The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-02-26 00:00:00

WE ARE ALL HERE. We are all, all here ; Not a vacant chair Speaks sadly of one Who once sat there ; We miss no dear face from our circle to-night, Or sigh that one comes not to gladden our sight No thought of one absent, With sorrowful power, Flings a shadow of gloom O'er the joy of the hour. There's no void at the fireside, all our lov'd ones are -scar, And echoes each glad heart, " We're all, we're all here." The wide world forgotten— Its joy and its pain, Around the old hearthstone We cluster again. And pleasure may beckon, but unheeded its call, While once more the roof-tree o'ershadows us aIL While our frail barks are drifting On Life's stormy main, Will its waves ever anchor Us all here again Oh ! the joy of the present is dimmed by a fear That never the future will find us all here. But we know that our Father, Let what will betide, Each wanderer's footsteps Will lovingly guide; And when widely parted, the loved household bands May not doubt that our treasures are safe in His hands. LITERATURE. Recollections of the Table Talk of Samuel Rogers To which is added Porsaniana. London : Moxon. The volume of table-talk here presented to the public possesses a good deal of interest, and it also contains a great amount of twaddle. The taste and industry applied to watching , noting, and arranging the off-hand conversational remarks of individuals wholly unconscious of the espionage under which they are speaking and acting have been frequently and justly reprobated. If such a practice be liable to censure in ordinary circumstances, the instance now under consideration will do little to remove the odium. The collection is open to the charge of being fre quently insipid, and often malignant. Its editor shelters himself under the averment that Rogers was aware of the fact, that he (the editor) made careful notes of the conversations which passed at the cele brated and long-continued breakfasts which the dilletante banker was in the habit of giving to his friends. So far as the gossip of Rogers himself went, this may be some palliative ; but even that must be taken with circumspection. The ana retailed by the garrulous old gentleman, like those of other gossip mongers, involved the character of others, both livinc , and dead, whom he had no right to exhibit in the pillory of his defamatory twaddle. What he says of himself he was, of course, entitled to have reported in any way he chose, as that most in unison with the dictates of his own vanity ; but he could not claim, far lest confer, the right of gibbet ting those who were his guests : and, if possible, he had still less right so to dispose of the personal character or peculiarities of those whose evil fortune it was to form the subjects of those conversations. Many of his reminiscences, extending, as they did, over so long a period, are fraught with matter for sage reflection. The remembrance of himself and others, when boys, chasing butterflies about the fields, in cocked hats, is at once amusing and suggestive. Less satisfactory, in our esteem, is the confidential communication made by an hot el-waiter to Stothard the painter, that Fox and Dundas drank seven bottles of wine at a sitting. Of the frightful consequences of popular tumult, many examples have been adduced in different ways—few of them perhaps more striking or more novel than the annexed recollection con nected with LORD GEORGE GORDON'S RIOTS. When I was a lad, I recollect seeing a whole cartful of young girls, in dresses of various colours, on their way to be executed at Tyburn. They had all been condemned, on one indictment, for having bein concerned in (that is, perhaps, for having been spectators of) the burning of some houses during Lord George Gordon's riots. It was quite horrible.—Greville was present at one of the trials consequent on those riots, and heard several boys sentenced, to their own excessive amazement, to be hanged. " Never," said Greville with great naïveti," did I see boys cry so." Such scenes as the above were sufficient to arouse the indignation and awake the pity of all right-minded men, and were without doubt instrumental in bringing about that reaction in public sentiment which causes the philanthropist in some degree to sympathise with the criminal rather than with his victim. Anecdotes of various quality form the staple of the book ; and of these it may be well to give a few selected here and there, without any attempt at con tinuity or arrangement. Of the Duke's (Wellington's) perfect coolness on the most trying occasions, Colonel Gurwood gave me this instance. He was once in great danger of being drowned at sea. It was bed-time, when the captain of the vessel came to him, and said, "It will soon be all over with us."—" Very well," answered the Duke, " then.l shall not take off my boots." It is curious how fashion changes pronunciation. In my youth everybody said "Lonnon," not London :" Fox said Lonnon" to the last ; and so did Crowe. The now fashiona ble pronunciation of several words is to me at least very offen sive : " contemplate" is bad enough; but " balcony" makes me sick. To all letters soliciting his subscription to anything, Erskine had a regular form of reply, viz., " Sir, I feel much honoured by your application to me, and I beg to subscribe" — here the reader had to turn over the leaf, " myself your very obedient servant," &c. Humphrey Howarth, the surgeon, was called out, and made his appearance in the field stark naked, to the astonishment of the challenger, who asked him what he meant. " I know," said H., " that if any part of the clothing is carried into the body by a gunshot wound, festering ensues ; and therefore I have met you thus." His antagonist declared that fighting with a man in purls naturalibus would be quite ridiculous ; and accordingly they parted without further discussion. Lord Alvanley, on returning home after his duel with young O'Connell, gave a guinea to the hackney-coachman who had driven him out and brought him back. The man, surprised at the largeness of the sum, said, "My Lord, I only took you to —," Alvanley interrupted him, " My friend, the guinea is for bringing me back, not for taking me out." Lord Seafortb, who was born deaf and dumb, was to dine one day with Lord Melville. Just before the time of the com pany's arrival, Lady Melville sent into the drawing-room a lady of her acquaintance, who could talk with her fingers to dumb people, that she might receive Lord Seaforth. Pre sently Lord Guilford entered the room ; and the lady, taking him for Lord Seaforth, began to ply her fingers very nimbly ; Lord Guilford did the same ; and they had been carrying on a conversation in this manner for about ten minutes, when lady Melville joined them. Her female friend immediately said, "Well, I have been talking away to this dumb man."— "Dumb !" cried Lord Guilford ; " bless me, I thought you were dumb." I told this story (which is perfectly true) to Mathews; and he said that he could make an excellent use of it at one of his evening entertainments ; but I know not if ever he did. A friend' of mine in Portland-place has a wife who inflicts upon him every season two or three immense evening parties. At one of those parties he was standing in a very forlorn con dition, leaning agai ns t th e c hi mne y-pi ec e, when a gentleman, coming up to him, said, " Sir, as neither of us is acquainted with any of the people here, I think we had best go home." In this volume, Mr. Rogers and his friends, through the instrumentality of the reporting editor, are made to tell a good deal of what they know concerning every body who is or has been anybody. I once dined at Mr. Stone's (at Hackney) with Fox, Sheridan, Talleyrand, Madame de Gerais, Pamela, and some other cele brated persons of the time. A natural son of Fox, a dumb boy (who was the very image of his father, and who died a few years after, when about the ageof fifteen) was also there, having come, for the occasion, from Braidwood's Academy. To him Fox almost entirely confined his attention, conversing with him by the fingers ; and their eyes glistened as they looked at each other. Talleyrand remarked to me, "how strange it was, to dine in company with the first orator in Europe, and only see him talk with his fingers !"—That day I offended Madame de Geniis by praising the "Contes Moraux" of Marmontel, with whom she had quarrelled violently. At a dinner party, where I was, Fox met Aikin. "I am greatly pleased with your Miscellaneous Pieces,' Mr. Aikin," said Fox (alluding to the volume written partly by Aikin, and partly by his sister, Mrs. Barbauld).—Aikin bowed.—" I particularly admire," con tinued Fox, "your essay Against Inconsistency in our Ex pectations.' " That," replied Aikin, "is my sister's."—" I like much," resumed Fox, " your essay ' On Monastic Institu tions.' "—" That," answered Aikin, "is also my sister's." Fox thought it best to say no more about the book. I was present at a dinner-party given by William Smith in Westminster, when Fox would not take the slightest notice of Horne Tooke, —would not look at him, nor seem to hear any of the good things he said. It was the most painful scene of the kind I was ever witness to, except what occurred at my own house, when the Duke of Wellington treated Lord Holland much in the same way. The annexed anecdote of Horne Tooke is illustrative. in a high degree of the art of - - CURRYING WITS d. POISONED coma. Tooke went to Italy as tutor to a young man of fortune, who was subject to fits of insanity, and who consequently would sometimes occasion much alarm at inns during the middle of the night.—While residing at Genoa, they formed an acquaint ance with an Italian family of distinction, by whom they were introduced to the best society of the place. Tooke attached himself to a lady of great beauty, becoming her cavalier ser vente, and attending her everywhere. After some weeks, at a large evening party, he was astonished to find that the lady would not speak to him, and that the rest of the company avoided conversation with him. " Now," said Tooke, " what do you imagine was the cause of this ? Why, they had dis covered that I was a Protestant clergyman ! But I was re solved not to be brow-beaten ; and I made myself so agreeable, that, before the party broke up, we were all again on the very best terms; some of them even waited on me home, with music, in a sort of triumph." Soon after Tooke had left Genoa, he heard that another traveller, who was following the same route, had been assassinated. This unfortunate traveller was mistaken for Tooke, on whom, in consequence of his intrigue with the lady at Genoa, the blow had been intended to fall. As a matter of course, any such collection of anec dotes would be very imperfect without the introduction of AoYalty,-and care has been taken to provide against any such omission, as may be seen from the following PORTRAIT OP TRH DU RR OP YORE. .. The Duke of York told me that Dr. Cyril Jackson most Conscientiously did his duty as tutor to him and his brother, the Prince of Wales. "Jackson," said the Duke, "used to have a silver pencil-case in his hand while we were at our lessons ; and he has frequently given us such luocks with it upon our foreheads, that the blood followed them." I have often heard the Duke relate how he and hia - brother George, when young men, were robbed by footpads on Hay Hill. They had dined that day at Devonshire House, had then gone home to lay aside their court-dresses, and afterwards proceeded to a house of a certain description in the neighbourhood of Berkeley-square. They were re turning from it in a hackney coach, late at night, when some footpads stopped them on Hay Hill, and carried off their purses, watches, .&c. In his earlier days, the Duke of York was most exact in paying all his debts of honour. One night at Brookes's, while he was playing at cards, he said to Lord Thanet, who was about to go home to bed, "Lord Thanet, is our betting still to ,continue ?" " Yes, sir, certainly," was the re ply : and next morning Lord Thanet found iC1,500 left for him at Brookes's by the Duke. But gradually he became less par ticular in such matters; and at last he mould quietly pocket the winnings of the night from Lord Robert Spencer, though he owed Lord Robert about five thousand pounds. I have several times stayed at Oatlands with the Duke and Duchess of York—both of them most amiable and agreeable persons. We were generally a company of a b ou t fift een ; an d our bei ng invited to remain there ` another day' sometimes depended on the ability of our royal host and hostess to raise sufficient money for our entertainment. We used to have all sorts of ridiculous "fun" as we roamed about the grounds. The Duchess kept (besides a number of dogs, for which there was a regular burial-place) a collection of monkeys, each of which had its own pole, with a house at top. , One of the visitors (whose name I forget) would single out a particular monkey, and play to it on the fiddle with such fury and perseverance, that the poor animal, half-distracted, would at last take re fuge in the arms of Lord Alvanley. Monk Lewis was a great favourite at Oaklands. One day after dinner, as the Duchess was leaving the room, she whispered something into Lewis's ear. He was much affected, his eyes filling with tears. We asked what was the matter. "Oh," replied Lewis, "the Duchess spoke so very kindly to me 1"—" My dear fellow," said Colonel Armstrong, " pray don't cry ; I daresay she didn't mean it." If the Rogers portion of this volume be questionable in its taste and teaching, that portion of it which relates to Porson is utterly unjustifiable, if not even wicked. The anecdotes related concerning this great scholar are invariably of a character to detract from his fame. His burly, strong, rough-and-ready common sense is invariably contrasted with his besetting sin of drunken ness—his scholarly attainments dashed by insinuations of poverty and squalor. As illustrations, take the following ANECDOTES OP PORSON. He was generally ill dressed and dirty. But I never saw him in such a figure as he was one day at Leigh and Southeby's auction-room: he evidently had been rolling in the kennel; and, on inquiry, I found that he was just come from a party (at Robert Heathcote's, I believe), with whom he had been sitting up drinking for two nights. At one time he had some thoughts of taking orders, and studied divinity for a year or two. " But," said he, " I found that I should require about fifty years' reading to make my self thoroughly acquainted with it—to satisfy my mind on all points ; and therefore I gave it up. There are fellows who go into a pulpit assuming everything, and knowing nothing : but I would not do so." He insisted that all men are born with abilities nearly equal. "Any one," he would say, "might become quite as good a critic as I am, if he would only take the trouble to make himself so. I have made myself what lam by intense labour : sometimes, in order to impress a thing upon my memory, I have read it a dozen times, and transcribed it six." Tooke used to say that "Porson would drink ink rather than not drink at all." Indeed, he would drink anything. He was sitting with a gentleman, after dinner, in the cham bers of a mutual friend, a Templar, who was then ill and confined to bed. A servant came into the room, sent thither by his master for a bottle of embrocation which was on the chimney-piece. " I drank it an hour ago," said Porson. Banks once invited Porson (about a year before his death) to dine with him at an hotel at the west-end of London ; bat the dinner passed away without the expected guest having made his appearance. Afterwards, on Banks asking him why he had not kept his engagement, Porson replied (without entering into further particulars) that " he had come :" and Banks could only conjecture that the waiters, seeing Porson's shabby dress, and not knowing who he was, had offered him some insult, which had made him indignantly return home. From the specimens adduced, some idea of the book may be formed. Its pervading character is far from exalted, and the hot haste with which it has been ushered into the world—so speedily after the death of him whose sayings and doings it professes to chronicle —is not likely to elevate the general opinion of its editor's taste. Book•making, as a trade, peers through every page of it ; and the popular taste for scandal is so studiously cared for as to render commentary upon its literary pretensions or demerits a matter of very secondary import. How gratifying soever it may have been to the vanity of Rogers, while alive, to know that the conversations which took place at his table were "noted down," assuredly the publication of them will not increase the love borne towards his memory. SUNDAY LABOUR.—The Shipping and Mercantile Gazette of Monday contains a letter from a shipmaster at Constan tinople, stating that, being required to discharge coals at Ka miesch, for the French Government, by whom his vessel had been chartered, four of his crew had refused to work, on the ground that it was Sunday ; and that, the case having been brought before the British Vice-Consul at Constantinople, it had been decided against him. He wishes to know whether he or the consul was right. The editor replies in a leading article, and says:-" A letter appears in another column in which our opinion is asked as to whether a seaman who ob jected to work on a Sunday, under the circumstances therein detailed, can be held guilty of refusing to obey a lawful com mand. We agree with the Consul at Constantinople, that he cannot, and that, inasmuch as the work he was directed to do might just as well have been commenced on the Monday as the Sunday, the master has no right to fine the seaman for objecting to resign his day of rest for one of labour. At the same time it must be remembered that there are many duties,coming within the meaning of work or labour, which a seaman is bound to per form on Sunday the same as on any other day, and to refuse or neglect to perform these duties would clearly be disobedi ence to a lawful command. Always whilst at sea, and ofttimes while in port, there is a certain amount of work to be done which justifies the captain in insisting upon, and the seamen in performing it, even on a Sunday. Whatever is required for the proper navigation of the ship, and wherever, in fact, a necessity exists for the work to be done, and the postponement of such work until the next day would con tribute to imperil the ship, or cause injury to any one, a seaman is bound to undertake the labour on a Sunday just as much as on any other day in the week. Looking at the insti tution of the Lord's-day merely as a civil institution, and altogether apart from its Divine origin and character, the wisdom and the policy of it are undeniable. It amounts, in fact, to this, that out of a period of time comprising seven days, six of these days are a fair allotment to labour, and one to rest —rest, not of drowsiness or inactivity, but cessation from that particular mental or bodily labour which constitutes the daily business of life. The mode of using this day of rest, and the devotion of it to such ends and objects as each person thinks advisable, it is not our purpose to dwell upon, further than to say that, as every man is a responsible agent, and, to some extent, a trustee for his own benefit as well as that of others, he would do well to look to his trust, and endeavour not to abuse it. We are induced to refer to this subject thus prominently, because efforts are being made to effect an altera tion in the observance of Sunday, and to reduce it, on the plea of benefiting the poor and giving them opportunities for relaxation, to the level of the other six days in the week. This movement we believe to be a dangerous one, and the more so on account of its plausibility. Let the government but once interfere to make the Lord's-day a day of pleasure in a worldly sense, and employers, when hands are scarce and employment at a premium, will make it a day of labour. Labourers would soon be divided into "six-day" and "seven-day" men, and the mechanic would, in a few years, find that "the Sun day shines no Sabbath day to him," but that he had simply gained by the change a negro's holiday. One day's rest to six days' labour has hitherto been considered the labourer's right ; but let it once be conceded that the day of rest is not required, and the right of the working man to demand it will soon cease." EXECUTION NEAR GIBRALTAR.—The execution of Edou ardo Abad, alias Lutgardo Abadia, for the murder of Mr. Fenton, an Englishman, who was shot and robbed in the vici nity of Tarifa, in April ast, took place at Algesiras on the 9th inst. An accomplice, who witnessed the murder, was sentenced to be imprisoned for life. A large crowd was present, but be haved with great decorum. The scaffold was erected just out side the town, and on it were two chairs, opposite one another, and about six feet apart—one for Abad, who was to suffer, and the other for his accomplice, who was to witness the execu tion, and afterwards be imprisoned for life. Some infantry were drawn up round the scaffold, and a few Lancers kept the space clear between the infantry and the crowd. At twelve o'clock the culprits were brought from the gaol to the place of execution. They were mounted on donkeyS and escorted by a guard of infantry, and preceded by drums playing a slow march. The accomplice, who rode the first donkey, had no thing particular about his dress, except that in lieu of a hat a red handkerchief was tied on his head; whereas Abad was dress ed in a black long cloak with a black cowl over his head ; the wrists of each were tied together, but not so tight as to prevent the hands being slightly used. On arriving inside the square formed by the military, the accomplice, after being assisted to dismount by the executioner, mounted the scaffold and seated himself in the chair appointed for him, and was im mediately secured therein by the executioner, by means of ropes round his arms and legs, and an iron collar round his throat was strapped to the post behind him. Abad ascended the scaffold soon after, and the crier then proclaimed his sen tence. Three priests accompanied the culprits, and one of them was engaged for nearly half an hour on the scaffold with Abad, the priest sitting in a chair and Abad kneeling at his feet. Abad had a cigar in his mouth when he arrived, and continued smoking it at his devotions as long as it lasted. He seemed to pay very little attention to the priest, frequently looking about him, and apparently nodding to acquaintances in the crowd. Both the culprits partook of wine during this time ; and when Abad had finished his confessions he came forward and asked the people to pray for his soul. He said he was sorry for what he had done, and begged forgiveness of all those whom he had injured. He then sat down in the chair, and was secured, by a rope passed round his body, to the back of his chair; other ropes fastened his ankles to the legs of the chair; and his arms to the arms of the chair ; and his hands were drawn doWn between his knees by a rope passed under the seat of the chair. The iron collar was then adjusted on his throat, and a black handkerchief tied over his face. The executioner then stood behind him, grasping the iron rod which turns the screw ; and when the priest had arrived at a certain p o i nt in some prayer or creed he was repeating, the hands of the executioner went round like lightning, and the collar was drawn up to within a very lman which was little distance of the post. Death appeared to be instantane ous, as not the slightest motion of the bodywas visible, was no doubt prevented in a great measure by u e manner which the culprit is fastened in the chair. After a minute or two the handkerchief was removed from the face, which did not exhibit any evidences of a violent death, except that the tongue was hanging out of the mouth. The priest who had confessed Abad then harangued the crowd for about ten minutes, immediately after which the accomplice was released from his chair and taken back to gaol, in the same manner as he came. Three or four sentries were posted to guard the body, which was to be left .till sunset, and then buried ; the 'soldiers were marched away, and the crowd, after satiating themselves with gazing at the body, quietly -dispersed. P_A.RIL43f_ENTARY INTELLIGENCE. HOUSE OF LORDS. TUESDAY. Mr. W. Smith appeared at the bar and handed in the Journals of the House of the year 1692, containing entries relating to the Earl of Lincoln's writ and patent. 3EFISTER OF EDUCATIOK.—In moving the third reading of the Vice• President of Committee of Council on Education Bill, Earl GRANVILLE explained that, in attributing on a for mer evening to Sir J. Pakington the suggestion of the present measure, he did not mean to imply that that gentleman bad been the original proposer of a Ministry of Education. No doubt Mr. Ewart in the other house, and Lord Brougham had previously proposed a similar scheme. What he intended upon the former evening was, to acknowledge the efforts of Sir J. Pakington in the cause of education last year.—Lord BROUGHAM cordially recognised the eminent services of Sir J. Pakington in that and many other matters.—The bill was then read a third time and passed. The House of Commons Offices Bill and the Metropolitan Police Bill were severally read a third time and passed. ' TEE SUNKEN SHIPS AT SEBASTOPOL.—The Earl of HARD WICHE begged to call their lordships' attention to a subject of considerable importance to the country and to the House, and over which they could only exercise a distant and mode rate tontrol. At the commencement of the war with Russia the authorities at Sebastopol, in order to provide for the de fence of that port, thought proper to sink seven, eight, or nine —he was not sure of the number—heavy ships. The state in which those ships were sunk he believel was not known to any one. Whether they were sunk with their stores or guns on board, or otherwise, no one knew ; nor whether they were built of oak or of fir. He rather believed they were built of oak, judging from the abundance of that kind of timber in those countries. He felt sure the Government would agree that if at the close of the war there should be a resurrection of those ships very great pain and irritation would be felt by the people of this country, who firmly believed that the Rus sian Black Sea fleet had been utterly and completely destroyed. He therefore asked Lord Panmure what were the intentions of Her Majesty's government with regard to those ships.—Lord PANMURE said nothing that gallantry and science could effect would be left undone to insure the destruction of what was above the water in Sebastopol or beneath it. The House then adjourned. THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD. THURSDAY. The Leases and Sales of Settled Estates Bill passed through committee pro formd, and was ordered to be committed on Thursday next. The report of the amendments in the Trial of Offences Bill was agreed to. . Lilt CRIMEAN COMMISSIONERS' REPORT.—Lord PANMULE —My lords, I think it my duty to inform you that her Ma jesty, by the advice of her ministers, has appointed a board of general officers to inquire into the matters adverted to in the report of the commissioners who were sent to the Crimea to make certain inquiries. This board is to receive explanations on the subject of complaints made by officers who have been adverted to in that report, and to inquire into all the circum stances connected therewith.—The Earl of HARDWICRE thought the step should have been taken by the Commander in-Chief of the army long ago. The officers whose conduct had been impugned by the report had been placed in a very diffi cult position, and had been obliged to redress their grievances themselves in the public prints—a course likely to be danger ous to the discipline of the army and to the public service.— Lord PANMITRE said the full report was only received on the 22nd of January : previous to that date the Government was not in possession of information on which it could act. A first report was received in June last, but it was a bald and meagre statement, referring only to one department not under the control of the Commander-in-Chief, and unaccompanied by any evidence whatever. Now, certain officers found themselves blamed by the report ; and a board of general officers uncon nected with affairs in the Crimea had been appointed to inquire into the matters alleged, and to hear the defence of these officers.—After some further remarks, the conversation dropped. THE WAR DEPARTMENTS. The Earl of DERBY moved for the production of any papers limiting or defining the respective duties and powers of the Secretary of State for War and the Commander-in-Chief of the Army. In doing so he dwelt on the necessity of Parliament having some positive information on the subject. He had endeavoured to obtain such information last session, but all he could learn was a list of many things the Secretary of State could not do : all he could ascertain was a series of negatives. He described the duties of the Secretary of the Colonies, who formerly was also Secretary at 'War, as very unimportant in time of peace : they were mere matters of routine. The recent changes had so increased the authority of the Secretary for the War Department as to make him in time of war almost a dictator over his colleagues. He wished to know whether these alterations had left to the Commander-in-Chief a full control over the discipline, patronage, and promotion of the army; whether the bestowal of honours and distinctions, the appointments to foreign garrisons, and the movement of troops rested with the Commander-in-Chief or with the Secretary for War ; whether honours awarded in the field, on the recom mendation of the commander on the spot, and sanctioned by the Commander-in-Chief at home, were still forwarded to the Secretary of State to take the pleasure of the Crown upon them, or whether the Secretary of State could disregard the recommendations of the commander on the place of action. He wished to know whether the responsibility of the appoint. ment of, the Earl of Cardigan and General Airey rested with Lord Hardinge or the Secretary of State. It was to the Commander-in-Chief the officers of the army looked for pro motion; from him they were to expect censure; he was the guardian of the character of the army; and he asked if it was true that Lord Hardinge never received the report of the Crimean commission till it reached his hands as a member of that House ; he understood it had been withheld from him, though in the possession of Lord Panmure in June last. He alluded to the additional confusion of authorities caused by the abolition of the Board of Ordnance, and again urged the necessity of a distinct definition of the functions of all the departments connected with the army; if there were no docu ments defining those powers, they ought to be prepared. Lord PAxaturnE repeated his statement that the portion of the report from the Crimea, received in June, was too slight for the government to act on. He defended the recent alter ations in the war department, and gave an outline of the duties transferred to the Secretary of State, which include all the civil administration of the army, but leave to the Com mander-in-Chief, subject to the approval of the government, all measures relating to discipline, patronage, and promotion. On the higher promotions in the army it was the practice for the Commander-in-Chief to obtain the consent of the Secretary of State. For the appointments of the Earl of Cardigan and General Airey, he admitted he was fully as responsible as Lord Hardinge. But it was a mistake to suppose that the Commander-in-Chief was not responsible to parliament, and equally erroneous to say that parliament had no control over the army, while the House of Commons provided the means of paying it, and gave the power of keeping it together by passing the annual Mutiny Act. To place the patronage of the army in the hands of the ministry would be no benefit to the nation, and he would support the system that left full and proper powers to the Commander-in-Chief. Lord HARDIISGE approved the nomination of the board of inquiry, and defended the appointment of Lord Cardigan and General Airey, as, when it took place, he knew of no allega tions against them. The Earl of DERBY expressed himself satisfied with the statement of Lord Panmure, and withdrew his motion. Their lordships adjourned at a quarter-past seven FRIDAY. Their lordships met at fire o'clock. THE WENSLEYDALE PEERAGE Before going into committee for Privileges on the Wensley dale Peerage Patent, Earl GLENELG moved that the following questions be re ferred to the judges :—ls it in the power of the Crown to create by patent the dignity of a baron of the United Kingdom for life ? and what privileges does such a grant confer ? Lord CAMPBELL contended that the questions did not come within the province of the judges ; nor would they be able to define all the privileges which a patent conferred. The LORD CHANCELLOR supported Earl Glenelg's motion, and urged the house to have the assistance of the opinion of the judges before taking a step so reckless as that proposed by the resolution to be submitted to the committee by Lord Lyndhurst. Lord BROUGHAM protested against the term " reckless" applied by the Lord Chancellor to the proceedings of the com mittee, and pointed out the impossibility of getting an answer from the judges without a delay that would defer the decision till another session. He admitted that the committee were dealing with a part of the prerogative of the Crown ; but in its exercise it had trenched on the privileges of the peers. Earl GRANVILLE would vote for the motion, and urged on the house the policy of taking the opinion of the judges, as the legal authorities among the Peers differed so widely from each other. Upon a division there appeared— Contents, 62; proxies, 49 Non-contents, 97 ; proxies, 45 Majority against government -31 Their lordships then went into committee, when Mr. Thos. Tomlins was called, and examined by Lord LYNDHURST.— He deposed that he had carefully searched the records in the Rolls Chapel, from the reign of Richard HI. to Mary, and that he had not found more than two instances of the creation of a peer for life during that period. The LORD CHANCELLOR would not subject his noble and learned friend to the necessity of proving a negative, but would admit that he knew of no other cases, with the excep tion of some 18 cases of peerages being conferred upon women, and of some in which a peerage had been conferred upon per sons for life, with remainder to collateral heirs. Lord LYNDHURST moved :—" That in the Committee for Privileges appointed to examine and consider the copy of the letters patent purporting to create the Right Hon. Sir James Parke, Knight, a baron of the united kingdom for life, pre sented to the house on Monday, the 4th inst., and to report thereon to the house, the committee do agree to the following report :—The committee have, as directed by the house, ex amined and considered the copy of the letters patent purport ing to create the Right Hon. Sir James Parke, Knight, a baron of the united kingdom for life; and they report it as their opinion that neither the said letters patent nor the said letters patent with the usual writ of summons, issued in pur suance thereof, can entitle the grantee therein named to sit and vote in Parliament." He laid down two main positions— that there were certain limits to the power of the Crown in the creation of peers, and that the House of Lords had a juris diction and a right to decide on the patents by which common ers are admitted to the privileges of peers. Thus an alien, though he might receive a patent of creation, could never sit in Parliament ; nor could the Crown create a peerage for a term of years. When a person presented himself at the bar, claiming to sit and vote in that house, the peers had the immediate right of deciding on the validity of the claim, and with the peers alone rested the jurisdiction on the subject. These positions he supported by a long and minute reference to precedents, and defied the Government to prove a single case in which the right to a seat in the House of Peers had been connected with a patent to a commoner for life. If the judicature of the house was defective, there were easy re medies. They could call in the assistance of the judges ; and if they made some of the Scotch judges privy councillors they could have their help also. Rights that had sprung from long usage were not to be lightly touched : the succession to the crown itself was founded on the same principle. They were .told this power would be moderately used ; but Earl Grey had admitted by one of his resolutions that it was open to great dangers : with unscrupulous men in power, and in times of excitement, this right might be much abused ; and there would be a great temptation to abuse it. Earl GREY moved, as an amendment, to leave out all the words after the word "opinion," for :the, purpose of inserting the following words, viz., " That the highest legal authorities having concurred in declaring the Crown to: possess the power of creating peerages for life, and :this, power'. having, in some cases, been exercised in former times, the House of Lords would not be justified in assuming the illegality of the patent creating the Right Hon. Sir James Parke Baron Wensleydale for life, and in refusing, upon that assumption, to permit him to take his seat as a peer." He contended that the right of the Crown to grant hereditary peerages involved the power of granting them for life. In fact, life peerages had been created down to the time of George 11. That these patents were given to women did not affect the prin ciple. They had all the right of peers, with the exception of being summoned to parliament. They were summoned as peeresses to attend coronations, and if they committed offences they would be tried by the House of Peers, not by a court of law. Most of the arguments used by Lord Lynhurst resolved themselves into the proof of disuse of the power of the Crown, and an asnmption that the hereditary principle is the essence of the peerage. If they rejected the patent of Lord Wensley dale, they would create a very dangerous precedent, as the majority of the house would be erected into an irresponsible tribunal, deciding on the acts of the Crown ; and, that majority being quite uncontrolled, the balance of the constitution would be destroyed. Lord STANHOPE supported the motion, and the Duke of ARGYLE opposed it. Lord BROUGHAM declared that he had now no doubt the creation of a peerage for life, with the right of sitting in par liament, was beyond the prerogative, wholly unknown to the law, and therefore illegal. He cited many powers anciently exercised by the Crown, with regard to taxation and repre sentation, which, havingfor a long period fallen into desue tude, would be considered tyrannical if now revived as parts of the prerogative. The long disuse of the right now exer cised was of the utmost importance; and he denied that be cause the Crown had the unquestioned right to create heredi tary peerages, it had therefore the power to make them for life, as something less. They were a totally different thing. He did not believe, if the house exercised its undoubted privi leges, there was any danger of giving offence to the Crown ; that was an utter impossibility, and it was a question with which the House of Commons had nothing whatever to do. The Peers might as well interfere with that house in any case of disputed election. The LORD CHANCELLOR explained the law respecting writs of summons, and contended that the writ alone was the authority by which a_peer took his seat. There were cases in dangerous times when peers had been heavily fined for not obeying the writ ; whoever received one was bound to obey it ; and Lord Wensleydale was exactly in that position. The report of the committee impeached the writ as well as the patent, and if the house persisted in refusing to admit Lord Wensleydale, it would be the most extraordinary invasion of the prerogative he had ever heard of. Upon a division, there 'appeared For the amendment 57 Against it Majority against Government —3s The original motion was agreed to, and the house resumed. The Trial of Offences Bill was read a third time and passed. Their lordships adjourned at twenty minutes past one o'clock. HOUSE OF COMMONS. TUESDAY. • Petitions against the opening of places of amusement on the Lord's-day were presented by Mr. Horsfall, from the congre gations of St. Peter's Presbyterian Church, Liverpool, Welsh Independents of Bethel Meeting-house, congregations of Christ Church, St. David's, St. Augustine's, St. Michael's, and St. Michael's Church Sunday Scholars, St. Mark's, Dis trict Church, St. Paul's, St. John's churches, Liverpool, Welsh Calvinistic Methodists of Mulberry-street, Rose-place, and Burlington-street chapels, inhabitants of Seaforth, Lancashire, Calvinistic Methodists of Garstan, Lancashire, and of Birken head, Cheshire, inhabitants of Henllan, county of Denbigh, and Calvinistic Methodists, Sunday-school teachers and scho lars of Henllan, county of Denbigh ; by Sir W. Verner, from the Rev. S. Fenton, of Wavertree, near Liverpool; and by Mr. Tollemache, from Guilden Sutton. THE BALTIC FLEET.—Sir C. NAPIER gave notice that on the 4th of March he would move for a committee to inquire into the operations of the British Baltic fleet in 1854 and 1855. THE BANK CHARTER ACT.—In answer to a question, the CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said that the present Bank Charter Act did not require renewal. There was a power in serted in it to put an end to the exclusive privileges of the Bank on certain notice being given ; but until that notice was given the Bank Charter Act remained in force. With respect to the provision by which the Bank of England agreed to pay to those private banks which consented to withdraw their paper circulation one per cent. per annum upon the average issue of those banks in the three previous years, and to con tinue the same so long as the other private banks were per mitted to issue their paper, that was expressly limited to the month of August in the present year. Therefore, it would expire, unless it were previously renewed by the legislature. In the event of no objection being made by the Bank of Eng land, he should be prepared, in the course of the present ses sion, to bring in a bill to continue that provision. - THE CRIMEAN REPORTS.—In answer to a question whether the document on the table contains the whole report of the commissioners, and, if not, whether there is any intention on the part of the government of laying the whole report before the house, Mr. PEEL said, there is no intention of submitting the report in any other form than that in which it iS at pre sent before the house. MASTERS AND WORKMEN.—Mr. MACKINNON moved for a select committee to consider the inconvenience felt from the want of equitable tribunals whereby differences between masters and operatives might be amicably adjusted. Some amendment of the law on this subject he assumed to be called for, and what he wanted, he said, was a committee, composed of master manufacturers and gentlemen who had turned their attention to the subject, to consider and decide upon the expe diency of the tribunals he suggested, which might conciliate workmen with masters. The inquiry, at all events, could do no harm.— Sir G. GREY said he had no objection to such an inquiry, provided it was undertaken with ,a full knowledge of what the foreign Conseils des Prud'hommes were, their functions being administrative and judicial, extending to questions of contract. He thought it desirable that tribunals of the kind suggested by Mr. Mackinnon should be estab lished; but he hoped the house would not be led into the error of supposing that such tribunals should regulate wages. —The motion was agreed to. THE STATUTES.—A motion by Mr. KING, that there be prepared, under the direction of the Clerk of the Parliaments, an edition of the statutes at large, for the use of the house, omitting all such statutes and parts of statutes as are expired or have been expressly repealed ; and that, in the place of the statutes or parts •of statutes repealed, there be inserted the titles of the statutes repealed, the numbers and abstracts of the clauses repealed, with a reference to the statutes by which they are repealed, was, after some discussion, negatived by 166 to 65. MINISTERS' MoNET.—Mr. FAGAN moved a resolution, that the house immediately resolve into a committee, to con sider the act 17 and 18 Vict., c. 11, with the view of amending the same, so far as respects the tax thereby enacted to be levied, in lieu of "Ministers' Money," in order that the tax may be wholly abolished.—Mr. HORSM A.N admitted that, as regarded the operation of the existing act, it was not satisfac tory, and that in some respects the act required amendment. Agreeing, therefore, in Mr. Fagan's proposition to introduce a measure to amend the act, he should reserve any observa tions on the part of the government until the second reading of the bill.—ln the course of the discussion which ensued, Lord J. RUSSELL observed that there was no necessity for the house to come to a resolution upon the subject, and suggested to Mr. Fagan that the most proper course was for him to move for leave to bring in a bill to repeal the tax.—After some observations from other members, the motion was withdrawn, and leave was given to Mr. Fagan to bring in a bill to repeal the tax. IRISII TENANT RIGHT.-Mr. Moore obtained leave to bring in a bill to provide for compensation to tenants for improve ment of lands in Ireland. Mr. Dunlop obtained leave to introduce a bill to make fur ther provision for rendering reformatory and industrial schools in Scotland more available for the benefit of vagrant children, and a bill to constitute all legally qualified persons in Scotland Commissioners of Supply, without being named in an Act of Supply. The select committees on Adulterations of Food, &c., on Civil Service Superannuation, on Silver and Gold Wares, and on Ecclesiastical Commission, &c., were nominated. The Civil Service Superannuation Bill was read a second time, and referred to the select committee appointed to consi der the whole subject of superannuation allowances. The house adjourned at a quarter to nine o'clock. WEDNESDAY. Petitions against the opening of places of amusement on the Lord's-day were presented by Mr. Ewart, from the minister and congregation of the Independent meeting-house, Great Crosshall-street, Liverpool; by Mr. Barnes, from Wesleyan Methodist congregations at Chew Moor, near Bolton ; Fletcher street, Bolton ' Bridge-street, Bolton ; Leigh, near Bolton ; and Bedford, Lancashire; from teachers and scholars of the Wesleyan meeting-houses, Ridgway-gates, Bolton, and Bedford, Lancashire ; from the officers, teachers and elder scholars of Wesleyan Sunday-schools at Belmont, near Bolton; and Bridge street, and Fletcher-street, Bolton; from Sunday-school teachers at the Congregational meeting-houses Farnworth, Bolton, Dixon-green and Kearsley ; and from the Young Men's Christian Association, Wesley meeting-house, Bolton. A petition was presented in favour of opening the National Gallery, &c., on Sunday, by Mr. J. Ewart, from Liverpool, signed by 2,875 persons. Petitions were also presented by Mr. Barnes, from the Mayor and corporation of Bolton, in favour of the Local Dues on Shipping Bill; and by Mr. Thornely, from the medical and surgical officers of the Liverpool dispensaries, in favour of the Medical Reform Bill. The Episcopal and Capitular Estates Bill was read a second time, and referred to the Select Committee on the Ecclesiasti cal Commission. MEDICAL REFORM.—On the order for the second reading of the Medical Profession Bill, Lord R. GROSVENOR objected to certain provisions of the bill, which, he said, would create a monopoly of practice, to the exclusion of homoeopathic prac titioners, and insisted that, before the House gave such large powers to a medical body, securities should be provided for their impartial exercise. He did not oppose the second read ing of the bill.—Sir G. GREY agreed that some clauses in the bill required very careful consideration in committee, and that precautions should be taken to prevent arbitrary exclusions ; but he hoped the House would read the bill a second time.— After a short conversation, in which Mr. HENLEY,Mr.NAPIEn, and Mr. HEADLAM participated, the bill was read a second time. The Drainage Advances Acts Amendment Bill passed through committee, after an explanation of its objects, by Mr. WILSON, in reply to Mr. W. WILLIAMS and Mr. HENLEY. The House adjourned at 10 minutes past 1 o'clock. THURSDAY. The Speaker took the chair at 4 o'clock. Mr. Hardy took the oaths and his seat for Leominster. An enormous number of petitions were presented against the opening of public places of amusement on the Lord's-day. Amongst others were seventy-two by Mr. Horsfall, the largest from the working-men of Liverpool; by Mr, Ewart, from the Working Men's Institute, Walnut-street, Liverpool ; and from the Dissenters of the Crescent Meeting-house, Everton ; by Mr. Pilkington, from the Presbyterian congregation in Black burn; and the inhabitants of Salesbury, Lancashire; fifty-one by Mr. Tollemache, and by Mr. Greene, from the clergy of Preston, congregation of St. Peter's, Preston, Christchurch, Preston, and from Lytham. A petition was also presented by Mr. .1. Ewart, from the medical and surgical officers of the Southern Hospital, Liverpool, in favour of the Medical Bill. A new writ was ordered for Sligo for the election of a member in the room of the late Mr. Sadleir. NATIONAL EDUCATION.—Lord .1. RIIRSELL gave notice that be should on that day fortnight move resolutions on the sub ject otnational education in England and Wales. COZY= AND BOROUGH POLICE BILL.—Sir G. GREY gave motice that, if the state of public business permitted, he should move the second reading of this bill on Friday, the 29th inst., instead of on•Wedpesday next, as he had originally intended. THE CRIMEAN REPORT.—Lord PALMERSTON announced that, in regard to the matters contained in the report of Sir John McNeill and Colonel Tulloch, it was the intention of Her Majesty to appoint a board of general officers, to receive explanations from officers desirous of giving any, and to report thereon to Her Majesty.—ln reply to inquiries, he further stated that, as the functions of the board would be confined to receiving explanations from officers of the army touching their military conduct, it was deemed proper and right that the board should consist of military men only ; that no officer lately serving in the Crimea would be a member of the board, and that the proceedings would not be open to the public. LORD'S-DAY OBSERVANCE. Sir J. WALMSLEY moved a resolution, " That it would pro mote the moral and intellectual improvement of the working classes of this metropolis if the collections of natural history and of art in the. British Museum and National Gallery were open to the public inspection after the morning service on Sundays." The motion was seconded by Sir J. SHELLEY. Mr. PELLATT moved, by way of amendment, that more fre quent opportunities should be afforded for week-day inspection of the National Gallery, government museums, and works of art ; also, that the British Museum should be open five days in the week. This amendment was seconded by Mr. I3AxTxR, who argued that the adoption of the original resolution would be a prelude to the opening of the theatres, as well as places of amusement in the provinces, on Sunday. Lord STANLEY, after suggesting that large deductions should be made from the weight otherwise due to the vast number of petitions presented to the house against the object of the motion—on the ground that they were the result of an organized movement, conducted by an influential body—ob served that the question was not, as had been alleged, whether the resolution would offend conscientious feelings, but whe ther the offence was reasonable. There was a broad distinc tion between permissive and compulsory legislation; but those who resisted the Sunday opening did not ask not to be com pelled to go to places of amusement, but to have power put into their hands to compel others not to go. He denied the right of the house or of any tribunal to lay down and enforce the duty which each man owed to a higher power. The re solution contained nothing that interfered with religious ob servances on Sunday ; it dealt, too, with only national and government institutions. Excellent as was the institution of Sunday, he had known instances in which its Sabbatical ob servance had been carried to an undesirable extent. There was no objection to opening the British Museum and National Gallery that did not go to stop excursion-trains and lay an embargo upon steam-vessels on Sundays. Mr. NAPIER warned the House that if the step recom mended in the resolution were once taken, it never could be retraced, and Parliament might put in peril one of our most venerable and most valued institutions. This was only a small beginning, but by slow degrees the poison would be infused ; and, however plausible the resolution. might appear, taken by itself, it must be considered with relation to its circumstances and consequences. The Sunday was said to be a day of rest ; but the rest was to be means to an end—namely, the spiritual and religious welfare of man. If the foundation of the Lord's day were weakened, its religious observance would be im paired and eventually sacrificed. After some further discussion, Lord PALMERSTON said it was not his intention to support the motion, but the way in which he looked at the subject would not be satisfactory to those with whom he shonld vote. He attached as much value as any to the observance of Sunday ; on the other hand, he did not think the mere opening two places of resort would of itself materially affect its observance or infringe its sanctity. But, those who objected to the motion did so chiefly because they considered it the first step to something more; and this was an objection well deserving of attention. Concurring with the majority of the House, that it was not expedient to take this step, although not important in itself; considering, on the one hand, that advantages would be derived from opening these places, and, on the other, that a great amount of feeling had been expressed, which was entitled.to the utmost respect, and that it would have a bad effect on the moral feeling of the country if the House acted in defiance of these opinions, he should vote, be said, against the motion. With regaid to the amendment, he suggested that it had better be withdrawn, and that the matter should be left in the hands of the trustees of the Museum. Upon a division there appeared—Ayes 50 Noes 378 Majority against the motion The Delamei:e Fo'rea Bill was read a second time, after a brief conversation as to its objects, between Mr. WILSON and Sir H. WILLOUGHBY. The Turnpike Trusts Arrangements Bill and the Commons Enclosure Bill passed through committee. The House adjourned at 10 minutes to 12 o'clock. FRIDAY. The Speaker took the chair at 4 o'clock. Petitions against the opening of places of public amusement on Sunday were presented by Mr. Tollemache, from Smallwood, Weston Betchton,Dane-in-Shaw, and the Wesleyans of Congle ton. Petitions against the Police Bill were presented by Mr. Barnes, from the mayor and corporation of Bolton ; and by Mr. Kershaw, from the mayor, aldermen, and burgesses of Stockport, signed by the mayor. Petitions in favour of the Local Dues on Shipping, &c., Bill, were presented by Mr. Wickham, from the mayor, aldermen, and burgesses of Bradford, Yorkshire, under the common seal; by Mr. M. Gibson, from the directors of the Manchester Com mercial Association; also, from the Manchester Chamber of Commerce ; and another from the corporation of Manchester ; by Mr. Brotherton, from the mayor, aldermen, and burgesses of the borough of Salford ; by Mr. Thornely, from the mayor and inhabitants of Wolverhampton ; and by Mr. Watson, from the Chamber of Commerce, Hull. Petitions against the Bill for Abolition of Local Dues on Shipping were presented by Lord Henry Cholmondeley, from the Marine Society; and by Mr. Tomline, from the mayor and corporation of Shrewsbury. Petitions in favour of the Medical Profession Bill were pre sented by Mr. Horsfall from the Liverpool branch of the Provincial Medical and Surgical Association, and from the medical and surgical officers of the Liverpool Northern Hospital. Cntrncrt PROPERTY.—In answer to an inquiry, Lord PAL MERSTON said that it was not the intention of the government to propose any measure with regard to lessees of church pro perty while the inquiries of the committee on the ecclesiastical commission were pending. THE KINGDOM OF OIIDE.—Mr. OTwAY put a question to the President of the India Board concerning the instructions forwarded to the Governor-General of India, having reference to the territories of the King of Oude.—Mr. V. SMITH replied that it was well known that for many years the state of the kingdom of Oude had excited the attention and the anxiety of our Indian government; that the home authorities had, in another despatch, left a large discretion to the Marquis of Dalhousie in dealing with the question; and to that despatch no answer had been received. • FINANCIAL STATEMENT. The House having resolved itself into a Committee of Ways and Means, the CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER, previous to moving certain resolutions, laid before the committee ex planations concerning the state of the national finances, and the reasons for deviating from the ordinary practice of reserv ing these details for the budget. He recalled to the recollec tion of the committee the statement he made last April, when he estimated the amount of the revenue, including the loan, at £86,339,000, and that of the expenditure at £81,899,000, leaving, by way of margin, a surplus of £4,440,000, which was subsequently reduced, by a remission of taxation, to £4,240,000. Supplemental estimates were afterwards voted, to the amount of £6,135,000, Which raised the estimated ex penditure to £88,034,000. An addition of exchequer bills and bonds had increased the estimated income to £90,139,000, which left a margin or surplus of £2,105,000 at the end of the last session. He then read accounts of the actual receipts of the several items of the revenue, the result of which was that there was a deficiency, or an amount below the estimate, of £1,600,000, while there had been an excess of expenditure beyondthe estimate of £1,960,000, showing that the actual state of the finances turned out worse than he had estimated by £3,560,000. After remarks upon the causes of the deficiency in certain items of the receipts, and of the excess in the ex penditure, he stated what had been the precise sum which the war had cost, the difference between a peace expenditure and that of 22 months of war being £43,564,000, including Army, Militia, Commissariat, Navy, and Ordnance. The result was that we found ourselves in the position of being about £4,000,000 less capable than he had estimated last session that we should be, and the object of the resolutions he had placed in the hands of the chairman was to enable the Government to place the finances of the country in the present year in the position in which they would have been if the estimates had not proved deficient. The first resolution was for a loan of £5,000,000, which would provide amply for the present, and leave some surplus for the ensuing financial year. The entire sum which had been borrowed in the present year, including Exchequer bills and bonds, was £23,000,000. If the resolution were agreed to, there would be a further amount of £5,000,000, making a total of £28,000,000. He then entered into statistical details of the state of our trade and commerce, showing that the resources of the country were unimpaired. The loan, he said, had been arranged on terms not disadvantageous to the nation. Another reso lution related to the funding of Exchequer-bills. These securities had been, and continue to be, at a discount, in spite of an increase in the rate of interest ; it was therefore necessary for the Executive Government to resort to one of two expedients—either to fund, or to make a further advance of the rate of the interest. The process of funding was simply a conversion of one species of government security for another. The amount of Exchequer bills it was proposed to fund was £3,00000, the total amount of outstanding bills being £23,000,000. Assuming that the operation succeeded in raising the price of Exchequer-bills to par, the saving to the public thereby, in comparison with the other alternative, of raising the rate of interest, would be £193,000 per annum. In conclusion, he observed that if the pending negotiations should produce peace, the government would have it in their power deliberately to consider the state of the revenue; but if they should unhappily not so terminate, it would be their duty to appeal to the House to place the finances in a position which would enable them to meet the large estimates that would be required for war purposes. The resolutions, after a short discussion, were agreed to. ARMY AND ORDNANCE ESTIMATES. On the order for going into a Committee of Supply, a dis cussion continued for some time upon miscellaneous topics. At length the Speaker was allowed to leave the chair, and the House went into a Committee of Supply upon the Army and Ordnance Estimates. Mr. MONSELL explained the nature of the votes he pro posed—first, the ordnance supplemental estimates for the expenditure already incurred, and next the army and ordnance estimates for the present year. In the course of his explana tion he showed that the present war expenditure was much below that at the end of last war; and he gave a satisfactory account of the condition, moral as well as physical, of the army in the Crimea, and of the arrangements lately made for the benefit of the troops. The supplemental ordnance esti mates amounted to £1,316,023, for which he proposed to take a vote on account. The number of land forces of all kinds to be voted was 246.716 men (an excess of 30,378 over the vote of last year), including 22,719 foreign troops; the sum required for the land forces was £10,950,398, and the grand total for the effective and non-effective services was £34,998,604, bei ng an excess of £6,328,007 over the votes of last year. He went through the various items composing the aggregate vote, ac counting for the excess in each. The alu e t n h t e a I scientific branch, for ran barrackeb ,amounting s u supplies, pl i e i s n , wages, stores, £1,346,023, were agreed to, as well as the number of the land forces, and the committee adjourned. supplemental The Delamere Forest Bill passed through committee. The Turnpike Trusts Arrangements Bill and the Commons Enclosure Bill were read a third time and passed. Leave was given to Mr. M. Gibson to introduce a bill to .abolish the Oath of Abiwation, The House adjourned a twenty•five minutes to one o'clock. [FEBRUARY 26, 1856. AMERICA. ARRIVAL OF THE ARABIA. BY the British and North American royal mail stO PI. ship Arabia, Captain Stone, which arrived on Sunday, I CI have intelligence from Boston to the 13th, and from New Yor k ' by telegraph, to the 14th instant. _ The royal mail steam-ship Persia, Commodore Jn--nits, arrived at New York on the 9th instant, a ft er a v ery boie..,,' er ' ous passage of fourteen days from Liverpool. In lat. 46, , w7i 46, she encountered heavy fields of ice, which detained her.oed hours. About one-third of her paddle-floats were ari l e away, and the huge iron bars which compose the frame LI, curled up and twisted as if they had been pasteboard. 11° t withstanding her disabled condition, the Persia made her 300 miles to Sandy Hook in 24 hours. After leaving Liver pool she attained an average of 14 mile s an h ou r, until ob structed by the ice. The wharves and s hippi ng i n Jersey ef t, were crowded with persons anxious to wit ness the arrival the Persia. As she moved majestically t o h er l a nding, tu throng gave a loud hurrah, which was responded to by " three times three" from those on board. On the 7th, 111 about 600 miles from Sandy Hook, the P ers i a s p o k e the pa"' ship William Tapscott, from Liverpool. '• a The steamer Union, from Havre, rid Halifax, arrived New York on the 7th instant. The screw steam-ship Canadian, which sailed from Green,,e' d ` on the 25th ult., arrived at Boston o n th e 13th i ns t a nt. Pm" encountered during the voyage very heavy weather. The United States mail steamship Pacific, which left Lill; pool on the 23rd ultimo, had not ar r ived a t N ew York. ' was believed in that city that her non-arrival was caused the ice. Mr. Collins had dispatched the steamer Alabsp?' with a large quantity of provisions and clothing on board+. °) search of the Pacific, and for the purpo se a l so o f converili relief to other vessels presumed to be detained in the ice the vicinity of Newfoundland. The U. S. steamer Arctic, Lieutenant Hartstein, also with provisions and clothing c° board, had started from New York on a similar errand. General Cass had fractured one of his arms, by falling do ° the steps of the Patent-office. Mr. Marcy continued to decline receiving the credentials Colonel French as Nicaraguan Minister. The Missouri hemp manufactory at St. Louis had bee n destroyed by fire. The legislature of Texas had passed a bill accepting fe e T, the government $7,750,000 in full payme n t o f th e T exa n deb t " The money goes to the creditors of the state. About one-half of the $3,000,000 due to the Mexican gover n ' meat, which had been advanced to Santa Anna by certain capitalists of New York, had been repaid to Hargrove and and Howland and Aspinall. The Irish residents of Cincinnati had had a demonstrati on in honour of the filibuster s ac qu itt e d o f an i n t en ti on t o inva d e , Ireland. Much big talk was indulged in, and in case of a il' between England and the United States, 100,000 Irish-AO' rican bayonets were promised. About 300 of very poverty-stricken looking men had sailed for Puenta Arenas to join Walke r i n Ni caragua , w ithout hindrance from the U. S. government. In the senate a motion was made by Mr. Cass for an increa of the navy. The secretary of war was requested to repo whether any, and, if so, what additi ona l f or tifi ca ti on s Wer e necessary for the defence of New York and Brooklyn Niter yard. The debate on the Central American question was resunl ea by Mr. Wilson, who said he gave little heed to the apprebee sions of war with England. Merchants continued their tradieg,,, without any such fears. It was not very p r ob a bl e that w", Executive desired a war which would exte n d f rom th e bonus!: ries of that country to the shores of the polar sea gazed at lu Dr. Kane. The only result attained by the Clayton-Bulat treaty had been a prolific correspondence, and an interminabl e discussion, which had settled no point in di s pute, an d carried to no result. The treaty had not accomplished what th e people of that country expected. He thou g ht thi s gover niuent had been over-reached in negotiation. The treaty was one not . fit to be made. He thought the United States should at ones declare it null and void, and stand then just as it stood before it was made. The course of Great Britain justifies them Li r abrogating the treaty altogether. They need not fear her Central America. Let her send as many Anglo-Saxons the as she pleased—no doubt they would make good citizens of the country when the United States hereafter come into possess/ 0 ! there. Mr. Mason thought that the discussion of the subj . rather embarrassed than aided the sol u ti on o f th e difficulti r ' surrounding it. He hoped the question would now be taken in the reference. Mr. Butler did not look on this question 08 ' likely to issue in a war with Great Britain. He concurred il l the American interpretation of the t r e a ty, b u t h o p e d tbe matter would be referred to the committee on foreign vela' tions, instead of being further discussed in the sena t e . ti Foot said Mr. Clayton wished to be heard, but was detained by indisposition. He moved a postponement of the subject' which was agreed to. The Washington correspondent of the Courier and In quirer, says :—" The dispatches from the British Cabinet to their Minister are said to be pacific and cordial towards the United States, and to be of such a character as ou g ht to £lj sipate the slightest shade of doubt that any difficulty eist? gering the peace of the two nations can grow out of th e Central American questions. It is astonishing how coldly the public receive all belligerent demonstrations on these epts . c 0 1321 interruptions to the even flow of British and American diplo' rnacy. The discussion in the Senate, illustrated, as it M e been, by the learning, ability, and eloquence of the leading members of the body,—as Seward, Clayton, Cass, and Foot, has not even arrested public attention. No one seems to care what the President or any of the party in Congress have salt' or may say on the British question. Nobody unde rs t an ds vim there is or how there can be any. And the reason probabLY is, that most of our grown-up population re mem b e r tbs . wretched farce of 54° 40' or fight. The New York Herald, in a leading article on Central American affairs, says that in the treaty between Sir II- Bulwer and Mr. Clayton, the former completely outwitted the latter. The Alabama State Convention had passed a resolution denying the right of Congress to legislate on the subject Of slavery. The President had issued another message on the subject of the disturbances in Kansas, and calling on all peacably dis; posed persons to support the law, and admoni s hi ng c iti z ens °' adjoining or distant states to abstain from unauthorized inter' meddling in the local concerns of the Treasury. The steamship Prometheus arrived at New Orleans on the 9th instant, from San Juan, and brought San Francisco at vices to the 21st January. The steamer Northern Light le" San Juan on the sth, for New York, with $350,000 in gold 013 freight. The news from California is not important. The at' counts from the mines continued encouraging. The market° were unchanged. The barque Isabella Heyne was wrecked ell the Bth, and the captain and mate lost; the vessel and care, were a total loss. Affairs at Nicaragua were quiet. 1 .1 " Government had suspended its relations with Colonel Wheeler, the U.S. Minister. COMMERCIAL INTELLIGENCE, NEW YORK, February 12. A careful examination of the details of the foreign advices per the steamer Persia leads to a conviction that peace will follow the propositions now under consideration. Foreig o orders have come in competition with domestic operators, and , between the two, prices will reach such figures as the flatter' ing prospects of the community will justify. An impetus 141 6 , further given to the market by the di s b urs em en t o f $750,0v;", in gold to-day, as part of the M ex i can i n d emn ity. Th e bar' returns for the past week show a slight increase in caso' Foreign exchanges were in brisk demand, and bankers were realising higher rates ; there are but few first-class house drawing sterling bills below 109. We quote bankers' sixty days' sight on London, 1081 to 109; Paris, 5.20. COTTON.— Prices have advanced fully Kc. per lb. but Of' transactions have been restricted in quantity, and the marke t . must be considered quiet, although holders are firm. The sales are estimated at 8,000 bales. STATEMENT OF RECEIPTS, EXPORTS, AND STOCKS OF COTTON . _ Exports Total Exports Stocks 01 Receipts to to Hand and Great Britain. Foreign Ports Shipped' 1836 1,939,931 728,321 1,155,636 623 9 4 79 1855 1,284,520 624,865 871.060 375, 680 , Increase 655,411 103,456 284,576 247,797 • BREADSTUFFS.—Business in flour continued 'dull at the extreme decline noted on the sth inst., till the arrival of the steamer Persia, on Saturday morning, with Liverpool advieeo to the 26th January ; since then there has been a better feel: ing in the market, and prices have recovered 124 c. per barrel, from the lowest point of last week. Wheat remains without change. Indian corn is sc. per bushel lower for mixed qualitief• PEovisroffs.--The market was dull, and but few salt effected. Butter is firm. Cheese, 9c. to 104 c. per pound. IRON.—Scotch pig iron was selling in small lots, at $34 t o $35, six months. FREIGHTS.—To English ports the rates were rather firth' The_ current rates were :—To Liverpool, for cotton, 7-32 d. to id. per lb.: flour, 2s. 6d. per barrel; grain, 74d. to Bd. per bushel. To London :—Flour, 4s. per barrel. To Havre Cotton, lc. per lb:; flour, 70c. per barrel. NEW ORLEANS, Feb. 9.—The Persia's news was received to-day after business hours, too late for its effect to be cle" veloped. The sales of cotton to-day have been 1,000 bales' Sterling exchange, 71 premium. (By Electric Telegraph.) NEW YORK, Feb. 14.—Cotton has advanced fc. to le.; middling Orleans quoted 10ic. ; middling uplands, 101 e.; market buoyant. Breadstuffs little changed. Money an d stock market to-day active. Exchange on London, o . o' Arrival of specie from California since Tuesday, $1,300,0 0° ' Nothing heard yet of the Pacific or Canada. NEW ORLEANS, Feb. 13.—Sales to-day 6,600 bales, marked quiet. The last news here from Europe was per Persia: which put up the price of cotton lc. ; middling is quoteo 91c. to 91c. IRELAND. FATAL ACCIDENT.—Mr. John Eyre, of Eyrecourt Castler in the county of Galway, a gentleman of large property, w hile out hunting on Monday with the Eyrecourt hounds, w as thrown from his horse and killed on the spot. His death has caused a deep gloom over the neighbourhood in which be theßOßlVawersle o f resided. THE MURDER OF Miss HINDS. — The Attorney-Genera l will attend at the approaching assizes in Cavan to prosecut e ,. the persons now in gaol charged with the murder of the Miss Charlotte Hinds. The two circuit judges are Baro n Pennefather and Mr. Justice Torrens. The latter will trY the case. i r il li i a s m n eip i lloo to r shortly removal e f from England and Scotland ; having for its object the placil introduce thelrsh o f Ireland on a similar f oo ti ng, w i t h regar d t o E ng l an d an, Scotland, that one u n i on i n E ng l an d , at present, s t an d s ni with regard to any oth er un i on. Parliament a ü b P ill iz t s o .— a?t i e r r . TRANSATLANTIC COMMUNICATION.--An advertisement in the Cork paper s no tifi es th a t th e s t eam - s hi p B ren d a , Su' ? horse power, will sail direct from that harbour for N e w yor/ 6 about the 3rd of March next. The Brenda will start fr° l)l ,, London, and will call at Cork, on her outward voyage, to first, second, and third-class passengers. AN IMPORTANT PETITION for sale was filed on Saturcial' its the Irish Encumbered Estates Court, the Duke of OW( mond, Viscount Sydney, and Lord Clarence Paget, trustees °,/ the estates of the late Marquis of Anglesey, being owners at petitioners. The property is situate in the counties of Loutj ';' Down, and Galway; the net annual rent is £5,338, and t incumbrances £43,806. REPRESENTATION OF SLIGO.—For the vacancy created e the borough of Sligo, by the suicide of Mr. Sadleir, there aj already five candidates mentioned, viz., Mr. M`Donough, Q. Mr. Blake, Q.C., and Mr. Treston, members of the Irish Mr. Robert Knox, of the Morning Herald, who has issued,o address to the electors, in which lie announces himself , conservative, a devoted advocate of the maintenance of qgp time-honoured and valued institutions," and "an Irishniall b e the backbone ;" and Mr. P. Somers, forme r ly M.P. for borough. I desi Lott bier , end defer th e to tl rain, the er n° v t iet the hart the gra: tut, to Cot O