charge respectively in the year 1860 as may place it in the power of Parliament at that period, without embarrassment to the revenue, alto gether to remit the income tax." It was his intention to propose that resolution on the report being brought up, and then the discussion on the whole budget could take place. (near, hear.) The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said if the right hon. gentleman preferred to make a statement at once the house would be quite ready to hear him. Sir J. PAKINGTON apprehended that it was not in the power of his right hon. friend to move any amend ment in committee of supply. The SPEAKER said that if there was a committee of ways and means the resolution might be moved, but in committee of supply, according to the rules of the house, no such resolution could be moved. (Hear.) • Mr. GLADSTONE understood that the right hon. gentleman the Chancellor of the Exchequer did not in tend to move any resolution in committee of supply, ex cept that relating to the Exchequer Bonds. It would fellow, therefore, that the navy estimates would stand over until a future evening. (Hear, hear, and No, no.) That was at the root of the whole matter. (Hear.) He was not prepared to vete for the Speaker leaving the chair in order that the house should have an opportunity of considering fully the financial proposals of the Go vernment. (Hear, hear.) He should be sorry to sit down, because if lie were to do so he should have no power of addressing the house again. (" Hear, hear," and laughter.) Ile was, therefore, unwilling to lose or surrender the 'vantage ground until he could ascertain how the matter stood. (Hear.) Under present circum stances it appeared to him that the subjects of supply and of ways and means were, for the purposes of debate, essentially the same. The Government with perfect pro priety, iu deft retie° to the sense of the house, had con nected these subjects in the statement of the Chancellor of the Exchequer. It seemed to him, therefore, to be a fair demand on the part of hon. members that they should have the power of discussing the question as a whole. That demand he ventured to make with all due respect and humility, but with as much urgency and conviction of duty as any demand which he had over made. It was essential to the right discharge of the duties of hon. mem bers, with regard to the finances of the country, that there should be an opportunity of fully discussing the propositions of the Government, and he apprehended if that it was beyond the p ossibilit y of doubt that they proceeded to take any vot e u p on the navy estimates they would lose the opportunity of discussing the whole scheme. He for one could not consent to the Speaker leaving the chair for the purpose of plug intocommittee of supply, unless it should be distinctly understood that the exchequer bills resolution was the only one then to be moved. Lord J. RUSSELL trusted that before the question was put the Government would declare whether they in tended at once to go into the navy estimates or not. It appeared to him that the proposition of the right hon. gentleman the member for the University of Oxtord was a very reasonable one, and he did not conceive how the house could, with any propriety, go into the navy esti mates and vote several large sums, and then come down, on another occasion and discuss the question of the general expenditure. If a proposition should be made to go into the navy estimates, he should feel it his duty to propose to the house the adoption of such a course as would induce it to resume. (Hear.) Lord PALMERSTON said. as such a course did not appear to be palatable to the house he would not take the navy estimates that night. The house then went into committee, Mr. FrrzßoY in the chair. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER moved the following resolution :—That a sum not exceeding 2,000,0001. be granted to her Majesty to pay off and dis charge Exchequer Bonds issued under the provisions of the act 17th of Vic., c. 22, and dated the Bth of May, 1854, which will be due and payable on the Bth of May, 1857. The motion was agreed to. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER before proceeding to offer to the committee an explanation with reference to the terms of the motion, of which notice had been given by the right hon. gentleman opposite (Mr. Disraeli), wished to advert to a point to which the right hon. gentlem an (Mr. Gladstone) ref erred on Friday night. The right hon. gentleman then asked whether he (the Chancellor of the Exchequer) had in cluded in his estimate of the taxes remitted in 1853 the sum of 165,0001., the loss consequent on the change of the law with regard to bills of exchange. That amount was accurately stated and included in his allowance. There was, however, one sum, being the produce of the reduction of the assessed taxes of 1854, whi c h h e had nocluded in the taxes remitted in 1853, and which ought not to have been included in the total, inasmuch as the charge was announced in 1853. Therefore the amount which he had mentioned ought to be rectified by the omission of 220,0001. He now came to what he under stood to be the material point raised by the resolution of the right hon. gentleman, as to th e supposed deficiency of the revenue for the two year s a ft er t h e ensuing y be created by the financial pl an w hi ch he had submitted t ecl o to the house on Friday last. He did not understand that any allegation was made that the estimated revenue for the ensuing year, beginning April 1, was likely to be de ficient. What he gathered was that his financial arrange ments would cause a deficiency of revenue as compa red with the expendit ure i n the years 1853-9 and 1859-60. Now, he h e ld i n hi s h an d the best estimates which he had been able to make of the revenue and expe n diturb of these y ears , accor di ng to t h e p l an w hich he b t a i a t u e d mitted to the house. For the year 18589 he es --131 s! The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER replied that it was not the intention of Government to present any estimate of the expenditure in the Persian war from the Ist of April, inasmuch as at present there was no data on which to found an estimate. At present negotiations were proceeding in Paris, and her Majesty's,Government had reason to hope that those negotiations would prove satisfact xy. If that should to the case there would be no expenditure incurred for the year beyond that which would be connected with the expedition. With regard to China there was no expen diture beyond that of the ordinary expenditure of the ships at the station. Mr. T. M. GIBSON said expenditure was going on without the authority of Parliament. He asked whether, as no estimate could be prepared, the Chancellor of the Exchequer would not, at least, ask fcr a vote of credit, in order that the subject might come before them. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER replied that as soon as there was any prospect of an extraordi nary expenditure being required it would be the duty of the Government to come to the house for a vote. Mr. DISRAELI said that it would be convenient if they could come to a clear understanding on what day they were to have a discussion on the vbole of the financial arrangements. If, for example, they c aell under stand that on Friday the Chancellor of the Exchequer would go into acommittee of ways and means, he would if convenient then move his resolution. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said that it was not competent to the house to appoint a com mittee of ways and means until the report was brought up ; therefore to-morrow was the earliest day at which it could be appointed. He should be prepare-1 on Fri day, in committee of ways and means, to propose the resolution on the Income tax, and a l s o the resolution on the tea and sugar duties. Sir H. WILLOUGHBY supposed that a large amount of Exchequer Bonds were held by the Commis sioners for the R'duction of the National Debt. He should like to know what amount was so held, and whe ther any stock had been sold to purchase those bonds ? TLe CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said he would, in order to prevent any inaccuracy, answer that question on Friday. He could state in general terms that about 2,000,0001. of the bonds were held by the commissioners. The resolution was then agreed to, and the house re sumed. CHIEF CONSTABLES BILL. On the order of the day for the second reading of this 1.1111. Colonel BUCK remarked that the mayors of the dif ferent boroughs ought to have the right of deliberating and voting with the magistrates on the appointment of the chief constables. Sir G. GREY said that that subject did not come within the scope of the present bill, which was merely a measure to facilitate the object of the original act. The bill was then read a second time. ROYAL MARINE FORCES BILL. This bill passed through committee. HEALTH OF TOWNS BILL. On the motion of Mr. Cowrxit, leave was given to bring in a bill to confirm certain provisional orders of the General Board of Health applying the Public Health Act, 1848, to the districts of Ipswich, Oldbury, Stroud, Llangollen, and Dakinfield, and to alter the constitu tion of the Local Board of Health for the main sewer age district of Wisbech and Walsoken. PUBLIC MONEYS. On the motion of Sir F. BARING, the following bon. members were nominated as a select committee on pub lic moneys :—Sir Francis Baring, Mr. Henley, Mr. Williams, Mr. Wilson, Mr. Bowyer, Mr. Hankey, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Sir James Graham, Sir Henry Willoughby, Mr. Peacocke, Mr. James M`Gre gor, Lord Starley, Mr. Cardwell, and Mr. Geo. Alex ander Hamilton. GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY. DECLARATION OF THE POLL—(THIS DAY). FOR DIE AMENDMENT OF MR. NORRIS. No. of Proprietors. Capital. Votes. Total Votes. 256 present. £719,733 3,898 2,094 proxy. 3,448,183 21,728 24,167,916 AGAINST THE AMENDMENT. No. Capital. Votes. 188 Present £335,629 2,311 1 6,000 28 2,350 25,626 189 £341,629 MAJORITY IN FAVOUR OF THE AMENDMENT. 2,161 £3,826,287 23,28 T 2,331 LAW INTELLIGENCE.—(This Day.) COURT OF BANKRUPTCY. (Before Mr. Commissioner Evans.) IN RE J. W. ROBSON.-THE CRYSTAL PALACE FRAUDS, To-lay was appointed for a dividend meeting, and first examination under the estate of this bankrupt, who has been convicted of extensive forgeries and frauds on the Crystal Palace Company. The bankrupt was brought up in custody, but not brought into Court, being accommodated in a private roam to answer any questions necessary. His appear ance was much the same as on the last meetirg. Mr. Lawrence appeared on behalf of the Crystal Pa lace Company to tender a proof for 17,8941. The affi davit was made by Mr. George Groves, the secretary of the company, on an account prepared by Messrs. Quitter and Co., under different heads, showing the na tore of the frauds and forgeries by which the compa►,y became entitled to claim for moneys received by the bankrupt and misappropriated by him, and upon forged shares, which as between the public and the company they were liable for, the bankrupt having affixed their seal and also entered the shares in the transfer books. As the assignees had not bad time to go into the account he should propose that the proof should be admitted, subject to investigation. Mr. G. Simon (instructed by Mr. Monk), for the assignees, objected to the form of the affidavit and to some of the items, particularly as to the forged shares, as it was not at all clear that the company were bound by them. Mr. Lawrence said the company bad been well ad vised upon that point before they paid the dividend—the shares having the genuine impression of the company's seal, gave the, shares all the indication of genuine shares. His Honour said there were several difficult questions in the matter, and he thought the better course would be to adjourn the dividend for a month, and it was ad journed accordingly. No accounts having been files], the examination was adjourned sine die. ALLEGED ATTEMPT TO OVERTURN A TRAIN AND ROB VERY Feb. VERY OF 400, 0001 . — The following ex t ract of a private l e tter was posted yesterday at Lloyd's :—" Cairo 1857. We had a very narrow escape last night. A conspiracy had been planned to destroy the treasure t r ain, by taking up the rails nea r t his city , and in the confusion of a dreadful accident to plunder the trunks of the specie, amounting to 400,0001., brought by the Pere scre w steamer. It was discov ered in time, and abou t:, 130 of the ringleaders had been apprehended." THE HUNTERIAN ORATION.—The customary oration in honour of the celebrated surgeon, physiologist, and comparative anatomist, John Hunter, was delivered in the lecture-theatre of the Royal College of Surgeons, Lincoln's inn-fields, on Saturday last , the 14th inst . , b y Mr. Thos. Wormald, Fellow of the College , and one of the surgical staff of St. Bartholomew's Hospital, in the presence of the elite of the medical profession of the me tropolis,_ and many Fellows of the two Royal colleges. THE NEW BARON OF THE EXIIIEQUER.—Mr. Ser geantChannell, the newly-appointed Baro n of the Exchequer, was called to the bar in the year 1827, a nd became a sergeant in 1840. The learned sergeant was a Member of the Home Circuit, of which indeed, since the retirement of Sir F. Thesiger from circuit practice and the elevation to the bench of Mr. Baron Platt, he has long been the titular leader. As a junior counsel the extent of his practice had been very considerable ; it became apparent, however, after his promotion to the degree of the Coif adapted for the y that his qualifications were less by men who, though on ,exigenciesand of leading business. At 'nisi prius, accordingly, circuit, he was soon dis tanced possessed more nerve, his inferiors in legal erudi tion,tact, and a happier faculty' p f rompter decision, greater advan tageously to a jury. As long,e' presenting a case Sergeant monopoly their however, as the sergeants were allowed to keep up in the Court of Common Pleas, Mr. open that court. When Channell retained a very respectable share of the business the Common Pleas were thrown , . hi his practic e respect n entertained a for his to the profession sensible de character and his professional attainments ac de cline. nl personalae r. large, e The ' b has been since then evinced in a marked manner the fre quency with which he has been selected to aet y a sub stitute for the judges when precluded from attensdia t their circuit duties. In this capacity the new Bar n o g n is understood understood to have given very general satisfaction, and there is, we believe, every reason to hope that he will prove not only a learned and painstaking, but a useful and practical judge. In the general business of the port of London during the past week there has been increased ac tivity, the importations of tea being ueusually largo. The total of ships reported inward was 128, being 36 more than in the previous week. These in cluded ] 3 with cargoes of corn, 11 with cargoes of sugar, and 9 with cargoes addition a, the latter com prising 101,411 packages, of silk, also from China. The number of vessel in to 5,867 bales cleared outward was 110, showing an increa se of The total c olonies is num ber of 22 , including 14 in ballast. ships on th e b er th l o ading' for the Au. 68. 68 . Of these 9 aro for Adelaide, 4 for Geelong, 4 for Hobart Town, 2 for Launcest on, 4 for 'Melbourne, 5 fur N ew Zealanl, 1 for Port Philip , 17 for Sydney, 1 for Swan River, and 1 for Wellington. ADELPHI. A new piece entitled " Barney the Baron," written in America for Mr. B. Williams, was brought out here for the first time upon an English stage with great success. Of course the whole of the piece rests upon Mr. Wil liams, who personates an Irishman who has the luck to win a German estate in a lottery, and then is frightened out of his bargain by the rightful heir telling Paddy that the place is haunted. The audience Were greatly BANK ACTS COMMITTEE. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER moved that Mr. Weguelin and Mr. Blackburn be added to this committee. Mr. CAYLEY objected to the motion, remarking that the Governor of the Bank of England was not a proper person to be on the committee, inasmuch as be would be a witness. He also complained that the com mittee was unfairly constituted. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said that when he first nominated this committee he was re commended to reduce it to the ordinary number of 15, and he then stated that he had adopted the number of 22, because that was the number on the former com mittee. With respect to the governor of the bank being examined as a witness, he could only say that it was net at all unusual for a member of a committee to be ex amined before it. The hon. member (Mr. Cayley) h a d . a motion on the paper to add three members to that committee, and the hon. member for Dublin proposed to add another. If it were the wish of the house to increase the number of the committee he should make no objec tion. The motion was then agreed to. Mr. GROGAN thereupon moved that the committee consist of twenty-three members, and that Mr. Vance be added to it. Mr. CAYLEY moved that the committee consist of twenty-six members, and that Mr. Lain g , Mr. Edward Ball, and Mr. James McG regor be add ed , The CHANCELLOR o f the EXCHEQUER sug gested that the number should be twenty-four. The SPEIKEII was about to put the motion, when Mr. CAYLEY said he must resist it. His objection was that it was an un fairly constituted committee. Mr. W. WILLIAMS thought that the committee was too large. The motion as proposed by the CLIANCILDon of the EXCHEQUER was then agreed to. FOREIGN LEGIONS. Colonel DUNNE moved for address for returns of the number of officers, non commissioned during the co mmissioned officers, and men enlisted in each of the fore i g n p ses incurrea for re late war ; stating in detail 811 "liter:Von of each corps ; cruiting, embodying, d. erto y on discharge, arming, equipping, anadnciotig; gratuities bounty, pay, and cost of subsistence while serving; a their homes ; the num ber allowance for co 9 employedOen active service during the war, ber of each and the stationsdtw.hich the remainder were quartered meat and of the disbandine o f each; of the date of rn the quan tit e y of land granted to each officer, non of o ffi ce r, and soldier of any foreign legion com missioned , e ither at the Ca p e of Good Ho p e or elsewhere ; of the an y gratuity given to eacb, either for the *erection min t of of houses or in lieu of them, or other purpose of the a mount of any pay or allowance granted to each, and the services they are expected to perform ; and, of t h e annual expense of arming, clothing, and subsisting these soldiers, together with the numbers of each rank who have been thus located. —Agreed to. The house adjourned at a quarter past 7. LLOYD'S SHIPPING.—(This Day.) LONDON, Feb. 17.—Wind this clay at noon S. — Light breeze and fine mild weather. PLYMOUTH, Feb. IG.—Wind S. E.—Arrived—H.U.S Colossus, from Lisbon. Sailed—Tree Briton, for Syd ney, N. S. W. FALmouTri, Feb. 16.—Wind E.S.E., fresh.—Arrived— H.U.S. Eagle, from Plymouth. Off the port—Volant, from New Orleans, for Havre. COWES, Feb. 16.—Wind S.E.—Arrived—Cito, from Pei nambuco. JERSEY, Feb. 15.—Wind E.—Sailed —Willing, for Lyme and Rio Janeiro. CARDIFF, Feb. 16.—Wind E.—Sailed—Svaohoide, for Sydney ; Hazard, Rio Janeiro. GRIMSBY, Feb. 16. —Wind E.—Arrived —George Ro gers, from Mobile. SHIELDS, Feb. 16.—Wind S.—Sailed —Augusta, for Rio Janeiro. SWANSEA, Feb. 16.—Sailed—Spy, for Fernando Po. QUEENSTOWN, Feb. 16.—Wind for Melbourne ; Marion, Barbadoes. BEAUMARIS, Feb. E.—Sailed—Vesta, for Moulmein. BELFAST, Feb. 16.—Wind N.W.—Sailed—Midia, for Baltimore. Hum, Feb. 15.—Wind S.W.—Sailed —lda and Emma, for Havana. ZANTE, Feb. 3.—The Arethusa, f r om Constantinople, for England, put into Chere, on the S.E. coast of this island, with one mast sprung and rather leaky, but has proceeded. The Scotsman, from Ennis, went on shore on the north coast of this island on the 27th Jan., is suck in deep water, and there is no hope of saving either hull or cargo. NEW YORK, Feb. 3.—The British ship Pembroke lay ing at Savannah on the 25 th Jan., alongside tho jenny Lind (s.), heeled over and sank the latter. ELSINORE, Feb. 13.—The Neptune, of and from Wis mar, for Leith, went on shore on Falstertoe Reef on the Bth inst., but got off after throwing about 40u barrels of wheat overboard, and put in here on the 10th inst. (PER ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH.) LIVERPOOL, Tuesday Morning. Wind S. Arrived—Charles Devonport, from New Orle ans ; Da nube, screw steamer, Palermo ; Araxes, screw steamer, Alexandria. t QUEENSTOWN, Feb. 15. Wind S.E. Sailed—ladero, fcr Melbourne; Marian, Barb:lckes. (BY SUBMARINE G A B N A D v ß s u s t E r N is p i .: T T a iL e rf a Z , , lP , E . f i l Wind S.S.W. ; tide half ebb ; fine. Arrived—Charles Tennant, from Dunkirk. Sailed—Lady Bute, for Rangoon; Queen Margaret, Sin. gaper°. DEAL, Tuesday, 9.37 a.m. Wind S.S.P. ; moderate, Passed—Wizard King, from Careutta, for London. Passed in tow—Seotia, from Sydney, for London. Sailed—liarkaway, for New Zealaud. DISMISSAL OF A MEDICAL OFFICER FoR CRTJELTY.— preferred against Yesterday a special meeting of the directors and guar dians of the parish of Marylebone was held to receive F t i\ h ir e ri .drpaeypitorturete inll, os a ni decommitteecharge out - a deo p i p y tho board on o o re i rd n ai t es e l d tryi et surgeons. The evidence brought forward seemed to confirm the charge that he had cruelly neglect ed to prescribe for a female patient, whom he declared to be hysterical from laziness, and that the following day she died. The report recom mended the dismissal of Mr. Parnell from his office, which was agreed to. A coroner's inquest is to be hell on the body of the woman. LIBERALITY OF airs LICENSED VICTUALLERII —THE CASE or Ma. THOMAS GROGAN.—On. the 14th of De cember last, the. Feathers, Wyld-street, Drury-lane, was totally destroyed by fire, and the proprietor, Mr. Thomas Grogan, deprived of his sole means of subsis tence, the house, though insured, being the property of one of the great brewers. His brother tradesmen, with characteristic liberality, have come to his aid. A meet ing has been held at the Falcon Tavern, Fetter-lane —Mr. Chas. Ireland, Past Governor , in the chair—at which resolutions were adopted to appeal to the body to raise subscriptions to reestablish him in business. This appeal has been generously responded to, and it is cor fidently anticipated that a sum will be realised creditable to the Licensed Victuallers, and sufficient to accomplish their benevolent purpose. Mr. Grogan is generally and favourably known, having been nearly 30 years in the trade, a long time a member of the Incorporated So ciety, and a life subscriber to the schools and asylum. Already about 50, including some of the most influential in the trade, have subscribed and proffered their assist ance. Some of the morning and weekly papers have considerately stated his claims. Mr. Charles Ireland, Masonic Hall, Fetter-lane, is appointed treasurer. A POLICEMAN WHO STOLE A GOLD WATCH.—At the Liverpool police-court, on Saturday, Edward Maguire, recently dismissed from the Liverpool police force for misconduct, was charged with stealing a gold watch, valued at 2131., from a master printer, named Mathews. The prosecutor was stupidly drunk on the night of the 4th of October, and taken into custody by the prisoner and "booked for safety." When sobered, he missed his gold watch and gold guard, no clue to which was ob tained until Friday, when the prisoner was apprehended while attempting to ple,lge it at the shop of Mr. Byford, pawnbroker. He was committed for trial. Tua CLERKENWELL IN CDMBENCY.—The senior church warden, after refusing all overtures to fix an early day for the election to this incumbency, has at length issued a notice calling a vestry for the 30th March. Although an earlier day (19th inst.) had been named by the junior warden, in compliance with the request of the Bishop of London, it has been deemed advisable to waive all dis pute on the point by Waiting till the 30th proximo. TESTIMONIAL TO THE CRIMEAN COMUISSIONERS.—At the last meeting of the Liverpool F inancial Reform Association, reference was made to the L iver p ool ad dress to Sir John 11.1‘.N eill and Colonel Td lloch, and it was suggested that, inasmuch as Lord Palmerston, whilst ecknowledging the great value of their services in the Crimea, has intimated that their services are not of such a nature as to require any particular recogni tion on the part of the Government, ther e might be some public testimonial calculated to show the sense which the people entertain of their merits. ACCIDENT TO RISTORI.—A letter from Naples states that Ristori, the well-known actress, who a short time since appeared in several of her best characters at the Lyceum theatre, has met with a serious accident. The writer says :—" I am sorry to report that Ristori, who performed for the last time on Thuroday night, in the part of Phadra, fel forward upon the lamps in the fourth act, and cut and burnt herself most severely. She was to have left for Rome immediately after the perform ance, but is now detained at Naples. It was the subject of a discussion in the Council whether she was to be per mitted to perform Marie Stua r t, b u t his 'Majesty put his neg ative on it. PEPRESENTATION OF LEEDS.—As it is perfectly un derstood that Sir George Goodman will not resume his Parliamentary duties, in consequence of his increasing infirmities and precarious health, the constituency of a o r u e t ge fo in r g an t o e th fi e g r h r t e t p h r e ese be n r t e a u tiv g e i; t e i n v e l o p o a k r i t n y g s w ith Robert Hall, Esq., Recorder of Doncaster, who is o b n a serv b a e muc h respected in the town ; while the Liberals are yet TLheeedcs rather undecided as to the selection of a proper man. One section of the Liberal party looks with favour on W. E. Forster, Esq., manufacturer, Burley, near Otley; and it is understood that 'as soon as the new writ is moved for in the House of Commons, Mr. Forster will be placed in nomination for the borough. He is not unknown to the constituency of Leeds, nor indeed to the West Riding generally. His unflinching and devoted advocacy of every work of philan thropy, his extensive knowledge of manufactures, and his constant efforts to advance the political and social condition of his fellow men, have ren dered Mr. Forster's life eminently serviceable. On all political and social questions, his views are broad and catholic. His views on the subject of national edu cation are liberal and generous, and have been formed with a desire to benefit all, rather than isolated portions of society. lAnother section of the liberal party, repre sented by Mr. Baines of the Leeds Mercury, have also, it is rumoured, got a candidate "bottled" for the occasion but his name has not yet been allowed to transpire.— M andiester -Guardian. CONFESSION OF A MURDERER AT HALIFAX.—On Saturday afternoon a middle-aged man, named James Smith, by trade a blacksmith, made the following con fession of murder at the Halifax borough police-office : " I have come to give myself up. Another man and my• self killed the governor of Carlisle gaol about 14 years ago by throwing him over the banisters. I have been uneasy in my conscience many years, and now I am de termined to get rid of it. Police.sergeant Thompson euegeeted to Smith the propriety of being very careful what he said, as the charge he had laid against himself was one of the gravest character. After receiving this caution, however, he repeated his statement, and added that he and his accomplice were undergoing two months' incarceration for poaching at Carlisle where the horrible crime was perpetrated. On being examined by Mr. Superintendent Pearson a short time subsequently, Smith seemed inclined to withdraw what he had said, or reduce it to a charge brought against him at a public house. But the superintendent locked him up, that the case might go before the magistrates, and the inquiries afterwards made by the police elicited information which, if it failed to establish the charge, cast great suspicion upon the prisoner. One of the most important facts which have been disclosed is, that Smith told a fellow-workman about a fortnight ago that he purposed writing to his brother at Carlisle, to inform him that he intended re turning hoine if the murder at the gaol bad been for gotten. The prisoner is a native of Carlisle, but he left that neighbourhood about the time which he fixes the commission of this crime, and for some years past be has resided in Halifax, The investigation of the case is being vigorously prosecuted by the police, an d Mr. Superintendent Pearson has communicated with the authorities at Carlisle,