The Express.
London, England, 1853-04-09 00:00:00

DARTMOUTH.

The select committee appointed by the house to
report on the allegations of a petition against the return for
the last election of the borough of Dartmouth, met yester-
day for the first time in committee room No. 6., Mr. W.
Mitre, chairman, Mr. Langston, Mr. B. Pollutes, Hoe.
Mr. Byng, and Viscount Newark.
The allegations of the petition charged various acts of
britery, treating, and promises, against the sitting mem-
ber. Sir Thomas Herbert.
Mr. James haring opened the ease for the petitioners,
Daniel Donovan. landlord of the Castle Hotel at Dart-
mouth, was examined—bir Thomas Herbert and Mr. Lind-
say both stopped at his hotel beers and during the elec-
tion, and Sir T. Herbert had a committee.roons in his
house. The witness produced his account book, in which
were entries of two accounts—one of Sir T. Herbert's own
private account, the other that of his committee. The first
entry of articles supplied to the committee was dated the
6th of July. He supplied them with everything they
wanted. He has been paid the private account, but not
that of the committee.
Miss Mary Jane Kemp examined—She was an assistant
at the Castle Hotel during the election. She attended
room No. 12, which Sir T. Herbert occupied. Rooms 23
and 24 were over No. 12, and were occupied by Mr. Brook-
ing, Mr. Prideuz, and Mr. Hockin. They were busy
writing when she went into the room. She saw Foe fre-
quently at the end of the purge. He was directing per-
sons who came, who wanted to see the committee, to go
to the rooms 23 and 24. Mr. Lindsay's room wee Nn. 9.
Witness frequently brought up wine brandy, end other
spirits to No. 12. She saw no ass drink it. She left it on
the sideboard, and when she found it had been consumed
she replenished the decanters again. This occurred fre-
quently. The witness also spoke to three or four electors,
among whom was one named Levers, having been at the
Castle the night before the polling day drinking till a very
late hour in use of the private rooms, and that Mr. Brook-
ing was in that room for a short time.
Henry M. Baker examined—Witness was Mayor of
Dartmouth at the last election. Sir T. Herbert was pro-
posed by Sir H. Side. There were disturbances during
the election, he thinks, occasioned by quarrymen and
trawlers brought into the town. They paraded the town,
headed by a band of music. Most of them had blee
rosettes, Sir T. Herbert's colours. Witness apprehended
a breech of the pews, and he applied to Sir R. Mayne,
chief commissioner of police in London, and also to the
authorities at Plymouth, for assistance, and he got 20 or 21
policemen from Plymouth. The quarrymen were about in
great numbers.
At the conclusion of this witness's evidence, the oom-
, mitten adjourned to this =ening at 11.

THE NATIONAL DEBT.

The Lords

of Her liedeity's Tree.

sury having certified to the Osembelesse Soz this Redac-
tion of the National Debt, in purommse of the Act, 10'
Oeo. IV., c. 27, seo. 1, that the actual 'earplug revenue of '
the United Kingdom of Great Britain end Ireland, beyond
the actual espeaditure thereof for the year ended the
sth day of January, 1853, amounted to the sum If
2,4171. 6s. 3d.; the Commissionen for the Reduction of
the National Debt hereby give notice, that the sum of
604,3891. 16s. 6d., being one-fourth part of the said surplus
of 2,417,55 W. 64. 3d., will be applied under the provisions of
the said Act, between the 7th day of April, 1853, and the
sth day of July, 1853, to the following purposes, viz.:
To be applied towards the reduction of
the National Debt £604,389 16 6
Add interest receivable on account of

donations and bequests, to be applied
to the purchase of stock
£806,806 12 10
National Debt Ocoee, April 4, 1853.
A. Y. SPIAILICIN, CollipttOilOPOolltril.

THE GOVERNMENT BC
CONCERNS.

In an article on the Education Question in the
new number of the Edinburgh Reyna, the writer in re-
viewing Sir James Kay Shuttleworth's new work remarks :
" We are glad to observe that Sir James Kay Shuttle-
worth expresses a very decided opinion on a subject which
is one of considerable importance, and which has been
much discussed. With reference to ,tke publication and
trading in school books by the government, Sir James
Kay Shuttlewurth remarks 'lt is essential that the go-
vernment should avoid every form of interference which
could discourage individual enterprise, the freedom of
opinion, aud the natural action of literature on the
popular intelligence and taste, or of the trade in books
in their production and diffusion. The government is
not en author, a holder of coyrights, a publisher of
books, nor a patron of methods; much less is it to inter-
fere in the formation of opinion, by making schools the
organs of its min doctrines.' And he adds, ' I concur
with the great publishing houses of London in their els.
jeetiens to any sale of the books of the Irish Commis-
sioners in Great Britain, except through the ordinary
channels of trade.' This is an opinion founded on sound
principles. The act of copyright creates a monopoly for
the encouragement of literature, and thus for the benefit
of the public. It never was contemplated that the go-
vernment should buy up, or in any way hold, these mono-
polies. If they bold them, they must either trade in
books, and carry on the business of booksellers in all its de-
tails, or they must restrict the use of their works to their own
schools. In the one case they embark in a business they
cannot carry on without prejudice to the ',oldie interest;
in the other,' they deprive the public of the books
they have every right to demand, inasmo i, as they have
been construcsed at their own cost. It would, indeed, be a
narrow and exclusive policy, little to be commended, were
the government to use the influence they possess, to oncost- '
rage the most able writers, free of money payment, to write
Looks restricted to the use of their own schools. It cannot be
suppose' that any writer would, of his own choice, restrict
the circulation aud utility of his writings to a particular
class of schools. On the contrary, be should desire that they
might have the widest diffusion, thus extending the public
benefit, and at the same time securing to himself, in the
meet legitimate way, that just reward which should result
to hiss hem afittrecogastion of the value of his serving.