The Express.
London, England, 1848-01-31 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, MONDAY EVENING, JANUARY 31. 1848.

lordship the reason why many of the friends of the anti•
slavery cause had thought it their duty to join the colonists
at the present momentous crisis.—Mr. Meis briefly but forci-
bly represented to bin lordship the present position of the
colonies, and the necessity for speedy and immediate relief.
—Mr. Geddes brought to the notice of his lordship the falling
off of the revenue of the colonies, upon which the support of
the civil, relleious, end educational institutions of the country
depended.—A discussion then ensued en the internal taxa-
tion of the colonies, which his lordship thought woo con.
ducted on unsound principle. and suggested a considerable
alteration in the mode by which the revenue wen raised his
lordship pointed out the importance of shifting. the in-
direct taxation upon articles of consumption imported
into the colonies to a direct and fair taxation on land

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in the shape of a quit-rent. He was opposed to the present
system of taxing stock, which tended to diminish their num-
ber, and consequently the quantity of manure, so indispowser
blotto high farming.—Mr. John Hodgkin, in a clear sad
lucid manner, pointed out to his lordship the criminality of
any encouragement of slave labour and the slave trade. The
very fact that British capital was being transferred to slave
countries must be considered as immoral so long as Great
Britain considers the slave trade illegal, unchristian, and
inhuman, and by treaties with foreign powers has declared
it to be piracy. The question of colonial free ports having
been suggested, his lordship replied that that depended
entirely epee the colonial legislatures themselves ; for since
the differential duties had been removed, there existed no
objection on the part of the government to the measure : the
adoption of it would be left entirely to the colonial Irgishie
tures. His lordship instanced the colony of South Australia
as one in which the principle of taxation which he recom-
mended had proved emiuently tuccestful. During the
lengthened and interesting interview which the deputation
had with his lordship they experienced the utmost attention
end courtesy.
CALLS TO THE BAR. - MIDDLE TEMPLE.—A further
call to the bar of students of this society was made on Satur-
dee, evening. They comprise the after-mentioned gentlemen:
W. H. Iliggin, Esq., E. It. Sutton, Esq., R. B. Miller,
Esq., and D. C. Majoribauks, Esq.
THE SUPPLY OF GAS TO MARYLEBONE.—On
Saturday, at the meeting of the Marylebone vestry, the third
amended report of the gas committee appointed to consider
the terms upon which the Western Gas Company shall be
admitted into Marylebone, was brought up for consideration.
The terms of the report are exceedingly favourable to the
Western Comp iny, reducing the security from 15,0001. to
10,0001. ; granting them permission to lay down their mains
on the completion of such security, to be completed within
three years, with power to enter into a contract, six months
previon to the present contract with the Imperial Company
expiring, to light the public lamps of Mari lebone with gas,
or some other equivalent, until their pipes are IaSI ; with
the proviso, that it they enter into any arrangement or corn-
bantion with any other company the vestry shall have the
power of cutting off their supply. The report was strenu-
ously opposed. and carried at last by a majority of only one
—34 voteg to 33.
THE NAVIGATION LAWS.—REFUSAL OF THE LORD
MAYOR TO ALLOW A PROCESSION TO PASS THROUGH THE
CITY OP LONDON.—On Saturday a meeting of the delegates
of the shipping interests at the ports in England was he'd
fur the purpose of adopting measures and making the needs-
' eery arrangements for 20,000 sailors, with the masters and
mates of all the vessels at present in the port of London, to
proceed in procession to Buckingham Palace, for the pur-
pose of presenting a memorial to her Majesty praying that
she would be graciously pleased ni t to give her consent to the
repeal of the navigation laws. It wee agreed that the pro
cession should Mite place on Wednesday next, if that day
was approved of by the Queen. At five o'clock Mr. Heather
and a deputation had an interview with the Lord Mayor,
who, after ascertaining the object in view, expressed his opi-
nion that so great a body passing through the City would
put • stop to business, and aright tend to much tumult. lie
could not, therefore, traction the intended procession, but
recommended that, if the tailors should be determined upon
going to the palace in procession, they should go as far as
Westminster by water.
THE ARCTIC EXPEDITION.—Another expedition,
to proceed by B hring's traits in search of Sir John Frank
lin and his gallant officers and men, is to be immediately
fitted out, under the conduct and command of Capt. Sir
James Clark ROAD. This expedition is to consist of two
ships, which have been purchased of Messrs. Green and
Wigram, of Blackwell. They are entirely new, and are to
he appropriately named. the one built b Mr.Wigratte of
470 tons, after Co I's first ship, the Endeavour; and the
other, of 420 tons, built by Mr. Green, after the above dis-
tinguished circumnavigator's third discovery ship, the Reso-
lution. They are to be fitted at Blackwell by the lot of
April, and will be commissioned in a few days. They will
follow up Sir John Franklin's track to Baffia's Bay.
THE Fas Non INVASION.—A correspondent of the
Economist states that, in 1840, Admiral Lalonde gravely
made the following proposal :
I hare here at Tenedos, near the Dardanelles, 10 of our largest, best
manned ships, and near me arc anchored B smaller Engli.th ones of 12
guns and under. I will undertake suldenly to burned capture them;
then sail to Alexandria and fit out the II Egyptian and 9 Turkish men-
of.war lying in that harbour ; will proceed thence to Toulon, where
30,000 soldiers can easily he aese-ebled as if for Algiers; and with an
united 33 or 40 dill of the line will take the Engli.2l unprepared, and
di-ernbark the army on the coasts of either Britain or Ireland. Two
dicidons of my fleet shall neat be sent off to seize the British colonies
in the Paint and West Indic,
The WRECK OF TIIE AvENont.—A letter dated
Malta. Jan. 8, contains the following passage : " Some
,curiosity has been excited and hopes raised by a Hal' ate brig
which passed the Island of Gaeta on the night of the 2nd
instant, reporting having seen a light on the island."—A
letter from the British consul at Palermo, says the Observer,
announces that a portion of the wreck of the lost ship has been
washed on chore at the west coast of Sicily. Amongst
other matters there have been found the body of an
officer in uniform lashed to a spar, a boat, and •
carronade gun, marked Avenger, 181 b. Some surprise is
felt, not only at the distance from the wreck where those
pertions have turned up, but else at the state of the
current', which would make the place appear •
most unlikely one from whence to expect any
tidings or anything to elucidate the melancholy catastrophe.
—This admits a faint hope that some of the wrecked crew
may have got upon the island—A. correspondent of our
own, who came over in the Montrose states that there
were at Gibraltar no further accounts of the sad loss of
the Avenger and her crew, but Lieut Redo, who was the
only officer saved, had written to some one there. Mr. Speed,
of Gibraltar. merchant, had a brother on board as captain's
clerk, and showed me a portion of the door-frame and lock
of the master's cabin, and marked on the bran lock " lar-
board aft." We learn frost Portsmouth that the officers
and crew of her Majesty's ship Excellent, at that port, have
subscribed a ilay's pay for the widows and orphans of the
seamen end marines lost in the Avenger, steamer; an ex-
ample which will &lob lees be followed by most ot the ves-
sels in commission. The allotments to tee men's wives and
relations have this week been stopped.
Loss or LIFE ON THE RIVER.—About 8 o'clock
on Saturday evening a lighter, named the Charles, laden
with send, belonging to Mr. Reading, of Bankside, sunk
under the centre arch of London-bridge, by which accident
this passage has been stopped. The hands neglected to
lower the mast in time; it struck against the arch, and
canted the vessel over. There were five hands ea hoard,
two of whom were drowned, James Duggen, the captain,
and Miehail Harris.
ATTEMPTED SUICIDE AT SLACKPRIARB•BRIDGE.
On Saturday afternoon, between three end four o'clock, a
young man, named Charles Bettie, a clerk to Mr. Watson,
the solicitor, of 12, Bouverie-street, Fleet-street, made a
desperate attempt to destroy hie life by leaping (rem the
centre of Blackfriam-bridge into the river. Several persons
who were passing noticed the party suddenly mounting the
bridge, but before they had time to get up to him, he plunged
headforemost into the water. A steamer passing at the
moment nearly went over him. Mr. R. War., the pier-
master, sent off a boat, and the man was picked up ap-
parently lifeless. He was immediately taken to the Glaziers'
Arms, Water-lane, where he was placed in a warm bath, and
the usual remedies having been resorted to, recovered reffi-
ciensly re. elite that he had a wife and two children, and that
they resided in the Muscovy-road, Bayswater. He said he
was sorry for having attempted to destroy his life, and could
give no reason for so doing.
FIRES. —IN HOLBORN. Yesterday morning,
shortly before one o'clock, a fire broke out upon the pre-
mises belonging to Mr. James Voile, auctioneer, situate at
No. 288, High Holborn. The discovery was made by some
of the neighbours in the opposite houses, who saw smoke
pouring from the upper windows. All the inmates, with
the exception of a child in bed asleep, were able to get out
without much ditticuley, but their attempts to rescue the
child were frustrated by the smoke and heat. Several
engines were shortly on the spot, and one of the Bremen,
named Stagg, upon learning that a child was in the premises,
succeeded at no little personal risk in tercing his way
through the smoke and heat, and sure. eded in bringing the
child out in safety. The fl toles shortly spr, ad to the whole
of the second and third 11 sirs, which, together with the
staircase, were blazing away with such impetuosity as to
threaten destruction to the surrounding prelates". The fire-
men, however, succeeded in getting the conflagration
extinguished by two o'clock, by which time the upper
fleas were destroyed, and the lower part seriously
injured. The building and its contents were insured—
Ix FARRINGDON-BTREET, on Saturday morning, about nine
o'clock, smoke was observed issuing Irons the premises et
Mrs. Slade, in Besmalley, Farringdon-street. The et gines
of the Linden brigade, from Farringdon-stree., quickly at-
tended, and upon the firemen entering, they found Mrs blade
M • general blaze on the floor, near the fire-place. After con-
siderable trouble, the tire was extinguished, but not till she
was burned almost as black as cote The unertunnte woman
was removed to Bartholomew's Hospital, where she remains,
without the least chance of recovery. How the disaster
occurred is unknown ; but it is believed that the poor crea-
ture had been seized with a fit, and fell into the tire.
INQUEST-', SATURDAY.—DEATH BY FlRE.—Before
Mr. W. Carter, at the Prince of Wales Tavern, Brixton-hill,
relative to the death cf Mary Ann Spicer, aged 52.—Mr. J.
Mathews, of No. 9, Church-row, Brixton-hill, • merchant,
deposed that the deceased was his cook. On Wednesday
night lest, whilst witness and his family were in the dining-
room, they were alarmed by the shrii les of females, and on
witness hastening into the kitchen, he found the deceased
enveloped in a mass of flames. Witness and the housemaid
brought her to the back-room, and endeavoured to put out
the tire, bet she broke away from them, and ran into the
yard, where they again seized her, and rolled her on the
grass, but the deceased, in her agonies, a second time got
away, and ran across the garden to a water butt, where she
turned on the tap, but there was no water. Witness seized
a mat, and, with great trouble, succeeded in extinguishing
the burning clothes. Deceased was carried into the house.
and promptly seen by Mr. Wray, a surgeon, who dressed the
buns which almost covered the body. She died in a few
hours afterwards. She said she was reaching from
the menteLpiece, when her apron taught, and be-
fore she detected it her gown also became limited.—

The Jury returned a verdict of " Accidental Death."—
A CHILD SCALDED TO DEATH BY A CUP OF TEL.—Be-
fore Mr. Carter, at the White Horse, Waterside, Wands-
worth, upon the body of R. J. Fennel, aged 2 years. On
Tuesday afternoon the mother of the deceased, who is wife
of a gentlemen's coachm►n, was sitting at tea, when the de-
ceased caught hold of a cup full of scalding tea, and upset it.
Part was spilt on his neck and shoulders, and some entered
his ear. The poor child linicred two or three days, when
death ended its sufferings.—Verdict, " Accidental Death."