The Express.
London, England, 1851-02-05 00:00:00

GERMAN Y.

The Prussian ministry have suffered, so we learn
by a telegraphic dispattl, n decided detest in the 2nd
ehandwr. The Government Ministerial Responsibility
11111, or an important clause of it, has been thrown
out by a majority of Is 2 against 10.5. The members
of the extreme Right have uttered strange doctrines in
the debate on the bill. M. Kliest Retzon insisted
that obedience to the personal commands of the king
should axe ministers from their responsibility, be-
cause Prussia is a monarchy." Count Arnim said
that under the present constitution responsibility
should not be made too stringent, as that would
greatly cramp the free action of the government. An
attempt is making, it is reported, to settle the
Schleswig-Holstein question in the way pointed out
in the pmelamation of the King of Denmark on the
15th of July. Count Sponneek has retusined (says the
Aolner twit.)) to Vienna, apparently to obtain the con-
sent of the Austrian (..abinet to this mode of pacifica-
tion.

The following is the telegraphic despatch above
alluded to: " Berlin (Monday), Feb. 3, afternoon
The second chamber has, in its sitting of to-day,
thrown out (rerteorfett) the 30th section of the go-
veniment bill on ministerial responsibility, by a
majority of 182 against 10,1."
Our bresden correspondent says that it is now
stated that the monarchs of Austria, Prussia, and
Russia will meet at Warsaw in the middle of the
month of March.

'rhe Hessian officers who ivsigned their commis-
sions during the late crisis will he tried by a court-
martial or Bavarian offieers. _

Hamburg dates of the 2nd instant state that the
Stadtholders of Holstein have resigned in favour
of the new Provisional Government. In their pro-
elantation the Stadthulders state that the Germanic
Utattislenttion intends to protect the established rela-
tions between Schleswig and Holstein. General
Legeditsch and the Archduke Leopold. of Austria,
have arrived at Ilamburgh. The Danish govern-
meat undertakes the guarantee for the paper money
issued by the late Holstein government.
Bruems, Fro. 3.—Voluntary Loan, 1061 ; New Loan,
Four-and-a-Half per Cents., 104; National Debt, Sis ;
Commercial Marini; Society's Premium, 1271; Bank
Shares, 96.
VIZNXA, Fru. I.—Fire per Cent. Metalliques,
Four-and-a-Half per Cents., 31!. Dank Shame, 1,111.
Eachange on London, 11.43.

Mr. Clarkson, in opemiug the case, said that the defend-
ants having pleaded guilty to a portion of the indictment,
which iffiputed to them the commission of u series of
assaults upon a person named Jane Wilbred, it'
%Amid only he necessary for him to state to the
jury the eircutuetaneve under which he should endeavour
to support the more serious charge miming them,
which was that of leaving neglected to provide the prow-
cutrix with sufficient food and nourishment. As some doubt
had been suggested with regard to the question whether
there counts could he support, d in law, he would set once state
that he entertained 4 confident impression that thole• count,
were good in law, and came entirely within the ronstruction
put upon the law in the ease of " Rex r. Elisabeth Ridley,"
and in which it was distinctly laid down to be the duty of a
master and mistress to provide proper food and nourishment
for a servant of tender year,: and that a neglect of doing
'so would amount to a misdemeanour, and subject the
' parties to be convicted for that offence. The learned
I counsel then proceeded to detail the facia of the ease. The
prosecution was instituted by the guardians of the West
' London Union, and the girl whose treatment by the de-
fendants formed the subject of inquiry was a pauper, he-
longing to the parish of St. Sepulchre. lee the year 1818
she went into the sen ice of the defindunts, sod for a
considerable time it appeared that she was treated very
kindly ' • but, upon the occasion of the death of a bird. in
July, 1849, that treatment was entirely changed, and, ac-
cording to the statement of the girl, her Baal was
altered, and she was subjected to a series of assaults, but as
the defendants had pleaded guilty to that portion of the.
charge, it would be unnecessary for him to enter into the
particulars of those aesaults, and they would merely be
introduced to show the general treatment received by
the prenetutrix. Ile should he able to show, then,
that the result of the ry,tem of starvation to which the girl
was subjected eventually reduced her to such ri state of
emaciation an to attract the attention of a gentleman who
occupied chambers in the Temple near to throe occupied by
the defendants, and the child was removed to the hospital,
where she was, upon examination, found to be in a most
emmiuted condition, and it would appear perfectly clear
that this was the edict of a want of lost, for without any
medicine, but merely by the adminidnition of proper food,
at first, in small quautitiee, she entirely recovered her
health mod stnagth. The learned counsel then proceed, d
to detail some other circumstances, and in the course of his
address he stated, that w hen the girl Jane %Vilbred first
went into the sere ire of the defendante she was between
11 and 1$ years of age, and at the time of the
discovery taking Awe she `A cos Over lei, and he
concluded by expressing ;In opinion that when the
jury had heard all the beets he should lay before them,
they would be of opinion that the defendant" ought to he
convicted upon the two first as well 4, the: other counts of
the indictment.
The learned t °URSA.' '11'44 then about to call the witnesses,
when he was interrupted by
Mr. Judice Coleridge, who said that the case had berm
opened very fairly, lent it mmeared to him that the lusts
which bad been detailed would not support the indictment.
The charge of starvation rested entirely upon the allege- I
tion that the party was a child of tender years, and he was
of of ' ' that a girl of aiateen or seventeens, which apse-,
petered to he the age of the proveuthx, could not he sn con-
sidered. If there had been any evidence that the prow-
marls was imprisoned or prevented from mane out to sake
a complaint or to obtain any assistunee, that would hate al-
tend the complexion of the case.
Mr. Chambers admitted that he was not in a poeition to
lay such evidence before the jury.
Mr. Justice Crtaswell said he quite concurred in
opinion with his learned brother. A child of tender
years, in the ordinary acceptation of the term, was one who
was incapable of acting or judging for himself', but that
could hardly be mid of a person sixteen years 111 age. The
hew allowed children much younger than this to exercise'
important privilege., and it was impossible to enneider a
person between sixteen and ea:vent:co us a child of tender
years.
A short further discussion then took place, when Mr.
Chambers acid that after the strong eminent expruseed by
the court, he felt that it would he 411 idle waste of the pub-
lic time to proceed Wither with the cols.. It war, at the
same time, he obaerved• a matter of congratulation that there
would bk• no failure of juetice, for, it' the defendants
had been convicted upon the two (sonata now in question, it
would only have subjected them to a very Quill additional
punishment.
The jury then, under the direction of the court, returned
a verdict of Nut Gnilty upon the two first counts..
.. .

Mr.Jugier. Coleridge said the court wouLl take time to
cowider what sentence ought to ln• pmnouneed upon the
counts fur the assault, to which the defendant+ had pleaded
guilty.
The defendants wen• then removed. Mrs. Sloane, who
had het n seated during the proceedings, appeared hardly
able to •Land, and she was assisted front the duck by one of
the °niters of the gaol.

'AlErriNt; OF PiIoYECTIONT-4 :tlEMMits.—.‘ meet-
ing of members of the }louse of Common., .upporters of
the principle of protection to native industry, took place
yesterday at the residence of Lonl Stanley, iu St. James's-
square. The members assAnbled at twelve, and remained
in deliberation until nearly two o'clock. There acre pre.ent
at the meeting the Marquis of Granby, Mr. Disraeli, Lord
Henry Bentinek, Lord John Manners, Sir John Troll) e,
Mr. William Miles. Lord Charles Manners, Mr. 11. G.
Start, Lord Henry Donlon Lennox, Mr. Plumptre, lion.
E. T. Yorke, Sir William Verner, Mr. L. W. Buck, Mr.
Arkwright, Mr. Howel Gwyn, Mr. George Banker, Mr. H.
C. Compton, Mr. Spooner, Sir Henry Halberd, Mr. Walter
Long, Mr. Napier, Mr. Hans Hamilton, Mr. E. Wode-
house, Colonel Powell, Colonel Chatterton, Colonel the
lion. Cecil Forester. lion. H. A. Cole, Captain Howard
Vyse, Mr. Waddington, Mr. R. llremridge, Colonel Maun-
Visesnint Bernard, Mr. G. Thornhill, Mr. H. B.
Clive, Sir Ralph Lopez, Mr. George Sandar., Mr. Spencer
Walpole, Sir Alexander Hood, Colonel Brownlow Knox,
Sir Henry Willoughby, Mr. R. Richards, Mr. G. A. Ha-
milton, Mr. John Stuart, Mr. Milnes Gasket), Hon. Octa-
vio. Duncomlw, Mr. J. W. Henley, Mr. turroughes, Mr.
Getavius 3Torgan, Sir Charles linightley, Lori! Burghley,
Viscount Newport, Sir Robert l'igot, Captain SOMCNCI,
Mr. C. L. Cumming Bruce, Lord Alexander Gordon Lit-
mot. Mr. Du Pre, Mr. A. E. Fuller, Mr. T. W. Booker, Mr.
Neeld, Mr. Cobbold, Mr. F. S. Gooch, Mr. Philip lknnet,
Mr. Christopher, Mr. Best, .fr. T. B. Hildyard, Mr. C. A.
Moody, Captain M'Clintock Bunburv, Mr. Musgrave
}Mace% Hon. E. Stanley, Mr. Sackville Line Fox, Mr.
H. 3. Billie, Mr. Newdegate, Sir Robert Inglis. Captain
W. Wynn, Captain Bolden), Colonel Hall, Mr. 0. W. U.
Ormsby Gore Mr. Pryme, Mr. Mullings. Sir John Yarde
Buller, Mr. E. Baldoek, Viscount Barrington, Mr. J. G.
Smyth. Colonel Taylor, Mr. Thomas Conolly, Mr. R.
Blakemore, Mr. John llornby, Lord John Chichester,
Sir Henry Melts, Captain Harris, Mr. G. Dodd, Mr. Philip
Mile., Mr. 0. W. Itepton, Mr. Denies, Mr. J. W. Dod,
Mr. W. R. Hodgson, Mr. Augustus Stafford, Hon. Francis
Scott, Captain ltushout, Captain Jones, Right Hon. C.
}terries, Viscount Lewisham, Hon. W. Bart, Mr. David
Waddington, Colonel the Hon. H. Lowther, lion. G. J.
Noel, Mr. A. Goddard, Mr. C. B. Adderley, Mr. J. Farr r.
Mr. B. B. Cabbell, Lord Naas, Colonel Bruen, the Marquis
of Worcester, Mr. J. C. Renton, Captain the Hon. J. P.
Maxwell, and Major Beresford.

A meeting of the shipowners, masters, and sea-
men, took place at Liverpool yotertlay to protest against
the Mercantile Marine Act.

THE CA,E OF HENRY HART.—WE have remised a r
from the attorney of Henry Hart, respiring an ample
apology for the remarks which appeared in a leading article
in this paper on the Bth of January, and we beg to refer
him to the report of the trial and acquittal of this person,
which appeared in our impression of the 11th of January,
as containing the utmost satisfaction which it was in our
power to girt.
GL.ttGOW AND SOUTH WESTERN RAILWAY.—
Traffic for the week ending Ist February, 3,2821. 2s. 11d.
corresponding week in but year, 2,7341. de. 4d.

. .
MADRID AND VALE.NCIA RAILWAY.—It is under-
stood that a point will be raised by counsel in defence of the
directors that, although the company was established in
England, it was nevertheless governed to a certain extent
by the Spanish law. It is thought that great remissness
attaches somewhere, from the fact of an order not having
been issued at the time of Mr. Chadwick's real or pretended
illness, when he excused himself from appearing to pay the
money into court, instead of being allowed soon after to
escape out of its jurisdiction.