Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-07-29 00:00:00

PARLIAMENTARY PAPERS.

PEE SUNDAY.—A petition from Swindon says Your
:petitioners take it for granted that museums and eallec-
,eims of a similar character are established for the instrue-
,tiOn.and moral improvement of the• people ; and that in
proportion as such institutions are made available for
popular education, do they fulfil the purpose of their
origin? That the labours and- necessary avocations of
tha•great body of the community leave little or no oppor-
tunity of visiting such institutions during the week, when
'they are open to the public, and hence that the main
objiset of their formation is lost to those whom• they are
intended to benefit. The Sunday,-as a day of rest and
,leisure, when the thoughts of men, released from the
engrossing labour of mere existence, turn naturally to• the
beauties of the universe audits Creator, is the time most.
fitted' for the exercise of the reflective faculties.

TIM PRA YER Boos.—Some petitions against Cbmmotal
Prayer Book revision have been presented to Parliament..
Ohe-of them says :—Your petitioners entertain the strong-
est opinions of the mischiefs and dangers of a proceeding-,
'whieh would tend to stake the confidence universally-
existing among the members of the, Church of England' to
,the• Book of Common Prayer. Your petitioners believe
that the appointment of a commission would only.-stir-up- .
fruitless discussion and acrimonious controversy, and..'
;distract attention from practical efforts to extend' the
Church's influence amongst the mass of the people.
Cotnaue.—The number of sovereigns coined in the last 1,
ten veers was 49,580,570; of half sovereigns, 1'1',915,383'4;
total,value, £55,538,266 7s 81 The number of crowns
'the same period was 75;7061 half crowns, 1',205,33.1;
florins, 8,933,052; and shillings, 13:493,786; sixpences, 1
13,070,703 ; groats, 3,793,554;;. fourpences, 44.589; three- I
penes, 4,497,101; twopences, 348,880 ; and pence, 78;4338i t
Total value of silver coined, .£2;187;389,
ELECTION PETITIONS.—A bill is printed, as- amendelde
committee, for regulating the presentation and withdrawal
of election petitions. It is provided by this measure that
any petitioner desirous of withdrawing his election peti, ;
tion may petition the house for:that purpose-, setting forth
the.grounds for such withdrawal ; and thereupon, by iteave
of: the house; the petition may.. be withdrawn, the peti-
tioner being only liable in such case to the payment of the,
costs of the sitting member mother party complained of.
Any one not completing his, recognisances to proceed, or
withdrawing his petition without leave as aforesaid to
pay double costs to sitting member or party complained
of, or any party admitted to .oppose- the- prayer of such
petition;. the agent presenting such petition to be person-
ally liable to the payment of such costs. No petition for
leave to withdraw is to be received unless an affidavit
made by petioner and his agent that such withdrawal is
bona fide, and without compromise or collusion. The
agent for conducting or opposing as election patitionmust
be first admitted as a Parliamentary agent.
ORDNANCE Suavux.—An amended estimate is printed
of the Ordnance Survey of Scotland, amounting to
£32,000; being a reduction of £4,000 ou the originel
estimate of £36,000.

VESSELS AND TONNAGE OF GRE.kr BarrArx..—A return
shows the number of vessels and tonnage entered inwards
and out wards at each of the twelve principal ports of the
United Kingdom. The total entered inwards of vessels
was 26,016, of tonnage 7,528,387 ; 21,877 vessels were
entered outwards, of 7,479,648 tons.—A, statement of the
official and declared value of the exports and official value
of the imports, of each of the twelve principal ports of the
United Kingdom, during the year 1856, shows a total of
105,730,272 This statement, embracing a portion only of
the information required by the Commons, is submitted
as the best return that can be made to their order. In
respect to the official value, whether of imports or of
exports, it is wholly defective; this value, which is
obtained by calculation from certain fixed rates applied
to the quantities of the various commodities, being com-
puted only on the importations and exportation of the
kingdom at large. The declared value of British and
Irish produce and manufactures exported, being collected
from the merchants' entries, is ascertainable from each
port individually, and is accordingly exhibited. Of the
trade carried on under coasting regulations between Dort
and port of the United Kingdom, there is no official
record.