The Express.
London, England, 1847-03-05 00:00:00

_lDEB•siTandmi lefts at/of nUasemc Om
thiraeasicentr. Isom lieWholterieltdiepopulttion, roe metal
tete. of prepertyretaile the peeee.eeli. the expenditure for the
relief of the poor, dente in the poen* Me the value of rated pro-
perty of such expemiltnre, the total Make of peupers relieved,
including mount poor, the proportion per Not. to We population of
the persona relieved, and the rale per Wed on the total number of
paupers relseved, or the expenditure according to the hot returns
which have been hid before parliament, in FalLnud and helm Soot-
load ..nd !Mood, reepreuvely.
NOTICkJi CF MOTlON.—Quaniverra I..awn—Dr. Bowanco, on
the 19th lard., to move he continued Comm.:advisor relative to the
Quarantine Laws.
Faeroe, Brit.—Lord F.811.C.0701., in Committee on Factory Bill, to
move &Clause, esempting adult women front the operation of the
Rill. Mr. Itn also on game ocenslon, to more a clause, exempting
Ireland from the operation of the IhIL
Surenrsrto M•marr.—Mr. SWOON.., on the part of Mr. Caesar
Goer, on the 19th inst., to melee for a Select Committee on the sub-
ject of the Removal of Southfield Market.

EASTERN COUNTIES RAILWAY (ENLARGEMENT
OF LONDON AND STRATFORD STATIONS AND

AMENDMENT OF ACTS).
Mr. HASTIE moved the second reading of the bill.
Mr. FORSTER objected to the further promos of this bill
until it had been thoroughly investigated by the rail way cora-
missionera The fact was, that under a very innocent title,
it gave the Eastern Counties Company power to become also
a krge steam navigation company. The hon. gentleman
moved that the second reading of the bill should be post-
poned until that day fortnight.
After a short conversation, the seoostd reading was post-
poned accordingly.

RAILWAY (GROUP) COMMITTEES.
Sir W. REATHCOTE brought up the report of the
Committ,e of Seiretioo.

Mr. E. ELLICE wished to ask his hon. friend • question
having reference to the report which had just been laid on
the table. Some time since his hon. friend had soled him
if he would object to serve as chairman of • group
committee. He (Mr. Ellice) stated his willingness to serve,
provided he got the committee which required the shortest
attendance. (A laugh.) He was accordingly nominated,
but subsequently his hon. friend informed him that lus
committee and another bad been discharged, and that con-
sequently his attendance would not be required. Personally
he was glad of this, but it had been intimated to him that
the sudden change had arisen out of representations made
by certain promoters of railway bills that he was ineligible
as being an interested party. He begged to ask his lon.
friend whether the committee of selection had been in-
flueneed by representations such as he had alluded to, in
so suddenly discharging the group committees ?
Sir W. HEATHCOTE would briefly sine the COOTS/
which had been taken by the commirce of selection. The
committee, in selecting the committee of which his right
hon. friend was to have been the chairman (the London and
Windsor committee), took care to select gentlemen from the
west and north-wed of England. Objection. were made to
which the committee rejected as futile, but subtle-

;tides to ticereffect that many of the ;embers cheatsn
sented towns in the neighbourhood of great line. of railway
both broad and narrow gauges, and that as a question of
gauge was to be submitted to their consideration thee must
be looked upon as indirectly interested parties. Under
these circumstances the committee of selection had thought
that the wisest course would be to discharge both cont.
_ _

Mr. OISBORNE said that if math objections were attended
to, it would be very difficult to rt gentlemen properly quali-
fied to serve on committees. He trusted that some steps
would be taken to have the gauge question settled by a com-
petent tribunal, so as to prevent a repetition of the blunder-
ing which had taken place last session.
Mr. ESTCOURT had been present at the sitting of the
committee of selection, when the committees alluded to
were discharged. He entirely approved of the course taken
by the hon. baronet.
After a desultory conversation the report was ordered to
lie on the table. _ .

On the motion of Sir W. HPATIICOTI, the select com-
mitters on the Birkenhead, and Oxford, Worcester, and
Wolverhampton Railways (fixed for this day) were post-
poned until Thursday next.

nuradav
FOOD RDAS AT WICK (SCOTLAND).
Sir A. L. HAY begged to ask the right hen the Lord
Advocate a question respecting the serious food riots which
had occurred in the north of Scotland, and an account of
which had appeared in that morning's papers. (The account
alluded to had appeared in the DAILY News of the previous
day). it was stated that at Wick the people were dispersed
at the point of the bayonet, and subsequently fired upon,
when two persons were wounded. He wished to ask the
learned lord whether he had received any official information
of the facts.

The LORD ADVOCATE, in answer to the question of
his honourable friend, wee sorry to state, that in consequence
of a serious riot connected with the shipment of grain, at
Wick, the military had been under the necessity of firing,
and that one woman had been wounded, not dangerously,
in the arm, and a man had been wounded to the IMe of his
hand. He was happy to state, that the conduct of the troops
on this, as on other occasions, bad been distinguished, not by
forbearance .Iy, but by patience and humanity, as well as
flrmners W; i respect to the civil authorities, he had to
state, that tl heriff had called in the military to the county
with the c csrrenoe of the provest and magistrates of
Wick, and other county magistrates and gentlemen • and on
the entreaty of shippers of grain. who all stated that
shipment., necessary for the execution of contracts,
could not go on without the protection derived from the
presence of the military. On the' day nn which
the unfortunate occurrence took place, there had
•

been a shipment in the morning effected under the protec-
tion of the civil force. Early in the course of the evening,
the sheriff and provost had received informa,ion, on
which, so the event showed, they could entirely rely, that
en attempt would be mr te, by a determined mob, to un-
ship the grain, scuttle 'he vessel, and, in ease of resistance,
threw overboard the c They found it necessary to
station a small party of the military to protect the vessel.
Very shortly afterwards, the mob met in great numbers, and
in a very determined manner, and blockaded the accesses to
the harbour. The officer commanding the guard bad to
communicate by boat with the principal body of the trovt.
They marched down, with the sheriff and provost, to the
relief of the guard. In clearing the streets they were as-
saulted by stones thrown from the windows. Some pri-
soner+ had been taken, and while a detachment was convey-
ing them to jail, the rest ofthe soldiers, in moving, he believed,
from Pultney Town to Wick, coming on pert of the read
which wa• commanded by an eminence, were assailed by a
shower of stones, which the officer who commanded de-
scribed in his report as " a tremendous volley of stones,"
under which nearly all the party suffered, and it was then
that the troops were ordered to fire. They did so with all
humanity, though the result had been to wound two per-
' sons. From the reports he had received he was satisfied
the civil authorities were justified in the course they had
taken, and that the sheriff had acted with firmness and for-
bearance The only point he had to advert to, was what
appeared to him to be the extraordinary and unbecoming
conduct of the provost of Wiek, who had not been present
at the moment the troops were ordered to fire, and had pre-
sided over a meeting which had passed resolutions casting
strong reflections on the sheriff, for what he had done with
the entire concurrence of the provost—and which reflections
were most unjust, and rested on grounds which he should
have known to be untrue.

THE RELIEF WORKS (IRELAND).
Mr. E. DENISON remarked that the right hon. the
Secretary for Ireland had stated to the house that the num-
ber of persons employed on the relief works in January was
450.000. The 4th of March had now arrived, and he was
anxious to know what progress had been made in disbanding
this large army—what was the number of persons now
actually employed on such works, and whether there would
be any objection to make weekly returns of the numbers so
employed.
Mr. LABOUCHERE replied that the government were
most anxious to afford all the information In their pewee ea
this subject—weekly returns of the number of perm em-
ployed on the relief works were now sonde tothegmennwest,
and they should be laid on the table of the horn. With
regard to the number now employed ea them weeks he
regretted to say that it had been found hepeseible to wrest
*eery large increase since the period et whisk he stated It at
450,000. The hon. gentleman musk boviner. remember
that the hill which was Weeded le lons, to seen degree, a
substitute for the public weds led net yet melee late apses,
dos, while the claims ism relief were iarmeslie.
Mr. E. DENISON meld, that Ikea a seem Ind* bad
bean furnished to him, be head that the meatier apnoeas
so employed for the week wadies 20th Feb. was 11111,11120.
(Hear.)
Lord G. BENTINCK eimpired hew many thorax& had
been disbursed in leers kwaggipbeg seed, amt how may
appliestions for such Lam lad bun made?
Mr. L•Boupingßommosi• • madltioa to mower
that question. The Ida goee mrrthwdabmooredm
confining the admen M and * pan imp,
that, were they, by adeumiae,mennemi, be Interfere
the regular trade in that they weld do more harm
tims good.
Me. W. COLLETT asked whether those 668,000 psalms
were ee he employed ea nenrodisetive weeks until the WM-
seen Naried to her right her. reetlessee oasis into
opmedlens wt orb lay steps would he taken to diminish
the samba
Mr. LABOIICHIEZ believed the neater of men em-
ployed, at Ike relief Pais 'es as rant as heel bees stead by
the hem member. ems Meese weeks, Neew true. were
plea impealuetive charter ; Whirs as &now, Meteors,
Ika,, woe metal. Then was seen awe ea the pert et the
Insit apennestat to ream the enwilter napisysi ea the
Minim* as waylay as *I assinent tell the nifty of
the wenn sad the eleeveeedtleePeelle. (lidereisim)
Lord O. BENTIMOK wished he Mem Wrektie tan
hon. gentleman would,in Ins retwenn, abed etg
of the different presanse ef th• *sem empley7.7'=
waivs ditinesishine the pnionve at• •••••ftsdes I
MT. LABOUCHERII add.* usisseei• * *NM la.
Munk. as to the preendersinl tsdmef thew
as these weeks ; es la *a samba, enispeilm"ela
of work.,tekhles the {
on Inn the
'es, he pmt wadi be loomed ist the
mealy returns ; if &evil* sins in futon.
Lea BENTINCI Ina sine* is say lb* the
penises occupation of the puma as empbend WON be
obialsed la a week. (Erse,liesa)
Mr. LhBOUCHERB nil kM ugly with was te GEO*
What killematies in kis pawn, bet be woe strait 'M
take a Iraq time to ighe a return dietinavaibier the
laden= the mall Ihnsen, sad then treat the

Kr. J. O'CONNRLL pre Wise drt la dr ordea be
pry Ade sereedee et be dreiteell
die aelsederetibe beer leleler=u4e=bled
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mow teeeeno se rogetesmosieetzeptedm
Me* MACNAMARA asked ider be idebe 4tb•
remerfer bed 10011111 fir eseseret elk brim. . ?
Me. lADOIICRRILZ rid bra be mites ,'
burl et-ereres ere easter ebst

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'ARLIAMENT. i tbsed 1,11,64-1,