The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-02-19 00:00:00

"WHITHER?" Whither away, youth, whither away, With lightsome step, and with joyous heart, And eyes that Hope's gay glances dart ? Whither away—whither away ? Into the world—the glorious world, To gain the prize of the brave and bold, To snatch the crown from the age of gold— Into the world—into the world. Whither away, girl, whither away ? Thy soft blue eyes are suffused with love, And thy smile is as bright as the sunshine above — Whither away—whither away ? Into the world—the beautiful world, To meet the heart that must mate with mine, And make the measure of life divine — Into the world—into the world. Whither away, old man, whither away, With locks of white and form bent low, And trembling hands and steps so slow ? Whither away—whither away ? Out of the world, oh ! the weary world, With its empty pleasures and poison'd joys, Whose draught first gladdens and then destroys— Out of the world—out of the world ; With shattered hopes, and with feeble frame, From life's sharp struggle and unsped aim— Out of the world, oh ! the weary world. Whither away, poor one, whither away, Hurrying swiftly, with weeping eyes, And hectic cheeks, and smother'd sighs— Whither away— whither away ? Out'of the world, oh! the cold, cold, world ! Oh ! Father my heart .... but there is rest For the sinking soul and the bruised breast, Out of the world—out of the world. LITERATURE. NV. R. C. Popular History of the Palms and their Allies. By Berthold Seeman, Ph. D. London : Reeve. The object of this very interesting volume is to give to the world a complete view of the natural history and numerous economical uses of the various species of the palm tribe, and that object is very fully accom plished in the elaborate and tastefully-compiled volume under consideration. Its author is a botanist of repu tation, and his name is sufficient guarantee for the scientific accuracy of the treatise ; while his opportu nities of personal investigation, afforded in his voyage round the world in H.M.S. " Herald," confer on his remarks a degree of authentication not always to be met with in books of the class to which this one professes to belong. To extensive personal observation, our author adds wide research among the works of those who are acknowledged as authorities on the subject ; and these he freely avails himself of, and candidly acknowledges their value. He is eloquent upon the numerous, or almost innu merable, uses to which the various portions and different kinds of palm are applied in savage and in civilised life. These uses have been frequently descanted on by travellers, and they have formed the theme of many a poet's lay, but they have seldom been placed in so conspicuous and picturesque a light as they are presented to us in the annexed catalogue of the APPLICATIONS OP THE PALM. Take a walk in the streets of tondon, and observe every where how substances originally obtained from palms, and turned to useful purposes, meet your eyes. That ragged boy, sweeping the crossing, and begging you with a faltering voice, real or assumed, to " remember poor Jack," holds in his hand a broom, the fibrous substance of which was cut by the wild Indians of Brazil from the stems of a palm ; that gentle man, dressed in the tip-top of fashion, who playfully swings his " Penang lawyer," little thinks that, in carrying that walking cane, he is in fact carrying a young plant of the Licuala aeutifida; that fin?, lady's parasol knob—what is it but a coquilla-nut turned into that shape ? Continue your walk, and you will find still more worthy of notice in a Popular History of the Palms Those " chip hats" so ex tensively worn on fine summer days, what are they made of ? —the leaves of a Cuban palm (Thrinax argentea). Look at that stand, with heaps of dates upon it, gathered on the borders of the great Desert of Sahara, and eagerly purchased by the people; look at those fine cocoa-nuts, grown on the shores of the Indian Ocean and the Carribean Sea, and here retailed in penny slices to the humbler inhabitants of the British metropolis. Step into a house, and there too you will observe many products obtained from palms in the most remote corners of the globe. That thick brownish matting, now so generally used for covering halls, staircases, and offices, is woven from the husk (mesocarpium) surrounding the cocoa-nut. These beautiful pieces of furniture which arrest your attention are made of various kinds of palm-wood. That elegant little plaything you see in the hands of yonder child was skilfully manufactured of the bone-like kernels (albumen) of the vegetable-ivory palm. Those fine stearic candles illumining the room—what are they composed of but the fatty substance extracted from the fruit of the oil-palm and the cocoa-nut ? That sago which,under various disguises, appears at the dinner-table, it is also the produce, the pith, of palms flourishing in the islands of the East Indian Archi pelago. That arrack, pronounced by connoisseurs to be of excellent quality, it too is extracted from a palm—the cocoa nut. Be still more inquisitive, and ask of what that tooth powder, so extensively applied, consists, and you will be told that its chief ingredients are betel-nuts, previously reduced to charcoal, and dragon's blood—both produced by palms ; or examine our toilet-soap, and you will find that the fatty sub stance which enters so largely into the composition of it has been derived from palms. In the eyes of Dr. Seeman the palm has many virtues, and with many well-considered arguments he inculcates the benefits to be derived from its cultiva tion. As was to be expected in such a work, the value of palm-oil is treated of at considerable length, and its importance as an article of manufacturing and com mercial interest receives much attention. Besides being an intelligent naturalist, and having an eye to commercial enterprise, the doctor is also a philanthro pist, and thus views the culture of the palm as an ANTIDOTE TO THE SLAVE TRADE. One chapter: in the history of botany still remains to be written,—that showing the direct and indirect influence the occurrence of a plant exercises on the moral and physical condition of a country. A subject more redundant with interest, a task more grateful to the phytologist, could hardly be selected. A few leaves from the history of the oil-palm of Africa will serve to illustrate this idea. The state of debase ment of the Negro races of Africa has long been a subject of great concern to philanthropists, and numerous schemes have been tried to raise them to the rank of intelligent beings, but all have hitherto proved an utter failure,—a failure chiefly to • be ascribed to the fact that the natural resources of that country were either entirely unknown, or, if known, so little developed, that legitmate commerce on a large scale could not .be established. The traffic in slaves was found more profit able than that of other indigenous productions, and as long as that was the case the establishment of society on a more rational and firmer basis than that hitherto existing was out of the question. At last a ray of hope seems to glimmer, at least for Western Africa. A production scattered over that coun try with a bountiful hand has been found, the exportation of which yields returns more ample than those of the abominable traffic in human beings; and hence it may be fairly expected that the selfish love of gain will tend to bring about that reform in the social state of those degraded people, which un selfish philanthropy has failed to accomplish. The African palm-oil, the production here alluded to, has, indeed, long been sought after by Europeans, but it did not assume that im portance, either directly or indirectly, which it now claims, until the introduction of new processes for manufacturing stearic candles from it, first applied by Price's Patent Candle Company, at Vauxhall, near London. By the introduction of these and similar processes, palm-oil has become an article of so much demand, and the trade in it has assumed such dimen sions, that it employs no less than 20,000 tons of shipping from Liverpool alone. " The inhabitants of a vast extent of coast," says Capt. Forbes, "have been led to give up the slave trade; and why? Because they have been taught the im mense increase of the value of the palm-oil trade over that of slaves." The growing importance of palm-oil has received a great impetus since the outbreak of the war with Russia, which, cutting off to a great extent our sup plies of tallow from the North of Europe, has caused a great increase in the consumption of palm-oil ; and this article, from the peculiarity of some of its quali ties, is found more suitable for some of the purposes to which tallow was previously applied. The position it has thus accidentally, as it were, been made to assume, is not likely to be lost ; on the contrary, it is more probable that its consumption will continue to increase as our manufacturers become more familiar with its many and valuable qualities. In the extract last given we se e g li m p ses o f th a t mora l suns hi ne which philanthropists have prayed for the dawn of on the shores of benighted Africa ; and in a progressive extension of the pal m - o il cu l ture we may look for a further advancement o f th e soc i al, the moral, and the religions condition of the long-betrayed and degraded negro. The book under review is one abounding with in teresting facts, which are useful and i ns t ruc ti ve to every class, but which are peculiarly, important to a mercantile community like that of Liverpool. It is well arranged, and judiciously as well as pleasingly written. Sinai and Palestine in Connexion with their His tory. By Arthur Penrhyn Stanley, M.A. With Maps and Plans. London : John Murray. The object sought to be accomplished by the writer of this book was a verification of Scripture narrative by a careful study of the localities in which the lead ing events of the Israelitish pilgrimage took place. To effect this object, the author betook himself, in a great .degree, to trace the route foll owe d by th e Israelites in their journey from Egypt to Canaan. The book does not consist of a diary of what its reverend author did or saw, but it consists of carefully digested remarks upon scenes and circumstances which he had noted and studied with attention. He says, "the background of the whole history of the Israelites" is to be found i n th e l an d o f Egypt ; and hero he commences his research es . A s th e c hild ren of Israel themselves did, our author passes on through. Egypt to Palestine, and on his route he pauses fre quently to mark and learn ; and,in all, he so combines history and geography as to render his narrative and illustrations consonant with the Mosaic account, which he does without introducing strained effects or illogical conclusions. A favourable example of the calm gravity of his inquiry will be found in the sub joined observations as to the spot on which the Israelites were encamped when Moses received THE COMMANDMENTS ON MOUNT SINAI. If the Wady Feiran, from its palm-grove and its brook, be marked out as the first long halting-place of Israel, the high valleys of Gebel Mousa, with their abundant springs, no less mark out the second. The great thoroughfare of the Desert, the longest, and csidest, and most continuous of all the valleys, the Wady Es-Sheykh, would lead the great bulk of the host, with the flocks and herds, by the more accessible though more circuitous route into the central upland; whilst the chiefs of the people would mount directly to the same point by the Nakb Howy, and all would meet in the Wady Er-Rabeh, the " enclosed plain" in front of the magnificent cliffs of the Ras Sasafeh. It is possible that the end of the range Furera, to which the Arab guides give the name of "Sena," may have a better claim than the Ras Sasafeh, from the fact that it com mands both the Wady Er•Raheh and the Wady Es-Sheykh ; and that alone of those peaks it appears to retain a vestige of the name of "Sinai." It is said to contain a level platform with trees, and undoubtedly any future traveller will do well to explore it. But no one who has approached the lia.s Sasafeh through that noble plain, or who has looked down upon the plain from that majestic height, will willingly part with the belief that these are the two essential features of the view of the Israelite camp. That such a plain should exist at all in front of such a cliff is so remarkable a coincidence with the sacred narrative, as to furnish a strong internal argument, not merely of its identity with the scene, but of the scene itself having been described by an eye-witness. The awful and lengthened approach, as to some natural sanctuary, would have been the fittest preparation for the coming scene. The low line of alluvial mounds at the foot of the cliff exactly answer to the " bounds" which were to keep the people off from "touching the Mount." The plain itself is not broken and uneven and narrowly shut in, like almost all others in the range, but presents a long retiring sweep, against which the people could "remove and stand afar off." The cliff, rising like a huge altar, in front of the whole congregation, and visible against the sky in lonely grandeur from end to end of the whole plain, is the very image of "the mount that might be touched," and from which the voice of God might be heard far and wide over the stillness of the plain below, widened at that point to its utmost extent by the confluence of all the I contiguous valleys. Here, beyond all other parts of the Penin sula, is the adytum, withdrawn as if in the "end of the world," from all the stir and confusion of earthly things. And as in the Wady Pekin "the hill" of Paran may be taken as fixing with some degree of prcbability the scene of Rephi dim, so there are some details of the plain of Er-Raheh which remarkably coincide with the scene of the worship of the Golden Calf, evidently the same as that of the encampment at the time of the delivery of the law. In this instance the tra ditional locality is happily chosen. A small eminence at the entrance of the convent valley is marked by the name of Aaron, as being that from which Aaron surveyed the festival on the wide plain below. This tradition, if followed out, Would of necessity require the encampment to be in the Wady Er-Raheh, as every other circumstance renders probable. But there are two other points which meet here, and nowhere else. First, Moses is described as descending the mountain without seeing the people; the shout strikes the ear of his companion before they ascertain the cause ; the view bursts upon him suddenly as he draws nigh to the camp, and he throws down the tables and dashes them in pieces "beneath the Mount." Such a combination might occur in the Wady Er-Rabeh. Any one coming down from one of the secluded basins behind the Ras Sasafeh, through the oblique gullies which flank it on the north and south, would hear the sounds borne through the silence from the plain, but would not see the plain itself till he emerged from the Wady Ed-Deir or the Wady Leja; and when he did so, he would be immediately under the precipitous cliff of Sasitfeh. Further, we are told that Moses strewed the powder of the fragments of the idol on the " waters" of the " brook that came down out of the mount." This would be perfectly possible in the Wady Er- Rabeh, into which issues the brook of the Wady Leja, descend ing, it is true, from Mount St. Catherine, but still in suffi ciently close connection with the Gebel Mousa to justify the expression, " Coming down out of the Mount." These two coincidences, which must be taken for what they are worth, would not occur either at Serbal or in the Wady Sebayeh. In the case of the former, although there is the brook from the Wady Aleyat, which would probably meet the description, there is no corresponding contiguity of the encampment. In the case of the latter, both are wanting. With great pains and caution, Mr. Stanley traces the circumstances and elucidates the localities of many of the striking events which marked the sojourn of the Israelites in the wilderness. He traces with praiseworthy accuracy the physical features of the Eatintry, and from these cautiously draws illustrative conclusions. His book will be one of great value to biblical scholars. and will repay with gratifying intelligence a careful perusal by the general reader. It is liberally illus trated by maps and plans, which are so constructed as to convey a lively idea of the physical "peculiarities of the various districts ; including also, under this head, the atmospheric effects of mountain district, of lake, or valley, Punch. Part CLXXV. London : The Punch Office. The present part commences the thirtieth volume of this really useful family miscellany. As has been the case for a considerable time past, the war = the singu lar pretensions of the Austrian and Prussian neutrals —and the " peace at any price" party at home, furnish ample themes for the keen satire and graphic pencil of the Punch party, who, while assiduously attending to this branch of their foreign office, do not neglect the home department, but are sensitively and cleverly alive to the whims and oddities which prevail in our various home circles. Every opportunity is taken to " shoot folly as it flies," and no quarter is shown to pretentious impudence. As usual, it abounds in fun and racy humour, and its contents are so varied as to meet the tastes of all. The Family Economist, for Town and Country. London : Office of the Family Economist. This miscellany aims at being useful and amusing, and its intention is modestly carried out. Valuable hints on household economy, gardening and rural and town affairs, interspersed with short tales and direc tions for cookery, form the staple of this cheap and well-got-up miscellany. CHARGE OF MANSLAUGHTER AGAINST Two ARMY SURGEONS.—On the 14th, an inquest was held at the Queen's Head, Brompton, on the body of William Stinson, a private in the 38th Regiment, who, it was stated, met with his death in the Garrison Hospital, in consequence of having had a large dose of laudanum administered to him in mistake for a dose of senna, and which mistake occurred in consequence of the alleged culpable negligence of the surgeons on duty at the hospital. It was also stated that another man to whom the wrong medicine had also been given was not expected to live. The jury returned a verdict of " Manslaughter" against Augustus Frederick Turner and Henry Bedwell, and they were committed to Maidstone gaol. NEW CHURCH-RITES BILLS.—The first bill, the title of which is too long for quotation, is brought in by Mr. Packe, M.P., and the Marquis of Blandford, M.P. The preamble recites the expediency of " abolishing church-rates made for the support of the services of the church and making better provision for the maintenance of the fabric and fittings of parish churches," and on this distinction between the ex pense of supporting the " service" and the " fabric" of the church the principle of this bill is based. Accordingly, no church-rate is to be valid unless made for the " maintenance and repair of the fabric of the church," or "the supply and renewal of the necessary fittings" thereof. In the event of the archdeacon notifying to the churchwardens that money is required for the above purposes, and the neglect of the church. wardens to take the hint by calling a vestry to make a rate within two months of the notice, or the refusal of the vestry to grant an adequate rate, the Court of Queen's Bench may issue a writ of mandamus, compelling the levy of a church rate. The rates are to be assessed and levied like poor-rates, and an appeal from the assessment will lie to the Court of Quarter Sessions, although the latter tribunal will have no power to decide on the validity of any rate ordered by man damus to be levied. Occupiers may deduct church-rates from their rent, but, in the case of existing tenancies, the landlord may balance the difference by adding it to his rent. Owners of freehold estates may contract for the redemption of their lands from the rates, and, when they have been levied annually for 10 years, the redemption money is to be 20 years' purchase of the average of 10 years, and where no annual rate has been made, then 20 years' purchase of the rate, varying with the number of sittings in the parish church. Lands will be for ever free from the burden of church-rates, on payment of this redemption money. This act is not to alter the liability of any rector or lay owner of great tithes to repair the chancel of a church as now required by law, nor will it enable a church rate to be made where the rate could not be made before the passing of this act. • THE FIRE AT RINGOON.—We have the following from Rangoon, dated the 19th of December, 1855 :—" The leading feature of this fortnight's budget from Rangoon is undoubt edly the fact that on Monday week last one-half of this rising city, and the richest portion of it, was consumed and destroyed by fire. The fire broke out about 4 p.m., among some loose hats in an unfrequented part, and was unhappily carried by a northerly wind then prevailing to a row of two-storied wooden houses in Dalhousie-street ; the height of the buildings was such as to cause the flakes of fire to be easily carried across to the south side of the street, though it was 100 feet broad, and here commenced the terrific and rapid work of destruction, for the flames did not cease till they had gutted the contents of every ' pucka' building and destroyed every wooden one within a square containing six streets, and covering one quarter of a square mile. The military were on the spot within half-an-hour of the fire breaking out, and some two or three fire-engines were brought down. In the'first place, there was no water, the only one or two wells that happened to occur in that neighbourhood (constructed by the Burmese before our rule commenced) having been choked up with cocoanuts and Burmese boxes, &c., to save them from the fire ; again, the immense number of bamboo houses that were ignited burnt with such rapidity and fury as to have rendered useless the whole London fire brigade had it been there. The goods inside several brick godowns' were destroyed by the ignition of the roofs, which in many instances are composed of leaves. Had the Moguls torn th ese roo f s o ff i n the first instance they would great deal of their property. The com merce have of ft e sa het v o e w d a has beenn thrown back, the merchants say, at least two years, the native merchants are most of them ruined, and the English firms who are their creditors on ac tount of piece goods sold, but not paid for, are great sufferers. Doubtless there will be done now what should h ave b een done eachsquare before ;there ; there will willbeb? also fire-engines reservoirs of water f orme d w ithi n e-enones ; there will be also some restrictions against the erection of bamboo and leaf huts near valuable property i the use of tiles will be insisted on, and the civil authorities trust not p u t a stop to brick-kilns on the plea of their being a public nu i sance. The only comfortable view to take of this sad occurrenc e i s , that but for the happy cessation of the wind and the exer tions of two European officers and the soldiers, the whole town would have been burnt, instead of half. Major Phayre acknowledged in a very handsome letter the very valuable - aid contributed by the officers and soldiers of the garrison ; indeed, from the Brigadier and Commissioner downwards, every one lent a hand in pulling down huts and taking off roofs.— Calcutta Englishman. THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD. THE WAR. THE intelligence furnished from the Crimea by the cr respondents of the London daily journals reaches to the 2ndof February, inclusive. The news so communicated is of a characer similar to what has formed the staple of the recent despatchs. The weather has continued variable, with occasionally vry severe frosts, which, although not entirely dispelled, hve nevertheless been so broken in upon by falls of rain and intr.. vals of thaw, as to render the camp very disagreeable, aniin many instances equestrianism, from various causes, has ben greatly interrupted. The health of the British army tontines excellent; and even the new levies of recruits lately sent tut appear not only to , agree with the place and the climate, ' , a are represented as in the enjoyment of robust, indeed ride health. The destruction of the' docks has been completd; but the tale of military exploits and adventure continues wih out interest, and to be devoid of incident. The prospects of peace afford a fertile theme of speculation to both officers and men, and, as might have been expected, the subject is largely dwelt upon by the correspondents of the journals. The Times' correspondent, writing from the Camp bebre Sebastopol, on the 28th of January, says, in reference to tie PROSPECTS OF PEACE—THE WITHDRAWAL OF THE ARMY : Coming from Sebastopol, over Picket-house-hill, the amp had quite a homely and snug appearance, as it lay basling lazily in the Sabbath sunshine, its numerous smoking clim neys telling of Sunday dinners in preparation ; and one could hardly fancy that, if all we hear be true, in a few weeki or months' time, this extensive military city will have disappe►red from the earth's surface, leaving a blackened and ashes-stewn desert. Although the news of Russia's acceptance of the ultimatum appears positive, and is confirmed by recent leters received in camp from Constantinople, a reaction has bites' place in the military mind, and doubt is cast upon that wlich, a very few days ago, obtained almost universal credence. In many cases the wish, perhaps, is father to the doubt, for taere are many here to whom peace is unwelcome. That thereis a strong probability of its being made is evident from thefact of a commissariat officer having been sent off to suspend !on tracts, and stop supplies, in Constantinople, Malta, and Lilly, and to make such arrangements as plainly indicate an exrect ation that hostilities are drawing to a close. If peace ha mule, how long shall we be getting away from this is a ques ion one:hears continually asked, and replied to by various ion jectures. A great deal will, of course, depend on the amoint of shipping that can be supplied. I understand that the Quartermaster-General's people say it would take a year to get men, materiel, and stores of all kinds away, and to clear the English army and its appurtenances entirely out of be Crimea and Turkey. Probably this is rather an exaggera,ed estimate of the time really necessary, and yet, bearing in rand the immense quantity of things that will have to be removd, one can hardly pronounce it so. The horses alone will requre a vast deal of shipping. Officers whose rank and position in the service entitle them to horses can hardly be refused pr mission to take them home, or be fairly compelled (unless compensation be given) to sell the animals here, where tie glut would render them unsaleable. It is to be expected tlat huts, furniture, and all sorts of household property will be condemned to the flames. I should not suppose that nutty persons will be very solicitous to take home Crimean bets. But, however much baggage may be cut down, and supmr fluities not worth the carriage consigned to the flames, the de parture of the British army from the East will be such a fit ting as has rarely, if ever, been witnessed. Writing on the Ist of February, the same corresponded, after intimating that the weather had been fine at the end if the preceding month, and that the Russians had fired briskly during the night of the 28th, states the following relative ta A HEAVY RUSSIAN CANNONADE : Between 9 and 10 o'clock on the night of the 29th ult. tie whole camp was startled by the heaviest cannonade that hss been heard since the fall of Sebastopol. Although the nigh was pitch dark, officers flocked up to Cathcart's-hill, and from a considerable distance down the road, curious spectators hur ried to the front. The cause of the firing appears to have been as follows :—Six boats, full of men, put off from the Russian side of the harbour with the intention, as some suppos?, of effecting a landing in Sebastopol, although it is difficut to conjecture what advantage the enemy could have expected to reap from so hazardous an enterprise. Others talk of a recon naissance, but the Russians can distinguish more with their glasses in the daytime than they could from their boats in so dark a night. Finally, a third conjecture points to the sulken men-of-war, concerning which there is a myth current to the effect that they are held down below water by cables, and will start up afloat as soon as those are severed. It is not very probable that the Russians propose to raise their submerged fleet just now, so that this hypothesis falls to the ground, un less its ingenious framers imagine that they were going to see after the tackling, or to ascertain the ravages of the worm. Rather unlikely ; and, in truth, nobody knows the object of this sortie of boats. - Fire was opened upon them ; the French are said to have sunk one of them, and then they retired, rnd the Russians commenced a furious cannonade from all their batteries right round to Inkermann. It is reported that they sent shells into the Malakhoff, and even into the Redan. As usual, the damage done was very small. A shell fell into the French guardboat, carried off a man's arm, and went throuzh the boat's bottom ; but the crew stuffed a coat into the hole and got safely to shore. A round shot went through the roof of the Town-Major's house in the English part of Sebastopol, but hurt no one. The fire was chiefly directed against Cie French, who replied vigorously. Very heavy while it lastet ; it was not long sustained. Under the same date, the Times' correspondent gives the subjoined account of the HEALTH OF THE BRITISH TROOPS : There is no variation to note in the health of the army, which continues excellent. What a contrast between last year and this ! Last week's return gives 18 deaths (of which five are in the Land Transport Corps) in an army of 53,0(0 men, our present strength in the Crimea, exclusive of the Highlanders, &c., at Kertch. In the coresponding week last year the army here was about 29,600 strong, and there wee 538 deaths ! 18 deaths in 53,000 is about lin 3,000, or 1.30 per t . cent. per week, or at the rate of 1 22-30 per cent. per annum—about 17 per mil—which would be a low average of mortality in an English population of the same age, all males of, say, between 18 and 45 years old. After this, who shall shall venture to talk of the noxious climate of the Crimea? Winter is, of course, noxious in any country, if men are ex posed to it without proper food, clothing, and shelter. But if the climate here be so hurtful and fatal, how is it that the English on the plateau of Balacklava, and the Turkish Contin gent at Kertch, enjoy such excellent health and such an exemp tion from mortality as is hardly to be paralleled in the annals of armies ? I stood by the roadside, two mornings ago, watching a fatigue party, 1,000 strong, march doiin to the stores for wood. I never saw such pictures of rude health as all the men were. The young recruits, of whom there are quite as many as is desirable, have got acclimatized, and are gaining a more manly and hardy look. I par ticularly noticed the clean, smart appearance of the sol diers of the 57th regiment, of which a strong detachment was included in the fatigue party. This regiment is one of the finest out here, —certainly one of the crack corps of the Fourth Division. It is very essential to make the physical con dition of the men a main point of army discipline, and one which it is an important and particular duty of officers to at tend to; and I believe that there is an increased consciousness of this out here, and that many officers are most zealous in considering and promoting, by every means in their power, whatever may contribute to the health of their soldiers. As regards moral improvement and wholesome pastime, the ef forts made by various officers, colonels of regiments, chaplains, and others, to supply the men with books and reading accom modation, have, no doubt, borne good fruit in their degree. Owing to the necessity of erecting dwellings for the army, it has been found impossible to get up as many reading huts as were at first projected, but something has been done, and some of the divisions are well provided with books. The wear and tear of these is, of course, considerable, and we have not nearly enough yet. The Guards, I understand, are pretty well stocked with literature, and there is a reading hut in their camp, well attended, and where perfect order is preserved. The Fourth Division has a library for the use of the men. The Scotch Brigade up beyond Kamara is the worst of for books, and this is a great pity, for nearly all the men read, and none in the army would be more glad of a supply of food for the mind. Books are on the way from England, but they are tardy in arriving. What has become of the Harbinger steamer? We are uneasy about her, for she is three weeks overdue. The correspondent of the Daily News gives the annexed, in reference to the FINAL DESTRUCTION OF THE DOCKS : About five p.m. of the 31st of January, the last portion of the Karabelnaia Docks was blown up by the English engineers. The destruction of the whole of these works, and the large basin connecting them, is now complete. In consequence of the fragmentary manner in which their demolition has been effected, and the long intervals between the several explosions, the operation has lately attracted but little interest in camp. It is only fair to mention that unexpected difficulties have been encountered in consequence of water entering the shafts and galleries; and occasionally from the frost. There is a strong desire to witness the destruction of Fort Nicholas, which, it is understood, is shortly to be blown up by the French ; aud, as it is one of the most conspicuous buildings in Sebastopol, from its position, curved outline, and its peculiarly striking length of arched galleries, and may be viewed in perfect security from the high ground in front of the camps, there seems to be no reason why the time fixed on for its demolition should not be made generally known. The Russians, either from not having time to complete the necessary preparations, or from some im perfection in the galvanic wires leading to the magazines, failed to destroy the work, as they did Fort Paul, when they evacu ated the south side. They had evidently made the attempt. A considerable part of the interior was destroyed by fire; but the progress of the flames was arrested before they reached the east end of the building, where a large hospital, with many offices and private apartments, remained entire, with all their furniture, in the same state in which they had been left when hastily abandoned. At this end of the building was also found a large magazine of gunpowder and explosive materials, apparently arranged in such a manner as to secure its total destruction. The correspondent of the Morning Herald, under date of Feb. 2, from the French Camp, Kamiesch-road, says, in refer ence to the PEACE PROSPECTS : Fifteen batteries of French Artillery, amounting to about 400 officers and non-commissioned officers (le cadre), embark for France to-day : and the only conversation iu camp this morning is la paix ! We yesterday received the Morning Herald of Jan. 18, containing the following " OFFICIAL CONFIRMATION. " Her Majesty's government have received the following telegraphic despatch from Sir H. Seymour : " ' The Russian government accept the Austrian proposals as a basis for negotiations.' " Reading this, the English here seem to believe quite as firmly as the French that peace is very close at hand : never less all cry out for a force to be left in the Crimea to hold Kamiesch and Balaklava and the plateau in front of Sebasto pol. We must not holloa till we are out of the wood. During the present week an armistice was again much talked of ; but, nothwithstanding this, and the snow and bitter winds, both French and English lave ignored the probability of a truce, and worked harder than ever in Sebastopol. The docks may be now considered as altogether demolished—another "blow up" has come off—and the last ship remaining to Russia has a lso again been attacked. ATTEMPTED CAPTURE OF A RUSSIAN STEAMER. Tuesday night was the darkest of the dark. For some time past a Russian steamer has been seen under the north shore op posite Fort St. Nicholas : indeed, this vessel has remained there since the fall of the city, tantalising the Allies, who naturally wished to cut her out, or destroy her. An attack made some time since failed. So did the attempt on Tuesday. A few French pontonniers then succeeded in getting pretty close to the steamer, an hour before midnight ; but the Russians soon dis covered their presence, lit up the deek with torches, and opened a heavy and effective fire on the French, who were un fortunately beaten off, and their boats so riddled with shot that they scarcely carried them back to the south shore, where, indeed, more than one sank. But no lives were lost, and but one of our gallant Allies was wounded, a poor fellow whose arm was shot away. COLDNESS OF THE WEATHER. It is so intensely cold to-day, that I can hardly hold the pen. February is at last upon us, with snow enough for the Arctic regions. The French dance themselves into warmth. Another ball is fixed for to-night at the Circle des Ojficiers, Canonville, and another took place on Thursday last at the adjacent Quartier-General Francais. The French army is not so healthy as our own. FREE USE OF THE MONEY ORDER OFFICE. I must still mention one point, however, that affects the wives and families of our soldiers. The Money Order Office at General Codrington's head-quarters has been open, and our men, the very first day, sent to England no less than £3OO. Pretty well, this, for fellows who are said to spend their all in drunkenness. The office is under the direction of Mr. Charles Bliss, who seems to be a most efficient person for the post. P.S.—A perfect storm is raging around us. POSITION OF THE RUSSIAN FORCES IN THE CRIMEA. The following, is said to be an exact statement of the dispo sition of the Russian forces in the Crimea : General Commanding-in-Chief, General Gortschakoff. Chief of the Staff, General Kotzebue. Corps of Grenadiers.-Ist Division towards Eupatoria; 2nd and 3rd Divisions, Simpheropol. 3rd Corps, General Souchogarrieki.- 1 7th on the Korales Pla teau; Reserve Division stationed on the heights of the Bel bek ; Bth, Mackenzie Plateau; 9th, North-side Posthouse. 4th Corps, General Osten-Sacken.-10th, on the Touzla ; 11th, Ezizola Plateau; 12th, on the Belbek ; 14th, on the Boulganak. Lancers, General Radziwill.—Before Eupatoria. Dragoons of General Wrangel.—Eupatoria. 2nd Division of Dragoons, in the North Steppes. 11th Regiment of Cossacks of the Don.—Steppes. One Brigade of Hussars.--Boulganak. With militia to each regiment of the line, the whole strength is from 105,000 to 120,000 men. OFFICIAL DESPATCHES. The London Gazette contains a despatch from General Codrington, dated the 2d of February, enclosing a report from Lient.-Colonel Lloyd, commanding Royal Engineers. General Codrington writes:— The destruction of the docks of Sebastopol is now com pleted. The sides of the last dock were blown in yesterday morning, small parts of walls here and there only remaining. Thus the whole of the canal of entrance and north docks in charge of the French, the basin in our mutual charge, and the south docks in English charge, are separate but shapeless masses of dirt; heavy broken stones, split beams of timber, and shattered gates, protruding from the heap of confusion. The labour of destruction has been difficult; these fine works were formed in the middle ravine, Edits outlet in an inner and sheltered part of the harbour, one of the natural water-courses from the plateau on which we have encamped. This end of the ravine, about 700 yards from its mouth, seems to have been filled in, so as to create a great artificial dam of earth, which, with the steep banks on each side, formed three sides of a raised enclosure, looking down upon the docks. A solid stone wall, much struck by shot, crowns this sort of natural square. The fine, but shattered barracks, standing still higher on the left, with the sheds and dockyard and buildings, the masting shears, and a long quay to Fort Paul in front jutting into the harbour, shows how well adapted all was for its purpose. It is now a picture of destruction, desolation, and silence. There lies, against the quay, the half-sunken hull of a vessel; and, in the harbour beyond, the only things breaking the surface of the water are the lower masts of the sunken ships of war. The drainage of the water of the middle ravine, must, however, pass through to the harbour somewhere ; and it was this that has so much impeded the shafts; for the water, from rains, often stood two feet high over the floor of the dock, and thus of course filled the shafts themselves. Some details of the execution of these are given from the enclosed summary from Colonel Lloyd commanding the Royal Engineers, the im mediate executive officers being Colonel. Gordon and Major Nicholson. Amidst great difficulties of cold and wet—very severe frost at one time and perpetually recurring pressure at another—the work went steadily on, and great praise is due to all those concerned—the engineers and sapper parties of the Royal Artillery, the 18th, and latterly of the 48th Regiments. These parties return to their duties to-morrow, after constant and laborious work. The casualties have been but six, of which two only have been fatal, and one man of the 48th Regiment lost by foul air in a shaft ; after several vain attempts by Major Nicholson, other officers and men, them selves descending at great risk, the poor fellow's body was brought in, but life was gone. Your lordship will see _that Colonel Lloyd expresses his obligation to Mr. Dean and the chief engineer of H.M.S. Royal Albert, for their assistance. The voltaic battery, we must confess, did not always succeed. It seems to require great nicety in operations, but in those cases in which I saw it it succeeded ; the effect was perfect, the shake of the ground, the heaving up of the mass, seemed instantaneous. The destruction of other things will continue. To Lord Panmure. W. CODRIN GTON. TELEGRAPHIC DESPATCHES. VIENNA, Feb. 13. The following intelligence has been received here, under date of Constantinople, Feb. 4th : There are hardly any foreign troops here. There are 1,000 French in camp at Maslak, and two English battalions, with a small cavalry detachment, at Pera and Scutari. . Mehemet Kiprisli Pasha acts for Aali Pasha, who will soon leave for Marseilles in the Allied°. The Sultan was present at Lord Redcliffe's masked ball. Advices from Trebizond of the 28th of January state that the Russians have evacuated part of Turkish Armenia and retired to Erivan. A fire took place on Saturday in the barracks occupied by a detachment of the 13th English dragoons. No lives were lost. The building, with the arms and:accoutrements it contained, was totally destroyed. PARIS, Feb. 14. Count Buol ought to have reached Strasburg to•day. He is expected at Paris this evening or to-morrow morning. Count Cavour arrived at Lyons to-day, which place he was to leave immediately for Paris. Aali Pasha left Constantinople the day before yesterday. It is thought he cannot arrive at Paris before the 22nd inst. It is supposed that the conferences will not open before Thursday next. WHO CAUSED THE DEATH OF TEN THOUSAND BRITISH SOLDIERS.—The Times is doing service in reference to the Crimean report. It says :—ln this report many specific charges are 'made against many officers—among others, against the Earl of Lucan, the Earl of Cardigan, Sir Richard Airey, and Colonel Gordon. The representations made by Ministers in the two Houses of Parliament in palliation of the conduct of their chief military agents are now proved to have been totally untrue. The fatuous gossip of " good society," and of the fierce old gentlemen in the clubs, has been duly weighed in the balance, and may now be estimated at its proper worth. The fact simply is, that between them the chief English officers in the Crimea destroyed one-third of the army com mitted to their care. Three-fourths of the misery and starva tion, and suffering from cold and want of clothing, to make no mention of the absolute annihilation of our splendid cavalry, must be referred to the gross incapacity of the officers in chief command. These gentlemen are now strutting about our streets with all the halo of heroism around their heads ; they are receiving rewards from foreign sovereigns ; they are promoted to honours and dignities at home, as though they had not done sufficient mischief in the East, and as if the past were to be slurred over and forgotten. By all means, if the Earls of Lucan and Cardigan, and if Sir Richard Airey and Colonel Gordon are falsely accused, let Sir John M`Neill and Colonel Tulloch, and all the officers and soldiers they examined, be covered with confusion. If, on the other hand, they are proved guilty of negligence, incapacity, of gross unfit ness for command—if it can be shown that the greatest share of the destruction which fell upon the British army before Sebastopol was due to their unofficerlike administration of their important trust, by the consequences they must abide. Fair play for all. But there is fair play for the dead as well as for the living. The blood of ten thousand gallant veterans—the flower of the English army—as true heroes as Lord Lucan or Lord Cardigan, or as Sir R. Airey, or Colonel Gordon, cries from the ground, for justice. The House of Peers is the highest court of judicature in the realm —we solemnly admonish them, in the name of the English people, how they prejudge this cause. Lord Panmure rose after the two officers accused in the character of the "avvo cato del diavolo ;"—lie was sure, for his part, that the com missioners had not the slightest intention of attacking the character of the noble earls ; and, on the whole, he was for treating the popular clamour with suitable contempt. Lord Derby, who followed, with characteristic boldness, harped upon the theme, "Are the two lords accused to have an oppor tunity offered to them for making a public defence ?" By all means. The conclusion of the discussion was simply puerile. The decorations and honours which have been bestowed upon the Earls of Lucan and Cardigan have, we are told, been given to them, not for their success—not for their qualifications, as generals—but for personal bravery in face of the enemy. Were these noble lords private dragoons, and had they been rewarded with a shilling a-day of extra pay, this would be well enough, but from generals other and very different qualities are required than mere personal courage. Even so, without meaning to cast the shadow of an imputation upon the gal lantry of the Earl of Lucan, we know not that in the Crimea his heroism was put to the test. When the charge of the heavy brigade took place at Balaclava, most rightly, this gene ral was not seen flourishing his sabre in the van of his divi sion. As far as the Earl of Cardigan is concerned, in the famous charge of the light brigade, every man there present did his duty ; nor, when the fatal order was once given, did Lord Cardigan do more than any private soldier who rode over that bloody field. It is sufficient honour that he was one of that band of heroes. There are no persons so profoundly inter ested in the due prosecution of the inquiry to which the Crimean report must give rise as the upholders of our present military system. If they make common cause with officers whose incapacity for military command has been proved, they prejudge the case against themselves. Years must elapse ere we can replace the legions of veteran soldiers who died victims to the " system"--and the "system" remains in full force. PARLIAMENTARY INTELLIGENCE. HOUSE OF LORDS. TUESDAY. Their Lordships met at two o'clock. THE WENSLEYDALE PEERAGE. The House having resolved itself into a Committee of Pri vileges on the patent of the Wensleydale Peerage, . . Lord LYNDHURST stated what - would be file immediate course of proceeding. Various precedents would be produced in evidence ; be should then propose that those documents from the records be translated and printed, so as to be regu larly before the House. Mr. H. G. SnAurE, Assistant-Keeper of the Rolls, was called to the bar, and produced the original patents of creation of two peerages of the reign of Richard IL—Guiscard D'Angle, created Earl of Huntingdon • and De Vere, Earl of Oxford, created Marquis, and then Duke of Dublin. He gave in a list of several others, which have been printed in the series of national records containing the patents of peerage. The pa tent of the Earl of Huntingdon was almost illegible from age and discoloration, and the witness read the contents of the parchment roll from the printed volume of the records. The creation of this Peer was for life. The patent of the Earl of Oxford was also a creation for life only. Mr. Sharpe was reading the latter patent when he was interrupted by Lord Ellenborough, who requested him to read clearly and slowly, as the House could not follow the old law Latin when read rapidly. The interruption gave rise to an irregular conversation of some length. The LORD CHANCELLOR said it was not the practice to read such documents at length ; all that was ne cessary was to give them in. It would be convenient to accele rate the proceedings as much as possible, as he knew it was the intention of Lord Wensleydale, as soon as his illness per mitted him, to present himself and demand admission to his seat in the house. Lord CAMPBELL gave notice that if he did so before the Committee of Privileges had come to its decision, be would move that Lord Wensleydale be refused admission, whether he presented himself on his writ of summons without the patent or not. The LORD CHANCELLOR contended that the Royal writ of summons was the legal authority, and, receiving that writ from the Crown, Lord Wensleydale was bound to obey Lord ST. LEONARD'S had no doubt that was the case with a general writ of summons, but not if it was founded on a patent of first creation, on which the Peer claimed only a life estate. If the patent were only for life, the opinion of the House must be taken. Earl GREY recalled the attention of the Committee to the business before it—the production of documents by the wit ness at the bar. It was a waste of time to read the Latin text of these old patents, as they had all been printed by pub lic authority, were known to every one, and easily accessible. He suggested that some person versed in such matters should be named to assist Lord Lyndhurst in selecting such extracts as were required ; they might be printed, laid before the House, and then Lord Lyndhurst could move a distinct resolu tion upon them. Lord BROUGHAM concurred with Earl Grey. The conver sation was very irregular, and expedition was necessary. The course suggested by Earl Grey was finally adopted, and Lord Brougham and Lord Campbell undertook to assist Lord Lyndhurst in the selection of documentary evidence. A list of patents in several reigns and of rolls of Parliament to be so examined was then put in and read, and Lord LYNDHURST proposed that the committee should adjourn till Monday. Lord CAMPBELL thought notice should be given to Sir J. Parke of the proceedings, that lie might attend and be heard before the Committee, if he thought fit. The LORD CHANCELLOR stated that, as it did not appear that the question had been in any way referred to the House by the Crown,-Lord Wensleydale, would not acknowledge the jurisdiction of the committee. Earl GREY pressed on Lord Lyndhurst and the Peers who acted with him the necessity of stating what was the distinct and definite course they intended the committee to pursue. Those who had called the committee were bound to do so. The precedents they were producing were admitted, and matters of notoriety. The Earl of DERBY said that, as the house, in committee, was acting judicially, it could not proceed without having the documents regularly before it. The Earl of ABERDEEN pointed out that the inconvenience foreseen from going into a Committee of Privileges had already arisen, and that, in fact, they had been compelled to appoint what had been at first proposed—a Select Committee. After some further conversation, the committee adjourned till Monday, at two o'clock, when the evidence was to be ready. The house having , resumed Lord CAMPBELL moved that notice be given to Sir J. Parke, that he might attend and be heard before the com mittee, either by himself or his counsel, if he thought proper to do so. If he appeared in person, he might sit on and speak from the woolsack. The Lord CHANCELLOR said such an order must be issued ; not to Sir J. Parke, but to Lord Wensleydale; the house could not question the right of the Crown by refusing him his title. The Marquis of LANSDOWNE also thought that any order must be addressed to Sir J. Parke as Lord Wensleydale. On the suggestion of Lord REDESDALE, that Lord Wensley dale could not according to precedent be called on to appear in person, Lord CAMPBELL withdrew his motion, but gave notice he should renew it on Thursday next, in a modified form. He should move that notice be given to Sir J. Parke of the pro ceedings of the committee, that he might be heard before it by his counsel. The house then adjourned during pleasure. At 5 o'clock, it re-assembled. -In presenting a petition from merchant seamen, complain ing of the state of the law by which they are compelled to sail in unseaworthy vessels, Lord ELLENROEOUGM asked if the Government intended to bring in any measure on the sub ject. Lord STANLEY of ALDEELEY said no measure of the kind was at present contemplated. The house adjourned at twenty minutes after five o'clock. THURSDAY. The house met at five o'clock. --- TEE MORMONITES.—Lord REDESDALE presented a peti tion from the city of Worcester, complaining of the blas phemous, immoral, and obscene doctrines promulgated by a class of persons styling themselves "Latter-Day Saints," and praying that a law should be passed to repress the promulga tion of such doctrines.—Lord CAMPBELL observed that there was no occasion for any new law, as the existing law was suffi cient to prevent the publication of doctrines injurious to public morals.—Lord REDESDALE said, the present petition had arisen from the circumstance of the Mayor of Worcester hav ing refused to interfere, on the ground that Mormonites were Protestant Dissenters. THE FEBMOY PEERAGE.—A ccversation took place on a point of privilege involved in the recent creation of an Irish peerage, the Barony of Fermoy.—The Earl of DERBY con tended that' the government in creating this peerage had given a new interpretation to the Act of Union, which pro vides that no Irish peer shall be created till three of those existing shall have become extinct. One peer might hold three or more baronies, but the act did not intend that the extinction of those dignities, by the demise of one individual, was to be considered legal ground for a new creation. He thought it unfortunate that the government should, in two distinct cases, have raised a question between the House and the Crown that had never before been mooted. He wished to know in what mode the point could be fairly argued before the Committee of Privileges.—Earl GRANVILLE said the peerage had been created under the advice of the law officers of the Crown. There was something unusual in the state of the elections of Irish peers ; however well qualified a peer might be for a seat in that house, unless he had the support of the Earl of DERBY, he would not have the slightest chance of obtaining it.—The Earl of DERBY denied having any such influence; it was a matter that rested with the Irish peers themselves. But the house was in this case bound to consider the validity of the patent on which Baron Fermoy claimed the right to vote in the election of ari Irish peer.—Lord BROUGHAM and Lord CAMPBELL concurred in the opinion that the Com mittee of Privileges had the same jurisdiction in the case of Baron Fermoy as in that of Lord Wensleydale, though the former was brought before them only on petition. It was suggested that an advocate should be named to watch the case on behalf of the house ; the subject then dropped. Earl GRANVILLE introduced a bill for the purpose of pro moting education in England and Wales, which was read a first time. The Trial of Offences Bill was passed through committee pro forma, in order that some amendments might be intro duced and the bill be reprinted. UNSEAWORTHY VESSELS.—The Earl of ELLENBOE,OUGH, in presenting a petition from certain merchant seamen, com plaining of being obliged by law to go to sea in unseaworthy vessels, stated the manner in which the law bore hard on this class, and suggested that in every case of wreck an inquiry into the causes of it ought to be instituted. He thought a select committee should- be appointed to consider the subject.—Lord STANLEY of ALDEELEY read the legal opinion which had been obtained on the question by the government, which he had no doubt would influence the decisions of magistrates in seaports, and pointed out the difficulties that would arise if seamen could in all cases of leaving a ship plead that it was not seaworthy. The house adjourned at half-past six o'clock. FRIDAY. The house met at five o'clock. THE PARLIAMENT CLOCK.—Lord EGLINTOUN called atten tion to the dial of the clock tower of the new houses of parlia ment, and asked if all the dials were to be marked with such hieroglyphics as the one put up, as in that case the public would not be much the wiser as to the time of day. lie hoped the figures would be .made modern and intelligible, instead of being mediaeval, and much the reverse. He had also heard that the tower had been built without providing the means of raising the clock and bells. The public, therefore, were likely to have a dial that could not be read, a clock that would not go, and bells that could not be rung.—Earl GRANVILLE, in reply, read a letter from Sir Charles Barry, in which he says : —" The clearness of the numerals is of little importance, if their position is clearly defined within some definite form that will duly correspond with the point of the hour hand. The clearness of the division of the minutes is really of the only great importance; and you will see, therefore, that au unusual prominence is given to the minute hand for that purpose. UNCONSECRATED CEMETERIES.—Lord BROUGHAM pre sented a petition from Carlisle on the subject of burials in burial grounds not consecrated.—The Bishop of EXETER denied that Dissenters had any cause for complaint if the bishop had refused to consecrate the ground till it should be bput in a fit , according to the laws of , to e consecrated, or if a place of sepulture was set ap the art Church for those who were not members of the Church. MINISTER OF. EDUCATION. Earl GRANVILLE moved the second reading of the Vice- President of the Committee of Council of Education Bill. The Earl of DERBY thought that the time h a d arrived when there should be a separate department established especially charged with the education of the country. Probably the mode proposed by his noble friend of carrying out the proposition was the best that could be adopted ;. that was to say, th e appointment of a subordinate minister in the other house, or in their lordships' house, if the president of the Council hap pened to be in the House of Commons, to represent the depart ment, on the same principle as the Board of Trade was repre sented. But if the time had arrived for charging a responsible minister with the duties of instruction, was it not also time to supersede the privy council altogether in this matter, and to Take the minister really and in fact responsible for the educa tion of the people ? The president of the Council had various other duties to perform ; and he was not sure, although heavy duties no doubt devolved upon the prime minister, that that high functionary might not very effectually and very satisfac torily discharge the duties which fell upon the president of the Council, provided that the matter of education was withdrawn [FEBRUARY 19, 1856. from the Council. He had a strong feeling that the institution_ of a minister of instruction at the present moment Rs, desirable; that the subject should be altogether separated f rew the privy council ; and that the duties of the president of th°, Council might be attached to those of the minister now call° the first lord of the treasury, who might be relieved from the nominal duties connected with the treasury. This, however, A would open a very large question, into which be was Ileu n i present prepared to enter. He had no objection to the 1 3 7. the second reading of which had just been proposed, 10: 0 f standing that its object was to render the departmen:',. le education a substantial office, presided over by a respell' minister; and he said upon this, as upon most other questions, that a single responsible minister was much more effigy than a board, however respectable and able the members Con stituting that board might be. Lord MONTEIGLE questioned the efficiency of the Beard of Education, as the business supposed to be managed by the el lie officio members was really conducted by subordinates. a rejoiced that in this case an approach had been made to better system. The time had arrived for making the resl )°,• sibility of the education of' the people more direct, and °°",'". necting it more closely with parliament. to wn The Earl of ELLENBOR OUGR thought the work now thr°_, on the Council of Education was quite enough for one ler, and would be done by one man better than by a board. 13 the duties ought to be separated from political interests. 111 1, ought not to be entrusted to a man of extreme opinions, eith e f, in politics or religion, or on the subject of education itself. . 1 1 he held extreme opinions in religion and politics, he would 11 , e secure the co-operation of the gentry and clergy of Y` country ; and, if his opinions were extreme on eduenti ° n he would be inclined to sacrifice the labour of the children °,. the working classes, indispensable to their families, to the °i ject of making a literary peasantry. Earl GREY agreed with the Earl of Ellenborough that great fault had been committed by . the Council of Educe% in requiring too high a standard of literary knowledge in schoolmasters and schoolmistresses, to the detriment of qult fications of a more practical and useful kind. He aPP 0 :1 ; the duties of the board being transferred to one individ but for some years they had very inconsiderately increased ~t° number of parliamentary offices ; many new offices had Der, created, while the old ones had been retained, though P" duties were attached to them. In this respect the whol es system required revision. Lord BROIIGITAM expressed his satisfaction with the teL ie sure, and rejoiced that there was at last a prospect of ha"' a real department of education in this country. The Marquis of LANSDOWNE and Earl GRANVILLE defendd the principle of making the office of vice-president one ide ly tified with the ministry. _ _ The bill was then reid a second time. • The House of Commons Offices Bill was read a second tiale• . The Metropolitan Police Bill was read a second time, after short discussion, Lord CAMPBELL suggesting the insertion of clause taking from the Secretary of State the power of rera°' ving police magistrates at pleasure. Lord PANMITEE laid on the table two letters, addressed t 4,, him by the Earl of Cardigan and Lord Lucan, in reference to e the report of the Government Commission of Inquiry in tI 2 Crimea, and moved that they be printed. The house adjourned at twenty minutes past seven. 1 110 tis to 64 HOUSE OF COMMONS. TUESDAY. Mr. Wiaromf took the oaths and his seat for the Unie er• sity of Cambridge, and Mr. RIDLEY for Newcastle. .• A new writ was ordered for Leominster, in consequence w the death of Mr. Arkwright. CONWAY AND LLANDUDNO ROAD BILL.—On the moth l that this bill be read a second time, Colonel lisrost opPo • the second reading on the ground that a line of railway abe, to be completed rendered a new road unnecessary.—Mr. sr: CARTNEY offered to postpone the second reading until lou,; day.—Mr.• FITZROY hoped the bill would be allowed tet,.., e lr before a select committee.—On a division, the second raw' was carried by 181 to 42. In answer to a question whether it was true that the rep sentative of the Sardinian government had been exclo u ..E from the conferences at Constantinople, and, if so, on O r account, Lord PALMERSTON said that the conferen ce : related not to matters connected with the treaty of peace, l l 6 to arrangements for the settlement of the , question as to; rights and privileges of the non-Mussulman subjects of lu Porte. Mr. EwART obtained leave to bring in bill to extend t he provisions of the Scottish Municipal Reform Act to cr,:, tain royal burghs in Scotland now excluded from the benefit of that act, LAW REFORM.—Mr. NAPIER moved the following resol i r tion :—" That, as a measure of administrative reform, pror sion should be made for an efficient and responsible IS partment of public justice, with a view to seen' the skilful preparation and proper structure of Pac ll :i liamentary bills, and promote the progressive amendment the laws of the united kingdom." He first urged the magl a S tude of the evil, the state of our legislation, which he declar7i to be disgraceful to a civilized country, three systems , 0 law going on at the same time. He next adverted the successful attempts at codification by other nation°, ancient and modern, and to the suggestions andst be efforts of English law reformers from the time of Mr, Bacon, for ridding the statute-book of obsolete pe t e r for consolidating and simplifying the existing laws, and fw, improving the current legislation. The confusion and mistak e ' attending our sessional legislation he attributed to the man l3 `; , in which bills embodying the views of individual members We re brought in and carried through the house; and the 0 11 remedy for these evils, which entailed upon the country . enu r ; mous expense, as well as legal perplexities and inconvenienc e of various kinds, was, he said, the constitution of a partion s i ,„ department, presided over by a wise and enlightened man ° high standing, with a proper staff, whose duty it should be 4 . watch over the course of legislation;and to superintend 0, framing of measures. He proposed that the department 0 ' public justice should occupy itself with all these objects,-- - tb e t amendment of the old law, the superintendence of the currel l ; legislation, and the working of the general law, so as to Ina" it consistent, uniform, clear, and intelligible.—Mr. BAI I ,I I said the house and the country were greatly indebted to le t : Napier for having brought forward this important subjec4 He (Mr. Baines) had long observed and lamented the state the statute law; there was, indeed, a concurrent opinion Of to the existence of the evil and the necessity of a speedy reme22 l and the only question was what that remedy should be. -i; question whether or not it was desirable on public groin . , that there should.be some authority to assist in the prepsr:i tion of measures of legislation had occupied the attention the Statute Law Commissioners, who had prepared a which would shortly be laid before the Crown and the horn and he suggested whether it was not desirable that this Pr —filled up, and not a mere outline—by such high authoriti e j should be seen by the house before it adopted a resolution an indefinite character, and which pledged the house to nothinij at all.—Sir G. GREY said he hoped,As the government agree in the spirit of the motion; Mr. Napier would not, after t is speech of Mr. Baines, ask the house to express an opinion IN ° a resolution as to the mode in which his object should be co t , ried out, and which was under the consideration of the au and learned men who composed the Statute Law CommissieS: —Lord J. RUSSELL did not think that the resolution was oke'' to the objection of Mr. Baines. It pointed out merely t,u , principle to be adopted; but, after what had been said / members of the government, he thought the house could n e " adopt the resolution.—Lord PALMERSTON said this questio n, no doubt, was one otthe deepest importance; at the same tifn e i however plautible the proposition to appoint a Minister e t Justice, he thought many who had adopted the notion had O a made themselves acquainted with the functions of such minister, which were more difficult than might be supposef, and ought to be well considered before the house assented w the resolution. One function would be to direct the legislate of the house. No doubt, laws were passed which contain errors, but he doubted whether the appointment of a met' ber of the government would altogether prevent the recw , rence of such mistakes ; for it could not be expected that ill vidual members would forego and surrender to the g overn:, ment their right to introduce bills. With respect to anoth% function—that of reforming existing legislation—it seemed , L ie have escaped notice that great progress had been already ma', of late years in that direction. Mr. Babies had stated tb s ' the Statute Law Commissioners were engaged upon the sideration of a plan which might go far meet the views `', o Mr. Napier, and he thought that gentleman would do well ,L, waive his resolution for the present. After some further d i `j cussion, Mr. NAPIER proposed to modify the resolution, "su, Sir G. GREY having suggested the omission of the words efficient and responsible department of public justice," ther e solution in that shape was agreed to. CARDIGAN BAY.—Mr. L. DAVIES moved for a select cony mittee to inquire into the advisability of constructing a Or, hour of refuge aad defence in Cardigan Bay, and whether 3: may not be advantageous also to employ convict labour in 00, said works. He supported his motion in a speech of se, length and full of statistics.—Sir C. Wools opposed the motio°' _, on the ground that it would be undesirable to construct a b fw e hour of refuge in Cardigan Bay, and a misapplication of I ) , public money.—Mr. Davies replied, and after s few remarks ; i Mr. Wynne and Mr. Philipps, the motion was negatived UP ° a division by 118 to 44. TEE MONETARY SYSTEM.—Mr. MUNTZ said, as his m 0.14, upon this subject was to be opposed by the government , % should not bring it on at that late hour, but would postpone ' till Thursday, the 21st inst. Mr ADULTERATION OF FOOD, &c.—On the motion of Scholefield, a select committee was ordered to be appoint ed on the adulteration of food, drinks, and drugs. JUSTICES or PEACE.—Mr. Colville obtained leave to bell in a bill to amend the laws relating to the qualification justices of the peace, At present justices of the peace must possessed of £lOO a year in real property, and his object li, to extend the right to persons possessed of personal propel.' to the same amount. _ . The house adjourned at half-past eleven o'clock• WEDNESDAY. Petitions against the opening o fexhib th it e ion in s h o a n bitan Sun te l were presented by Mr. Horsfall, from St. Andrew's District, Liverpool, and the congregations Christchurch, St. Saviour's Church, St. Thomas's, ToxtetP, park, Independent chapel, Christchurch , Waterloo, 1411/ cashire. THE PAROCHIAL SYSTEM. The Marquis of BLANDFORD, in moving for leave, t.O 1 1, introduce his bill of last session for the formation and end? j ment of separate and distinct parishes, described the origl l ?o, parochial status of this country, the object of which, he Sal was to create centres of union and of ministerial activity,, o f w h o le connected and form e d i n t o one sys t em b y a bone t , brotherhood. It was of the last importance, he thong ,li e , that this system sho u ld b e ren d ere d as per f ec t as poss0„, ( 1 Recent subdivisions of parishes by the Church Building other acts had introduced anomalies and defects ; were formed under these acts with different incidents ;„,„ g t is this diversity p ro d uce d con f us ion in our pa r ochi a l law, -1 '"1$ which much complication and great inconveniences arose., do was the purport and scope of this bill to remedy these dei e t pe and anomalies, by providing, under the authority of t o Ecclesiastical Commissioners, for the constitution of !Jo parishes, for modifying endowments, for appropriating I ne, for sites of churches, and for ether incidental arrangenio l of He explained the leading features and many of the detailsw, the measure, and invited the house to agree to its princip i e since it introduced, lie said, no change inconsistent with ' ecclesiastical law of the country. Mr. HADFIELD resisted the further progress of the D o i /j r f , being opposed to its principle. He complained of the 03 jO , mous powers it conferred upon the ecclesiastical cowl!, signers, and urged various obje c tions to the measure W / 7 Nonconformist point of view. He moved to defer the sec" reading for six months. • oil Sir G. GREY said, although the bill had been brought 1 1 0 0 the responsibility of Lord. Blandford, without the V 0 ;0 sanction of the Crown, its object was of such importatees the principle (so far as it could be extracted from the detszool that of providing for a more efficient subdivision of large Of populous parishes, so well deserved the attention of parlial° ~.......... that he tho eeond titm lotne of wi died in a After a L „kettt, and I !eferred to The moti . 44 d itorow " 11 7 ultim The Joii c ommittee. The how Petition. f crYstal Pal r ° lll Con g ' llll , Witt qorsfall f St. Simon': C hurch-rat, oUnbury. Tu E An, that he she Crimea un Peal the fi has observ, their respe t he Comm' 4 itny in ti s tlfferings t eivardi, 01 snsible o 111111 % sited if h e stablish Australian Prevented that the g( l i s tt Placing Anstrt "'lsla. Th Treasury a nd the he the outlini s eamunic t e tPense o half by ti Sound, s ervices fo three o familiar 'or parts subjects statutes tiovi prc effenceg relating jecta of that his explain+ totes r *eta an+ what legislat