The Sun. — London, England, 1857-06-23 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLI.P_MErr. HOUSE OF LORDS.--(YEsTERDAy.) The LORD CIIANOZLLOR took his seat on the Woolsack at 5 o'clock. Lord CAMPBELL presented a petition from a place in Scotland, praying that the 40s. fraechise which pre vailed in England should be extended to Scotland. The Earl of DONOUG HMORE presented a petition against the Joint• Stock Compani , s Amendment Bill, from the shareholders in the Tipperary Bank, and pray ing to be heard at the bar apalost the bill. The LORD CHANCELLOR said the prayer of the petition could net be heard at their lordships' bar. If such a request was granted, it would be setting a very bad precedent. The Marquis of BREADALBANE presented several petitions against the grant to Maynooth. THE OPIUM TRADE. The Earl of SHAFTESBITRYLieTthe cause of the delay in ascertaining the opinion of the law officers of the Crown with respect to the legality of the opium treaty. The LORD CHANCELLOR said the point upon which an opinion was to be taken had been drawn up and forwarded to the Court of Directors of the East In eia Company, with a view of ascertaining whether the facts were clearly stated. The directors made certain corrections, which of course involved delay. Tne ques tion had been suspended for 80E110 time, but be could assure the noble 19rd that there was no inclination on the part of the Government or Court of Directors to create unnecessary delay. SECOND READINGS. The following bills were read a second time : —St. Phillip's Church (Liverpool), Brighton and Hove Water, New River Company, North-Eastern and Hartlepool Dock and Railway Companies' Amalgamation, Noftb- Eastern Railway (Capital) Amalgamation, North• Eastern, Portsmouth Railway, and Dublin and Wicklow Railway. THIRD READINGS. The following bills were read a third time :—llere ford Cathedral Re-toration, Great Western and Brad ford Railway, and Exeter and Exmouth Railway. ' THE GREAT WROUGHT IRON GUN. Lerd RAVENSWORTH inquired of the Secretary of State for War whether it was the intention of the Government to send the monster gun, cast in the Mer sey Iron Works, to China, in fulfilment of a promise which had been given that it should be used against the enemy ; and also why a contract had been entersel into with an American gentleman for the manufacture of several guns of large calibre in that country, instead of the contract being placed in the hands of an English firm? Lord PANSIURE said filet experiments with the gun had been made which fully proved its great value and power, but he thought there was no necessity for conveying a piece of ordnance of such enormous weight and calibre to China. He was not prepared to give a pledge that the gun should be used in China. The reason the gun was not sent cut during the late war in Russia was, that before the car riage and other necessaries were completed, the war was happily brought to a close. With regard to the second question, a gentleman of the name of East man had discovered certain improvements, which he had patented, in the manufacture of guns of large size, and submitted them to the Government. The subject bad been referred to a committee, who reported so favour. ably of the invention, that Mr. Eastman received orders from her Majesty's Government for six guns. The guns bad been received, and he be lieved that the principle upon which they wore constructed was generally approved. The guns could undoubtedly have been cast in this country, but as Mr. Eastman possessed a patent, he bad a perfect right to cast the pas where he thought fit. THE CASE OF MR. F. B. DIXON. The Earl of ALBEMARLE moved for a copy of the memorial of F. B. Dixon, Esq., of Castletown House, Darrow, Queen's County, to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland e delivered to his excellency on or about the 13th July, 1854. praying for an inquiry into the conduct of David B. Frank, Esq., stipendiary magistrate, who had illegally arrested and imprisoned the inemorialiet's son, a child of between 6 and 7 years of age, and committed other acts contrary to low, in connection with the pro secution of the memorialist on a false charge of 'conspi racy to murder one Thomas Brophy, of which charge he was acquitted at the Spring assizes of Maryborough, in 1854 ; also copies of a memorial of Mr. Dixon to the Lords Commissioners of the Treasury, dated the 6th of Dec., 1856, and the answer thereto. His lordship said that the case appeared to him to he one of considerable injustice and oppression. Lord ST. GERMANS said that if his noble friend thought Mr. Dixon had been aggrieved he had done only his duty in bringing the matter forward. It was quite true that Mr. Dixon was indicted as stated, and that he obtaiced damages against the stipendiary magistrate for false imprisonment, and against the proprietor of a news paper for libel. Still, it was hardly fair to bring against Mr. Franks charges which there was no opportunity of answering. He believed Mr. Franks to be a gentleman of the highest integrity and impartiality, and that he had been actuated by no personal feeling in this ease. Lord DONOUGHMORE asked wheller the Go vernment had not paid the damages awarded against Mr. Franks, thereby completely a xenerating him from the charge of having actee from personal feeling. Lord ST. GERMANS was not able to say positively, not having had notice of that question, but his im pression was that such was the taut. The Earl of EGLINTON wished to know out of what fund the 5001. ever paid / The Earl ST. GERMANS said he believed it was paid out of the secret service fund. The papers were ordered. • COIISOLIDATION OF THE CRIMINAL LAW. The LORD CHANCELLOR called the attention of the hence to the consolidation of the criminal law, and said he should conclude by asking their lordships to agree to the reading of eight short hills which would have that object iu view. The importance of that step had been pointed out by Lord Bacon, Lord Cuke, and Lord Hale, and in 1816 the House of Lords passed a resolution that the criminal law silioulel- be consolidated, and it was submitted to the House of Commons, who cordially supported the plan. But nothing had been done in the matter. If teat was an evil forty-one years ago, what must it be now, when upwards of 150 acts were added to the statute-book. A commission was some time since appointed to consider the subject, he (the Lord Chancellor) being a member, and the commis sion came t the conclusion that they had better do something rather than confine themselves to speculation, but the commissioners found that they bad many diffi culdes to contend with, and after variens discussions it was decided that the only plan that could be adopted was to take one particular subject. But this was the difficulty, that. in many statutes not haying eepecial reference to a partieular ,subjsct there were points bearing upon that subject, and the danger, there f, re, would be, that iu allaying out their objet they would omit some portione which they might not discover. The finhject, however, had ' been placed in the hands of some members of the bar, who would, mark ail the portions of the statutes which bore upon any particular subject, a pi -Geese, it would be ad tnitted, of very coneiderable labour. At the suggestion of Mr. Coulson, the statutes had been divided into classes, arranged according to the extent over which they bad operation, some relating:; o the whole of the king dom and others only to portions, others to revenue, mak ing altogether thirteen classes. As they went back in this operation, many portions would be struck nut, but until they went back from Queen Victoria to the thee of Magna Charta, they would never be certain that there was not some portion of the statute law relating to some particular subject which bad not remained undiscovered. The commissioners selected a variety of subjects, one of the first being the criminal law, in accordance with a resolution of the house; that it was desirable that the criminal law should be consolidated. With regard to the criminal law, it had been gone carefully through by Mio Greavem, a member of the commission, and Sir Fitzroy Keily, and a bill was brought in with regard to indictable offences. He (the Lord Chancellor) did not think that that bill went far enough, and he had new eight bills, fore hick he asked a first reading. Amongst them there was the bill relating to criminal proeedere, the considera tion of which he thought should be deferred. These eight bills included offences against the person, larceny, malicionsinjury to property, forgery, Offences against the coin, libel, accessories and abettors. Those were the bills be proposed now to lay before Parliament. There were several other hills ready, but he had thought is advisable that some of them should be introduced in the °Vier house in order that it might be seen to what tatent the com missioners had proceeded. In the course of their inquiry they had come to the conclnc.ion that there were many ancient statutes which could not be consolidated ; for exatuple it would be the height of pedantry to attempt to consolidate Magna Charta or Quia Einptores. There were a vast number of other statutes relating to various : i b t i h e o cts which it would be impossible to consolidate vet?. actually re-writing them, and then there woul.l be t danger in altering lanana e which had received a judicial construction. gere were a good many statutes whi c h, Id on . not be repealed, but which it would be absurd to o c f ozo a !idate—the Wills Act would be a good illustration to the Tithe t it meant, and so, again, with regard Co mmutation Act. Still, after all, there I remained a valastwa,uamhhderof subjects which were matters of statutory those the commissioners had no difficulty in cocnosorollld o a lo t! i n o t rs Several of these were in the bands of the e ; i l l knd others in the hands of the members of the lo w s.sseto ou b s i e for the purpose of being introduced to that Y.. It had been said that the commission had done nothing , but he bad no hesitation in 'saying that very sho rtly vointnee liey would be able to reduce the forty or fifty i lo.rrent existing into the small compass of two or three Lord BROUGHAM considered thatoaurnes* m iConsolidation t tim e ?f of the statute law, ap art from a cotsolid common law, was not de sirable. A t the sam e i the i quite agreed with the nob le lord in his estimate he the reduction which the labou rs of the commission would of en would effect on the bulk of the stat utes. The com misitioner s had undergone an immense deal Of labour, and deserv e d the thanks of the country. If be might select some names from 'the others, he would especially mention • the noble lord (the Lord Chancellor), Mr. Bellendea Ker, Mr. Walter Coulson, and Sir F. Kelly. ( Hear .) Lord CAMPBELL thought it would be better to see a consoldation of the statutes as a whole, and lie trusted that his noble and learned friend would be con tent with this specimen. He trusted that they would never attempt to consolidate such statutes as Magna Charta, for if they were to attempt to touch a word of them they would set all England in a flame. ' The bills were read a first time. GOVERNMENT SECURITIES OF ROMAN CATHOLICS. Lord ABINGER moved fcr a return of all property held in trust for Roman Catholic uses, his object being to di , cover where such .property was situate, and wha was done with it. The LORD CHANOELLOII, said the proposal shordd beroade on the diseuedon of the Lord ABINGER, after a few words, withdrew his zuotirm. MINISTERS' MONEY (IRELAND) BILL. On the order for going into committee on this bill, The Earl of CLANCARTY analysed the division which took place on the second reading of the bill, and denounced the system by which the judgment of 230 peers assembled in solemn deliberation had been super si,ded and reversed by the proxies which bad been used. He should be very sorry to see the system of proxies abolished, bemuse he believed that under some circuit• stances it was very valuable ; but he thought it was a very anomalous thing that in this way the judgment of 230 peers in solemn deliberation shouid be reversed. It was especially to be condemned in a case of this kind when the object of the bill was the spoliation of the pro. perty of the church. He thought it was far too grave a matter for persons who were not present during such a debate to take upon themselves to advise her Majesty respecting it. He complained that during the whole of his speech, the Earl Granville turned his back to the opposition, but addressed himself entirely ito his own friends. More than that, he never once turned his face t'o the Lord Chancellor, the keeper of the Queen's con. science. (Lugheer.) He moved as an amendment that the house do go into committee on the bill this day iex months. The Earl of DERBY could not go with the arguments of the noble lord, because it would affect the system of voting by proxy, and because he thought the argument of the noble lord aimed at this, that proxies should be given to one side and nett° the other. (Laughter.) He did not think that the decision of the house would have been different if the peers who had voted by proxy had been present, for on locking over the proxy papers, he was bound to say that he never saw a set of peers less likely to be convinced by any arguments that might have been used. (Laughter.) While he (the Earl of Derby) retained all the objections to the bill he had recently ex pressed, he should not offer any further opposition to its progtess. He could not conceive that any course of proceeding could. be more calculated to shake confidence in all parliamebtAry titles than the bill now before the house, violating as it did an indubitable right of pro perty which had existed for 200 years. (Hear, hear. The bill not only indemnified those who had violated the law, thus rewarding thos e who bad violated the law, and punishing those who had .obeyed Won account of their obedience. Earl GRANVILLE thought the course taken by the noble earl was perfectly consistent and judicious. He thought also it was for the interests of the Church of Ireland to purchase peace by such a trifling sacrifice of revenue, which could easily be made up by very slight economy. The Earl of CLANCARTY said he could not divide the house on his amendment. The Earl of ABERDEEN supported the measure. After some further conversation, in which the Duke of Argyll, the Bishop of Kiln3ore, Earl Donoughmore, and Lord Dungannon took part, the bill passed through committee. S UN, L. 01%41)0 N, TUESDAY EVENINGr s JUNE 23 . , 185 V tx3.niple of that house before them, he thought it would be 15 millions. Mr. SPOONER, wished for further explanation as to the silni - Ofl,7lgot. aitcady referred to—whether it was for designs or for the articles themselves ? Mr. WILSON said it was not for designs at all, but the whole amount paid for the articles themselves, in cluding everything. Sir II WILLOUGHBY said he found that the pre sent vote was 20,0001. in excess upon the amount which had been stated as the limit of the expenditure some time ago. He objected to the extra charge made by Sir C. Barry on various items, and wished to put a stop to it. In order to put something like a limit to the expendi ture, be would move the reduction of this vote by 20,0001. Sir B. HALL said he had already intimated that he had written to Sir Charles Barry, requesting full particu lars as to the excess of the expenditure beyond the stipu lated sum of 234,0001. He hoped to receive those par ticulars in the course of the session, and they would then be laid before the house. He pledged himself not to sanction any expenditure beyond the estimate of 1854 that was not fully explained. Lord C. HAMILTON said that any one who had watched the course of Sir C. Barry must be satisfied that he exceeded all architects in ingenuity in devising extra charges: (A laugh.) Had the house gone about the business in a proper way at first, half a million might have been saved. Much of the charges and commissions bad been made on works that were afterwards found in sufficient. He contended that these ought not to have been allowed to Sir C. Barry. The very chamber in which they were sitting had been altered from the floor to the roof. First, the benches were placed so close that members could not not sit down on them. This had to be altered ; and alterations in the galleries were thus ren dered necessary. Then it was found that nobody could hear in the house, and the roof had to be altered. The windows also bad to be altered, and lastly the ventila tion. (Hear.) What private gentleman would have allowed an architect to play such tricks with him with out having a precise estimate ? (Hear.) The late Sir W. Molesworth had stated that it was impossible to say what the total cost would be, the confusion was so great. He wished to have some explanation of the 23,0001. to Sir C. Barry included in this vote. Mr. BARROW was in favour of a portion of the vote being stopped until the house had before it that full in formation which the right hon. baronet (Sir B. Hall) had required, but which he would most likely not get unless this course were pursued. Mr. ERISCOE was in favour of the amendment. Mr. W. WILLIAMS thought that if the amendment was carried, it would do much to stop the extravagant expenditure. He objected to the charge for the residence of the clerk of the Parliaments. It would be far better to give these officers a gross sum. The vote also con tained 5,0001. for works of art for the new houses. He wished to ask if any means was to be taken to comme morate the most illustrious man this country ever pro duced—the Proteetor Cromwell It would be a dis grace to the present generation if this was not done. Mr. P. W. MARTIN said that if they were to stop the works now going on, they would lay themselves open to the ridicule of all foreign nations. (Hear, hear.) Mr: WILSON said that there had been frequent dis putes with Sir C. Barry as to his remuneration. This bad originally been fixed at. 29,000/. ; in 1853 it was determined that he should be paid 2 per cent, on the extra expenditure. The Government and the house thought that he was not entitled to the usual charge, 5 par cent. When this came to be settled last year, Sir Charles made a large claim for the expense he had been pat to for measurement of the works ; and it was agreed that he should be paid 4 per cent, to cover this expense. The sum of 23,0001. in the present vote included that charge; the 5,000/. was for his superintendence of the lighting, ventilating, and other matters. Mr. MALINS reminded the committee that Sir Chas. Barry bad not the opportunity of saying a word in reply to the multifarious charges brought against him. He had no doubt a great deal was to be said on the other side, even in reference to the alterations of that cham ber, and that the employers were as much to blame as the architect. Every one knew that the settled role for an architect's remuneration was 5 per cent. upon the outlay, where no special agreement was made. The Re form Club bad been erected by Sir C. Barry; the same question arose as to his remuneration; it was referred to arbitration, and Mr. Justice Erle, then , at the bar, awarded him 5 per cent. Sir C. Barry contended that in this case there bad been no special contract which should deprive him of his 5 per cent. He had devoted 20 years to the erection of these houses, and be bad made an offer which ought to have been acceded to by the Govern ment. He bad made no contract ; the Government sought to impose their own terms upon him ; and because they , a ere more powerful than he was they expected him to submit. He contended that the Government was no more justified than an individual would be in imposing their own terms on Sir Charles. They ought to submit the question either to a legal or some other tribunal. In answer to Mr. SPOONER, Sir B. HALL said that great inconvenience would result from refusing a portion of the vote, as the conse quence would be to stop some of the works. Mr. W. WILLIAMS said that Sir Charles Barry agreed to build the Reform Club for a certain sum of money ; he deviated from his plan, and then sought to charge 5 per cent. upon all the extra work. The committee then divided— For the amendment Against Mr. KIRK observed that the ornamental stonework of the house, especially of the esplanade on the river front, was giving away, and suggested that it might be stopped by an application of some cement. Mr, HENLEY said that the rust was also eating into the iron roof, Sir B. HALL said that the right hon, gentleman was quite right. He had the roof examined and found that the galvanic process did not act, and that the rust was getting through. All they could now do was to cover it over by some chemical process. It was also true that the stonework was decaying in some places, and a remedy had been tried, but it would take some time before its efficacy could be known. • Mr. WISE hoped the right hon. baronet would lty on the table a return of the whole cost of the Houses of Parliament, which was estimated at 2,500,000/. and 3,000,0001. _ _ _ _ . _ Sir , B. HALL said he proposed to by on the table an estimate just handed in by Sir C. Barry for the comple tion of the Houses of Parliament. To that he would add a paper giving the cost of the building from the commence ment up to the present time, and by adding those toge ther the hon. gentleman might calculate the entire cost. The vote was then agreed to. A vote for 4431. for defraying the expenses of works at Portpatrick Harbour was agreed to. On the vote 77,5571.145. Bd, for the expenses of pub lic buildings in the department of the Commissioners of Public Works, Ireland, Mr. COWAN took exception to the item of 17,0141. for lunatic asylums in Ireland, seeing that the people of England and Scotland bad to pay the expenses connected with those establishments in their respective countries. He also objected to the item for the constructlon of a court fur the Encumbered Estates Commission. He should also object to the item. of 1,000/. for the. House of Industry in Dublin. Mr. MO WBRAY asked why the Irish estimates were not as regularly end accurately made out as the other estimates ; for in addition to the estimates there was put down "five p-r cent. for contingencies." Mr. WIL LIAUS wished to have an explanation of the sum of 10,500/. for the offices and schools of the Na tional Education Board. He thought that Ireland should support her own lunatic asylums as well as England and Scotland, and objected to the items is the vote for the maintenance of the mock royalty in Dublin. Mr. BAG-WELL said they paid for their own lunatic asylums in Ireland. The money advanced for the build ingsunas paid hack by the counties. Mr. WILSON said that the facts of the case with respect to the lunatic asylums were these :—The Go. veil - anent advanced 200,000/. for the erection of the buildings, but in consequence of a flaw in the Act of Parliament, that sum of 200,0001. was in considerable jeopardy. An Act of Parliament was brought in to cor rect that flaw ; but several Irish members Objected, and said, " We do not object to pay our just debts with re gard to the erection of these buildings, but we have a claim in consequence of the bad manner in which these buildings have been erected." Commissioners were therefore sent to visit the asylums, and to report how far these claims were just. These commissioners made a report that a sum of 17,000/. ought to be wiped off •a account of repairs and additions which were not made, but which the commissioners thought ought to be com pleted. With regard to the Dublin hospitals, the Go vernment only bowed to the decision of a committee which sat on the subject. With regard to the 5 per cent. contingencies, they were no addition to the vote. With regard to the item for the Board of Education in Ire land, it was thought to be more economical and more satisfactory in every respect that the boards of works in England and Ireland respectively should have their own architects, ate. With regard to the Encumbered Estates Court, it was notorious that the present court was quite insufficient for the purpose, and, though, the Encum bered Estates Court might itself cease to exist, it was not likely that their functions would cease. After some further discussion the vote was agreed to. 87,9671. for the salaries and expenses of the officers of the two houses of Parliament. 15,9001., for the salaries and expenses of the Treasury. 16,4061., for the salaries and expenses of the office of the Secretary of State for the Home Department. 14,1691. for the Department of Foreign Affairs. 20,1601. for the Department of the Colonies. 46,4111. for the Privy Council and Committee of the Council of Trade. 1,7001. for the office of the Lord Privy Seal. 11,5101. for the office of the Paymaster-General. 4,2181. for the office of Comptroller-General of the Exchequer. 81,1171. for the office of Commissioner of Works and Buildings. On the next vote, 15,1451. for the salaries and expenses of the office of of the Commissioners of Woods and Forests and Land Revenues, Mr. CAIRD called attention to the increase in the revenue of the Crown lands, and to the decrease which had been paid into the Exchequer. , Although the in crease in the revenue had been more than 20,0001 in one year, yet the proceeds to the Exchequer had been 2,0001. leas. The royal forests did not supply one fiftieth part of the oak required for the navy. Th e navy was not built of British oak ; it nearly all cam e from the continent. The royal fotesta were most un profitable estates. At present they yielded about 3s. 9d. per acre, but it was said that if we waited seventy years longer they would yield 6001. an acre, being about thirty times the value of the fee simple of good land. He strongly objected eo the great expenses of this department, which yielded so litt•e. Whenever the irevenue increased the expenses also increased in a gresiter ratio. The legel cxpstises al ne were more than ten leer cent. If the hereditary estates of the C:own were managed with due economy and judgment, the re venlie would be equal to the expenses of the civil li.t. The gross revenue was 410,0001. a year. Ho instanced the l case of the forest of Hainault in Essex, which four years ago was a loss to the country, but now, owing to a change in the management, it yielded 2,0001. a year. The noble lord the other night had said that the reason whr Aldershott was purchased was, that no other spot of the same extent could be obtainell. Now, in the sar e district there was the Woolmer 'Forest, • which t yie ded nothing to the public. Then, again, there were up wards of 30,000 acres in the New Forest, which at present wore entirely unprofitable. If they had established the caiiip there, the surrounding land which was now unpro fitable would have immediately become most valuable, anill would have been taken at once for building pnr -Ipo es: For all these reasons, he objected to an increase in he expenditure of this department, and he moved that th vote be reduced by 1,4311., being the amount of the increase over last year. Mr. WILSON regretted that the hon. gentleman had introduced such large questions on this vote, which was simply for the expenses of the department in London. It was impossible without notice for him (Ur. Wilson) to go into those larger questions, deserving as they were of the utmost consideration and attention. A part of the proposed increase was for the salary of Mr. Smyth, who was the mineral inspector appointed to look after the mineral property on these estates. Surely it would not be economy to cat his salary off, as his duty was to look after the mineral wealth of these estates with the view of increasing their revenue. As to the expenditure for the forests, it was quite clear that cultivating timber must bear a larger proportion to the income. As to the improvement of Hainault Forest, that had been let to a person who was an extensive agriculturist for 2,5001. a year ; but the great bulk of that was merely five per cent. on expenses laid out by the Crown for the drain age and the erection of farm buildings. SINNAIRD said the hon. member bad not ob jected to the appointment of the mineral agents. His argument was that, by proper economy, his salary might be paid— that was, paid out of a proper reduction. Mr. WILSON said that it was impracticable to re duce the London staff. " Mr. WISE thought the services of the two commis sioners might be dispensed with. Ho believed that if the Crown estates were properly managed the revenues would be increased to 600,0001. He would like to see the whole of the rents and profits paid over to the Ex chequer at once so as to get rid of the innumerable local charges. In one of the forests the receipts was 411. 10s. 9d., and the expenses were over 3001. Sir H. WLLOUGHBY thought these matters should be brought before the house in the shape of estimates. Mr. BRISCOE said that he had not beard sufficient to induce him to vote for the amendment, but if a motion had been made for a committee to inquire into the whole subject be should have felt it his duty to give that motion his support. Mr. WILSON said that there was no difference be tween the Audit and the Board of Works, as some hon ourable members bad appeared to suppose. The sugges tion of the hon. baronet with respect to estimates was well worthy of consideration in cases where it could be carried into effect. Mr. COWAN complained that in Scotland a great amount of injustice was inflicted upon the people hav ing properties adjoining the Crown lands, for the sole purpose of swelling solicitors' bills. Mr. LAIRD contended that timber was not a proper or profitable article to be grown in this country. Atter the opinions which had been evpressed he should not press his amendment to a division. Mr. STEWART approved of the appointment of the mineral surveyor to the Crown property as proposed. The vote was then agreed to. A sum of 13,3861 for the department of public records was next agreed to. A sum of 217,2401. was next proposed to defray the expenses of the Poor-law Board. Sir H. WILLOUGHBY wished to hear if there was any probability of a change in the constitution, or any reduction of the expenses connected with the Poor-law Commission being made. Sir G. GREY said that the present constitution of the Board had been a short time since altered by the parlia ment, it had been found to work very well, and he thought unless some very cogent reasons were shown for so doing it would not be worth while making any alteration in the commission. Sir G. PECRELL also complained of the expenses of the Poor-law Board, and hoped to see thorn curtailed. The vote was then agreed to. Upon the vote for 36,1951. being proposed for the expenses of the Mint, - Mr. CROSSE wished .to know whether the Govern ment intended to do anything towards the introducing the decimal coinage I The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said the great difficulty was in dealing with the tenth of the florin, which would require a coin of the value of 2 1.51 That coin, if cast in silver, would be inconveniently small, and if in copper it would be inconveniently large. Until that question were solved, -the Government were not prepared to propose any scheme of decimal coinage. Mr. CROSSE said that difficulty would remain for over, and they might as well do away with the commis sion at once. At the same time he saw no difficulty, about it, because silver 3d. pieces were already in use which were not greatly different in value. Mr. HEADLAM and S!r W. JOLLIFFE con- curred in the importance of the question, and the latter hon. gentleman suggested that an alloy might be used with the silver to make 2 1-sd. coin a convenient siz3. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said the subject was full of difficulty, and that the advocates of the system were themselves divided into a number of different schools, some starting the penny standard, others with the pound, and others with the florin. The vote was then agreed to. Tye vote for 14,9951. for inspection of mines was then agreed to. Upon the vote for 6,4301. for the establishment of the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Mr. WILLIAMS objected to the charge for Queen's racing plates in Ireland being taken out of the public taxes. He moved that ttte vote be reduced by 1,574/. 6s. 2d. on that account. Sir W. JOLLIFFE opposed the the amendment on national grounds, and said that but for Irish horses the country would have been quite at the mercy of the foreigner during the last wa r , Mr. ROEBUCK said that 1,500/, was the last remnant of the system of protection, and was merely speeding money for spending's sake. It was absurd to suppose that anybody would breed horses for the chance of get ting a 1001. prize. Mr. MILES said he was afraid the hon. members for Sheffield and Lambeth did not ride horses. Ho was an old foxhunter, and admitted that it was a remnant of Protection ; but it did good, because foreigners came from all parts to get the bet horses from Irelaud. Mr. ROEBUCK said that was a foxhunter's argu ment. The protection to the bones had the effect of getting the horses taken away. (A. laugh.) Mr. PALK and Lord 3. MANNERS supported the vote, the noble lord charging Mr. Williaine with ineonisteboy in having just before agreed to the vote including a charge for Queen's plates in Scotland. Mr. WILLIAMS said the vote was passed before he had time to move an amendment. If he should have the honour of a seat in that house next session, he would move a similar amendment upon the vote for Scotland. The committee then divided. The numbers wece— For the original vote 202 -- For the amendment Majority —147 The vote was then agreed to. A vote was then taken for 1,7831. for the inspection of lunatic asylums in Ireland. On the vote for 15,9971. for the Board of Public Works in Ireland, Mr. WILLIAMS objected to the items for chairman and deputy-chairman'e salaries, as being unnecessary. Mr. WILSON said the board had most important works to superintend. Mr. BLACKBURN complained that 17,0001. had been already voted for repairs to lunatic asylums in Ireland, owing to the neglect of that board. The vote was then agreed to. A vote for 28,2651. was then taken for the expenses of the commission for auditing public accounts. Several other votes were then agreed to, including the charges for the Inclosnre and Drainage Commissioners, the Registration Commission (Ireland), and 8,901/. for the expenses of the National Debt Commissioners. On a vote of 300,2721. for printing and stationery in connection with the Houses of Parliament, Mr. J. EWA.RT called attention to this sum, and suggested that some supervision should be adopted to prevents its continued increase. Sir F. BARING said that in 1848 the Treasury laid down some checks with reference to this expenditure, which in four years after reduced it by 80,0001. Since 1852, owing to the war, the amount bad doubled. He asked if the Government approved of the suggestions of the comptroller of the stationery department relative to the reduction of the expenditure, and if they were pre pared to adopt them ? Mr. WILSON said that in a day or two a paper would be laid on the table showing at one view the expenditure of each department, which would in future accompany the estimates. He thought it would be a great check on the expenditure. The printing committee would shortly sit to consider the question. The increase since 1852 was more apparent than real, because many of the large sums now in this vote were charged under different heads. The vote was then agreed to. On a vote of 88,085/. for postages of the several departments, Mr. BENTINCK considered that this sum ought not to be in the estimates. He thought the system of each department paying their own postages liable to abuse. Mr. WILSON said that it was adopted to test the penny postage. It was merely one account against the other, and there was really nothing objectionable in the plan. It was convenient that the public should know the exact earnings of the Post-office. Mr. BENTINCK said he was one of those who con sidered the penny postage one of the greatest financial errors of the age. Sir P. BARING approved of the present plan as a check against the abuse of official franking adopted under the old system. After some remarks from Mr. BENTINCK in expla nation, Mr. ROEBUCK approved of the present estimates, b each department. Th e y had heard of the abuse of the was a check on the postage expenditure of a m e c b a a u s s s e i t a do r 's bag ; i u man y ca s e elace and other parcels having been sent by it, an d ho believed in one instance a pianoforte was sent ,by it, and in another a horse. (Latighter). No doubt the same kind -of- abuse existed under-the old official franking!. After some remarks from Mr, PEASE, the vote was agreed to. On the vote of 24,1301. for law and other charges, Mr. W. WILLIAMS complained of the increase in this vote over that of last year. The principal increase appeared to be in Ireland and Scotland. After some remarks from Mr, HARDY and Mr. WILSON, The vote was agreed to. The su n of 250,0001. was granted to defray the expense Of assizes, and for sessions. for counties, and 195,0001. for boroughs in England and Wales ; 6,4801. for the expenses of the Admiralty Court, Dublin ; and 7,2261. fur the salaries of commissioners in the Insolvent Courts of Dublin, were agreed to, as were other sums, but from the inaudible manner in which the Chairman of the Com mittee read them it was impossible to take them. A vote of 109,062/. .was taken for county courts, 60,000/. of which were for an estimated deficiency of fees from county courts, to defray the expenses of salaries of officers. Mr. WILSON explained that the reduction of fees in these courts that had lately taken place had rendered this stun necessary to be voted by Parliament. A vote of 19,6251. for the expenses of the metropolitan police courts, 63.6451. for the metropolitan police force, 2,7151. for the Queen's prison, 3,3421. for salaries, &c., of Lord Advocate, 11,7671. for Courts of Quarter Ses sion (Scotland), 10,0291. for the Justiciary Court (Scot land); 5,5501. for commissioners, &e., under the Lord Advocate, 50,0001. for sheriffs and stewards (Scotland), and several other sums were also agreed to. On the vote of 51,4701. for law expenses in Ireland, Mr. W. WILLIAMS said that as this vote amounted to so large a sum, and many of the items required expla nation, he moved that the committee report progress. Lord PALMERSTON appealed to the hon. member not to press his motion. Mr. W. WILLIAMS said the house had made fur ther progress than he expected. He was without his memoranda relative to this part of the estimates— (laughter)—and therefore he asked for delay. The motion was negatived without a division, and the vote was shortly afterwards agreed to. 1,8661. for thelnsolvent Debtors Court in Ireland was voted. The house resumed. REFORMATORY SCHOOLS. Sir GEORGE GREY moved the second reading of this bill. Mr. ALCOCK objected to the bill being proceeded with at that late hour. Sir GEORGE GREY said that the bill was different to the one of last session, as the clauses objected to then were not introduced into the present bill. Mr. MILES thought the bill ought to be proceeded with, as it was a most important and useful measure. He trusted, therefore, that the honourable member woald not press the opposition. Mr. HENLEY hoped that if this bill was to be read a second time now, that a provision would be introduced enabling reformatories to receive children from other districts not having reformatories, upon the payment for such children of a fixed annual sum. Mr. ALCOCK said as the bill was to be forced on at that late hour, he should divide the house. The house then divided— For the second reading Against it Majority in favour of the second reading-148 -The bill was then read a second time. INSURANCE ON LIVES (A.BATEUENT OF INCOME TAX) BILL. This bill passed through committee. SITES FOR WORKHOUSES BILL. This bill was read a second time. JOINT STOCK BANKS. Mr. LOWE moved for leave to bring in a bill to amend the law with regard to joint-stock banks. The law at present required that a charter should be obtained which when obtained amounted to no greater privilege than a license to trade ; and if the bank should fall into difficulty, all sorts of legal proceedings could be let loose upon all connected with the bank. The bill would ap ply the act of last session to joint stock banks. The shares would be limited to 1001. each, but the principle of limited liability would not be applied to banks. Mr. MALINS regretted to hear that the principle of limited liability was not to be applied to banks the same as to all other commercial bodies. The principle of limited liability would be the means of inducing men of property to join joint-stock banks. Mr. ROEBUCK was surprised to hear that the prin ciple of limited liability was not to be part of this bill; because the right hon. gentleman had himself admitted that unlimited liability was no security. Look at the case of the Royal British Bank. That was like a light house on a rock to warn them away. The principle of unlimited liability was no security to the depositor, and the right hon. gentleman-was only giving way to a vul gar prejudice. Sir J. V. SHELLEY said it was perfectly monstrous that banks should be the only commercial companies in the country not under the principle of limited liability. Mr. HENLEY said that in the case of private banks the partners were liable to the last acre and the last shilling. Colonel SYKES said the principle of unlimited lia bility was a premium to adventurers who bad nothing to lose, whereas limited liability was an inducement to men of substance to give their countenance and sup port to these undertakings. Mr. WYLD said he had found by experience that the principle of unlimited liability in the British Bank was no guarant-e to the depositor. Mr. ROEBUCK said the great distinction between private and jointestoak banks was this, that in the joint stock bank the shareholder had nothing to do with the management, and yet was made liable for the effects of that management. Ha thought it would be quite suffi cient to make the liability of the shareholders double the amount of their shares. Mr. HENLEY could not see the honesty of making a distinction between private banks and joint-stock banks. Leave was then given to introduce the bill. The house adjourned at 20 minutes past one o'clock. Chimoise, ostenßibly "to enhance the effect of her striking physiognomy." From the Corps Dipior 'mativte we pass to the native Americans, who, we eenfes4 interest us much more. Why was not General Cass at the ball? The explanation is most satisfactory. General Cass intends no slight upon the British Crown, but, as his habit is to go to bed at 10 o'clock every night, and as the dancing'at Lord Napier's only began at half-past 10, it would have been not a little difficult for the Generatto b 3 present in person. "So careful is be of his health that he will not dine out, not even with the President and I doubt if he would sit u? after 10 p.m. were he sure of the nomination in 1500. Twenty years ago in Paris, at balls in his own splendid house—and he gave no end of them,—he would Quietly slip off to bed at ten o'clock,. as though he dreaded the fate of Cinderella, but, for tunately, he left his amiable wife, three charming daughters, and a host of attaches to st.pply his place." From General Cass we pass to a circle or notabilities less known to the English reader. There was " the tall and very gentlemanly Secre tary to the,Navy ; Governor Toucey was there with his wife, who is nearly as tall, and equally distin guished in appearance and demeanour." Nor was the keen-witted and warm-hearted Howell Cobb, with his plump face, wanting to the festivity ; nor Governor Floyd, the Secretary of War, " with his really martial appearance and martinet air." Then there was Judge Black, the Attorney- General, " with his searching, critical, disputatious countenance, one of the most awkward customers in a law argument any man can meet with. His wife, too, Europe will rejoice to hear, is a phenomena not only of beauty, but of extra ordinary youth. Her daughter is grown up, andi t is not easy to say which is the senior of the two." Is this the way Court Circulars are written in Ame rica ? The endeavour to reproduce here the whole of this portrait gallery would be useless ; we must re fer to the catalogue, which we print in, extenso, for further and more accurate intorrnation. There it will be found how the Hon. John Appleton, al though habitually a grave person, seemed to enjoy the levities. Mrs. Appleton is a sprightly and highly cultivated person—she is, we are told, " ad mirably adapted for f society, and its therefore no wonder she seemed quite at home at the ball." But we must positively refuse to make any more selec tions from this wonderful Gallery of Illustration. If our own Court Circular would give us anything equally interesting and characteristic about our grandees, the general mass of mankind might take greater interest in their amusements. Finally, let us add, we heartily rejoice to see that Lord Napier has won such good opinions at Washington, and stands so well with American society.—Times. THE EUPHRATES VALLEY RAILWAY. A numerous and influential deputation, headed by the Earl of Shaftesbury, Sir W. F. Williams of Kars, Sir Justin Sheil, Sir George Pollock, K. C.B. Mr. Horsfall, M.P., Colonel Pinney, M.P. Mr. Gregson, M.P., Mr. Hutt, M.P., Mr. Buchanan, and many other members of the house ; Count Streylecki, Mr. M. Uzielli, General Chesney, Mr. W.P. Andrew, the chairman of the Euphrates Val ley Railway Company; Sir F. Arthur, Bart., Sir Herbert Maddock, Major J. A, Moore, the Lord Mayor and several other gentlemen representing the commercial interests; Colonel Harvey, Mr. Lynch, of Bagdad, &c., waited on Lord Palmerston yesterday at two o'clock, at Cambridge House to impress upon his lordship the necessity of according to the Euphrates Valley Railway company the pe cuniary support of government. Lord Shaftesbury intoduced the deputation to Lord Palmerston, and pointed out in forcible language the vast importance to this country of securing an alternative route to India, and thegreat interest generally felt throughout the country in this great undertaking, so calculated to promote commerce, civilisation, and Christianity, and stated that Mr. Andrew, the chairman of the com pany would submit to his lordship more detailed information. _ Mr. ANDREW, after expressing his regret for the unavoidable absence of Lord Stanley, said that for some years it had been considered a great national object to secure an alternative short route to India, but that recently the establishment of the route by . the Euphrates had become more and more neces sary, and more especially since it had been deter mined to open up the Valley of the Indus by the application of steam. The great traffic which would pour down this valley from Central Asia and the Punjaub, once flowing towards Kurrachee, would naturally seek an outlet by the sister valley of the Euphrates, at least the lighter and more valuable products as well as the mails and passen gers ; but the support of the government was not sought ou commercial grounds. That support was not sought alone on the ground of the political im portance of this ancient line of communication. The grand object was to connect England with the north-west frontier of India, by steam transit through the Euphrates and Indus Vallies. The latter would render moveable to either the Kyber or the Bolan, the two gates of India, the flower of the British army cantoned in the Punjaub, and connected by the Euphrates line by means of steamers, the flank and rear would be threatened of any force advancing through Persia towards India. So that the invasion of India by this great scheme would be placed beyond even speculation, and it would be evident by the great army of India of 300,060 men being united by this means to the army. in England theltnutual sup port they would render each other would quad ruple the power and ascendancy of this country, and promote powerfully the progress, the freedom, and the peace of the world. The countries to be traversed were the richest and most ancient in the world, and might again become the granaries of Europe, and not only supply us with wheat, but with cotton of excellent quality, and his gallant friend General Chesney, who had recently visited. these regions, would tell them that there were hundreds of thousands of camel-loads of this valu able commodity rotting on the ground from the want of the Means of transport. Sir W. F. Wil liams, of Kers, would tell them there was no diffi culty in dealing with the Arabs if they were fairly treated. The Lord Mayor, who had bad intimate commercial relations withthe East, and Mr. Lynch, of Bagdad, who had for many years traded with the Arabs, would speak to the honesty and trust worthiness of the Arab. As to physical difficulty there was none—the line had been surveyed and proved to be singularly eaty. Her Majesty's Go vernment had given their powerful influence and support in obtaining the firman and concession. They had placed her Majesty's ship Stromboli at the disposal of General Chesney and Sir John M‘Neill, and the engineering staff, and Lord Strat ford de Reddiffe had lent his powerful advocacy with the Porte. He (Mr. Andrews) was deeply grateful for the assistance thus afforded them, but they had had now arrived at that point when some thing more was absolutely necessary, and that was the pecuniary support of government to enable the capital to be raised for theprosecution of the work. It was not a matter for private individuals to undertake. If they wanted an investment for their 'funds they would certainly not choose Turkish Arabia. The establishment of a steam route by the Euphrates had been placed before the public and the Government. Many chambers of commerce and other influential associations had already me morialised the Government in favour of granting pecuniary aid ; and it was believed the country was anxious that this route should be carried out by Englishmen, and it now rested with_ the Govern- .went to say whether they concurred in the impor tance of the work, and if so, whether they would be prepared to recommend such an amount of pecu niary assistance, whether by _guarantee or other wise, as would enable this, the most important undertaking ever submitted to .their consideration, to be proceeded with. Sir W. F. Williams, of Kars, stated that during his long residence amongst the Arabs he experienced no difficulty in dealing with them, or in procuring during his excavations in Stisa any number of work men he might - require ; and he also pointed out the great importance of the proposed harbour of Soleil cia, as there was not a single . good harbour on the Syrian coast. Lord Palmerston assured the deputation that the Government were fully alive to the great impor tance of the 'Euphrates route ; .that they had sup ported, and would continue to support it ; but he could not give an opinion as to giving the guarantee on the capital without consulting his colleagues, and requested Mr. Andrew to put his proposition in writing, and that it have a proper amount of consideration, and that Government would be happy to aid it if in their power. Mr. Andrew having thanked his lordthip for the courtesy afforded to the deputation, the deputation withdrew, much gratified by the manner in which they had been received. [ADVERTISEMENT.] —Holloway's Pills a miracle of Science and never failing remedy for Liver and Stomach Complaints.=Ed ward Robertson, of John-street, Bristol, in a letter to- Professor Holloway, respectfully informs him, that he suffered for many years with a disease of the liver and stomach, until his constitution became so enfeebled and debilitated that ho was entirely confined to his room. At this crisis be was strongly recom mended to give Holloway's Pills a trial. He did so for a few weeks, and was quite restored to health and strength.—Sold by all medicine vendors throughout the world • at Professor Holloway's Establishments, 244, Strand, London, and 80 , Mai den-lane, N ew York ; by A. Stampa, Constantinople ; A , G u idicy, Smyrna ; and Muir, Milts. I. . • • 2 > 4.1 5 Colchester Harwich l7O 306 23 17 460 Leigh 1115 ( —r 110 2691 ; 400 COLCHESTER—JUNN 20. COLCHESTER — JuNic 20. A small supply of wheat to-day; which sold at 2a to 3s per qr. advance on the last week, and the trade was brisk. Beans and peas were the turn in favour of the seller. Prices to-daywere as follow :—Wheat, white, 70s to 74e; red, 64s to 68s; barley, 38s to 429 ; oats, 26s to 28s ; beans, Mazagan, 40s to 429 ; middle and small, 44s to 465; peas, white, 38s to 42s ; greY, 42s to 465. SMOKE NUISANCES (SCOTLAND) BILL. The amendments to this bill were agreed to, and the house adjourned at ten minutes after nine o'clock. HOUSE OF COMMONS.-(YESTERDAY.) SUPPLY. The house then went into committee of supply, Upon the vote, 162,3661., 'for works connected with the new Houses of Parliament, Sir H. WILLOUGHBY drew attention to the large expenditure which bad taken place in the building, and urged that it was high time it was brought to some re sult. A few sessions ago, when Sir W. Molesworth was at the head of the Board of Works, it was stated that the contracts in progress would involve an expendi ture of 280,0721., but that in addition to that some half million more or so would be required to complete the building. It was understood, however, that the expen diture of that half million should not be entered upon without the assent of the house, and that understanding had been renewed by the present first commissioner. It was exceedingly doubtful whether the arrangement was not already broken. Certainly the 280,0721. had been exceeded, and seeing that the costs of the works, which were originally es , imated at 770,0001., had exceeded 2,000,0001, it was the duty of parliament to ascertain when and where the drain was to stop. The real cause of the excess in the expenditure was the eensive cha* meter of the finishings of the building. It was stated by Mr. Hunt, a gentlemen well qualified to form an opinion, that they had involved au expenditure of no less than 700,0001., and if that extravagance continued it would be mo,t disgraceful. Sir B. HALL wag appointed to the office he now filled on the 24th of July, 1855, and took his seat on the 110th of that month. The day afterwards, the hon. gen tleman the member for Warwickshire asked what was the course he intended to take in relation to the works at the New Palace ? In answer to that question, he stated that he proposed simply the works which had received the sanction of Parliament, and on no account would he countenance the commencement of any new ones. To that pledge he had adhered most rigidly, and he hoped the house would never again fall into the error which it committed between the years 1834 and 1840. Instead of having a comglete and de tailed plan, and some prope r officer charged with the ex , penditure of the money, it contented itself with a slight ' sketch merely shadowing forth what was intended to be done, and with committees of taste, special commis sions, and committees of inquiry. How was it possible, then, that the undertaking could be carried on in any satisfactory manner ? In answer to a question put to him in that house, he (Sir B. Hall) stated that Sir C. Barry had given him an estimate of 234,0001. as the amount for which the works in progress [night be com pleted. When the estimate for the present year was sent in by Sir C. Barry, he found that a larger sum was re quired, and he immediately inquired how that was. Sir Charles stated that 50,0001. was wanted for the excess on contracts in consequence of those contracts having been extended ; and 34,0001. was required for new merles. That was a most unsatisfactory account, and he had therefore required Sir Charles to enter into the de tails of his demand. The house might depend on his re straining Sir Charles as far as he was able, and on his doing hie utmost to pat an end to the work. (Hoar.) In answer to Mr. W. WILLIAMS, Sir B. HALL added that be could not, he was afraid, arsizn any time at which the works would be finished ; but he reiterated his determination to put an end to them at as early a period as possible. Mr. HENLEY had not gathered from the right hon. baronet's statement how mulch the present vote wonll be in eicklBB cf the 234,0001. He regretted to hear the right bon. gentleman talking, no doubt with perfect sincerity, of restraining Sir Charles "as far as he was able." That seas a most unfortunate addendum to the right hon. ba ronet's btaternetit. The right hon. baronet bad an easy remedy in his own hands ; he had only to refuse to place in the estimates the cost of carrying out anything he die. approved of. (hear.) Sir HALL said the vote would raise the expendi ture fifteen or twenty thousand pounds above the f'84,0001. He bad not received from Sir Charles any answer to his request for the details of the new charges. Mr. lIENLEY—The vote, then, was for works which the right hon. gentleman had not yet sanc ti one d . He hoped the house. by granting the money, would not find itself committed to any new undertaki ng . H e o bj ecte d strongly to having a plan inserted in the estimates hay ing on it a design for " proposed buildings." In a year or two Sir Charles might say tbat he had laid his plans before Parliament and that they bad not been objected to. Sir B. HALL would take care it did not occur again. The fact was the plan was received just before the esti mates were sent to the printers. Mr. BALL wished to know when the great clock would show its Line, and when the great bell wont' let them know whether its tone was as magnificent as its name ? Mr. PALK said that Sir Charles Barry was simply a person employed by the Government and the house, and the First Commissioner would therefore have no diffi culty in restraining him if he pleased. Sir B. HALL—When he said that he would restrain Sir Charles as far asjhe was able, he was referring to the difficulty of restraining an architect, which mutt be koewn to every hon. gentleman who bad employed one without havin# a distinct plan and detailed specifications. (Hear, hear.) The clock, too, illustrated the unfortunate character of the plan which had been adopted with regard to the New Palace. The proper course would have been to cast the bells first, and then to have made the clock ; wherene they had got the clock first and were now wait ing for the bells. All that now remained to be done was to east two quarter bells, and he hoped that in the course of three or four months the hon. gentleman would be able to see the clock at work, and to hear the chimes. Mr. H. DRUMMOND drew attention to an item of 1,300/. odd for designing plate, linen, crockery, &c., for the kitchen. That was certainly a very remark able charge. At the. same time, be 'did not think that Sir Charles Berry had been justly treated. The sum offered him might be too much, but Sir Charles had not been dealt with according to the custom of the profession, and he was afraid these su tra bills were designed to make up the sum they had refused to give him in the first instance. There was another item of 14,0001. for furnishing the Speaker's house. That was an enormous sum for furnish ing one house, but he was afraid that they might have another as large on the same account next year. Lord J. MANNERS thought that an item of 4,500/. for the purchase of the lease of a house in Spring-gardens, for the Clerk of the Parliaments, was singularly mis placed in this vote. Sir B. HALL had certainly expected that a residence for the Clerk of the Parliaments would have been pro vided in the new palace, but finding that was not the case, he thought it bettor to put the item in the vote in order that the house might see the whole sum required under this peed. With respect to the furniture of the Speaker's house it would be supplied under the direction, not of Sir C. Barry, but of the Board of Works, and the estimate would not be exceeded. Mr. B. HOPE also called attention to the item of 1 ,3001. for furnishing designs for the plate, linen, crock ' erY, &c., ordered by the Kitchen Committee. Mr. WILSON said that 1,3001. was the price of the articles o n w hi ch S i r C . B arry cla i me d comm i ss i on—not the n annaount of the commission itself, as th e h on . gentle man the 'waled to suppose. Mr. BR ISCOE protested against unsatisfactory characte r of the discussion original sum proposed for rebuildi ng the Houses * The of Parliament was 200,000/. The sum alr ea d y ext., ended had greatly exceeded two millions; and they had, after all, had no positive assur ' ance that the present vote would be the last. He was ap prehensive that a very great expen di ture woul d b e h i - curred on the designs recently exhibited in Westminster Hall. He was told it would be five millions; but with the LORD lY APIE.R AT TV.ASHINGTON. Things are very dull just now. There is an end of Epsom and Ascot.. The King of Prussia and the Neuchatelois have settled their little differences. Tho Chinese affair drags on so heavily that we can scarcely expect the public to be very eager about the fresh monthly number of intelligence from the source of tea. At home- the new House of Com mons is doing its work with all the energy, all the occasional wildness, and all the ultimate docility of a batch of raw recruits. We have . talked 'out the annual exhibition of the Academy. The rival managers of the 'two Opera-houses have displayed their tactics, and the interest in the Royal British Bank is only revived by 'the apprehension of its Directors. For a few days the public have con trived to exist upon the Manchester pictures, the Divorce Bill, and the Handel Festival at the rys tal Palace ; but these brilliant bubbles have either burst, or the eye is sated with their radiance and marks them no more. When we turn to the other side of the Atlantic we find no diet for the public appetite upon which the merest quidniinc could contrive to exist for one poor afternoon at the bow window of his club. The Walker question,. and the Kansas affair, and the Central American diffi culty seem either, to have settled. themselves or to be in course of amicable settlement or compromiee. All goes well there. For the moment—and may that moment be indefinitely prolonged !—" Hail, Britannia !" and' " Rule, Columbia !" have be come the national airs of the United States. In the absence of more stirring, but less gratifying intel ligence, we can do no more than call particular at tention to the report which we print this thy from. the New York herald of the festivities at Wash ington held under the auspices of Lord Napier, the English Ambassador, on the anniversary of the birthday of our English Queen. _ Our American iriends as far excel us in the style of their Court Circuls.rs as they do in yacht building, lock-picking, and revolvers. The docu ment, which 'will be found in another portion of our columns, actually introduces us into the best society at Washington. The acute, energetic, fea tures of the men, the grace of the ladies, the keen ness of their repartees, the majesty of their busts, the luxuriance of their hair, their occasional em bonpoint, and invariable charm will here be found depicted with a graphic power far beyond the reach of our own domestic Jenkins. 'Tis a perfect gal lery of photogrsphs. Let us pick,out a few charac ters at random ; and, first, we should be worse than ungrateful if we did not acknowledge the handsome manner in which Lord and Lady Napier are spoken of by the American chronicler of the revels. On that memorable night at " Fish-house" the aspect of the place " astonished some and delighted all ; it had a bright, fresh, and janty look." Lord Na pier is pronounced to be every inch a nobleman, and, should any New Yorker entertain any doubt upon the subject, he is told " to go to Brady's," and to see the inimitable photograph of his Lord ship suspended there. Lady Napier, we are told, is of medium height and symmetrical figure ; " the winning smile that plays over her fine features is the reflex , of the liappy disposition within." From Lord Napier and his fair lady we pass by an easy transition to the rest of the Corps Diplomatique. The French Minister, Count Sartiges, " has a spice of hauteur in his manners that does very well in an Ambassador." The choicest flowers of the chronicler's rhetoric, however, are reserved .for the Ambassadress. " Hiit Countess, ci-devant Miss Thorndike, was one of the ornaments of the ball. Though somewhat stout for so young a person, her claims to beauty are undeniable. Her bust is mag nificent, and her face is singularly attractive, from its expression of real good nature." The Russian Minister's wife too, autrefois Miss Thompson, of Massachusetts, was exceedingly affable and gay ; but " perhaps this was the result of a hint from her diplomatic spouse." The Washington writer is at great pains to tell us how Baron Stoeckel travelled all night from New York to Wash ington, in order t 3 be present at the fete of the English Ambassador, " lest any mistake should arise as to the attitude of his Court in re ference to the dispute with China." On the other hand---and we confess that, in a reciprocal spirit, we cannot look upon such a demonstration without suspi c i on —m a d am e Cramer, the wife of a Secre tary of the Russian Legation, Wore her hair a la THE MURDER AND. ROBBERY IN ESSEX. Last evening, at 6 o'clock, Mr. C. C. Lewis, the coro na. for Essex, opened an inquest at the Dun Cow beer shop, Chingford Batch. Trio jury proceeded to view the body of the unfortunate woman, Mary White (an account of whose murder appeared in Tke Sun of yester day), which presented a shocking. and mangled appear ance. .The following evidence was adduced : John Small Fa d—l am a farmer. The deceased was my wile's sister-iMlaw, and was a singla woman. She had lived with me and my wife over 20 years. I last saw her alive on Sunday morning, at 25 minutes to 11, when myself And wife went to church. She was then in the kitchen, where she was. found dead. She was the last person in the world likely to commit suicide, and when I went to church she was in excellent spirits. Mrs.. Emma Small, of 21, Great Bath-street, Coppice rbw, London, said—On Sunday last I came down from London for the purpose of seeing the deceased and Mr. and Mrs. Small. I arrived here at nearly 12 o'clock. I came by myself, and when I reached the house I went to the front door, but, not receiving any answer, I went to the back, and found both the back doors partly open. In getting to the hack I had to pass through two gates, which I found open. On en tering through the back door I came to the kitchen door, which was also partly open. I entered the kitchen and found no one there. I called, but received no answer. I found the deceased lying at the foot of the stairs, her head and shoulders being in the kitchen and her,fe et on the stairs. I was too frightened to see whether she was dead or alive, but, thinking my aunt had fallen in a fit, I ran out and called a woman who was in her garden, and she came, and, lifting deceased, I found her face covered with blood, and afterwards a wound in her throat. I particularly noticed that neither of her bands was bloody. After she was taken upstairs I sate her. undressed, and noticed a wound on the left temple, from which blood had flowed. I saw a wound on the left hip. I cannot say whether the wound had bled, but the skin was off. I immediately sent for Medical aid,, and Mr, and Mrs. Small, and a policeman, who at tended. Selina Stafford said—l live in the nest house but three, but I did not hear any scream, nor did I see any strange man or any other person waiting about the pro mises. The evidence of the surgeon who was called invent to prove that the deceased was found in the kitchen and quite dead. The Coroner said that the case was one of great mys tery, for in the middle of the day it was hardly possible to conceive that no one would be moving about. As the case must be adjourned for a post mortem examination, he thought it would be as well to adjourn at once. The local and metropolitan police aro most actively engaged in pursuit of the Murderer of Mary. White, at Chingford Hatch. It was stated late last evening that the police are in possession of a eine to the murderer's retreat. Yesterday application was made to Sir George Grey, Secretary of State for the Home Department, praying that a Government reward may be offered, in order to stimulate the endeavours of the police. Procla mation of a reward is expected to appear in this even ing's Gazette. Country Markets. CIIELMSFORD-JuNE 19. To-day wo had a rather small supply of wheat, which realised Is to 2s per qr more for best samples, mad inferior were firm at the prices of last week, with a brisk demand. Spring corn of all descriptions firm, and the prices were unaltered. Wheat, white, old, per S. qr. 33 A. S. N. 73 Oat's; per qr 21. 30 72 Peas, Partridge 41 44 66 - White 39 47 66 - 'Boiling 39 46 46 Dun 40 42 " I Beans, Tick 35 46 46 Harrow ticks 41 9 0 red, old ... . 32 new 32 Barley 35 Chevalier 40 Grinding 35 Malt 73 77 Chevalier 75 79 Mazagan 36 Ditto, no w 35 Official Statement of the Qua: in the port of London, fro: June 15 to June 20, both entities of Corn, &c., received the fullcwing ports, fron inclusive. SKIRKCALDY-JUNE 20. We had a moderate supply of wheat to-day, which ex perienced a ready sale for best qualities at is per qr. over last week's prices. A small supply of oats and inferior in quality. A slow sale, and is lower than last week. Only one parcel of barley. Wheat. 1 Barley. Oats. 1 Beans. First 62s 0(1 I 40's 0.1 4 30s Od 1 Os Oct Second Third 3ls Oct I —s Od I 26s I.ld 1 Os Oct COAL MARKET.-JUNE 22. Prices of Coals per ton at the close of the market. _ s. do Bebside's Hartley 16 0 s d. Tanfield Moor Butes 14 0 Lambton 16 6 Wylana If trpool West Hartley...l6 0 Kelloe l6 0 Buddle W. Hartley 16 0 Hotton l7 0 Davison's West Hartley 16 0 Haswell 17 0 Bell's Primrose l2 9 Gosforth l4 0 Howard's West Hartley Hough Hall l5 0 Netherton 16 0 1Whitworth l5 0 West Hartley Grey's....ls 3 1 Hetton Lyons Main l4 6 Trimdon Thornley l6 0 Kepler Grainge l6 3 Wallsond, &o. Wallsend, Eden Main l5 61 Ships at markol ;, 49 ; sold, 22. MURDER Or WlFE.—Yesterday, at the sittings of the magistrates at Stratford, Michael Crasiley, a labourer, an ill-looking old man, aged 62, was examined on the charge of having murdered his wife, Mary Crawley, also aged 62, by beating in her skull with a billhook. The magistrates remanded him to Ilford Gaol to await the result of the coroner's inquest. ADvNgTIENNENT. I—SIGHT AND HEARING. —SPECTACLES. POWERFUL TELESCOPES.—OPERA 7 RACE, AND PERfsPECTIVO GLAssEs.—Messrs. S. and It Soloraons, opticians, 39, Aliso inarle-street, Piccadilly. Observe--opposite the York Hotel, W.—By her Majesty's Royal Letters Patent for valuable and extraordinary improvements in the most powerful and bril liant Telescopes, Camp, Racecourse, Opera, and Perspective Glasses, to know the distances. These telescopes possess such extraordinary power that some, three and a-half inche. with an extra eye-p ece will show distinctly Jupiter's moons, Saturn's ring, and the double stars ; with the same telescope can be seen a person's countenance three-and-a-half miles dis tant, and an object from 16 to 20 miles. For the waistcoa pocket, an I are of larger, and all sizes, with increasing powers accordingly. The Royal Exhibition, 1851.—A valu able newly-invented very small powerful Waistcoat Pocket Glass, the size of a walnut, by which a person can be seen and known one and a half mile distant. They answer every purpose on the race-course, and at the Opera Houses. Country scenery, and ships are clearly soon at 12 to 14 miles. They are invaluable for shooting, - deer-stalking, yachting, to sportsmen, gentlemen, g amekeepers, snd ton, ists. Opera, Camp, Perspective, and Racecourse Glasses, with wonderful powers.—lnvaluable preserving Spectacle Lenses of the greatest transparent power. The great advantage derived from this invention is, that vision impaired becomes pre— served and strengthened, and very aged persons are enabled, to employ their sight at the most minute occupation can see with those lenses of a much less magnifying power —and they do not require the frequent changes to the dangerous effects of further powerful assistance. Persons can be suited at the mod remote part of the world by send ing ono of the glasses out of their spectacles in a letter, and. stating the distance from the eye they can read small print: with it, and those .who have not made use of spectacles by" stating their age. Deafness.—New Discovery.—The Or ganic Vibrator, an extraordinarily powerful, small newly invented instrument for deafness, entirely different from all others, surpasses anything of the kind that kas been, or pro bably ever can . be produced. Being of the same colour as the skin, is not perceptible. It enables deaf persons to hear distinctly at church and at public assemblies ; the 'unpleasant sensation of singing •noises in the ears is entirely removed, and it affords all the assistance that possibly could be desired • —3l, All4emarle-Street, Piccadilly.—Observe—opposite the York Hotel. W BIRTHS. OF A SON. On the 20th inst,, at 2, Upper Seymour-street, Lady Lavinia Dutton. On the ,22d inst., at Tuffnell Villa, Upper Holloway, Mrs. J. S. Jarvis. OF A DAUGUTER. On the 22d inst., at Reigate-hill, the Rife of Frederick C. Pawle, Esq. On the 21st inst., at 17, Peter's-hill, Doctors -commons, Mrs. Henry Webb. MARRIED. At St. Michael's Church, Toignmouth, Captain E. Brad bury, King's Dragoon Guards, to Mary, youngest daughter of the late Charles Reid, Westerfiroveeld, W orthing, SusseSs and niece of Captain Reed, tb• G, Teignmouth. ofeld la On the 18th inst., at Carrickfergus Church, the Very' Rev. the Dean of Connor, t Thorn Anne, second daughter of the late Peter Kirk, Esq., , to M.P. for Carrick - Wpm D I E D. On the 19th inst., at Brighton, Sir Orford Gordon, Bt. of Embo House, Sutherlandshire. On the 18th ir.st., at Fore-street, Cripplegate, Thorne' Charlton, aged 67. On the 17th inst., at Southampton, Thomas Browil• Admiral of the Blue, agod 80. On the 19th inst., Mr. John Wisby, jnn., of Kenning ton-green, aged 35. ' On the 20th inst., at Doncaster, Charles David Faber , Esq., aged 80. On the 21st inst., at 10, George-yard, Lombard-stre et Amos Rich, aged 80. On the 19th inst., at Bridehead, Dorset, at the seat o his brother-in-law, A. U. D.' Troyto, Esq., second son of Sir T. D. Acland, Bart. On the 21st inst., Miss Sarah Underhill, of Canterbury' row, Newington, Surrey, aged 82. - LONDON : Printed and Published by MURDO YOTJNet of No, 112, Strand, Printer, at The Sun Office, lio. 112, Strand, in the Precinct of the Savoy, in the county of Middlesex Tuesday, June 23, 1e67. ARE Rest the I . Idred man objet rend, Kern its ri aingt healt Prim Georg( Mom Jacob Joseph John WiMar Benjan The be had of its a Loss In U divisibl and th, Deferre terms c N. c LOA Polley To al W ows] Br Num Annu Inents), Rate: with se circum: z pr. eo I 4 30 1 40 1 50 2 60 1 3 IN Mines • CONSI MIIRC Mr. BRITT At the The NOW : district " Th " A • "A "At " Of " Pal better " On under o the sat " To is of th 6, T h it is, iv Copi eon's C inform requir' COTT Ma( Ma( ztra Iler Con Adr. der ft next, oxF Th, when previi of 10 No can I) S Fre Eat transf duty. Clai T' Maja C' A NE Paten TR devoi , Pohl i Valpe cons° long Etren; 110.7 what ILIA( effect eraill form: 'Trim Copes ruin