The Sun. — London, England, 1847-04-13 00:00:00

. . S-II T INDIAN RAILWAY COM- Ann e PANY. yemereioesing of the shareholders of this company was held of . y at th e L on d on Tavern, to receive the report Sit"", directors and to transact other business. Present, Larpent, Chairman ; J. Baxendale, Esq. (for- Chairman of the South-Eastern Railway Com ti.,4lt) ; Sir J. Campbell, K.C.11. (Deputy Chairman of , reninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Com teYY) ; C. D. Bruce, Esq.; J. Catley, Esq. ; Major- Ge ral Caulfield, C. 8.; D. De Vitre, Esq. ;J. Pascal teajc-p kips' ESq. • Captain Alexander Nairne, E, H. Pal fq,ll-48,.,(1•9 and J. Stewart, Esq. in ‘ dI AIRmAN, after the notice convening the meet had been read, said that was the first meeting of the ! °4lre holdera th a t h a d b een held since their company . 11 • 8 form e d , 'Pert therefore b e b a d t o rea d to them thy re ,of the directors, which he would now proceed to do. CRAIRNAN then read the report, from :" it aPpeared that the affairs of the company were terms very favourably; that very advantageous "' r tue had been entered into with the East India Con:I -FL/41Y, and co nc l u d e d b y a strong recommen d at i on o f t h e e e the to the support of the shareholders. The Ch a i rman it• e read a s t atement of the traffic estimates, from which a ki .PPear ed that the total of goods carried on the Gan in 1844-5 , was 2,115,885 tons, an d a l ong Mi rzapore reilroad and Daooda river, during the same period, W 4llO. rn47 4 tons. The passenger traffic betweeu Cal cutta and illirzapore was 570,000 tons per annum. The "Qtl iono. B traffic bet ween - Mirzapore and Delhi was 446,851 the he e l C B AIRMAN then said, such was the report which gav e h a d to l ay b e f ore t h e shareholders, which lir. ri e not only a narrat i ve o f th e i r proceedings, but ad tt-tile company to adopt a certain course, and he llat they ought to take that advice, when they l Eed at the gentlemen who composed the body of u'rectors, and who were joined with them in their I nklertaki • • tar ng, consisting of officers in the civil and mill- Y service of India. as well as the merchants in this ; ) , (414 ,_ try, whose experience would so materially contri oil;' to the success of their undertaking. The first ob j ec t'* (aith which they were entrusted was to obtain es. k e k r shire , and that experiment had realised 22,000/. ai d comprised all the expense that they had contem• r 2 is it e d • Not less than nine hundred miles of o r-- ,;"2 ty had been surveyed by engineers, sent Which showed England at a great expense, in ten months, showed not only the economy of the l _ bl atase;ement, but also their vigilance. (The Chairman "we read a correspondence that had taken place on the Sub j e ct t of railways in India, which set forth their prac- Icabil itYs and spoke most favourably of the line of the ,„,, e " n in, Pat iy.) thought he had now established two great t""nta, namely, the practicability of railways in India, and tit .at the company's line was the best. He would now advert to the terms proposed by the East India Company. He had always thought that railways in India should, if not actually under the control of the Government there, should at least be identAfied with it. Ile must say that, in his negotiation with this body (the East India Company), lie had fou.nd every disposition to meet the views .of the company. He was unwilling to enter into any discuss ion upon this part of their affairs ; but he must, stay that the inconvenience that bad taken Place in t'ae ultimate settlement of the affairs of the company vras in no way attributable to the East India Company, He would now call the attention of the comp any to the cost of the line, which, as a commercial °Peels l aden, must occupy a very important place. 17,000/. Per 'rile was the cost that they had assumed, and to When they looked at the cost of the railways tb is country and in France, he thought they Sh out , I not be considered as having been extrava- Vtts. They had tak en 10 per cent. f or certa i n pecu ._rit les of the c oun t ry . Ei g h t per cent. was the amount (144 e;, by the Ori en t a l S team N es i gat i on C ompany. 1 14 ! Chairman h av i ng rea d a correspon d ence to show that the want of railway accommodation was felt in the East Indies, continued)—He thought he was therefore ied in stating that the accommodation at present afford ed to India in the way of transit was sornew hat like what it was in this country some years Itg,°•—t.`iat of a pack-horse. He was satisfied that, *nether. or not this undertaking was carried out, es 4ilw aY travelling must la dshortly adopted in India. . 4re tlt stress had been in the report upon the le'antr,ges which this line would confer upon the Te°veraene nt of India in a political point of view. , txtuld be no doubt that it would effect a -1% "" clew ' in this point of view, for in the case of ;IV distu r hence arising there was a quick mode of transit s °l4 turop ean troops by the establishmeet of the pre aZ l ine- Besides, the great mortality that prevailed n g th e soldiers, and which was in a great degree trng tot he want of speedy transit, would be prevented. e i !„ould now ref e r t o the terms which the East India TParlY had offered. Four per cent. was what they tha ofret ed, but though that was more liberal ai , ll whi it oth er G overn ments had offered in r it w aY sp. 3culations, he hoped they would be able to th a "e 'Jetts r terms. Aft er s ome further observations, a b e ett ypin nan conclud e d by p ro posing that the report be received, adopt e d, p ri nted, and e•rculated li tng the shareholders, which was unanimously carried. a (-banks were voted to the chairman and other dime- Z ac r % for Ole zeal and ability, they had displayed in the p litti Virge of their duties, and a resolution confiding the t h e . A management of the affairs of the company to hancts, was agreed to unanimously. Th e me eting then separated. C nuntess of Lonsdale steamer arrived in the river e ar l y - yesterday morning, with the ilamburgh ir Lord llrougham left town on Saturday to visit ",:e Duke ( i f W e lli ngton, at Strsthfieldsaye , Hants. The Noble and Learned Lon l returned to town yesterday. RonnF RY BY A CLEILK.—On Saturday the police rveeived information that Alfred - Rice, clerk to Messrs. Taylor :and Co., of Coventry, had absconded with 2034 in gold And Bank of England notes, the property of his elnPloyeza, and which he had been entrusted to convey to the bank. NORTHERN HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY.—We un derstand. that Arthur Forbes, Esq., of Culloden, has consented to become joint secretary, with Mr. Campbell, aeedsm an, Inverness, for the Northern Horticultural SocirAy ; and we have no doubt these gentlemen will use every exertion for promoting and extending the interests of abis useful society. Mr. Campbell has likewise been ointed treasurer to the society.—Ross-shire Adver tise r, u7 :-LAYING OF THE FIRST STONE OF THE EAST AND " lEST YORKSHIRE RAILWAY VIADUCT.—The inter eB hog ceremony of laying the first twine of the viaduct k which the East and West Yorkshire Junction Rail which was commenced in November, will cross the river Nidd at linareaborough, took place on Mon.. ' ll ' last I tOYAL COLLEGE OF SURGEONS.—The following f or having undergone the necessary examinations ler the diplomas of this College, were admitted members at the last meeting of the Court of Examiners, viz.:— Messrs. Ernest Powell Wilkins, Newport, Isle of Wight ; Edward Lund, London ; Charles Jones Gibb, Nevveo.stle-upon•Tyne ; Richard Jones, Brackley, Nor thamptonshive ; Clauee Mackechnie, St. Kitt's, Wea Indies ; Wra. Edward II iyman, Judd -street, Brunswick square; Richard Budd Painter, Broadway,Westrninster; John Hans ton Prosser, Clonmel ; and Walter Battershell Gill, Leominster, Herefordshire. At the same meetin g Mr. J o h n ( ;rallaher, a member of the Edinburgh Col lege, passed his examin ition for naval surgeon. BOILER ExpLosioNs.—We have, before this, urged ' the necessity of some supervision of boilers. Scarcely a Week passes without the occurrence of an accident, as Well with new boilers as with old ones. Every new boiler should' be tested by a responsible inspector.-7 he Builder. MICROSC OPICAL SOIREE. —On Wednesday evening last the Fellows of the Royal College of Surgeons as sembled in their spacious hall in Nicholson's-street, to Witness the exhibition of some of the most interesting form s of itifusional animalcules. Sir William Newbig ging havir tg been appointed to take the chair, Mr. Lee, i fenservato r of the muse um , p rocee d e d to demonstrate, by the aid of numerous diagrams, the existence of such Infinitesimrd beings, of a structure as beautifully de signed and adapted to all the varied functions of life as the most cc implicated of any of the higher animals. And when spea king of the polygastria, Mr. Lee remarked that their ( 'ssential character was the immense number of their atom ache, some species possessing more than a hun dred. and explained bow these digestive sacs might be rendered r ipparent by feeding them with carmine, indigo, or other colouring matter; and that the same method was calcilated to exhibit very beautifully the notion of the cilia, with which both the polygastria and rotifera were prov ided as organs of locomotion, and which served also fur th e prehension of their food; for by the action of their calla, currents were produced in the water car rying the smaller creatures, or other floating particles, towards the mouth, and that the ciliary processes were at the sanio time subservient to the function of respire tien, by constantly changing the surroun di ng me di um. A after speaking of their muscular and nervous sys tems, and the complicated dental apparatus which some P y _ cls essed, and of which diagrams were exhibited, Mr. aee observed that a large portion of the polygastria Were provided with skeleto; cases, conarosed in souls eases of talc areous matter, or of pure transparent silex ; and that he hoped upon some future occasion to give an eount ()rube various states in which their remains wer e f ormed, and to exhibit a variety of fossil forms.—Edin ''oxh Witness. LEE ALL-POWERFULNESS OF GENlUS.—Between t his sun o f t h e sou l, w hi c h G o d h as pl ace d as a b eacon between omarselves and him, at an elevation far above us, ghiid the milli o n s o f m en who must strengthen an d en ten themselves by it, hypocritical prejudices, the low h atred o f me di ocr i ty , th e p e tty reac ti ons o f th e ido lll.teirs of th e past, tho cowardly uneasiness of dis v'"eti indolence, may accumulate thick unwholesome :P °1111 ; but it is only for a time; and the immortal ty of „ MI wait patiently for its day of triumph. All those who have watched the sunrise upon the Alps from : fte lofty peak, have seen, as I have from Mount Cenis, Pt the night, the vast ight, sad and void, but in whic,i "le would say a creation was elaborating itself—then "le first ray of light trembling upon the horizon, vague 1 1141 pale like a timid and uncertain hope ; then the ) ° .., 71 13 Line of fire cutting the blue heaven, firm and de :lued as a promise ; and then, as at a given signal, the of vapours mounts slowly from the abyss, grey and 8 6nbre as doubt, extending itself like a shroud between " earth and the star of day, rising like a bad thought betwlit the world and truth ; to which succeeds the t i traggle, eminently poetic, between the orb, apparently G umless and lifeless, and the rolling mist, hero black renvy, there dull and heavy as senseless ignorance, a ..ding cold the while encircling you in its serpent like folds, threatening your heart like uncertainty in the hour of trial,—until at last the sun, disergaging him self from the cloud, reveals himself high in heaven, calm his glory, and inundates you in the midst of the daz. It!Snows, with warmth and light. Such is the life of ?Us. Envy and perse cu ti on; —b u t on one side of the ?Pt', it matters little which, assured triumph.—Joseph azazzini in thcPcople's Journal, IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT. HOUSE 01 COMMONS April 12. . _._ • The SPEAKER took the Chair at Four o'clock. EAST SOMERSETSHIRE RAILWAY. Mr. BANNERMAN presented several petitions against this railway. WILTS AND SOMERSET RAILWAY. Lord DUNCAN presented petitions against this rai way. BELFAST IMPROVEMENT BILL. This Bill was read a recond time. WINDSOR, &c., RAILWAY STATIONS. Mr. WYSE presented several petitions again it the Windsor and Staines Railway Stations. WILTS, SOMERSET, AND WEYMOUTH RAILWAY. Mr. SEYMER presented several petitions again& this railway. GREAT WESTERN PROJECTS. Mr. H. BARKLY presented several petitions against these projects. 'NORTH-WESTERN PROJECTS. Sir R. H. INGLIS presented several petitions agairst the projects for these railways. SCOTCH. REGISTRATION BILL. Mr. BANNERMAN presented a petition against this Bill. GOVERNMENT EDUCATION BILL. Mr. DUNCOMBE presented a petition against this Bill.. RAILWAYS REGULATION BILL. Mr. STRUTT presented a petitier: from 1,400 of tl - e principal merchants and traders of the city of GlasgolN, in favour of the Railways Rpeulation Bill. NEW MEMBER. Lord CHARLES RUSSELL took the oaths and his scat for the county of Bedlord. SCOTCH REGISTRATION BILL. Mr. LoCliffAßT presented several petitions from Scotland against this Bill. GOVERNMENT PLAN OF EDUCATION. Mr. TREL WNY presented several petitions again& his Bill. NATIONAL DISPUTES. Dr. BOWLING presented a petition from Newport, in the Isle of Wight, in favour of arbitration in national disputes, instead of an appeal to arms. The llon. Member also presented three petitions from Dissenting teachers in Bolton against the Government education plan. THE SUN, .LONDON, TUESDAY MORNING, APRIL' 13, 1847. I had frequently distinguished themselves in the service of their country. It was his decided opinion, that all offi cers who had attained a particular rank, ought to be entitled to receive the minimum retiring allowance attached to their respective ranks, and until that system were established, much injustice would be done to the officers of the British army. He saw no reason why some provision should not be made for the education of the sons of non-commisioned officers as well as the sons of commissioned officers. if a gentleman of private fortune sent his son to bo edu cated for the army, he had the means at his command to give that education, but with the poor man this was impossible, unless some increased facility were given at Sandhurst or elsewhere, for that purpose. He was sorry to trespass so long on the attention of the House, but the importance of the subject was his apology, and he hoped the details he had given would have the effect of drawing attention to the subject. Steam had completely changed everything relating to the art of war, and he hoped her Majesty's Government would direct 'their attenti n to improve the national defences, otherwise the most disastrous results might follow should an invasion of this country ever be attempted. Mr. FOX MAULE was afraid if he alluded to all the debate his Noble Friend brought before the House, he would take up a l arger portion of their time t h an they would be inclined to afford him. His Hon. Friend had referred to rations, pensions, barracks, and almost every subject comprehended under military discipline. He ought, however, to consider that in carrying out these regulations the Government had to look to other consi derations as well as the improvement of the army. They had to look to the state of the finances, and to the claims which the other branches of the public service had on them. The first subject to which his Hon. Friend called attention was rations. With regard to that, he believed that the mode adopted in the service might not in all cases be an equitable arrangement —(Hear, hear.) The subject had been brought under the attention of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, at the close of the last session, but when the House recollected the many other considerations, which of late demanded the attention of that Right Hon. Gentleman, they would not be surprised that ho had not yet come to any decision on it. The spirit ratioa he was happy to say had been done away with in every colony, with the excep tion of Australia and New Zealand, and he was happy to say that the most beneficial results had followed. Some discontent had been manifested by a regiment in Australia, with regard to the rum ration. And he did not think that the military authorities there had been wholly exempt from blame in reference to the circum stances connected with that. He trusted, however, that .he discontent would be amicably put an end to, and that in future matters would proceed in that colony on the same footing as the other colonies. With regard to the commutation of the pension, he thought, that to say it was an act of fraud committed on the pensioner, was too harsh an interpretation of that commutation. Fite next question which he touched upon was that of barracks. He was quite ready to admit that in the pro gress of civilization there is much fault to be found in the over crowded state of some of the barracks. But the fact of the matter was, that new times were approach ing for the army. Men of the old school did not consider that the soldier could be better off than at the present moment ; but the progress of public opinion indicated I that the accommodation to the army should be greatly extended, and that their wants should be looked to at the earliest moment. The finances of the country, too, permit.--(Hear, hear.) He would not desire to do away with the canteens, but he would propose to put them under better regulations, and there was no reason why the canteen room should not form one of recreation for the men during leisure hours. His Hon. Friend complained of the accommodation af forded to married men. It was no doubt to be regretted that far better provision was not afforded ; but the ques tion was one of a very delicate nature. If there were only a certain number of married women allowed in the army for the necessary domestic arrangements, why, then, he considered that they were bound to see that they were maintained in a respectful manner. But, with regard to those soldiers who married without the leave of their commanding offi cers, he was very sorry to say that it would be most injudicious to afford facility for such a practice—(Bear hear)— and though he often blushed at the little convenience afforded to the married women, yet he was not p re p are d t o a d v i se any change under the circumstance s h e alluded to.—(Hear, hear.) With regard to another point, namely, the pas s i ng over in the brevet of such officers as had entered upon full pay, lie would only say that, if it was otherwise, retire. went upon full pay would not be permitted except un der very extraordinary circumstances. With reference to artillery officers and engineers being ineligible to being placed upon the staff, he would observe that such was not the fact. There were many instances to the contrary. He remembered one case where an officer of artillery was Governor of Quebec, and had many regiments under his command; several instances of the same kind .had occurred in Ireland. There remained only seventeen or nineteen cases in which any doubt existed, but of these seven or eight more were granted, leaving at this moment only nine or ten officers who were promoted under the last brevet, who had not received the reward to which they were entitled. On his entering into office he found that a warrant had been prepared by his predecessor for the payment of these pensions. Teat warrant was as free to the public as any Act of Parliament, and therefore the army could not be kept in suspense or doubt. By that warrant the pay of unattached general officers was granted. In 1814 that principle was put forward, but was found to be too expensive. In 1822 an alteration was made which placed the system almost upon its present footing. Several alterations were made until 1844, when Sir H. Hardinge framed a warrant with reference to the cases then before the House. It explained, on more detailed and specific terms, what the services were which would entitle officers to the benefit of unattached pay. If there were any gallant officers who did not come within the regu lations of that warrant, but who were really entitled to good service pensions f rom t h e State, upon the recom mendation of the co mman di ng officer, wou ld co me so far within its benefit as to rec e i ve t h e p a y of 4001. per annum. The only o th er point which hi s G a llant Friend had touch e d upon, was the system o f educe lion in the ar m y. T hat was a w id e fi e ld t o discuss ; but, i n the p resent s t a t e of the House, it would not b e a d v i sable to start so i mpor t an t a topic. His N o bl e F r i end at the head of the Government , and the Co mman d er• i n-Chief, had been in communica tion on this su bj ect, and in a short time steps wou ld b e taken to establish a proper examination for officers enter ing a higher rank than they had formerly held. His Hon. Fri en d h a d further stated that there s h ou ld b e some place fo r t h e education of the children o f so ldiers and non-com m i ss i oned officers. There was a place already established where the orphans of those who had died in action, and of those who had served their coun try, were e d ucate d —that was the R oya l Military Asylum. There was als o th e R oyal Hibernian Asylum in Dublin , which was d evote d to the same u rose, and which was found t o b e most effective in its operation. The question, ho wever , was one which cou ld no t f a il to be entertained by the Government, and proper mea sures adopted to effect the object which his lion. and Gallant Friend so much desired. Ho entreated the House to place that confidence in the Administration which he thought it deserved, by the measures it had already adopted. Colonel LINDSAY wished to make a few remarks upon what had f a ll en f rom his Right lion. Friend. His Right Hon. Friend was wrong in say i ng that any women, or wives of so ldi ers, were kept in t h e barra c k s in London, for there was barely room for the men themselves. He thought that the ventilation in the bar rack-rooms was badly e ff ected, for the men frequently complained of the lassit u d e i nduce d by the impure at mosphere in which they slept . There was also consider able difficulty in the m en o b ta i n i ng l o d g ings for their wives at a price commensurate with their means, and many of the men, in order to save their wives from want, lived, or starved, themselves upon bread and bad spirits. There was another hardship to which the soldiers were exposed. Though the allowance to them might be suffi cient for them in a single state, they had no means to meet any extra expense that might be incurred by them in a married state. If a wife or child died, they were at the same expense as a civilian ; yet there was no allowance whatever made for the contingency. He called the at tention of the Right Hon. Gentleman (Mr. Fox Maule) to this circumstance, with the hope that be would see it remedied. He further thought that those soldiers, whose case had been brought forward by the Hon. and Gallant Member for Westminster, were fairly entitled to consideration and redress. He would conclude by ob serving that of all the grievances brought forward to night, none was so much entitled to the attention of the government as the case of the married soldiers. Mr. HUME wished to make a few observations. He had at an earlier period of the night objected to the bre vet as an expensive and useless affair, and the Han. and Gallant General objected to what he said, though it would appear from his speech that that brevet had been tept uni mpaired. While meet unfair and one-sided. In reply to him, he (Mr. Hume) would say that he was as a nxious as he could be for the real welfare of th e sol diers , but he could no t whichexistedhisought in the army. Why, not to be. H e d the that service 368 generals, while but 126 iahwegoerpreeeetiontrhav theeceitethere abusesr n active service. dirimiwere etieion of the soldi er would be .Tg lit be ,ll :gime to the active servi ce h e protested , especially in r egard to ventilation, so t h at the h a h g eea a wl i t n oh s u t old t f h td e ho inefficientalealri portion. At present they paid for ' the efficient service 4,175,0001, while th e i nefficient ser vice cost 2,150,000 1 ., or one-half of the former. The brevet of last year alone cost 250,0001., and that was given entirely to the inefficient service. I t was such abuses as these that he objected to, and which he had always opposed. He entirely agreed with the lion. and Gallant General as to the aerective edu ca ti on of the army, and hoped that th e G overnme nt would take mea sures to have it redressed. Mr. army ha r appeared most extraordinary. inoniyn which existed that House' among They seemed all t o agree that there was nothing rig ht in its present treatment. The Hon. and Gallant Ge neral had WILLIAMSW t I h L e L officerslAM S said of the harmony c omplained of the present amount of half-pay, when the fact was, it was of the whole sum paid equal to one third for the main tenance of the army The lln and Gallant Member complained that no accommodation was made for the h e (Mr. Williams) soldiers' wives ;wondered if the attention of military gentlemen in that House had ever been directed to the hundreds of thousands of miserable beings in the country, who had not only no accommoda tion, but who wanted the bare necessaries of life. He (Mr. W liiams) did complain that the officers of the Guards were immoderately paid for the most trivial services. Certain gallant men had raised them selves to high and honourable positions, like his Hon. and Gallant Friend beside him (General Evans); but these gentlemen of the Guards, without having seen service, worthy of the name, without having been o ,ce out of the metropolis ' were entitled t o rank abave the veterans of the line. When a gentleman in the Guards obtained the title of Captain, be was entitled to rank with the Colonels of the other regiments. It was against this system that he (Mr. Williams) entered his protest —a protest that was of double force in the present cir cumstances of the country. Captain PECHELL referred to the naval force at present employed on the coast of Africa, for the sup pression of the slave trade, which was alleged to be combined with the American and the French navies, for that purpose, and thought that it was extraordinary, to say the least of it, that no documents had been laid before the House, to show how this object was carried out, and whether any irregularities had arisen from joint captures by the three countries. Considering the arduous duties, and the fearful risk of life which the officers and men on that station had to undergo, he could not conceal his indignation at the wholesale system of plunder which was pursued by the Admiralty Court, at the Cape, when called upon to adjudicate upon the prize money which was due to them—the produce of the captured slave vessels. He found that in a recent case of this kind, a slave ship, the Diana, captured by one of her Majesty's ships, sold for 559/. From this sum 2731. 17s. was deducted by the Admiralty Court, leaving the captors only for their share 2851. 3s. The lion. and Gallant Member instanced other cases of the same kind. He called on the Secretary of the Admiralty to see to these things, and to put matters in such a train that justice would be done to those men who risked their lives in their country's service, on this pestilential coast. Mr. WARD said that with respect to the first obser vation of the Hon. and Gallant Member, no joint cap tures had 3et been made by the ships of the three nations employed on the coast of Africa, and as re garded the system pursued by the Vice-Admiralty Court at the Cape, he could assure the Hon. and Gallant Member, and his assertion would be borne out by his Hon. and Gallant Friend beside him, that no complaints had reached this country of mismanagement in the busi ness of these Courts. It was the desire of the Govern ment that every precaution should be adopted to preserve the health of the officers and men employed on the coast of Africa, and for that purpose steamers were employed for the purpose of entering and exploring the rivers, and such preventatives, against the influence of the climate as experience dictated, had been adopted. He could assure the Hon. and Gallant Member that the circumstances the utmost brought re attention under thenotice imh t e of G me v t e h r e e House eet. should vrieh have eh h SUPI'LY. The House then went into Committee. Mr. WARD said, that after the lengthened observe ;lions which had been made that night, and the discus s'ion which had already taken place on the naval estimates, lie did not intend, to occupy their time, but would con tbnt himself by simply Moving the remaining votes. On 14,2781. be o b ek e granted yards! for the wages t artificers % Mr. WILLIAMS rose and said that notwith s tandi ng i ci e m o atdila discussions.to which the Right Hon. the Secretary r the Admiralty referred, as a reason why these votes should not be further considered, he shotlld feel it his duty to make one or two observations to the House on the subject of this vote,-arid lie trusted the Right Hon. Gen tleman would concede hiaright to do so, as he at all events had not yet said a word upon the subject.—(fAughter.) Now he did call upon her Majesty's Governmrnt, and particularly that part of it which comprised the Admi ralty, to look into these estimates, and when they come down to the House next year with the Navy Estimates, the items would present a considerable reduction upon former years. Lord INGESTRIE must also add a hope that here after these estimates would be as much as possible eco• nomised consistent with the due maintenance of the effi- ciency of the service. He was rejoiced to see that the Admiralty had improved the sytem of promotion in the doek-yards, and he sincerely trusted the Admiralty would not relax their efforts to encourage and advance the naval architecture of the country. He should be glad to hear from some Member of the Admiralty what was doing with that class of ships known as the Albion class? A variety of experiments had recently been made with respect to the merits of different ships, and he had never seen the report made by Admiral Sir H. Parlier on the first experimental squadron. He thought it of the greatest importance that all the information that could be obtained on these points should be laid before the House. His position was that there were scien tific men available at the present moment who were able to build better ships than the present surveyors. It was certain that the steam vessels built by the present sur veyors were very defective in their construction. A Committee had been appointed in 1844 to investigate the merits of the different ships in the navy and he wished to know if that analysis, which he believed had been a careful one, would be laid before the House. He hoped some tribu nal would be established by which real merit would be encouraged. As the first maritime nation in the world, they ought to have the best navy in the world, and this could only be done by calling into requisition the scien tific resources of the nation. Before he sat down, he wished to know if any ships had been sent to make a survey of the coast of New Zealand ? Mr. WARD said it would be to no purpose to expect anything like an unanimous opinion with respect to the merits of the Albion class of vessels. There was as much diversity of opinion with regard to shipbuilding, as there was with regard to religion ; and the partisans of each system wire quite cs zealous in the propagation of their views, as the adherents of each re ligious sect. In reply to the Hon. Member's question, he would say that he did not know that there was any intention of the Admiralty of establishing the screw principle. He felt very much obliged to the Hon. Member for his suggestions, many of which had proved most valuable.—(Hear, hear.) Sir C. NAPIER was very glad that the House had at last opened its eyes, for he had been endeavouring to do so for the last five years. He did think that it was a disgrace to the Admiralty to permit such vessels to be used as the Albion and Aboukir, which rolled tremen dously, so that under a small weight of canvass they could not fight their guns. Now, the three d►eckers which were at present on the stocks, it was fair to presume, would roll equally if they were built upon the plan of the surveyor's report. For the last fifty years, all the vessels in the navy had been built upon the plan of one or two persons, whether that was right or wrong. The surveyor should only report upon the timber and iron in the ships, and the shipwrights in the different ports should be allowed to construct vessels upon their own plans, and they would have better vessels, as they would have a competition between them.—(Hear, hear.) He did not allude to steam•vessels, as be had gone over that part of the service SO often that ho would not trouble the House again —but if they wanted the return, of the expenses of the Queen's yacht they would be per fectly astounded. They were tremendous. Yet in spite of them they would have to give a new one, and he would vote for it, as in her present one she had to get up on a chair to look out of the windows. The vote was then agreed to. The next vote was 1,556,4954 for the expenses con tingent upon maritime stores. Mr. HUME said that a great amount of money had been wasted upon the construction of vessels. He dm sidered that an enquiry was absolutely necessary. Such an officer as Sir Wm. Symonds ought to be removed, as, since he came into office, 10,000,0001. bad been expended upon vessels, and not one good one had been turned out. For fifteen years this system of misrule had been carried on, and he - wanted the Government to declare what they meant to do in redressing these matters. If the Hon. and Gallant Admiral (Sir C. Napier) would take the sense of the House on the question, `he would certainly vote with him on it. If he judged aright of the reports which had been made to the Admiralty, they all con demned, in tote, the system pursued by Sir W. Symonds. Now, what he wanted the Government to do, was to pro duco these reports to the House, and then it would be seen what was really the truth. It was said that there had not been a single ship turned out by Sir W. Symonds but what had cost one-fourth of her original expense in altering and improving her, to make her fit for service. Captain BERKELEY did not rise to defend the Ad miralty generally, but he rose to defend Sir William Symonds from the attacks made upon him. He would call the attention of the Hattie to the fact, that both during the late, as well as the present Admiralty, the greatest compliment had been paid that gentleman for the ships he had constructed. It had been said that he had turned out no good ships, but, in answer to that, be would point out the Vernon and Cleopatra, two of the finest ever launched. Lord INGESTRIE thought there were many things in the navy that required full inquiry into, and in order to do so, a Committee ought to be appointed. But it should be a full and searching inquiry, that all the facts might be brought out. Sir C. NAI?IER said he would move, in place of the sum proposed by the Government, as an amendment, that it be 1,500,0001. In doing so, he would remark that in his observations he confined himself to Sir Wil liam Symond's line of battle ships alone, and not to his small vessels or frigates, to which he had paid but little attention. Captain PECHELL defended Sir Wm. Symonds from the attacks made upon him. During the American war they endured the greatest mortification, because their ships did not equal in sailing qualities the ships of their opponents. But now, thanks to Sir W. Symonds, their navy was wonderfully improved in this particular. Let Ikem compare them with the French navy. Why, Prince de Joinville, in his report, declared that even a smart breeze paralysed half the guns of their three deckers, and this could scarcely be alleged against the British ships. He did not know what was the ob• ject of the Gallant Admiral in this amendment, but he (Captain Pechell) for one, would nut vote against the ropes or the canvass, or any other of the naval stores, merely because he wished to pass some censure on Sir William Symonds. While on this subject he would wish to know what the Government intended to do with a very valuable invention by a gentleman (Mr. Jeffray) for the caulking of ships ? It was a most useful discovery-, and one calculated to save a very great sum to Govern ment. Mr. WARD said that the marine glue had given very great satisfaction, and he hoped that it would receive the favourable consideration of the House at some future period. Sir C. NAPIER said that Hon. Gentlemen seemed to consider that his amendment was intended as a sort of censure on Sir W. Symonds. He intended it for no thing of the kind. All he desired was, to express his disapprobation of the manner in which the public stores had been wasted for years past. He had cer tainly expressed his opinion of Sir William Symonds mode of building ships of the line, but he had done so candidly and openly. He would not on this occasion put the House to the trouble of dividing, if the Secre tary to the Admiralty would give the House some hope that a Committee would be afterwards appointed to exa mine into this subject. Mr. WARD could n o t g ive any hope of th e ki n d . It the evil existed to which the Gallant Admiral re , ferred, the present Board of Admiralty would endea vour to remedy it, but he saw no necessity for a Com mittee. and he could hold out no promise that such would be appointed. The vote was then agreed to. A vote of 559,600/. for new works, improvements, and repairs in naval stations was agreed to. The sum of 22 . 839/. fur medical stores, was also agreed to. The sum of 59,8471. for miscellaneous services was agreed to. _ _ On the vote of 725,7181. to defray the charge of the half-pay of officers of the navy, Mr. krumE objected to the system of promotion. He thought that no favour whatever should be ex hibited, but that merit alone should be the passport to promotion. - Admiral RUNDAS defended the course the Govern ment adopted, and maintained that they had adhered to former precedents. Captslin PECHELL complained that the masters on board of her Majesty's vessels were not properly con sidered. Although they ranked with a lieutenant, they were subordinate to each of the lieutenants, and in casc , of the death or accidental removal of one of the lieu tenants, a midshipman would be chosen to supply his place in the room of any of the masters. Mr. CRAVEN BERKELEY [aid, that ho acknow ledged the utility and the claims of the masters, but he thought that the sphere which they then occupied, was the best calculated for the display of their powers. The highest ranks in the service were still open to them. After a few words from Captain GORDON and Admiral DUNDAS, Sir CHARLES NAPIER said that he could not agree with his Gallant Friend the Member for Glou cester, for he thought that the masters were not in their proper sphere. They were liable to be under the command of a mere boy, whose knowledge in the service could net be compared for a moment with theirs. He could mention many instances, in which younger and less experienced individuals had been promoted over the heads of old officers of this description. The vote was then agreed to. A vote of 486,4471. to defray the charges of military pensions, was then agreed to ; also, a vote of 153,4501. for civil pensions. The following votes were also agreed to:— A vote of 243,2081., to defray the expense of tran sports and the conveyance of troops and stores. A vote of 21,674/., to defray the expenses of main taining and conveying convicts. A vote of 564,3771., for the packet service arid Post office expenses. The House then resumed, and Mr. GREENE reported progress. ARMY SERVICE BILL. The report of the Army Service Bill was brought up and received. HARBOURS, DOCKS. AND PIERS CLAUSES BILL. This Bill was read a third time, and passed. REGISTERING BIRTHS (SCOTLAND) BILL. Captain GORDON trusted the Lord Advocate would postpone the Registering Births, &c. (Scotland) Bill. The Bill was postponed. EXCHEQUER BILLS (18.310,7000 BILL. This Bill was read a second time, and ordered to be committed. PORTLAND HARBOUR OF REFUGE, &e., BILL. This Bill was read a third time and passed. PAYMENTS OF RATES AND TAXES BY ELECTORS. Sir DE LACY EVANS moved for leave to bring in a Bill for the regulation of the payments of rates and taxes by Parliamentary electors. —Granted. The other orders of the day were then disposed of and the House adjourned at a Quarter past . One o'clock' KENDAL ELECTION. —Mr. George Carr Glyn has issued an address to the electors of Kendal. His senti ments are manly, straightf orwar d, an d l i beral. His well-known business habits have met with much favour in this independent borough. The electors appointed a committee to select a suitable candidate, and from those who were named, the committee resolved that Mr. Glyn's sentiments were satisfactory, and will report such an opinion to a meeting of the electors to be held on Tues day next. Certainly the manner in which the choice of candidates is conducted in Kendal, and the unanimity and prudence manifested, is deserving of much praise. HON EVIL SHOULD BE TURNED INTO BLESSINGS. —We have already said that our towns ought to be looked upon as so many gigantic farmsteads ; that they should, in fact, bear the same relation to the surrounding country which the farm-yard does to the farm. Is it not strange that this obvious ana logy should have so Jong escaped notice ? and that when tho proposition is announced, it should sound strange in our ears? But so it does, and will continue to do, till we condescend to pay more attention than we have hitherto done to the merely physical part of man's com pound nature. This body—what is it but a furnace of flesh in which, as in other animal bodies, the watery parts of our food are evaporated, the charcoal burned away, and the ashes discharged ?—the products of combus tion going to reinforce the ocean of aerial manure, the ashes to be used or wasted as man in his wisdom or folly shall decree. That which passes into the air cannot but be put to its proper use. Nature, who wastes nothing takes care of that; but man, foolish man! misunderstand ing the intent of providence in endowing those ashes with offensive propertie . , treats them as mere waste, and is but too happy if he can see them blackening the pure stream in their way to the ocean. Or, not content with merely wasting that which ought to be most scru pulously saved, he adds to the sin of extravagance the greater crime of so disposing of these ashes, that they become the prolific source of disease. Thus, that which should be the material of food for the support of man's life, is converted into an active poison for its destruction. —PeOple's Journal. THE DUKE'S STATUE AS THE COMMITTEE DESIRED IT.—The consummation of the Committee's hopes (the removal of the scaffolding, and a waste of a little more money), seems likely, if anything in this world can do so, to open their eyes, so long wilfully blinded. Every spar that is taken down makes the monstrous disproportion of statue to arch, the former being looked at as a part of the latter, more evident, and the height and impropriety of the arch as a pedestal merely, if it is to be so considered, more glaring. The proceedings here have been so discreditable to us as a nation, in an artistical point of view, that we blush when reflecting on them. How much longer the farce is to be played seems uncertain. It must be much more to the amusement of neighbouring nations than ourselve- - The Builder. BARRA, SOUTH I.IIST, AND BENBECUL learn from a private source, that a stringent but neces sary measure is to be adopted with respect to the pocr on the estates of Colonel Gordon, of Cluny, in the West Highlands. The Board of Supervision for the poor, in Edinburgh, are in course of appointing a commissioner to proceed to the islands of Barra, South Mit, and Ben becula, for the purpose of taking cornisance of the state of the inhabitants, His object will be to place upon the poor's roll such persons as are entitled to tempo rar y or permanent relief, and along with the commissioner will be sent a supply of meal and provisions for distribution among the paupers. The supplies judged necessary by the commissioner and the additional burd€n imposed by the operation of the poor-law will be laid upon the pro prietor. According to the statute the commissioner in such cases must be a member of the Scottish bar, and we have no doubt a gentleman will be selected who will arbitrate fairly between the owner and the people of those islands—between the duties and the rights of pro perty.—lnverness Courier. THE RECENT CASE OF STABBING NEAR SOHO SQUARE.-OR making inquiry yesterday (Sunday) at the Middlesex Hospital, respecting the unfortunate man Berry, who was stabbed by his wife on the evening of the Bth inst., Mr. Dickson, the house surgeon, stated that he considered him quite out of danger. THE Caors.—Never did we see, at all events for a considerable period, the crops look so well as at the pre sent time in the neighbourhood of Wigan. During the week the weather has been very changeable, but, to use the farmers' own words, "it has been all for the better." —Preston Pilot. MYSTERIOUS DEATH.—MANCHESTER, APRIL 10. —This morning, about six o'clock, a respectably dressed man was found in the drain or sewer at the aide of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, near the Weast-lane station, quite dead. in his left hand was found a third class ticket, from which it appeared that the deceased was booked at Liverpool for Manchester, and must have left by the third-class train , which leaves Liverpool a t half-past six P.M. The only way in which this accident can bo accounted for is, that the deceased must have jumped out of the carriage before the train stopped at the Weast-lane station, or that ho was drunk and fell out. The latter, however, is improbable, as some of his fellow-passengers must have noticed such an event, wh • does not appear to have been the case. ACCIDENT AT TWICKENHAM—OD SatUrday after noon Mr. Wakley, M.P., coroner, held an inquest at the Prince Blucher Arms, Twickenham-common, on the body of Frederick Nicklewright, aged 50 yea's, bailiff to Sir William Clay, Bart., M.P. From the evidence it appeared that the deceased had been in • the service of Sir William Clay for the last twenty yeah. About four years ago Sir William Clay purchased the property known as Falwell Lodge, Twiekenhani, ;which consisted of the mills and a farm. The mills weri subsequently let, and Sir William Clay plaeed on the farm a thresh ing machine, wh y ch was worked by tho water-wheel of the mills. Oa Ihe morning of ThuriOay last the de ceased went to the premises to set the:inachine in mo tion, and was drawn therein, and before-assistance could be rendered him -he was' almost litkrallY torn into pieces.te The only person present at the time wad a boy of . h • name of Brencydey, who hastened for assistance,whiy was promptly pbtained, but not in time to Pave P s l e. ' de ceased's life. When extricated the body presen t ed ltel a most frightful appearance, the head being vand l c u o n m severed from the body, the heart, liver g ally torn out, and the legs and thighs broken. The evi dence clearly showing that no person was to blame but the deceased himself, the jury returned a verdict of " Accidental death." INCRRASE IN THE PRICE OF P tt O VISIONS.—A con siderable advance has taken place within th e l ast week in the retail prices of butcher's meat, bacon, pork, &c., although no visible increase can be perceived in the prices obtained in the wholesale markets. In Clare-market, Newport. market, Oxford-street, and the vicinities, New cut, and Lambeth-walk, the prices usually asked and obtained are as follows:—Breasts and necks of mutton, 6d. to 6id. per lb.; shoulders, 611.; legs, 7d. to 71d. per lb., being an advance of a penny, and in some . i . n im. s e t sp a e n alln ce r:_ s t lid. in the lb. Beef has advanced a penny in the lh., and a similar increase has taken place in dairy-fed and Berwick pork; the rise in bacon is 1 -d. per lb. American provisions have also advanced in price, the only . article f. remaining stationary being cheese. . The prices of 1 vegetables, particularly potatoes, parsnips,. carrots, i ossi turnips, have so much increased, that it is an bility for the poorer classes to purchase; potatoes 21d. to 3d. per lb.; those at . 2d are . scarcely ed c i u b t l ; will : in consequence of the quantity obliged to be the price is increased to nearly sd. per lb. NATIONAL EDUCATION. SPECIAL MEETING OF THE COMMON COUNCIL. WEDNESDAY, March 31. After the transaction cf the ordinary business, Mr. FRANCIS BENNOCII rose and said, it was now his duty and his privilege to introduce to that Honour-- able Court a motion of surpassing Interest—one which related to a matter in which was involved the happiness of millions, and the success and the continued prosperity,. he believed, of the empire. The motion bad been on. the business paper for a considerable period; but he had, been prevented by various matters from bringing ite• g p r o e r a a t ti q o u n e o st f io L n on o d f e n d ii earlier fo rward. Had this not been the case, the Cor ghotn,hawvielich ere w t a h s is, n d o i w scu ag ss i e ta d ti t n h g e the public mind, instead of discussing it at a period when some of the effects which might have be, n derived. from such a discussion might have been lost. This was. to be attributed to certain unhappy circumstances to which he could not further allude, because they were well known, and duly appreciated by the members of the Court. But it was a great gratification to know that, in discussing the question of education, they could approach it deliberately and consider it calmly, without agitation of an obnoxious character, and without any of those feelings which wculd prevent them from doing full justice to the question. The motion which he had to pro pose was:—"'!'hat the state of education in Great. Britain and Ireland is confessedly deficient and lament ably defective. That the existence of so much ignorance is a reproach to the nation, and greatly to be deplored; inasmuch, as poverty, destitution, misery, and crime are, if not the consequence of it, seldom found disaociated from it. As the means hitherto employed for the increase of knowledge among the people have proved insufficient for the necessities of the popu lation, the assistance of the State becomes an imperative necessi t y.—(Ch eers .) It is not only an act of justice and mercy, but also to the interest, safety, and security of society, that no subject within these realms should longer continue without the oppor -tunity" of mental enlightenment, as a means of moral elevation and mental improvement. That an humble address, based upon the foregoing considerations, be presented to her Majesty the Queen, praying that she will be graciously pleased to exercise every legitimate influence vested in the Crown to urge forward in Parliament such measures as :hall pro vide for the general education of the people." The motion partook more of the nature of a petition than of an ordinary motion, and somewhat argued the question. He had so worded it in order that no one might attend without being perfectly confident of the whole of the arguments, which he should feel it his duty to make. With him it was no new question, as it was one which he had discussed and debated on all fitting opportunities during the last 12 or 15 years— nay, more, he was instrumental, and in fact responsible for a course of lectures which were delivered in London ten years, by a gentleman who was at that time one of the most popular writers on the subject. He was glad be was enabled to bring four or five Peers, and twelve or fife teen Members of Parliament to listen to them ; but he had to regret that he was unable to interest the then Lord Lord Mayor on the subject of the promotion of educa tion. He wrote and waited upon him; but he would neither countenance by his presence, nor patronise with his name, the series of lectures on this impor tant subject; believing, as he said, that they were in tended "for the promulgation of some unimportant sub ject some new tangled doctrine likely to disturb the public peace and the safety of society.' '—(Name, name.) He would tell them. He alluded to Alder man Wilson. From that time he confessed that his heretofore profound reverence for the Lord Mayor and the Court of Aldermen began to diminish ; but his opinions had of late years been much modified, and there were many who bad filled the high office of mayor for whom he entertained much respect. But to come to the sub ject of education. The necessity for education was, he believed, conceded.—(flear.) There had been a demand for education almost since the first existence of society. They recollected the saying of one whom they all reve renced—" Go and teach all nations." It was the first law of nature, for even the brutes must be tutored be fore they could perfume their daily tasks. Thus savage man in his turn must yield before civilised man, and a civilised man was only produced by education. Were man a mere animal, ho would require little education, because his instinct would be sufficient to provide for him his daily food, as that would be all he would require. But he was gifted with intellectual qualities, the power and knowledge of judging and of discussing, added to which was his moral nature, which controlled the other qu tlities, which, without its aid, might prove injurious. Therefore it was evident that any education which did not embrace the develop ment of these three qualities, was inferior as a scheme of national education. The labourer in the fields re quired probably the least education, but still he requited education, because it was a knowledge, of the instruments he wielded which gave him power over the soil he digs ; it was education that taught the higher man gifted with 41, greater intellect the way to produce the most intricate machinery —to have education was all. important—because it gave him his peculiarly distinguishing feature. Thus in every stage of life is demonstrated the necessity for education. By it the early lisp'ngs of childhood are invested with intelligence. Through boyhood that intelligence becomes expanded, until in manhood, the student can draw from the wells of the knowledge which exalteth, and in his retirement hold sweet communion with the rays of antiquity, whose spirits are enshrined in books, and this surely is one of the highest prerogatives of man. The motion which he had the honour to propose divided itself into three parts—first the deficiency of education, next the defectiveness of education, and lastly the consequences of this deficiency and defectiveness, and the necessity for the adoption of some different system. He intended to compress his facts and arguments into the smallest compass consistent with the magnitude and importance of the subject. To prove the deficiency of education, he should refer to reports, and other documents of unques tionable data. In 1833 he found that the population of this country was 14,400,000—that there were 3,600,000 of the population between the ages of five and fifteen— that there were 1,200,000 day-scholars between those ages, 2,400,000 attending no day-school—that 1,548,000 attended Sunday-schools 548,000 only b e i ng i n the habit of atte n di ng day-schools. The result came to this, that out of that number, 1,000,000 ,were Sunday-school scholars, 1,200,000 day, and that 1,400,000 were in total ignorance, without an atom of education. Thus above one-third went to day-schools ; less than one-third to Sunday schools, and over one-third to no school at all. More than one-third of all the children of this vast empire, between the ages of five and fifteen, are without any means of education whatever !—(llear, hear.) But the reports published in 1844, proved that the state of education, at that time, was worse rather than better. That was, the general character of education. The particular character was somewhat more remarkable. In his estimation, statistics proved everything ; but some were of opinion that anything might be proved by statistics ; but here they were undoubted as they were collected by parties employed by the Government, and by educational societies ; the results thus collected demonstrated, that instead of showing the darkest side Of the picture, the actual state of things, previous to these inquiries, had been much underrated. In Man chester, there were 50,000 children between five and fifteen, 10,000 of whom attended day schools, 23,000 Sunday, and 17,000 attended no school at all. Salford was the same. Liverpool was worse, as fully one-half were without the means of education. Hull, York, and Bristol presented the same results, and were all equally bad. The Hon. and Rev. Baptist Noel, whom everybody respected, telt to much interest in the sub ject, that he made a private inspection of several schools, in order to ascertain whether the Government reports were, or were not, correct, and he found that and that the a lc s en ha p d lac b e e , been represented. n st o ate ex o a f gge e r i de by Lord Kerry, it u t c io a n tion had was ta the same result,. By a report ma parishes and hamlet. Mr. Bennoch read a number of other extracts, showing 4 possessed Sunday, wholly destitute of schools ; total of 3,706 without a but no day, schools, making a appeared that there were 2.6614 , 02 clay-school of any description . — ( Shame.) ame.) It w as a that such a state of things should b e palpable shame allowed to exist. With respect to many of the rural districts, from a return published by the Registrar- General, it appeared that only one half of the people married could sign their names. Some people might say that this arose from timidity—(Laughter) —as people in such a situation were apt to get exceedingly nervous ; but why they should be timid and nervous in the most honourable act of their whole lives, he was wholly at a loss to know.—(Laughter.) It also ap peared that 8,000,000 of the population could not write, and that 5,000,000 could not read. Then, with respect to the schoolmaster. It had been shown and proved by competent anthorities, that the care of the rising generation was, in the majority of cases, confided to the care of those who had failed in all other pursuits ; and occupation in the atest number of sch oo l s that the schoolmaster was the lowest, instead of being the highest and most respected kingdom.—(Hear.) Th r e e these day and dame sch oo l s , g in the large towns would perceive how monstrously defective was the mof education pursued in them. Ile f oun d but from certain reportswe which had been published, th ey in the last number o f t h e British Quarterly Review. NN i ar ti c le on education , esYx'sttreacts from these reports collected in an excellent th respect to those schools he found a r eport of the lion. and Rev. B. N oe l , stat i ng that— “ln Liverpool, with few exceptions, the dame schools are dark and confined ; many are damp and dirty ; more than one-half of them are used as dwelling, dormitory, and school-room, accomodating, in many cases, families of seven or eight persons. Above forty of them are cellars. "In Manchester, the greater part of them are kept by females, but some by old men, whose only qualification for this employment seems their unfitness for any other. Many of these teachers are engaged at the same time in some other employment, such as shopkeeping, sewing, washing, &c., which renders any regular instruction among their scholars absolutely impossible. Indeed, neither parents nor teachers seemed to consider this as the principal object in sendirg the children to these schools, but generally say that they go there in order to be taken care of, and to be out of the way at home." And with respect to common rchools:— " It was a room on the ground-floor, up a dark and narrow entry, and about twelve feet squa re . H ere f orty-three boys and girls were assembled, of all ages, from fire to fifteen. Patches of paper were pasted over the broken panes of the one small window, before which also sat the master, inter cepting the few rays of light which would otherwise have crept into the gloom. Although it was in August, the win dow was closed, and a fire added to the animal h e at, which radiated from every part of the crowded chamber. In front of the fire, and as near to it as a joint on the spit, a row of children sat, with their faces towards the master and their backs to the furnace. By this living screen, the master, though still perspiring copiously, was somewhat sheltered from the intolerable heat. As another measure of relief amidst the oppression of the steam ing atmosphere, he had also laid aside his coat." This was a perfect sample of them . B ritish all. look at the con diti on o f the Nat i onal and Schools-- But let tbPm " The great majority of the patrons and cadactors of the GREAT WESTERN PROJECTS. Mr. SPOONER presented upwards of a hundred peti tions against the several projects of the Great Western Railway Company. Mr. lIUME presented a petition from the provost and corporation of Addington praying for the repeal of the inventory stamp tax. EXAMINERS OF PRIVATE BILLS. Mr. HUME gave notice that to-morrow he would move for leave to bring in a Bill authorising the Speaker to appoint examiners of the proceedings of all- private Bills before the House. REGISTRATION BILL (SCOTLAND). Lord G. BEN TINCK pro sented several petitions from Ayr and other places in Scotland against the Registra tion Bill (Scotland). GOVERNMENT SCHEME OF EDUCATION. • Mr. MATHESON presented four petitions . against the Gov ernment Education scheme f rom Dissenting congregations at Ashburton, Buckfastleigb, and Newton Abbott. ANATOMY ACT. Mr. F. FRENCII presented a petition praying for inquiry into the operation and working of the Anatomy Act. WASTE LANDS IMPROVEMENT BILL. Mr. LABOUCHERE postponed the Waste Lands Improvement Bill until to-morrow (Tuesday) week. EDUCATION. Mr. WILLIAMS presented a petition from a place near Coventry against the Government scheme of edu cation. _ _ MEDICAL OFFICERS IN THE ARMY. On the order of the day for going into Committee of Supply being read, Sir H. DOUGLAS begged to call attention to the cases of medical officers, surgeons, and pay masters of regiments, who have not been included in tae warrant issued in July, 1846, consequent upon the motion made in April, 1815, for an improved retirement to a limited number of medical officers, and all officers of regimental staff, to extend to them in limited numbers, the bene fits conferred by warrants dated 1840 to limited numbers of officers of all other branches and arms of the ser vice ; which motion appeared to receive the unanimous approbation and support of the Committee, and was only withdrawn on an express assurance that the pro position, for art improved retirement to all officers of regimental staff, would be taken into favourable con sideration. He was deeply impressed with the calamity which had befallen the sister country, and he would feel a great difficulty in recommending any measure which would embarrass the Government at the present moment, but the act of justice which he re commended would not be of such a description; and he was sure that if his Right Hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer were present he would be very much surprised at the smallness of the amount of money requisite to perform this act of justice. He would tell the Right Hon. Secretary at War that this demand on the public purse would not, at the utmost, exceed 1,3001. per annum. He would state briefly to the House the case of those whose interests he advocated. In the year 1842 a warrant was issued granting a full pay retirement to a limited number of officers of the infantry and cavalry. There were 20 lieutenant-colonels, 20 majors, and 115 captains, 45 of whom were brevet majors. This boon was extended soon after to the cavalry, the engineers, and the marines. To the officers of the latter corps was granted permission to go on in the service, which, however, was not permitted to the cavalry and infantry. He thought that such a difference ought not to have been made. The bcon coat little or nothing, and he said that it should in his opinion be extended likewise to the officers of the cavalry and infantry. It was, however, extended to them at length, but the officers of the regi mental staff, the surgeons, the quartermasters, the pay masters, and the veterinary surgeons, w ere s till ex cluded from its benefits. In 1845 he had given his opinion upon this exception, and the Hoe. Secretary at War who was then in office promised that some alteration should be made. In 1846 a warrant was issued, granting an increased retiring allowance to the quartermasters and veterinary sur geons, to the exclusion of the paymasters and surgeons. The maximum pay of a surgeon on full pay after thirty years' service was IL 25., while the retiring pay allowed them when they left the service was 15s. a day. Now, what he wanted was to make the retiring pay of the surgeons and paymasters in the army 18s., instead of 155., as at present. This was a very small increase, indeed. This arrangement would, to a certain extent, be self-sustaining. At present, when one of these officers retired he was allowed 15s. a day, while the party who succeeded him got but 12s. for the first five years at least. There was, therefore, an actual saving in this arrangement. But, he would ask the House, under such a plan who would consent to retire and take 15s. for IL 25., and give up in addition the barrack allowance, servants, attendance, coal, candle, &c.? This in addition was equal to 10s., so that the actual pay was about II 12s. a day. The consequence of this system was that the surgeons, rather than retire, cling longer to their appointments than was consistent with good service. The Hon. Baronet then read certain letters from offi cers in some of the regimerts of the line in support of his position. Having granted a boon to the quartermaster, the House ought to extend the same jusiice to the paymaster, but with regard to the surgeons and medical officers of the army, in their case the claim was stronger. An army surgeon had arduous and difficult duties to perform; distressingscenes were continually passing before his eyes, and 13 years was generally the extent of his servitude. It would appear, from the returns, that th a t serv i ce o f the surgeons had been altogether overlooked. Ile might take all the returns which had been made to the Government, and of these be might cite the ser vices of Mr. Lewis, of the First Dragoon Guards, who had served for thirty-nine years. He might also cite those of Mr. Stevenson, of the Third Dragoon Guards, who had given forty-one years' service as well as of several other gentlemen who had been injured by the present rule s o f th e serv i ce . He ought also to say, that they had to complain of the posi tion given by the present regulations of the service. Ac cording to these regulations the surgeon was to receive three shillings a day, whereas the pay of a regi mental lieutenant colonel was eighteen shillings a day. Then as to medical rank, it was always made subservient to regimental service, and not only were the men de prived of their advantages as regards rank, but as 'fleeted pension also. The Hon. Baronet then went into the several gradations of rank, but showed that while the pensions for a regimental officer for a forty years' service were 601., those for a medical officer were only 601. The Gallant Member then proceeded to read a letter which he had received from the widow of a medical officer who had served in the Peninsula and in the West Indies, stating that she had lost her husband in the dis charge of his professional duties, but that the pension which ought to have been given to her by virtue of the relative position which her husband held in the service, had not been paid to her, and that in consequence she, with her three orphan chil dren, had been reduced to the most distressing situation. He would now conclude, and be hoped that in bringing this question before the House he bad not s2oken a va:n. Mr. F. MA ULE had only a few observations to make on the subject. His Hon. Friend complained that the warrant issued in 1846 had not included certain cases of medical officers, surgeons, and paymasters. He (Mr. F. Maule) did not think that the arrangement so lately made should be disturbed. With reference to the case of paymasters, his Honourable Friend said then that he had no fault to find with the arrange ment as far as the paymasters were concerned. There was no question that the paymasters bad con siderable duties to perform which required serious at tention, but at the same time it was scarcely fair in arranging retiring pensions to place them on a footing with those who risked life and limb in the service, an& who at all times were required to perform arduous duties. He found in looking to the provision made for them pre vious to last year, that their half-pay was only 12s. 6J., and by the warrant of last year it was raised to 155., so t h ey had received a certain benefit. He did not m ean b y anything which he at present said, to pia elude himself at a future time from considering their case further. With reference to the surgeons, their case was more worthy of consideration, and he did not mean lto use the word in an invidious sense; they were called upon to perform most arduous servlees— (Hear, hear)—and h e was, therefore, inclined oteumrabolfe peryo,emuoptoionothaemironelgaimose. t T o he lo r o e k w w as ith a g a en m e o r r a e l s f y ay s medical officers of the army already xisting, and in his F opinion -the subject brought forward by the Hon. and Gal ant Munte r was one _ vslfels ought not to be viewed apart frcin public considerations and the finance of the country. During the course t f ho present year her Majesty's Government had made a sacrifice for the benefit of the army of the sum of 50,000, by the abolition of the poundage of the pensions of the soldiers. Other great alterations were made, or proposed to be made, calculated to improve the condition of the soldier, and he could assure the Hon. and Gallant Member that the Government would give its fullest consideration to the subject, and any alterations which could be beneficially introduced would be brought forward upon the earliest occasion, with, however, a due regard to tho public ex penditure of the country.—(Hear, hear.) Mr. HUMS thought that in regard to the pensioners, the Government had acted wisely, but he was not dis• posed to agree with the Right Hon. Gentleman (Mr. F. Mettle) respecting the brevet. He considered that that was money thrown away, without producing any benefit whatever. They had so many demands at present en the public purse, that they should ,be cau tious what they did. Still, Hit could be shown that any one had been un'airly treated, he thought he should be redressed, so as to deal equal justice to all. He considered the warrants should be produced, and then it would be aeon what were the grounds on which the distinction was made. Colonel LINDSAY quite agreed with the latter par, the observations of the Right Hon. Gentleman as to the conduct of the late and the present Governments in attending to the comforts of the soldiers. Still he thought the Hon. and Gallant Member for Liverpool had made out a strong case for placing the surgeons on the same footing as the other officers in the service. Sir DE LACY EVANS regretted that this wis the course of the English law, for it it had been otherwise there would have been some reason for allowing the claim which now had been made. With respect to the plea that was made for medical officers, he must allow thatitjwas a subject that was fairly cognizant for rniEttsry purposes. His Hon. Friend the Member for Montrose was mistaken when he supposed that the British army was much more expensive than the French. The fact was, that the maintenance of the French army cost considerably more than that of England, while the service performed by the British army was more severe than that of the French. There was another point to which he would allude. Those gentlemen who had been so much concerned in the repeal of the corn-laws last year dwell on the fact of the statement that the armed professions were unproductive classes. The great master in political economy, Mr. M'Culloch, had given an opinion directly- he reverse. He maintained that the soldier and sailor, were magistrates by securing and protecting the rights of the community, and were pre-eminently useful. The motion was negatived without a division. ADDRESS TO HER At AJESTY. REGULATIONS IN THE ARMY. _ _ _ Sir DE LACY EVANS begged, on going into Com mittee of Supply, to bring under the consideration of the House :- 1. The treasury regulation respecting ration stoppages in the colonies, whereby the Government derives profit at the expense of the soldier, by the variations in tht. price of provisions in several of those colonies, contrary to the treatment of the troops stationed in the home territories. 2. Whether the treasury order or arrangement re specting the liquor rations in Australia has teen of a decisive and general nature applicable to other colonies. and sufficient in the judgment of the Commander in Chief to prevent any future probable recurrence of mutiny from this cause. 8. T 1 to propriety of amending the 72d clause of the Mutiny Act, containing a special provision for the "wholesome" maintenance of troops on a line of march in England, no similar or proportionate allowance being made for troops on the same duty in Ireland or Scot land. _ _ 4. Tho case of the former pensioners of the army, whose petitions have been lately presented to the House, complaining of having suffered great misery and distress during many years, owing to their having agreed to an inadequate commutation of their pensions offered by a warrent issued from the War Office in 1832, which they were unfortunately induced to accept, through delusive promises emanating from authority—the warrant res pecting which having been cancelled in the following year. 5. The omission again in this year's estimates, of any vote being proposed for improving the barrack accommo dation (especially with regard to the sleeping rooms), so requisite, in many instances, for the health of the troops, and for more suitable and decent quartering of the mar ried non-commissioned officers and privates. 6. the claim of old Peninsular officers who have sold their commissions to the medal to be granted'for that war. 7. The claim of the retired officers of the line (cavalry and infantry) who, worn out by wounds or broken health, cccasioned by service with their regiments or on the staff, have reluctantly accepted the retired pay offered by the warrant of October, 1840, but who, though by seniority sufficiently eligible, find them selves excluded from the last brevet, which in their case would have cost the country nothin , .7, although they see this favour extended to their brother officers similarly satiated on the retired lists of all the four other branches of the service—namely, the marines, artillery, engineers, and navy. 8. The expediency of gradually modifying (but with all regard to the just claims of those at present filling these posts) the rules practically observed for more than a century in rur army, in selection for the responsible command of regiments, whereby seniority and money, coupled with influential connexion, are almost the ex clusive grounds of appointment. 9. Why it is that general officers of the engineers, artillery, and of the East India Company's army, who may have distinguished themselves by their ability and conduct, should be deemed ineligible for appointments on the general staff, in whatever part of the world their services may be available. 10. The inconsistency and injustice, both as respects individuals and the public, of the warrant of the Ist of May last, regulating the pay of the higher class of offi cers, which admits some as eligible to the allowance at tached to their rank, without the least proof being required of meritorious conduct in peace or war ; while it precludes others whose conspicuous and useful exertions before the enemy on many occasions may have been repeatedly recognised by their commanders and the Government. i l l i l ia r T y h C o o s r l s e g t e e m o f o s f late and h y u e r a s r t s , p t h u e r sued in only so u r r e c s e p respect t f t pr o o f t e h s e sional education provided by the British Government for the officers intrusted with the discipline, guidance, in struction, and ultimately with the commands in chief of our armies. And to move an humbl e a dd ress t o h er M a j es ty, pray ing that she may be graciously pleased to direct an impartial inquiry into the foregoing matters, with a view to their correction, if such should be found beneficial. After reading those details, the Hon. Member proceeded to say that there were several other passages in the re port which referred to these circumstances, and he had to say that, in the following year the Government had endeavoured to make amends for this misgovernment. By the decision of the following year it was decreed that these men should have their pensions, but still this ap peared something like a deception, and be strongly sus pected that there was not sufficient publicity given to these announcements. Now, by the decrees of 1843 and 1844, there was an evident intention to give these men their pensions, and he claimed for them a fair and equal apportionment ; and he trusted the House would give it him, notwithstanding that the Hon. Gentleman seemed indisposed to give it to him. lie was quite sure that the House was anxious to contribute to the well being of the British soldier, but still he could not see how his object was to be attained. There was a vote of 5,0001. to be apportioned for the washing and other conveniencies for the soldiery. Then what was shown as to the extra conveniences of their barracks. Why there was five inches between the beds. And then, as respects the delicacy of the troops, why, there was not the slightest preservation. And even in cases of confine ment for the wife—if a marrried woman—none in the least, for the only distance between those beds was nineteen inches ; and he believed that the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whom lie exonerated from all blame, had been sadly deficient in their provisions for the men of the army. He certainly thought that some provision ought to be made for the several members of the Go vernment and he hoped that a supplementary list would be brought in. If he were correct, he trusted that the deficiency would be altered, and that some means would be provided for a recompense for the officers who had suffered.—(Hear, hear.) He was sorry to find that the fears of the men in the army were too well grounded, when they asserted that their pleas had received no attention, and that they had been denied promotion of any kind. Now, it so happened that in the array generally, but especially in the Irish army, those who had served thirty-six years were en titled to promotion. The Hon. and Gallant Member then went into a comparison of the several services of the different members of the service. He held in his hand a return of 35 years, all of them were of about 40 year's service. The majority of those had received wounds in the service, and though others might be in clined to refrain from acknowledging their merits, yet he thought that a public acknowledgment was justly their due. Then there was another subject, and that was, the assertion that public rights were the first to be considered. To this he might say, public rights had cer tainly their due, but they might obtain much more than their due, and he was very glad to see that the service had been very ready to avail themselves of the assistance of Lord Metcalfe, who had evidently shown the benefit that the assistance a civilian might be of to the country in the regulation of the army. With regard to the general officers his Hon. Friend the Member for Montrose had told them that they were too old to be fit for service. Well he admitted as much, but they formed but a small portion of the commanding officers of the army. They numbered only, he believed, 305, and the majority of these were performing very active service. Then as to exp e n se , hi s H on . F r iend seemed to think that the expense of these general officers far exceeded that of other countries, but really his lion. Friend was mistaken. The expense fell short of the same item in France, while in this country it was a fact that the 300 officers of the class he was now alluding to had paid to the ' nation upwards of a million for their Commissions. He must now advert to the warr an t o f th e I s t M a y l as t. It was an injustice to the army that this warrant was not given more publicity to than it received ; but above all its spirit, which admitted of any officer of high rank claiming a retiring allowance, without reference to good conduct or merit, was highly objectionable. Many officers, who had strong claims upon the country for such an allowance, were debarred from receiving it be cause they did not possess sufficient influence to have their claims brought before the country, while the same warrant deprived all officers from promotion, or retirement upon pen-ions, if no papers could be found deposited in the War-office supporting their claim to advancement. In some instances these papers might be lost, and altogether he considered the principle of the warrant to be most unjust. No less than *2 9 officers had recently been excluded from retiring allowance under this warrant, of which number nine were Companions of the Bath, while the other twenty