The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-02-25 00:00:00

parliament. HOUSE OF LORDS.—THURSDAY. The Queen's answer to the address on her marriage, and the answer of Prince Albert and the Duchess of Kent to the messages voted to them, were presented. The Marquis of LANSDOWNE stated (in answer to Lord Ellenborough's inquiry) that the Government would take into consideration the several representations of the East India Company's petition, presented on a former day, in re ference to the trade and population of our eastern empire. Lord ELLENBOROUGIL moved for several returns on the subject. Lord MINTo stated (in answer to the Duke of Bucking ham's inquiry) that no official accounts had been received as to the recent disturbances and proceedings in China, but that he had no reason to doubt the accuracy, in substance, of the representations on the subject which have appeared in the newspapers. The Marquis of LONDONDERRY moved for returns relative :to the payment of the balance due to the British legion by the Spanish Government. They were ordered accordingly. The noble marquis then gave notice that he should on Fri day move for further information on this subject. Lord STRANGFOISD moved for copies of any reports from the officers of the revenue boards to the Treasury, relating to the extension of the system of " bonding warehouses in in land towns." The Earl of CLARENDON resisted the motion as unusual ; as well, he contended, might the confidential opinions of the law officers of the crown be requisite. Lord AsHerwrox thought that such returns would be very useful, and might he advantageously produced. . Lord MELBOURNE opposed the motion. He had no de sire for concealment ; but he resisted this motion on the ground of it being unprecedented, and of inconvenient ten dency. After some remarks from Lord MONTEAGLE, &c., the mo tion was withdrawn, and their lordships adjourned. HOUSE OF COMMONS.—TnunsnAY. The Speaker was unable to take the chair, there not being forty members present at four o'clock. HOUSE OF LORDS,—FRIDAY. The Bishop of L O ND9Npresent9l a bill "for the amend ment of the Church Building Acts. ' It was read first time. Lord DuscANNON moved an address for a copy of the commission and instructions of Lord J. Russell to the "Australian Land Commission. ' The motion was agreed to. Lord ELLEN BOROUGH inquired whether it was the inten tion of government to submit any other papers than those already promised relative to China? Lord IVIELBOURNg answered that all the papers would be presented as soon as they could be got ready. Lord ELLENBOROUGH then inquired, first, whether it was the intention of her Majesty's goveinMent to accompany those papers with a message from the crown? Second, whether the government had formed any arrangement with the East India Company with respect to fixing on that body a portion of the charge of any expedition which might be undertaken against China? Lord MELBOURNE answered, first, that there was no in tention to accompany the papers with a message from the crown. To the second question his lordship declared him self unprepared to reply. On the motion of Lord MELBOURNE the thanks of the house, previously moved regarding the victory at Ghuznee, were amended so as to include the victory at Kelat. Lord STRANGFORD withdrew his notice of motion relative to the state of the British trade on the coast of Africa. He had since understood that the subject was more extensive than he imagined ; he should, therefore, hereafter give notice for a future day, Their lordships then adjourned till Monday. HOUSE OF COMMONS.—FRIDAY. After the presentation of many petitions on a great variety of subjects, one was presented by Mr. Labouchere from the common carriers, again praying the adoption of some mea sure for the correction of the railroad monopolies, which seriously injured their business. It was ordered to be re ferred to the select committee on railways. The Thames Plate Glass Company Bill was read the se cond time. Mr. Ew ART gave notice that early is March he should bring forward a measure on the policy and justice of abolish ing the " punishment of death." Mr. BAINF.S, amidst considerable "merriment," stated that, on an early day, he should again bring forward his mo tion (on which the house was " counted out" a few nights ago) regarding first fruits and tenths. Mr. SHAW and Mr. Serjeant JACKSON. stated the nature of the amendments they intend to propose in the Irish Muni cipal Corporations Bill. ' • • -'• , :- - s -•-- '• • -• Mr. GOULBURN moved for a return, which was ordered, of the amount of postage paid by the public departments since the introduction of the new plan. Mr. Fox MauLF. moved for a new writ for Perthshire, in the room of Lord Stormont, now Earl of Mansfield. This motion led to a long and curious discussion. It was contended by Sir R. PEEL, Mr. Goumecras, Sir W. RAE, Sir G. CLERK, Sir IL Bolas, and Lord STANLEY, that as there was not the evidence usual on a vacancy occasioned by an English peer's death—namely, the evidence that a writ of summons had issued for calling the member to the other house, it would be fitter to adjourn the question as to the issuing of the present writ till Monday next; and though succession to the Scottish peerage of Stormont would take place without any writ of summons to the House of Lords, yet it seemed probable that the precedents of Parliament, if consulted, would show that some process was usual with re spect to a Scotch succession analagous to the English writ of summons, which evidence it might be proper to put in evi dence before this house. The government and their friends were, however, quite resolved on hurrying the writ. But their whole argument, repeated over and over by Mr. Fox MAULE, Mr. It STEUART, Lord HOWICK, and Lord JOHN RUSSELL, was merely that no real doubt existed in anybody's mind as to the fact of Lord Stormont's succession to the titles and dignities of his father; and .Mr. HuME, with his characteristic felicity, desired to know whether there was any intention of questioning the legitimacy of the noble lord? Sir W. FOLLETT announced, that though no doubt could arise in Lord Stormont's case, yet it would he highly inex pedient and indecorous to make the issuing of the writ in each instance depend upon the individual circumstances of the family. Mr. O'CoNse sI. surmised that the gentlemen of the oppo sition wanted time to find a candidate.• On a division, the adjournment to Monday was negatived by the ministerial majority. Lord PA.L,lnn.,roz+ stated, in answer to a question from Sir R. PEEL, that the settlement of the " affairs of the Levant" (the dispute between the Sultan and the Pasha 'of Egypt, &c.) is still the subject of negotiation between the Five Powers, but that he could not anticipate the period at which that settlement would take place. Lord SANDON rose to call the attention of the house to the petition of British subjects, claimants on the government of Portugal, which was presented on the 14th of the- present month. The treatment of the petitioners had experienced at the hands of the Portuguese government, in whose service they had fought and bled, was shameful in the extreme. (Hear.) When they had demanded a settlement of their just claims, they were persecuted and treated like common felons. (Hear, hear.) These men had been induced, by the conduct pursued by the government of this country in 1832, to enlist in the service of Don. Pedro, and when at the expi ration of their services a settlement was proposed, every species of fraud was resorted to for the purpose of reducing their claims. (Hear, hear.) They were refused the payment of a shilling, unless they would sign a receipt in full hir_the whole of their demand. Commissions had . been appointed for the purpose of evasion—for the purpose of chicanery— for the purpose of delay. (Hear, hear.) . Since 1835, nearly five years ago, had these men been wandering the streets, in vain applying to her Majesty's government of Portugal for support —some perishing from want—some destroying them selves in despair. (Hear, hear.) In the August of last year, a communicatio n was made by Lord Palmerston to the Por tugueseminister for foreign affairs, on the subject of these claims, hut having been rejected, another communica tion was made. and Lord Howard de Walden was in structed to demand, of the Portuguese government, the appointment of a comm i ss i on , t o i nqu i r e into the claims of the officers and soldiers who had served in the Portu guesearmy, and, i n th e event o f th a t a ppli ca tion not being attended to, th a t h er M a j esty ' s government wou ld o f them selves appoint a c omm i ss i on to i nqu i re i n t o th e i r j us t c l a i m s. Another ec ommunication was made in November to the same effect k ; but since that the period there had . been no advance made whatever for interim there had been a se t. a l n en 4 i e ent of their claims. In the but the present Minister e tit forin Por tugal,Ftohreeiggonvie&nani-iresnNst.aosfin9rehostile to the claimants his predecessor had been. There had been two commissions ar appointed ivjth,in the last five years. At the head of resigned his appointment at thewas an Enetsh' s offhter who a f five days, as he saw no possibility of his doing only one claim had been decided t n o y tl of d;4O. x three 4 I y(Loudears eries of " Hear, hear." He (Lord, Sand o n) le regard asked to i the t I.lgal Go vernment to pursue the same course with which of Spain, • that had been pursued with reference to t h e as he felt satisfied it was the only course satisfaction. They heard nothi ng of French, or of w A o l u n l e a rie g a is h e or of Belgian claims ; and how did it happen that they oe heard only of British claimants, when they (the Portngu ese ) so much to this country in blood and mone y ? (Hear, hear.) He (Lord Sandon) had no personal concern in bringing this matter before the house. The subject came under his oh. servation, and having perused the documents which fell into his hands, he could not hesitate to urge the just demands of - , the claimants on the attention of the house. (Hear, hear.) The noble lord concluded by moving, as an amendment, that an address should be presented to her Majesty, praying that her Majesty would appoint a commission for investigating the claims which British subjects had on the Government of Portugal, and that her Majesty would take an early oppor tunity of enforcing their claims on the attention of that .. Power. The original question and the amendment having been put, . : Lord PALMERSTON said he could assure the noble lord that in what he had said as to the conduct of the Portuguese government, relating to the parties on whose beh alf he had addressed the house, he (Lord P a l m erston) was disposed t o very much of the severalree w i th him, because he thought the conduct claimants very parties con c erned concerned in the treatment_ of the could assure the nobleeloserrdvtihnagtoerrepi•obatic.m. (Hear.) He Alajestv's Government bad pressed ou +h. - Present Government of Portugal the 1) .. cessity of Appointing a commis sion s to sit in London for, the purpose of examining into thes e administration having shown a ' l d r e w sli i .e s t t i O li s t e t t li tl 'a e the claims, it became her Majessto;: But t vernment to give them every opportunity of doing 0 nmn n i g‘vith noticing the desire which that Government h e ac i l evinced, her Majesty's Government had sent out the been read by the noble lord, and it had been since which had St intimated . to the Portuguese Government , that as these claims to sit in the still re mained unsettled, a commission must be appointed London, to be composed of one - half British subjects t one hand, and one-half Portuguese subje c t s on the e o and if the Portuguese Govern ment d i d not .. d o so, that her; Majesty's Government would of themselve s appoint d • co in. mission, to consist entirely of British subjects; and that whatever might be the amount on which that commission should decide, that it should he immediately demanded of the Portuguese Government. Hear.) He (Lord P.) therefore -- suggested to th e n oble lord ( Sandon) to withdraw the amend ment he had proposed, as the effect of it would be to pledge the Government to do that in a way in which it would be better not to do after the explanation he had given. (Hear, hear.) After alluding to the unsettled state of the Govern ment of Portugal, the result of the long struggle in which that country had been engaged, as one of the causes of the • long delay in se ttli ng t h ese claims, the no bl e l o rd concluded by min expressing a hope that the amendment would be withdrawn. Sir H • HARDINGE could not forget, that when these men..e y were driven into mutiny, they were treated as his noble friend (Lord Sando n ) bad stated like felons. (Hear, hear.) It was monstrous th a t th ese and discipline, had reinstated the Queen upon the throne of men, who, by their gallantry Portugal, when they adva nce d into mutiny, and, chained like felons, s chiims, should he driven be exposed to the ting of the people in the streets of Portugal. (Hear, hear.) had But the noble lord (Palmerston)disregarded why it was that these claims had been wasa for i five e f years. He (Sir H. Hardinge) thought theree of this . in and a want of energy in the representativ e seeing these men first refused their claims, then c ountry,iven into mutiny, and treated like felons in the streets of Portugal. (Hear, hear.) Viscount SANDON would, in consequence of what bad fad. . ten from the noble lord, suspend his motion for ari - addreS. As to the Portuguese government , he must s a y thatlieliad C : self - e tc:Ts...in their generosity or their justice, and believed that C i„,,t Y . )03741 never pay these claims except on Compulsion. • ..:-.);:r C .... .,'"'' . „• ..-.; -.., i,..N, • • • • . . . '",. i . • • rt.:: in • • ~ , ;s4 ;el: - • '''' ' '—• • ' ›.• - "T.' :. •,. : ..-- .-; - : •-:, *•*E-- , -' ...:: ._. --- . b 4 ) N.;„-...-\ ..,......2.. Alderman Sir M. WOOD inquired whether, as further pro ceedings in that case of Stockdale v. Hansard, which caused Mr. Sheriff Evans's present detention, could not, according to the judge's order, come en till April 20, it was the noble lord's intention to keep the sheriff in confinement during that time? Lord J. RussELT. answered, if the sheriff had any com munication to make, or anything to say, it could come before - - the house in the regular manner. Mr. GonnoN, in answer to an inquiry by Mr. Herries, said there had not been parties f notice issued by the treasury regarding the parties whose opium had been de stroyed at China. Mr. MORE 0 FERRALL (the house having resolved into a committee of, supply) brought forward the navy estimates, of which he briefly stated the outline from the usual papers printed for the house. He announced a contemplated in our naval force, the total cost of which was to be in crease. n 9 i ,000 : and he intimated the intention of government to add to the number of artificers in the dockyards, and to take measures for huildiug some line-of-battle ships of a large class.. Sir GEORGE. CLEB.K said,, that though lie did not intend to oppose the projected increase, he yet .regretted that no public statement had been made of the circumstances by which that increase had been required.. If the admiralty should employ the grant properly, there ought to remain no deficiency in our naval establishments. It was a larger sum than had been asked by the government of 1830, the last year in which he had enjoyed the honour of being connected with the admiralty. In 1829 and 1830 the force kept up by government had been larger than the force voted by parlia ment, the practice having then been to vote only the number of men required for the stations, and not to include the reliefs. The extra cost was defrayed from savings on other items. This whole practice had since been altered. The expense, however;of the year 1830 had been less by X 300,000 than that of the present estimate. It had been admitted by Secretary of the Admiralty that our ships in the Mediterra nean were now on a peace establishment, but they had not the full complement even of peace ; and to the peculiar cir cumstances of that portion of the world a peace establish ment was altogether inadequate. Nothing but the object of moral influence could have justified sending twelve sail of the line to thatquarter; but for this object twelve sail were not enough, and still less when so imperfectly manned. We had increased our Mediterranean force from 9 sail to 12, but the French had increased theirs from 8 to 15, and these, moreover, were of a very large class. With respect to disposable force, there was at this moment but one man of war which could be despatched to any other point requiring the protec tion of our commerce, or the vindication of our national honour from insult. It had appeared in a preceding part of this evening that government had not sufficient influence with Portugal even to obtain bare justice for British subjects. But should not we have found our influence sufficient, if we had threatened to withdraw our three ships from the Tagus? If we were not to receive common attention from Portugal, why had we, for five years, been keeping up these ships at a cost of £lOO,OOO per annum ? Again ; the news of the dis pute with China had arrived here last July, yet it was not till just now that a man-of-war and a couple of frigates had been sent out to reinforce our countrymen there. Undoubt edly, the government were now, at last, providing themselves with funds to meet all exigencies. The number of artificers necessary for keeping our navies constantly in a state of re pair had been estimated under the Duke of Wellington at 6,000 men. The number now proposed was 8,391 ; and if this amount should prove insufficient to restore our navy, Voss, indeed, must be the neglect of the government. He was sorry that such an increase had become necessary. We were told that our state was still one of profound peace. It was more like that state in which the Duke de Choiseul had advised the French to keep us—constantly worried and fevered with the danger and annoyance of a war which was never to be brought to - an actual explosion. Mr. M. O'FERRALL explained on some points of detail, and said that England could equip for sea a larger force than any other power could provide in the same time. Mr. H u 34E saw no reason for an increase of England's force, except that France and Russia were increasing theirs. At this rate even peace brought no respite from expense. It was all owing to the policy of ministers on the Turkish :question. He enlarged on their mismanagement, but said he would not propose any reduction. Lord INGEsTRIE thought that, though the conservatives had been blathed for exposing the country's weakness, they had done more wisely to take this course than to have left the nation under a delusion as to its real strength. It was asserted some time ago that the force was sufficient ; but that assertion had now been disproved by the fact that more had been added ; and this good, at all events, the exposure had effected. The noble lord then went into some details of com parison between our naval force and that of France. These details were controverted by Admiral ADAM, who was followed at some length by Sir T. COCHRANE. Lord PALMERSTON observed, that, except Mr. Hume, no .member seemed to think the proposed force too large. Mr. Hume had accused the government of keeping up a war es tablishment in peace : others had charged it with keeping up a peace establishment in war : his own inference would be, that a just medium had been preserved. Their foreign po licy had been attacked ; but whatever its other merits, at least it had that of success. It had been especially assailed on the subject of Eastern affairs, wherein, however, it had been based on the principle of preserving the integrity of Turkey and the peace of Europe. The Admiralty had been blamed for suffering itself to be played upon by France ; but if France had attempted, which he did not admit, to exhaust our resources,- it was only by a still greater expenditure of her own. The retention of a large fleet in the Mediterranean was obviously necessary with reference to the forces of the other maritime powers ; and the vessels in the Tagus, one of the most central ports in Europe, were more disposable, and with less danger of disclosure as to their direction, than even in the harbours of Great Britain. Sir R. PEEL denied the claims of Lord Palmerston to the credit of success. Even among the Powers of his quadruple alliance he had plainly no influence. Portugal had for five years refused to do justice to the crying demands of English subjects, and had violated all her engagements to England in the matter of the slave trade. Spain had refused even the permissibn of a body of British merchants to open a chapel in the Havannah: France, intead of manifesting friendship, was so far increasing her armaments, as to compel England to incur vast additional expenses. Ia America, the boundary question was still unsettled. In short, the whole course of foreign affairs had been so much the reverse of successful that the embarrassment of our finances, of which the defici ency was yearly aggravated, was actually owing to the necessity for augmented torce, occasioned by the uneasy relations of this country with other states. Lord PALMERSTON, with much warmth and spirit, accused Sir R. Peel of having dwelt on matters beneath the dignity of the subject, and of feeling-sore about Portugal, because it was there that the tory policy had been defeated by a liberal go vernment. if there was a want of cordiality on the part of France, the result was the consequence of the irritating lan guage employed by the tory party and the tory press. In many great affairs the foreign policy of the government hod been eminentlY successful—in the slave trade treaties with Spain and Portugal, 'and in the commercial treaties with Austria and 'Turkey. It had failed perhaps in some unim portant particulars ; but in these the conservative govern ments had not been at all more fortunate. Sir R. PEEL observed, that the more unimportant the par ticulars in which England's intluence had failed, the stronger was the inference'how powerless it must he. The alienation of France from England was no work of the tory press ; it was the work of that press which wrought under the guidance of the noble lord himself. Lord SANDON said he was surprised the noble lord could have had the courage to talk of his influence abroad, when he had failed to establish a more enlarged system of commercial relations. The merchants of England have been applying year after gear to the noble lord to prevent the expulsion of British shipping from Portugal, but owing either to want of attention or want of influence on the part of the British Go vernment, that expulsion had taken place.—(Hear, hear.) With these facts- before him, surely he had no right to say that his foreign policy had been successful. Had the noble lord forgotten that the French had laughed him to scorn I where the interests of commerce were concerned. In point of fad our commercial interests 'had been neglected in the Gulf of Mexico, in the Rio de la Plata, and on the coast of Africa, to such an extent as to prove either that the noble lord was inefficient as a minister, or that his influence was powerless in all quarters. Captain A'CovnT, Capt . ain PECHELL, and other members said some brisk things about Admiral Fleming's celebrated appointment ; but no one opposed the vote, which, therefore, was carried without a division. The house then resumed, and the report was ordered to be received on Monday. Lord JOHN RUSSELL stated, in answer to a question from Mr. Maclean, that the estimates would he proceeded with on Monday. The other orders having been disposed of, the house ad ,ourned at a quarter past one o'clock. . . -.- - dave of absence has been granted by the House 45f CoM mons to Sir Charles Coote, till March 8, illness in family ; Sir George Crewe, one month. illness ; Mr. Ingham, circuit; Mr. George Cavendish, one month, domestic calamity. THE LATE Stu F. L. MAITLAND. — The decease of Rear- Admiral Sir Frederick Lewis Maitland, K.C.B. commander in-chief in the East Indies, took place on board his flag-ship, the Wellesley, 72, at sea, in the vicinity of Bombay, on the 30th December last. Sir Frederick, who expired in the 63d year of his age, was descended from the noble house of Lau derdale ; he has at all times borne with honour and credit his character as an officer and a gentleman, and to that we will add a thorough seaman, warmly and sincerely attached to his profession ; he entered at an early age, and became lieutenant of the Andromeda in 1795. Sir Frederick was ever an active man, and in 1801) brought home overland the despatches of Sir Sidney Smith, detailing his successful efforts in effecting the treaty of El .Trish. This treaty not being acceded to by LOrd Keith, led to the Egyptian expe dition ; on that memorable occasion, Capt. Maitland covered the landing of Abercrombie's troops with the armed launches of the fleet, and subsequently protected one of the wings of our army with the boats, in the lake of Aboukir. In the Dragon and Loire Captain Maitland was eminently service able to his country, and, by his discernment and energy in the latter ship, led to the action of Sir Robert Calder's squadron with the combined Spanish and French fleet. Captain Maitland subsequently commanded the-Emerald, ofa as flag America;ca p t b ii , n it , t oon Sirthe. Alex:: breakingnde o C u o t c h o - f and in the Americ an war obtained th e G o li a h, razeed 7.1, a ra n i d ie t , b o e n ß th oy e n c e o , a 9 s B t , the war and the return of Bonaparte from Elba, he was ap pointed to the Bellerophon, 74 guns, and joined the blocka diug.s4uadron under Sir H. Hotham, off Rochefort. The battle of Waterloo a second time driving that chieftain from the throne of France, he took refuge on board Captain Malt la's s hip, whose previous deter m i na ti on to waken° terms w it n h d the ex-emper 4 ir, and wh ose ho n o ura bl e treatment of him when a guest, is Well known to th e w or ld : h ut i t is not however, that on Bonaparte's leavin t so well kno ship, he offeredwn, m . , ghe for Captain attland s acceptance a diamond valued at 3,000 guineas c the acceptance of which conscientiously declined. Capt. Maitland subsequently the Veneer, 74, and in her conveyed the King 8 1 ; p a n s snuff-box, b o , commanded _ . to Leghorn, and then the Genoa, 74, as of the Two Sicilies harbour. On attaininghis flat; ag a guard-ship in Portsmouth Frederick was appointed superintendent as rear-admiral, Sir which he resigned on being ap pointed Portsmouth dock-yard, on board the Wellesley at command he held at the period of p h o is in d t e e a d th to . thLeaidnyip.loirataititinthedo was' t. East Indianian. re turn to England in the HerefOrdshir ' the time of her gallant husband's death, and intends to nrit 'NI FOXES. — On the CAPTIIRE OP THREE FULL -G-- . 1 ' morning of Wednesday week, (the partiallyof John covered with snow,) as Robert and Thomas, son man-servant, Watson, Esq., of Snow-hill, accompanied by a of ground beings were x ,oanatdh e s i a r b z u t e o nt ß iy ol t t i o .a n c - e p d a h r i k a; the observed his dih the print . • • al abode, viz., It deep hole on the Thistlebottom estate, which bad been nearly filled with large loose 'stones. On looking round the place, they also marked another fox in the same hole. Master Robert thought this too favourable a chance to be neglected, and hastened home for the greyhounds, leaVing his brother and two neighbouring far mers, who had b een a ttending their , sheep, to watch whether the f axes made their escape. On his return with the dogs they c ommencedremoving the loose stones, when Reynard w as thatartfully another attemptingt . ox y part et a o h l esca pe, but was caught before he got many yards from the place. The party being satisfied re mained in the place, they commenced a second search, and, trim alrli..vem: and t as they were about to secure him, to their great surprise a after some exertion, they succeeded in taking quarters whence the other two • - third, with all the cunning peculiar to his race, was effecting c.ad just before been unearthed; very fortunately and all h 'd him, and moment, t y o after a short Arrived at the mom his escape from the same he and desperate run was killed by his eager and fleet pur- befoi e taken alive was next turned off, [ suers. The one just batlike his other two col and afforded a beautiful little run,hist depredations were no leagues, his days were done, and more,-- Westmorland Gazette. • FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE FRANCE. REJECTION OF THE • DUKE DE NEMOURS ' DOTATION ' BL. PARIS, THURSD AY , HALF-PAST FOUR.—The Nemours' .potation Bill has just been rejected by the Chamber of De puties.. It was thrown ou t a ft er th e ge neral discussion, on the question being- put whether the articles should be disc ussed seriatim. The majority against the bill was 226 to 200, leaving a net majority of 26. This will produce a profound sensation in Paris to-morrow, and throughout France as the news reaches the provinces, and the MINISTERS MUST RE SIGN. It is a great triumph on the part of the opposition against the crown and the government, and may lead to seri ous results. SPAIN. Bayonne letters speak much of the political ferment which exists in the Basque provinces relative to the non-election of deputies to the cortes. Biscay has taken the lead, and refuses distinctly to return either senators or deputies. The juntas of Navarre, Maya, and Guipuscoa have been called together on the same subject, and it is generally expected that they will follow the same example as Biscay. The Government of Madrid has sent down peremptory orders to all the provinces to proceed to the elections under pain of the royal displea sure, but the provinces contend that their freros which have been confirmed to them without reserve, do not recognise the Cortes of Madrid. The result promises to be very seri ous. The following telegraphic despatch appeared in the Moni tem. : THE SUB-PREFECT OF BAYONNE TO THE MINISTER OF TILE INTERIOR " Bayonne, Feb. 20, 1840. " On the 18th, the Queen Regent, in person, opened the Chambers ; Queen Isabella was present at the ceremony, which terminated well. " Madrid is perfectly tranquil." " Madrid, Feb. 18. THE AMBASSADOR OF FRANCE TO THE MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS " The Queen Regent, accompanied by Queen Isabella, opened the session of the Cortes to-day. Their Majesties, on entering the assembly, were received with the greatest en thusiasm, and on their passage the populace testified similar feelings. The speech from the throne has given genuine ap probation. The aspect of Madrid is satisfactory in every re spect. _ . RUSSIA. Letters from St. Petersburgh of the 6th say that the expedi tion under General Perowski entered the territory of the Khan of Khiva on the 9th of January. TUR KEY. The Augsburg Gazette quotes letters from' Constantinople, of the 31st ult. in which the ridiculous rumours, which appear in the French and English papers, relative to the supposed tripartite treaty are repeated. If England has escaped the web of Russian intrigue, we have no doubt the present sta tus quo will be a long time continued ; for it is evident that the Porte is unequal to enter the lists again with the Pacha of of Egypt, and it is equally clear that Mehemet Ali has no more sure policy than that of remaining on the defensive. If the Pacha adheres strictly to the defensive system, Russia will have no pretence to interfere ; France may talk, but cannot do anything ; and as to Engand, surely she is not so mad at such a moment as thus to risk the breaking up of her only rapid mode of communication with India and China. The presence of a sound and experienced diplomatist is much wanted at this moment at Alexandria. 'Whatever merit the Oporto Col. Hodges may have, he is a diplomatist of two years' experience only, and consequently unable to deal with the crafty old Pacha. COURT CIRCULAR.- -SATURDAY Her Majesty the Queen Dowager gave a state dinner, last evening, at Marlborough House, to the Queen and Prince Albert. A select party had the honour of receiving invita tions to meet her Majesty. The royal party arrived fram Buckingham Palace, in three state carriages, at 20 minutes before eight o'clock. The dinner party at Marlborough House consisted of the following illustrious guests :—The Queen and Prince Albert, the Duchess of Gloucester, the Duke and Duchess of Cam bridge, Prince George and the Princess Augusta of Cam bridge, the reignin g c , Duke of Saxe Coburg and Gotha, the Hereditary Prince Saxe Coburg, the Duchess of Bedford, lady in waiting on the Queen ; Lady Clinton, and Lady Charleo Somerset, ladies in waiting on the Queen Dowager ; Miss Kerr, lady in waiting on the Duchess of Cambridge ; the Hon. Miss Eden, maid of honour to the Queen Dowager ; Marquis of Heaulfort, lord in waiting on the Queen ; the Earl Howe, lord chandlerlain•_to the Queen. Dpwagee the Hon. General Sir William Lumley, groom in waiting on the Queen ; Lord Alfred Paget, equerry to her Majesty ; 'Viscount Boringdon and Colonel Wylie (equerry) of Prince Albert's household ; Major_ Stephens, equerry of the Duke of Cambridge ; Baron de Lowenfels, aide-de-camp to Prince Ernest; the Rev. J. R. Wood, chaplain, and the Hon. Captain Curzon, gentleman Usher to the Queen Dowager. After dinner her Majesty the Queen Dowager had an evening party. The suite of state rooms were opened on the . occasion, and were brilliantly illuminated. Her Majesty gave audience, yesterday, at Buckingham Palace, to Viscount Melbourne. The Duchess of Cambridge had an evening party, on Thursday, at Cambridge House. Among the company pre- Sent were—Baron Gersdorff, .the Saion minister ; Baron de Bourquency, the French charg6 d'affaires ; Count Paul Es. terhazy, Baron Lebzeltern, Baron Bjornstjerna,.Countess a Tankerville, Lord Ossulston, the Earl and Countess a Jersey, Viscount Villiers, Lady Sarah Villiers, Lord Canti. lupe, Earl and Countess of Cawdor, the Ladies Campbell and Mdlle. d' Este. A deputation from Manchester, on the subject of the cur. rency, consistingof Mr. Atherton, Mr. J. Hilbert Franklyn Mr. W. R. Hood, and Mr. Macvicar, accompanied by Mr Mark Philips, M.P., and Mr. R. H. Greg, M.P., had au interview, yesterday, with the Chancellor of the Exchequer in Downing-street MONDAY. The Queen and Prince Albert attended Divine service, in the Chapel Royal, St. James's. The Queen Dowager also attended the service. The Bishop of London preached the sermon, taking the text from Genesis 2, verses 16 and 17. The lessons were read by the Rev. Dr. Wesley, the prayers were read by the Rev.. Mr. Packman, and the communion service by the Bishop of London, the Rev. Dr. Wesley, and the Rev. Mr. Packman. The chant was by Hawes ; the Te Deum and Jubilate in F (Barrow, the Sanetn.c and responses (Davy). The anthem " Sing, 0 Heav'ns" (Kent) was sutig by Messrs. W. Knyvett, Hobbs, and J. B. Sale. Sir George Smart presided at the organ. The Rev. J. Vane, deputy clerk of the closet, was in wait ing. In the suite of her Majesty and Prince Albert were the Duchess of Bedford, Lady Fanny Howard, Hon. Miss Mur ray, Hon. Miss Lister, Marquis of Headfort, Hon: General Sir William Lumley, Lord Alfred Paget, Colonel Wylde, and Mr. Seymour. In the suite of her Majesty the Queen Dowager were the Countess of Mayo, Hon. Miss Eden, and the Earl Howe. The Queen and Prince Albert and suite returned in four of the royal carriages to Buckingham Palace after the service. The Duchess of Kent continues indisposed with cold and rheumatism. Her royal highness has not been out of the palace since her return from Windsor. The following gentlemen had audiences of his Royal Highness Prince Albert, on Saturday, at Buckingham Palace : Lord Ernest Bruce, M.P., to present an address of con gratulation to his royal highness on the auspicious occasion of his marriage, from Marlborough. Mr. Henry Grimes, to present a congratulator; address from the royal town of Sutton Coldfield, in the county of Warwick, The Rev. Sir Henry Dukenfield, to present to his royal highness an address of congratulation from the inhabitants of St. Martin-in-the-fields. Captain Pechell, R.N., M.P., and Colonel Sir Adolphus Dalrymple, Bart., M.P., to present an address of congratu lation to his royal highness front the inhabitants of the borough of Brighton. His royal highness was attended, during his reception of the addresses, by the following gentlemen of his household : Viscount Boringdon, Mr. George Edward Anson, Colonel Wylde, and Mr. Seymour. The Rev. Sir Henry Dukenfield, Bart., had also an audi ence of the Duchess of Kent, in Buckingham Palace, to pre sent an address of congratulation to her royal highness on the auspicious occasion of her most gracious Majesty's mar riage, from the inhabitant of the parish of St. Martin-in the-fields. Her royal highness was attended, on the reception of this address, by Lady Fanny Howard and Colonel Cowper, C. 8., K.H.' Art - address of congratulation from Southampton, was pre, sente,d„ on Thursday, to the Duchess of Kent, at Bucking ham Palace. Captain Mathew, M.P. presented to the Queen addresses of loyalty and congratulation, from the Mayor and council of Shaftesbury, and from the clergy, magistrates, and inha bitants in the neighbourhood of Shaftesbury, at her Majesty's levee, on Wednesday. Viscount Melbourne had an audience of her Majesty on Saturday. The royal dinner party on Saturday evening included the Earl of Erroll, the Earl and Countess of Uxbridge, the La dies Eleanora and Constance Paget, the Earl of Albemarle, Viscount Melbourne, Lord and Lady Ashley, Sir John Hobhouse, and Col. Cowper. The band of the royal regiment of horse guards was in at tendance at the palace, and performed during the whole of the evening. On Friday, Mr. Goss's anthem, composed in honour of the Queen's marriage, was submitted to her Majesty, and was honoured with her gracious approbation. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince George, and the Princess Augusta of Cambridge, attended Divine service on Sunday morning, in Grosvenor Chapel. Miss Kerr and Major Stephens were in attendance on their Royal High nesses. _ Viscount and Viscountess Palmerston gave a grand din ner; on Sahtrday evening, at their residence in Carlton gardens. to their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, his Serene Highness the Reigning Duke of Saxe Coburg and Gotha, his Royal Highness Prince George of Cambridge, his Serene Highness the Hereditary Prince of Saxe Coburg and Gotha, and a select party, including the Dake..of Devonshire, the Duke and Duchess . of Sutherland, the Earl and Countess.of Clarendon, Viscount Duncannon and Lord Morpeth. Miss Kerr was in waiting on the Duchess of Cambridge, and the Baron de Gruben and the Baron de Lowenfels, were in waiting on the Duke and Hereditary Prince of Saxe. Coburg. The Duke of Cambridge visited her Majesty the Queen Dowager, on Saturday, at Marlborough House. TILE DUKE. OF WELLINCTON —The answer to the nume rous inquiries, yesterday, ' ' at Apsley — House, was that the noble duke was convalescent; and it was understood that \, his, e g u ra n c d e e ' r s staua physicians would discontinue their regular visits. to the House of that tdit was the wish of the duke to go down i a s t five o'clock, but Sir H. Raiford said that it was not advisable for his grace to venture out so soon after his indisposition, Conti nued intensely cold. ;I especially as the weather duke received several morning visits, among whom were the Marquis of Douro, who has taken possession of his new mansion in Belgr a ve- s t ree t, the Right Hon. Charles Arbuthnot, General Alava, the Spanish , minister, and Colonel Garwood. His Highness the reigning Duke of Saxe Coburg called in person to inquire after the Herald of Saturday. health of the duke.—Morn• APSLEY HOUSE.—The a z n n s g Nse s r v s to inquiries yesterday was, that the Duke of Wellington . 7 much better. His graee still labours under slight weakness. .very late severe attack of indispositackness. Consequent on the Yesterday. i n.—Morning Herald of We understand that it is probable that Lord Gros venor will be appointed groom of the stole Robert Highness Prince Albert, and that Lord Bo e rb to d his Royal one of the gentlemen ofthe bedchamber.— G o „„t i m will be BRISTOL SUGAR MARKET, FEB. 21.—A brilsik"tPr"lt. l demand this week has taken off the market every p a • •- ice of sugar at all suited either for the grocers or refiners, and prices may be q uoted ls. per cwt. abo ve last week's currency. The stocks in first hands have become exceedingly light.--BristolJournal. THE GREAT WESTERN STEAMER. — This far-famed and unrivalled vessel resumed her transatlantic voyages on Thurs day last, carrying 76 passengers, also an exceedingly valuable cargo consistingly principally of silks, a small quantity of Specie, and a very large number of letters. —Bristol Journal. ' The Duchess of Kent is to have the stables in Pimlico, formerly the Duke of York's, when she goes to reside in Belgr betweensq ; and Prince Albert will have stables erected the barracks and James-street, in St. James's-park. SPORTING INTELLIGENCE. MANCHESTER-FRIDAY EVENING. The acknowledged premier for the Chester Tradesmen's Plate is again Sir Thomas Stanley's horse, Cowboy. Afrac tion beyond our quotations would be willingly accepted, Recent accounts from the stable enable us to state that no horse can be doing better ; the party, and the lucky jockey in the Derby race of last year, are very sanguine that the son of Voltaire will add to the fame of the flooton stable. It appears a very hard' task to uphold Lanercost even in the position bellow occupies. Abraham Newland, King Cole, and St. Bennett, have all pretty strong parties, and zealous ie cause; a v ery little of the extra spue..will cause one or more of them to achieve a farther adVance. The following will be found a pretty close representation of the marketable horses ; others may have furnished conversation, but we are not enabled to place them as candidates, upon whom busi ness', to any extent, has been carried on for the past fewdays THE CHESTER CUP. P.P. 5 to 1 agst Sir Thoinas Stanley's Cowboy (off) 9to 1 „ Mr. Ramsay's Lanercost 14 to 1 „ Mr. 0. Fairlie's Abraham Newland 14 to 1 „ Lord Eglinton's St. Bennett 15 to 1 „ Lord Miltown's Cruiskeen 15 to 1 „ Mr. Fowler's Gilbert Gurney 16 to 1 „ Mr. Copeland's King Cole (14 off) 20 to I „ Lord Westminster's Sir Ralph 25 to 1 „ Mr. Price's Captain Pops 30 to 1 „ Lord Eglinton's Malvol►o 40 to - 1 „ Lord Miltown's Wirrestrew 40 to 1 „ Mr. Speed's Aimwell. TATTERSALL'S—Tn URS DAY. The state of the odds, as given below, will show that Lord Jersey is virtually out of the Derby betting ; Muley Ishmael, like his companion, Glenorchy, was reported to-day to have broken down, and, as a natural effect, was sent to the right about. This was the only change of any moment, but there were two or three others of some little interest to speculators. Launcelot was in considerable favour, was backed at 14 to 1, and trod so closely on the heels of the Angelica colt, that a small bet Of 11 to 10 on the grey was obtained with some dif ficulty ; 16 to 1 was offered against Confederate, and as 13 to 2 was bid against him and Theon jointly, the latter must be quoted at the same price ; 8 to 1 would have been taken about the two. Bokhara, Ottoman, and Wardan were at pretty nearly the same prices as on Monday, and in very little re quest: St. Andrew receded from 26 to 1 layers, and was almost friendless ; at all events, we did not observe any in clination to support him. Monops has at last quitted the outside division ; 35 to 1 was taken in fifties, and so many were anxious to " get on," that 30 to 1 was the outside offering price at the close. Defendant was also in favour at an improvement on Monday's quotation. The Angelica colt reached 3 to 1 (taken and afterwards offered) for the 2000 Guineas Stakes ; and a couple of fifties were laid out on Con federate at 11 to 2. We did not hear any others mentioned, nor was there anything doing in the 'Oaks betting. - A dull after noon closed as follows : TWO THOUSAND GUINEAS STAKES. 3 to 1 agst Lord Orford's Angelica colt (tk 10 to 3) Ito 2 „ Mr. Houldsworth's Confederate (tk.) THE DERBY. 13 to 1 agst Lord Orford's Angelica colt (tk 14 to 1) 14 to 4 „ Lord Westminster's Launcelot (tk) 16 to 1 „ Mr. Houldsworth's Confederate 16 to 1 „ Duke of Cleveland's Theon 18 to 1 „ Sir G. Heathcote's Bokhara 20 to 1 „ Duke of Grafton's Ottoman (tk) 26 to 1 „ Mr. Robinson's St. Andrew 26 to 1 ~ Mr. Wreford's Wardan (tk) 30 to 1 „ Captain Gardnor's Monops (tk 35 to 1) 40 to 1 „ Mr. Ford's Chameau (tk and aft off) 40 to 1 „ . Lord Lichfield's Defendant (tk) 50 to 1 " Lord Jersey's Glenorchy (tk) 50 to 2 „ Lord Jersey's Muley Ishmael • 2600 to 35 „ Duke of Cleveland's Bro. to Melbourne (tk) 3000 to 30 „ Mr. Bowes's Black Beck (tk) 1000 even between Confederate and Launcelot (tk) 11 to 10 on Angelica colt against Launcelot (tk.) TIIE OAKS. 3 to 1 agst Lord G. Bentinck's Crucifix (tk 7 to 2) 14 to 1 „ Colonel Anson's Black Bess (tk) 22 to 1 „ General Grosvenor's Diploma. DONCASTER RACES.—The Charngagne at Doncaster has twenty-seven subscribers, six more than last season ; the St. Leger has four more. But the St. Leger of 1841 has 137, or twenty-five more than . this ! Is it too much to expect, with this strong proof of the increasing popularity of the meeting, that the authorities should enclose a space in front of the stand (a la Ascot and Goodwood) for the accommodation of betting-men, and the protection of those ladies who honour the sport with their presence ? The other stakes at Doncaster are A HORSE STEALER'S ADVENTURES. (From the Manchester Guardian.) In the course of the last week, two hprses were stolen from Warrington; and on Wednesday. Thomas Ball, the son of a horse-breaker at Newton, the person charged with committing the offence, was brought before the magistrates for examina tion. The accused had lived in the capacity of a groom in the service. of. Sir John Gerard and other gentlemen • his dress and address were such as, no doubt, greatly to facilitate the commission of the crime with which he stood charged. More impudent cases have seldom been placed upon record. On the morning of Tuesday, the 11th instant, he presented himself at the stables of Mr. Thomas Hewitt, livery-stable keeper, - Warrington ; and - representing that he was sent by his master, Sir'John 'Gerard; to fetch a valuable grey hunter from Norton, which he had the money to parlor in his pocket, he wished to know if Mr.liewitt could let the horse stand at livery at his stables that night. Mr. Hewitt an swered in the affirmative, and the prisoner's next want was a horSe to carry him to Norton. Mr. Hewitt lent him a bay mare, and the prisoner departed. Ile did not return ; and on proper inquiry being instituted, it was discovered that he rode the mare to Frodsham, Cheshire, and, putting.her up at the Bear's Paw Hotel, gave directions for her to be new shod, and provide her with three ninepenny feeds of corn per day until , further orders. On seeing Mr. Keeling, the landlord, he announced himself as the servant 6f Mr. Anderson, the celebrated horse dealer, - of Picadilly, London ; said that he was going on to Liverpool, to fetch four horses for his mas tar, who was coming to Prodsharn, in company with Mr. Ell more, (of steeple-chase notoriety,) by that night's train from London. Ile ordered beds and a hot supper, and directed - Keeling .to send a car. to• Preston Brook, to meet the train at night. After dinner he broached a rather delicate subject ; like his betterS, it so happened his cash run short, lie wanted a trifle of £4, just to carry him to Liverpool and hack.' Mr. Keeling very prudently thought this rather too large a sum to advance - to a stranger •, and, after some grum, bling, Mr. Anderson's man took his departure with thirty shillings money lent in his pocket, from the village of Find sham. The car was sent to the railway station at night ; but but no company arrived for the Bear's'Paw, and IVIr. Keeling was tricked oat of his money. The prisoner took the up train at Preston Brook, and nothing further was heard of him until Saturday, when, mounted on a bay 'Jr chesnut mare, he arrived at the Roebuck Hotel, at Newcastle under-Lyne. He stated that he was servant to Sir - John Gerard, ordered three pair of post horses for his master for the next day, stopped all night, had supper, bed, and break fast, and took his departure, - leaving his bill to be settled by his master, Sir JohreGerard, it need not be stated, did not arrive. He played up similar pranks at Brereton Green and Knutsford, and in the course of Sunday returned'to War rington. After ordering post horses at the Nag's Head Hotel for Sir John, erard, at half past four o'Clock in the afternoon, he went in great apparent haste to Thomas Allan son, another stable keeper in the town. He related most minutely the particulars of an accident that had happened to himself and his master on the way to Warrington. Accord ing to his account, a most valuable gig horse had dropped down dead on the road facing the Bear's Paw, at High Leigh ; and his master with the gig was waiting at that'inn, until a horse was procured co bring him on to- Warrington. Allanson agreed to let the prisoner a horse, and it was ar ranged that Allanson should ride the horse to High Leigh. They set off together, the prisoner walking alongside. When about a mile and a half on the,,way to High Leigh, the pri soner complained of being tired, and said, that if Allanson had walked and run as tar as he had, he would be glad to ride. Allanson on this 'dismounted, and the prisoner crossed the horse, praised his pace, inquired his history, and de clared he never witThed to ride a better or more free-going hackney. With this sort of conversation they carne• pretty nearly in the sight of the Dog and Dart, the half-way public house ; and the prisoner then volunteered to ride forward, and get two glasses of brandy and water ready and at the door against Allanson carne-up- Here Mr. Allanson's diffi culties commenced. On reaching the Dog and Dart, he found that no grog had been ordered ; and, further, that a man riding at a - rapid 'pace, on a horse without a saddle,. had, few minutes before, gone along the road to L)mii, just the contrary direction of High Leigh. Allanson followed at the top of his speed, but the more he ran, the more lie was be hind ; and, coining at last to a stand-still, he made up his mind, that, with all his caution, he had been tricked out of his horse, which, by the by, he had recently purchased a bargain at twenty pounds. Somewhere about half-past nine o'clock that night, the prisoner arrived at the door of the King's Head, Salford, mounted on the horse (as proved in evidence) he had obtained from Allanson. He requested accommodation for the night, which was granted; and the horse being put into the stable, he commenced giving to Mr. Joseph Richardson, the landlord, an account of his travels. The scene must have been rich in the extreme, and, in the hands of " Boz" or Jerrold, might be worked up into a very pretty picture. " I have rode the horse from Birmingham to-day," says the prisoner. —" Indeed," replies the landlord, " he is very fresh ; pray where may you be taking him?"—" Why, you see," says the hundred-mile-a-day jock, " Mr. Ashton, of Bury, has seen the horse follow the hounds, at Dunchurch, and has fallen in love with him ; so my master; Mr. Anderson, of Piccadilly, bought him, and has sent me down with him." So far, so good ; but Mr. Richardson's curiosity was more than ever excited, and he rather knowingly asked, how it was that the prisoner came to set out on so long a journey with out being provided with a saddle? The difficulty was thus explained :—" Master's saddle was a new one ; all the others were out, and lie had set off, intending to borrow one on the road, hut had not succeeded in doing so."—Mr. Richardson's attention was, on examining the horse, attracted to another matter. The valuable hunter had evidently very recently been worked in a collar,. as sundry marks on the animal's neck plainly testified.. When questioned on this head, the prisoner said: " To 'he sure the horse had, been a little in harness, just to try how he would act, and whether be could be warranted quiet to ride or drive." The conversation turn ed from the merits of the horse to its future destiny. The prisoner rather unguardedly declared that he was sadly tired of his job of taking the horse to Bury, and that, rather than have any more bother about him, he was disposed to sell, adding, " I should not be surprised it' I sell him to your son in the morning." The morning came, and the prisoner ap pearing more anxious than ever to effect a sale, Mr. Diggles, the .deputy-constable of Salford, was consulted. He took the prisoner into custody, and a bill, forwarded by Mr. Jones, the deputy-constable' of Warrington, soon after put hith in possession of the facts connected with the robbery. The prisoner, on hearing the depositions read, contented himself with saying, that he had not offered either of the horses for sale; and he was committed for trial at the next assizes for the county of Lancaster. • At one of the police-offices, a few days ago, a police con stable pronounced a particular neighbourhood as swarming with thieves; on which the magistrate remarked, " If so, why don't you hive them ?" ACCIDENT ON THE NORTH UNION RAILWAY.—An acci dent took place at the North Union Railway Station on Wed nesday evening last, which might have been attended by very serious, if not fatal consequences to the passengers in the seven o'clock train. Fortunately, however, no one suffered any injury, and a delay of a few minutes in getting up to the station was all the inconvenience experienced. Most of our readers will be aware of the labyrinth of points and crossings at the entrance to the station, and that the lines are inter laced like net-work nearly the whole way from Mr. German's occupation bridge to the station ; arid though lights and in dicators are used, yet there is here, as at all other railway stations, much difficulty in pieventing - accidents. It appears that one of Mr. - Hargreaves' trains (having been two hours and twenty minutes coming from Parkside) was crossing the lines near the eng i ne s h op w h en t h e seven o'clock train ar rived. The en g i ne o f th e l atter ran i n t o the rear waggon o f the other train; but the concussion was naviolent, or the cuolensequences would have b een ser i ous . We understand all men h Febeen fined, b e i ng a ll i n f au lt ; and we trust that the investigation the case has undergone may operate as a protection to the travelling publit!in'uture. In fact, every possible care and caution is requisite at this particular spot. —Preston Chronicle. . . SOUTH LANCASHIRE ASSIZES The following is a copy of the Prothonotary's Circular to the Profession :-- Prothonotary's Office, Preston,, Feb. 20, 1840. The next assizes will commence at Lancaster, on Thurs day 'the 19th of March ; and at Liverpool, on Tuesday the 24th March._ - - The records in causes to be tried at Lancaster, and at issue on or before Wednesday the 4th of March, should be ordered owthat day and in those to be tried at Liverpool, and at issue on or before Monday the 9th March, should be ordered on that day. _ The last days for Making up issues in time for trial at the next assizes, will be—in causes to be tried at Lancaster, Tuesday the 10th of March; in causes to be tried at Liver pool, Saturday the 14th of March,—on which days the re cords must be ordered. , Eight exclusive days' notice of trial in all personal actions must be given 'for the' next assizes in causes at issue in time for trial at the last assizes. .„. . The jury process for the trial of causes at Lancaster, will be issued at Preston, on Thursday morning the 19th March ; and for the trial of causes at Liverpool, on Thursday morn ing the 24th March. Rule day before the assizes, Thursday the 27th February instant. Rule day after the assizes, Thursday the 23rd April next. Declarations against defendants in gaol on writs of capias must be filed on or before Saturday the 21st of March next. In pursuance of the general rule of court of September assizes, 1824, the causes intended to be tried at Liverpool will be entered in the following order :- Ist List.—Salford Hundred. 2nd List.—West Derby Hundred. The Judges have ordered that at the next Liverpool assizes all causes subsequent to 100 on the gross entry shall be tried before Mr. Justice Coleridge, in the Crown Court, so soon as he shall have finished the criminal business (unless pre viously disposed of) ; and that if the parties be not ready when their causes are called on, they will be struck out. The business of the public offices will be transacted at Preston during the assizes. STATE OF TRADE LANCASHlRE.—Thehatting tradeat Oldham and the neigh bourhood is a little better than it was a month since ; opera tives generally are moderately employed, but there is a great deal of distress, especially amongst factory operatives ; spin ning is slacker, and many hands out of employment ; power loom weaving of calicoes is much the same as at other places. The woollen trade of Rochdale is in a low state, and several of the small manufacturers have been reducing wages—indeed, the larger firms will only make goods for present orders; there is great distress amongst cannel weavers, and masters are getting next to nothing by their goods. The woollen cloth trade of Saddleworth is much in the same state as we report ed it a fortnight since, namely, rather dull, but a little more work for the operatives than there was two months ago. The demand for fine printed silk satins in the neighbouring towns of Manchester still improves, and particular fine silk goods are moderately brisk ; but low reeds and coarse goods woven by Women, children, and old men, are very dull ; silk dyers generally are better employed than they were a month ago. The cotton trade at Bolton is very slack, and distress is alarm ing, owing to the number of hands wanting employment ; there are a great number of empty cottages and shops, and manu facturers get very low prices for their goods. In every town, twenty miles round Manchester, there is a very great scarcity of money, and manufacturers, generally will only make goods for present consumption ; provisions are very dear. The state of Stockport is much in the same condition as at Bolton. The trade in other towns which we have not mentioned is. if anything, rather worse than we stated in our last. Calico block printing is much the same as a fortnight ago. There is very little building going on in all the towns ; mechanics, machine makers, tlec. at many places, have little more than half employment; and many are without work.—Preston Chronicle. LEEDS.—We regret to state that the demand for balk goods in the markets during the week has been extremely limited, and the manufacturers complain that the little business they are able to do is done for little or no profit. We are, how ever, glad to learn that an improvement is visible in most of the surrounding manufacturing villages; and we trust that ere long trade will resume its wonted activity. BRADFORD.--We are sorry to he unable to furnish our reefers with any favorable report of last Thursday's Bradford market. We believe there was not quite so much business done in prices as last week, and prices are far from being likely to advance ; the demand on Thursday ran much for plain blacks. The yarn market was much the same, an ad vance of about 4d per gross having now become established. There is :certainly a reduction in the price of some classes I of wool,. which" Games the consumers to exercise great caution in their purchases, in consequence of their not being able to obtain for their goods remunerating prices. WAKEFIELD WOOL MARKET, FEB. 21.—There has been a fair demand for deep combing wools this week at rather re duced prices; clothing and blanket wools more slowly, and prices for some weeks past are without variation.—Lee ds in telligencer. TUE CURRENCY, A. pamphlet has been just issued from the press, containing the following suggestions for the improvement of the cur rency : " I. That one uniform description of paper money be le galised in the united empire, consisting of Imperial Treasury Notes or Bills. "2. That a permanent office be established, which shall be authorised to advance these notes or bills to all banks of discount. and deposit. whether chartered joint stock corpora tions or licensed private companies, according to the option of the borrowers, as to number and quality, on depositing in the Exchequer an equal amount of bullion or Government Securities taken at the average market price for the previous year. "3. That the Treasury be empowered to exchange new notes or bills for old ones cancelled. " 4. That the dividends on the stock lodged at the Trea sury be paid to the respective porties making the deposit sub= ject to a deduction of one per cent. per annum interest on the amount of Treasury notes or bills received in lieu of stock, and one fourth per cent. in lieu of bullion. " 5. That the whole amount oiTaliOn„ or government securities, or any portion thereof, may at any time be drawn from the Exchequer, or transferred by the parties depositing the same, or their assignees, on presentation of an equal amount of Treasury notes issued to such parties respectively, payment of interest being made on said notes to the day of returning the same ; and in case any such establishment shall at any time determine to discontinue transacting bank ing business, that the residue of bullion and of stock remain ing to cover outstanding liabilities, be returned after an in terval of three years from the period of notification. " G. That the imperial notes be signed by the proper offi cer of the Treasury ; that the. name of the banking establish ment to whom they are supplied be engrossed on the same ; and that they be endorsed before issue by the responsible agent of the firm. " 7. That the notes of each banking establishment be made payable at their respective offices in specie, on fourteen clays' notice, in writing, of the demand ; but that an exception be made with respect to London banks, when the notice be limited to seven days. " That an annual report be presented to parliament of the Treasury notes in circulation, specifying the monthly and yearly averages, together with the amount of bullion, and sum total and description of stock lodged by each establish ment, and a return of their other assets; and that these ac counts be published periodically in the Gazette." ADMIRAL SIR ROBERT STOPFORD, G.C.B. -Intelligence of the indisposition of this distinguished officer, on board the Princess Charlotte, has been received at the Admiralty. NEW SERGEANTS-AT-LAW AND QUEEN'S COUNSEL. — On Wednesday last, in the Court of Common Pleas, the following counsel were called within the bar as Serjeants-at- Law :—Mr. Channel, Nlr. Wrangham, Mr. Shea, and Mr. If olcombs. And Messrs. Turner and Bethel were also ad mitted as " her Majesty's Counsel Learned in the Law." TURN-OUT OF STONE MASONS.—We are sorry to have to state that the stone masons engaged on the railway, near Lancaster, have, during the week, - turned out for an advance of wages. It is much to be lamented that men of this class of artizans, in the receipt of four shillings per day, should be induced, from any motive whatever, to turn out, more par ticularly when the work in which they are engaged is con tracted for. It is greatly to be desired that these men will see, before it is too late, the folly of their present conduct. Other hands we hear are engaged, and thus the men who have been induced to leave their work, may he the very means of introducing strangers, to their own injury. —Preston Chronicle. MORPETH ELECTION. — In consequence of Lord Leveson having accepted the Chiltern Hundreds, there is a vacancy in the representation for Morpeth. Major Cadogan, of Brenckbourne Priory, Northumberland, an active and able Conservative, arrived there trom London on Monday morn ing, accompanied by Richard Hodgson, Esq., member for Berwick, in order to lose no time in canvassing the borough. The gallant major, who is well known to the electors, has issued a spirited address, suitable to the present crisis, and the probability is that he will be Lord Leveson's successor, if the Morpeth burgesses understand what is most fitting to be done on their part to further the interests of the country. It is said that Captain Howard, a brother of Lord Morpeth, will he the Whig candidate. TESTIMONIAL OF RESPECT.—The ltev. J. Wood, A.B. curate of Church Kirk, has been presented by some members of his congregation with a pUrse containing the munificent gift of £123 10s, as a mark of their esteem for his zealous and faithful labours in the work of the ministry. The rev. gent. has likewise been presented by the male teachers of Church Kirk Sunday-school, with a valuable edition of the Polyglott Bible, accompanied by the book of Common Prayer, superbly bound in one volume, ornamented with a chaste silver clasp, and hearing the following inscription :—" Presented to the Rev. Joseph Wood, A.B. by the male teachers of Church Kirk Sunday School, as a token of their respect for his un wearied exertions amongst them, and with ferventwishes for his future welfare. 1840."---Preston Pilot. LORD CHATHAM'S PARTIALITY FOR TITS YOUNGER SON WILLIAM " THE PILOT THAT WEATHERED THE STORM!' —Lord Chatham's partiality to his younger son William, in preference to the very inferior personage that inherited his title and estates, is displayed -very frequently in the corre spondence just published. Walter Scott, in his " Diary," mentions, under date of the 24th of May, 1828, that he had dined, at Richmond Park, with Lord Sidmouth ; and that, before dinner, his lordship showed him some letters which had passed between his father, Dr. Addington, and the doc tor's patient, the great Lord Chatham. Scott, who never forgot any thing that had point and character, says that Chat ham talks of William's imitating hitn in all he did, and calling for ale because his father was recommended to drink it. " If I should smoke," he says, " William woultilnitantlY call for a pipe." At page 154 of the fourth volume, now before us, we find the identical letter alluded to by Scott, and a truly pleasant and amiable one it is. " The Earl of Chatham to Dr. Addington. "Burton Pynsent, Nov. 23, 1771. " Dear Sir,—l embrace, with particular pleasure, Lady Chatham's deputation, in acknowledging the favour of your very obliging letter to her. A small cold occasions her com mitting the pen to my hand, which, at present, seconds well my inclination to take it up, on such an occasion as writing to 1,,0n. All your friends here, the flock of your care, are truly sensible of the kind attention of the good shepherd. Our dear William has held out well on the whole. Pitt lives much abroad, and grows strong : the hounds and the gun are great delight s , without prej u di c e to literary pursuits. I some times follow him after a h a re, longo serf proximo i ntervallo. My last fit of the gout left me, as it had visited me, very kindly. lam many hours, every day, in the field ; and, as I live like a farmer abroad, I return home and eat as one. I rejoice that parliament meets so late ; for, if I go thither, I shall be reduced. _ .. . ' diseedere triitern Quandocunque trahunt negotia Romain.' Your obliging inquiries justify all details about health and regimen. Ale, then, goes on admirably, and agrees perfectly. My reverence for it, too, is increased, having just read. in the manners of our remotest Celtic n ei ghb o urs , much of its antiquity and invigorating qualities. ' The boys all long for ale, seeing papa drink it ; but we do not try the experiment. Such is the force of example, that I find 1 must watch my self in all I d o , f or fearof misleading.: if your friend William saw. me smoke, he would certainly call for a pipe. After so much of me and mine, it is more than time to express how truly we interest ourselves for you. I hope the returning labours of the winter will not rob you of a little of your sum mer health. Paper fails, and leaves only room to add, that I am, dear sir, very faithfully yours, " CHATHAM." MISCELLANEOUS. The University of Bonn has conferred the degree of doctor on Prince Albert. It is proposed in Edinburgh to erect a monument to Napier, the inventor of logarithims. A Michigan editor threatens to make his subscribers as intimate with the sheriff as he is himself, if they don't pay up. On the 6th inst. Sir Robert Peel entered his 54th year, having been born on the Gth February, 17SG. Why is her Majesty the most popular composer of the day ?—Because hrr overture to Prince Albert is known all over Europe ! Question : Can you give me change ? Answer : Yes. How will you have it? all silver, or. will you have an Albert? i. e. half-a-sovereign. An Ohio editor saysthat,the river,i,at Piplbnrh is so dry that the inhabitantS on its banks split It up for kin mg . wood. An association , " for the refutation of Infidelity and the Suppression of Blasphemy" has been formed in Halifax. Mr. James Anderson has announced his intention of be- coming a candidate at the next election for Falkirk, upon conservative principles. Sam Slick said he would rather break a yoke of steers any ------- - Lay, than try to make up a quarrel between women, when • . J 1 . they once got their dander up. The Russian government hac authorised the establishment of a steam-packet communication between St. Petersburgh and Dunkirk. Mr. Dawson, of Middleham, has purchased Charles XII. for three thousand guineas, for Mr. Johnstone, a north country gentleman. The 29th inst. is fixed for the approaching grand conser vative dinner at Merchant Tailor's Hall. Alderman Thomp son, M.P., takes the chair. The Romanist Radical Irish newspapers boast that Lord Palmerston has at a stroke created one hundred faggot votes in the small county of Sligo. Admiral Elliott, the brother of Lord Minto, is appointed to the naval command in the East Indies, vacant by the death of Admiral Maitland. In the Court of Exchequer on Wednesday, a verdict for £2,500 was given against a person for having maliciously sued out Commission of Bankruptcy against another. The Queen has agreed to pay £l5OO per annum, for six years, for the residence of Lord Ingestre, taken for the Duchess of Kent. —Morning Post. Dr. de Vitre, physician to the Lancaster dispensary, has left that institution ; and the two former surgeons, Messrs. Bateson and T. Howett, have been reinstated as visiting surgeons. The Board of Stamps has advertised for contracts for twenty-four thousand reams of paper for the proposed letter covers. • Mr. Thomas Cartwright, silversmith, of Halifax, has suddenly disappeared from that town, carrying with him property to the amount of £2OOO. Hitherto he has evaded pursuit. A southern orator is represented as having begun a recent speech in congress with—" I was born, .cir, insensible to fear." Theie would of course be no mistake in such a little low. The " reverend wag," as Mr. Sidney Smith is called, has just given the pedant Babington Macauley a nickname that will never be forgotten. He calls him the " Book in Breeches." Mr. Turton has been appointed by the governor-general in council to succeed to the appointment of advocate general, upon the contemplated retirement of Mr. Pearson. —lndia Gazette, Dec. 9. A gentleman, upon being asked whether he was seriously injured when a steam-boat boiler exploded, is said to have replied, that he was so used to being blown up by his wife, that mere steam had no effect on him ! • My son, hold up your head and tell, me who was the strongest man." " Jonah." " Why so ?" "'Cause the whale couldn't hold him after he got him down." " That's a man-you needn't study the catechism any more at present." During the bustle in London consequent upon the Royal nuptials, some wag muffled the knocker on Sheriff Evans's door, in Westminster, and hung a card thereto, with the words " CONFINED," printed in large characters. The pay of masters in the navy will be immediately raised : the younger officers will have-Xl5O per annum, rising up to £2BO. We trust this improved remuneration will retain many valuable officers in the service.—Hampshire Telegraph. A discovery is said to have been recently made in Ruasia, of a method whereby the softeststones may be hardened, and have communicated to them the beauty, solidity, and even colours, of the rarest marble. A most terrific hurricane occurred at • Madras in the-mid dle of November, from the effects of which it was calculated that 20,000 persons had perished. Sixty vessels which were in the roads had also disappeared. A poor woman, residing in Northampton-street, Leicester, was frightened into convulsions, the other day, by a fellow wrapped in a white sheet pretending to be a ghost. She re covered, but has lost her reason ! Them Delaware Indian chaps beat all I ever came near in _ _ the running line ; I lcnow'd one on 'em as run so howdaci ously fast round a big cirmis-like place, that he just caught a glimpse of his own back !—Up and Down County Gazette, U.S. A new town is in the course of fOrmition between the ohf incorporated town of Kingston upon Thames (Surrey) an the South Western Raivay, and already nearly 200 beautifu houses and snug villas are finished, or in the course of finish. ing. There is said to be a species of snake so venomous in some of the swamps of the Mississippi, that it is told of a negro who struck one with a hoe handle, that the handle swelled so as to burst the eye open! THEATRES IN LENT.—Mr. Thomas Slingsby Duncombe, the representative of the Finsbury dissenters, has at length succeeded in getting- her Majesty's Lord Chamberlain to abolish the restrictions on-theatrical performances during the season of Lent. Aberdeen has had the honout to supply the whisky for the royal wedding. Bailie Lumsden, a fortnight ago, shipped to order a cask containing GO gallons of whisky for her Ma jesty's " occasion," and permitted to the keeper of the royal cellar at Windsor, " George Christie." Louis Philippe has announced to the Queen of England the promotion of her consort to the rank of Grand Office, of the Legion of Honour, the insignia of which are, it is stated, to be presented to him by M. Guizot, the new Am bassador of Prance at our court. • • A petition has actually been sent to the legislature of Ohio, setting forth that the people of the Zanesville bank were in the habit of using a wet sponge in counting their bills, and praying the passage of a law requiring them to spit on their fingers We like to see a pretty ankle. We don't like to see a woman pull up her clothes in crossing the street, on purpose to show it.—New York paper.—We do, especially it the streets be a little muddy, and she have no holes in her stock ings.— Texas Telegraph. We are happy to hear on good authority that the report of the death of Sir Henry Pane is entirely without foundation ; and we hope that the rumour of the death of the gallant Lord Keane, the hero of Ghuznee, is equally destitute of truth. — Ministerial paper. The other day a gentleman came to a post-office not a hundred miles from Huddersfield, to prepay a letter, and presented a sovereign for that purpose. The post-master immediately offered 19s. 11d. in change in a hag, all in cop per. when the gentleman smiled, " cut off," and then brought a penny. We learn from Vienna that upwards of sixty houses in the village of Baronowitz, .four leagues from Brunn, have been recently destcyed by a tire, said to have been occasioned by sparks from a locomotive engine on the north railroad, which were driven by the wind on to the thatch of some cottages. One of the most magnificent fetes which has taken place in Paris for a length of time was given last night in honour of the marriage of her Britannic Majesty by his excellency the Earl and the Countess of Granville, to which upwards of 2,500 persons were ihiyited, and at which at least 2,000 per sons were present. REPRESENTATION Of PERTHSHIRE.—The death of the Earl of Mansfield, which took place at Leamington, on Tuesday last, will occasion a vacancy in the representation of Perthshire, as his lordship's eldest son, the Lord Viscount Stormont, was returned for the county at . the last election, in opposition to the Hon. Fox Maule. We regret that Mr. Cayley, M.P., for the north riding of Yorkshire, has been for some months labouring under severe indisposition. He came to town at great hazard to record his vote in favour of ministers, but he has remained ever since in a state of very great suffering, and totally unable to attend to business of any kind..-11forning Chronicle. The Reverend John Reynolds, a dissenting minister, of Romsey, Hants, has been appointed one of the Inspectors of the Government Educational Schools, by the Committee of Council; a palpable slight to the Church, and a tolerable proof of the estimation in which the Established Clergy are held by that Committee. Prince Albert's progress in the English language under the care of her Majesty, was very rapid indeed. At first sight (if we may believe rumour) he conquered the difficulty of " 1 love—thou lovest." He will soon be over the first conjuga tion. We wonder whether he ever will reach the imperative mood ! REPRESENTATION OF CLITIIEROE.—Mr. Fort, the m e ber for Clitheroe, has, during the past week, issued an ad dress to the electors of that borough, in contradiction of a rumour which has been circulated, alleging that it was not his intention again to offer himself as a candidate, in the event of a general election.—Preston Chronicle. A correspondent of the New York Commercial quotes the following passage from Scripture, in support of Mr. Red field's theory, that the wind during a storm blows in a circle or a whirl :—" The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north ; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again, according to his circuits.— Reek siasteB, i. 5. Among the state papers recently stolen from Dublin Castle, was a canvass bag of correspondence between Lord Castlereagh and Grattan, at the period of the Union, and letters of Robert Emmett, including that to Curran's daugh ter the night before his execution—all most interesting documents. The gentleman to whom the packet was en trusted is held to bail in £5OO, to answer the prosecution of the crown. INCREASE OF TAXATION.—An increase in the taxation of the United Kingdom it is currently reported will he pro posed by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in order to augment the public revenue. One rumour is, but on what foundation we are unable to say, that the imposts upon coals and salt are to be renewed ; while other parties mention with confidence that the duty payable upon gin will be increased, while that on brandy imported will be diminished. Much anxiety is expressed among the mercantile interests of the city to obtain information on the subject. REPRESENTATION OF STOCKPORT.—The leaders of the movement party in the borough have selected another man to bring forward at the next general election.—Mr. T. Gis borne, one of the tail, and at present member for Carlow. There is a good deal of, speculation abroad on the matter, particularly as " tin" sufficient for the contest is promised to be forthcoming when wanted, on an assurance given that he shall be returned. We are told that the worthy gentle man has had an assurance aLso that he cannot again be the " fortunate object of the choice of the electors" of Carlow. —Stockport Advertiser. EXTENSIVE FRAUD.—On Wednesday last, after an atten tive investigation of three days, , Mr. James Pringle, a clerk in the office of the collector of excise, at Sheffield, has been committed to York Castle for trial, charged with having fraudulently obtained various sums of money by means of forged declarations purporting to he from pensioners of Chel sea Hospital long since dead. Application was made to ad mit him to bail, and the magistrates postponed their decision till yesterday. Mr. Pringle has been many years in the col lector's office.—Leeds Intelligencer. DENDROBIUM NOBILE. —This rare and truly splendid epiphyte has just unfolded its lovely flowers at Broughton Hall. A few words on its introduction to this country may not be uninteresting. Six or eight years ago, the original plant, now in the possession of Messrs. Loddige's, of the Hackney Nursery, was purchased in the market at Macao, in China. The plant bloomed in the establisnment of those gentlemen two or three years ago, and, until the present notice, has not flowered elsewhere. It is a curious fact, that the identical locality . of this Chinese plant is altogether a mystery to the botanists of Europe.—Manchester Guardian. STOPPAGE. OF THE BIRMINGHAM BOROUGH BANK.--' We understand that the borough bank of Birmingham (nn establishment of very limited business, founded upon the wreck of the Northern and Central Bank in that town) stop ped payment on Thursday, when the following notice was posted on the doors of the bank.—`` The directors of the Borough Bank find themselves under the painful necessity of suspending the payments of the bank." DISTRESSED STATE OF THE POOR AT BOLTON.—A meeting of the town council of Bolton was held on Wednes day last, at which it was agreed that the mayor be requested to convene a meeting of gentlemen, for the purpose of rais ing a fund by subscriptions, for the relief of the distressed poor. Accordingly, a meeting was held yesterday forenoon, at the Sessions Room ; the Rev. J. Slade, vicar, in the chair. A committee was appointed, consisting' of the clergy and others; and a subscription was entered into in the — room, Which, although there were not more than fifty persouS pre sent, amounted to upwards Of -X750. AMOUNT OF CORRESPONDENCE. IN PUIILIC OFFICES. — The following are accounts, from the second part of the re port of the committee of the House of Commons on postage. of the five public departments which sent the largest number of letters in the year 1837 :—Poor-law Commission, 138,525; Ordnance. 95,018 ; Registrar of Births, 92,876 ; War-office, '8,462 ; Admiralty, 6§,322. The following are accounts, from the same report, of the five public departments which received the greatest number of letters :—Paymaster-Gene ral, 85,801 ; Ordnance, 82,923 ; Home-office, 72,882 ; Poor law Commission, 70,983 ; War-office, 70,945. IMPORTANT TO TEETOTALLERS.—On Thursday in last week, an inquest was held before Mr. Carter, coroner of Surrey, at the Bell Inn, Lambeth, on the body of Joseph Hawkins, an old man aged 84, who had formerly been a very hard drinker, but had lately become a teetotaller. For years before he joined the society he used to take a glass of rum the first thing in the morning, rum and ale in the forenoon, ale and a glass of rum after dinner, .a glass of rum in his tea, ale for supper, and afterwards a glass of rum and water ! The surgeon gave it as his opinion that the death of the de ceased was accelerated by suddenly leaving off the use of spirits. Verdict—" Died by the visitation of God."—Leeds Intelliyencer. PoPISII ELECTIONEERING.—A pretty plot was discovered last week in the Post-office Ward of the city of Dublin, to secure the election of a Popish publican as a poor-law guar dian. The police were sent out, as ordered by the act, to deliver the voting papers, and receive them when the voter had marked for whom he voted. It was proved that the police carried papers to a radical committee-room, where the original votes were erased, and this publican substituted. The matter was brought before the commissioners of police, who ordered the dismissal of the police. This is one of the nefarious modes by which the Popish party try to get the ascendancy. The Bishop of Bath and Wells having long contemplated the foundation of a Diocesan Collegiate Institution, in order to the training of candidates for holy orders, in conformity with the cherished desire of our reformers, that, between the academic degree and entrance into the ministry, there should be a course of preparatory instruction, has decided on imme diately commencing the execution of such a plan, in connec tion with his cathedral city, and has appointed the Rev. J. H. Pinder, A. "M., late Principal of Codrington College, Barbadoes, to be Professor of Theology at Wells. To meet the cost oithis excellent appointment (£4OO per annum) the Lord Bishop, and two gentlemen of the diocese, have muni ficently subscribed £lOO each for ten years. A portion of the remaining £lOO per annum is yet to be provided.—Bath Chronicle. CORRESPONDENCE RELATING TO THE NIGER EXPEDI- TION.—In a letter from Lord John Russell to the Lords of the Treasury, dated Dec. 26, 1839, the proposal for the pre vention of the slave trade in the west of Africa is stated. The Queen has directed her ministers to negotiate agree ments with those African chiefs within whose dominions the internal trade is carried on, the basis of such agreements to be the abandonment of the trade ; and, secondly, the admis sion into this country of the goods of the territories on fa vourable terms, so as to lessen the temptation now offered to the slave-seller. As the most considerable of the chiefs rule near the Niger, an expedition up the river by steam boats is proposed, and an establishment of British factories at favourable stations. The first cost of three iron vessels. which would be required, including provisions and stores, for six months, would be 4:35400; the annual charge for victualling officers and men, £T0,546 ; and the salaries of conductors, chaplain, and surgeon about .£4,000, besides presents for chiefs and sundries. The answer from the Treasury, dated. the 30th of December, states a willingness to sanction such estimates as may be required. THE SUABBY GOVERNMENT.—When Mr. Spring Rice, now Lord Monteagle, first paid his addresses to the elector) of- Cambridge, he was, as he always had been, very liberal of his promises. He would do a great deal to promote the prosperity of the town. It was suggested by some persons who knew his man, that he might give one proof of the sin cerity of his intentions by procuring a small annual grant in aid of the funds of the Cambridge Philosophical Society—an institution of much merit, but whose funds were scarcely adequate to the publication of its transactions. The idea ap peared a capital one to Mr. Rice ; he had much interest at the Treasury ; the grant would cost him nothing, and it had the still stronger recommendation, that it would very proba bly help him to a few additional votes. The Treasury ac cordingly was applied to, and in a short time the Cambridge people were much gratified to find that a grant of £lOO a-year was made to aid the funds of the Philosophical Society. The grant was regularly paid up to last year inclusive; but now things had changed. Mr. Rice was pitchforked into the House of Peers, and did not want a seat for Cambridge; and the gentleman (Mr. Gibson) for whom the government did want it was pitchforked out of the borough. The Cam bridge electors did not want him. These were offences not to be forgotten or forgiven. The government patronage was withdrawn from the town, and the paltry grant of the £lOO a-year to the Philosophical Society has this year been stopped! This shabby act of the shabby government needs no comment. —Times. DRINKING PRINCE ALBERT'S HEALTII.—Some difficulty has been felt in the provinces as to the proper etiquette to be observed in drinking Prince Albert's health at public dinners and on other public occasions. We understand that the course observed at the dinner of the West Ward Conserva tives, reported in another part of this paper, was according to the etiquette observed at the dinner of the Carlton Club on the day of the Queen's marriage, an authority sufficient to settle any question on the subject. First was drank the health of her Most Excellent Majesty the Queen ; next, the Queen and Prince Albert ; and then the Queen Dowager and the rest of the Royal Family. By coupling the name of his Royal Highness with that of her Majesty in the second toast, the difficulty as to precedency is obviated or got over. Leeds Intelligenerr. DISTRESSING CASE OF DESTITUTION.—The inhabitants of Sanday, in Orkney, get their supply of peas fuel from the neighbouring island of Eday. A boat, in crossing at this in clement season, was upset, and floated keel up into the creek she had left the night before. By this melancholy accident two families have been bereaved of their only support, and left in the most destitute circumstances. One of the suffer ers, Robert Mure, has left a widow and eight children be tween the age of fourteen years and nine months. Their mother has been confined to bed for six months. This seems a case calling loudly for the aid of such patriotic societies as that which has just been instituted for Scotland, for the re lief of shipwrecked mariners and fishermen, at the head of which is our gallant countryman, S. D. Milne.—Aberdeen Constitutional. MORE OF TILE TENDER CONSCIENCE FOLK.—A short time since a meeting was called by Mr. A a ro n P eace , War den of the Chapeiry of Cuinberworth, for the p ur po s e of laying a rate to defray the yearly expense of an organist, clerk, singers, chapel-keepers, &C. The Rev. C. B. Dunn, curate, was called to the chair. Mr. A. Peace then proposed that a rate of three-halfpence in the pound be collected for the above purposes, which, when collected, would realise the sum of nine pounds! ! So enormous a demand shocked many lender consciences ; among the rest a well-known dis senter,.one Charles Fitton, who stands, when in his shoes, about five feet arid an inch in altitude, but who always most nobly makes up for his shortness of stature by the extraor dinary length of his tongue. This worthy mounted a table to render himself more conspicuous, and proposed, as An amendment, that the meeting be adjourned to that day twelve months ! One Hezehiah Tinker, whose altitude is about four feet nine, and who had taken a great deal of pains for a few days previous to collect all the cock-fighters, donkey-racers, and others of similar respectability to attend the meeting, then mounted the table, and pulled out a speech from his pocket, ready cut and dry, which having read, he begged leave to second the amendment, which was carried by a small majority The worthy curate note performs the offices of minister and clerk himself ! ! and allows the organist part of the christening fees as a salary. The bell which was wont to announce the hour of twelve o'elock every day, to remind the good housewives of the village and adjoining neighbour hood (many of whom are without a clock) that it was time to prepare dinner, is now silent, and the minister's own servant performs the office of chapel-sweeper. It should be noticed that the chapel is the only place of worship in the neighbourhood, that all the sittings are free, and that it is chiefly attended by the operative classes, and that a large Sunday school is also attached to the chapel. We wish the respectable couple, the would-be great men, all the pleasure their tender consciences will allow them, for having partly deprived the poor villagers of the only means which the neigh bourhood affords them of keeping the Sabbath-day holy, in a place of worship where there are neither collections nor seat rents !—Leeds Intelligeneer. IMPUDENCE. — It has been often remarked, that those agi tators who first put it into the heads of the chartists to pro cure arms, and to have torch-light meetings, were tories ; and the tory journals did not conceal their joy at the s pread of chartism. Socialism has, it would appear. taken the place of ehartism in their favour. The Bishop of Exeter could not have acted in any other manner than he has acted, had his object been to increase the number of socialists. That the tories would view with satisfaction the progress of socialism, or any other ism which might serve them in their distress, as means of embarrassing the government, may he inferred from various circumstances, b u t mor e particularly from the pains taken by the tory papers to misrepresent the condition and importance in society of the disciples of Owen.-310 - n - Chroniele. [The impudence of this paragraph is only exceeded by its falsehood. It contains as many lies as lines.] PORTSMOUTH, FEn. 19.—Frost, Williams, and Jones are confined.in a cell on board the York convict ship, apart from the other prisoners. Frost complains bitterly of the food supplied him, stating he cannot possibly eat the oatmeal and water which is supplied for breakfast, with a proportion of salt mixed. They have requested to be allowed more sub stantial diet, which has been refused. A wooden bowl and spoons are given for their use ; they are clothed in convict apparel, each with an iron ring round the leg, and are on no account permitted to leave their cell. A Prayer Book and Bible are the only books allowed them. They are in bad spirits, particularly Frost, who is evidently sadly dejected. Williams has been heard to say he would sooner have been hanged, than to linger under his present torture of mind and treatment. It is expected that an order will arrive to-mor row to transfer them to the Mandarin convict ship, which arrived last night, bound to New South Wales.—Standard. WEALTH.—The house of Esterhazy is probably the most magnificent of the non-regnant houses in the world. That jacket of jackets, which is said to have cost the prince £lOO in wear and tear eve's , time it is put on, has already im pressed the English public with the extent of his possessions ; but the impression falls short of the reality. His estates contain 130 villages, 40 towns, and 34 castles. He has four country houses as big as Chatsworth, within an hour's ride of one another ; one of them, Esterhazy, contains 360 rooms for visitors, and a theatre. The well known story of time prince's reply to the Lord of Holkham, who, after ex hibiting a flock of two thousand sheep, inquired if he could shoW as many--" My shepherds are more numerous than your sheep"—turns out to be literally true ; there are 2,500 shepherds on his estates. They have a regular grenadier guard in their pay, and the right of life and death on their estates. The old-fashioned town of Wetherby, in Yorkshire, has undergone strange vicissitudes within a few year s as we ll as some of the large properties in its immediate vicinity. It was only the other day the Duke of Devonshire alienated the whole town, at one fell swoop, the sale exceeding £250,00 0 . In 1836, the Ribston estate, so long in the Holvoake and close by the town, was sold by George Robins. The price, from recollection, was £lBO,OOO, without timber. By reference to our columns, we perceive Beilby Grange, conti guous to the town, the property of - Lord Wenlock, is nave announced for sale ; it is said to be contemporaneous in fame with Ribston. Thus, within this little circle, a sum exceed ing X 600,000, atleast, will he in a very short period realized. It is said that in no other part of England are the same high prices obtained for land. The tenant of Beilby Gr ang e man sion and park is the venerable Chriitopher Wilion, the father of the turf, who has located for half a century.—Post.. • '