The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1848-02-22 00:00:00

Varitairttntarp 4Jrorettols. reported tha had not (of whi, 'eeu duly e ted for th unseated prac=tised at the late and preceding elections' in the opinion of the Committee the place oug Lchised Aect+o any c HOUSE OF COMMONS.—MoNDAT.. elect committee on the Great Yarmouth ON I A. Lennox and 0. E. Coope, I lo sO s am, pray lenry VI able to tl dens d ana oppress He•willingl3 meat to a t .4411 t Dr. H A chapt bound lo confirm a prcemunire the LORD CHANCELLOR said that the poN wished to sanction the interferenc astical authority. It might be I ped they character ;herefore, doubtful if at appointment under the penalties of of ap- ;ht risht to interfere isis in the Church which they ar to contemplate ever come before advantageous termination to th and his to the ful pro- attending the con said that the crown .that of CHICANE game or were requisite in the forms bishops, but if i+ in reply ougn lAshops Archbisho but the any sub there a . . court, which, he hoped take cognisance of cas, e Cro HOUSE OF COMMONS Dr. BowaiNG moved I spondence on the ntended to endeavo sferred from the Crown to any o shop of Canterbury ould,,.in their respective f they should I tial ebai right of appeal to a Id ere long be appointed to ecclesiastical heresy. His even that ,-TUESDAY or extra ;s of corre- col subject of the commercial league in which he thought was the result of the principles of free trade to which this country had given such an 2imp, tie would not fall in hostile tariffs against other countric Dr. BOWRING withdrew his motion. Mr. HUME moved the appointment of a Select Corn mittee to consider whether, in all cases of shipwreck and collisions of merchant vessels attended with loss of life, an lily after the accident, and as near as pox ' should be appointed to examine into inquiry, as spec sable to the y the attendant circumstances and auses of the shipwreck, and to report to the House in what manner that inquiry should be conducted. Sir W. SOMERVILLE then moved for leave to bring in a bill to amend the law of landlord and tenant in Ireland. His bill consisted of two parts— the tirst relating to the iven for improvements made by te and the second, to certain 7 3 in their holdings changes in the lay landlord and tenant live positions of Aft Irish members, 1 a desultory conversation, maintained by several was given to bring in the bill. HOUSE OF COMMON S.-WEDNESDAY On the motion for the House to resolve itself into a committee on the Roman Catholic Relief Bill, Mr. LAN moved that it be committed that day six months S" - R. INGLIs contended that tile concealed object of this bill was the destruction of such securities as Parlia ment had provided by the act of 1829 for the remaining Protestantism of the empire. Every Roman Catholic 1 country in Europe had in succession expelled the Jesuits from its territories on account of the hostility of their principles to those of civil government ; and yet it was now proposed to legalise the existence of that confrater nity in Great Britain and Ireland. Referring to Mr. Drummond's question " against what did the church of England require to be protected ?" he replied, that it re quired to be protected against this bill, and against its own members preaching against its peculiar doctrines A.nstey, Sir Grey, Mr. W. E. Gladstone. Mr. Sheil, and the Earl of Arundel supported the original mo tion ; and Mr. Newdegate, Col. Conolly, the Marquis of Granby, and Mr. Henley opposed it. The house divided, when there were for the motion 186, and against it 154. Majority for goin HOUSE OF LORDS.-TIRTRSDAY The Marquis of LANSDOWNE moved the second read ing of a Bill to enable her Majesty to establish diplomatic relations with the Court of Rome. He said that he had himself been long of opinion that it was desirable to es tablish direct diplomatic relations with the Roman State, and he had at length the satisfaction, with the full con currence of his colleagues, and with the approbation of a great portion of the inhabitants of this country, to pro pose a measure to effect that object for their lordships' consideration. Did he suppose that the spirit of the Bill of Rights, of the act for settling the succession of the crown, or of any of those acts which were the safeguard of the Constitution would be touched by this bill, he would be the last person in the world to propose it ; but he did not think that, on a fair construction, these acts, the object of which was to prevent spiritual and ecclesi astical reconciliation with the Church of Rome, were de signed to prohibit diplomatic intercourse. Up to the passing of those acts there had been no impediment in the way of sending missions to the Court of Rome. Lord Castlemaine's missions, in the reign of Jams 11., had been censured, not because he had been sent an Ambassa dor to Rome, but, in the words of the resolution of the House of Commons, "because he had endeavoured to reconcile this kingdom to the See of Rome." But from the passing of these Acts--for upwards of one hundred and "'ft , ' 'ties f 'ntP- fifty years—such were the necessiL ior intercourse ‘,. .tion in the ban, at the periods corresponding wit. with Rome that there had scarcely been a reign in which, each transition, in order to show the severity of the pres by indirect chaonels ' negotiations had not been set on sure upon the mercantile community and the inevitable foot and carried on by a circuitous and imperfect means. consequence to the revenue, which had also materially To prove that Sir R. Walpole had done so, and that he suffered, owing to the decrease of our manufacturing pros had been much favoured by the Pope, the noble marquis perity, and to the consequent decrease in the consumption cited a curious anecdote relative to the purchase of the of excisable commodities. Owing to the commercial vicis pictures of Guido. That the Cardinal York had been situdes in April, and again in October, the greatest houses, employed in negociating with the Court of Rome he es- 1 if they had not been compelled to give way, had, at all tablished by the fact of his having received a pension of ! events, suffered the greatest losses ; and this misfortune, £3,000 for his services. The noble marquis also said in conjunction with the famine in Ireland, had been that he had found in an old blue-book that the late Duke seriously detrimental to the revenue. In fact, the balance of Portland had entered into communications with the sheet of this year showed an excess of expenditure over Pope, and that a prelate was sent from this country for income of more than £2,500,000; of which, however, that purpose. Lord Grenville had likewise carried on £1,500,000 was for relief in Ireland. The estimates of such negotiations. But it might be objected that this last year were £52,550,000. For this year he estimated, Bill would be a recognition of the Pope, when the Pope from the ordinary sources of revenue. only £51,250,000, did not recognise the authority of the Monarch of En- leaving a deficiency which, with the increased expendi gland. What, however, became of the Treaty of Vienna, ture for the navy and the Kaffir war, would amount to in which the Pope was fully recognised as a temporal £2,411,000. He felt it his duty to lay this state of things sovereign ? And, as to the Pope not recognising the before the house, in Order that hon. members might have British sovereign, when George the IV ascended the sufficient time to take the whole matter into considers throne, the then Pope wrote him a letter congratulating tion before they came to the consideration of the esti him on his accession, and George IV immediately wrote 1 mates. There were various courses open to them to pur a rep ly with his own hand and sent it off. Having been I sue to meet this deficiency : but all he proposed to do on reminded by some one that by that act he had forfeited that occasion was to state the course which seemed to the his crown, George IV despatched a messenger to recall ' government the one most advisable to be submitted to the the letter, but the messenger was too late. But the Pope consideration of the house, when deciding whether that had frequ en tly r e c o g nised British sovereigns whenever course or any other should be acted on. One great ques it was conv en i en t f or him to do so. If the intercourse tion they must decide upon. Either they must supply the between the two states were to be carried on at all, it deficiency he had laid before them by taxation, or they should be carried on in a more formal, proper, and digni- I must come to the resolution of making great reductions in tied way than at present, and therefore, he hoped their 1 their military establishments. Some extreme opinions lordships would consent to this bin. He would not ob- I had recently been put forth respecting the defences of the ject to the introduction of any words that might bet country. On the one hand, it was said that we were de esteemed a guard against the sovereign Pontiff's exercis- ! fenceless against foreign incursion, while, on the other hand, ing any authority in this country. 1 it was maintained that our establishments were on too The Duke of NEwcAsri.E. opposed the bill as one at 1 high a scale of expenditure. In considering this question variance with the spirit of those statutes by which the 1 he would at once state that there was nothing in our rights, the liberties, the religion, and the thron e of these foreign relations which would lead us to fear a rupture of kingdoms were secured. His grace moved, as an amend- the existing peace. No one was more impressed than anent, that - the bill be read a second time that day six himself with the benefits of preserving peace, and more months. particularly with France, and nothing could be further The Bishop of W concurred INCHEATER concued in the amen d - from the thoughts of the Duke of Wellington than hinting meet. Whenever a case of necessity arose for holding at the possibility of war. Indeed, he knew it gave the communication with lieme, means had heretofore been illustrious duke great pain to find that publicity was given found for effecting that object. The inconveniences of a to opinions which he had expressed in confidence. The direct communication with th e see of Rome were many noble duke was in the habit of communicating his views and great. The wording of the bill itself showed how to the government as to the state of our national defences, easy it was to slide into the langu age of popery, for but as nothing could be more pure than his patriotism, he r.erein the pope was styled the " Sovereign Pontiff," a was not gratified to find publicity given to his views, the style that the noble marquis also used in his speech. object of which was to maintain the independence of this This bill should, of necessity, go one step further, be- c o un t r y as a guarantee for the safety of ot h ers . H e stated can-e, if passed, the tith and 13th chapter of the act of thus much, partly because he differed from the noble W idiom lii., declaring the said acts to be the foindation duke on some points, and partly because he felt it to be Crown to ie obj t refer THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD. of the safety of his Majesty's royal person and govern- no more than justice to one who, however wronged, ment, the safety of the established religion, the security always scorned to defend himself. The noble lord then of the ancient rights and privileges and peace of the proceeded to state all that had been done in the way of kingdom, &c., would have, of necessity, to be repealed. increasing our establishments since the year 1835, in order The Bishop of St. DAVIDS contended that the bill to show that neither the Government nor Parliament bad would only make that open and honourable which was been negligent. The late Government had organized the now continually done, but not in a plain aril honourable told pensioners to the number 'of 50,000 men, at all times manner. A political necessity for its passing had been available, and in addition to these they had the dockyard Shown, and therefore he supported the bill. The right battallions and the coast guard, to which were attached a rev. prelate paid a tribute to the character and ability of supplemental force of 6000 men. In addition to all these, " - id defended the use of the style the regular force of the country, amounting to 55,000 men in this country, would be increased to 60,000, by the return of some regiments from India. The question then to a great reduction The Bi; itf" as perfectly innocent.' EXETER heard for the first, and ft 3ritish to the Canon I The noble marquis had reasonable doubt of the ime to time as they had hitherto done and as occasion might require, and be satisfied with those additions. The view of the Government was that this great country, with its extensive colonies, and exposed to the possibility - of war, would not act wisely in reducing, the expenditure of the country within the limit of its income. On the other hand, he could see no reason for any sudden armament of any kind, because at the present moment the nation was in a fit state of defence, and in a position calculated to guarantee the continuance of peace. lord then entered into a statement of our naval particularly in steam and should they say that the law permitted the rying on of diplomatic relations with Rome, then the nisters should on their own responsibility advise her ;ht rev id prelate saw a Court of Rome and rece in England ! He shad, let - ween having an Agent at the ❑g a Nuncio here. A Nuncio .ed at the thought of seeing The Duke of Wellington ad Lord Stanley said that strength and remarked that, al though the adoption of steam navigation gave greater faci lities for the invasion of this country, it also gave to this country greater advantages in watching the ports of its enemies. He did notpropose any increase to the number of the army, but in the sappers and miners an increase would take place, the result of which, including stores, &c., would swell the estimate by the sum of 1.358,000. He proposed also to bring in a bill to embody the militia, or rather to lay a foundation for an efficient militia, the ig into Committ The Duke Of Newczstle then withdrew his amendment hp hill c d time HOUSE OF COMMONS.—THURSDAY. P. SCROPE gave notice of a bill relative to small Mr. BRIGHT ,otice that, on the 2d of March, he expense of which would be £150;000. In addition to the usual sources of expenditure, was a sum of £1,100,000 for the Kaffir war, and all added together, he would not estimate the expenditure of the coming year at less than £54,596,000. It was evident, therefore, that if the government was right in its view of the impolicy of reducing largely the establishments of the country, they must not only renew the income tax, but they .roust also resort to additional taxation, to make up the deficiency of income to meet the expenditure. Any at tempt to raise revenue by re-imposing the taxes taken off articles of consumption, would be, in his opinion, very unwise. The government, therefore, proposed to renew the present income tax for a period of five years from next April, and in addition that the tax should be raised for a principal bankers, merchants, and traders in Liverpool, praying for the suspension of the Bank Charter Act, moved a resolution to the effect—" That, looking to the state of distress which has for some time prevailed among the commercial classes, and to the general feeling of dis trust and alarm by which the embarrassments of trade have been aggravated, it is the opinion of this house that her Majesty's ministers were justified, during the recess of parliament, in recommending to the Bank Of England, for the purpose of restoring confidence, a course of pro ceeding at variance with the restrictions imposed by the 7th and Bth Vic., c. 32." The right hon. gentleman said that if that resolution were agreed to, he Would then pro pose that the house resolve itself into a connuittee of the whole house to consider the following resolution :—" That it is expedient that the limitatinnc imnnqed by the set 7th period of two years from 7d. in the'pound to 12d., or from 3 to 5 per cent. Considering the distress which had recently prevailed in Ireland, he did not propose to raise the tax to that country. He did not think this unjust to tion to the issue of notes payable on demand, be sus pended, subject to such conditions as may be provided by any act to be passed for that purpose." The right hon. gentleman proceeded to give a description of the melan choly state to which the commerce and trade of this country were reduced by the operation of the act of 1844, and to contend that the government were fully warranted in giving, and indeed were compelled to give, to the bank authority to suspend that act. Notwithstanding this, the Chancellor of the Exchequer had come down in hot haste, at the !me*' t tF - and, for if Ireland were crushed by a weight of tax ation the result to England would be almost equally de plorable. He proposed the tax should be imposed in the same manner as it bad been in past -years, and on the same principles which governed its application in the days of Pitt and GrenVille. There was one tax which it was pro posed to repeal—a tax on copper ore, which had been im posed in 1842. That tax had done much injury to the smelters, and had been of no benefit to the owners of copper mines, and as it produced only £41,000, it was thought advisable to propose its abolition. The total in come, including the increased income tax, would be, according to his estimate, £54,750,000, while the expen diture would be £54,637,000, leaving a surplus of £113,000 (a laugh.) The noble lord concluded by moving a series of resolutions, in accordance with his speech, and intimated that on Monday, the 28th, he would again move for a committee of ways and means, in order to take the sense of the house upon them. Mr. DISRAELI referred to the promises made when first the income tax was resorted to, and said, that instead of finding it a temporary tax, in accordance with those pro mises, it was now to be made not only perpetual but largely increased in amount. Mr. COBDEN contended, that instead of levying an income tax they should reduce their expenditure to what it was in 1835. or parliament, ,o propose ae ap pointment of a committee of inquiry, the object of which Iwas to stifle discussion on the s u bject. Th e e v ils s u ff er ed by the country had been attributed to the conduct of the es directors of the Bank of England, but no skill on the n - part of these gentlemen co u ld h ave ' prevented the crisis that had occurred, which would be attributed to the ope ration of the Bank Act alone. The evil principle was inherent in the act itself, and therefore the house would certainly be fully justified in suspending it. Mr. HASTIE seconded the motion. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER denied that he had attempted to stifle discussion, or that his motion for a committee of inquiry had any such motive. He argued that, instead of moving for the suspension of the act, Mr. Herries ought to have moved for its repeal. To suspend the act while the committee was sitting would be to de cide first and hear the fact afterwards. He could not oppose the first resolution, but he would oppose the going into committee. The CHAIRMAN reported progress, and obtained leave to sit again UNIVERSITY AND CLERICAL NEWS Alderman THOMPSON said that, although the bank was now in a satisfactory state. there was no sufficient security against a recurrence of the difficulties which had lately occurred. The mercantile community could not stand up against the continuation, in 1848, of the pressure which weighed them down in 1847, nor was it reasonable to ask them to wait till the report of the committee. Mr. W. BROWN considered that the Bank Act had totally failed on the first occasion on which it had been tried, and that it had greatly aggravated the distress ori ginally caused by the famine. The first resolution was agreed to ; but on the motion to go into committee to consider the resolution to suspend the act of 1844. the house divided—For Mr. Herries' Dr. Hampden will now rave a seat in the House of Lords,. the future Bishop of Chester being the junior prelate. The Archbishop of Canterbury's grandfather was a Manchester tradesman, and his father received his edu cation at the Manchester Free Grammar School. WESLEYANS BOUND TO UNITE WITH THE CHURCH. — Nineteen years ago, we considered this question in our public conference at Leeds—whether the Methodists ought to separate from the church ; and, after a long and candid inquiry, it was determined. nem. con., that it was not expedient for them to separate. The reasons were - and they stand equally good at this none [own at HOUS OF LORDS.-FRIDAY RESIDENCE OF THE BISHOP OF MANCHESTER. — The negotiations for Sedgeley have been broken off, it is stated, on the ground that the price was higher than the ecclesiastical commissioners were disposed to give. Since then two other mansions in the neighbourhood had been named as suitable. One of these is Rusholm House, 'the property and late the residence of Mr. W. Entwistle. The other is Hough's-end Hall, near Moss-side, the pro perty of Mr. Wilbraham Egerton. The letter of the Rev. Mr. Rowlandson, of Kington, sets at rest the doubts which have been thrown on the position taken by the late Archbishop of Canterbury re lative to the Bishop of Hereford. Mr. Rowlandson, it appears, was in Oxford about the time of the archbishop's addressing a most kind letter to the Bishop of Hereford, expressing a wish to officiate personally at his consecra tion—a most graceful act :it must have been all but the last letter penned by the lamented primate. An antique pulpit of remarkable elegance and beauty -has been discovered in the Church of All Saints, Sudbury. Itis Gothic—an octagon of the perpendicular style, beau tifully proportioned, richly carved in the higher parts of the panels, and terminating in a single pedestal, which is now very correctly made to rest upon an octagon stone' plinth. The latest date which can be assigned to it is the early part of Henry Vll's reign—the date of the church, if we except the northern arch, which is as old as the reign of Edward IV. The oak is' as sound as on the day on which it was constructed. The Stipend of the Bishop of Manchester is the sub ject of an order in council, published in Tuesday's Gazette. It directs the ecclesiastical commissioners to pay £4,200 a-year to the Bishop out of the funds of the commission ; and in the event of such funds being in sufficient, it directs the payment by the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Bishop of London of £l,OOO each per annum, and by the Bishop of Durham of a sum not exceeding £5OO per annum ; the money so contributed from the rich sees to go in aid of the fund of the com mission for the endowment of the new See of Manchester. In 1847 the diocese of Chester contained 2,435,644 in habitants. Of these, 1,390,287 are now assigned to the bishopric of Manchester, 117,022 are hereafter to be added to Carlisle, and 928,335 still remain to Chester. Of the seven hundred and seventy-seven benefices which it then contained, 320 form the diocese of Manchester, one hun dred and twenty-one are to go to Carlisle, and Chester will retain three hundred and thirty-six. The total church aecommodation is 535,166 sittings, viz.: for Man chester, 257,794 ; for addition to Carlisle, 54,211; and for Chester, 233,161 ; fully one-half of which is free to the poor. The number of Parochial Clergy is one thousand and thirty-three, of which four hundred and forty-two are in the diocese of Chester, four hundred and fifty-three in that of Manchester, and one hundred and thirty-eight will belong to Carlisle. THE TITHE REDEMPTION TRUST.—On Wednesday, a meeting of the members of this society was held at their office, in Abingdon-street, Westminster. Lord John Manners presided. There were also present Lord Robert Grosvenor, M.P., the Rev. Dr. Spranger, the Rev. Messrs. J. T. Russell, Swan, Denne, Mallet, &c. Mr. G. H. Drew, and other supporters, of the society. The secre tary stated, that he had sent copies of the prospectus to the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, and to all the bishops, most of whom concurred in their views. He had received communications from a great number of persons, some of whom were willing to give up the tithes they held as lay impropriators fora fair consideration. Several new subscribers had been added to their list since the last meeting, and many applications had been made for advice how to act where there were chances for getting tithes restored. He then read a long list of suggestions which he had received for carrying out the object they supported. A discussion then ensued, in which Lord Robt. Grosvenor, Lord J. Manners, the Rev. Mr. Mallet, Mr. Dingwell, and the Rev. Mr. Scott took part ; after which a committee was appointed, and the meeting adjourned. THENEW ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY. — The Bishop of Chester has been nominated to the Primacy ; his lord ship has accepted the high office ; but, we believe, the appointment will not be officially announced for pro bably a day or two. It is the rare felicity of of Dr. Sumner to attain to the highest eminence in the Church—to the post of greatest dignity and highest in fluence—with the concurrence and approbation of the first statesmen on both sides of politics. Our readers cannot have forgotten the spontaneous testimony rendered to his lordship by Sir Robert Peel, in the House of Com mons, when speaking as the Prime Minister of this coun try, and as the head of the then united and all-powerful Conservative body. The Premier had occasion to allude with commendation to other living Prelates; but singling out the Bishop of Chester from all others, he spoke of his personal character and apostolic labours in terms of as high admiration as it is possible for one man to use in speaking of another. It is this individual whom our gracious Queen, under the advice of the leader of the other great section of politicians, has selected to fill the highest office in the Church, in times of unusual embar rassment and danger. Dr. Sumner was appointed Bishop of Chester in 1828. He is in his 68th year, and the income of his bishopric, until within the last two or three years, when it was raised to £4,500, was only £1,500. The annual revenue of the Archbishopric of Canterbury is £15,000, with the patronage of 149 livings. The Bishop of Chester has consecrated, we believe, very nearly two hundred new churches in the twenty years of his episcopacy ; and a great number of these owe their erection to his own zealous exertions. And yet this la borious prelate has found time to produce, not merely some volumes, or many of moderate merit ; he is the most copious and useful writer that the English prelacy has seen during the last century. His " Apostolical Preach ing Considered " is in the eighth edition ; his " Evidences of Christianity " in the sixth ; his Prize Essay on the Creation, in two vols. octavo, in the fifth ; his " Sermons on the Christian Faith and Character," in the eighth. His writings form fourteen octavo volumes, and all of them have been frequently reprinted. We repeat, there fore, that the premier has had a fine opportunity of dis charging a great duty to the church ; and he has promptly and wisely availed himself of it. The Tractarians, how ever, will probably be of a different opinion ; for no mem ber of the episcopal bench has so firmly or constantly withstood their efforts, as has the new Archbishop of Canterbury. The bill for opening diplomatic relations with Rome passed through committee. In the course of the debate the amendment of the Duke of Wellington, substituting the title " Sovereign of the Roman States " for that of " Sovereign Pontiff," was adopted by Lord Lansdowne, and agreed to. A smart discussion then arose on the amendment pro posed by the Earl of Eglintoun, prohibiting the reception of any ecclesiastic as the accredited minister of the Pope in this country. The Marquis of LANSDOWNE thought that the right to refuse any minister who might be distasteful to the Crown, ought to be left in the case of the Pope, as in that of any other foreign sovereign, to her Majesty and the govern ment. The Earl of ABERDEEN said that the amendment could not be rejected without incurring the danger of grave con sequences, and deprecated the presence of an ecclesiastic as the Pope's Nuncio in this country. Lord STANLEY deemed it highly important that the amendment should be carried. While he had no objec tion to seeing England properly represented at Rome, he could never sanction the transplanting of the Vatican to London. The result of the division which took place was unfa vourable to her Majesty's ministers, the numbers being 67 for the clause, and 64 against it. This amendment would, in all probability, be considered destructive of the princi ple of the bill as limiting the right of the Crown to the reception of a certain class of ambassadors, but that the government have in their own hands the power of revers ing the decision of their lordships on the bringing up of the report, by the employment of the proxies with which they are entrusted—proxies not counting in divisions in committee. Subsequently the Duke of WELLINGTON proposed an amendment declaratory of the competence of the Crown to establish diplomatic relations with the Court of Rome, notwithstanding the ancient laws of this realm, which was adopted by the government, and incorporated with the preamble of the bill. Lord REDESDALE then moved a clause to the effect that before any diplomatic relations are entered into with the Court of Rome by this country, the Pope should renounce all pretensions to temporal power in the dominions of her Majesty, which was opposed by The Marquis of LANSDOWNE, on the ground that such claims alluded to by the noble lord meant nothing, and were therefore unworthy of serious notice. Lord STANLEY, however, considered that such a renun ciation ought to be made by the Roman Sovereign ; but, at the same time, he was of opinion that the point was not of such importance as to necessitate a division upon it. The clause was then withdrawn, and the bill, having passed through committee, was ordered to be reported on Monday. HOUSE OF COMMONS.-FRIDAY - - Lord Jolts RUSSELL made his financial statement for the year. lie said he felt that he could very inadequately lay before them the outline of the financial policy of the government, and he therefore intended to leave to a future discussion the greater portion of the arguments in support of that policy. The noble lord then alluded to the recent difficulties through which the country had passed, stated the enormous transitions which had taken place in the value of commodities and in the rate of discounts within the last 18 months, and also drew attention to the amount )f hur ' • ' k- ' h FOREIGN AND COLONIAL , a A jtry of Prince George's country, Maryland, set aside the will of the late Mr. Townsend, because the testator liberated, by his will, all his slaves and other property. The steamer Styx has captured thirteen slave vessels during her services on the coast of Africa. They comprise brigs and brigantines, arrd altogether amount to 2000 tons of shipping which that steamer has removed from the traffic. All of them have been condemned. Accounts from Hanover state that King Ernest is se-b riously indisposed. His Majesty has been suffering from a severe influenza, but it was feared that it had taken an alarming character, and some apprehensions were felt on the subject. The failure of Messrs. Dubois and Co. the largest bankers in Havre, is confirmed. The bank consisted of a body of shareholders, and was known as Messrs. Dubois and Co.'s Commercial Bank. The paid up capital of the concern was 4,500,000 f. (X 180,000). and the total liabili ties are stated by some parties at 12,000,000 f. (£480,000). OPENING OF THE ELBE.—On Tuesday last, the steam ship Marshall, Captain Raas, arrived in Hull from Gluck stadt, bringing the first news of her own departure, and of the breaking up of the ice in the Elbe. He took his de parture on Saturday, and after encountering much ice in the river, which stove one of his bowplates (she is an iron steamer) had the damage repaired in Cuxhaven, and pro ceeded. Captain Raas informs us that, in his opinion, it would be about a fortnight or three weeks from the date of his departure before the river would be clear up to Hamburgh. CONVERSION TO PROTESTANTISM OF A MEMBER OF THE INQUISITION AT ROME.—The most reverend Signor Lingi de Santes, Rector of the principal parish in Rome, La Maddalena, Qualificator of the Inquisiti on , M em b er o f the Theological College of the Sapienza, and of various Academies. and one of the most eloquent preachers in Italy ; has solemnly abjured the errors of Romanism. turned his back upon all human grandeur, and united himself to the rising Italian Church, and is now preparing for the great work of the Mission, in the Evangelical College of Malta.—Translated from an Italian paper, by a Corre spondent. CAPE OF Goon Hopu.—We have two days' later news from the Cape of Good Hope, viz., to the 14th December. This arrival confirms the belief previously entertained, that Urnhala is not incere in his submission to British authority ; for though living under its protection, he is evidently affording shelter and assistance to those in arms against her Majesty. Pato still continues to elude pursuit. Sandilla is kept a prisoner at Graham's Town, and is libe rally fed at the expense of the colony or the state,*while his brother Dundas succeeds to the chieftainship, and, being inimical to the British, rallies the scattered tribes around his standard in the fastnesses of the Amatola, whence the probability is they will only be dislodged, as before, by the employment of an adequate force. THE AVENGER.—A court-martial took place at Malta, on the 31st of January, on board the Trafalgar, on the survivors of the unfortunate steam-frigate, Avenger, viz., Lieut. Francis Rooke, Mr. John Larcom, William Hill, and James Morley, boy. Rear-Admiral Sir Lucius Curtis, Bart., presided. A narrative of all the circumstances connected with the lamentable event was put in by Lieut. Rooke and read. This officer was then examined. Other testimony was also given, from which it appeared that no blame whatever could be attached to Lieut. Rooke and his three surviving companions. At the close of the proceedings on the 31st January the Court was adjourned to Tuesday, the Ist of February, on which day the Court re-assembled, and fully acquitted the prisoners. They expressed a doubt whether the Avenger had the Admiralty charts of the Mediterranean on board. Among the advices from America we find one of a rather curious character touching the famous Mississipi debt. A. citizen of that state, by name 'Robins, has stated the di lemma of the honest people to be this ; they wish to pay their debts and they have funds to do it with, but these particular debts of which we talk were illegally contracted by the Government; and if they submit to being taxed for the purpose of paying them, they will be giving their sanction to an illegal proceeding. The case is undoubtedly a knotty one; but happily Mr. Robins has his solution ready. He is " deputed" to meet the Mississippi creditors and to make to them a proposal that they shall send round—[their hats, we were going to say, but something to answer the same purpose)—from house to house among the good citizens, who will, he undertakes for them, joy fully pay their quota towards the discharge of the State debt, and redeem their characters for honesty without compromising the constitution by admitting the legality of an legality of an illegal act. Advices from Paris state that the reform agitation con tinues with undiminished vigour. The great reform banquet, however, has been postponed from Sunday to Tnesday, to obviate the danger of excitement among the populace on their day of recreation. The agitation is spreading rapidly through the provinces, and addresses had arrived from Chartres and Amiens to their deputies, exhorting them to resistance. These addresses were signed by bankers, lawyers, municipal councillors, officers of the national guard, and electors. Similar addresses were on their way from Blowis, Tours, Rouen, Havre, Arras, and Lille. Deputations were coming from the provinces to attend the reform banquet. The govern ment contradicts the statement that artillery, ammuni tion, and other military supplies, had been distributed from the fort of Vincennes to various points of Paris. It is said that the king has consulted M. Dupin on the legality of the banquets, and that he has said that minis ters have no legal right to impede them, and that such a proceeding would put the country on the brink of revo lution. The partisans of the government still maintained, however, that ministers were resolved to stop the banquet. SINGULAR SUICIDE.—At the latter end of January, Dr. Horace Wells, formerly of Hartford, Connecticut, committed suicide at New York. The deceased claimed for himself the honour of being the original discoverer of the use of ether and chloroform in surgical and dentistry cases, and visited London and Paris for the purpose of stablishing his claim to the original discovery. It appears that Dr. Wells was in the habit of producing intoxication upon himself by the use of chloroform, and, under one ' of the paroxysms produced by the intemperate use of this powerful agent; sallied forth into Broadway, and threw vitriol upon the clothes of some of the unfortunate girls who there promenade at night. He was taken into custody, and, for the purpose of drowning the conse quences of the exposure, committed suicide by inflicting a desperate gash in his left thigh, penetrating the femoral artery. Beside him, when discovered, lay a razor, a pen knife, and a phial, ,labelled " Pure Chloroform," from which there is no doubt that he used his own medicine to destroy the sensation of pain in the act. A person had obtained from the deceased, a few days previous, a phial of vitriol for the purpose of throwing upon some of the girls, who, he said, had injured him, and it is supposed this in his intoxicated state must have operated upon him. He has left a wife and one child. LOLA MONTES.—RIOT AT MUNICH.—There is confu sion in the North of Europe as in the South, but the cause is not equally dignified. Munich has been in a kind of insurrection, on account of a Royal mistress, just as Naples has on account of constitutional liberty. The honours heaped by the King of Bavaria on his Spanish paramour, Lola Montes, Countess of Lansfrld, have caused a disgust which has at length exploded with consi derable violence. The proximate cause of the manifesta tion arose in the University. There, as in other German universities, the students form themselves into associa tions, with distinctive names and badges. A new one was lately formed, under the auspices of Lola Montes. This seems to have caused great irritation ; at length the members of it, on their appearance at a lecture, were hissed and hooted in such a way as to oblige the professor to dismiss the club. The next day there was the same up roar. Prince Watterstein, the minister for foreign affairs, interfered, as it appears, with success, a promise being given that the interruption should not continue. Never theless, on the ninth of the month, several of the Alema nea—the name taken by the members of the new associa tion—were attacked furiously in the street and obliged to take refuge in an eating-house. They sent a message to Lola Montes for protection, who boldly walked to the place on foot, but being recognised by the mob she was in her turn compelled to seek for refuge, which she did not seem likely to find, when the king, being apprised of what was going on, left a fete he was giving at the palace and hurried to her aid. Offering his arm, he led her to a church opposite the palace. There the melodramatic lady first threw herself at the foot of the altar, exclaiming " God protect my best, my only friend," and then sallied forth pistol in hand. Not at all touched by this display, the mob became furious, and one of them wresting the pistol from her hand, pinned her by the throat against a wall. From this rough hug she was fortunately rescued by the gem:Mew:es, who eventually conducted her to the palace. The authorities then announced that the Univer sity should be closed for a year. On this the irritation increased. and some disposition was shown to come into collision with the military, some of whom it is said had without orders made a charge in the morning and shot down two or three people. Either on that night or the next, the house of the mistress was sacked by the students, Lola Montes having barely time to save herself by flight. The King; it is said, aided by the general irritation, has consented to her expulsion, and reopened the University. Such are the singular and disgraceful scenes which have been occurring: at 'Munich. On the 12th, tranquillity was nearly restored in Munich, though Lola had reappeared dressed in male attire, and made a last attempt to pene trate into the royal palace. Some ten or twelve students of the Alemanna Association, her body guard, escorted her. The moment the return of the royal mistress became known, the p eop l e assem bl e d, an d strict inquiry was made to discover her hiding-place. Fortunately for her, Prince Wallerstei n , who still retains h i s seat i n th e m i n istry, caused her t o b e arreste d b y gen d armes , placed in a post chaise, and sent off' to Switzerland. She reached Augsburg in the afternoon. Three students accompanied her in the carriage with the two police-officers. On leaving Munich she said, " The king will abdicate, and follow me into exile." Intelligence has been received that Lola Montes had arrived at Lindau, on the Lake of Constance, on the evening of the 13th, and was to leave the next day for Switzerland. COURT AND FASHION. The Courtremains in town, the Duke and Duchess of Saxe Coburg being included in the royal circle. On Monday the Court honoured the French theatre, and on Wednesday Drury Lane, with their presence. T H E C II S - The Cuksu taE li ouNns will meet on Wednesday `(to.morr ow ), at a, ellai;kday9:l' t.lialf.paDunham Park ; oil Friday, at the Saighto n ; on S a tu r day, at Withington ; At ten o ' lc. Sir W. W. WyNN's Ilousns will meet on .Tuesday rTais day), at ‘Stydie ; on Wednesday (to-morrow), at wkstone.; •on ,Friday, at Pries ; on Saturday, at Lop pington ;. each,day at hplf-past ten o'clock. IRELAND, - - The prisoners confined in the gaol of Ennis, notwith standing the special commission, amount to 511. Government has made a grant of £lOOO to the Belfast Flax Improvement Society. The Erne Packet gives an account of the discovery of a plot to assassinate a bailiff in the employment of the Earl of Erne. A practice of hissing during the playing of " God save the Queen has of late become so prevalent in the Dublin theatres as to amount to a common nuisance. The constabulary of Tipperary have been tolerably suc cessful. Thousands of guns and pistols are concealed in the banks of ditches till the present activity subsides. The constabulary from Newport on Tuesday lodged in the ordnance barracks, at Limerick, 1031 guns, 48 pistols, three blunderbusses, six guns with bayonets, pawder flasks, bullet-moulds, &c., taken from the peasantry. ALTAR DENIINCIATIONS.--The Nenagh papers an nounce the formal suspension from his clerical functions of the Rev. Anthony Nolan, parish priest, the rev. gen tleman having pleaded " guilty" to the charges preferred against him by a sub-inspector of constabulary. A Tralee paper states the receipt of information of a most foul conspiracy rgainst the life of Mr. Frederick Mason, of Kilmore, in the barony of Clanmaurice, county of Kerry, and that owing to the exertions of a magistrate, Mr. G. V. Stokes, several of the parties implicated are in custody. " RESPECTABILITY" IN IRELAND.—A writer in the Dublin Evening Packet says of the late Mr. Waldron : "The deceased has been some time on his keeping to avoid arrest, and though an improvident, he was a highly respectable gentleman of good fortune, but by no means remarkable for his observance of law or good morals." A fearful famine has set in Mayo. The Telegraph says that whole villages are depopulated in Ballintubber. In one large townland every head of a family except two men has been cut off. Six men and women died of starvation in Tulla, and three others were dying. The bodies of the dead lay unburied, in some instances for seven days toge ther. The poor rate in Scariff for three months, at 7s. 6d. in the pound, amounts to £17,600. A Scariff ratepayer writing in the Clare Journal states, that the rating is so oppressive that many farms have been given up, and many of the people preparing to emigrate. Eight houses and stores have been taken for additional workhouse accom modation. The writer states, that a rate amounting to total confiscation would not support the poorer popula tion in the absence of employment. On Tuesday Patrick Ryan (Small) was executed at Ennis gaol, for the murder of the late James Watson, Esq. He ascended the scaffold at half-past two o'clock, in a very feeble state supported by two priests. The wretched man appeared almost insensible, and had to be held up whilst the executioner was adjusting the rope. He fainted off before the bolt was drawn, and died in stantly. The evening before his execution he declared his innocence in the gaol. A great concourse of persons congregated before the prison to witness the spectacle. UTILITY OF ORANGEISM.—A petition against the bill for establishing diplomatic relations with Rome is in course of signtature by the Orange lodges in the neigh bourhood of Downpatrick. We earnestly hope that Pro testants generally are adopting a like course and forward ing petitions to the legislature upon the same momentous subject. The promptitude with which expression is given to Protestant feeling through the Orange Association is a proof of the efficiency of the organisation for one impor tant purpose—not the least useful of the many which it subserves. TERRIBLE CALAMITY.-011 Sunday night week, the house of Mr. Clarke, pawnbroker, Killarney, was burnt down. A family named Farrell, consisting of eight per sons, were in the house at the time ; one of whom hav ing had occasion to leave his bed, perceived the fire. and gave the alarm to the rest of the inmates. Some of them endeavoured to escape (unfortunately before a lad der could be procured) by jumping out of the bed-room window in the upper story, a height of nearly forty. feet. The unfortunate mother, Elizabeth, was killed in the attempt ; the father and his son and daughter are de. spaired of in consequence of the injuries received from the fall. Another child having fallen into the arms of one of the crowd present, escaped apparently uninjured ; but the rest of the family, namely, three children, were burnt to:death. REPEAL ASSOCIATION.—At the meeting, on Wednes day, Mr. O'Mahony took the chair, and delivered a long speech in reply to the letter of Lord Shrewsbury. A let ter was read from Mr. J. O'Connell, detailing the proceed ingsof the banquet given to him in Paris. Two priests, named Hannigan and Masterman , delivered very violent speeches. The former said he would submit a resolution to the committee, to the effect that every parish should meet in the neighbourhood of their respective chapels on a Sunday vdhee crryto was a t s pari sh monster petitionb the e meetingn fi w a r n s t t e f e ehm d r hai i a nnne repealnwt l h ohs e w4o 3ph, course rnaeodnfp d et proposed signed ehe f da t t h te e s eniek union.mn requisitionisl ua place H r i n in e th f the a o every years ago, when the people of Ireland were seeking for emancipation. The latter priest (Masterman) detailed what he termed a number of " Protestant atrocities" which had been perpetrated on the Irish Catholics. The rent for the week was declared to be £66. RAILWAY AFFAIRS, .= The dividend for the half year of the Hull and Selby Railway will be at the rate of £9 18s. per cent. per annum. The dividend on the Newcastle and Carlisle Railway, to be declared next month, will be six per cent. for the last year. Tliomas H. Iliggin, Esq., managing director of the Preston and Wyre Railway, has received the appointment of managing director of the Belfast and Ballymena Rail way. A man, named Barker, for some time in the employ of the Eastern Counties' Railway Company as porter at the Cambridge station, has, by a late decision of the Court of Chtincery, been declared to be entitled to property to the extent of £30,000. n re ee st s el ol have RAILWAYS ano her action AND a CAß. gain ß s l t E R t S h e — m T h b C y t G he rea a t ssi l: Parker, the carrier, to recover £6,000 for overcharges— the list of which fills folio volumes two feet in thickness, and the list alone costs £1,300. Pickford's case with the South-eastern goes over till April. LATE ACCIDENT ON THE SOUTH-WESTERN RAILWAY. —On Tuesday the coroner's inquest was brought to a close, when the jury found a verdict of " manslaughter" against the driver and stoker of the luggage-train that ran into the passenger-train near Woking, by which the driver of that train was killed, and many passengers seriously hurt. The Marquis of Breadalbane, who is Chairman of the Scottish Central Railway Company, when in Edinburgh some time ago, was waited upon by a deputation of the Sabbath Alliance, to solicit his support in regard to the question of railway travelling on the Sabbath, when his Lordship expressed his opinion to be in accordance with that of the deputation. Out of 3400 miles of railway now opened, 300 miles only are upon the broad or exceptional gauge of 7 feet-1 -11th of the whole length of railways opened—while the remain.. ing 3100 miles, being 10-11ths of the whole, are on the national gauge of 4 feet 81 inches. Only 50 miles of broad-gauge railway have thus been opened since the commissioners reported, while upwards of 1000 miles of railway on the national gauge have been opened. BRIGHTON RAILWAY.—The proceedings at the meeting of the Brighton Railway shareholders, on Monday, excited a good deal of interest among the Stock Exchange people. The impression is very strong that either by neglect or design an unfair advantage was taken, by a knowledge of the state of the finances, to operate on the Stock Exchange, before the official announcement; and the appointment of the committee of shareholders for that and other matters is relied upon to probe into the bottom as an example to other concerns. DREADFUL DEATH.—An engine -driver, named Wing field, on Tuesday, detached his engine at Brandon station, on the Eastern Counties' line, for the purpose of running it into the shed, and while doing so perceived that his lamp was in some way defective. He had noticed that his stoker, whose duty it was to attend to the matter, was in a state of intoxication, and consequently clambered to the front of the engine to make all right himself. While in the act of doing so he fell over, and was literally crushed to atoms under the wheels of the engine. MIDLAND RAILWAY.—The half-yearly meeting of this company was held on Saturday, at the Derby station. The directors reported a balance of £2,17.975 12s. 3d., which, after deducting £42,238 10s. 5d., the amount of the guaranteed dividend on the six per cent. stock and shares, enables them to tl-clare a dividend of £3 10s. upon each £lOO of Midland Consolidated Steak of £3 10s. upon each £lOO of the Consolidated Preferential Stock, and after the rate of 7 per cent. per annum upon £lO of each of the £4O shares, of .-£2 Itis. 3d. upon each £lOO of the Consolidated Birmingham and Derby Stock, after the rate of 5 per cent. per annum from the opening on the 6th of September to the 31st December last upon £32 10s. (the amount then called up) of the Erewash Valley, and leave a balance available for the present half. year of £45,672. OPENING OF THE CALEDONIAN RAILWAY FROM GLAS. GOW TO BEATTOCK.—On Monday this important line was formally opened, so that the citizens of Glasgow have now, for the first time, a direct railway communication with the metropolis, and all the English lines. At a quar ter-past nine o'clock; two first-class carriages and a second-class were in waiting at the station at Townhead, for the reception of the party invited, and started at twenty minutes before ten. when the signal was given, and the first engine in connection with a direct railway to London was issuing its furious snort towards the south. The construction of the carriages is most elegant, and surpasses anything yet seen in the north. After a delight ful trip, the party arrived at Beattock station at a quarter to one o'clock, where they partook of a sumptuous lun cheon.. MANCHESTER, SHEFFIELD, AND LINCOLNSHIRE RAILWAY.—The half-yearly meeting of this company was held on Wednesday, at Manchester. Mr. John Cop man, the deputy chairman of the board of directors, pre sided. The secretary (Mr. Meadows) read the report, which, besides other particulars, stated that the receipts to the present time amounted to £2,336,623 13s. 5d., and the expenditure £100,714 over that sum, against which must be placed a balance of £21,861 on the revenue ac count. The Chairman, in moving the adoption of the report, briefly referred to the resolutions which would be submitted to the meeting, and particularly referred to the reduction which had been proposed in the direction, viz., from 15 to 12. Mr. Peisey asked, why the expenses were greater on this than any other line ? The Chairman said the traffic was local at present, and of course it was more expensive than • general traffic. The report was then adopted. Several suggestions to the board created a somewhat animated discussion ; but finally the resolu tions proposed by the.directors, which embodied the sen timents expressedin the.report, were carried. The audi tors were re-elected ; as were also the retiring directors, with the exception of Mr. Randell, who was replaced by 31r.lameti Lee, of Xatichester. Feb. 22, 1848. LAW INTELLIGENCE. JUDICAL COMMITTEE OF THE PRIVY COUNCIL. SHORE V. BARNES. This was an appeal from a decision of the Arches Court of Canterbury, in which the Rev. James Shore, of Bridge town, Devon, who was ordained a priest of the Church of England in the year 1829, but in 1844 became a dissent ing minister, and took the oaths and signed the declara tion set forth in the 19th George 111., was, in pursuance of letters of request issued by the Bishop of Exeter, de dared liable to ecclesiastical censure and punishment under the Church Discipline Act, (3d and 4th Victori4 for having officiated in an unconsecrated chapel or build ing without license or authority, and contrary to the in junction of the Bishop of Exeter, and admonished to ab stain from offending in like manner in future. The ap pellant, on the trial, protested against the proceedings, on the ground that he was not amenable, inasmuch as he had ceased to be a clerk in holy orders, having, from consci entious motives, seceded from the Church of England,. and become a Protestant Dissenting minister. The pro test was overruled by the Judge, (Sir H. J. Fust) and, on the ground that the appellant did not then ask permis sion to appeal to the Privy Council, their Lordships af firmed the sentence with costs, thus confirming, though. apparently on a mere point of form, the dictum—" once, a priest always a priest." COURT OF EXCHEQUER. BURON V. DENMAN. Tn this case, which was a trial at bar, M. Buron, Spanish merchant and slave trader, established at Galli nas, on the coast of Africa, was the plaintiff; the Hon. Captain Joseph Denman, son of the Lord Chief Justice of the Court of Queen's Bench, a captain of the royal navy, was the defendant; and the action was brought to re cover damages, estimated at £lBO,OOO, against the defen dant for having, in November, 1840, with a party of sea men and marines, taken possession of certain slaves, seized and burned certain warehouses, destroyed sundry casks and barrels of spirits and gunpowder, and, in a word, effectu ally destroyed a large slave-trading establishment which had flourished for many years. Mr. M. D. Hill led for the plaintiff, the- Attorney-General for the defendant. The first day, Monday, was occupied by a detail statement of facts in support of the plaintiff's case. On Tuesday, the Attorney-General opened that for the defendant, which was, substantially, that the defendant was sent with his squadron to the Gallinas, by Sir R. Doherty, then Governor of Sierra Leone, to claim the liberation of two English subjects ; that the plaintiff and others had seized possession of two islands at the mouth of the Gallinas to carry on their nefarious traffic, contrary to the wishes of Liacca, kink of the country ; that, in pursuance of a treaty with Siacca, the defendant seized the barracoons, the contents of which were handed over to King Siacca, and the buildings themselves set on fire; that 900 slaves were found in the possession of the plaintiff ; that the spirits were destroyed in consequence of a suspicion that they were poisoned, and the gunpowder thrown into the river from an apprehension of treachery ; that the plaintiff and his brother slave-traders had blockaded the river, pre vented the access of British vessels, and carried on their proceedings in spite of the native kind ; that the capture of the barracoons was the mast effective blow ever struck at the slave-trade in that quarter ; and that Commander Denman. for his conduct on this occasion, was promoted to the rank of Captain, and received £4OOO out of £7750 voted by parliament as a further reward. Numerous wit nesses were examined in support of these facts, and the case sas again adjourned. The case was resumed on Wed nesday, and terminated at three o'clock in the afternoon, in a verdict for the defendant, on the ground that the treaty with the African king had been ratified by the Crown, with a full knowledge of all that Captain Denman had done. To this a bill of exceptions was tendered, on the point whether a subsequent ratification of the defen dant's conduct was equivalent to a prior command to pur sue it. IN RE BARTON, ISLAM, AND HIGGINSoN. A special examination of witnesses. in relation to this bankruptcy, took place on Wednesday, Mr. Brandt, barrister, (in structed by Mr. Lowndes,) appeared on behalf of the as signees, and Mr. Bardswell for the witnesses. Mr. Henry Davies, of the firm of Messrs. Davies and Co., was ex amined at some length as to their share and transactions with the bankrupts, and Mr. John Moss, banker, was also examined as to the grounds on which the bank claimed to hold certain share certificates. After these gentlemen had been shortly examined, Mr. Brandt said he thought, from the information afforded by Mr. Davies and Mr. Moss, the object of the present examination might be amicably arranged betwee n the parties. T o ascertain the dates of the transactions which had been alluded to was the prin cipal object, and he had no doubt that might be effected by a further investigation. He did not for a moment sup pose that there was any attempt on the part of any one in the transaction to conceal any thing. Mr. Parsons, the managing clerk for the bankrupts, was examined as to the bills of lading of the ship Vigilant. That vessel he said, did not arrive in Liverpool from Rio Janeiro until after the bankruptcy. The bills of lading arrived about 12th to 15th November, and were sent to A. W. Lyon and co. They came as a s hi p letter to Barton, Irlam, and Higgin son. Mr. Haynes Higginson handed them to A. W. bills A L b ve y re o r. n eo , dfT b t h y o icr. lading t ovv u mw e me. o rL f i es a ys hoi l oa e nnn t t etd e hre r eds t as o oiadvni t e h irei a et t doha e m: ff d. r e t t eLe . ayydowTnoehvtreeheyre received.wdthae ey r teh d oe e y On bein rsed to say whether he was certain that the e were received, the witness said he really did not remem dence given at the last examination, and in many cases the witness did not seem willing to are What he ought to recollect. In reply to other questions, the wit ness stated that he did not remember the circumstances. _ dB. POLITICAL VARIETIES, - Sir Thomas B. Birch and Mr. Rushton had an inter view with Sir G. Grey, on Friday, at the Home Office. Mr. Ludlow Bruges intends to resign the representation of Devizes, on the ground of his continued ill health. Mr. Daniel O'Connell, son of " old Dan," has been appointed English consul at Boulogne. This " patriot" gets £BOO a year for this ! WEST GLOUC ESTERSHIRE.—On Wednesday last, the select committee terminated its inquiry, and declared Mr. Grantley Berkeley duly elected. Mr. Meagher, the Young Irelander, has addressed the electors of the city of Waterford. His father, the Old Irelander:was returned jointly with Mr. Daniel O'Connell at the last election. NORTH SHROPSHIRE.—The election took place on Wednesday. Mr. J. Whitehall Dod was proposed by Sir A. V. Corbett, seconded by Mr. Robert Burton, and re turned without opposition. A RADICAL COUNCIL. The radical council of the city of Durham has agreed to petition parliament—though not without a protest from the more respectable members —in favour of. the Jewish disabilities, bill. Several distinguished members of the House of Com mons have signed an Address to Lord George Bentinck expressing their approval of the high sense of honour which induced him to resign the leadership of the Country Party, and their gratification that on general grounds that party will continue to receive his most strenuous support. The Hon. W. F. Campbell has addressed his consti tuents at Cambridge, in consequence of having voted against the Jewish Disabilities Bill, contrary to his pro mise. He intends giving his reasons at length on the third reading, but in his address relies principally on the dictum of the late Dr. Arnold on this question, whom he eulogises as the " never-to-be-forgotten liberal." THE MINT.—The Queen has been pleased to constitute and appoint the Right Hon, Richard Lalor Sheil, the Master of the Mint, William Cotton, Esq., Commissary- General Sir Edward Pine Coffin, and Colonel William Nairne Forbes, 11.E.1.C. Bengal Engineers, to be com missioners to conduct an inquiry into the Royal Mint, and has empowered them to report upon the constitution and expense of the Royal Mint, and to suggest such alterations as may appear to them to be required. The Liberal party in Abingdon, who believed them selves on the eve of a " glorious triumph," have just been thrown into consternation by the unexpected and some-. Sir F. what my ster i ous announcement of their champion, Gen. Caulfeild, that th e pet i t i on aga i nst t h e s i tt i ng member, Thesi Queen's Counsel, has been withdrawn, owing to c erta i n " unlooked for events, " of which the constituency at p resent rema i n i n tota l i gnorance, althoug h numerous conject ures are a fl oat upon t h e su bj ect. ger, THE BANK CHARTER ACT. Among the members who voted on Thursday, for going into committee on this act, on the motion of Mr. Henries, were :—W. Brown, J. Tollemache, J. Bailey, J. Bailey, jun., Lord G. Ben tinck, B. Disraeli, G. Hudson, and G. Sandars. Amongst those who voted against the motion we find the names of E. Cardwell, Sir T. B. Birch, A. Henry, J. Brotherton, R. Cobden, Sir. J. Graham, J. Heywood, C. Hindley, W. Jackson, Sir J. Jervis, T. Thorneley, and Sir J. Walmsley. SIR ROBERT PEEL AND HIS FOLLOWERS.—The Daily News asserts that a meeting of the friends and followers of Sir Robert Peel was held on Saturday, for the purpose of considering the policy which they should henceforth adopt towards the present ministry, and that it was una nimously resolved that their present indeterminate posi tion between the liberals and protectionists was no longer tenable. A ccor di ng to that journal, Sir Robert Peel de-' dined to head them in any course which might place him, in such a p os iti on as to render it possible that he should be called again to take office; and recommended them to choose the Earl of Lincoln as their leader, whom he would willingly serve with his advice and vote. This pro posal is said to have been adopted without opposition. SIR ROBT. PEEL AND THE JEWS.—Sir Robert Peel seems to be undergoing a singular process of mental transformation. Should he live a few years more, he will have become a complete double man—nothing of the Sir . Robert Peel of 1828 will be Left; and we shall find it ne cessary. when quoting any opinion of his, to state in what year it was order to avoid confusion. His mind is a thorough sliding scale. It may, to be sure, be said, that he is daily becoming wiser, which is the metaphorical interpretation of daily thrusting out old opinions to make room for new ones. The right hon. baronet commenced his speech in the House of Commons on Friday week, in favour of the Jew Bill in the following words :—" Sir, it was with great reluctance that I gave a silent vote on the first occasion when this matter was brought under our consideration, but the peculiar circumstances under which 'the debate closed, so immediately before the Christmas recess, and my unwillingness to incur the risk of prevent ing the house coming to some practical conclusion on the question, induced me on that occasion to remain silent. I now wish to state the grounds upon which I have come to a conclusion at variance, certainly, with my first to' pressions—(load cries of " Hear")—and which places U . rn paitifill collision with th ose with whom I have almos§ invariably acted." Possibly the right hon. haronet:s memory is failing him, for he said, in the course of his , speech, "it is so l ong s i nce I represented the University ' of Oxford, that I have almost forgotten the fact !" It !„'" not very surprisi ng , th ere f ore, that he should forget h ag principles, whi c h h e l ost at the same time he lost his see',, for the University.