The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1842-07-15 00:00:00

finperial Varliainent. HOUSE 01' LORDS.—MONDAY. Several bills on the table were forwarded a stage. After which Lord BuouGH Am proceeded to call the attention oh their lordships to the extent of the distress prevailing throrighout the country. He drew a deplorable picture of the sufferings of the labouring classes in the manufacturing districts--suffer ings which quite unmanned one to contemplate, and which were excruciating to recount, were it not that he felt it a bounden duty to lay them before the house. All these suf ferings too were borne with a most exemplary patience; and one feature was exhibited which raised the poor sufferers above all praise—their kindness towards each other—even where the party displaying it were but a shade less miserable than those they endeavoured to aid. It was to be remelt- I bered that those suffering people had no share in making the laws by which they were governed. They had not even a vote for a representative, and this entitled them to be the more sedulously protected. In tracing the causes of the dis tress, it was said that the distress was owing to bad harvests ; but this could not be the case, for in 1829, 1830, and 1831 we had harvests as bad and prices higher, without any such dis tress as now prevailed. The noble lord then adverted to the other causes to which the distress of the people had been at tributed, such as machinery, the currency, &c., and con tended that it was impossible to ascribe it to such causes. Applying himself next to what he conceived to be the causes, he said that they must be looked for in the state of our foreign trade, and intimated that he had little fear of foreign competition with our manufacturers if Government by its legislation did not take part with the foreigner against the native artizan. He at once detected in this state of our foreign trade, not only a sufficient cause for the distress, but ground for apprehension for the future. A petition with which he had been entrusted, and which prayed their lordships to hear evidence of the causes of the distress, ema nated from parties who were prepared to prove that the most finished pieces of machinery, when to be sold, could only be sold to foreign agents, unless at a tremendous sacrifice in price, not in some instances amounting to one-third of the value. They were also prepared to show that the more skil ful of the workmen in our factories were emigrating, and that a considerable number of the capitalists themselves were about to emigrate also. He knew himself several individu als of the latter class who would not continue in this country unless some alteration should take place in the corn laws. They were prepared to show that orders now about to be given to foreign countries would be given to this country if the system of the corn laws was altered, and that the trade, so much of which had gone abroad, would return to this country. Mercantile men were ready to prove that the mo ment their lordships would display a disposition to recon sider these laws, they would give the orders which otherwise they must send to foreign countries. The noble lord then contended that if this country did away with the prohibitory and protecting duties, it would be impossible fur America, or any other country in Europe, to avoid following its exam ple. If a committee of inquiry were granted of course all these alleged causes of the distress and proposals for its remedy would be considered, and evidence heard upon them, though he must say one of those remedies never would be adopted—that of the admission of slave-grown sugar. The noble lord concluded by moving that it be referred to a select committee to consider of the distresses of the country. The Earl of RIPON said it was impossible that such an in quiry could lead to any satisfactory result. The object of the noble lord and of the petitioners also was neither more nor less than a repeal of the corn laws ; and he regretted to be called upon to discuss this question over again. Unless some safe and certain mode of relieving the distress could be devised, to go into committee would only give rise to ex pectations which would ultimately end in disappointment, and thus aggravate the existing evil. The noble lord then proceeded to contend that a repeal of the corn law would not produce the great effects alleged in promoting the activity of our manufactures. He thought it would be a great misfor tune if the two great interests of the country, the agricultural and the manufacturing, were to be again placed in collision, as they inevitably would be if this committee were granted. Thinking, therefore, that it would be highly inexpedient to grant the committee, he felt it his duty to oppose the motion of his noble friend. Earl STANHOPE contended that the corn laws were not the cause of the distress, and the inquiry, if granted, must be most delusive to the people. Lord KINNAIRD supported the motion. _ _ The Marquis of CL.LIRICARDE contended that none of the arguments used by Lord Brougham had been answered by the Earl of Ripon. Viscount MELBOURNE said there was no use in attempt ing to disguise the deplorable state of the country, which was in the highest degree afflicting and alarming. Admitting this suffering, the measures to be devised should not be of a temporary character, but should be such as to meet the whole case; and he must say that, considering the whole case, he did not think that it could serve any good purpose to appoint this committee. The Earl of RADNOR supported the motion. Lord WHARNCLIFFE thought that any interference with the corn law would only aggravate the distress ; and he must say that the corn law had not bad a fair trial, and should be allowed more than the short period of eight weeks to test its efficacy. Lora BROUGHAM replied at considerable length ; after which their lordships divided, and the motion was negatived by a majority of 61 to 14. Their lordships then adjourned. HOUSE OF COMMONS.--MONDAY Mr. T. DUNCOMBE gave notice, that on going into com mittee of supply he should move that it be a❑ instruction to the committee to grant the supplies not yet voted for a period of three months only, with the exception of the sup plies for Canada, Syria, and China. Sir JAMES GRAHAM, in a reply to a question from Mr. Stansfield, said he had received a verbal communication from the commissioners to inquire into the condition of mines and factories, to the effect that they would very shortly be enabled to make a second report. He also said, in reply to another question, that it was not the intention of Government to bring in any bill this session for the pur pose of altering the Factory Bill. Sir R. PEEL gave notice that he would this day move for leave to bring in a bill to provide more effectually for the security of her Majesly's person. The CHANcELLor. of the EXCHEQUER postponed the Tobacco Regulation Bill until Friday, and would then state whether he would proceed with or abandon it. Mr. LEADER complained of a breach of faith committed by the Government, in passing the Municipal Corporations Act at half-past two o'clock on Saturday morning. Sir R. PEEL said he did not know that the bill had passed, and he was quite certain that there was no intention on the part of the government to do anything unfair or adverse to any pledge that had been given. The CHANCELLOR Of the EXCHEQUER, in reply to a complaint from Mr. Hume, said that since the last time the hon. member had mentioned the subject, th e Mi nt h a d coined no less than £240, 000 in silver money, and were still at work to supply the deficiency. Sir R. PEEL, in moving that the house should resolve itself into a committee of supply, adverted to Lord Pal merston's announcement that the present government had asked Lord Auckland to continue in the gove rnmen t o f In dia, and to the noble lord's inference therefrom that the whole of Lord Auckland's policy in Affghanistan was ap proved of by the present government. Against this infer ence he protested, and he must say it was hardly fair of the noble lord to make the use he had done of a private letter. He (Sir R. Peel) never recollected being a party to any such offer to Lord. Auckland, nor could he find any official letter or document warranting the assertion. He knew that Lord Ellenborough, by whom the letter was said to have been written to Lord Auckland, entertained the highest regard for that nobleman, and in a spirit of high-minded generosity might have written a letter to him expressive of his wish to the effect stated, but were it so he must say the noble lord was not justified in making the use he had done of a private communication from one noble lord to another. Lord PALMERSTON would at once withdraw his inference from the fact if the letter of Lord Ellenborough was written without the sanction of his colleagues. Lord Howtcx said he had personal cognizance of the fact that a very pressing letter had been written to Lord Auckland by Lord Ellenborough. Mr. kioGG said it was not competent for the noble lord to have written such a letter without the sanction of the direc tors of the East India Company. Sir J. HOBHOUSE said, not a word in the shape of dis approval of Lord Auckland's policy had been heard of until intelligence arrived of the disasters in Affghanistan. Indeed, at an earlier stage, the directors of the East India Company had gone beyond the government in approving of that policy. After all that had been said, however, it was gratifying to find that policy approved of by a man so capable of judging of it as Lord Ellenborough. Sir R. PEEL, in reply to Mr. Hume, said it was impossible that the intentions of government, as to the period of pro roguing parliament, could be known to the public, for it was necessary the supplies should be granted before the government could come to any decision upon the subject. On the motion for going into committee of supply, Mr. VILLIERs moved, as an amendment, that the house should resolve itself into a committee to consider the best mode of repealing the corn laws. He grounded the necessity of such a proceeding upon the failure of the recent corn laws to cheapen prices, and upon the distressed state of the population, which was such as to demand a supply of cheap food. _ _ Mr. FIELDEN contended that a repeal of the corn laws would save the whole system of our manufacturing industry from absolute prostration. Mr. P. HOWARD was opposed to the total repeal of the corn laws. _ Mr. IkGLIONBY said be had advocated a fixed duty, as e qually advantageous to agriculturists and manufacturers; but the dreadful condition of the country induced him now to l i ‘ lii r te for the total repeal of the corn law. law . H AwEs caut i one d t h e h ouse aga i n st allo w ing the corn to remain untouched until it was compelled to take it up in m a s r e . a G l,o . o. perhaps, of public excitement, and even tumult. law wouid KNIGHT would not admit that a repeal of the corn would im-Titigate the distress. He was confident matters end put to P a Tie as soon as parliament was prorogued and an mr. BlNDuLthis talking. chief cause ot e t f l _co d n i : t e r n e c s V the high price of food was the Mr. F. See' sake of the rich i!eaid the corn law was maintained not for the regretted for the sake of the poor. Sir C. NAPIE R forward, for he thoilgrted that the motion had been brought ciently discussed. g t the subject had been already suffi- Sir R. PRE'. said, th w and a proper one. rt the - of Sir C. Napier was a manly ren ewed the gentlemen on the opposition which were constantly position benches were pre venting, no doubt without intending passed from having anythin g like n a g f 4, the corn law recently harvest had It was begin ning to work well ; the wheat ha d commenced; wheat had fallen in price ; and he believed if speculators were holding back, for the purpose of profitttmihn7ig.l the is. duty, they would eventually discover their which would attend it. He sy mpat h is j pp.r b loy y dywu t c h i tt e ihv l e t o h s oae s f distress which unhappily prevailed; and if e eimmed that material alteration of the corn law would h e permanent relief, he would at once concede it. It as to be remembered, however, that the alteration of the tariff had produced a temporary stagnation of trade, of course adding to the distress, but which, he trusted, would now pass away. He had received from Portugal the intelligencethat thecom. mercial treaty with that country had been signed, from w hi ch be anticipated beneficial results. The right hon. baronet went on to say that he admitted the correctness, in the ab stract, of the principles of fr ee trade, bu . t . contended that those principles should not be h astil y appliedin a country where large protected interests bad grown up. He only sought for s fair trial of the measures of the government, and if they should not be found to contribute to restore the coun try to prosperity, he would be amongst the first to propose their revision. Lord J. RUSSELL inferred, he said, from the speech of the right hon. baronet, that he had himself no great confidence in the efficiency of his own measures, and thought it was tantamount to an admission that the distress was to be at tributed to the corn law. The gov ernment had gone a cer tain length in a p p l y i ng great principles in its legislation, but in so doing they had adopted nearly every thing they had previ ously opposed. Th e t ar iff / was good, but it was not new ; the poor w law was gooll, but it was not new ; while the income tax w as new, but it was not goo d. H e s h ou ld move au amendm ent, if that of the hon member for Wolverhampton should be defeated, to the effect,. not of asserting the repeal of the corn law, b ut thattheiptlef e house, instead of going into supply, should re so l ve plo a committee to consider the corn law which h a d passed Mr. COBDEN urged at daring the present session. considerable length in support of the motion, contending that th e utmost quant i ty of land which could be thrown out of cultivation by a repeal of the corn laws would be about 2 ,000,000 of acres ; and it would be better at once to place this quantity upon the consolidated fund, and get rid of this odious law. The aristocracy of England was the most privileged class in the world. They had the colonies, and the army, and the navy, and the church to themselves, and having all these, they ought to blush to fight over the poor man's slice of bread. He believed they well knew that this l aw cou ld no t b e ma i n t a i ne d. Th e y might kill Sir R. Peel ss they h a d kill e d M r . C ann i ng . because he was endeavouring to legislate beneficially for the people, but it was in vain for them to hope to preserve this law. Mr. GRIMSDITCH opposed the motion, and contended that the distress was to be attributed mainly to the increase of machinery. Lord Howtcx disliked as a general rule such interference with the supplies as the motion before the house occasioned, and he also thought it was going too far to call for a sweep ing repeal of a law which had been so much discussed, and so recently agreed to by the legislature. He could not, therefore, support the motion of Mr. Villiers, and he thought that it would suffer much from the manner in which it had been brought forward, as an amendment on going into a committee of supply. Sir J. HAMMER said, as the representative of a great com mercial community, he felt himself called upon to turn his attention to the subject of t he corn laws, and he felt bound to say that his opinions had undergone a change, and he should vote for the motion of Mr. Villiers, as a means of in dicating his opinion, which was not for total repeal, but for the imposition of a moderate fixed duty. The house then divided, and Mr. Villiers' motion was de feated by a majority of 231 to 117. The house then resolved itself into a committee of supply, and a vote on account of the expenses of the China war was agreed to, as was also the vote for Canada. HOUSE OF OF LORDS.-TUESDAY Several bills were brought up from the House of Com mons, and were severally read a first time. Several bills on the table were forwarded a stage. Some petition; were presented against portions of the Mines and Colliers Bill. Lord WHARNCLIFFE presented a petition signed by 1,600 persons, educated in classes at Exeter Hall in singing, writing, arithmetic, and linear drawing, praying for assist ance to enable the system to be carried out. He took that opportunity of saying that the grant of £30,000 for the pur pose of education in a country like this was altogether in sufficient. _ _ _ The Marquis of LANSDOWNE was glad that the present government was prepared to follow up and extend the prin ciple of proposing public grants for the purposes of education. Lord BROUGHAM also expressed his gratification. The petition was then laid on the table. The LORD CHANCELLOR postponed the bankruptcy and other law bills from Thursday until Monday. Adjourned. HOUSE OF COMMONS.-TUESDAY Sir. R. PEEL moved, pursuant to notice, for leave to bring in a bill to provide for the better protection of her Majesty's person, and in doing so observed that he did not propose by the bill to create any new treasons, nor did he propose any additional undue severity of punishment, for he thought a remedy might be found without those aids. He first pro posed to do away with all those useless solemnities of the law in cases of high treason, which were only capable to feed the vanity of the miscreants who were tempted to commit crimes of this description by the false dignity with which they ima gined themselves temporarily invested. He proposed that in the case of such offences as those which had recently been committed, of endangering the life, or, at all events, disturb ing the tranquillity of her Majesty, the criminals should be tried in the ordinary way. He also proposed that after the passing of the act, any person who should present a gun, pistol, or any other fire-arm, even though unloaded, or who should strike, or attempt to strike, or throw any missile of any kind, with intent to injure the person or to alarm her Majesty, such person should be liable to the same punish ment as was inflicted for larceny ; and it should be in the discretion of the judge to imprison the criminal, and to sub ject him to personal chastisement. This, he thought, would deprive the offender of the false dignity which attached itself under present circumstances to his trial, and would, he be lieved, materially tend to the security and tranquillity of her Majesty. Lord J. RUSSELL seconded the motion, and the bill was brought in, read a first and second time, and ordered to be committed this day. On the order of the day for going into committee on the poor law bill, Mr. T. DUNCOMBE asked if it could really be the intention of the government to proceed with the bill now that the commission was so near its termination. Sir J. GRAHAM said the bill was one of great importance, and he felt bound to ascertain the sense of the house respect ing it. After some discussion, Sir R. PEEL said he confessed that the government was placed in considerable difficulty upon the subject, but be thought the best course would be for the house to decide whether the commission should be allowed to continue for five years. After some further conversation, Sir J. GRAHAM recommended that the house should dis cuss the question as to the continuance of the commission. Mr. O'CONNELL, however, and other hon. members, re quested the government to bring in a temporary bill, and to bring forward, early in the next session, a general measure. Sir J. GRAHAM said he considered the continuance of the commission for five years essential, upon which he must ask the decision of the house. With respect to the other por tions of the bill, he was disposed as far as possible to meet the wishes of the house. The house then went into committee. On the clause for continuing the commission for five years, Mr. S. CRAWFORD moved, as an amendment, that it should be continued only for one year. Mr. FERRAND seconded the motion, and once more en tered upon a vindication of the guardians of the Keighley union. Sir C. NAPIER contended that there were gross abuses in the Keighly union. After some observations from Mr. HARDY, Mr. AGLI. ONBY, and MT. LIDDELL, Mr. HAWES expressed his regret government did not in tend to press the whole bill during the present session. Mr. C. WOOD argued in support of the continuance of the commission for five years, and expressed his opinion that it ought to be permanent. _ _ _ _ Lord SANDON contended that when such enormous power was entrusted to the commissioners, the only security for the proper exercise of that power was by subjecting it to a pretty constant revision by parliament. Sir J. GRAHAM said that there could not be a greater mistake tha❑ to suppose that the power exercised by the com missioners was irresponsible, for they were responsible to the ministers of the crown, and in fact there never was a power exercised in this country so jealously watched or subjected to such a rigid supervision as that of the commissioners. The right honourable baronet argued at considerable length against many of the objections urged against the bill. - After some observatiOns from Sir B. - HALL, Mr. TROTTER supported the bill. He had sent a copy of the bill to every union in Kent and Surrey, and not having received any communication in reply, he assumed they were satisfied with the bill, which he should, therefore, support. Mr. BUCK supported the amendment, grounding his oppo sition to the bill chiefly on his disapproval of the conduct of the poor law commissioners. Captain PECHELL spoke at considerable length in support of the amendment. _ _ After some observations from Mr. AGLIONBY and Mr DARBY♦ _ Mr. IZEMBLE said he had heard no argument in favour of the continuance of the commission for five years, which would not be equally forcible for its permanency. It was an arbitrary and unconstitutional power to repose in any body whatsoever, and he should therefore vote for the limitation of the period to one year, believing that if the power were granted for five years, they might make up their minds that it would be imposed upon the country for ever. He would prefer if the amendment had been for three years, but he would, at all events, support it in preference to five years. Mr. MuNTz feared that the system of the present law was not to relieve those who ought to be relieved, but to prevent those who ought to be relieved from obtaining any assistance. He protested against the law altogether. After a few words from Mr. LAWSON, the committee divided, and Mr. S. Crawford's amendment was defeated by a majority of 164 to 92. _ . _ _ _... ..... On the motion that the clause should stand part of the bill, Colonel SIBTHORP objected to the existence of the com mission at all, and therefore moved that the clause be struck out. Lord WORSLZY supported the clause. General JOHNSON moved that the chairman should report progress, upon which the committee again divided, and the motion was defeated by a majority of 178 to 16. Mr. FIELDEN then moved that the chairman should leave the chair. Sir R. PEEL said it was advisable to retain the power of moving continual adjournments it was most desirable that it should not be abused. Lord PALMERSTON also expressed a hope that the public business might not be thus obstructed. Several hon. members censured the course pursued by the hon. member for Oldham as factious. Mr. WARD, Mr. AGLIONBY, and others, begged of Mr Fielden to withdraw his amendment. After a short discussion, Mr. FIELDEN pressed his motion, which was, however, negatived without a division. The clause was then carried by a majority of 146 to 26, after which the house resumed. _ ... The other orders of the day were then disposed of, and the house adjourned. HOUSE OF COMMONS.—WEDNEsnity Mr. MACKINNON postponed his motion for a new writ for Southampton until the 25th instant. In reply to a question from Mr. GRIMSDITCH, . . . The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said that his noble friend at the head of the commission appointed to inquire into the amount of forged exchequer bills, &c., had informed him that the commission would shortly be enabled to make a report. He would make inquiry as to whether they would be able to do so during the present session. On the motion of Sir R. PEEL, the Queen's Protection Bill went through committee, was read a third time, and ordered to be engrossed. Sir J. GRAHAM, in reply to a question from Lord Pal merston, said that when he pledged himself to support the principle of the Mines and Collieries Bill, the pledge was given on the part of the government. Sir R. PEEL, in reply to a question from Mr. Hardy, s a id it was not the intention of the government to bring forward any grant for church extension. After a speech from Mr. HUME, recommending all manner of reductions, and one from Mr. W. WILLIAMS, respecting the remuneration of clerks in public offices, the house went into committee of supply. Sir R. PEEL moved the usual vote for the British Mu seum, which led to some conversation as to the propriety of the rule excluding young children irom the Museum when with their parents, a rule which did not prevail at the Na tional Gallery. The vote was ultimately agreed to. On the vote of £62,000 for the expenses of the two houses of parliament, Mr. HUME required an account of the expenses of the House of Lords. Sir R. PEEL said, that from time immemorial the House of Lords had refused to give this information. It was the only portion of the public money that they could at all deal dposedttootbhee s C o r ffi ow ei n eo , t w t h o ic s h o p p o r support ordered tbo such digri i t a y s o u f m the as H with, and and it was placed at their disposal by means of an ad- Peers Peers. jealousies , under these circumstances he hoped for so small a sum as 42 1,000, the h . Mr. requiring information on. member would not persevere in j o t us s e up o - f which was so calculated to revive for merto know the item HOME betweensaid the two houses of Parliament. that the House of Commons had a right it he would move of this expenditure, and in order to obtain ove r : e's £21,000. e that the vote be reduced to the sum of majority ikir. HOME o9o t t b o e 1 2 1 ,3 tn . On a division Mr. H a was terrainated by proposition was defeated by a to hio zdn ce it by the sum of X 12,000, and a discussion ensued w of the motion, and the votethe withdrawal The house was occupied the agreed to. discussing the estimates. remainder of the evening in After the house had resumed, the p Ma jesty's Person Bill was p as sed. Pr otection of her The other orders of the day wer e th en disposed of, and the house adjourned. President Tyler has recently had a daughter married. No intoxicating, beverages were allowed at the mystical festi vities. MISCELLANEOUS There arrived at Quebec this year 16,292 emigrants ; last year, 13,509 ; increase so far, 2,783. MURDER.—We have this day to record a brutal murder committed on the highway at Worr Mill Brow, Styal, near Wilmslow, at an early hour on Tuesday morning week, on the body of a factory operative, named Ilenry Lockett, aged 30 years, a married man with three children. An inquest was held on the body, by Mr. Roscoe, coroner of the Knuts ford division, at the house of Mr. 'William Dale, the Old Ship Inn, Styal, on Thursday afternoon, when evidence to the following effect was adduced.—The deceased, Henry Lockett was a blower tenter, of Messrs. Greg's cotton mill at Styal, and on Monday evening, after leaving work, went to a public-house at Wilmslow, to join a lodge of Foresters, who had that day been having their annual dinner. It ap peared, that he left this house between twelve and one o'clock, and on his way home to Styal was seen in company with two men, named Samuel Lowe, a bricklayer by trade, and Horatio Worth, a factory operative ; and when and where these individuals left him was not satisfactorily shown. Shortly after two o'clock on Tuesday Morning, a person named Thomas Atkinson, in returning from Wilmslow to Styal, found deceased lying across the footpath, with his hand upon his forehead, and quite dead. He saw another person coming towards the spot, and having obtained asssis tance, the body was carried home. A deep wound was found on the back of deceased's head, as if he had received a severe blow from some sharp instrument, and his neck was much discoloured as if from being strangled. Samuel Lowe, one of the parties seen in deceased's company late the pre vious night, absconded on the following morning, and has not since been met with. The other person, Horatio Worth was taken into custody to await the result of the inquest, A post-mortem examination of the body took place on Thursday, by Mr. Nightingale of Mr. Moore, surgeons, of Wilmslow. and Mr. Braithwaite of Knutsford, from whose concurrent testimony it appeared that death had been caused by strangulation, but that the fracture of the skull was sufficient to have caused it ultimately. The jury after a lengthy investigation into the circumstances, returned a verdict of " Wilful murder against some person or persons at present unknown ;" the evidence against the suspected party not been sufficiently strong to fix the crime upon them. Mr. Adamson, high constable of Macclesfield, has taken the subject in hand, and, it is hoped, the guilty party or parties will be soon discovered. PARENTAL CRUELTY.—On Friday night, the Ist July, a report was circulated in the neighbourhood of Tarporley, that a child had been found in a pig-stye, at Utkington that morning, covered with bruises and wounds, and having a large chain rivetted to her leg, &c. Upon hearing this, Mr. Baker, the special high constable, immediately proceeded to Utkinton, and there at the cottage of a person named Row land, who had kindly given the poor child shelter, he found the improbable story verified. The sufferer, who is of very diminutive stature, stated, that she was twelve years old, and " that ever since her mother died and her father got married again, she bad never had any rest, for her stepmo ther was always finding fault with her, and then her father beat her, and turned her out with her chain on." The poor little creature was a mass of cruises, and from exposure to cold and wet, nearly spent, having been turned out by her father, on Monday night, and told that if ever she came near the house again he would kill her. She had wandered about the lanes in the vicinity of the forest, until found as before described, asleep in the pig-stye, at Utkinton. On Saturday morning, Mr. Baker apprehended the father, who is a la bourer, named William Craven, residing at Eaton, and took him, with the poor child, and several witnesses of the father's cruelty, before Colonel Tomkinson, who committed him for two months to the House of Correction. The many acts of brutality of this inhuman monster towards his unfortunate child, are such as to make the blood run cold at their repeti tion. One out of the many we will relate—the poor child, sometime since, burned her finger whilst roastin g a cra b, an d upon this being told to the father, he said he'd cure h er f rom meddling with fire again, and he then deliberately thrust her little hand into the flames and burnt it cruelly. This will scarcely be credited, but we vouch for its truth.—Chester Courant. ANOTHER EARTHQUAKE IN SCOTLAND.—A pretty smart shock of an earthquake was felt last Sunday, about midday, by the congregation assembled in the cathedral church of Dunblane, which is about 18 miles from Comrie. The shock occurred just before the dismissal of the congregation in the forenoon. Volcanic agency has for some time been suspected to be at work in this locality ; and the instruments indicated the direction to have been in a line from north-west to south-east, or the direction will, perhaps, be better un derstood by drawing a line upon the map from Dunblane to the Parliament-house of Edinburgh. This accounts for certain noises in the church, which have been heard almost weekly for some months past, attributed by the superstitious to the rattling of the bones of the old Romish clergy buried underneath the cathedral, in resentment of attacks made upon their orthodoxy, there being no living Roman Catholic in the parish to vindicate their tenets. The idea of the bones being commoved, however, had occurred also to scientific men, who more philosophically, though as it turns out quite as erroneously, ascribed it to some electrical influence on the old prebendal stalls proceeding from galvanic substances in or near the modern pulpit. Those more accustomed to consider causes and consequences were a good deal alarmed at the signs of subterranean energy under the old building, which the shock above referred to indicated, but the less initiated describe the sensation as rather pleasant than other wise.—Glasgow Gazette. DISSENT IN NORTHUMBERLAND. — Northumberland iS another county where dissent is indeed at a low ebb—the lowest ebb. Just imagine a county containing a quarter of a million of souls, with only accommodation, in the dissenting meeting-houses, for somewhat less than 4,000 !! ! Just ima gine a county, covering an area of 1,871 square miles with 41,704 inhabited houses, with a population of 250,568, and with 492 parishes, townships, &c., yet provided with only twelve dissenting meeting-houses, which do not receive alto gether 4,000 hearers ! Mr. Archibald Jack preaches at North Shields, and Mr. William Campbell at Newcastle-on-Tyne ; and these are the dissenting altars of the county; the, rest are Homerton, Rotherham, and Yorkshire students. Arid this is the result of at least a century and a quarter of dissenting operations in Northumberland !—since the meeting-house at Horsley-on-Tynewas erected in 1720: twelve meeting-houses in one hundred and twenty-two years ! And yet we are re quired to believe, that the voluntary principle is adequate to supply the spiritual wants of the whole land! The dissent ing ministers and their supporters in this country, being too few to form a separate association, have united themselves to that of Durham. A grand failure altogether. In this part of England it is the Church which teaches the people, and she teaches them well.—Church and State Gazette. That she does so is, we think, evidenced by the facts contained in the following paragraph, which we extract from the London Times of Monday :—There are, at present, only six prisoners for trial at the approaching assizes for Northumberland, four of whom are lodged in the county gaol of this town, and the remaining two are out on bail. One is charged with bur glary, accompanied by an attempt to murder, which is a capital offence by the Ist Victoria, c. 86, three with robbery on the highway, one with horse-stealing, one with house breaking, and one with bigamy. The case of burglary is of a very aggravated description, and the offence was committed in April last, in the parish of Newburn, in this county. The criminal statistics of this. county have for many years past been trivial, compared with some other portions of the king dom, even with the adjoining county of Durham, and afford abundant proof of the superior moral condition of the people. For a period of about 20 years there has not been a single execution within the county, nor any very conspicuous crime, with the exception of Bolam's memorable case, which, though the offence was committed in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, was ultimately removed within the jurisdiction of the county. MYSTERIOUS OCCURRENCE.—Late on Saturday night Mr. M`Carthy, the Dublin county coroner, had a jury apm moned to inquire into the circumstances connected with the death of A. Byrne, Esq., of No. 1, Albert -terrace, Rath mines. There are various rumours affoat respecting the mys terious occurrence the subject of inquiry, but as the inquest has been adjourned until Monday, we refrain from going into any very minute detail of the facts of the case. During the greater part of last week Mr. Byrne was missed by his inti mate friends, but his absence from the several places he fre quented was not such as to create any uneasiness, and so matters remained until Saturday evening. At th a t p er i o d Surgeon Harvey, of Rathmines, was sent for to see Mr. Byrne, it being communicated to him that the latter was in a precarious state, and that a very painful rattle (as had been stated) was in his throat. Surgeon Harvey with great promptitude hastened to the house, and on being ushered into the back drawing-room, found Mr. Byrne dead, and from the appearance of the body he must have [been dead some days ; a more horrifying spectacle could not have been witnessed—the face was black and swollen, and the features could scarcely be recognised, while the body was also dis coloured arid much swollen. Sufficient appeared to lead to the communication of the matter to the police, and Mr. M`Carthy, the county coroner, having been sent for at a late hour, swore a jury, but adjourned the hearing of the evi dence. The police are placed in care of the house. On Sun day Surgeons Mitchell, Ellis, Fox, and others, atttended at a post mortem examination, and the contents of the stomach were removed, in order to have them analysed. The medi cal gentlemen state that the body was in a very decomposed state, and the smell was so great as to be observed, prior to the death being known, by the family in the adjoining house. It is needless to say that the whole affair has excited the deepest interest in the neighbourhood. The deceased is said to have died in the possession of a considerable sum in ready money ; and that fruitful source of good or evil has, it is very generally said, occupied a prominent position in influ encing his destiny. Mr. Byrne was in the prime of life, and not many years married. The adjourned inquest on the body of Augustin Byrne was held on Monday night, at the house of the deceased in Rathmines. The only witnesses examined were the two Messrs. Wall, the sons of Mrs. Byrne. by her former husband. Both these witnesses swore to the intemperate habits of deceased and their mother; that for the last four years they were constantly in a state of in toxication, and had frequent quarrels; but that whenever deceased was sober and his wife drunk, deceased bore all her abuse with great patience. One of the Walls further swore that it was his belief that his stepfather did not die a natural death; but afterwards explained his meaning by saying that he thought deceased might have been smothered in a fit of drunkenness. The coroner, having stated that the medical gentlemen would not have completed the analyzation of the contents of deceased's stomach before a week, further ad journed the inquest to Wednesday. The Messrs. Wall were permitted to go at large, but enjoined to keep silent on the subject of the inquiry. Mrs. Byrne remains in custody. The deceased, it is stated, had formerly been much attached to one of the daughters of his wife, then Mrs. Wall, but that circumstances induced him to transfer his affections to the mother. The young lady died shortly afterwards, leav ing the whole of her fortune, £5OOO, to Mr. Byrne. A letter from Cape Hayti ' dated the 29th of May, con tains a description of the late calamity at St. Domingo, fully confirming all the horrors of the earth q u a ke, a nd the It s appears that allthemountai the towns with a few additional par ticulars.tlown he e within 1 6 5 e 0 d ni , i w l e h s i c h i a l v i have suffered more or less, and that the palace p pa e la in ce as o s t o t f he ru c i e n l s e . bra i t l ed e Christophe, and the citadel i n w about 14Hayti, miles from Cape ca by the French while city itself, which is indifferentl Y lled the c ity o f C a p e are built in Hayti, possession, ll ay ti en a n , dor somagnificent Francois, m. w ra e n re ni a n pa palace built of marble buildings, that it was styled the " Palace of the Ant e g g es i al t . a t " ri Inbt angles, splendid hospital, a about among a the mile principal square, the buildings and a large theatre, but brought from France, barracks, a housecathed builtral, b just y B fi n n r i i s a h x e ,d the e a I n a te gnv enormousex pense , ernn B r P r a m s said his character was commandingref used as a Freemasons' lodge. The rec_en o t . death of this tgoovbeernvoetr•yßmornleahx,rweghroetwteads, afolsroitcoi mender -la-chief, seems such that he would hare acted like the general at Port de Pail, who, finding some of his men to obey orders, at once ordered them to step out of the ranks and shot them on them on the spot. The consequen.cnks, this act of timely severity at such a crisis was, that n e ot o a f dollar was lost, while in Cape Hayti, for want of sufficient discipline, there seems to have been a needless sacrifice of life and property. The sick and maimed of Cape Hayti when taken from the ruins were moved on board the Active, a Hamburgh merchant vessel, the master of which, named Paice, is spoken of in the highest terms for the great kind nees he displayed to the sufferers. The present governor, Boyer, is said to be falling into disrequte in consequence of adopting arbitrary measures. Some time ago, finding the majority of the legislature opposed to his government, he placed a guard before the House of Assembly, giving th e officer a list of the names of about thirty member who were to be forcibly excluded. Those political differences have been interrupted by the earthquake, which, of course, has been all.absorbing ; but it seems certain that no more presi dents will be elected for life. Retiring pensions of £3,500 each have fallen in by the death of the two ex-judges, Sir Joseph Littledale and Baron Alexander. The Hon. and Rev. Francis John Grey, son of Earl'Grey, read himself into the valuable rectory of Morpeth, on Sun day, before a very numerous congregation. The Marquis of Hastings' splendid hunting stud was brought to the hammer at Tattersall's on Monday, and fetched fair prices. EARLY HARVT. I .—on Thursday and Friday we observed a number of shearers employed in cntting down a pretty large field of barly, on the farm of Mr. Oliver, Lochend, near Edinburgh.—Caledonian Mercury. AWFUL INSTANCE OF SUDDEN DEATH.—On Monday evening, about seven o'clock, as -an elderly woman, named Mary Harris, was walking along Aldenhan-terrace, Somers Town, she tell down, and instantly expired. The body was conveyed to St. Pancras workhouse, in which establishment the deceased has for some time past been an inmate. The Bury Post states that notices of disfranchisement have been served by a messenger from the House of Com mons on eleven of the free burgesses resident in the borough of Sudbury : three of them for giving and the others for acknowledging the receipt of various sums of money at the last election. The dispute between the guardians of the Braintree board and the poor law commissioners has terminated amicably. The commissioners aver that they never had the intention that all minutes and all notices of motion should be sent up to them, but only those which related to particular subjects, on which they had a concurrent jurisdiction; and, conse quently, they never intended to control the free discussion of the guardians.—Chelmsford Chronicle. IMPORTANT DECISION. — Lord Cockburn lately gave a decision (in a case in which he purposely avoided giving the names of the parties), that au agreement for a secret part nership is a contravention of the laws made for regulating the business of a pawnbroker, and that no legal partnership is thereby constituted.—This decision is in conformity with the dicta of the iate Lord Chancellor (Eldon), and other judges. - - NEW RAILWAY IN FIFE. — We understand that a numer ous and highly respectable meeting was held at Inverkei thing on the 24th ult., the Provost of Inverkeithing in the chair, for the purpose of making the necessary arrangements for carrying into execution the proposed extension railway from Halbeath to the Collieries of Lumphinans, Lochgelly, and others, which will give these collieries a railway com munication with the sea at Inverkeithing, and open up a valuable coal-field of almost inexhaustible Extent.—Fifeshire Journal. Sc DDEN DEATH OF BARON FOSTER.—We annonnce, with regret, the sudden decease of this most amiable gentleman and righteous judge, which took place on circuit in the town of Cavan, at a late hour on Saturday night. His lordship opened the commission in that town in the afternoon of the day of his decease—dined with the grand jury, and retired early to his lodgings in his usual state.of health. He seems to have escaped all suffering in his death, which was so im mediate, as to leave no room for professional skill to be re sorted to.—Pnblin Statesman. OnSabbath last, Donald M'Kay, who officiated occasion ally.as an assistant gravedigger, was drinking rather freely in a house at the shore. Feeling himself getting heavy, he leant his head upon the table, and, as his companions thought, soon fell into a profound sleep. They, too, followed the example. After allowing him what was supposed sufficient time to recruit, the landlord attempted to rouse him up, but found that he was a corpse. br. Monteath was immediately cailed, but surgical aid was of no avail, as life had been ex tinct for some time. —Perils Advertiser. We understand that Madame Petrisci or Harris, who is better known as the " Lady Thief," was dismissed from. prison on Saturday last, after having completed her period of eighteen months' imprisonment, to which sbe had been sentenced by the Circuit Court for committing thefts in three of the hotels in this city, which made a considerable noise at the time. During the period of her imprisonment, she was principally employed in light needle-work, She left the jail exquisitely dressed, and no one who might observe her dig nified and genteel air, could suppose that she had 'only an instant before been liberated from the felons' ward. She departed the city, we believe, the same day ; and has kept her own secret so well, that as little of her real history is known now as on the day of her apprehension.—Glasgow paper. ACCIDENT AT BEIGHTON.-011 Tuesday afternoon, about half-past three o'clock, an alarming accident happened off Brighton. A small pleasure boat, named the Surprise, Richard Spicer owner, had been out for a cruise with a lady, her three daughters, and a little boy. The wind was blow ing hard, and the sea running high, and many of the fisher men blamed the men for taking parties out. Upon the re turn of the boat several persons were on the cliffs watching her in, when, upon her striking the beach, the w i n d caug ht her sails, and threw the whole party into the sea, including the two men who had the management of her. Very fortu nately a number of fishermen were near the spot, and imme diately rushed into the sea, and succeeded in bringing out the whole of the party. Two of the young ladies were washed under the boat, one of whom appeared at first in a lifeless state,. but upon being placed o n th e b eac h s h e soon came rout d. MELANCHOLY DEATH. - Robert Kesson, vintner in Helmsdale, who resisted the payment of a duty of Bs. on a dog, with which he was charged, but for which he alleged he was not liable, as the dog did not belong to him, was lately prosecuted in Exchequer for resisting the tax, and was on Thursday last committed a prisoner to the gaol of Dornoch, in default of paying a heavy penalty in which he was con victed. This step, under the peculiar circumstances of the case, had so powerful an effect on the poor man's mind, that he became what is popularly termed broken-hearted, went into a state of desperation and fury on Friday night, and when locked up alone, vented his rage in demolishing the window, and was early on Saturday morning found dead, lying on the floor of his room. " His body," says a corre spondent, " after having undergone a post mortem examina tion, has been interred. The opinion of the medical men was that he died from inflammation.—lnverness Courier. TEMPERANCE SHIPS.—On Wednesday, at 12 o'clock, a pnblic meeting of shipowners, underwriters, merchants, and others interested in the safe navigation of British merchant ships, was held in the Royal Exchange Sale Room, Glas gow, to consider the best means of promoting the sailing of such vessels on temperance principles—Sir James Campbell, Lord Provost, in the chair. The attendance was highly respectable. After a good deal of conversation, a resolution was eventually carried to the effect, that the meeting highly approve of the conduct of-those shipowners and masters who had introduced the temperance principle into their vessels, and recommend its adoption by all of them, and in order that this might be more s peedily the case, they invited the Insurance Companies of Scotland to take the matter -into consideration, and reduce the insurance in favour of 'tempe rance vessels. A committee was then appointed to carry out the.object of the meeting• LARGE FIRE IN MONTREAL. —A fire broke out yesterday afternoon, about 4 o'clock in an outbuilding near Mr. Tomp kics's bakehouse, in the Main-street of St. Lawrence Suburbs. A high wind unfortunately prevailed at the time, which rapidly conveyed the flames to a number of the surrounding buildings, which in the short space of three hours were totally consumed. From the Main -street the conflagration spread through Lagauchrtiere to St. Dominque-street, and 25 houses in all are said to have been destroyed. We regret to hear that by this Calamity many respectable and industrious members of the community have been severe sufferers. As usual, there was a great deficiency of water at the commence ment of the fire, but this was afterwards remedied, and the exertions of the firemen were most praiseworthy. The cupola of the Montreal General Hospital, though far removed from the scene of destruction, caught fire, but from the vigilance and activity of those in charge of the institution it was speedily extinguished.—Montreal Gazette, June 14, Monday being the first day of the operation of the new tariff, the several offices of the " long-room," Custom house, were occupied in the arrangement of the duties. The " grand side " attracted the greatest concourse ; and 1,850 entries were made there, while on the " plantation side" the entries were about 1,000. In the " export department" there was no material alteration in the appearance of busi ness. The entries on wine account were not very extensive, in consequence of the settlements which would have to be made respecting those duties on glass, which have already created so much anxiety in the minds of those connected with the wine and spirit business. It is estimated that upon clarets, sauternes, and German wines, this alteration of the duties on glass will make a difference of about 100 per cent. Great assistance was given on this occasion by a small publi cation called " The Customs' Book of Rates," in which the duties are alphabetically arranged, instead of being classified under the various heads in the tariff—London Times. TUR ENGLISH FINA NCIERS.—W e un d ers t an d th a t M r. Ricardo has left town f or Washington and the South, and that Mr. J. Horsley Palmer will leave to-morrow. Both these gentlemen have been in our city for several weeks, and although they have notcreated th e vu l gar no i se that followed Charles Dickens and his Kate, yet they have laid the founda tion of a most lasting and useful reputation in those matters that deeply concern human life. Among the leading men of England who have visited us, we know of none more fully entitled to the respect and esteem of our fellow-citizens than that truly estimable gentleman M r . H ors l ey P almer. He has been long recognised as the abiding friend of our coun try, and in every station he has held in the financial world, his best efforts have always been directed in sustaining and upholding the credit and character of our institutions. Our countrymen abroad have always met in him a kind, warm welcome. Ile has always acted under the conviction that the interests of England and that of the United States, in all matters of trade, commerce, currency, and finance, were identical and inseparable ; and that whatever affected one nation was sure Walled the other ; and the effects of his pen in sundry able productions, as also his able testimony before a committee of parliament, all evince a singleness and disin terestedness of purpose that carries conviction, and marks him a truly upright man and sound thinker, and one who looks first to the advancement of general prosperity before shaping his own private ends.—New York paper. THE AFFAIR OF CABOOL.—(Extract from a private letter.)—We are now haying a happy reverse, everything going on well. Regarding the Affghan affair, you will have seen the force had neither a shot fired after they entered the Khyber Pass, or did they see an enemy. Lady Sale wrote to her husband, and she says " Shelton (colonel of the late 44th, Queen's) is to blame, and much to blame; he only seemed to try how he could get out of the place unscathed." Of course lie will be tried by a court-martial. Poor General Elphinstone died from fatigue and distress, but I am glad to say he has signed a paper just before his death giving a true account of the business. Major Pottinger has minuted to Government that General Elphinstone behaved bravely and nobly, but, from his weak state of health, was obliged to make over the command to Shelton, who was totally incom petent. Lady Sale says if there be a press in England she is determined to let the world know the truth ; she adds, that Sir C. M'Naghten rushed at Ukhbar Khan's throat, and then he killed him; but, however, a few months will dis close all. If Afghanistan is to be kept, then certainly the authorities ought to be near there. Ferozepore is to be a large station for European troops. General Lumley is very ill—water on the chest. Rumour says either Pollock, or Battene, or Graham, all of the artillery, is to be the adjutant general. To-day (May 13) is the latest date for sending letters. I understand Calcutta is very dull ; several houses have failed. RETURN OF BOZ.—DANGEROUS EXCESS OF JOY.-Mr. Dickens is again in London, safe from his transatlantic tour, which, we have no doubt, will soon produce a new harvest of stirring adventures. and graphic delineation of character. The return of the distinguished novelist was marked, as we learn from a friend, by an impressive and painful incident in his family circle. Immediately on their return, the happy parents rushed to see their children. A fine boy, six years old, was roused from his sleep for the purpose, and no sooner had the little fellow caught a glimpse of the faces so much endeared to him, and so long absent, than he burst into a transport of delight, which it was found impossible to repress. Joy was now converted into grief. The delirium continued, and on Friday several physicians were in attendance, almost despairing of re covery . P ower f u l means were applied, and on Saturday he was so much better that his speedy restora. tion is anticipated. Mr. Dickens, we understand, returns a better En g li s h man th an h e wen t ; his views o f A merican society h ave no t i mpresse d hi m favourably with th e new world, though instances of individual kindness and attention were showered u p on hi m i n profusion. The li g h ts and shades of A mer i can manners —th e strangely mingled t ra it s of freedom and d omes ti c tyrann y, of high spirit an d sordid vulgarity, of liberality an d me anness, which are displayed in the social institutions and intercourse of the United States, will afford a rich field for this modern Fieldingovhose best laurels have been gained by his comic humour and his moral painting of life and character. — lnvernesa Courier. On Tuesday night Sir Robert Peel brought in a bill for the better protection' of the Queen's person. Hereafter, should any miscreant present fire-arms at her Majesty, or strike, or attempt to strike, her person with missiles, he will be subject to seven years' transportation, with previous im prisonment and severe bodily chastisement. This is a very wholesome measure, and will, we doubt not, prevent any further annoyance of her Majesty. Several incendiary fires, accompanied by threatening let ters, have taken place during the past .three weeks in the neighbourhood of Havant, Hampshire. The rector's barn has been burned down, and a valuable carriage in it. At High Wycombe, Rucks, on Thursday, an incendiary fire also occurred, traces of the design being left. The Bank of England on Monday paid the dividends in new sovereigns and half-sovereigns, and in new half-crowns, shillings, and sixpences, just issued from the Royal Mint. A large amount of new half-crowns, shillings, and sixpences, was sent off on Saturday and Tuesday. particularly to Liver pool, Manchester, Birmingham, Sheffield, Leeds, and other populous manufacturing districts in the north. Major-General Robertson, C. 8., one of the oldest general officers of his rank in the service, died at Edinburgh last week, at an advanced age. The general served in the 89th regiment in Egypt, Java, &c., and was advanced to the rank of major-general at the brevet in honour of the coronation of his late Majesty King George IV., 19th July, 1819. INTEREST or MONEY.—Steven Parlin, a French ecclesi astic, who travelled in England and Scotland in 1561, says— " In this country (Scotland), as I have seen it practised, a man who is possessed of 100 golden or sun crowns, will lend them to a merchant, for which the merchant will maintain him a whole year in his house, and at his own table, and at the end of the year will return him his money. GOVERNMENT AND THE STRATHDOGIE MINISTERS. — We have been kindly furnished with the following extract from a private letter, on the information of which our readers may with confidence rely :—" You will be pleased to learn that government have now taken the persecuted members of the Strathbogie presbytery under their protection. The moderator has received a letter from Sir James Graham, intimating to the majority of that presbytery that they would be protected in all their rights and privileges ; and that, in any legal measures they were forced to have recourse to, they must apply to the crown agent, who had directions to do whatever was requisite for their interests." This is quite as it ought to be; and we trust government will act with equal decision and firmness throughout.—Fife Journal. The three measures of Sir Robert Peel's Government are now in operation—the new Corn Law Bill, the Property Tax Bill, and the Customs Duties (Tariff) Bill. In the course of a short discussion on Monday on what Mr. Villiers termed the "enormous grievance" of the corn laws, Sir R. Peel said, if it could be clearly shown that those laws were the cause of the present distress, he wouid consent to their repeal. But Mr. Villiers and his coadjutors will, we imagine, find some difficulty in convincing Sir Hobert that the distress complained of has its origin in the protection given to the home grower. " I think it possible," said the right hon. baronet, " if you repealed all protection, a present stimulus might be given to manufactures; but the time must come when, notwithstanding the stimulus given to manufactures, if the effect of that repeal should be to discourage domestic agriculture, and render you dependent on foreign supplies, you would repent of the means you had adopted." ASTONISHING EXPEDITION IN THE MANLIFACTURE OF COAT.—On Thursday week, we were favoured by Messrs. A. and D. 'Webster, of this town, with the sight of a beauti ful brown dress coat, manufactured by themin an astonishing short space of time. The appearance of the coat is very beautiful, and fully proves that great expedition may be used in manufacturing cloths under the present system, without deteriorating from the beauty of the manufacture. The wool of which this coat is made, was in the raw state, and to sort; after two o'clock on Thursday morning, it passed through the usual process of scouring, dyeing, scribbling, spinning (on the jenny), weaving (by hand), and milling, and was manufactured into superfine cloth in 12 hours and 15 minutes. The cloth was then finished, by the patent process, in two hours and fifty-three minutes, by Mr. Wil liam Kirk, of Larchfield, and then made into a dress coat by Messrs. Robinson and Russum, in the short space of three hours and 55 minutes. The whole time that elapsed be tween this coat being in the wool and made up and wearing was only 19 hours. The coat may be seen for a few days, at Messrs, Robinson and Russum's, Bridge end House. The great superiority of the cloth manufactured in the ordinary way, over the felted fabric, is fully maintained, although weare not aware the expedition has been equalled. In the ordinary way, cloth is often two months in passing through the various processes of manufacture and finishing. Leeds Mercury. The Rev. R. J. M`Ghee has been for a considerable time engaged, whenever health permitted, in delivering a course of lectures in Harold's-cross Church, on the nature of the liturgy of the Church of England, with the view of showing, from the meaning and spirit of the words they gave utterance to, that all who engage in Its service are guilty of mocking' the ilmighty, and adding to their own eternal condemnation if they are not animated with feelings of reverence and hearty devotion. The rev. preacher, on last Sunday, entered into a recapitulation or sumtnary of his previous discourses up to the end of the creed, and, at its conclusion, requested the congregation to stand up and perform part of the service in the manner in which he had been impressing on their consi deration. The assembly at once complied with the sug gestion, and having stood up, joined in the part appointed with the most perfect cordiality—audibly repeating each response, and manifesting the greatest zeal and sincerity. The contrast from the cold indifference which previously pre vailed, and the warmth of devotion then displayed was strikingly perceptible, and the effect was risible in the smile of satisfaction and joy which beamed ii. e countenance of the preacher, and the happiness of the congregation. The scene was altogether one of deep solemnity and interest. — Dublin Statesman. THE COLONIAL SOCIETY.—On Tuesday, a meeting of the members of the Calonial Society was held at the Thatched House, for the purpose of agreeing to an address to Sir C. T. Metcalf, the late governor-general of Jamaica, expressive of the high opinion entertained by the society of the able, suc cessful, and satisfactory manner in which he bad adwinistered the duties of his office during his sojuurn in that conntry— an administration which, it was said, had had the effect of tranquilising a country which at the period of his acceptance of office was in a state of the utmost distraction. We noticed amongst those who were present the Earl of Mount cashel, Dr. ltolph, Mr. M. Martin, Mr. Good, Mr. Burge (the agent of Jamaic a ), M r . A. M ac d ouga ll , M r. H. Clarke, Mr. Hopkinson, Drr Ifill, Mr. B. Ifill, Mr. Morson, Lieut.- Colonel Taylor, Mr. H. Malcolm, Mr. G. Layard, Mr. D. Nugent. Mr. Urquhart. Mr. Power, Mr. A. M'Gregor, Mr. H. Guest, Sir A. M'Nab, &c. Mr. Burge entered into a lenghthened and eulogistic detail of the various principles which the right hon. baronet had laid down as those upon which the island of Jamaica should be governed, and read the address, which was subsequently unanimously agreed to. A series of resolutions upon the subject were also moved, seconded, and carried without a single dissentient voice, by Mr. Burnley, Dr. Rolph, Mr. M. Martin (who hoped the exertions of the late governor would meet their reward at the hand of his Sovereign in the shape of a peerage—(hear, hear) —Lieutenant-Colonel Taylor, Mr. Hopkinson, Mr. A. M`Dougall, and Mr. H. Clarke. A deputation having been appointed, Sir A. M`Nab expressed his full concurrence in the object of the meeting, and said he was sure his Canadian friends would be delighted to hear that he had been able to be present on the occasion.—Times. CAUTIOY TO SERVANTS.—The following novel descrip tion of swindling ought to operate as a warning to servants in general. One day last week, a woman called at a house in Leith, and exhibited some net-work, with large edging, offering the servant who opened the door a great bargain if she would purchase. When the price was named, the ser vant said she had not quite enough of money past her; this was obviated by the woman stating that she would take empty bottles fcr the balance. The girl advanced the money, and brought two empty bottles to make up the difference. In this way the bargain was concluded. Next morning another woman called and said that the lace-seller had been apprehended in Edinburgh upon a charge of stealing the bottles; and, unless five shillings were advanced for her liberation, the girl would be brought into trouble. Alarmed for the consequence, the money was procured, and again all seemed right; but the dupe was not yet to be let alone. Next day the same woman called again, and alarmed the girl by stating, that unless eight shillings were advanced, she would be immediately prosecuted. Frightened at such a threat, but not having the money, the girl offered a gown and new umbrella in lieu of the demand. Upon the woman again leaving the house, the girl took confidence, and told the whole affair to a friend, who promptly informed the Leith police; and upon the swindler presenting herself next morning for a farther demand, she was apprehened, and brought before the court, and was sentenced to sixty days' hard labour in Bridewell. SOUTH POLE EXPEDITION.—We have been favoured with a sight of a letter from an officer of this expedition, dated the Falkland Islands, May Ist, received this morning, from which we extract the following details of the return of the expedition. It will return to the ice next year .—" The Erebus and Terror were at the Falkland Islands on the Ist of May last. They left New Zealand on the 23d of Novem ber ; entered the ice on the 18th of December ; were beset in it nearly seven weeks, but succeeded in taking up a posi tion for exploring near the place they retired from the sum mer before—about 78 degrees south—but were unable to add more than 80 or 90 miles to former discoveries. This was in a continuation of the great barrier of ice (connected with the volcano), which they still found stretching east and west, but they bad the satisfaction of making seven miles more southincr; for on the 23d of February, when they were com pelled by the season to make their way northward, the ships were in latitude 78 10, longitude 162 20 AV., within three or four miles of the barrier. They saw no land, although at one time they were driven within 100 miles of Franklin Is land, where a landing was effected last year. They did riot leave an hour too soon ; for, before they got clear of the region of icebergs, dark nights overtook them, and on a stormy night, while hauling away from a cluster of them, both ships unavoidably came in contact. The Terror got off with the loss of some spars, but the Erebus lost her bow sprit and foretopmast ; they, however, had a fair passage after, and arrived at the Falkland Islands on the 6th of April. One man belonging to the Erebus was unfortunately drowned off Cape Horn. Every one else was quite well. Capt. Ross had appointed E. J. 13ird to be commander of the Erebus ; A. J. Smith to be lieutenant of the Erebus ; and 0. H. Mowbray purser of the Terror."—United Service Gazette. ATTEMPT TO MURDER AND HORRIBLE DEPRAVITY. — At the Stourbridge police-office, last week, Richard Taylor, of Oldswinford, was charged before William Robins, Esq., with having, on the Ist instant, fired a gun loaded with pow der and slugs at Hannah his wife, with intent to do her some grievous bodily harm. The following are briefly the facts of the case :—The prisoner, who is a very violent and passion ate man, has been twice married ; by his former wife he has two children, one a girl about nineteen, and a boy about six teen years of age. By his second wife he has five children, two boys and three girls, making seven children altogether. It appears that for the accommodation of the above family, there are but two bedrooms in the house, and only two beds, in one of which slept the prisoner Taylor, his wife Hannah, the girl aged 19, and a child of her's 18 months' old, and the prisoner's youngest child, aged 3 years; the son by the first wife and the four other children sleeping in the other bed. For the last two years a most unnatural intercourse has taken place between the prisoner and his eldest daughter, and it is presumed that the infant which she now has is the result. Taylor is a man of beastly and drunken habits, and when in that condition he commits the most brutal excesses. On the night in question when he shot at his wife, the priso ner came home d run k, an d ca ll e d f or hi s daughter, which appears to have been his custom when in this state ; hearing him call her, she secretly left the house, and the prisoner, not being able to find her, began to abuse his wife. A good deal of quarrelling ensued, when the prisoner was heard by several of the neighbours to make use of a demoniac oath, and threaten to blow out her brains, after which they heard a gun fired, and the prisoner exclaim, " There —, take that." All then appeared to be quite still, but in a few mi nutes they beard a noise, which was supposed to be the pri soner dragging something heavy about the house ; some person was groaning dreadfully, and crying " Murder !" and soon after the prisoner's wife was seen running from the house. After this the inhuman father compelled all his children'to come from their beds, and thrust them out of the house, with nothing upon them but their night-clothes. Being dreadfully alarmed, they all ran away into the road, when the brutal parent called to a savage dog which he keeps, to turn them all out of the premises. The neighbours having sent for the police, the prisoner was apprehended. In the examination before Mr. Robins, evidence was given of the most disgusting character; and the charge having been com pletely substantiated, the prisoner was fully committed for 1 ' trial at the assizes, on the capital charge of shooting at his wife, with intent to murder her. ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. THIS popular and pre- em i nen tl y a tt ract i ve R esort i s op fn Daily, from Seven A.M. till Dusk. The GRAND EVENING FETES take place every Monday and Friday during the Season, with THE ROMAN FESTA. At Dusk, THE GRAND ILLUMINATION OF ST. PETER'S. This inconceivably magnificent Spectacle is succeeded by the Pyrotechnic Wonders of the GIRANDOLA OF ST. ANGELO, with all its splendid incidents, terminating with the gorgeous Cascade of brilliant Fire, and tremendous Flight of Rockets. To enliven the Evening's Promenade, MR. STUBBS' ROYAL HARMONIC BAND will perform a favourite selection of Music. The Gardens are Illuminated with Gas Lamps. TO CORRESPONDENTS We shall perhaps profit by the hints of " A Conservative.' The letter of " A Convert" is not adapted for publicity. We have received Mr. Rumball's communication. I; jrEibtrpool 15talibaria. FRIDAY MORNING, JULY 15, 1842 The New Tariff Bill, which pasSed the House of Lords on Friday night, having at once received the royal assent, was forwarded to our Custom-house in time to admit of its being put into operation at the opening of that establishment on Monday morning. Before the ❑sual hour of commencing business the officers and clerks of the Long Room assembled to prepare for the merchants and others who have for some time past been waiting for the passing of the bill before releasing their goods, and were soon immersed in the bustle occasioned by the numerous entries which were pressed upon them for examination and comple tion. During the whole of Monday and Tuesday the Long Room was in a state of the greatest animation, and we certainly never saw it more thronged upon any former occasion. The payments on, coffee, turpentine, and other rc reduced articles were very pumerous; and upwards of 2270 entries were passed in the first three days, being an increase of about 930 upon the number ordinarily made. In the multifarious assessments of a general tariff some errors and obscurities might naturally be expected and have certainly, we find, occurred. Some difficulty was experienced in ascertaining the weight of wine and spirit bottles, which are now chargeable by the cwt. Some doubts were also entertained whether the reduced rates on staves and other woods mentioned on the same page of the' act (623) did not come into operation at once. It has, however, since been ruled that these rates do not commence until the 10th of October, as is the case with respect to the article of timber generally. The smelting of foreign copper, the export of coals to British possessions, and a few other minor points, seemed to occasion some differences of opinion ; and the difficulty to inexperienced persons of having to search for their - articles through the seven teen tables in which they are dispersed, instead of be ing alphabetically arranged, was felt here quite as much as the Times represents it to have been in London. In addition to these temporary difficulties, the pressure upon the collector and gentlemen of the Long Room at the present juncture has been materially increased by the necessity of guarding against the receipt of light gold, and by the collection of the income tax coming simultaneously upon them. .The admirable arrangements made have, however, we are glad to ob serve, obviated any serious inconvenience to the public. We may mention here that the relief afforded to the mercantile interest by the cessation of the half per cent. duty payable upon exported articles has given very general satisfaction ; and in our opinion, as one of its results, we shall for the future be much better able to depend upon the correctness of our Custom house return of exports. These documents have often been noticed as presenting features somewhat aizoma lous ; and we have no doubt that when the temptation to false entries is withdrawn, we shall have to notice a material increase of the estimated money amount of our foreign shipments. A London evening paper (the Globe) of Monday last contained the following announcement : " We hear, from a quarter which is likely to be well in formed, that in the event of the Sudbury Disfranchisement Bill passing the House of Lords, Sir Robert Peel intends to propose that an additional member each be given to Middle sex and to Liverpool; thus preserving to the House of Commons its present number of- members, and effecting an approach to a more equal numerical proportion between t 1 representatives and the constituents." With respect to the truth of the Globe's discovery we know nothing. We doubt it, however, greatly; and half suspect that the report has been got up by the journalist for the purpo . Se of enabling him to in dulge in the following spiteful fling at the constituency of this town, which, be it remembered, had, not long ago, the audacity to flout at the claims of the venera ble dandy who occasionally vents his impertinence in its pages to represent them in parliament : " To give another member to Liverpool," remarks the Globe," would serve only to raise the price of votes in that town, and thus to afford additional encouragement to bribery. The old freemen of Liverpool are among the most venal of their tribe. Their voracity is absolutely frightful. With them the semblance of public virtue is cast aside as an in cumbrance. The determination to render the franchise they possess a source of personal pecuniary profit, and conse quently to obtain for it the highest price which the oppor tunity afforded by the • state of parties will allow them to exact, is the actuating motive of that influential portion of the Liverpool constituency. In this respect they were not surpassed by the Sudbury freemen, from whom the privilege of selling their votea to the highest bidder is to be taken away." It is somewhat amusing to see this organ of the most corrupt party which ever controlled for a season the destinies of a nation descant after this fashion against the enormity of corruption. It is still more amusing to see this affectation of consummate purity put for ward by a print notoriously the organ of the most ccr rupt politician of modern times. Lord Palmerston on purity ! The tattered hack of half-a-dozen adminis trations—the nominee of the Tiverton lace-manufac turer—on electoral morality ! The notion is about as rich as the idea put forth a few days ago, by the same illustrious authority, that his Affghanistan policy, which has been prolific only in slaughter and national humiliation, had opened the path for the admission of the cotton goods of Manchester to the markets of cen tral Asia ! " The old freemen of Liverpool are amongst the most venal of their tribe." And yet they were not to be bought by the most venal of the venal tribe of Whig gery, with the Treasury money in his fist! " Their voracity is absolutely frightful," and yet it was not sufficient to enable them to gulp down the professions of this supreme of humbugs—this most voracious of leeches—this cormorant politician ! " With them the semblance of public virtue is cast aside as useless "; and yet they would not consent to be marched through Coventry with a statesman who never had even the semblance of public virtue to throw away! The Li verpool constituency rejected the rotten and corrupt politician who was attempted to he foisted upon them ; and, as a Whig sequitur, the Liverpool freemen are rotten and corrupt ! We can readily pardon and pity the writer of this lying rubbish. W'higgery is in ill luck, and, of course, in ill temper. But when the organ of her Majesty's late foreign secretary neat enters upon a portrait of anything " venal"—of anything frightfully " voraci ous "—of anything which has cast aside " the sem blance of public virtue"—it should beware of render ing the likeness so striking that every observer is im pelled to exclaim, " Mutato nomine, de to fabula narratur !" Our Radical and Popish contemporaries have, with in the past few weeks, been dosing us w i t h f urious dia tribes against the enormity of secret societies. Orange societies in particular, because loyal and Protesta n t, have come in for a large share of their exuberant ve nom ; but we do not remember to have seen any very prominent allusion to the existence of a body of an opposite description, which is daily Plunging into out rage and crime the benighted population of Ireland, and bids fair, if not checked by the strong hand of authority, to render that unhappy country a howling wilderness. Year by year the best blood of Ireland — her Protestant Yeomanry—is leaving its shores, for the wilds of Canada or the Backwoods of the United States. Year by year, by .thou,yands, her industrious farmers, and her sturdy labourers, even of the Romish faith, are being d r iven , by the atrocious system which has fastened itself upon the land, to seek, in expatria tion, that immunity from outrage and midnight assas sination - Which is denied them at home. Year by year her resident landowners are being banished or cut off by the fiat of those secret tribunals which hold their mysterious sittings in every county and •.ownland ; and yet the fertile source of all these evils—of the blood shed and crime Which have rendered the name of Ire land a byeword amongst nations—is either studiously concealed or pointed to with a mildness of disappro faint blame"—which almost amounts to toleration. bation— Let us direct the attention of our readers, and of those journalists who have during the past few weeks been so eloquent upon the dangerous tendency of loyal Orange associations, to the report of a recent trial at Longford assizes, which will be found in another part of our paper. By the evidence there produced it was shown that " about one-third of the lower class in the county" (and the system is not confined to any par ticular locality, but extends throughout Ireland) "were Ribbonmen." It was shown too that the society num bers amongst its members not only domestic traitors, but foreigners as well. France had sent a delegate to its meetings ; and so lately as in December last the sympathizers of America had been represented there. Upon the face of it, Ribbonism is disloyal and anti national. But it is more than this. It is MURDER- Ous. For what are its objects as here declared in open court by one of its leading members—by a delegate— by a man who declares that " he has made 2000 mem bers from 1525 to 1841 ?" Why these. " If any member of the society was dispossessed of his land, he would not get long to live" "If you annoyed any of the society you would get a good hiding, if you got of with that"—if the " pestilent ruffianism" employed stopped short of murder! By the very rules of the. society a Protestant was declared a marked man, and its members were required to swear " on their knees,. in the presence of Almighty God," that they would not " buy anything from a heretic or Orangeinan"— synonymous terms, it would appear, in , Ribbon esti mation—" when they could get the same as cheap from a brother." Now we just take leave to ask of our Radical and Popish contemporaries one or two questions, with re spect to the system here developed. Was it in ac cordance with the fiat of these murderous and " pes tilent ruffians " that the streets of our town were on Tuesday crowded by menacing and savage rioters, armed with bludgeons and knives, and burning with a maniac fury against " heretics or Orangemen" ? if Ribbonmen or " sons of the shamrock " are to be found in France and even in the wilds of America, are there none of the same loyal and eminently peaceable people at this moment in Liverpool ? Was it Ribbon ism or not which on Tuesday marked out for ill treat ment and savage attack every unprotected man afflict ed with even the suspicion of being a Protestant ? When our contempories are able to answer these ques tions in the negative, the public will tolerate as sincere their ribald abuse of a loyal and Protestant body; but until they can do so we shall be justified in declaring that a Ribbon spirit dictates, if a Ribbon pen does not even write, these infamous and furious slanders. LOCAL NEWS PRESTON RACES.—It is intended, during the approaching Preston Gnild, to revive the races ,in that town. They will be run upon " The Holme," in Penwortham ' • and, should there be success in a goo d mee ti ng , th e y w ill be continued annually. In former years Preston Races were among the most attractive in the kingdom. LAUNCH OF A NEW PILOT-BOAT.—On Tuesday after noon, a new pilot-boat was launched from the ship-building yard of Mr. Thomas Royden, Baffin-street. It is well known to those who take an interest in national matters, that there is no class of vessels in the construction of which more pride is taken than our pilot-boats. No pains nor expense are spared to render them as perfect as possi ble in model, materials, and workmanship. Those "in commission," if we may use the naval term, are regularly surveyed at stated periods ; and whatever is requisite to in sure their stability, is ordered and at once supplied. The number of boats in use up to this time has been eleven; and it has been the custom, whenever one of them was con-• sidered unfit for further service, to build another, which took her place, and assumed the same number. For some years past, however, a desire has been expressed to have . an additional boat in the service ; but until recently the ap-• plication was rejected. At length the order was given, and Pilot-boat, No. 12 has been built ; and she made her first appennwee on the waters of the Mersey on Tuesday. The day Nas beautifully fine, and a vast concourse of ladies and g,tntlemen congregated in the yard to witness the launehl' At a quarter before two o'clock her last supports were knocked away, and, after a short pause, she shot forward into the water amid the mingled cheers of the spectators and of those on board. The impetus carried her forward into the river, where a cannon was fired from her deck. This was responded to by similar salutes from Pilot-boats 1, 3, 4, and 10, which, decked with gay colours, were sailing to and fro near the scene of action. The crews of the respect- five boats answered the cheers of the company in No. 12, and of the pcctators by similar testimonies of rejoicing. The guns were loaded and discharged several times, as the vessels made sail down the river. The new'boat was quickly got under sail, and a trial was made of her qualities by a trip round the light-ship, when she fully answered all expec tations of her possessing good sea-going qualities. She has a punt, built by Mr. Jones, of Tabley-street, fitted up with air-tight cylinders, which, it is anticipated, will prevent the loss of life that has occasionally taken place. These cylin ders add very little to the weight of the punt, and can be fitted up at very little expense. TILE DANGER OF DELAY.---Everybody knows that delays are dangerous, but few have had so striking a proof of the tact as that which occurred a day or two ago, to a worthy shipowner on the banks of the Clyde ; who, though he may not always be able, as in the instance we are about to narrate, to "command success," yet, in the exercise of every do mestic virtue, as well as in the sterling integrity of his character as a man of business, and his warm, disinterested generosity as a friend, habitually lives up to the higher standard of Cato, We'll do more, Scmpronius,—we'll deserve it. He had a vessel in Liverpool about to go to sea, and he came up on Saturday to see her off, having previously arranged to meet his better half on Monday morning at Belfast, where she had gone to enjoy a short holyday with a relative. His vessel did not sail as appointed ; but properly preferring his wife to his ship, he was still determined to take his paSsage that night by the Belfast boat. On applying at the packet office, he was told that the hour of sailing was ten o'clock, but that she would not go till half-past at the least. As the time drew near, he called upon one or two friends to take leave, and the partings were so difficult, or the " duds an dorrish" was so often repeated, that ten o'clock struck while yet lie had half an hour's walk between him and the Clarence Dock. Still he made himself quite easy, resting upon the assurance he had received at the packet-office. At last he began to think that no time was to be lost; and when he came within the walls of the dock he was convinced of the fact ; for there was the boat just steaming across towards the gates. With the speed of lightning he flew round to the pier, in hopes to intercept her; and with a certain line of Young's, we presume, concerning " procrastination," mingled with various compunctious reflections, in his mind, he began to congratulate himself upon being " just in time." But un happily he was only " in time to be too late; " the vessel being on the opposite side of the passage, and not deeming it worth while to stop her way in order to take him on board. However, another light was just now seen beginning to move on the other side of the dock. It belonged to the Dublin boat. This was better than nothing. He could still fulfil his engagement, though at considerable additional expense and inconvenience in the land journey from Dublin to Bel fast. The steamer was hailed ; the captain condescendingly brought her alongside, and he stepped on board. But, alas ! " misfortunes never come single." At eight o'clock on Sun day evening his friends were astonished to see him again in Liverpool. A heavy gale of wind had sprung up in the course of Saturday night, and before the vessel had reached Holy head she was disabled in her machinery, and obliged, with considerable danger, to make the best of her way back to port. In the meantime, the Belfast boat had proceeded steadily on her way, and arrived in safety at her destination ! Our baffled voyager, who, amongst his other excellent qualities, takes all his crosses very philosophically, was, nevertheless, resolved, out of sheer spleen, to have nothing more to do with Dublin ; and another Belfast boat would not be going before the middle of the week. He had, therefore, nothing for it but to go down to Greenock, and thence cross over to Ireland, where he would probably arrive four clays after his time, — fully convinced, as we have no doubt he would be, of the valne of Lord Nelson's advice, " Always be twenty minutes too soon." CHARGE OF BREAKING INTO A HOUSE WITH INTENT TO COMMIT FELONY.—Three young men—John Fagan, Je remiah Burns, and Wm. M'Moran, were yestereay charged with being concerned in the entering of a dwelling-house with intent to rob.—A police-officer (Tool) said, that about ten o'clock the previous night, while he w as i n B ev i ng t on Bush, he heard an alarm, of stop thief, and saw Fagan run ning without his shots, pursued by a female with a child. tie pursued him, when the prisoner M`Moran came up and endeavoured to prevent him from apprehending the runaway ; upon which he struck M'Moran on the arm to keep:him back. The other prisoner then came up, and a crowd was raised in the street. A rattle was sprung, and some other officers came up, "hen bricks were thrown at the officers, one of which, thrown by Burns, struck constable Tool on the shoulder. It further appeared that one of the prisoners had, before the officer saw them, been seen to drop a small crow bar, which was produced ; M'Moran also threw a dagger or knife over a wall, and a picklock was also found on Fagan, who had a piece of deal which had belonged to the window of a house. They were afterwards secured in Paul-street.— Mrs. Disley, wife of a car-keeper in Bevington Bush, said, that she was below stairs shortly before they were appre hended, when she thought she beard a foot in the room above, and sent a girl and a child lip stairs to see. One of the lat ter went up and saw the prisoners in the room, one helping the other out of the window, by which it appeared they had entered. The piece of board fitted the inside frame of the window. Mrs. Disley went out to the outside when the alarm was given, and though she had a child in her arms she ran after Fagan, overtook him, and held him for some time. M'Moran had a Scotch cap when seen in the street, but had a hat when in emit t. There were marks on the piece of board as if made by the crowbar, and a chisel was also found. It appeared, too, that a box which was kept in the room, and wnich contained money had been disturbed, an attempt hav ing apparently been made to force it open ; but no property was missed but.the piece of wood that bad secured the win dow inside. Mrs. Disley could not positively swear that she had left the window fastened : indeed, it appeared that she had not been up stairs after three o'clock, and that the win dow was frequently left open all day. The evidence as to the breaking into the house was not complete as regarded Burns, who, however, had assaulted the officers while in the execution of their duty. The prisoners bad been respectively committed on former occasions, one of them eight times, another sixteen times, and the third twenty-four times—the delinquencies appearing to exceed each other in arithmetical ratio.—Mr. Rushton committed M'Moran and Fagan for trial at the assizes, and ordered that Burns should pay a fine of £5, or be committed to gaol for two months, and, further, that he should find bail—himself in £2O and two sureties in £l5 each, or be further imprisoned for two months longer.