The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1847-04-27 00:00:00

*inpertai parliament: HOUSE OF COMMONS MONDAY The first hour and a half of the sitting was occupied in the presentation of petitions, principally in reference to the education grant. On the motion of Mr. GREENE, it was ordered that the house would not receive any petition against a railway bill, after Monday the 3rd of May, unless the petitioners complain of any matter which may have arisen during the progress of the bill before the committee on the bill, and that from and after that day the committee of classification May refer to the chairman of the committee of ways and means, and the members ordered to bring in such unop posed bills as they shall deem it desirabl to refer. Lord J. RUSSELL, in answer to Mr. Ferrand, stated that it was his intention to bring the subject of the Eng lish poor-law forward in the ensuing (this) week. The noble lord, also, in answer to Sir B. Hill, With reference to rumours that arrangements had been made - between the government and the Wesleyan committee for the pur pose of setting aside their opposition to the education grant, stated that the communications with the Wesleyan body on the subject of the minutes of the council of edu cation, were originated not by any person authorised by the government, but by Lord Ashley, who, having been given to understand that they were about to enter into a resolution ho'stile to the minutes, suggested that that body had better learn from the government whether they had put a proper construction upon them. The communica tion was made through the secretary of the committe of council, and the answer of himself and Lord Lansdowne to the first question was, that persons holding ecclesiasti cal functions would not be eligible to the office of pupil teachers; to the second, that the cases in which they would give assistance to schools would be with reference to those 'schools in which competent provision would be made for the instruction of children, the daily reading of a portion of the Scriptures forming part of that instruc tion, by which it was meant that the authorised version should be used. To the next question, as regarded in spectors, they were informed that the government we r— to inspect t"! prepared to choose a person .aeir schools; who should only be appointed by the concurrence of the Wes leyan body ; and that the committee of education of that body should have the same power of expressing their opinion, and of having their concurrence and leave asked before inspectors were appointed to their schools, as was enjoyed by the British and Foreign School Society. He was not aware that any grants had been made to Roman Catholic schools exclusively, though grants might have been made to schools where the authorised version of the leriptures was usec have at- Catholic bishOps_ should express their views on the sub- hen won cider whether these grants could not in any way be ex tended to that body; and he trusted the time would ar rive, when, after due deliberation and consideration, they rants to the Roman Cathol purposes of education, as well as to Protes- might propose to the hous( lies for the tants; but as regarded the present vote, no portion of it was intended to be applied to such schools. The noble lord then proceeded. in an elaborate speech of more than two hours duration, to propound the views of the govern ment on the general question. Mr. T. Du-NcomßE'follov moving as an amer inquire into the justice and expediency of the proposed scheme, and' its probable expense; also, as to whether the regulations attached thereto do not confer an undue in fluence on the crown, invade the constitutional functions of parliament, and interfere with the religious convictions and civil rights of the people. Sir R. Ibrous and Mr. MACAULAY strongly supported the grant, which was opposed by Mr. ROEBUCK, at the conclusion of whose speech the debate was adjourned. -TUESDAY HOUSE OF COMMONS The adjourned debate on education was rest EWART, who complained that the scheme of education proposed by the government was not a comprehensive The Earl of SURRE should not_ stand in the way of jealousy, and would grant his support to the scheme now propounded by government. observed that no objections which he the game of those who wished to defeat it entirely Lord SANDON supported the measure now proposed by the government, though it was neither a scheme of edu cation nor ought to be so considered. He valued it as admitting the fact, that it was the duty of the state to educate its people—that religion was the essential part of everything deserving the name of education—that the education of the moral man was, of all other education, the most important—and that, without it, every other educa tion was a snare, a mockery, and delusion. He could not eay that he gave his unqualified support to every detail in those minutes ; but still, on the whole, they were well worthy of being adopted, and he considered them to be part- of that process of feeling our way which we had been pursuing now, year by year, for some time past. T • • _lent 111ORPETH, atter expressing Ins regret that he was obliged to oppose the wishes of many of his constituents, entered into a general defence of the minutes of August and December last, against the objections urged against them by Mr. Duncombe and Mr. Gisborne. He ex pressed his regret that the old Protestant dissenting de nomination of England should have committed itself to the course on which it had now entered. He regretted it for itself individually, but he regretted it more for the sake of the Protestant dissenters themselves ; for he be lievad that they were in the wrong, and that their proposi tion; however it might embitter the struggle, must, in the end, undoubtedly fail. The suls'ect then dropped. The Trish Fever Bill then passed through committee, and was reported without amendment, • the third reading being 'fixed for this day. HOUSE OF COMMONS 'HURSDAY The adjourned debate on the Education Question was re sumed by Sir W. Clay, and after Sir. J. Pakington, Mr. Hume, Sir J. Graham, and one or two other members had addressed the house, - _ _ Lord J. RITSSELL deciared 'himself relieved by the turn iieh the debate had taken from any apprehensions which Ist his scheme He foimd that Mr. T.Dun _ combe, who was the organ of the Congregationalists and Baptists on this occasion, had mot•xenplred to _propound their principle, that the state had no right to educate the people, and that the glory or disgrace of advocating that doctrine was reserved for Mr. Bright, and for Mr. Bright alone.' It was, therefore, too much to ask the house to agree to this committee of inquiry ; for, considering the terms in which the motion was couched ; it could mean nothing else but a censure on the ministry for their de sire to give education to the great body of the people. He recounted the services which the Whigs, as a party, had rendered to the dissenters—asked what Mr. Bright had ever done for the dissenters to outweigh the sense of those services ? and asserted that, with those services fresh in the recollection of the country, it was perfectly mon strous to impute to the government a desire to interfere with their religious feelings and convictions. He then had led to what was called the exclusion of the Roman Catholics from the benefit of these Minutes. He denied, first of all, that the Government had done anything to lead the Wesleyans into the belief that no aid would ever be given to the Roman Catholic schools ; • and next, that they had thrown the Catholics overboard for the mere purpose of conciliating the Wesleyans. He showed that Sir J. Graham, who now blamed the government for ex cluding the Roman Catholics, had absolutely voted for their exclusion in 1839, and had afterwards excluded them himself during the six years he remained in office. The Committee of Privy Council had declared, both to the Wesleyans and the Roman Catholics, that it would here after propose a grant for Roman Catholic schools. The question then arose, whether the government ought to propose it now, and to endanger the success of their whole scheme by throwing into it such an additional cause of discord ? He was convinced that if the Government had revived the proposition of 1839, or if in December last it had proposed a grant for Roman Catholic schools, it would have been unable to carry its present scheme ; for he had seen that a strong resistance was always made to ing it in he occurrences of I those who want :ed an il- when these grants had been agreed to for some years, and when the result of them was known, government would be able to bring in a bill on this subject; but the variety they had been right in not legislating upon it at present. He concluded by recommending the Minutes to the fa vourable consideration of the house. After a few observations from Colonel SIBTHORPE, ex pressive of his want of confidence in Lord J. RUSSELL . . imposing 4 on the country a new scheme of education by the single vote of that house. He adhered to those ob jections still ; but with his view of the necessity of pro ceeding at once to mitigate the monstrous evils of igno- ranee and crime, he would not incur the risk of further delay bx insisting upon them on the present occasion. He reminded the house of Sir James Graham's failure in his measure of 1843, for the education of factory children, which he proposed to accomplish, not by a resolution of that house, but by legislative enactment ; and said that as thousands were born every week, for whose education, gious, and intellectual, no provision was made, he was ready to accede at once to any proposition which, without violating religious feeling, would remedy these great and crying evils. If he could believe that the non interference of the State was calculated to facilitate the )ral, re, progress of education more than its interference ie wou .t once admit that whatever might De the right of t State to interfere in education, it had better not exercise it. But the evidence was conclusive that the voluntary principle had failed, and therefore it was necessary for the State to step in He showei -.1-innle hm he insufficiency, not on and praised her Majesty's Ministers for their intention to provide better schools and to elevate the condition of the schoolmaster. He deeply regretted that these minutes had met the disapprobation of the Nonconformists. He did not believe that their objections to them were founded in justice. These minutes adopted the voluntary princi ple. No state interference superseded it ; for they could only be put in force by its operation. They were also based on a principle of equality, and therefore he had no hesitation in giving them his support against the opposi tion of Mr. Duncombe. Alluding to the Roman Catho ' he expressed his o nira,-.. , of Acs, he expressed his opinion that no system of genera. education, even in England. would be complete from which they were excluded. The house was now about to admit to a participation in this vote a class of Dissenters, the Wesleyans, which had hitherto been excluded from it. It was therefore widening the sphere of the national bounty, and in the same proportion making the exclusion from it more marked. The time was, therefore, come when justice and good policy required from the govern ment a. mature consideration of the position of its Ro man Catholic subjects. The government could not in justice exclude them from this grant. He considered the speech of Lord John Russell as holding out a hope that this question would be more speedily settled than was ex pected, and he (Sir R. Peel) therefore would not risk the success of the whole measure by compelling the govern- 1111 LIVER:R(OI STANDARD. FOREIGN 4 , 'COLONIAL INTELLIGENCE, WEST INDIA MAILS. The Royal mail steam-packet Thames arrived at South hampton on Tuesday. In Jamaica the House cif Assembly had decided in favour of the Income-tax Bill. Subscriptions had been entered into and sermons preached in almost every one of the islands, in aid of the destitute-in Scotland andlreland, and large sums -vnted for their relief. 3,800 dollars were subscribed in Trinidad, 100 dollars by the Governor, to be sent home •by the les; and a larger amount is promised by the next The Trinzdad Standard says, we have this month March) been favoured with most propitious weather for agricultural purposes. The sugar and cocoa planters have been well employed, and the crops have proved thus far encouraging UNITED STATES By the Rainbow, which arrived on Friday, from New York, we have received important intelligence from the seat of war, both in the interior of Mexico and at Vera Cruz. It appears from General Taylor's despatches, which were brought to Matamoras under an escort of 250 men (who had a combat with General Urrea's army, at Cer- salvo), that the circumstances of the repulse of General Santa Anna were much the same as those reported by the last arrival, and that an engagement took place subse quent to that at Buena Vista. The repulse of Santa Anna seems to have been very complete ; and at the last advises he was retiring in the direction of San Luis Potosi. The loss of the Americans in the battle, was about 700 killed and wounded ; that of Santa Anna, about 1,500 to 2,000. Equally important news has been received from General Scott's army. It appears from a despatch from Commo dore Connor that it landed from Vera Cruz, on the 9th of March, and that it had completely invested the city on the land side. Some skirmishing had taken place, in which the captain and seventeen of the Americans were killed ; but no serious combat. The Americans had cut off the pipes and aqueduct, by which the city is supplied with water ; and it was expected that it would surrender in a few days. As the fortress of San Juan de Ulloa is supplied by its own wells and tanks, this does not neces- sarily imply that it will also surrender. It is supposed that there are 4,500 troops in the castle. At half-past three o'clock on the morning of the 13th of March, the Mexicans opened a fire of round shot and shells on the American army, from the batteries of the town and castle, which the Ameri cans had no means of returning, as they had not been able to land their heavy artillery up' to that time. OF GOOD HOPE Town, and intended to proceed to the frontier, where he would complete arrangements with the Kaffir tribes, and would take such measures as might be necessary to ensure the tranquillity of the colony. The incursions of the Kaffirs had not wholly ceased, and several unimportant skirmishes had occurred between their marauding paities and small detachments of troops and settlers. Advices to the 23d of January had been received from Port Natal, where the state of affairs was satisfactory. A misunder standing had arisen between the British authorities and a native chief named Todo, against whom a small detach ment of troops had been sent : but it was expected that this refractory chief would soon be reduced to submissiott. FRANCE.—The Paris papers of Thursday bring the termination of the debate in the Chamber of Deputies on the motion of M. Lemusat for parliamentary reform. M. Guizot made a speech against it, and it was rejected by a majority of 49. The Presse has an article on the speech of the King of Prussia, and considers that the personal situation of Frederick William is serious, as he can "nei ther accept the pretensions of the united Diet without abandoning the absolute power which he is endeavouring to maintain ; nor can he dissolve the Diet without wea kening his consideration abroad, and the affection of his people at home." ROME.—lntelligence from Rome to the 9th inst. states, that an attempt to murder the Pope had been discovered. It was first found out by the French Ambassador, and he revealed the names of the conspirators to the Pope. Their intention was to assassinate him whilst giving audience to oue of them who was, by lot, to be appointed to kill him. A Capuchin presented himself for an audience of the Pope. His Holiness requested his name ; this he gave boldly, but before being admitted, the Pope looked over the list of the conspirators, and found the name of the Capuchin there. He immediately called for and concealed six carbineers, who, on the Capuchin's entrance, seized him, and on searching him found he had a brace of loaded pistols and a poisoned dagger about his person. The Capuchin was conveyed to prison. The official inspection of timber prepared for exporta tion at St. Petersburgh has been abolished. On the Bth the town of Rundtem, in Silesia, comprising the residences of 180 families, was burnt down. • The Emperor of Russia has interdicted the circulation of Polish coin, even in any part of Poland, and has, for- bidden all the'public officers to receive it. A telegraphic despatch from Marseilles, in anticipation , of March, reached Marseilles on Monday. .The Punjaub was tranquil. Akhbar Khan, the murderer of Sir W. Macnaughten, was dead. cinde was quiet, but the Goomsooi and the Nizam's territory were still in disorder. ANOTHER STEAMER WRECKED.—Accounts from the Cape of Good Hope, of Feb. 12, bring news of the loss of H.M.S. Thunderbolt while entering Algoa Bay. The Thunderbolt was a steamer of 280-horse power, and 1,055 tons burthen. Happily no lives were lost, and it is hoped that the stores will be saved. A dispatch has been received at Lloyd's, from the Foreign Office, enclosing a copy of a dispatch from her IRELAND. The Cork papers stillreport large arrivalwf bread stuffs at that . port _ _ Several of the guardians of the Tipperary Union have caught the prevailing fever, and one is dead. Captain Drury, who was employed in Ireland assisting the Board of Works, has fallen a victim to the famine fever in the district of Kinsale. The Rev. Dr. Trail, with whose exertions on behalf of the starving population of Skibbereen the public is now well acquainted, died on Wednesday-of disease caught in visiting the wretched people. THE IRISH FAMINE.—The coroners of Cork have de clared their determination not to bold inquests on the bodies of persons dying in the streets from want and fever, in order to avoid the great expense of such innumerable inquests. MURDER BY A BOY.—A lad about -fifteen years of age has been committed to Dundalk gaol, for the wiiful mur der of a boy aged twelve, by fracturing his skull with a bill-hook. The boys worked together, and the only rea son alleged for the offence is that the offender was afraid the other boy would tell of his stealing his employers eggs. The condition of Cork, which physically continues to be as depressed as ever, promises, I am happy to perceive by '-te accounts. ia, a better futUre. The crops are' in a most flourishing condition, and in the neighbourhood of Cork rye was already reaping upon Saturday week. Added to this, on the same day, new potatoes, of excellent quality size. were on sale in the - market. *--• to 1,4 me recent arrivals of grain ...imerick are immense. During the last week there were entered from foreign ports not less than 4,500 barrels of flour and 10,000 qrs. of Indian corn and meal, and since Saturday last no fewer than thirty-three vessels had arrived, with either whole or part cargoes of food. Several of those vessels were from home-ports, and of these latter the arrivals fccia London and Scotland brought large quantities of seeds. FATAL ROCKITE AFFRAY.—On Wednesday night a party of four armed Rockites attacked the house of a far mer named Crowe, residing near Doon, on the estate of Lord Stanley. They knocked at the door and demanded fire-arms, when Crowe rose from his bed, desired the fellows to wait awhile, and having aroused and armed his servant-boy, appeared at the windows. ." aL. _ach fired into the group. One of the Rockites fell dead on the spot—a second was severely wounded, and the two others instantly made off. A MONSTER GRAVE.—Some idea of the dreadful mor tality now prevalent throughout our city may be formed from the fact that yesterday there were no fewer than thirty-six bodies interred in one grave, or pit, in the pauper department of the cemetery. These deaths are entirely independent of the numbers occurring in the fortnight there were disposed of no less than 300 coffins in Barrack Street, the greater number of which were required for the parish of St. Nicholas.—Cork Examiner. PRYER DESOLATION.—As an instance of the wholesale destruction of human life, we may state that a man, com ing to his work in Patrick-street at five o'clock on Wed nesday morning, saw/Ire dead bodies lying in, we think, Barrack-street, the victims of the previous night ! A short time since a family came into town from the country. They were six in number—a father, wife, and four children. The children and the wife are dead, and the husband is dying. This, we believe, is the history of many an un fortunate family as well as the one we write of.—Cork paper. - MURDER OF Two AGED WOMEN !—On the night of the Bth instant, two maiden sisters, named Anne and Catherine Callan, residing in the townland of Mullacrogh ery, county Louth, were most barboursly murdered in their dwelling-house. Catherine was found lying across her bed, naked, and her skull frightfully broken in ; the other sister, Anne, lay stretched on the floor near the en trance, bearing on her person the marks of several stabs, and having a gash extending from the ear half across the throat. No reason can be assigned,for this inhuman act. The women were poor, aged, and inoffensive ; their only means of support that of selling a few cakes of bread, and retailing occasionally small quantities of tobacco. FAMINE RlOT.—Friday last was the day appointed for the auction of the cargo of the Zulette, which was wrecked on Doaghmore Strand, in Mulroy Bay. The damaged Indian corn, flour, and meal, forming part of the cargo, was brought on shore, and the auction was being proceeded with. In the meantime the country people collected in very great numbers, and became so violent that the auc tion was suspended, and, in defiance of constabulary and coastguards, they forcibly took upwards of 100 bags of Indian corn, and even compelled one of the purchasers, who had his grain in boats for Milford, to deliver up the food, they declaring " That Providence had sent them the supply, and that when in great distress a wreck with pro visions was sure to happen on their shores." The military from Letterkenny were sent for to restore order.—. Derry Paper, MORTALITY IN KILKENNY.—The medical profession estimate the number of weekly deaths in the electoral divisions of Kilkenny, being the ancient city and liberties, at one hundred and sixty. Now, supposing the continu ance of this mortality, let us see how soon would the pre sent population of Kilkenny be entirely cleared away by the great destroyer. The population of Kilkenny elec toral division, according to the census of 1841, was 23,000. Upon this calculation, the period which it would take to do the work of extermination would be exactly two years, nine months, three weeks, and five days ! But then al lowance should be made for the number of births which recruit the population. On the same data, the medical men of Kilkenny calculate the average number of births in Kilkenny electoral division to be twenty weekly. With this auxiliary to the strength of the inhabitants, Kilkenny would yet be left entirely depopulated, at the same amount of mortality, in the space of three years, two months, and one day !—Kilkenny Moderator. A WIFE AND FORTUNE PUT UP TO AUCTIO A. little RAILWAY AFFAIRS. The Kendal and Windermere Railway was opened on Tuesday, with great rejoicing. The modern antique edifice, called Wray Castle, near Bowness, and built by Mr. Dawson, M.D., late of this town, forms a prominent object from the line. RAILWAY ACCIDENT.—On Wednesday morning, the mail train, going north, on the York and Newcastle Rail way, ran over a plate.layer between Northallerton and Thirsk, and killed him on the spot. He has, we under stand, left a wife and eight children. • THE NARROW GAUGE FASTER THAN THE BROAD.— The writer of a pamphlet under this head shows, by a series of tables, that the average rate of speed on the London and North Western, is to Wolverhampton 26.92 miles per hour, and to Birmingham 24.28 ' • that on the South Western t o S ou th amp t on , it i s 25.29 miles per hour; while on the Great Western to Swindon, it is only 24.97 miles per hour, and to Bristol 23.97. There is a talk Of CONVERTING INTO A RAILWAY the old Carlisle canal, 111 miles long, constructed 24 years ago at a cost of £140,000 - , and carrying the trade by lighters between Liverpool and Port Carlisle. The directors have had a survey made, and Mr. Errington, the engineer, reports that the conversion may be made advantageously at a cost of £50,000, and the intention appears to be to offer it on lease to some of the contiguous railways. EXPRESS TRAVELLING ON THE GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY.—The 12 o'clock up express train from South Devon was, from a derangement of the engine, on Wednes day, one hour behind its proper time of arrival when it reached Bath. On its arrival at Swindon the train con sisted of 10 carriages, weighing 100 tons, and with this load the engine gained eight minutes in a run of 77 miles up , ',i i :tc ordinary express train speed of 43 miles an hour. al LI-age rate at which this train of 100 tons, and con veying 320 passengers, travelled between Swindon and Paddington, being 52 miles an hour. DUTCH RHENIS H RAILWAY.—Mr. Henry Harrison, of Aigburth, has been deputed, by 400 shareholders, holding upwards of 30,000 shares, with 1200 votes, to attend the general meeting of this company, at Amsterdam, on Wed nesday (to-morrow.) At this meeting, there will be an election of one new London director and four English commissaries, and the election, it is expected, will fall upon Mr. William Reid, of the South-western Railway, to the seat at the London board ; and Messrs. Elias Mozley, Robertson Gladstone, and two other members of the Liverpool committee to the office of commissaries. LANCASTER AND PRESTON COMPANY.—At D — Meeting of shareholders in this line last week it was resolved to affix the seal to an agreement with the East Lancashire Company. Mr. Nicholson, one of the East Lancashire directors, conditionally pledged himself, on behalf of that company, to guarantee an agreement which had been entered into for the transference of the Lancaster and Preston line to t ast Lancashire, on payment 01 annual rent of £29,000 per annum, o; somewhere about 7 per cent., and the purchase of the line within ten years, at twenty-five years' purchase of the above-named rent, or .zbZO,UIA). rise condition was, that the Canal com pany gave up the possession of the line, which the clerk to that company intimated would be done, provided the agreement which transferred the line to them were signed. NEW STATION AT CHESTER.—A new station is about to be erected at Chester, near the site of the present of fices, es a grand central terminus for all the lines meeting at Chester—the London and North-Western, the Chester and Holyhead, the Chester and Birkenhead, the Shrews bury and Chester. and the Cheshire Junction Railways. The plans are by Mr. Stephenson, the celebrated engineer. The length of the building is to be 910 feet ; the elevation is in excellent taste, and will present an imposing appear ance ; the centre range having two stories of great archi tectural beauty, flanked by handsome towers 40 feet high. At each wing there is an arrival platform for terminus trains, whose journeys end at Chester, 250 feet long and 14 wide. The principal departure platform towards the main through lines from London to Holyhead, is 703 feet 6 inches long, and 19 feet wide. The station is to cost zioo,doo RELIEF FOR SHAREHOLDERS.—There are many per sons to whom the amount of their railway calls is a serious present inconvenience, although there is no want of ulti mate resources. To such a new kind of assistance is rapidly developing itself. In Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Aberdeen, there have been formed companies, under various appella tions, the object of which is, by advances upon securities of different kinds, to enable holders of railway shares to meet, at moderate rates of interest, the exigencies of their position. The institution in Glasgow is called the Com mercial Exchange Company, the object of which is to afford such accommodation as cannot be granted, consis tently with their other business, by regular banking esta blishments. This company proposes on the one hand to allow interest at 5 per cent. on deposits for six months certain, and repayable at three months' notice ; and to make advances at fit ; per cent. per annum for six months at a time.• There can be no doubt as to the utility of such assistance ; and competition is already at work to reduce, with safety and advantage to the public, the rates of inte rest ; and we concur in the view taken by a highly intelli gent writer on the subject, that such institutions will prove great public benefits; first, by conferring substan tial advantages on a certain class of depositors ; and se condly, by enabling the internal improvement of the country to be carried out with an ease and rapidity which could not otherwise be attained." THE ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH.—A trial, completely suc cessful, has been made in the Isle of Wight, of the pow ers of Mr. Nott's electric telegraph. A perfect and rapid communication, says a morning paper, was established between East and West Cowes, by means of a single wire sunk across the channel. The " telegraphs were attached; one being placed at the Medina Hotel, and the other at the opposite side of the channel near the Fountain Hotel. The signal bells were then rung simultaneously; and the telegraphs commenced working and communicating ques- April 27, 1847. cotton had been increased to eight ounces, and the depth of the blast-hole had been doubled, it would have torn up the firmly-bound bed of stone to a proportionately greater extent; this would not have been the case with a qua drupled charge of gunpowder, as the effect of that would merely have been to project the stone it ruptured to a greater distance.—Another experiment was the insertion of four ounces of cotton in a hole bored six feet deep in hard blue clay : from this, scarcely a particle was thrown from the surface, and the perceptible effect was a consi derable expansion of the soil at the edge of the cutting : to have blasted the clay with gunpowder, 31bs would have been requisite. Other experiments followed, wherein the force of equal quantities of cotton and powder was tested : the results invariably showed that the cotton loosened and rendered workable by far the largest masses of rock : the powder threw up the fragments of stone to an immense height, and as one powder-blast exploded after another, they gave a vivid idea of the mode in which missiles are projected from the crater of a volcano.—The workmen on the line (of whom there are nearly a hundred at this cut ting) seemed to think that the effects of the gun-cotton were far superior to those produced by the use of gun powder, and much less dangerous ; and in this opinion one of the engineers present coincided. The testing oc cupied nearly three hours, and was viewed by a few gen tlemen from Stamford and the neighbourhood, who, dur ing the preparation of the experiments, were hospitably and liberally entertained by Mr. F. Whincup, of Greeston House.—lt was stated that no less than twenty tons of gunpowder have been used weekly for blasting purposes on the different lines of railway now in the course of con struction in this country. The gun-cotton is inclosed in tubes of various sizes according to a known weight, though it is sometimes used in a loose state, as was the case with some of the experiments on Tuesday last.—At a recent trial of the gun-cotton in some beds of millstone grit of a close quartzose character, on the Manchester and Hud dersfield railway, an eminent engineer gave it as his opi nion that, when the miners shall gain confidence in its use and give it fair play, it will exhibit a power at least six times that of blasting-powder, and will ensure a safety and rapidity of action which could not be derived from powder. . _ SPORTING INTELLIGENCE, CHESTER SPRING MEETING. " To begin at the beginning," I shall start with the Gvosvenor Stakes, on Tuesday, (which has four races on the list,) in which five horses are engaged. If Mr. Green thinks that his Princess Alice is the best of his lot, she will have to be very smart on her " pins" if she can beat Burlesque. One or the other will win ; the latter for choice. The Chesterfield Handicap will rest between St. Leon, the Horn of Chase, and Dipthone. be my winner The Two Years' Old Stakes will be confined to Bever. lac and the Stinger. The latter, I think, will just barely said Glen Saddel will finish first. He win ; but it i lie ground for this race is the place to pick the winner. of five Sovs.—Smuggle r Bill will have tic difficulty in stowing away. _ WEDNESDAY The Corinthian Stakes has 6 nominations, Pantasa The Roper's Daughter, and Fair Rosamond are the best I anticipate they will come in as I have placed them Next comes the great event of attractio pitating hearts will,soon discover the seer alone can chronicle with exactness THE CUP Many pal- has an acceptance unprecedented, out of which I expect to see thirty or more contend for it. Should the pre sent delightful weather continue, there will be some considerable changes, but should it happen to tumble down to wet, then the spirit of speculation will be rife upon the elder class of competitors. Sweetmeat is the first on the list. His past perform halra y .. bt if he can carry the weight of Bst. 121 b and win. Inheritress is in with a much better weight, and will .11 of beating. take a de iJuicet, at present the first favourite, is certainly well performed, but his victories have only been over second class horses. wh6n she r home Mendicant is well bred, but if not in better form tiler at Liverpool, she may as well be kept al Report says she is in rare fettle. Annandale, by the same sire, one year older, and the ame weight, ought to beat her. St. La‘vrence - is determined to try once more. Surely this will be his last attempt. Newcourt, if his temper be all right, will be a stupid customer to settle upon should he win. The two Queens are good ones ; but for either of them to have the least chance it must be wet weather. Prin cess Alice's chance will be governed by the previous day's running. Lord Saitoun is a very game little horse. Intrepid is too well known to need any comment from me. Gwalior is. of the same school. Tom Tough, Master Downes, and Mickey Free will help to swell the field ; but of their winning I think it is very doubtful Ratcliffe, should he not be one of those that are nob bled, I should think has a good chance ; but it is very dubious how the land may lay with him. Maid of Lyme and Plaudit are two good mares ; but I doubt much if either will be the first to pass the post. Roderick can yet run well, but he is rather too old. The Magnet has been running a good deal this YeBr" but Ratcliffe must be able to beat him. w hether Sylvanus has recently come into the m arket ; ho be as good as T om T oug h rema i ns t o h e s een. Farthing Candle h as a goo d c h ance ; Camera Obscura none in my..opinyin. The Lamb 'will yet prove a very quiet subject ; it is Very I_ •I_ The Horn of ( ti, IT ti hi J. Russell and avail); before the house Tha riPhata woe oriini HOUSE OF COMMONS.-WEDNESDAY On the motion of Mt Factories Bill was received On the motion that it be agreed to FIELDEN the report on the Mr. TRELAWNY gave it his most decided opposition, on the ground that it was a perfect mockery to introduce such a bill unless the house was also prepared to fix the rate of wages and the price of provisions. Mr. HUME blamed the government for giving any sanc tion to this measure. The encroachments already made upon us by the manufacturers of America were so great that it was nothing short of insanity to agree to it. He, therefore, moved that the report be received on that day six months. Mr. BROWNE seconded the amendment. After a few words from Mr. M. PHILIPS, against the bill, Mr. P. HOWARD and Mr. S. CRAWFORD both sup ported it. The latter gentleman denounced the opposi tion to it as unfair and vexatious. No notice was on the paper of the day, and yet an attempt was made to defeat the bill by taking the friends of the measure by surprise. Mr. B. ESCOTT denied that the opposition to this bill had been unfair. He implored the house, in mercy to the labouring classes, to reject the measure. Mr. FERRAND taunted Mr. B. Escott with the incon sistency of his proceedings on this bill. Formerly he had supported, now he opposed it. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ After a short conversation between Mr. Muntz, Mr. Tancred, Mr. B. Escott, and Sir D. Lacy Evans, Lord J. RUSSELL confessed that he would have pre ferred to have had the time in this bill limited to 11 in stead of 10 hours ; but, as a Ten Hours Bill had been sanctioned by a large majority of the house, he felt him self justified in giving it his support. Mr. Rosmicii denounced the conduct of Lord J. Rus sel, in supporting this measure, as weak, wavering, and =statesmanlike. The house then divided, when the numbers were, for the amendment 46, and against it 104. The report was in consequence agreed to. Mr. B - RowN then proposed to add a clause to the bill ; but, after some conversation, in which Sir G. Grey, Mr. T. Egerton, Mr. Brotherton, Mr. Ferrand, Mr. Roebuck, Mr. Newdegate, Mr. Aglionby, Mr. M. Philips, Sir R. Peel, and Lord J. Manners joined, was induced to with draw it. Lord EBRINGTON also proposed to add two clauses to the bill ; but one of them was negatived without a divi sion, and the other did not even find a seconder. On a clause proposed by Mr. LEADER, for the purpose of enabling millowners to make up for lost time, in cases where, from the derangement of the machinery, they had been obliged to stop work, a division took place, when it was negatived by a majority of 94 over 31 voices. The bill was then ordered to be engrossed, and, after some further conversation, it was ordered to be read a third time on Friday next. There was, however, a gene ral understanding that this arrangement was only made to enable the house to fix on that day another for the fur ther discussion of the measure. The Life Insurances Bill was then read a second time HOUSE OF LORDS.-THURSDAY The Marquis of WESTMEATH rose TO - CO:Wain of the reports which had appeared in The Times and Sun news papers respecting his motion for leave to bring in a bill to restrain the waste of land in Ireland. The passage in The Times ran thus, " The Marquis of WESTMEATH complained of the ridicule with which his proposal had been received." Now he had complained of no ridicule, though he admitted that he had felt hurt by the way in - which the Lord Chancellor had replied to his motion. If this system of malicious misrepresentation, for he was convinced that it was malicious, were permitted to pro ceed, it would end in the destruction of all liberty of dis cussion ; he should therefore move that the printers of the two papers in question be called to the bar of the house. Lord BROUGHAM allowed that it was absolutely neces sary that the proceedings before their Lordships should go forth to the world with fairness and accuracy, and would agree with the Marquis of Westmeath that the misrepresentation complained of w as wort h y of censure. But he would advise the noble Marquis to follow on this occasion the rule which he (Lord Brougham) had invari ably pursued for 30 years, and that was , not t o i n t er f ere needlessly in such a case. He putit to the house whether the reports of their proceedings in 999 cases out of a 1000 given, not only with signal ability, but with the most admirable impartiality ? No good had ever arisen Rouse of Parliament from a needless contest ,ie press, and he trusted that the noble Marquis would be satisfied with having called the attention of the house to the matter, and that he would refrain from press- were not log his motion. The Marquis of LANSDOWNE also dissuaded the noble Marquis from pressing his motion, and advised him to give the papers complained of an opportunity of correct ing their report. The Marquis of WESTMEATH again expressed his con -vietipn that the misrepresentation was deliberate and in tentional, but would not persist in his motion against the oPlmen of the house. me fo - r the education of early election, it was important that there should be no mistake on the in :entions of t he governmen t, fin-then the country would iiot be taken by surprise upon it MR. PLumpTun said that the.difficulty which the go vernment found in the settlement of this question arose, not from the people of England being unjust people, but from their being a religious and Protestant people. The leaders of both parties in that house had told them plainly where they were going ! and he, therefore, had hoped that at the next election the people would take care to elect re presentatives of their own Christian and Protestant feel ing. kr. NEWDEGATE declared his intention of voting for these minutes, and asked Lord John Russell whether in case he should hereafter issue any other minute recom mending a plan of popular education, he would pursue the same course which he had upon this occasion, and submit it to Parliament for approbation. Lord J. RUSSELL answered in the affirmative The house then divided, when the numbers were—For Mr. Duncombe's motion, 47 ; against it, 372 ; majority against it, 325. HOUSE OF LORDS .-FRIDAY The royal assent was given by commission to various bills. The LORD CHANCELLOR, in answer to the Earl of Wicklow, replied, that in consequence of information he had received from Ireland he had been induced to make alterations in the Incumbered Estates Bill, the second reading of which he should move on Tuesday. The Marquis of LANSDOWNE, in reference to the re cent execution of a female at Bury St. Edmunds, which had been brought under his notice, and that of the house, on a former evening by the Marquis of Westmeath, ob served, that having caused inquiries to be made as to the revolting circumstances alleged to have )aken place on that occasion he, on the authority of a letter he had re ceived from the clergyman who attended the unfortunate woman in her last moments, positively denied that any circumstances such as those which had appeared in the public prints had occurred. The rev. gentleman stated that some individuals had endeavoured to obtain admit tance to the gaol, and were refused, to which refusal might be attributed the false statement which had been pub lished, and which was in direct contravention of the facts. The Marquis of WESTMEATH expressed himself satis fied with the explanation given. Lords STANLEY and MONTEAGLE having, in explana tory speeches as to their contents, presented several im portant petitions from distillers in the United Kingdom against the Customs Duties Bill, the Earl of CLARENDON, in a speech detailing the course which the government had pursued with reference to the measure, moved that it be read a second time, Lord CAMPBELL and Earl GREY supporting the motion. _ _ _ _ _ _ The Duke of MONTROSE moved that the bill be refer red to a select committee ; the speakers in favour of that proposition being Lords EGLINTON, STANLEY, and NIONTEAGL/ At the termination of the debate the house divided, the second reading being carried by a majority of 9; the num bers being 57 to 48. HOUSE OF COMMONS.-FRIDAY The question of the second reading of the Bathwick Church Bill was carried on a division by a majority of 52. Lord J. RUSSELL, in answer to Sir De Lacy Evans, replied, that the British Government had expressed a very strong opinion against the course pursued by that of Portugal with respect to the prisoners taken by Marshal Saldanha, which he hoped would have the effect of pro curing a mitigation of their sentence, but as yet no intel ligence had been received that the order so justly com plained of had been recalled. The noble lord also, in reference to the business of the House, stated that if the education debate should close that night, he should pro pose that the report be received on Monday ; after which the Chancellor of the Exchequer would submit a vote to enable the Loan Commissioners to advance some large sums of money for certain railways in Ireland. Sir G. Grey would then propose the consideration of the Prisons Bill, on which question it was to be presumed the debate on transportation would arise. Monday, the 3rd of May, he had consented to give up in favour of the third reading of the Factory Bill, and on Monday, the 10th, he pro posed to go on with the Railway Bill. Sir W. MoLEswotern postponed his motion relative to the existing exclusion of Roman Catholics from partici pation in the grant for education until the bringing up the report. The adjourned debate on the education question was resumed by Sir WILLIAM . CLAY, who.moved an amend ment to the effect that the opportunity of participating in all instruction, other than religious, should be afforded to children whose parents may object to the religious doc trines taught in schools receiving pecuniary assistance from the state. A protracted discussion :entaied, the proposition being opposed by the Government, at the termination of which the House divided, 74 honmenbers voting in favour of Sir. Wm. Clay's motion, and 210 against it. _ _ - The house then resolved into committee, and the grant of £lOO,OOO for the purposes of education was agreed tq, and the report WAS ordered to be brought up on oudy. chant brig Canning having been destroyed by fire in the ;ellan, 16th December last—carpenter and )osed to be drowned. Vessel sunk in 74 gaits of two men su fathoms water The Cologne Gazette states that the Prussian Cabinet has decided on not renewing the navigation treaty of the 2d March, 1811, between the Zollverein and England, which is about to terminate. The southern states of Germany objected to the treaty being discontinued on ac count of the effect it would have on the importation of sugar; but the Zollverein states were unanimous in re solving that it should not be renewed in its present form. The Cologne Gazette adds, that the despatches directing the cessation of the treaty were sent to London-last week A NEW MlRACLE.—geveral Roman Catholic journals record a new miracle. According to the tale, the Virgin Mary appeared on the 19th of September, 1846, to two shepherd boys, who were together on the mountain of La Salette, in the diocese of Grenoble. She spoke to each in his native tongue—to one in French, to the other in the German patois of the frontier ; giving to each a very long exhortation on the want of diligence among the peo ple of Corps, the village to which they belonged. She wore a wreath of roses ; when she went away they saw that the grass did not bend under the pressure of her feet ; she disappeared gradually, the light of her countenance dazzling them. On one spot where her foot rested a foun tain sprung out, which has not since dried ; and the water has proved a successful remedy for sick persons. POLITICAL MISCELLANY. THE FACTORIES BlLL.—Among the parties who voted for the report of the committee on this bill, were Lord Sandon, Sir Howard Douglas, W. Entwistle, Lord George Bentinck, J. I. Blackburne, J. Brotherton W. Ewart, Captain Gladstone, G. Hudson, Sir R. H. Inglis, Sir J. Jervis, Lord J. Manners, Lord J. Russell, J. Tollemache, W. B. Ferrand, J. Fielden, &c. The following names appear among those who voted against receiving the re port ; W. Brown, W. T. Egerton, Sir R. Peel, T. Thorn ley, J. Bright, T. M. Gibson, G. C. Legh, J. A. Roebuck, J. Hume, &c. MR. BRIGHT'S SPEECH ON THE EDUCATION QUESTION. —Mr. Bright, in his speech on the goverriment plan of education, on Tuesday evening, is reported to have said, (alluding to the established church) :—" His forefathers had languished in prison, under the direction of that church which the house was now asked to aggrandise. Within the last two years, the place of worship he at tended had been stripped of its furniture to pay the sala ries of the ministers of the church." As Mr. Bright's usual place of residence is Rochdale, this assertion would be generally understood to have reference to something which had occurred in that town. We have, therefore, been requested to state, that, so far, as regards the clergy of Rochdale, or any of them, there is not the slightest foundation for the statement ; and that none of those gen tlemen have salaries or stipends derived from any source which would have given rise to any such proceeding as the stripping of the place of worship attended by the hon. gentleman, or any other place of worship.—Manchester Guardian. MR. GRANTLEY BERKELEY, M.P.—On Monday a meet ing of the electors of West Gloucestershire, or, rather, of that large portion of the county within the limits of the Forest of Dean, was held at the Speech House, Dean Forest, for the purpose of hearing certain explanations proposed to be made by the hon. Grantley F. Berkeley. The meeting was held in the centre of the Forest of Dean, a wild, uncultivated district, and was attended by some 500 persons, chiefly miners and coal-masters. Mr. Berke ley, after entering into the disputes with his brother, moved a resolution condemnatory of the government education-scheme. Reverting again to politics, he s a id he had found a gentleman willing to support him in his hour of need—Mr. Clayton, of Bierley Hall, Yorkshire, whom he now introduced to the meeting. Mr. Clayton was an iron-miner and coal-master, and therefore well acquainted with their interests. If ever two tories should be nominated, Mr. Clayton would be ready to come for ward and solicit their suffrages.—Mr. Hunt (a quaker) then came forward and spoke against Mr. Grantley Berkeley's public conduct, mqv especially his vote in favour of the game laws. Mr. E. said that they should have an anti-game-law candidate at the next election. A warm debate followed.—Mr. Grantley Berkeley replied, and with other speakers charged Mr. Hunt with being the-abettor of Earl Fitzhardinge. In the course of his remarks, Mr. Berkeley was interrupted by Mr. Trotter, a gentleman of the neighbourhood, upon which Mr. Berke ley said :—" 1 won't be interrupted. Don't do it again, because I won't stand it. If you interrupt me again, I'll have you out of that carriage."—Mr. Trotter subsequently said he thought Mr. Grantley Berkeley ought not to come out in that punch o' the head" sort of style. He (Mr. Trotter) would be killed before he would be intimidated. Mr. Grantley Berkeley afterwards denied that he had threatened to strike him, and the apology was accepted. —After some personal matters, both parties getting rather warm, a resolution condemning the government education plan was carried. A resolution expressing approval of Mr. Grantley Berkeleys explanation, was also carried by three votes to one. An amendment, expressing dissatis faction at the hon. member's conduct, was lost by about the same proportion of votes.. day, which in these dull work-a-day time iwes to be noticed. A strapping young country girl, along with her sweetheart, embarked on board one of the emigrant ships then lying at the . quay, with the intention of sailing for America, and being there married. The fair emigrant was possessed, moreover, of a dot of £2OO, which she dis creetly placed in the hands of the captain of the vessel, and had hardly done so when her companion and intended applied to her for ia portion of it. This she refused ; whereupon he coolly bid her good morning and disem barked. The deserted damsel, however, advanced to the gunwale, there harangued a large mob, who speedily col lected to hear her, and ended, not by throwing herself into the river, but by assuring the crowd that if any young fellow who heard her was willing to take the place of the faithless: swain, she was quite ready to accept his services upon the same terms. A handsome young mason, who happened to be among the standers-by, immediately of fered himself, and was accepted on the spot. The captain very properly sent to make inquiries about him, and found that he was as he represented himself, a single man ; and the parties to this extempore match sailed with that very tide for the shores of America.—Dublin Herald. CLERICAL INTELLIGENCE, The Bishop of Sodor and Man (Dr. W. A. Shirley) ex pired on Wednesday last, after a short but severe illness. It is reported that the clergy and laity of North Wales are busily engaged in preparing a plan to carry out the immediate building of a college, similar to the flourishing little establishment at Lampeter, but the plan of studies to be pursued is to be somewhat different. The college is to be called the " Powis College," founded on a testimo nial about to be built in one of the counties of North Wales, but the site is not fixed upon. INCORPORATED CHURCH BUILDING SOCIETY the formation of the society, in the year 1818, it has con tributed towards the erection of 675 churches and chapels, to the re-building of 433, and to the enlargement of 1,400. The grants appropriated to these pious purposes amount to no less a sum than £389,695 ; and accomodation has been supplied to 698,000 persons, of whom 510,000 have now the privilege of attending the services of the church, free of all expense for sittings, and at no greater outlay by the society than fifteen shillings for each individual. Large as have been the contributions that have enabled the society to effect so much good, the sum remaining at their disposal amounts at this moment to no more than £1,125. LAY TITHES.—"A project (says the Nonconformist in alarm), is on foot for restoring lay tithes to the Church of England. It is set forth in a circular signed by Lord John Manners, Mr. William Wyndham Malet, vicar of Ardeley, in Hertfordshire, and by other clergymen and gentlemen. The object is to provide for spiritual destitu tion by means more certain than the Additional Curates Fund and Pastoral Aid Societies. The movement began in 1845; subscriptions have been received; owners of impropriate tithes have expressed willingness to cede them at a sacrifice ; and it is proposed to establish a pub lic board, to be called 'the Tithe Restitution Trust for the Church in England and Wales,' the whole episcopal body acting as a 'Council of Direction and Advice' in the appropriation of restored tithes." LAW INTELLIGENCE, There is now an arrear of four hundred and fifty-five causes standing for hearing in the Courts of Chancery. WARRANTY OF PROVISIONS.—The Court of Exche quer decided, on Wednesday, that the general rule of law, that persons selling provisions entered into an implied contract that the provisions were sound and fit for human food, was confined to dealers ; and that an ordinary indi vidual selling meat accidentally, in ignorance that it was not marketable, and acting bona fide, was not liable. The question arose out of the sale of a pig from one farmer to the other, the seller not knowing that it was diseased and unfit for food, as it proved to be when cut up. MOZLEY v. ALSTON.—On Wednesday last, the Vice chancellor granted an injunction, restraining from acting the twelve directors of the Birmingham and Oxford Rail way Company who are alleged by the bill to have incapa citated themselves to manage the company,'s affairs. The counsel are still continuing their arguments on the appeal to the Lord Chancellor against the Vice-chancellor's de cision over-ruling the demurrers to the bill ; and leave has been obtained to move for the dissolution of the in junction granted by the Vice-chanCellor.—The Lord Chan cellor is to give his decision in this case on Wednesday (to-morrow.) PEES FOR PAUPER BURIALS.—In the Court of Ex chequer, on Wednesday, the Lord Chief Baron delivered judgment in a special case, raised in an action brought by the Rev. Dr. spty, rector of Marylebone, to recover from the master of the workhouse a fee of Is. 6d. on the burial of each workhouse pauper buried in St. John's wood burial ground. 'he court decided that no such fee was payable at common law, and that it could only be claimed under some spee:al act of Parliament or local custom. As there was no eet or custom to sanction Dr. Spry's claim, judgment was 0.-dered to be entered for the defendant. with a galvanic battery or low po-wer single isolated wire immersed in the water could carry - the electric current a distance of half a mile. The water brought back the current to its source without the slightest perceptible dispersion or loss of the dynamic power. This experiment demonstrates the perfect prac ticability of submarine communication,—and the question as to its application may be said to be satisfactorily solved."—We may add, in this record of various teleg raphic experiments, that, on the Tours and Nantes Rail way, an apparatus is in course of establishment which consists of an iron wire extending from one end of the line to the other, and through which an electric current is continually to pass; while, by means of small pistons, placed at intervals of 200 yards, the passage of a train in motion at each point of the line will be indicated to the fixed mach ine:—each piston, by its movement, interrupt ing the electric current for a moment of time (probably varying in length or repetition), and thus designating the number of the post before which the train is passing at the moment. By these means, the director of the fixed machine will receive information almost every second as to the speed of the train in motion, and as to the position occupied by it.—At Ipswich, Mr. Bain is erecting an elec trical clock, with power of motion to be unceasingly maintained by a perpetual electric current derived from the earth. COURT AND FASHION. The Court remains at Buckingham Palace. On Thurs day the Queen Dowager visited the Queen, and remained to lunch. The Queen, Prince Albert, and the Queen Dowager afterwards visited the Bazaar for the relief of destitution in Ireland. In the evening, the Queen and the Prince honoured her Majesty's Theatre with their presence. It is said that her Majesty has received a private auto graph letter from the Queen of Spain. The marriage of the Marquis of Salisbury and Lady Mary West, youngest daughter of the Earl and Countess Delawarr, is to be solemnised in the course of the ensuing week. Lady Susan Percy died suddenly at Rome on the 7th inst. while at her toilet. Ossification of the heart is sup posed to have brought on this sudden calamity. An article of millinery, consisting of a bonnet of pecu liar and costly description, is immediately expected to ar rive, if such be not already the case, from New York, for her Most Gracious Majesty the Queen. It is rumoured that it, has been the joint manufacture of several ladies, residents and natives of the principal commercial city of the United States of America. • EXPERIMENTS WITH GUN-COTTON (From the Stamford Mercury.) Several interesting experiments with the new explosive l i power called gun-cotton were made on Tuesday last at the railway works at Greeston, near Stamford. The place chosen is a deep cutting through a solid rock of freestone, the layers being of immense thickness, and requiring very great blasting power to split and loosen the masses. The gentleman who conducted the experiments is Mr. Wheeler, engineer, deputed by the firm of Messrs. Hall and Co., gunpowder-makers of Dartford ; which firm, it is said, finding that the gun-cotton is likely in a great measure to supersede the use of gunpowder, have pur chased the patent of the new material. Mr. heeler was accompanied by Mr. Grafton, civil-engineer, the con tractor for the Stamford gas-works, and of several im portant public works in Holland, Belgium, France, and Spain ; and also by Mr. Burney, one of the engineers on the railway. Previously to the experiments of Tuesday, gunpowder alone had been used for blasting in the Grees ton cutting ; and from the necessity of using large quan tities of powder in order to split the rock, several serious accidents had occured to men engaged on the line, frag ments of the stone being occasionally cast as much as a hundred yards where the combustible power was used. In order to test the relative forces of the two agents, gun po Nder and gun-cotton, blasting holes were bored in the rock at convenient distances, and cotton rammed into some and powder into others, and the fuses to each were fired simultaneously : the depth of the holes (which were about an inch hi diameter) varied from 3 to 5 feet, though this depth was by Mr. Wheeler considered hardly suffi cl eat to test the full force of the cotton. The most re markable experiment was between a charge of eight ounces of gunpowder and two ounces of the prep ared cotton, in serted in portions of the stone within eight or ten yards of each other: the explosions occurred nearly at the same moment—the gunpowder charge with a loud report, and the cotton charge with scarcely a perceptible noise,—the indicament that the latter had done its work being by the sudden appearance of a small cloud of dust i ssu i ng f rom the fissures : the gunpowder's blast threw down about eight tons of stone ; the cotton charge split about ten tons, breaking it and leaving it on the spot rather than scattering it about the line. The result of this experiment clearly showed that two ounces of cotton is equal in ex plosive force to eight ounces of powder—with this great advantage, that the danger to the men from the fragments of stone projected to distances is very materially lessened. It is said that two ounces of powder would have been en tirely inoperative in such a mass ; while if the charge of than I can -day will testify better of his -ability Sir Martin is quite " dark Claremont is the last I shall mention, (conceiving the rest are not entitled to a single remark.) If this horse be run on the square, and he be all right, he will assuredly be in the first three, which I believe will be, Mendicant, Claremont, and Dulcet. Farthing Candle appears to be the next best. The result of the succeeding races will be better let alone, as all depends upon how certain stables are run ning. Only the Dee Stakes will admit of a remark, as the horses engaged in it will hardly run before Thursday. Van Tromp is not coming. Nerissa will represent the stable. The Horn of Chase may not run for either of his previous engagements. He is heavily backed for this event ; and should he win he will become a great favourite for the Derby. Claribel, Slander, and Foreclosure are famed for deeds gone past; but I think Administrator will run better than any of them, excepting Foreclosure, who, with Nerissa, are likely to run first and second. I hope, when all is over, I may have the pleasure of seeing my numbers successfully recorded.—Yours, &c., SOMNAMBULIST. NEWMARKET FIRST SPRING MEETING MONDAY.—The Sweepstakes of 10 sovs. each were won by Mr. Newton's Redwing, beating Lord Exeter's Vero nets, Mr. Combe's Conan More, and Mr. Rolt's Spring hook—The Handicap Sweepstakes of 20 sovs. each were • A w ir on . I b l y erto M n r , . s Rolt's Africa n ß a is n h d o Cocoa Cob, beating isT ut— A Match of 200 sows. each, won by Duke of Bedford's p L o o f rd ß ge f ter d 's 's Eothen, beating Sir J. Hawley's Piccinino.—The Sweep stakes of 50 sovs. each were won by Sir R. Bulkeley's Montpensier, beating Mr. Wauchope's c., by Hetman Platoff, out of Marmora, and Mr. Mostyn's Devil-me care.—A Match, the Duke of Bedford's Fistiana received 100 sovs. from Lord Glasgow's f., by Phoenix. TUESDAY.—The Coffee-room Stakes of 50 sovs. each were won by Lord Orford's br. c., by Clerwell, out of Zipporah, beating Mr. Mostyn's Projectile.—The Handi cap Sweepstakes of 10 sovs. each were won by Mr. Drin kald's Farthing Candle, beating Lord Orford's Prussic Acid, Mr. Hargreave's Bit Nibble, Lord W. Powlett's Fort William, and Mr. R. Boyce's Colleen Bawn.—The 2000 guineas, of 100 sovs. each, were won by Sir R. Pi got's Conyngham, beating Mr. Mostyn's Planet. WEDNESDAY. —The Handicap Sweepstakes of 20 sovs. each were won by the Duke of Rutland's Paultons, beat ing Tarella, Remorse, and Birthday.—The Sweepstakes of 50 sovs. each were divided between Coningsby and Doctor Goodall.—A Match of 1000 sovs. was won by Mr. O'Brien' S The Traverser, beating Mr. Greville's Alarm.—The Sweep- Stakes of 200 sovs. each were won by Lord Glasgow's Con spiracy, beating Bumdrum and lago.—The £5O (8.C.) was won by Mr. Neville's Remorse, beating Kesheng and c., by Colwick, out of Lucetta. THURSDAY.—The Sweepstakes of 100 sovs. each were won by the Duke of Richmond's Red Hart, beating Mr. Bowes's Epirote.—The Handicap of 25 sovs. each was won by Lord Exeter's Cocoa Nut, beating Mr. Rolt's Bishop. of Romford's 1000 Guineas Stakes were won , by Mr. Payne's Clementina, beating Mr. Mostyn's Slander. KING ' S APERIENT EFFERVESCENT CITRATE OF MAO" NESIA. — This is one of the few medicines that is pleasant to take and beneficial in its results. In flavour, it 1 5 ' greatly superior to and effervesces in the same way 0 Seidlitz Powders ; but, while it leaves on the palate the pleasantest citrate taste, it looses in its effects none of the powers of the most highly-prepared and finest magnesia; It is an agreeable, cooling and refreshing draught ; and must, when known, meet extensive sale. ECONOMIC GAS BURNER.—We briefly noticed, a fel/ weeks since, the introduction of an economic burner: which in principle somewhat resembles the argand, buy has the advantage of a button top, w hi c h s p rea ds the flame, causes a more rapid admission of air, and E arl fully completes combustion. Since th a t ti me we h ave ha one burning . our o ffi ce, and so fully are we convinevj of their superiority, from the brilliancy of the light an the total absence of smoke, that we purpose having me: of them. It is estimated th a t th e sav i ng i n ga s by the 11, 5 of this burner exe s eeds thirty per cent. The saving effected by the introduction of a thick iron wire, that be comes heated by the flame, into a chamber through W 1 the gas passes, and which by this means becomes rarin ect prior to combustion. There can be no doubt that the' burners will become popular. in g ELECTRO PLATE.—We had much pleasure in inspec ot i a few days since, at Mr. Hand's, in Seel-street, a ve rl , to of specimens of electro plate, which are now brough' io . such a perfection that it is perfectly impossible In , i 1 ( 1. pearance to discern the difference between theni4o, sterling silver. The electro plate possesses many f o rt tages, not the least of which is its great duralnlit. ) '„er• being plated on what is termed nickel silver, which le _t; it fectly white, should the edges of the electro plate sveT e ' is not perceptible ; while the metal on the Wilu' e • n ts• stronger and of greater solidity than that it r epres The cost of this beautiful imitation of silver—W-Il ell .est nufactured into the most elaborate designs on tea s et `' fork-spoons, goblets, &c., is not more than one -te n; ser price, so that the interest of cost of a sterling ini s t' b bing vice for one year would, in case of loss from over ru „ate, or otherwise, almost replace a service of electro P. The many varieties are worthy of inspection. Be, o Ufa C ere(