The Express.
London, England, 1847-03-22 00:00:00

LATEST INTELLIGENCE.

/

THIS DAY, Ibtrr daock.
ANTICIPATION OF THE OVERLAND MAIL.
A telegraphic despatch of the Indian mail was
waived at Faris on Saturday. The news from
Afghanistan is • favourable. There is nothing new
eon runjanb. A revolution wan reported to
km taken place amongst the Birmans, and that the
lOC of the regent bad been assassinated.

we are happy to say that the Postmaster-General
bust length agreed to postpone the departure of the
overland mail for India, ran Marseilles, from the 24th
(Me day appointed for the public fast) to the 25th

By the screw-propeller ship Antelope, arrived at
Liverpool, we have news from Lisbon to the 15th
inst. The Spanish government is stated to have per-
mitted Baron Goal to cross the frontier. This
rural, with the queen's forces under his command.
had been for some time endeavouring to peas from
the province of Minho into Tres os Montes, in order
to form a junction with the division under Vinhaes,
bat was prevented by a force under Almargem, de-
spatched by the junta from Oporto, with orders
to protect the left bank of the Lima. Canal
having left garrisons in Valence and the castle of
Vienna, it appears made 'a push for Ponte Barca in
ceder to cross the river there, bat finding the passage I
guarded by an opposing force, he withdrew, apps-
reedy in the direction of Valence, but in reality it is
said to Lindoso, where be was permitted to cross the
Spanish boundary, intending to re-pass it into Tras os
Mentes at some convenient point. He was pursued
by Almargem, who halted his troops on the frontier,
and then wrote to the Spanish authorities, demanding
that Camel and his army should be disarmed,
and sent to the interior. The result was
not known, but a belief was entertained that
Almargem's demand would be refused, and that
Cased would be permitted to march when and where
be pleased. Indeed, it was reported in Lisbon, though
the rumour seemed to need confirmation, that he had
succeeded in effecting junction with Vinhaes, and
that the united forces, including the brigades of Lapa
and Solla, amounting to 4,000 men, were at Volongo,
within two leagues of Oporto, from whence Saldanha,
with a bode of cavalry, had made a reconnaisanee of
the city. The conduct of the Spanish authorities in
permitting Casal's escape is considered by Mends of
the liberal canoe a gross violation of neutrality, and one
which would fully justify the intervention of England.
There are other accounts which state that Saldanha had
made no movement in advance towards Oporto since
his demonstration near Carvoiero, where he appeared in
bee, with the intention of crossing the Douro, but
withdrew on fielding the Juata'a troops on the opposite
beak. Some statements are to the effect that his
army was disorganised, and that fever was prevalent
in his camp; while other accounts declare that his
Loops were well equipped, and that ho had succeeded
L forming several volunteer battalions at Coimbra,
Guards, Moncorvo, and Chaeim ; and it is added, that
at Fermedo the people had surrounded and disarmed
a Guerilla force from Oporto. An engagement was
hourly expected between the queen's forces and
the insurgents under Conde de Mello, near Portalegre.
Sehwalback, though reinforced, appears to have done
nothing, if his abortive attempt upon Evora be ex-
cepted. He seems to have approached the fortress
and summoned the garrison to surrender in three
boars on pain of being put to the sword. •The gar-
lima, however, despised has threats ; whereupon, at the
termination of the time allowed, instead of commenc-
ing the attack, he withdrew without firing a shot,
and by the last accounts was quietly stationed at
Velma
In Lisbon all was quiet, though provisions were
and the poorer classes were suffering severely.
Afi parties seemed favourable to an amicable
anugement on terms proposed by Lord Palmer.*" but the Queen could not be induced
to listen to any concession. The government
had agreed to assist the Bank of Lisbon, and a decree
121Opublislied in the Diario, by which the Junta of
relic Credit is authorised to issue 2,400 contoe of
" innzipfions with coupons of the internal debt,"
busing an interest of 6 per cent. per annum, and
the prodece of the sale to be applied by them ex-
cleanly to the cancelling of the notes of the Bank
of Lisbon. The provision for the interest on these
Oaks is by the third article to be "an annual con-
t of 108 cantos, which the Junta shall receive
from the Lisbon Custom-house, deducted from
the /milta allotted to the Treasury, collectable
titers frets the let of July next forward. Notwith-
standing this decree, the discount on bank notes '
woo 1,520 leis per moidore.

We have an arrival from Bahia, bringing dates to
the 27th of January, but without any mercantile or
other new' of interest. The markets remained with-
out alteration.

ELECTORAL HISTORY OF ENGLAND.

W• hat will be thrra;a7ter of ill, representation
• essaty at the next election ? Is there much probs.
▪ W 1 sal pada Tejo/deg these prescriptive train •
smio epee the seem " chaise .l its coastitancy, which
esaratawaylll *gay lithe through in the Wet elec-
tric** the webs et the Rehm Bill Is there public
riau* the-eleeteee a the premed day to pen. is
sseediethu they se sea* beau el the tripartite
s.l.l7eatiet yes, bed memegelised the velem
he to mese et ether et the ammembee.
W" "of thehemese ellbadesai.lismtwishs, or
` iteall ere quads= elide the friends Or able-
brisfy alined alseeisee ase sheik sada& with le
regard
sevoly wires largteriel area it so mason of the meal
dlEinikgdm"toes ee thesZalliem."l"o•llmbrialle wiatt,
within its rather esseleasteilhalls am GM, twe
Iteleademelemoosaboommetteramkri whidarresbeen
!Awe' vitt taielfelea, peepertimille is the wisieeessof
17:eeee41. amiled their peether eit&defra sad a
sheremseiefie 'et ea enlightened as well ea a pow-
111 Mk tiny we bluest our solicitude at the advent
I ft Inn s n eta ninnapiatng. Now we feel, for
"Brisparb, very little lasewisi dime ;me-
llows. We hare se mama et doubt thee these
villegeia._ needs. Its Shed frimehies la theism otessien-
Mtsihbdimiemer im width lt meed It. et the *Mime
"' mos Irld VA, whim It retsesell Tetwoloy, et &lad
dryar sissies @I'M, etweeelt eml
item RAM NM a Mothree=ll4
WThditellea memehable et meat
es` WWI OM OA billy tele-
e se reimodel the Imellles etTeeheemi Namme—
h _ammo Mealy to the emeleyneed_ thed.r4iplc
Zr mud, nohow keg mai 1,001•1111111 a MI."
ei thee Wens& Net an better Ow
"ow hopsetemee Ito preamble them a shame

e csate

at matimous positions at the primeipal agricultural die
Wet@ al Berglund.
Cassarkisegue, althea. seamanly son agricultural
easstbasungaleuraufressmand and my estsmieurniversity,
and • 4 and laihigak egre Maly endowed (Elv). It
ranks as the sixth cetragel eamly of Bailkal. It ootu-
pies an area of not lam Ain 11111,1100 saw, asd is subdivided
into sad 114 gulches, ineludlog those or the Isle
of Big. Seiko Ihe sology Isom of Cambridge it has other
sem marbeg tense It Nub bat seven members to perlia-
ment—samaly, three for the meaty, two for the university,
two for the usnty town. It has sent renmsentatives to par-
liament team a Mae semi, et heat, with the earliest exist-
ing records of list ; and the indulger Prynne
has recovered NMI •Orisee legal evidence touching the
disputes that anciently nem at ti about the wages
which the county had to puns its and a diemon
of the expense made hetersesei=iirs and Ely.
temp. Hen. V. It must be without dispa-
ragement to the county, Mow* waft as the sixth of our
sancultural counties, that its Old in the scheme
of parliamentary represented's I from the cir-
cumstance of its being the seat at a past university.
In April, 1614, there was a Mars gym Sir Joseph Cutts
and Mr. Pallevecyne against the rAtm of Sir Edward Pey-
ton and Sir Simeon Stewart for the shire. The house re-
solved that said election was void, and ordered a new writ to
Mae tally. In March, 1623, we find the sheriff and
naier-therlit t to the bar of the house, and compelled
Is nab isiniumica " on their knees" for having made a fe-
tus al stembera, when, in fact, there had been no due eke
ties siting@ returned. The high-sheriff was further lined
in the sem et 1001. • and both fuutionaries were discharged
on payment of their fees. Oa a petition presented from Sir
Rudman Cullen, in 1692, egaiast the return of Lord Cutts,
the house determined that Lord Cutts was not duly elected,
that Sir ltuahout Cullen was duly elected. In December,
leig, Sir Chriatoper Hatton and Sir Richard Bennett, Batts.,
and other freeholders of this county, complained to the
house, by petition, against the under-sheriff, for having de-
barred the rust rights and liberties of election, by threats,
bribery, ace., at the then recent election of Sir Hesitant Col-
lea. But this petition was presently dismissed.
From the enumeration we prepare to record, on con-
cluding this second group of counties, of the polls taken at
various elections within the last century, we select for par-'.
titular notice some of the more remarkable contests that
have happened. It is necessary to premise that the Duke of
Ruthmd, the Duke of Bedford, and the Earl of Hardwicke,
stand (probably in this succession) at the head of the greet
landed proprietors of the county. Their influence had bean
pmtty email manifested in the county returns, sometimes
jointly sometimes in successice. fro more than 60 years prier
to the Batons Bal, and is still powerful, satwithatandiall the
operation of that measure is opening county *leeches gene-
rally In the year 1780 these Imo • Gene eofteo for the

esueseemen iner. a-mmer
Yorke, "agaTiat Sir amps= OWL Bes-r—Ae numbers
then polled were—For lord R. Mamma, 1741; Mr. P.
Yorke, 1,452 ,• Sir S. Gideon, 1,058 : so that the total of that
poll was 4,251. On the death of Sir Henry P , Bait,
elected on the Rutland interest, he was s e in his seat
for the county by General Adeane. returned by the
same interest. On the death of the Earl of Idard-
wicke, in 1790, his brother, Mr. Charles Yorke, suc-
ceeded him in the representation of Cambridgeshire.
It may easily be inferred from thew, facts that the failure of
Sir bemoan Gideon, although backed by the direct and
alma* personal support of the minister of the day, in the
contest of 1780, was nothing more than might have been
anticipated from the strength of such a family alliance as
was opposed to him. Again, on the death of Gen. Adesne, a
new t•lection for the county took place, and it led to a furious
struggle for paramountahip between the houses of Rutland
and Hardwicke ; Sir Peyton was supported by the
latter, Lord Charles S. Henry
-Manners by the former (the
duke being his brother). The earl's man was elected
by a small majority. In one or two instances the Hardwicke
family returned both members for the county. But as this
wholesale control could only be realised at an enormous cast
to both of the noble patrons, they wisely coalesced. At the
election of 1802, the brothers of the duke and the earl were
opposed by the Hon. Mr. Brand (the present Lord Deere).
But this gentleman could only poll 559, leaving him in a
minority of nearly 1400 as to one of his opponents—of nearly
906 as to the other. In the election of 1810, occasioned by
Mr. Yorke's having vacated his seat on accepting office un-
der the government of the day, the interest of the Duke of
Grafto.i's property in the county was manifested in the
unanin'ous election of his grace's brother, Lord Francie 0--
1 borne. It is worthy of remark thatan election to-morrow would
hardly bring up abody of elective proportionately equel to that
which voted in the election of 1780. if we take into our calcu-
lation the greatly increased numbers qualified to be regis-
tered in the county constituency. At the last general elec-
tion in 1835, the four candidate* polled altogether 13,187
Totes. Bg,he return of last year, the whole number of re-
gistered eltilors (including 3,195 for the Isle of Ely) was
only 7,090. This county has made a remarkable advance in
the to of its population. In 1801. this was returned
at 86, ;in 1811, it was 101,100 ;in 1821, it was 121,909 ;
in 1831, it had reached 143,9.55; in 1841, it was 164,569. Be-
tween
1801 and 1831, therefore, the population had increased
66 per cent., which is 9 per cent. mare than the average of I
the general increase for all England ; but, calculated on the
return for 1841, the increase has been 90 per cent. In
March. 1833, tbe poor-rates amounted to 119.6171. The tax
levied on the warns account in 1841 (year ended March 30), was
92,6201. This amount, by another return made to parliament
last year, is shown to have exhibited a decrease, 31 com-
pared with tbe amount levied in 1834, of 24,3391.; and as
compared with 1840, of 3,6871.
At the last registration, considerable anxiety was evinced
by the smaller close of freeholders to secure the entry of their
name. upon the registry. This anxiety afforded an un-
mistakable manifestation of the salutary vigilance with
which they were disposed to protect and to exercise the enno-
bling privilege conferred on all qualified elector, by law.
Whilst its value is thus appreciated by those to whose
bands it is confided, little apprehension need exist u to its
being fairly, and even eagerly, exercised, as often as that
exercise shall be invoked. It is true, on the one hand, that
the last election—an uncontested one— returned three con-
*creative members for this county, in the persons of the
Hon. Mr. E. T. Yorke, Mr. Eaton, and Mr. Allis; but, on
the other hand, the number of sgistered electors has in-
creased since 1841, the date of the last general election, in a
ratio which—to say nothing of the unusual activity and
bustle occasioned by the proceedings before the revising
banister of this division—affords the soundest ground for
believing that the whole constituency of Cambridgeshire is
fully awakened to the nature of the elective franchise they
pumas, and fully determined honestly to exercise it. If
three coesenativea now occupy the three seats of this
. .

county representation, we may safely infer that the teals to be
coasidwed as an emphatic homage to the personal character
and private worth of these gentlemen. The best reason for not
anticipating that any feelings of personal affection for personal
connexions will permanently over-ride,:in Cambridgeshire,
the paramount considerations of what is due to great public
principles, is comprised in this consolatory fact, that,
whereas at the general election of 1841 the total number of
registered electors for this countwas only 4,089, it had in-
creased at the last registry (Sm.. Pap., 1846, p. 284), to
7,090.
We have every hope that Cambridgeshire will set a good
example to all other county constituencies which intend to
exercise, without undue influence or constraint, the electoral
franchise.