The Express.
London, England, 1847-03-29 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, MONDAY EVENING, MARCH 29, 1847.

In 1814, when the competition took place, the
principal prize was awarded to Dr. Brown, pincipal
of Marischal College, Aberdeen, and the is oond to
the Rev. Mr. Sumner, now Bishop of Chester.
A meeting for the separation between church and
state was held in Perth on Tuesday. The education
agitation and other causes will probably tend to the
multiplication of such meetings throughout Scotland.
Dean Horeeley, of Dundee, has addressed a letter
to the bishop and clergy of the Scotch Episcopal
church, calling on them to stilPeribe for the purpose
of enabling their brethren of the Irish cliurch to
purchase seed corn for their glebes.
SCOTCH ENTAILS.—At a meeting of the Glasgow Town
Council, held on Thursday last, Mr. Dreghorn, la terms of
the notice of motion which he had given on this sus eject, said
the law of entail, as established by the act of 16.. e, appears
to have had its origin in a desire on the part of the landed
proprietors to preserve their estates from forfeiture. The
rapacity of the servants of the crown at that period was enor-
mous, and not only current but retrospective ; tie. sons wire
trumped up for the purpose of escheatiog the pumerties of
the victims. But now that these causes have lona cowed to
exist, it seems monstroas that entails should be allowed to
exist far one day. They are totally incompatible with the
rights of society in a commercial tawdry, most injurious
TO agricultural improvements, productive of an en
moos mass of litigation, and replete with much
indi, ideal so well as national suffering. Nor do
the two remedial acts passed in the years 1770 and 1824
mend the matter. These statutes, if taken advantage of,
lay the foundation for the most ruinous emerge nces, com-
pared with which, all the benefits which they confer sink
into insignificance. 'Entails have been condemned and depre-
cated by the most eminent lawyers and political economists,
from the time of their institution till the present hour, and
every lover of his country must hail the advent of their
abolition. It is believed that the present government is
favourable to an alteration, and that the Lord A trocaze has
taken the matter in hand. If this be the case, no one can
doubt, if his hands arc properly strengthened, be will bring
forward such a measure as will give satisfaction to the country.
I could have wished that his lordship, or some other influ-
ential member of the legislature, would apply himself to an
alteration of the law of primogeniture—that remnant of bar-
barism. The injustice and hardship which flow from it are
of daily occurrence, and, in a national point of view, is
highly injuri ;us. In the mean time, however, let us do
what we can to get rid of the law of entail, and join in the
general movement sow being made for this purpose. I
therefore propose that this council memorialise government
to introduce a measure having this !or its object, and that
we likewise petition pariiament to pus such a mmeure. Mr.
Mitchell seconded the motion, which was unanimously
agreed to.
DONATION PROM TUE Dear. or WELLINOTON.—In the
published statement of the proceeds of the sale of ladies' work
in Dundee, last week, the following entry occurs: "His Grace
the Duke of Wellington, per a lady, 51. ' The explanation
of this is, that a young lady of that town wrote to his grace
explaining the object of the sale, end soliciting a few aatec
graphs, which, the said, would doubtless find ready and
liberal purchasers. His grace politely declined the request,
but enclosed a money thlaseription instead.
THE PITT Patzsa.—On the 22nd current, the prizes
awarded by the truatees of the Pitt Prize wore presented by
Lord Mindowbank, in the chemistry class-room in the Uni-
versity of Edinburgh, in presence of the Senate Amdemicus
and a numerous body of students. His lordship remarked
that the Pitt Prize had been founded twelve yeunsince, and
that for the eight last years, no essay had been found of suffi-
cient merit to entitle any of their authors to the prise. The
subject this year was—" On the Influerce of the Positive
Institutions of Christianity." The first prize of 50!. was
awarded to Mr. James Giem, Wigtonshire ; and the second
prize of 301. to Mr. Thomas Laing, Dalkeith„
STATISTICS Or GENERAL P/AISON OP SCOTLAND AT
PERTH mon 1846.—The eighth report of the board of di-
rectors of prisons in Scotland, has just been printed. It
contains much interesting information as to the General
Prison. At the close of 184.5 the numbir of prisoners was
281, viz., 198 males and 83 females. There were admitted
during 1846, 207 males and 115 females—showing the total
number in confinement during last year to hive been 603.
The general unhealthiness which characterised the summer
of 1846, arising it was eupposed from the great heat and
heavy rains, made itself felt within the General Prison to-
wards autumn, when diarthma, and subsequently scurvy
and scrofula appeared. A more generous diet, longer exer-
cise, and other smithery measures, speedily checked
these symptoms, and the year closed with only two
prisoner on the sick list—a more satisfactory state than
the surgeon has ever known it to be. The chap-
lain's report refers particularly to the department of cduea-
tion, and the result appears to be very encouraging. The
prisoners leave confinement in a very diffelent state of men-
tal acquirements than they entered ; and much success seems
to have attended the exertions of the governor and chaplain
to prevent the prisoners, upon the expiry of their sentence,
from being throws again into their old haunts and vicious
companions. Of '252 prisoners, liberated during the
year, no fewer than 124, viz., 99 males and 25 females,
have chained employment and are conducting them-
selves well in it. This is a large increase upon the result
of former yearn, and forms a most important element
in tho system of prison discipline. The governor re-
ports that the prisoners generally ha." *hewn an
Increased anxiety is acquire habit+, of industry, which was
evidenced in two respects, Ist, in the comparatively smaller
number of pinishinf tots; and 'ldly, in the enhanced proceeds
of the work executed. In the latter case, the improvement
*prints equally to the better quality of the work as to the
greater quantity produced, the grow, profits of the year being
1,068!. ss. 4d. The net cost per head for maintenance is
191. 175., and as mare than one-third of this is caused by the
expense of the criminal establishment, the result shows how
much more economically the poor could be sustained col-
lectively than ntiotained, as in the burgh of Perth, no ge-
nerally throughout Scotland, each in his or her own separate
place of abode.—Perth Courier.

evaded to the house of Mr. Franks, the landlord of the Old
Angel end not many yards distant from the shambles, and
told Mrs. Franks, at the time the corpse was lying in the
shop, that he fully expected to inset Collis at the Angel, in
order to settle their partnership aoccrunta.—This statement
madoby Platte on Surdsy, would make it appear that after
the blow inflicted on the victim, he was strangled
to prevent the moaning noise, and which noise,
it way be remembered, was sworn to as having
been heard by several persons on passing through
the shambles on the Sunday evening of the murder, and
which attracted the attention of the passers-by. The con-
vict admitted that be then proceeded to rifle the dead body
orbit' victim, and divested it of the shoes and part of the
dress. Platte then went into lengthened details of the part
he had sustained in the murder, and the circumstances. On
Monday, upon being visited by the chaplain and governor,
his conduct was very indecorous. Shortly before noon
Platte had an interview with several of the visiting justices,
and was then interrogated relative to the confession which he
lied made on the preceding day, and was asked if the con-
fession wa: r.slueed to writing he would sign the document ;
to the great surprise of all present, the convict contradicted
the statement made on the preceding day, and denied that
he bad any part in the murder, but implicated ether
Me made another statement to the justices, which
is said to have been full of inconaistencies.