The Sun.
London, England, 1847-06-19 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIANIEN T

HOUSE OF LORDS, June 18.

The LORD CHANCELLOR took his set en the WoulstLk
•t Five o'clock.
BILLS FROM THE COMMONS.
Several Bills were brought up an 3 recd a fir!t Cale.
COPYHOLD COMMISSION BILL.
- -

- - _
On the motion of Lord CAMPBELL this Bill was
read a second time.
TURNPIKES CONTINUANCE BILL.

On the motion emotion of the same NOBLE LORD this Bill was
tetd a second time.
GREAT BRITAIN STEAM-SHIP.

Tie Earl of RODEN stated that the Great Britain
!team-ship had been run aground in the Bay of Dun-
"rill; within sight of his own residence. Up to the
Preent time numerous unsuccessful efforts had been
Wade, by means of breakwaters, to preserve the vessel
tinlng the storm, and through the exertions of Captain
vlaxton, he hoped that that splendid vessel would
restored to its owners. He had been struck
with the great services rendered by the use of faggots
as a breakwater, and he wished to ask the Noble Lord
den
the head of the Admiralty whether any steps had
°nen taken by the Government with a view to ascertain-
ing the value of this kind of material as a breakwater?
The Earl of AUCKLAND was understood to say
that the Government had sent an officer to inspect the
Position of this vessel, and they had made an offer to
Pie Proprietors of the use of a powerful steamer should
It be required to aid in getting the vessel off.
BATHS AND WASHHOUSES. _

On the second reading of this Bill being moved,
Lord MONTEAGLE wished to call the attention of
their Lordships to the importance of providing suitable
„ec,_ oromodation for the public in baths and washhouses.
kte Noble Lord also presented a petition suggesting the
adoption of baths in every parish, and that they should
be n
s-Pported by rates.
FEES AT ST. PAUL'S.
Earl FITZWILLIAM complained of the practice of
,bar• ging fees for viewing the cathedral of St. Paul's.
'Dse attended there yesterday, and a charge of 21. was
made upon him for inspecting the structure. He thought
it was high time that the system was put an end to.
MESSAGE FROM THE COMMONS.
Messengers from the Commons brought in several
' 41', which were ordered to lie on the table.
MASTERS IN CHANCERY BILL.
On the motion of the LORD CHANCELLOR, the
Masters in Chancery Bill and the Masters in Chancery
4-fadavit Office Bill were read a third time and passed.
JUVENILE OFFENDERS' BILL.
The Earl of DEVON moved the Committee on this
4111, and briefly entered into its details.
Lord BROUGHAM thought that something must be
thine to remedy the present defective state of the law
With respect to the punishment of juvenile offenders
here were many cases in which the services of a jut.)
ftight be dispensed with, p,rticularly in dealing witt
very young persons. He entirely approved of that par!
of the Bi'l which made parents responsible for the good
conduct of their children.
Lord DEN\IAN had long thought it expediet
and necessary for the ends of justice that all petty cases
16ould be submitted to a jury, bec use he never cou!d
Mink that an Englishman should be tried without a jury;
still the evils inherent in the mode of trying
Juvenile and pe:ty offences were great ; for instance,
Per,ons were tried for staling such things as eggs,
_teres, and They were incarcerated for so oe
!Atte before their trial, and when at list the time arrived
Juries considered that the parties had en sutli-
;tently pueished ; and even when they were
at:lnd guilty, the judge could only inflict
th fine of one shilling in consequence of
The punishment which the prisoner had received.
-e consequence wos, that petty offences were
entornitte 1 with impunity, and the lower classes, who
Were the persons guilty of them, were demoralised. Ile
bat the m
jpury mightre ebe dispensed wit lh
in such cases
Where a good and responsible tribunal could be obtained.
A
, did not see any reason why any question which in-
45"ecl expense should not be subintt• d to the tribunal
et-11' which his Noble and Learned Friend presided. If
is Bill were then to go forward, he thought that some
clauses
should be inserted with a view to rendering the
tlnishment available for th' purpose. Then, again,
there was a clause that required that imprisonment for
three months; now, it was very well known that short
ti7Prisonments did no good whatever. They often made
it,i,eves for life, and he therefore thought that the pun-
,"inent should be more particularly specified, and that,
moreover, there ought to be a clause to oblige resti:u
stop ; for, although the law required that the
t
s °Peng should be restored, yet it might, in a
erieiY of cases, not be forthcoming; and if theac
tused possessed the means, he ought to be
h_n;Pelled to make good the amount to the person who
an lost it. For instance, take a case of forgery, in
twhe h_
colonies,
proceeds of the fraud had been transmitted to
tce ()lollies, where the receiver might set up for a gen-
to mall on the results of successful villany. Who was
holder had been unjustly deprived, unless there was some
clause to oblige its realisation out of the property of the
• 'neer? A restitution clause ought, therefore, to be
Inserted to obtain that object.
• ord BROUGHAM begged then to suggest that a
rse should be inserted in the Bill by which the often-
-1)!ks should be made responsible, under the Insolvent
I.'"ters' Act, for the amount which had been fraudu-
, oi.nilY abstracted, as well as liable to the adjudication
the Criminal Court.
Lord
CAMPBELL was reioieed that the Noble Lord
°clPiosite, as well as his Noble and Learned Friend the
e,no ef Justice, concurred in the principle of the Bill.
but It
it might be greatly amended in Committee,
ti,tesi as a great point to have made a progress thus far.
Marquis of WESTMINSTER said, that it was
611.3 his
to move some amendments in Committee on
..ue Bat
ing
some
having for their object the necessity of provid-
Juverdrperisgoenneerrsa! system of classification among the
Lord
The House then went into Committee on the Bill.
Coe in ttIijENMAN thought there should be no distinc-
.
though e
the re Bill with regard to the age of the offenders,
however . ought to be with regard to the offence. If,
_,ould ,it was the opinion of their Lordships that there
Press it. be no amendment of this kind, he would not
After a short discussion, in which Lord Campbell,
Lord Portman, Lord Denman, and the Earl of Devon
took part, the amendment was withdrawn.
The several clauses of the Bill were then, with some
verbal amendments, agreed to.
Their Lordships resumed, and the Chairman brought
Ill) the leport.
SOAP ALLOWANCES BILL.
This Bill passed through Committee.
STAGE CARRIAGES DUTIES BILL. .
This Bill also passed through Committee.
BURGH POLICE (SCOTLAND) BILL.
This Bill was read a third time and passed.
Their Lordships then adjourned.

HOUSE OF COMMONS, June 18.
The SPEAKER took the Chair at Four o'clock.
NEW MEMBER.
The Hon. Frederick Leveson Gower took the oaths
and his seat for Derby. The Hon. Gentleman was in-
troducedby Mr. Strutt and Mr. W. Entvvisle.

LIMERICK DOCKS AND HARBOUR BILL.
This Bill was read a third time and passed.
EAST LANCASHIRE RAILWAY BILL.
This Bill, for making deviations in the East Lanca-
shire Railway and the Rawtenstall Canal branch, was
read a third time and passed.
MANCHESTER, SHEFFIELD, AND LINCOLN-
SHIRE RAILWAY (ASHTON CANAL PUR-
CHASE).
This Bill was read a third time and passed.

REPORTS.
The reports on the following Bills were brought up
and ordered to lie t n the table :
Chester and Holyhead Railway Extension.
Crowland and Cowbit Washes, &e.. Drainage.
Manchester Corporation Waterworks (Power to sell to
Manchester and Salford Waterworks).
THIRD READINGS,
The following Bills were read a third time and
passed
Manchester, Slid&ld, and Lincolnshire Railway-.
Northern Counties Union Railway Deviation.
York and North Midland Railway (linottingley Branch).
Midland Railway (Extension of the Nottingham and
Lincoln Branch at Lincoln).
Midlands Railway (Masbrough and Normanton Station
Enlargement).
Paisley, Barrh,'ad, and llurlet Railway.
Lincoln Town Rating.
Limerick Docks and ll;rbour.
Leeds Central Railway Station.
Guildford Extension and Portsmouth and Fareham
Railway.
East of Fife R iilway (Markinch afvli:tior.).
Edinburgh and Northern Railway, St. Andrew's and
Newburgh Harbour, Branches, and Road Crossi•r:gs
(Newport R iilway Extension).
CONSIDERATION OF REPORTS.
The reports on the following Bills were further con-
sidered and agreed to
telfast Improvement.
Caledonian Railway (Edinburgh Station and Branches
to Granton, and to the Edinburgh and Glasgow
Railway).
Clarence Railway:, and Leeds and Thirsk Railway
.„Amal-
gamation.
Eastern Un on Railway (Branch from Manningtree to
Harwich).
Exeter and Exmouth Railway.
Great Northern Railway (Deviations between Grantham
and York).
Inverness Harbour and Navigation.!nverness Municipal and police, &c.
Leeds and Thirsk Railway (Eaglescliffe and Stillington
cottenlion).
Leeds and Thirsk Railway (Branch from Melmerby to
Northallerton &c.)
weds and Thirsk Railway (Harrogate and Pateley
&c.)
I.4eicester Waterworks. o
don (City) Improvements.
htnines Improvement.
4 aw :Vale Railway and Dock (Deviations and Bideford
" k
rr.ld Southmolton Branchks).
and North Midland Railwa
Branches) y (Hull Station and
STOCKPORT MANORIAL '.LOLLS AND

BRIDGES.
Oa the,motion for the third reading of this Bill,
Mr• B. ESCOTT oosed the third reading, on the
ground that the Bill would interfere N•tith the interest of
Ina_ licensed victuallers, who had been refused a hearing
uefore the Committee on the Bill.
in Mr- TATTON EGERTOON supported the third read-
alleging that the inhabitants of Stockport were
relialcula Fl y anxious that the Bill should pass.
The Bill was then read a third tinge.

CHESTER AND HOLYHEAD RAILWAY LX-
TENSION.
Mr. WARD moved that the evidence taken before the
Committee be printed before the Bill was further pro-
ceeded with.—Agreed to.
REGULATION OF PRIVATE BILLS.
Mr. GREENE said, that in the absence of tee Hon.
Member for Montrose (Mr. Hume), he begged to move
the order of the day for the adjourned debate on the
question, that it is expedient that the constitution and
practice of all Committees on private Bills, in future
sessions of Parliament, should be assimilated as nearly as
may be to those of Committees on railway Bills; and that
it he an instruction to the Committee of Revision of Stand-
ing Orders, to make provision accordingly. In doing this
he could not but regret that the duty had not fallen into
more able hands. But as he had nine years ago entered
fully into the subject, and as he had participated in the
construction of one of the first reports that had ever
been made, he was anxious to see the recommendation
which had 13,,en then thrown out. The House some time
afterwards adopted the principle of placing Members on
the Committee who had no interest in the places
to which private Bills had reference; but it
had not been commonly adopted, and it was now
necessary that some further regulations should be made.
He did not think that Hon. Members, who were locally
interested in any Private Bills which came before them
in their Committees, should be allowed to vote upon the
decision of such Bills ; and he certainly thought that
some change was needed for in the constitution of the
Committees of the House of Commons.
Mr. BERNAL thought that the motion ought not to
have been brought forward in the absence of the Hon.
Member for Montrose, whose offspring this motion really
was. He was convinced from the enormous increase of
private business annually brought before the House
that a time was not far distant when the House
would completely throw overboard all the private
business, and leave the adjudication of such
subjects entirely in the hands of another tribunal. He
would oppose the motion by every possible mode the
rules of the House afforded.
Sir R. H. INGLIS thought that the principle of con-
ducting the private business ought to partake more of
the nature, and be influenced more by the
principles, of the public bush-less of this ilouse.
In the management of railway Bills there was a great
error committed in plachig tee business which affected
a local district before a Committee of that House, the
Members of which were completely ignorant of the local
wants of that district. Why, in such a case the decision
depended not so much on the merits of a case as on the
atolities of the counsel. He thought that no reason had
been assigned for reversing the necision which the House
had come to on the 20th of January, and he should,
therefore, give his opposition to the motion.
Sir W. 1-IEA'PHCOTE supported the motion, and
crud •ered that the Hen. Gelid men who opposed it had
n. 4 stated suffieient grounds for its rejection. They
nad stated in opposition to it that Members would
be burdened with more work than at present;
but the very contrary would be the case, be-
ceuse, under the new system, five would often
be enabled to oerfosm the task now assigned to fifteen.
the present system was bad, because it overworked
Metneet s—(Hear, heer)—but the plan proposed would
mike that lehour less. As Chairman of the Como:titles
of Selection, he had found great difficulty in the
elecdon of uemb• rs, but he apprehended that
Lae plan o' his Honourable Friend would remove it.
!de considered that it was greatly necessary to alter
some part of the present system, and he believed that if
they adopted the plan proposed by the Hon. Member
they would effect a great public benefit. They would
advance the dispatch of business, and he was quite sure,
at all events, they would consult the convenience of the
Members of the House. (The lion. Member, owing to
the noise in the House, was but indistinctly heard.)
Mr. BROTHERTON hoped that the House would
pause before it attempted to carry out this resolution.
With regard to the constitution of Committees on former
occasions, he remembered when 60 or 70 Members were
entitled to sit up ‘n the Committee, and were, without
being interested in the question, induced to come and
give their votes. lie thought that in those Com-
mittees whieh sat to decide upon subjects of a
heal nature, that local Members ought to be
allowed to sit upon them. He conceived that such a plan
would be much better than the present one, by which
two or three Members were put upon a railway Com-
mittee when they were actually interested in the passing
of the Bill before them. If they could not use direct
influence, still they would have weight enough with the
chairman to affect the Bill in its clauses. If the pro-
position was open to modification, he should .give his
support to it.
Mr. BANICES said he was quite ready to view this
question in respect to the parties more immediately con-
cerned. In that view he was obliged to support the
Hon. Member for Salford. His experience lately on a
Railway Committee, where the want of local information
was severely felt, strengthened his conviction. lie be-
lieved the system pursued, in respect to the rail-
ways was, perhaps the best that could be adopted
with regard to them ; but only in regard to them for
the qualification for this tribunal was ignorance.
Mr. STRUTT begged to remind the House that they
had already expressed an opinion on the very subject
which was now under consideration. A motion on it
was made by the Hon. Member for Dumfries, which,
because it was somewhat prematurely brought on, was
negatived by many in the House. No final decision, there-
fore, was given. In reference to what had fallen from the
Hon. Member about ignotance as a qualification, it
was enought for him to say that, not ignorance, but im-
partiality, was the qualification which was looked tor in
a Committee, as in a jury ; and he thought that was the
more satisfactory principle on which to constitute a
tribunal.
Lord SANDON said he should like that the members
of the St...a-ling Orders Committee should come b...fore
the House instead of bring contented with general in-
structions. All questions that were brought before the
Committees were in some degree local ones, sod when
the House ordered no local representative she uld sit upon
that Committee, it praciicaily denied the district to be
affected by the BR the means of making its opinions
known to Parliament. He h ,ped the House would pause
before they came to any decision up ,n the subject. lie
was of opinion that local Members should be placed on
these Committees. The ruse might have been quite
right to exclude them on railway Bills, but it
cl! d not loll:ivy that they should be excluded
from Committees on Bills, which wet,- merely local in
their nature ; in fact, he was ef °omen) that. none but
local Members should be placed thee, and he was per•
fectly convinced that, strict justice had ever heel. done.
—(Laughter.) At all events, place them on the Com-
mittee, do not give a vote if they felt so disposed,
but at least allow them to be present and to be heard.
Sir J. GRAHAM said that he disclaimed altogether
the propriety of considering ahat might be the conveni-
ence of M ,tubers of that House with regard to sitting
upon these Committees. He thought that when
a Member undertook the representation of any place,
he undertook it under the implied, if not the expressed
condition, that his convenience was to be sacrificed, and
his time devoted to the public service. He could not say
that it was for the public good, with reference to what
they were then discussing, that local Members
should be excluded. He must say that he could
not conceal his opinion that it was due to the
interest of the people that, in the discussion of private
business in that House. and which might in different
localities affect interests of vast importance, the
representatives of those localities should not be alto-
gether excluded. He thought that what his Noble
Friend said was most true with regard to the case of the
Vverpool docks. That was from the Corporation
of L: verpool, and from the Dock Company of Liver-
pool.
The rival contending parties alone paid the wit-
nesses and incurred the extenses of fighting a Bill in
which these- corporate bodies might not alone be in.
terested. The people at large might not have a pecu-
tnoiairiyive msootmiveeby atn
icounsel,interest
e s
tbut
in they
tb by their
meansto appear ofhaving
Members, by whom they would be represented without
expense. He thought that the question was one which
materially affected the principle upon widch the
people were repro: ent,d.--(Hear, hear.) lie would
hear it with very touch regretthat the nal •
should have surrendered at any time any of these im-
portant functions, the discharge of which is the object of
its existence. At the same time they ought to be pre-
pared to enter upon the consideration of the subject. In
the Committee to which he had alluded the
question was mooted and sustained even by an
authority' such as the Hon. Chairman of Committees,
that the I,lcal interests should be carefully excluded.
It wee cons': dered by the Committee, and they decided
tle.it the local interests should b represented. and that
private menenetre should to ad led. lie (Sir James
Graham) suppetsted that decision. He thought their
attendance was Lost important; it might be a question
ia considering this subject whether their attendance
which at pre attent was voluntary, ought not •
to be made' c. taeptilsory, and a large proportion
The subject, however, •
of private Menehees added.
deserved consitlmati on, and the resolution especiallly
which had been broug,ht before the House, containing
some words of a questionable and almost neutralising
effect. The : tubject deserved the consideration
of the Govern meat and of the new Parliament,
when they should come to deal with the standing orders
in detail. But Ito was surprised that this resolution
should have been ;broue-ht forward now, at the last ours
of of an expiring PI irik.uaent. If it went to a vote, he
divide against it.
Sir G. GREY said that when the motion was brought
forward in the earlier part of the session, he objected to
the alteration so meently made in the matter of railway
business being at:earn so soon changed, but since
that period a Co re'rn- 'awe had reported upon the subject,
and they almost uemennou-ly supported the resolution
proposecd by the :lien. Member for Montrososee. They
ud in
did not mention ny s;. stein to be pr p
stead, but the v of the question.
of Standing order s the . d •ntile
pe ,posed to leave to the Committee
To this sug4estroe h.e would offer no objection.
e Members
inclination on the part of lionoureble
Mr. ES fCOI..TRT said that there was no dis
to serve on the reit, ces of the House,
and he should not, therefore, eXpect that any
reluctance would b-- exhibited under the new resolu-
tions, the plan had worked admirably since
and he was sure that the extension of it would
not disappoint the expectations of the House.
This was the la,t ti me, probably, that he would have
the honour to addre:ts t hem before he retired into private
ihfe ; he saw the utneost necessity for their adopting the
reso!ution, which would not only save the public time,
but also'
After the conveniet tee of the Members.
few words ,from Mr. ESTCOURT, which did
not reach . they
gallery,
LALIOUCHERE said he must say that he could
not agree wi 'th the Right Hon. Gen leman the Member
for Iforchese in conceiving that any great constitu-
tional princit. 'le was involved in the question brought
before the Hot 'so. The only question for the House to
consider was w. eat was the best way of constituting ho-
partial tribunals for the intil 9f these private Bills. He

foun 1 that under the present system the House endea-
voured entirely to separate from the consideration of
these railway Bills any local interest, and he did not
sce why they should not pursue the same course
with regard to other Bills that they pursued with re-
spect to railway Bills. He could only say that his
opinion had become more and more strong in favour of
having a simila:ity between the Committee on Railway
end other Bills, as the public were much satisfied with
the way in which these Railway Committees had dis-
charged their delicate functions. He did not think that
Members representing a local interest should be excluded
from the proceedings in the Committee, but he thought
that they should not vote upon the question.—(Hear,
hear) He said he would give it his consideration, in
order to the system being improved at a future time.
Mr. SHAW said, from his experience, although there
might be difficulties, the preponderance was certainly in
favour of assimilating. He should, therefore, support
the motion.
Mr. EWART said that it was objected to the present
system of conducting railway business, that the repre-
sentative of a local interest could not attend the Com-
mittee which had that interest under consideration, in
the character of a judge, but lie might certainly appear
as a witness, and in that way attend to his duties, and
to his clients, in an equal degree.
The House then divided, when there appeared—
For the resolution
Against it
Majority
Lord H. VANE moved " That the Wear Valley,
Bishop Auckland and Weardale, Weardale Extension,
and Wear and Derwent Railways, and Shildon Tunnel
Amalgamation Bill, be read the third time this day."
The Bill was then read a third time and passed.
CLARENCE RAILWAY AND LEEDS AND
TIIIRSK AMALGAMATION.
Lord H. VANE moved the further consideration of
the report on this Bill.
Mr. HUDSON resisted the motion, on the ground
that the Bill contained a clause empowering the amal-
gamated company to raise money upon bonds and gua-
rantees before the shares were fully paid up.
The galleries were then cleared for a division but
none took place, and the report was agreed to, and
ordered to be engrossed.
HUDDERSFIELD AND MANCHESTER RAIL-

WAY (DEVIATIONS AND ALTERATIONS.)
This Bill was read a third titne and passed.

MESSAGE FROM THE LORDS.
Messengers from the Lords brought up several Bills
which were read a first time.

BUSINESS OF TILE HOUSE.
Lord JOHN RUSSELL said it was not his intention
to move the adjournment of the House over to-morrow,
in order that the House might meet to-morrow to have
several Bills sent up to the Lords. He had now to
move the order of the d for going into Committee on
th:, Health of Towni' Bill. He perceived that his Noble
Friend, the Member fur Bath, had given notice of an
amendment, but he trusted that his Noble Friend, for
the sake of facilitating the business of the House, would
not persevere in it.
Lord DUNCAN said no one was more anxious to
promote sanatory measures than himself. He had given
notice of his amendment, because the Health of Towns'
Bill did not embrace the window tax. He had, how-
ever, no intention to go lu!ly into that subject, but
he had given notice of his amendment, merely for the
sake of having an opportunity to mention the remark-
able fact, that within the last three or four years the
lower class of assessed houses were getting fewer and
fewer. No less than 7,000 of them had fallen off since
the tax was increased by Mr. Baring's Act. He had no
desire to impede the Noble Lord, nor had he any wish,
unnecessarily, to take up the time of the House, and he
would therefore withdraw his motion.—(Hear, hear.)
Lord G. BENTINCK said, going on with the business
to-morrow would be a great inconvenience to many
Hon. Gentlemen. Saturday had always been a holiday,
and as no notice had been given that the House would
meet to-morrow, no doubt many of them had made en-
gagements for to-morrow.
L'A.,l JOHN RUSSELL said he did not propose to
proceed to-morrow with any Bill that was likely to give
rise to discussion. He simply proposed that the House
should sit to enable certain Bills to be advanced that had
come down from the Lords. _ _

Mr. ROEBUCK. suggested that the Noble Lord
might facilitate the advancement of public business by
retraining from wasting time upon Bills that were not
likely to pass this session.—(clear, hear.) The Rail-
way Bill, also, was another Bill which he thought there
was no chance of passing this session, and at this period
neither of them should have been brought forward to oc-
cupy the attention of Parliament. The Poor-laws
Amendment Bill, however, must be carried, and he was
of opinion that the Noble Lord should consider the time
of the House, and only deal with those measures which
he intended should be passed, and not take up their
time unnecessarily.
LUNATIC ASYLUM (No. 2) BILL.
On the motion of Lord J. RUSSELL, this Bill was
read a third time and passed.
HEALTH OF TOWNS' BILL.
Lord JOHN RUSSELL, in moving the order of the
day for going into Committee on this Bill, said that he
could not concirie in the observations which had been
;list made by the Hon. and Learned Member for Bath.
He was of opinion that it would not be acting fairly,
either to the Government or to the House, to presume
that there was a host of objections to this Bill,
when no notice whatever had been given of them,
and to forthwith proceed on that presumption in
the manner he suggested. The Hon. and Learned Gen-
tleman also said that the Poor-law Amendment Bill
must be passed. There had been a great many objec-
tions to this Bill, but this ought not to deter them from
proceeding with the measure, and endeavouring to pass
it into a law. He should now, therefore, move that the
House do go into Committee on the Health of Towns
Bill, that he might have an opportunity of hearing what
those formidable objections were which Hon. Members
had to propose agiinst ir.
Mr. ROEBUCK said that the Noble Lord had
misunderstood him. He did not want the Noble
Lord to withdraw this or any other Bill,
but only not to occupy their time unnecessarily.
or bring under their consideration Bills which he had no
intention of passing into a law this session. The very
circumstance of the Noble Lord saying that he wished
o hear what formidable objections there were to the
measure, showed the,: he had no intention of carrying
it mute a law this session.
Mr. MACK' NNON thought the Hon. and Learned
Member for Bath was rather severe upon the Noble
Lord, and that with regard to the Bill before
the House, an ample opportunity should be given for
discussing its merits.
Mr. WAKLEY wished to know whether the House
was to sit to-morrow to proceed with unopposed Bills ?
Lord JOHN RUSSELL—BiIIs in their unopposed
stages
Mr. WAKLEY said that he was unable to distin•
guise between tho.,e Bills which were opposed, and
those which were unopposed. With regard to one Bill
—the House of Commons Cost Taxation Bill—the re-
port on which stood for further consideration, it had
not, as far as he understood, been opposed in any
shape it had yet gone through, but neither the Govern-
ment nor the House were aware whether that would be
an unopposed Bill or not. He thought if the Govern-
ment would take a review of the various Bills before
the House, and tell them on Monday what those were
which they were going to abandon, and what they in-
tended to proceed with, it would be a great convenience
to the House, and of great advantage to the public.
They would then see what business they had before
them, and what the intentions of the Government were
with respect to the Bills. He wished to ask the Hon.
Member for Lancashire what his intentions were with
regard to the measure to which he had referred,
as a great number of solicitors were anxious to know
whether it was to be proceeded with this session. He
would be glad to know, therefore, whether it was in-
tended to be proceeded with before the evidence on which
it professed to be founded was laid before the House.
With regard to the Health of Towns' Bill, he felt in-
debted to the Government for bringing on the measure,
as it was of great public importance, and he hoped no-
thing would induce them to abandon it.
Mr. GrIEE NIL said that, with regard to the question
put to him by the Hon. Member for Finsbury, be did
not wish to give an answer in the absence of the Hon.
Member for Montrose, as it emanated from a Committee
of which he was the chairman. On Thursday next,
however, he would acquaint the Hon. Gentleman whe-
ther it should be proceeded with or not.
After a few words from Mr. G. PALMER,
Mr. HUDSON said that it was unfair to ask the

nuse to sit to-morrow, as no notice had been given o

that intention, and many Hon. Gentlemen had made en
gagements which would necessarily-prevent them from
attending.
Mr. DIVETT said that he considered that the pre-
sent was a most ill considered Bill, and he was of opi-
nion that it should be withdrawn from the House.
Mr. PROT lIEROE said that he would consider it his
duty to give it his most strenuous support through all its
stages. His only complaint against the Noble Lord was
that he did not include the city of Westminster in its
provisions, for it wanted it as sadly as any other.
Mr. BURKE was opposed to the Bill, and he called
upon the landed interest to oppose it in every possible
manner. They should do so on one principle, as the
lists would subject the rural districts to the town corpo •
rations. It was a notorious fact that the poor were now
subsistisg on either a voluntary rate or the benevolence
of individual charity, and he would ask the Noble Lord
was this a time when a new liability should be placed
upon the landed proprietary ?
Lord MORPETH—I do not rise to stop the discus-
sion on this question, but merely to state that it is by no
means intenued to include the rural districts within the
jurisdiction of the corporations; it is true that there are
provisions for widening the boundaries of towns, but
there are none which would operate in the manner de-
scribed by the lion. Gentleman.
Mr. BItO MERTON said that he weuld support the
Bill which was most beneficial, and lie did trust that the
Government world persevere with it against every op-
position.
Mr. BORTHWICK supported the Bill, and took oc-
casion to defend himself from certain expressions of Mr.
Macaulay on the debate with reference to Portugal.
That Honourable Member said that his (Mr.
Borthwick's) statements could never have been
made by a person who was acquainted with the
state of facts, or made conscientiously. The Hon.
Member then read a letter from the brother of General
Sa La Dandiera, which bore out the statement made to
the House by him on that occasion. Ile therefore would
repeat every: thing which he had then stated in' the
fullest anti most peremptory manner. It had been said
that a fciendly assurance had been given to the fleet that
thy were not to leave the Douro. Was that a friendly
assurance?—was it a friendly assurance to tell a man that
he would be shot it he attempted to leave his house?
Ho would not enter any further upon that part of the
. 1:a question.din g
w.
eluieofwtahs,e loloppxoesvietri;nsorry who toougsehet tthoatb
ea l
ml tohset

materially interested in this question had left the House
without any attempt to enter up:m its merits. Ho
thought that he had clef rk, established the fact Zvi h
which he started, viz., that the Junta had no positive or
categorical declaration of war made to them. Ile
lished to ask t o questions from the Noble L..rd,
which, if at,sw fed, would perhaps ,atis%otorily end the
discussion of the question. He wished to know it en
the Nohie 1,-}rd whether the Portuguese Govern-
ment had sent any ships to take back the
Count Bomfin, and those who were sent
away with him, or at least all those who were
capable or being removed. lie wished also to know
whether the allied Powers had agreed to withdraw the
forces which were advancing into Portugal, and if those
forces had received a command to return into Spain,
and whether they were in a state of sufficient discipline
to obey the command ?
Lord PALMERSTON said that the Right lion.
Gentleman had asked these questions in the absence of
his Right Hon. Friend, and the notice which he had
given seemed to him (Lord Palmerston) to be rather a
discussion upon the meaning of the words than any dis-
pute as to the facts. The lion. Gentleman also entirely
omitted the fact of an announcement being made to the
Junta, and that announcement having been made, the
question was, whether it was not sufficient to have
convinced any reasonable man that there was danger in
their vessels leaving the Douro. He (Lord Palmerston)
entirely differed from the view taken by bis Hon.
Friend, and thought that the notice was quite sufficient.
The Hon. Gentleman said that there was no declaration
of war. A formal declaration of war from the three
Powers to the Junta was not to be expected in the or-
dinary technicalities of diplomatic communications,
The lion. Gentleman forgot the letter of the 15th of
May, in which it was stated that Colonel Wylde and the
Marquis of Saldanha having gone to Oporto, in order to.
propose to the Junta certain articles upon the part of
the Queen, received the refusal of the Junta, to agree to
those articles, and they demanded the concession
of further articles, which were utterly inadmis-
sible.—(Hear, hear.) Colonel Wylde then made a
formal announcement to the Junta, in
which he stated
that he had no other alternative but to declare to them
that the British Government, in concert with the allies
of her Most, Faithful Majesty, would thereupon take such
steps as they thought most proper for affording effectual
assistance to the Queen of Portugal, to re-establish tran-
quillity in her dominions. That was the declaration
which was made ; it was a declaration announcing the
fact that effectual steps would be taken to restore tran-
quillity in Portugal, and the Junta having refused to
accept the conditions offered, the only effectual step
which remained was the employment of force. The
letter of the 25th of May referred to the seizure of the
vessels ; it stated that Sir T. Maitland, knowing the
probability of the ship's of the Junta being stopped, in the
event of their continuing to carry on warlike prepara-
tions, and perceiving that both the vessels had their
steam on, and were over the bar, sent a message to the
commanding officer, in a friendly way, requesting that
they would not proceed to sea, and stating that they had
better re-enter the Douro, and remain there for a few
days. The message, or communication, was not in
writing, but in words, as it was merely a friendly mes•
sage, sent with the design of preventing disagreeable
consequences. He thought that when the commander
of a British ship stated to those who had the
command of other ships, in the most friendly
way,
that to avoid disagreeable consequences
which might occur, that if they went out of the river,
they would most probably be taken, that was an an-
nouncement that any man, of common understand-
ing, was merely, through courtesy, to suppose
as likely to precede a hostile proceeding between the
two parties. Supposing that any two gentlemen in
private life were at issue upon say particular point, and
the one said, " My dear Sir, if you do so and so, the
great probability is that I shall knock you down, though
in the most friendly manner, I give you this notice, in
order to avoid disagreeable consequences." He (Lord
Palmerston) thought that if the gentleman happened to-
be knocked down, he could not pretend to say that it
was done without some preparation as to the conse-
quences which had ensued.—(Laughter.) With regard
to the question of his Hon. Friend as to whether there
had been any information received as to the Portuguese
Government navigation shies bringing back the exile; of
Torres Vedras, no such information had, as yet, been
received. lie (Lord Palmerston) supposed that, at the
time when the last dispatches came off, they had, as yet,
no means of sending for them. He had, however, great
satisfaction in stating, that he had been informed that
afternoon, by the Minister of Portugal, that he had re-
ceived information from Paris, that upon the 10th of the
month, the Portuguese Government had issued a full
and complete amnesty, which was one of the conditions
stipulated for.—(Hear, hear.) That had been issued at
a time when the Queen's Government in Portugal had
not received any eommunicatiim as to the intended stipu-
lation, or of the intention of the Government of Lisbon.
Mr. BORTHWICK—Have the prisoners left Fort
St. jullien.

Lord PALMERSTON could not say. With regard
to the Spanish troops, with respect to which the Hon.
Gentleman had asked a question, they had no informa-
tion. He believed that none of them had entered the
territory of Portugal with the exception of a very small
detachment who, in conjunction with the garrison of
Valencia, went to remove the guerrillas in that neigh-
bourhood. Up to the time of the 10th of this month no
account had been received of their having entered into
the territories of Portugal. In a very few days from
that time they would hear of the turn which things had
taken at Oporto, and that of course would check their
progress at once, and they would, in all probability,
return to Spain.
Mr. VILLIERS said, as the House had entered upon
a subject somewhat personal in its character, he hoped
he might be forgiven for entering upon a subject of a
somewhat similar nature. Yesterday evening, on going
into Committee, the Hon. Member for Weymouth had
asserted that a statement was untrue and quite a mistake.
He was anxious to clear up the matter, and therefore he
would take that opportunity of explaining to the House.
The circumstances arose out of the procoedingi in the
Committee upon the Andover Union, on which the Hon.
Member for Weymouth had asked a question of Sir F.
Lewis, as to whether, on his resigning office, he had
not done so in regard to au arrangement with
his son. On his stating that fact to the
House last evening, the Honourable Member
for Weymouth denied the fact. If, in answer to him,
he (Mr. Villiers)
had expressed himself with more
warmth than was becoming, he apologised to the House.
hear.) He would refer to a letter, which he
received from Sir F. Lewis himself, stating the fact the,
the question had been asked by the Hon. Member for
Weymouth, and he also referred to the report in the
Times, and the report of the Committee which was pre-
sented to the House. He thought that these aathorities
concurring, in his statement were strong proofs of his
accuracy in stating the fact. He had only to set him-
self right in saying that he did not make any statement
to the House on that occasion which was not strictly
true ; and that he was sorry
if he might have expressed
himself somewhat warmly on the occasion.
HEALTH OF TOWNS' BILL.

On the order of the day for going into Committee on
;his Bill.
Lord G. BENTINCK presented a petition from the
Sewerage Commissioners of King's Lynn against the
Bill, especially complaining of the centralization prin•
ciple and the expensive machinery proposed by the Bill,
and praying to be excluded from its effects.
Petitions of a similar spirit and prayer were pre-
sented by
Mr. SPOONER—From a parish in Birmingham.
Mr. HORS %lAN—Two from associations in London.
Mr. EWART—From Surrey.
Mr. DIVETT—From Devon.
Sir G. GREY presented a petition signed by 640 of
the working men of Devonport in favour of the Bill,
praying the House to pass it into a law.
Petitions of a similar nature were presented by
Lord EBRINGTON—Eight from Marylebone.
Mr. C. BULLER—From Stafford.
Lord MORPE I'll—From a meeting of the working
classes at Bradford, in Yorkshire, and from the clergy
of Sutton.
Colonel SIBTHORP said he rose to move that the
House should resolve itself into Committee on this .
that day six months. He objected to the Bill because it
created commissioners ; it thereby increased the pa-
tronage which the Government already posseAsed. The
Bill proposed to give salaries to two of those commis-
sioners. If these individuals had not patriotism or
feeling enough to disdain taking salary they were not
worthy of the trust. He found that inspectors were also
to be paid. That was another opportunity of cor-
ruption at elections ; Filch corruption as they saw
practised every day. The BM, too, proposed to invade
the present municipal government of towns, which, to
this day, had managed pretty well. That, to him, was a
sufficient reason for opposing it. But why, he asked,
was London—was the metropolis excluded—why St.
Giles's, their immaculate St. Giles's—why was that ex-
cluded? He knew many towns as pure, aye, purer
than the metropolis—why then was it to be left out? 0,
the Corporation, what) municipal matters were meddled
with by the Government, rose up, and by the Lord Mayor
they said, " If you meddle with the city, if you interfere
with us ; ydu shall never again come into our city ; you
shall never sit at our bench, and eat our turtle—
(Laughter)—aud drink our champagne, and all those
ewxoculel,lie
expectnt t hi things
a Government
gs
woulda t
be impartial, and
feast." Why, one
above suspicion. For these reasons, besides others, he
moved that the Bill should be committed that day six
months.
Mr. WILLIAMS was surprised at the course taken
by certain country towns in reference to this Bill. He
admitted he was also surprised that the metropolis, which
as any other place, perhaps
vell asbeinenuclehft Out. Hoping that that would
another time, and considering t oat some
arts of the Bill had been- excluded,
nibonebeoej
rreneece
mtdi
should(eltdthi eebdl Be
ahi
namely, the appointment of the Commissioners by the
Government, he would support the Bill in its progress
through the IL use.
were indefinite and much too
Mr. NEWDEGATE complained that certain words as
Bill,
ellw to what property it was to
"town" and "district" used frequently in the first
The effect of it would be to
subject districts to taxes which they did not now pay,
clbvleitdues.easn
pNioioef d
.ot hnee
and from which, when they did pay them, they would re-
ceive no benefit. The people would be subjected to taxation
for what immediately concerned others and others only,
a proceeding which was quite opposed to the coinnon
law (]." the country. But it was not merely because of
the injustice done to outlying districts that he objected
to this Bill. He objected to it on the broad principle
that local governments should be independent of
any Government in that House. Ile objected
to it as the Corporation of Birmingham objected
to it. He objected to this policy because,
step by step, they were departing from the
principles of the British constitution. He objected to the
interference with the municipal corporations of the
country; he objected 19 the doing away at "one fell

swoop" with refractory Toe n Councils; he obj:cted to
the giving of such extended powers to any Government
C re..i:eiion.-rs; and he ohketed the more, because they
sought ta introduce this Bill ct so advanced a period of
the sesiion,—(ll, ar, hear.) This e, es an attempt, under
the guise of eanatory regulations, to break up the insti-
tutions of the cout,t,y. These institutions might be
Fool or bad; he objected, at all events, to their destroy-
ing tbese at the beck of Parliament. Ile felt very
waraily on this subject, and he trusted the lions° would
not be induced to adopt a course of policy which, if con-
tinued, must irretrievably lead to mischief and confusion.
Mr. ROEBUCK said he very much suspected some-
thing when an appeal was made to his popular feelings
by Gentlemen on the opposite side. He was exceedingly
jealous of such new born appeals ; it looked as if Hon.
Members were bidding a high price for popularity. But
this law was a most important one, and ought to be
treated with that gravity it deserved. The Hon. Gen-
tleman had objected to the centralizing principle of this
Bill, hut by centralization he (Mr. Roebuck) understood
a,body, or individual, accountable to Government for the
carrying into effect the principles and provisions of any
Bill. What did the Noble Lord who brought forward
the Bill propose to do ? He saw a vast variety of inte-
rests laying scattered abroad, and waste, which, if ga-
thered together, might be rendered useful to the publie
good. The Noble Lord deserved the thanks of the
country for his effort t) render these interests useful.
But there was one district which had not been con-
templated in the Noble Lord's Bill, which, more than
any other, required the cleansing influence of this
measure ; and if he wished to draw a circle around this
district, he would place, as on the centre of it, his finger
on St. Paul's Cathedral. Here, within a circle of 30
miles, he found upwards of 2,000,000. Bath was to be
attacked, Chester was to be improved, and Birmingham
was to be cleansed of all its abominations, however vile
these might be, by the operation of this Bill. But when
the Noble Lord came to London, although he
found there a mass of monstrosities sufficient
to frighten Milton's Satan, the Noble Lord
was not at liberty to touch London, and the
evils of the district around St. Paul's flourished
in as rank luxuriance as ever. Why was the corpora-
tion of London to be permitted to perpetuate every
physical impurity within their jurisdiction? but above
all, why did it strike terror into the heart of the Trea-
sury bench, when an Hun. Member of that House got
up to complain of the injustice. They had Noble Lord
after Noble Lord, and Learned Gentleman after Learned
Gentleman, getting up in their places and protesting
that the Corporation of London were a most praise-
worthy, upright, straightforward body, when in their
very minds they believed them to be just the reverse.
What influence was it then that enabled the City of
London to be excluded from the operation of this Bill?
(Hear, Hear.) Again, there was Westminster, Mary-
lebone, and Southwark ; why were these places
to be exempted from experiencing the purifying
influences of this Bill. Time was when the city of
London was the centre of all that was great, and liberal,
and good, but it did not stand now in that enviable po-
sition. It was now a mere mass of parties, who being
closely bound together by their individual interests, had
great influence and power in their possession ; but they
wanted the generosity to use it with discretion and
humanity.
Mr. HORSMAN regretted that this question hed
been so delayed and procrastinated. A similar Bill to
the one now under discussion had been long wanting,
and Government ought to have run all risks to
get it passed. It was not a question of cone-
fort, but of protecting the lives of the people,
for the reports and returns upon the table
proved, that thousands upon thousands annually fell
victims to the want of due and proper sanatory regula-
tions in Manchester and Liverpool. In no place were
these regulations more required than within the bills of
mortality. The burial-grounds within that boundary
were terribly crowded, and yet day after day the number
of graves was being added to. This question had now
been before the House for the last seven years, and he
thought the House and the public ought to be put in
possession of the difficulties which prevented Govern-
ment from carrying it out. It had excited a good deal
of interest throughout the country, and he thought
the fact, that while an exceedingly large Humber of peti-
tions had been presented in its favour, but a very few
indeed had been presented against it sufficiently proved,
that the public felt that a time had arrived when a
measure of this sort ought to be passed into a law.—
(Hear.) That difficulties did stand in the way of carry-
ing this Bill he entertained no doubt whatever, but he
felt sincerely, that if Government would proceed by slow
and sure steps, to carry out the principles of sanatory
regulations they muss ultimately succeed in carrying
out the measure to the fullest extent.—(llear, hear.)
He was afraid the Noble Lord at the head of

the Woods and Forests, in his endeavours to carry out
his plan had not met with the sympathies of all his col-
leagues, but still do not let that make the Noble Lord
despair of ultimatQly succeeding in his benevolent and
charitable design. In the next Parliament he would
venture to prophecy the opinions of the Noble Lord's
friends upon this subject would have undergone a consi-
derable change, and therefore he urged upon the Noble
Lord to carry out as much of his plan now, and leave the
rest to be achieved in a future session.—(Hear, hear.)
Mr. BANKES thought that, after the large promises
that were made, and expectations which were raised by
this Bill, it was very unsatisfactory to find a measure
proposed that was neither just nor general in its prin-
ciples, and was also entirely different from such a mea-
sure as had been prayed for in the numerous petitions
presented to the House on the subject. The Govern-
ment were bound, before they ventured to proceed fur-
ther with the Bill, to account for the omission of the
metropolis from the provisions of the Act. Not one of
the Members for the city of London had been present
during the speech of the Hon. and Learned Member for
Bath—not one of its aldermen were present on the occa-
sion; perhaps the-absence of the latter Hon. Gentlemen
might be ascribed to its being dinner hour.—(Laughter.)
Taking St. Paul's church as the centre of a circle, it
would be found that within its circumference upwards of
2,000,000 of inhabitants were congregated together,
making the strongest possible case to irduce the Go-
vernment to extend the provisions of the Bill to that im-
mense population. If the city of London and its Lord
Mayor were to be exempt from the operation of the Bill,
why was it that his Right Hon. Friend the Lord Mayor
of York, and the city of York itself, were to be included
under its provisions ? Was it to be said that the city of
York required more purification than London ? It had
been well said that the Bill was either a benefit or a
charge ; and in either of these points of view it was
unfair to make a particular choice of London to the ex-
clu,ion of all the other towns and cities of England.
The present Bill proposed to create a large number of
commissioners, inspectors, and other officers, and it was
a complete waste of time for the House
to spend night after night in the discussion
of this and similar measures proved a num-
ber of commissionships under the patronage of
the Government. The exception of London was most
decidedly unjust, and unless the House were assured that
the city of Londou and the other metropolitan boroughs
should be included in the Bill, he should feel it his duty
to oppose the Bill to the utmost of his ability.
Lord MORPETH thought that the Government had
not been treated quite fairly in the attacks which had
been made up-in it by Hon. Members on both sides of
the House with respect to this BiE. He was first
attacked for including the metropolis, and then he was
copiously attacked for omitting it.—(Hear.) The Hon.
Member for Dorsetshire asked him if he was not
pledged to the exemption of the metropolis from the
Bill ? Now, after what he had long since stated from his

leftlt
.i L n(ieetuni
trt ,a?hrle
b(ttehier
at.i)ig.,hhtleitaelire.m)r
gcbo
to l
tdb be
ne nb oe da
so
ku
eb
had to say that
pi
why
eyt eh
iiitsnv,pl3,aaiasnrd
it had been left out because—(The Noble Lord here
made a short pause, which caused great laughter.)—lie
had only to appeal to the recollection of Hon. Members
themselves as to what had taken place in the House re-
sp-cting it, and to the important and urgent measures re-
quired for the sister country, said which wholly absorbfd
the attention of the Government and the House, as his
justification for the omission of the metropolis. Had the
necessary time been at his disposal, he would not have
thought of omitting it, but this not being the case, he
was reluctantly obliged to defer the application of the
measure to the metropolis for the present session.—
(Laughter.) He said, therefore, that it was want of
time to deal with a measure so complicated and so ex-
tt-nsive which induce] him to alter his determination,
and to confine his attention for the present to that part
of it which there was a probability of carrying into a law
this session. The Hon. Member for Bath taunted him
with having cut his stick.—(Mr. Roebuck—" No, I did
the observation has been made by some
though ol o
a i
st
lion. Gentleman, and the Member for Cockermouth had
ualint
werrnat:enrtti, had u t
he y
metropolis
reproached him for not introducing a measure respecting
not he
were able to accomplish what he proposed with regard
itroltethrme presentr
included, he should consider that he had performed
no mean achievement.—(Hear, hear.) He felt, how-
ever, that he should not be influenced by the
attacks that had been made upon him, and that
he ought rather to invite reproaches than otherwise.
as this would agitate the question, and induce him, or
whoever might afterwards fill his situation, to follow the
matter up, and complete what he had left undone.—
(Hear, hear.) Those who represented that he had been
induced to omit the metropolis from a regard to his own
leisure and convenience—(Cries of "No, no ")—had
little idea of the kind of life he had led since Easter—
(Hear, hear)—or they would not entertain such an idea.
However, he had one abiding resolve that he would con-
tinue to do what he could, when he could, and how he
could, to promote sanatory improvement, lie could assure
lion. Members, that if they had the opportunity of see-
ing the number of letters which ho had received upon
the subject, and of the increasing extent of fever and dis-
ease—which was aggravated, if not caused by the ab-
sence of all sanatory regulations—the absence of those
provisions which it was the object of the present Bill to
introduce—if they cJiistd: rod that the mortality which
was the consequence, and which pervaded all classes of
society, the wealthy and the indigent portion of society,
he felt sure they would not be insensible to the great
necessity which existed for a measure of sanatory regula-
tions. If they postponed all legislation on this subject,
during the present session and postponed all plans and
surveys, they should have to defer the measure for two
years more, and do nothing to stay the evils which at
present existed throughout the country. When he last
addressed the House upon the subject, he referred to
some returns from the Registrar-General, to show the
mortality which prevailed in sonic districts. The Noble
Lord then read extracts from the last return. In the
summer quarter of IS-16 the mortality, it appeared, had
been greater than it had been for any similar period
during the precious six years. In the winter quarter,
56,105 persons had died in those distrlcts, feotu
which the returns had been made up. And it
appeared that the annual mortality for England and
Wales amounted to 120,000. The health of towns
generally had been stationary, if not retrograding. Now,
though London bad becu omitted from the Dill, a

i trusted the House would not omit the oppcirtunity to
adopt means to rcd_.ce the mortality of England to as
great an extent as it was possible to effect. The peti
tions from various places in England had been referr,d
and the Hon. Member for ar+rsetsliire to :d them that
these did not refer to the Bill as it at present stood, iota
to the orhd,inal rr alorre. lie (Lord Morpetli)dd not think
that these petitions, coming. as they did from difT%rert
places in England, could refer to the Bill as it applied to
London, but to themselves and to general advantage,—
(Hear, hear)—and none of the provisions of the Bill, as
far as it applied to the towns of England, were altered at
all from the original Bill.—(Hear, hear.) These peti-
tions, therefore, could only refer to the present Bill.
There were thirteen presented from corporations and
public bodies, twenty-eight from clergymen, magistrates,
&c., forty-seven from the inhabitants of towns, thirty from
medical men, fifty-six from operative and working classes,
and thirteen from associations and societies, making
altogether 187 in favour of the Bill. This was the
number up to the end of May, but there had been a con-
siderable number sicce. There had been presented
against the Bill two petitions from societies, six from
water companies, seven from paving boards, and five
from landowners—altogether against the Bill 22. The
account, therefore, stood thus-220 petitions in favour of
the Bill, and 22 against it. He trusted this preponde-
rance showed at least to what side public opinion in Eng-
land manifestly pointed. A resolution had been forwarded
to him from the Health of Towns Association of the me-
tropolis, in favour of the Bill, and this association was
composed of clergymen, members of the medical pro-
fession, and others well qualified to judge of the effects
of sanatory regulations. He knew it was sometimes said
that those who were foremost in supporting and giving
opinions in favour of any great public question
were
sometimes influenced by interested motives, but 'as this
association was composed of members of the College of
Physicians, and the College of Surgeons, &c he
thought it would be admitted such an imputation
would not be applied in the present case.—(Hear, hear.)
He did not then propose to enter into the details of the
clauses, but he trusted, when the time came for doing so
he should be able to show that, though the Bill did merit
a special central superintendence, it did not in any way
seek to supersede or paralyse local agencies. That it
was the great object now to employ local agencies,
not to fetter them, but only to give to them
assistance by the aid of central wisdom and
experience. lie trusted that it would also be showa
that all the necessary functions for carrying on sanatory
improvement were entertained in the Bill, associated
with it a central body, because it was manifest that
superintendence could only be satisfactorily entertained
by one central superintendence and management—that
with respect to waterwork companies, though he
admitted that the Bill allowed a compulsory pur-
chase of them, satisfactory arrangements could be made.
The insertion of such a power was he thought based on
good reasons, but as it was a part which might be
objected to in its details, and the way in which the purchase
was to be regulated with a view to a proper considera-
tion of their claims, he should be ready in Committee
to discuss all its provisions, to give due consideration to
all special clauses and provisions, to see if they have
been wisely and rightly proposed, to see if they could
he properly amended. He hoped, therefore, that the
House would not refuse the Government the pre-
liminary step of going into Committee upon it ;
but that they would proceed to the consideration of it
with an anxious hope to work out that good from it of
which it might be rendered capable; and be would add
that he did feel an anxiety on the subject—an anxiety'
not grounded on any party considerations, still less on
any personal considerations—an anxiety not derived
from any fear of its results, either on the part of the
Government with whom it bad originated, or on the part
of the Member of Parliament who had introduced it; but
an anxiety grounded upon the affecting and appalling
accounts which he daily received from all parts of the
country. and which, lie confessed, had had that effect
upon his mind as almost to induce him to mix an actual
entreaty with the appeal which he now made to the
House, not to refuse to go into Committee, where any
alterations could be made, and not to delay any longer
the prog•ress of the great work of sanatory ref.rm.
Mr. lIORSMAN said if anything had fallen from
him at all disrespectful to the Government, or to the
Noble Lord, who had introduced the Bill, he had to ex-
press his regret. Ile thought, however, that he had
treated the Bill simply as a Government measure,
and as one which would affect a vast num-
ber of the people. If anything had fallen
from him imputing blame to the Noble Lord, ho could
assure him that it gave him great pain.
Mr. MILES opposed the further progress of the Bill,
and in the abstract agreed with the Hon. Gentleman the
Member for Cockermouth (Mr. Horsman) that no one
in that House wished to impute improper or unworthy
motives to the Noble Lord.—(Hear, hear.) Some time
ago it was stated that the Government intended to in-
troduce a measure to improve the sanatory condition of
all large towns; but no one ever thought that the po-
pulous city of London would be exempted from its ope-
ration, especially when so many eminent medical autho-
rities and others connected with the City had urged the
necessity of such a measure. He asked the Government,
in the name of humanity, how they could think of
leaving out the city of London, with its 2,000,000 in-
habitants? Why, they were suffering from the want of
water—from the want of proper drainage, and, in fact
from the want of every necessary.—(Loud laughter.)
No later than the 26th of last May, a deputation from
the parish of Farringdon Without, headed by Dr.
Lynch, waited upon the Lord Mayor, and pointed out
to him the frightful sanatory condition of that ward,
which they stated was one of the most neglected districts
in this respect in the City. Ile did not complain of the
general principle of the Bill ; but he complained of it
because it was partial.—(Hear, hear.) Still, if they
went into Committee upon it, it would have to be de-
bated clause by clause, because it contained many ob-
jectionable provisions. He believed that the intentions
of the Noble Lord were most sincere and praiseworthy;
but the Bill, as it at present stood, was deficient. He
besought him to withdraw it for the present session, and
bring it forward in an amended state during the en-
suing session, when he promised him his support. He
should, unless the Noble Lord gave an assurance of this
kind, feel it his duty to vote against going into Com-
mittee with the Bill.

Lord LINCOLN was unwilling to delay the progress of
the Bill by any observations not pertinent to the sub-
ject with which it was connected, but as he had been
pointed at as the individual who had advised the Noble
Lord to exempt the city of London from its provisions,
he thought it right that he should enter into some ex-
planation. He advised the Noble Lord to exempt the
city of London, because of the length of time which
would be necessary to bring the cumbersome machinery
which would be necessary into play, and from
the facility with which it could be carried
out in other towns less densely populated.
By any observations which he had made, he did not
mean to imply that he approved of the machinery intro-
duced by the Noble Lord, and he was bound to say that
his former objections to that machinery were strength-
ened rather than diminished.—(Hear, hear.) He
would not now enter into any discus ion upon it, as he
thought that the proper place to do so was when the Bill
went into Committee. He was of opinion that the Noble
Lord went far beyond the very sound principle which he
had laid down, namely, " that the proper course
was to have local authority and local superin-
tendence, only assisted by a central authority."
Whereas he had greatly exeeded that object,
and had provided a central authority which would
control and supersede all local authority. lie
was anxious to explain to the house his opinions, and
what were the grounds of his objection to the measure-
of the Noble Lord, as he stated before, he should vote
with the Noble Lord, for going into Committee, and
against the Gallant Colonel, if he intended to divide
the House upon his amendment. because he should be
unwilling that it should be considered that he was ad-
verse to the object sought to be attained by the Bill.
Perhaps he might be allowed to remark that if the
Noble Lord did not intend to proceed with this Bill until
a future session, and if he found that he was unable to
do so, he should al a idon it for this session so' Parliamet t
It would be wise for him to introduce a single clause,
by which a great many important objects of the present
Bill might be obtained, such a clause would not take
more than a week to pass. It would be simply to
enable the Town Council and the Commissioners of
Paving and Lighting to carry into effect the provisions
of the Towns Improvement Consolidation Bill, giving
them an optional power to do so would confer a real and
practical benefit; without such a clause the Bill would be
perfectly inoperative, whereas by passing it they would
give life at d vitality to its very important provisions.
lie should vote for going into Committee.
Sir J. lIANMER said that he happened to represent
one of those to wns which were worst circumstanced (Hull),
as far as regarded sanatory regulations ; and he, ther,-
fore could not avoid saying that he hoped that the Go-
vernment would carry into operation some portion 01
this measure, although they might not be able to reach
every thing which might be desired by carrying out the
present suggestion, a step would be made in a right di-
rection, and a signal benefit would be conferred on the
country before they returned to their constituents.
Mr. HENLEY said he did not intend to vote for going
into Committee, especially as this Bill extended its
provisions to the rural districts ; he did not i know
what the Government intended, but he could tell
them that, according to its present construc-
tion, it was applicable to every acre of land in England.
They shrank from dealing with a great evil when it
existed under their noses, and yet they travelled over
the country to find out plans on which they might exer-
C. 113 their ingenuity. He thought the measure a had mea-
sure, intended to be carried out by bad means. Ile did
not think that the framers of the Bill knew very well
what they were about. Did they know that, after seven
years, by the operation of the Bill, no houses would
remain untaxed ? Did,they mean also to enforce party
walls on ail houses built in small villages ? The thing
was absurd, and yet such was the case under the Towns'
Improvement Bill, which was incorporated with this Bill
in one small clause. He should give his decided oppo-
sition to this measure.
Mr. HUDSON comphined that the Government
dealt out one measure to the City of London, and
another and very different measure to the provinces.
Some Hon. Members did indeed say that the country
districts of England—and one lion. Member had
par-
ticularly referred to the inhabitants of Yotk. —were
H
particularly partial to the measure. e dented that
that was the case. They were desirous of some
sanatory
regulations, but they were decidedly averse to this
measure. But now the matter of sanatory regulations
had been pressed to an unreasonable degree.
He hoped that the House would resist the measure pass-
ing through the llouse this session. The country. was
perfectly sick of the system of centralization, they wished
to attend to their own business themselves.
Lord J. RUSSELL said, that if the lion. Member for
Sunderland were right, that all the corporations were
able to conduct their own business themselves, then there
was no necessity for any legislative interference what-
ever, Lie thought tbat the most consistent course for

those. lion. llembors who objected to tUA...c..telijit,,,,,,r! &_ _
LoT3on from the Bill, would be to go i.rifo_Q\ithmittee,
and propose to add Lor.. :lon ito -E ti:t;*-7--- jiwii A
With respect to the exclusion oft 'Lcatdon>, th 6 -,- - -!`"
Government took the slime view of the\ tnittr.-*-thz,....._ -/..4.
j
Noble Lord opposite (1.4-. rd Lincoln) l'iali.:".aiiikviista's.,
I such attention to the subject, viz , thatch glifpflvtiOillisita,
was necessary for Lonn. lie (Lord J. ii::,-, ici ~7 b.
certainly no party to the exclusion of London from the
Bill, for he thought that there was much need of some
measure of this nature to apply to the city of London.
He hoped that the House would so far approve of the
principle of the Bill as to allow the House to go into
Committee on the subject.
After a few words from Mr. HUDSON in expla-
nation,

Mr. B. DENISON said that the feeling of the West
Riding of Yorkshire was decidedly in favour of the Bill.
Mr. MUNTZ thought that the Bill was a bad Bill, a
vexatious Bill, and a very long and anomalous Bill.
The Bill proposed to exclude a place which needed the
most interference, and included those towns which did
not need it. The people of Birmingham were fully able
to attend to their own sewering and cleansing without the
assistance of a London commissioner. Ile did not like
the idea of those commissions, and the more he saw of
them the less he liked them. How easy it was to mis-
place matters connected with sanatory statistics ! Mr.
Chadwick, in 1841, compared Derrittend with Birming-
ham, in order to show that the mortality of the former
place was much greater, but there was no comparison
between the two places. He should give his strenuous
opposition to the measure.
Mr. REDHEAD YORKE said that the exclusion of
the metropolis was sufficient reason for him to vote
against it.
Strangers were then ordered to withdraw, and the
House divided, when there appeared—
For going into Committee l9l
Against it
Majority
The Bill then went through Committee pro forma.
POOR-LAW ADMINISTRATION BILL.
The report on this Bill was brought up, and on the motion
of the Attorney General, the following clause was added
to the Bill :—" And be it' enacted, that in any civil or
criminal proceeding it shall not be necessary to prove the
sending of the original order of tho Poor-law Commis-
sioners, or of the Commissioners constituting any board
of guardians, in any case in which any persons profess-
ing to form a board in obedience to such order shall have
taken upon themselves to act, and shall have continued
for three years to act in the execution of the laws for
the relief of the Poor ; and in no proceeding shall it be
lawful to question the qualification or validity of the
election of any person as a guardian after the end of
twelve months next following the election, or the time
when the alleged disqualification or want of qualification
of the person against whom such proceeding shall be
directed, shall have arisen."
Mr. SPOONER moved the insertion of the following
clauses:—Clause 19. Provided always, and be it declared
and enacted, that no rule, order, or regulation of the
Poor-law Commissioners heretofore made, or hereafter
to be made, prohibiting the granting of relief to any
able-bodied person, except within the workhouse of the
union, shall remain or continue in force or effect from
and after the passing of this Act. Clause 20. And be
it declared and enacted, that it shall not be
lawful for the Commissioners appointed under
this Act to make or issue any rule, order, or
regulation, prohibiting the granting of relief to any
able- bodied person requiring the same, except within
the workhouses of the union. Clause 21. And be it de-
clared and enacted, that from and after the passing of
this Act, it shall be lawful for every board of guardians
of the poor, and they are hereby respectively empowered
and required to set to work, out of the workhouse of the
union, all such able-bodied persons as shill lawfully re-
quire relief from any pariah within such union ; and to
grant such relief as to the said guardians of the poor
shall seem fit, out of the workhouse of the union, to all
such able-bodied persons so set to work as aforesaid.
Sir GEORGE GREY resisted the adoption of the
clauses, on the ground that they proposed to make an
alteration in the law and not in its administration.
After a short discussion, Mr. SPOONER consented
to withdraw the clauses, and the report was agreed to.
TITHES COMMUTATION BILL.
This Bill went through Committee, and the report was
ordered to be brought up on Monday next.
THE REPRESENTATIVE PEERS (SCOTLAND)
BILL.
This Bill was read a third time anti passed.
POLICE CLAUSES BILL.
This Bill was read a third time and passed.
Mr. STUART WORTLEY gave notice, that on
Monday next he would put a question to the Secretary
for the Home Department whether the Government
would take any means to insure the employment of
Counsel in cases of prosecution for felonies and misde-
meanours, under this Act ?
JOINT STOCK COMPANIES (No. 2) BILL.
This Bill went through Committee, and the report was
ordered to be brought up on Monday.
THREATENING LETTERS BILL.
This Bill passed through Committee, with the addi-
tion of some verbal amendments, and the addition of
the following clause, on the motion of Mr. BODKIN:—
"And in order to prevent justice from being defeated by
clerical or verbal inaccuracies, be it enacted, that in all
informations or indictments for sending, delivering, or
uttering any letter, or writing, the sending, delivering
or uttering of which is made an offence by either of the
before recited Acts, or by this Act, it shall not be neces-
sary to set forth any copy or fac simile thereof, any law
or custom to the contrary notwithstanding."
TRADE EXEMPTION BILL.
This Bill was read a second time.
ECCLESIASTICAL COMMISSION.
Mr. E. DENISON moved the appointment of the
following Select Committee on the Ecclesiastical Com-
mission :—Mr. Evelyn Denison, Sir George Grey, Sir
James Graham, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Mr.
Goulburn, Lord Seymour, Mr. Nichol!, Mr. Baring,
Mr. Acland, Mr. Vernon Smith, Earl of March, Mr.
Aglionby, Sir John Yarde Buller.
Mr. FOSTER complained that the Members of the
Committee did not represent any important or extensive
constituencies ; and considering this and the importance
of !the subject, he begged to suggest the propriety of
the Hon. Gentleman postponing his motion until Mon-
day, when it would come under the attention of a full
House.

Mr. DENISON explained that many of the Hon.
Gentlemen whom he had nominated represented large
constituencies. He was anxious that no time should be
lost in investigating the matter.
Mr. HORSM AN considered that more unexception-
able names could not have been selected.
After some further consideration, the motion was
agreed to.

ROYAL MARINE SERVICE BILL.
This Bill was read a third time and passed.
On the motion of Mr. PARKER, the House at its
rising was ordered to adjourn until Monday.
The House then adjourned at a' Quarter to One
o'clock.

Mr. Sotheron, M.P., had an interview yesterday with.
he Right Hon. Strutt.

CALIFORNIAN CAVALIERS.--The men are generally
tall and handsome, while their dress is far more showy
and elaborate than that of the women. Round a broad-
brimmed hat is tied a parti-coloured cord or handkerchief;
a shirt, which is usually of the finest linen, displays
on the breast a profusion of lace and embroidery ; and
over the shirt is thrown a cotton or silk jacket of the
gayest hues, with frogs on the back, and a regiment of
buttons on the breasts and cuffs. To come next to the
nether man, the pantaloons are split on the outside frcm
the Lip to the foot, with a row of buttons on either edge
of the opening, which is laced together nearly down to
the knee ; round the waist is a silken belt, whioh, to
say nothing of its value as an ornament, serves the utili-
tarian purpose of bracing up the inexpressibles ; and
underneath, through the gaps aforesaid, there peer out
a pair of full linen drawers, and a boot of untanned
deerskin, the boot cn the right leg invariably forming
the scabbard for that constant companion, the knife.
But our dashing friend, to be appreciated by the reader,
must be placed on horseback—the quadruped being
generally as gay as his mater. Tile saddle, which
is encumbered with trappings, rises both before
and behind, while at either side their swings a
olden shovel by way of stirrup. Thus comfortably
deposited on his easy chair and pair of footstools,
the human half of the centaur propels the whole
machine by means of enormous spurs, with
rowels to match, setting rain at defiance from
head to heel, without the help of any of your patent
waterproofs. To say nothing of the broad-brimmed
hat, his legs are protected by a pair of goat-skins, which
are attached to the saddte-boy,, and tied round the
waist, while his body is covered by a blanket of about
eight feet by five, with a hole in the centre for the head.
This blanket, or "serape" appears to be to the vanity of
the men what the bed is to that of the women. It varies
in price, from five dollars to a hundred, sixty dollars
' being the ordinary rate for a fine one ; it is made of
cloth of the most showy colours, sometimes trimmed
with velvet and embroidered with gold. With such
painted and gilded horsemen, anything like industry is
of course out of the question ; and, accordingly, they
spend their time from morning to night in billiard-play-
ing and horse-racing, aggravating the evil of idleness by
ruinously heavy bets.—Simpson's Overland Journey
B: and the World.

A TRAP FOR TRADESMEN, &C.—Satan, in the
shape of an " accommodating" firm, has been sending
circulars among our neighbours, offering the " temporary
assistance" for a " moderate per centage." " Money or
bills, to speculate or trade with," may be had to any rea-
sonable amount ; and borrowers may rely, with the most
perfect cunfiderr..T, upon every transaction being kept
snug. The arch-fiend recounts every possible emergency
in which a " merchant, manufacturer, tradesman,
or private gentleman of respectability"
may stand in
need of a " bilk" and offers to take goods from his
victims for conversion into money. A more nefarious
circular was never issued. There is roguery in. every
line of it. No honest man cld ommunication
With with its contrivers ;—to The first truly and
to " sell himself to thedae
I be the beginningof
a
do
h:violo.ld,,
action with such a gang woLle-v.ew.
miserable end.—Nottingham
A splendid take of sa.rn I vs as GI Saturday, the
sth instant, brought ashore on the south side of Pol-
Marstaig, by Mr. Mackenzie and a party from Aviemore
Inn. The part where the net was hauled is well known
as the best situation in the neighbourhood. There have
been: no extraordinary takes of salmon in the river
Beauly this season, but they have been uniformly pro-
ductive, and the fish have run larger than in general ;
so thut the season may be considered, on the whole, an
excellent one. Grilse are now making their appearance
in large numbers ; end as many as from thirty to forty
are taken daily. It is expected that as the year ad-
vances they will continue to increase in numbers. The
same remarks apply to the Conan, where the grilse have
also made a very promising commencement.—lnverness
, Courier.

NAVIGATION LAWS.
The Select Committee appointed to inquire into the
operation of the navigation laws met on Thursday.
There were present Mr. M. Gibson (chairman), Mr.
Alderman Thompson, Mr. Mitchell, Mr. Liddell, Sir
George Clerk, Mr. Ricardo, Admiral Dundas, Sir
Howard Douglas, and Mr. Lyall.
Mr. Cumming, the witness who was under examina-
tion on Tuesday, was recalled, and examined.
By Mr. Alderman Thompson—He had ascertained
that the Swedish ship Sir Charles Forbes, five years old,
had been insured at Lloyd's for twelve months at eight
guineas per cent. He did not know that this was the
ordinary rate of premium, as there were so few Swedish
ships insured in this country. He should certainly be
surprised if Alderman Thompson produced seventeen
policies of insurance on Swedish ships by one house, in
the course of three years, at six guineas. So far as his
own knowledge went he was not aware of Swedish ships
being insured at less than eight guineas per cent. The
The premium on a British ship going to the Baltic and
home in the fall of the year went as high as 60s. or 705.,
or even higher than that. He should infer that there
was a greater risk in insuring a ship in the Baltic trade,
whose home was in the Baltic, than another ship whose

home was in England, as it was more dangerous to
navigate the Baltic in winter than the English seas.
That, therefore, might in fact account for the higher
premium charged on foreign ships. A British ship of
the first class for a voyage from Liverpool to Calcutta
and back would be insured for 70s. per cent. He had
known two French ships to have been insured for a simi-
lar voyage at 80s. per cent. He had no experience from
which to speak with regard to Swedish and Dutch ships
for the Calcutta voyage. He would insure a first-class
Dutch ship for the voyage from Holland to Java and
back at six guineas. He preferred the Java voyage to
the voyage to the East Indies. A Liverpool ship to
Jaia would be insured at 51. 10s. per cent.
By Admiral Dundas—Other things being equal he
should be inclined to insure ships whose officers had un-
- Zergone an examination.
ByM.r. Ricardo—He was sorry to say the general
im-
pression was that the foreign captains and crews were
more temperate, more intelligent, and better educated
than.Rriglish captains and crews, excepting ships of the
first class.

By the Chairman—The rate of insurance always be-
' gran to rise rapidly after the Ist of August, and con-
tinued high till the 12th of January following.
By Mr. Ricardo—The American ships were navi-
gated with fewer hands than British ships ; yet he had
insured an American ship at a lower rate than an Eng-
lish ship of the same class, and it was probable that the
former vessel might have been the weaker of the two.
The impression was that the Americans took more care
• of their cargoes. They used more machinery on board
their vessels, and the consequence was four or five men
were enabled to perform as much work as it would take
seven or eight men to perform on board British ships.
Mr. Jansen, a ship-broker and underwriter, was next
examined.
By Mr. Mitchell—He had given a paper to Mr. Young,
which that gentleman had laid before the committee, re-
garding the equality of insurances on British and foreign
ships. He believed that he had added some qualification
to the opinion when he signed the paper; but he was not
sure that he had done so ; and he was prepared to
authenticate the statement as it stood. There might be
a difference under certain circumstances of a half per
. cent... in ,the insurance of a Dutch as compared With a
British ship. With regard to the Swedish ships he
thought, allowing for the difference of risks, that they
were insured at a half per cent. lower than the English
ships. With respect to Prussian ships in the Baltic
trade they were done at 4 per cent. higher than English
ships, but that difference was entirely ascribable to the
difference of the voyages. The value of the ship was an
element in the calculation of premiums, but not equal to
the character of the captain or of the cargo. In fact the
character of the ship was the last element in the cal-
culation.

By Admiral Dundas—He was not of opinion that the
English captains were more intemperate than foreign
captains ; but be believed that they were more reckless,
and frequently pressed on more sail at times, when
foreign captains, who were more prudent, would shorten
sail. Again, it was often found that an English captain
would put to sea in weather when a foreign captain
would reef close in harbour.
By the Chairman—He thought that marine insurances
tended very much to encourage shipping.
By Admiral Dundas—He thought that the intention
of the navigation laws was wrong, but there were a
great many other wrong things in the world.—(Laughter.)
He was of opinion that these laws tended in their opera-
tion to make the few richer, and the many poorer. He
could not say what might be the effect if the trade of
this country was in the hands of foreigners, or whether
that would happen from the repeal of the navigation
laws. He was an insurance broker and not a legislator.
Mr. Carruthers, another underwriter, was next ex-
amined.

By Mr. Mitchell—He was prepared to confirm the
letter he had written to the Hon. Member regarding the
difference in the rates of insurance between British and
foreign ships. He did not agree with Mr. Jansen that
the reason why Prussian ships were insured higher tha❑
English ships was that the latter carried more valuable
cargoes, for in point of fact he (Mr. C.) believed that the
one carried as valuables cargoes as the other. He always
found that underwriters looked to the value of the ship
itself as an essential element in ealeula'ing the rate of
premium. He had never heard that such an opinion was
entertained at Lloyd's of the superiority of foreign over
British captains as to counterbalance the superiority of
English over foreign ships. He concurred generally in
the evidence given by Air. Cumming.
By Mr. Alderman Thompson—He thought that eight
guinees per cent. would be a fair average for all English
,ships engaged in the Baltic trade, but he believed that
ships had been insured in that trade at less than seven
guineas, but they were not done for twelve months, but
for the season during which the Baltic trade was open.
The,Committee adjourned till Tuesday, at 12 o'clock.

. , •
LECTURES ON THE SLAVONIC
NATIONS.
On Thursday afternoon, Count Valerian Krasinski
,:delivered his fifth lecture on the political and intellectual
development and present condition of the Slavonic nap
tions, at Willis's Rooms. The lecturer commenced by
calling the attention of his hearers to the latter portiont
of his, last lecture, which he stated went very far tO
prove that the population of Russia was composed or a
-mixed number of parties, whose creeds as well as lan-
guage were different in every way to each other. He
Idikawise glanced at the state of the Slavonic nations
during the eleventh century, when they were ravaged
abroad by the depredations of the blood-thirsty and in;
satiable Tartars, their most deadly enemies, and at home
'were subject to the fierce despotism of the tyrants who
sat upon their thrones ; one of whom carried his bar-
., barif,im and cruelty to such a fearful height as to have
many of his subjects put to the most excruciating deaths
that a wicked mind could possibly conceive, in order
that he might delight himself with the torments
of the suffering victims. In proof of this the
Count related-two instances. The regal murderer hayes
tinsfancied that a conspiracy wan on foot to dethrone
him, and that the conspirators had assembled in a cer-
„lain village, repaired thither, and put the whole of the
inhabitants to the sword. On another occasion, he
ordered a large number of his subjects to be driven into
the river for the purpose of his beholding them drown.
The_Count also observed that the Muscovites and the
Russians were races distinct of themselves, and ought
not to be confounded with each other, although it was
the present policy of the Russian Cabinet to consider
them as one and the same people. Leaving these dark
and sombre passages in his address, the Lecturer turned
his attention to the more pleasing topic of the progress
made by the Russians in literature and the liberal arts,
The Emperor Alexis, he stated, had made many im-
provements, by giving a new code of laws, which, in
accordance with a certain rule, was enforced by deputies.
Of Peter the Great, he remarked, that that Emperor
had, by his extreme anxiety to arrive at a state of the
utmost perfection, as regarded his army and navy, as it
were almost converted his people into foreigners, by
taking persons of all lands into the important offices of
his kingdom ; and he introduced the present system of
rank in the aristocracy. He, however, did small things
to advance the liberty of his country. But little, the
Lecturer stated, was done in the way of literature until
the reign of the Empress Catharine, when several
useful and instructive works were translated and pub-
lished at the expense of the Government. This Em- ,
press also assembled the various Deputies, in order,
with their aid and advice, to concoct another code of
laws ; she was, however, frightened at some words
which came from the mouth of one of the Deputies, and
alarmed at the state of France at the time, dismissed the
Deputies with her thanks and an honourable medal
each. Ahout this time also a lodge of Freemasons, who
had done much good in the country, was dispersed by
her orders, and the members desired to retire to their

country seats for awhile. The Empress Elizabeth also
did much by way of improving the state of her country;
many valuable books being translated and published at
the Government expense. The Lecturer then thanked
his auditors, and informed them that for certain reasons
his lecture intended for delivery nest Saturday would be
deferred for a few days.
The lecture was attended by a select and highly-
respectable company, who appeared much interested in
the details laid before
them.

HERRING Tiaitti--------
1.1-yicx, JUNE 10.—We have
had 486 barrels of herrings landed here, since our lust report, makir,
ported this season. Alewa total of 1,459 barrels im-
in.
the prime herrings were caught
week. They were all used
on the hooks, early
for bait. Several unsuccessful attempts have been
,:.made since. An effort will be made with nets
We learn that what are called the
very soon.
Fraserburgh
" shore dues' trans " were sold at Eraserh h
Urg , labt
in nßaymetohfeshore dues, for
week, at 19s.
boatper pcaryasn:
Harbour Act, each
the season, the first cran of herrings brought ashore by
.theal bringing no inconsiderable amount of revenue
,to the harbour. The purchaser, this year, is Mr. David
Milne, fishcurer. Latest accounts from Stettin are a
shade more ' fay.urable. The potato blight had not
made its apppearance, which bad a natural tendency to
:raise prices. No decided re-action will, however, take
. place, until the season is so far advanced as to enable
parties to know definitely the result of that crop.
Everywhere,-.along the east coast, preparations for the
. approaching fishing are being made, both by fishcurer
and fishermen. From present appearances, the number
-•ot. boats fulling at the various stations will be under
that of previous years.—John O'Groat Journal.
t Dr. Gutzlaff records a remarkable effect of the
- British invasion of China. The natives expected that
their idols would repel the invaders, but seeing them
unable to make the least resistance, even to save them-
- selves from the hands of an excited soldiery, veneration
gave way to contempt. The idols having proved their
worthlessness, the Chinese refuse to worship them, and
4he shrines and the priests are deserted. I

RAILWAY COMMITTEES,

HOUSE OF COMMONS.-(YESTERDAY.)
GROUP VI.

BRISTOL AND EXETER (TAUNTON AND

CASTLE CART BRANCH).

The Committee met at the usual hour.
The first witness called was Mr. Porch, residing at
Glastonbury, magistrate of the county of Somerset, and
partner in Stuckey's Banking Company, who was called
for the purpose of giving general evidence in favour of
the line, as it would affect the interests of the town of
Glastonbury.
Mr. Dickinson, M.P. for West Somerset, also gave
evidence in favour of the proposed line.
The remainder of the day was occupied in hearing
evidence in favour of the Bill.
The Committee adjourned till twelve on Monday.