The Sun.
London, England, 1846-08-03 00:00:00

THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE.

We are glad to see a letter quoted here, from the
Marh Lane Express, in which the writer says " Sir
Robert Peel has conferred a great boon upon the coun-
try by a repeal of the corn-laws :—I cannot believe Sir
R. Peel would have consented to remain in the House
of Commons to assist in carrying out other commercial
reforms, if he had not the good of his country at heart,
and more particularly so after having submitted to the
most insolent and degrading language that ever fell
from the lips of man.". The mere admission of such
sentences into a professedly agricultural periodical is a
point gained in favour of justice and fair-play, which
latter, as everybody knows, is a jewel. It is satisfac-
tory also to observe a very great modification in the
reprehensive language employed against the obnoxious
freedom of importation to foreign grain. Though a
considerable reduction is declared to have taken place
recently in the prices of grain the Farmer's Magazine
acknowledges that "it would be unfair " to attribute
that reduction altogether to the Parliamentary realisa-
tion of Free Trade. We welcome this spirit of con-
cession cordially, and expect before very long to find
the Protectionists among the warmest admirers of the'
late League. " Wonders will never cease." The
Farmer's Magazine for August is commendable.

report :

MR.O'CONNELL'S REPLY TO THE

HON. C. LAWLESS.

British Hotel, Jermyn-street, July 28, 1846.
My dear Sir,—Meaning you, of course, no kind of dis-
respect, yet I cannot avoid saying that I was sincerely sorry
at receiving your letter of the 18th instant. lam still more
sorry that you thought it right to publish that letter, be-
cause it necessarily imposes upon me the painful act of a
public reply.
You are—it need not be said—entitled to every kind of
courtesy in manner and in expression, as well as in substance.
Nobody can be less inclined than I am to stint or limit that
courtesy , but I am bound to tell you the whole truth, and
not conceal from you any of the sentiments, however grievous
to me, that your later has oxcitpd_
Addressing you, therefore, with entire civility, and, at the
same time, with perfect candour, I am reduced to the un-
pleasant necessity of telling you that your letter fills me
with anxious fears that Ireland has little to expect from
any exertion of yours. I say this, because in bitter sorrow I

perceive how trivial the pretext is upon which you decline
joining in the struggle for Irish nationality.
Yet how glorious is that cause—how glorious is the strug-
gle for elevating one's native land from provincial degrada-
tion to legislative independence!
Ireland once had a Parliament of her own. The unsuspi-
cious testimony of the late Lord Clare, and of Mr. Pitt, prove
the extent and rapidity of the improvement of Ireland from
the period of the independence of her Parliament until the

fatal day of the Union.
Ireland was deprived of that Parliament by the foulest
means by which liberty was ever struck down—fraud and
corruption, and brute force.
How is it possible that you cannot discover the indignity
offered to your native land, and to yourself personally, by the
practical assertion, as a matter of fact, that Englishmen and
Scotchmen are,fitter to legislate for Ireland than ace the Irish
to make laws for themselves?
Let me now bring you to the pretext under which you de-
cline to join us. Your words are :
"Lord Milltown suggested the formation of an Irish party
to assist the Ministry, if willing to do justice to Ireland. You
state in your reply that the repealers are determined to do
so. This, my dear sir, is the very point I should wish to see
proved, for a doubt of this has alone prevented my joining
the Association."

Thus, you refuse to join the Association because you doubt
whether I and my fellow-repealers are determined to assist
the Ministry in doing justice to Ireland. How can you doubt
it? I, who take a leading part in the Association, stated
that fact to you as one within my own knowledge, and one
that I was, and am, perfectly ready to realise by my conduct.
I am here to assist the Ministry in doing justice to Ireland.
Every other repeal Member who shall be elected must avow
his readiness to attend, to assist the Ministry in doing justice
to Ireland. It is not possible, I think, for any man reason-
ably to doubt the sincerity with which we repeaters declare
and exhibit our determination to assist the present Ministry
to do justice to Ireland.
Upon your own showing, therefore, we are entitled to your
joining us immediately.
But you have an excuse—you allege a fact—you refuse to
join the Association for the following reason :—You allege
that Mr. Sheil is a man of powerful talent—a statement
which everybody must admit—you allege that it was with
difficulty that I prevented his being opposed in his election
for Dungarvan.
Such is your excuse for not being a member of the Asso-
ciation.

I mean no disrespect whatsoever when I say, there never
was a more futile excuse for neglecting a great national
duty.
In the first place, let us dispose of the fact, and that the
mere readily because it is infinitely more strong in favour of
your excuse than your own statement—the truth being that
I went to Ireland, not to prevent Mr. Shell being opposed
in his election, but to assist in having him opposed by a re-
pealer—if he could be so opposed with a reasonable prospect
of success.
Take the dates. On Friday the writ for Dungarvan was
moved for; on Saturday I started for Liverpool, and on Sun-
day night went across to attend the AssoCiation on Monday,
at one o'clock.
Monday came, and I attended the Association, but no in-
formation reached us during the day of any movement in
Dungarvan, or of any candidate in the repeal interest.
I therefore moved that the matter should be referred to the
committee.
Tuesday came, and for the first time we had a communica-
tion from Dungarvan, stating that the election was to take
place the ensuing Saturday, leaving only an interval of
three days, and also informing me that the repealers of Dun-
garvan were divided, many of them being of opinion that
there ought not to be a contest with so little time to pre-
pare; and several repealers—among whom were some of the
most influential—having already promised to the agent of
Mr. Sheil their votes for that election.
Thursday—the committee-day—arrived, and there was no
further information about Dungarvan. We of the committee
examined strictly and minutely the list of the voters of
Dungarvan, and we were of opinion, with the exception of
one or two, that there was not the least prospect of success-
' fully opposing Mr. Shell at the election, which was to take
place the next day but one.
Some few there were who thought that Dungarvan ought
to be contested at all events, even with the certainty of de-
feat. The majority of the committee were of opinion, as so
was I, that such a course would be vexatious and unbe-
coming, and it was not adopted.
Thus, therefore, if there be anything in your argument,
it is strengthened, not weakened, by the determination of
the repealers—a determination which I coincide in, to sub-
stitute a repealer for Mr. Sheil, if that were practicable.
Its impracticability is manifest, there being from the time
the committee met but one day between us and the election.
Thus I meet your excuse in front. I take the bull by the
horns. I admit that all the repealers desire to have a re-
pealer returned for Dungarvan instead of Mr. Shell.
Now, I do most respectfully implore of you to consider the
amount of the objection which you raised against joining the
national cause. It is just this—because the repealers should
prefer a repealer to Mr. Sheil as a Member for Dungarvan.
Recollect, also, I pray you, that if a repealer had been re-
turned in Mr. Shell's place, that repealer would also join with
me in assisting the Government (just what you desire) to do
justice to Ireland.
I know full; well how little chance there is to convince a
public man by a public letter ; and yet I do not see how you
can resist joining the Association, at least without abandon-
ing your professed principle of action.
You say you would join the Association if we were ready
to assist the Government in doing justice to Ireland. We
are ready—most ready to assist the Government in that
great work. Why do you not at once determine to assist us ?
There never was, and there never will be, a period at which
your presence in the Association would do so much good—
it would repair the unhappy feud which the physical force
men have created in the Association—it would restore us all
to agitation by peaceable means alone.
You could, as a matter of course—Lord Cloncurry's son
could, as a matter of course—command a repealer's seat in
Parliament.
I urge this upon you, as that seat would give you an op-
portunity of judging of the perfect sincerity of (I use your
own words) " our hearty co-operation with the present Go-
vernment in all the acts of atonement which Lord John
Russell has held out to us."
I have the honour to be, very respectfully, my dear Sir,
your faithful and sincere servant,
DANIEL O'CONNELL.

THE FALL OF RArrt.—During the storm of Satur-
day a depth of rain equal to four and a half Inches fell, and yester-
day morning there was an additional half inch of rain, making the
total depth of live inches. As the average depth of rain in a year in
the neighbourhood of London does not much exceed twenty inches,
we have had nearly the quantity of three months fall of rain within
twenty-four hours.
FOOTPATHS STOPPED BY A RAILWAY.—On Saturday
an investigation tool: place before the magistrates at Richmond, rela-
tive to an alleged infringement of private and public rights by the
Richmond Railway Company. Mr. Spence, an inhabitant of Mort-
lake, stated that the company had erected a wooden bridge, with
high steps to it, leading to the church, which bridge was a nuisance
to every one, but was particularly unpleasant to ladies, from the ab-
sence of side-boards, or bannisters. Re also said the old road had
been fenced, and made private property. Several other inhabitants
eomplainei of the infringement, which, they stated, kept them from
entering their own property in the manner they had been accustomed
to. The chairman said he was sorry he could not interfere, as the
Railway Act was worded in a particular manner, but he thought
they might get redress in one of the superior Courts if they would
incur the expense.
BOROUGH AND COUNTY VOTERS.—On Saturday, the
lists of voters entitled to vote for boroughs and cities, as also those
who claim to vote for counties, for Members of Parliament for the
several borough cities and divisions of counties in England and
Wales, were posted on the doors of the churches and chapels in each
parish, signed by the respective overseers of such parishes, and are
to continue so posted until the 15th of August, under the provisions
of the Registration of Voters' Act. By the 6th of Victoria, cap. 18,
see. 25, any persons wilfully damaging, defacing, or altering such
lists, are liable to a penalty of 40s. All persons entitled to vote, or
who have claimed to vote in respect of occupation or property within
such parish, should therefore examine such lists, and see that their
names and places of abode are correctly described therein, so as to
entitle them to vote at any ensuing election.
CHATHAM, AUG. I.—This morning at seven o'clock
eight detachments, selected from the provisional battalion assembled
on the parade ground, to the number of 325 men of the following
corps, 511 Foot, 17th, 22d, 28th, 60th, Ist battalion of Rifles, 86th,
25th, King's Own Borderers, and 78th Highlanders, and after being
inspected each man was provided with the articles of war ; they were
then marched off the ground en route for Gravesend, attended by the
drums and fifes of the provisional battalion, for embarkation on board
the ship Ann for Bombay and Cananore. The troops on leaving the
barracks were cheered by their comrades assembled to witness their
departure. Seven officers embarked with the above, also ten men
belonging to the 10th Hussars (the Prince of Wales's Own) from the
cavalry depot at 'Maidstone. Captain James Knox is in command of
the ship.
CRICKET. -- KENT V. SUSSEX, -- This match was
brought to a conclusion on Saturday, when the result was 84 runs In
favour of Kent.
ETON v. HAnnow.—This match was resumed on
Saturday, and, as was to be anticipated from the disproportion in the
two elevens, brought to a conclusion in favour of Lten. The Mir-
rowians were beaten in one innings by 135 runs.
ACCIDENT THROUGH THE BURSTING OP A CANNON.
..-On Friday afternoon the Mercers' Company made an excursion to
Richmond, and when off the Wandsworth Distillery were saluted
by firing some small cannon. One of them burst, inflicting such in-
jury on William Goodge, the man who fired it, as to deprive his
friends of all hope of his ultimate recovery. His nose was lite-
rally cut off, and he received several severe scalp wounds. Ile was
taken, in a state of great agony, to St. Geerge's Hospital.
According to letters from Rome, his Highness the
Popo intends shortly tO 14a0 through the PrOVlnCea of the
.RoUJAII NAM.

REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE
ON VOTES OF ELECTORS.
The following report has been delivered among the
Parliamentary papers printed by order of the House of
Commons :
The Select Committee appointed to inquire into the
alleged facilities afforded to vexatious and fraudulent
objections and fraudulent claims by the present system
of registration of county voters for Members of Parlia-
ment ; and to whom- several petitions, alleging the ex-
istence of an organised and extensive system of fraudu-
lent and vexatious objections to the votes of duly quali-
fied electors, were refer red ; and who were empowered
to report their observations and opinion thereupon from
time to time to the House ; have agreed to the following

In pursuing the inquiry committed to their charge,
your Committee have found it their first duty to go into
the matter of the several petitions referred to them, com-
plaining of abuses in the way of objecting to country
voters alleged to have been vexatiously raised by the
Anti-Corn-law League ; and for this purpose they have
examined, besides several gentlemen who have acted as
revising barristers, parties connected, on the one hand,
with the counties from which the petitions emanated, to
substantiate the alleged grievance, and, on the other
hand, with the Anti-Corn-law League, to explain the pro-
ccedings complained of, their object, and the results.
They have also gone, though with less fullness, into
the other branch of the inquiry committed to them ;
viz. the facilities for making fraudulent claims, which
the present system of registration may be supposed to
afford ; and on this head, perhaps, it will be convenient
at once to bring forward the few observations which your
Committee have to offer.
There is no doubt that, according to the law as it now
stands, facilities do exist for creating votes, by a system
of granting rent charges to the amount of 405., and of
splitting up property into small freeholds of that value ;
and such facilities have been taken advantage of by dif-
ferent parties, at different times, and in different degrees,
for the purpose of increasing electoral influence through
the means of individuals so put upon the register. In
many cases, these new electors are in no other way con-
nected with the respective counties, and in some in-
stances, as in the case of rent-charges, they bear no
share in the county burdens.
It is held by the Courts that such divisions of pro-
perty, although made for the express purpose of multi-
plying voices in elections, are not within the meaning of
the 7th and Bth William 111., c. 25, commonly called the
Splitting Act ; but that a " conveyance made in comple-
tion of s bona _fide contract of sale, where the moue.),
passes from the buyer to the seller, and the possession
also from the seller to the buyer, and where there is no
secret reservation on trust on the part of the seller, is
not avoided by reason of the object or motive of the pur-
chaser and seller being to multiply voices at an election."
In consequence of this decision, it has been suggested
to your Committee, that it would be desirable to check the
practice of splitting up tenements into many qualifica-
tions, which has, during the last two years, acquired a
new extension, either by bringing it within the provisions
of the Act of William M., or by raising the qualification
out of rent charges and freeholds, where the holder is not
resident within the county or division of the county of
which he claims to vote, from 40s. to 101. On this latter
suggestion, being rather a question of general policy
than properly belonging to the province of your Com-
mittee, they forbear from offering an opinion ; on the
former a recommendation will be found in No. 2 of the
Suggestions at the end of the report. Before, however,
they quit this subject, they feel called upon to state,
after a full investigation of the facts, that in the case of
the numerous small freeholds of this nature which have
been recently created under the influence of the Anti-
Corn-law League, they have no reason to believe
(although the freeholds were acquired avowedly for the
purpose of obtaining votes for a particular object) that
they have been paid for otherwise than out of the funds
of the purchasers themselves. The League have, ho w-
ever, contributed to this object, by affording, in many
cases, the assistance of their agents to facilitate the ne-
gotiations and purchases ; for which purpose, also, the
sums paid by persons desiring qualifications in various
counties have been collected into accounts with certain
bankers to the credit of certain agents of the Anti-
Corn-law League.
With regard to the power of making objections, which
has mainly occupied the attention of your Committee,
they think it will be convenient first to state the change
which has been made in the law upon that subject by
the recent Act for " Amending the Registration of
Voters." Under the Reform Act the objector was to
give notice of his objection to the person objected to, or
he was to leave it at his place of abode, as described in
the list, or he was to deliver it personally to the tenant
in occupation of the premises. Under the present Act
(0 and 7 Vict. c. 18.) the objector is to give the notice
of objection to the person objected to, or he is to leave it
at his place of abode, as described by the list ; and when-
ever his place of abode is not in the parish or township
to which such list relates, he is also to give or leave a
duplicate notice at the residence of the occupying tenant.
The most material alteration, however, made by the re-
cent Act is, that the production of a duplicate, stamped
by the postmaster, of the notico, of any of these objec-
tions, is made conclusive evidence of the service of the
notice.
An alleged abuse arising out of this new facility of
proving the service of objections, is one of the principal
grounds of complaint. It is alleged that, taking ad-
vantage of this provision, the agents of the Anti-Corn-
law League posted at Manchester on the 22d, 23d,
and 24th of August last, but mostly on the 24th, the
last day permitted by the law, many thousand notices of
objection (the Postmaster at Manchester states them,
including duplicate notices to overseers and occupying
tenants, at upwards of 23,000), principally directed
against voters for North Warwickshire, North and South
Cheshire, North Staffordshire, South Lancaster, East
Gloucestershire and Buckinghamshire ; so late, and
in such numbers, that the Postmaster was not
able to dispatch them for several days suc-
cessively ; and that a very large proportion of
such notices consequently did not reach their desti-
nation till long after the time contemplated by the
law—in some cases after the day appointed by the Act
for the overseers to notify publicly the objections made.
It is alleged that these notices were in a very large pro-
portion, directed against persons of undoubted qualifica-
tion, men of large property in houses and land within
the respective districts, tenants of large farms, and other
persons of that description, on the chance, as they ima-
gine, of such parties, or some of them, not appearing
to defend, and thus losing their votes ; that in fact a
large number of unquestionable votes was thus struck
off for want of such appearance, the parties objected
to being in many cases prevented from attending by
remoteness of residence, illness, business, unwillingness
to lose their time, or, as in some cases, on the conviction
that the notices which had been delivered be-
yond the time appointed by the law were informal ;
and it is also stated that a very small proportion
of such objections proved on examination to be valid ;
while the redress intended to be provided for such cases
by the late Registration Act, in the power conferred on
revising barristers to award costs, was withheld or re-
fused, except in a few instances; either because the ob-
jector having failed to sustain one objection, declined to
attempt to sustain any more, and was thus enabled, ac-
cording to the interpretation put upon the Act, to with-
draw himself altogether from liability to costs, or else
because some trifling amendment in the description was
required in the opinion of the revising barrister; and
that by reason of a rule generally laid down by revising
barristers, that no costs shall ever be allowed when an
amendment, however trifling, is admitted in the descrip-
tion, the claimant was in such cases precluded from ob-
taining comnensation for his loss of time or the trouble
imposed on him in sustaining his vote.
Complaint is further made, that the agents of the
League, in most cases, did not even attempt to sustain a
serious objection, but confined themselves to raising some
trifling objection as to the description, to shield them-
selves from costs, and it is also stated that, in the cases
of South Cheshire and North Warwickshire, persons
were selected as objectors, who, having notices so
numerous to sign in so short a time that they could not
get through them themselves, delegated that task, to a
great extent, to others, who signed their names for them,
and thus created many invalid notices ; the invalidity of
which, when established, was held to be a reason for
not giving costs to the voter who appeared to answer
them, though, if he had not appeared, ho world hare lost
his vote for non-appearance.
Now, on this statement, the main points, which appear
to be disputed by the other party, are not as to the
number of objections served, nor that a large proportion
of them were served on parties of undoubted qualifica-
tions. The numbers stated by the chairman of the
League, when analysed, will be found to vary in no
material degree from those of the complainants. The
main difference is in the proportion claimed as suc-
cessful, and in the inference to be consequently drawn
from such proportion, as to the vexatious or justifiable
use which shall be held to have been made by the League
of the opportunities of objection offered by the law.
On this point the conclusions drawn by the respective
parties do materially differ; and on neither side is
such evidence adduced as can lead to a very accurate
conclusion. The details of what takes place in the
revising barristers' courts are not matter of official
record, and the best information to be gained re-
specting them is, in most cases, derived from im-
perfect recollection, or from the notes of the contending
parties taken hastily on the spot, and communicated,
possibly with some exaggeration, to the party papers in
the respective counties. Besides which, a different esti-
mate of success will always be taken as an evidence of
justification by different contending parties.
The Chairman of the League claims on his side as suc-
cessful all ojections which terminated either in amending
the description of a vote or in expunging a name ;
whether, in the latter case, the name was expunged
upon an investigation of the qualifications, or by reason
of the non-appearance of the voter ; whether the name
had been already struck out, or the description
amended, at the instance of the overseer, or whether
the alteration was solely due to the interposition of the
League.
On the other hand, the complainants admit to the
credit of the League only those cases in which a really
bad vote was struck off upon the hearing of the case, and
where, but for the interference of the agent of the
League, the vote would not have been struck off.
One party conceives itself entitled to serve notices
upon every voter, in the description of whose claim the
smallest error can be discovered, and maintains its right
to do so, not only on grounds of strict law, but also as
acting in the spirit of the law, and as the only means by
which such accuracy of description can be secured as
will provide a pure register, and enable parties to
examine into the real sufficiency of the qualification.
The other party mainly looks at the hardship of ex-
posing the voter to the chance of being compelled to
prove his vote, however undoubted, year by year, and of
obliging him to come up to the Court of Revision, at what-
ever distance he may be residing, and at whatever
incoverdence, frequently when the C 41130 is trivial ernis-

sion or a technical error ; and that at no real peril o
costs. to the objector, who may only attempt to sustain
las objection against the parties not appearing, with
wh m it is evident he runs no risk, for if they do not
appear he is certain of success, and if they do appear
he withdraws his objection.
According to the different views of this subject which
may be taken, different conclusions will, of course, be
drawn as to the proportion of the objections, made by
the League which were really very vexatious, or how
far the League were justified, upon the whole, in the
general tenor of their course in this respect by the
reasons assigned. The investigation, however, fully
establishes the fact, that under the law, as it now stands,
the bona fide voter is exposed to the possibility of such
vexation and annoyance, that he might easily be deterred
from coming forward to support his vote, however well
entitled to it, and that, practically speaking, he has
neither protection nor redress.
tinder the circumstances, your Committee beg to offer
the following suggestions, which they hope may prove
to be a material improvement in the registration of
voters, combining protection and encouragement to the
bona fide voter with sufficient security tor keeping the
register pure and in a state of intelligible and accurate
description.

SUGGESTIONS.
1. That the operation of the Act of 7th and Bth
William 111., c. 25, s. 7, commonly called the Splitting
Act, should be extended to all conveyances, grants, con-
tracts or holdings made or given by the same party out
of the same tenement, for the purpose of " multiplying
voices in an election," notwithstanding that such con-
veyances shall have been made bond fide, and the pur-
chase-money paid, and though the possession may be
really transferred, without any secret reservation on
trust for the seller.

2. That any person who has established his right to
vote by sufficient proof to the satisfaction of the revising
barrister may require him to write " Proved" against
his name, and he shall then be entitled to the privileges
conferred on a " proved registered voter;" but every per-
son intending to vote shall give notice to the overseer of
his intention to do so, and the overseer shall enter against
his name in the register or list of claimants the words.
" Claims to prove his vote ;" and any person on the re-
gister may at the time of revision object to such vote
without previous notice.
3. That a claimant to be registered shall insert the
post town of his place of abode in his notice of claim ;
and that in all cases where the notice of objection is served
by the post, the party objecting shall insert in the direc-
tion the post town stated in the notice of claim.
4. That the objector shall reside within the limits of
the same polling district as that in which the parity ob-
jected to claims to be registered,
5. That a double entry of the same name for a dif-
ferent qualification shall constitute a ground of ob-
jection.

6. That the party objecting shall be bound to state
generally the nature of his objection (that is to say) ;
that he objects under ono or more of these heads:-1.
"On the merits of the qualification." 2. "On the
ground of misdescription." 3. "On the ground of a
double entry."
7. That if he objects on " the merits of the qualifica-
tion," he shall be confined to questions arising out of
the third column.

8. That if he objects " on the ground of misdescrip-
tion," he shall be allowed to point out any errors, emis-
sions, mistakes, or inaccuracies in the first, second, and
fourth columns, or any mere verbal error in the third
column; but he shall not be allowed, under that form of
objection, to go into the merits or nature of the quali-
fication.

9. That on an objection on the ground of double entry
only, he shall be confined to that head of objection.
10. That for each notice of objection to voters on the
register the party objecting shall deposit 2s. 6d. with
the overseers of the parish in which the property is
situated, to abide the event of the revising barrister's
decision.
_

11. That any person, being a " proved registered
voter," whose vote is objected to " on the merit of quali-
fication," shall be entitled, on establishing his vote a
second time, to recover, as of right, the sum of 40s. from
the party objecting, over and above the 2s. 6d. which
the party objecting had deposited with the overseers.
12. That any person already on the register, other
than a "proved registered voter," whose claim is objected.
to on the merits of qualification, shall be entitled, on.
establishing his vote, to recover the sum of 2s. 6d.,
which the party objecting had deposited with the over—
seers, and such additional sum, not exceeding in the
whole sum of 405., as the revising barrister, according
to his discretion, shall think fit to award.

13. That where a party has only been objected to "on
the ground of misdescription," and the revising barrister
has anything to add or to alter in his claim, he shall not
be entitled to any casts whatever ; but where the revis-
ing barrister has nothing to add to or to alter in his claim,
he shall be entitled to the 2s. 6d., which the party ob-
jecting had deposited with the overseer, and also sueh
additional sum, not exceeding the sum of 405., as the
revising barrister, according to his discretion, shall think
fit to aw ard.

14. That a party objected to on the ground of misde-
scription, shall be at liberty to make a declaration of
what he considers tc be the proper description of his
claim to vote, before a magistrate, who shall certify
under his hand such declariltiou was made before him ;

and on such declaration being produced at the revision,
the revising barrister may, if the description appears to
be sufficient, amend the claim, or allow the vote, without
requiring any further evidence.
15. That the name of a party objected to on the
ground of double entry may be retained on the register
for all or any of the qualifications on which he claims
to vote ; but he shall be bound to elect at which polling
place he intends to vote, and he shall not be permitted to
vote elsewhere ; and wherever his name occurs on the
register no entry shall be made against it to this effect.
16. That whore a person is objected to on the ground
of double entry, and the objection is sustained, no costs
shall be given ; and the party objecting shall be entitled
to recover back the 2s. 6d. which he had deposited with
the overseers.

17. That in all other respects the power of the revising
barrister as to giving costs shall remain as it is under
the,46th section of the 6 and 7 Vic. c. 18, except that the
amount which is not to be exceeded, shall be fixed at the
sum of 40s. instead of the sum of 20s.
18. That in the list of the persons on the register, or
claimants to be transferred to the clerk of the peace
under Act 6 and 7 Victoria, c. 18, s. 9, shall be added a
column containing the names of those persons who claim
to prove their vote ; and, in the list of persons objected
to, to be transmitted under the same section, shall 'oe
added columns specifying under which of the three heads
of objections in suggestion No. 6 the parties are objected
to ; and the clerk of the peace for each county shall,
before the day of , file the same in
alphabetical order, and retain them till produced to the
revising barrister, open to the inspection of any regis-
tered voter.
Your Committee wish, however, further to state their
opinion, although they are not prepared to offer any.
specific suggestion for the purpose, that, without alto-
gether depriving claimants or objectors of their respec-
tive rights as now enjoyed, it would be very desirable
to render the registration a matter of official duty on
the part of responsible and competent officers, to bg
employed in forming and correctTgcounty registers. They
cannot conclude without submitting to the House that
the present mode of remunerating revising barristers
appears to have led to or induced a greater hurry of
business than is quite compatible with that minute and
deliberate investigation which is necessary to ensure as
much as possible a complete and clear and accurate
register, and that some alteration in the present system
of remunerating these officers would be desirable.

PROTESTANTISM IN POLAND.
Count Valerian Krasinski, in continuation of hih second
lecture at Williss's rooms, on Saturday last, reviewed the
history of Protestantism from the time when the successor
of Stephen Batori, Sigismund 111., ascended the throne in
1586, glancing occasionally at the political events as they
happened more or less to affect the subject under discussion,
and adverting transitorily to the literary States of the na-
tion. Sigismund Vasa, the son of the King of Sweden,and_
sister of Sigismund Augustus, entered uponAraas reign
man of all
descended from the Jayellon dynasty, by his. mnotoller, the
forty-
years' duration, hailed by Pope S
irpexatteusher.esy from Poland;
effect can be gauged by the
character of the Senate, entirely
as
slikeralyr
astooe,..xcirt
fulfilled the augur of the
and
deirisis tmheeastoress,t
Pontiff; for that body which, in 1572, contained but two or
three Roman Catholics, at his death numbered nearly as
many Protestants. His policy was never to confer the
offices of state, and never to bestow the crown lands, ex-
cept on those of the favourite sect. The comparative efficiency
of this mode of conversion to Rome among the Polish no-
bility, led the lecturer to parallel this period in his nation's
history with the times of James 11. of England, when Dryden,
and many of less note with posterity, were induced to adopt
the religion of the court; an identity of effect, he said in
circumstances less creditable to England, for there the peer-
age was hereditary, which in Poland depended on the
pleasure of the court. Discontent and civil war soon fol-
lowed. Iu 1591 a riot broke out at Cracow, and the Protes-
tant church was burned to the ground. De Thou ascribes
this to the instigation of the Jesuits, but the Roman Catholic
writers say that it originated in a Scotch congregation, who,
beginning to dispute upon matters of faith, ended with blows.
The Jesuits were then in possession of about 50 colleges and
schools, and an annual income of 100,0001. The Eastern
Church numbered within her pale the vast population
of the south-eastern provinces of Poland. Several
attempts to bring them under the dominion of Rome
utterly failed, but centinuing in their own faith,
they were among the most loyal subjects of the Polish
Crown. The civil power of the magistrate, which suffered
during the reign of Sigismund 111., Et weak king, never re-
covered that authority under his successors which could
enable it to give effect to the measures of good government,
or to defend the rights of the citizens against the encroach-
ment or the insult of party; consequently, the weak were
under the necessity of yielding to the strong, and the ad-
herents of Rome wielded their power with a harsh hand over
the diminished numbers of the Protestants.

DEATH OF THE COUNT DE ST. LEU.—A letter from
Leghorn, of the 2bth ult., announces as follows the death of the ex-
King of Holland, father of Prince Louis :—" Count de St. Les, Prince
Louis Bonaparte. died here this day of a fit of apoplexy, with which
he was attacked yesterday. From the moment of the attack he re-
mained in a complete state of lethargy, and expired this morning
without a struggle. He was ill the sixty-eighth year of his age.
The Prince had been paralytic for several years, and lived a very
retired life. He kept himseli entirely free from all political intrigues,
and supported all the vicissitudes of fortune with a rare resignation
and dignity. He had no one with him at the moment of his death
young man, whom he had brought up, and who never quitted
An express was immediately cent off to Florence with the
him.tut a
news for his brother the Prince de Montfort, "the ex-liing of West-
phalia, aged 62, who is the last survivor of all Napoleon's brothers.
The deceased Prince has left but a very small fortune, not exceeding,
it is believed, 50,000 or 60,000 francs a-year. By his will he expresses.
a wish to be buried at St. Lou, in France. This wish will be executed
as soon as the body can be embalmed."
Lord JOHN RUSSELL has conveyed to Mr. Wil-
derspin, in the following letter, the sense which her Maj,aty en-
tertains of his claims and services :--Chesham-place, July Hit. 1846.—
Sir,—l have received her Majesty's commands to place ritir name on
the list ofpensions to•deserving:persons charged up on the-.. Queen's civil
list, for a yearly sum of one hundred pounds. It gives me gr:::
pleasure to convey the Queen's gracious wish that you win ant
this testimony to your services as the founder and promoter wa•
schools.—l remain, your obedient sermui, J. Zwong"'
deroPth, Fon., BArteu-upen•lhuacr.".

TERRIFIC THUNDER-STORM.
On Saturday afternoon, at about a quarter before four
o'clock, a tremendous thunder-storm passed over
the metropolis. Several vivid flashes of light-
ning, followed by loud peals of thunder, were
the preludes to a perfect hurricane of wind, rain
and hail The storm burst at owe, as though a /rate
spout had burst—the wind raged with terrific fury,
and the hailstones, which fell with the rain,
were some of them of the diameter of at
least half an inch. In several instances windows
were broken by the hailstones.
At half-past four the storm returned with increased
violence the hailstones were some of them at least an
inch and a half in diameter. Our readers may judge of
the force of the storm aad the size of the hailstones,
from the fact that in our establishment alone upwards of
thirty panes of glass have been broken.
The above appeared in the third edition of The Sun,
of Saturday evening. The storm lasted until half
half-past
tast
six o'clock, and was at its greatest height at
four. There is scarcely a building within the metro-
politan district which has not been damaged, and even
at the present moment the extent of the mischief done
cannot even be guessed at.
Amongst the public buildings in the metropolis which
have suffered most severely by the fracture of skylights
arid domes, from the hailstones, are Buckingham Palace,
Somerset House, Burlington Arcade, the Bazaar (Baker-
street), and the Paddington terminus of the Great Wes-
tern Railway. The Horticultural Gardens, Chiswick,
the Botanic Gardens, Kew, and those in the Regent's-
park have also suffered severely.
In the neighbourhood of Brompton, Kensington, and
Hammersmith, the storm was particularly severe. About
four o'clock the electric fluid struck a stack of chimneys
at the house, No. 21, Lower Phillimore-place, at the cor-
ner of the road leading to Notting-hill, by which the
stack has been much shattered. In the Victoria-road a
skylight was carried by the force of the wind into the
middle of the road. In the lower parts of Kensington
and Brompton, the basement stories of several of the
houses were inundated by the great body of water which
descended like a torrent upon Notting-hill and the
higher parts of the locality, and which carried everything
before it.
The nursery grounds westward of town have suffered
severely, as have also the market gardeners, thcir lights
being all more or less damaged.
In the metropolis considerable damage has been done,
all buildings having skylights being more or less injured.
The houses on the western side of Farriegdon-street
have sustained considerable injury by the overflowing
of the Fleet-ditch, which filled the various cellars and
underground apartments. One house, occupied by a
linendraper, had five feet of water in the lower rooms,
and it required several men to be engaged nearly two
hours to empty the place. The lower stores of the
Angel Inn were completely flooded. A number of sheep
were saved just in time.
Battle-bridge was a scene of great excitement and
contusion, in consequence of the waters overflowing the
land from near King's-cross to Acton-place, Bagnigge
Wells-road, which was so inundated that the thorough-
fare had the appearance of a river or canal, and was not
only rendered impassable, but the inhabitants could not
obtain egress or ingress to ,their premises without the
assistance of some conveyance. The kitchens, parlours,
and back yards of many of the dwellings were so over-
flowed that parties could not enter them.
The houses nearly opposite the police station in the
Bagnigge Wells-road were completely filled with water,
arising from the elevations of the surrounding neigh-
bourhood. Mr. Kerr, a baker, in Hereford-row, Bag-
nigge Wells-road, on the day before had in 36 sacks of
flour, which were entirely spoiled. The lower part of
the house of Mr. Greenwood, of the Northumberland
Arms, was quite inundated. The lower part of Mr.
Silcock's, the Carpenters' Arms, Bagnigge Wells-road,
was also filled with water, as well as other public-houses
is the neighbourhood. At the police station-house,
Bagnigge Wells-road, and also at the police-court, nume-
rous windows were broken.
The skylights at the Euston-square railway station
have suffered so much that the whole of them must be
replaced.
At the lower end of Mutton-hill the rush of the flood
was so powerful, that it burst through the gratings, and
before the inhabitants were aware of their danger, the
water, which was mixed with the most nauseous soil
rose three or four feet above the surface. The utmost
alarm necessarily prevailed, but in a few minutes the
cellars were filled, when those who occupied them were
obliged promptly to take their flight, leaving their furni-
ture to the mercy of the flood. At the bottom of Mutton-
hill, it was at a depth of four of five feet, Adjoining
Mutton-hill, to the north, is Wignall's-place, in which
are eleven houses; here the water had risen about seven
feet. The utmost consternation prevailed among the
_inmates who were at the first floor windows, imploring
assistance, many of the suppliants holding children in
their arms. Assistance was promptly afforded by the
neighbours. Among the first was Mr. Hunter, landlord
.of the Two Brewers, who swam to the aid of many, and
rescued several children. A man named Smith, a
French polisher, followed his example, and also saved
many. Ladders were also brought to the spot by
means of which the women and men were extricated.
The consequences of the flood are such that some of
the houses are undermined, and cannot now be occu-
pied. Tho back of the Coach and Horses, near Wig
Hall's-place, is swept away. In Round-court, to the
south of Mutton-hill, two houses, the property of Mr.
Langdon, were forced down, and but for the activity of
the inhabitants, who hastened to the assistance of the in-
mates, many lives would have been lost. A Mr. Clarke
isaved three children. The premises of Godson, carcase
Amtcher, were nearly swept away. Among the property
;oat was a cart, which was swept into the sewer that is
here open. In Thavies-inn the kitchens were filled with
orates". A vast quantity of. timber and other materials
have floated down the Fleet-ditch. Two houses above
Mutton• hill are also down. The rush of water was tre-
mendous, and carried away the whole of the back part
of three houses in Round-court, occupied by poor fami-
lies, who with the greatest difficulty succeeded in making
their escape, A large warehouse in the same court,
belonging to Mr. Fox, drysalter, bad the back front
also carried away. Mr. Nichols, a broker, of No. 1,
Vine-street, has sustained considerable loss, by
a large quantity of furniture being carried
away down the ditch into the Thames. Mr. Knight,
a publican, had his cellars so flooded, that the barrels of
beer were forced upwards, and knocked in the bar and
parlour flooring. lie also is a, great loser. At eleven
o'clock at night the poor people iu the courts and alleys
in the neighbourhood were busily employed in removing
their furniture, as many of the houses, in consequence
of the water sapping the foundations, which are very
old, have sunk several feet, and are rendered extremely
dangerous. A strong body of police afforded most
efficient assistance in this distressing affair. The autho-
rities at Clerkenwell workhouse gave a general order for
the immediate admission of the poor people and their
families, who have been rendered homeless.
During the time that the storm was at its height,
the rain, which was falling in such immense bo-
dies, ran down the various couduits into the Fleet-
ditch, which very speedily became filled. The Outlet at
Blackfriars-bridge, not being sufficiently large to al-
low the water to rush out as fast as it entered the sewer,
,the extraordinary pressure of the water blew the iron
Crt:Wn off the covering of the ditch with such violence,
that it made a noise like the explosion of a piece of ar-
tillery. At the same moment the water flew out with
such impetuosity, that No. 3 Waterman steamer, which
was going down the river, was driven against one of the
piers of Blackfriars-bridge, and so disabled that she was
forced to put back and land her passengers by means of
one of the Citizen steamers. Soon after it took place,
portions of bedsteads, chests of drawers, cheffoniers,
tec., were seen emerging from the mouth of the great
sewer. Intimation of the circumstance was very
quickly communicated to the officers of the Thames-
lice who soon took up their position in boats
po ,
in front of the sewers,,and this efficient body of men were
occupied until a late hour in conveying from the sewer
portions of articles such as those that we just mentioned.
The articles in question were all conveyed to the other
side of the bridge, contiguous to the steam-boat pier,
where they were placed under the care of an officer of
the Thames Police. The several articles were supposed
to he the property of the furniture brokers and others
whose houses were destroyed or injured in the neigh-
bourhood of Saffron-hill; these persons will, of course,
be on the look out to ascertain how far this assumption
is a correct one.
In the Strand, also, considerable injury was done to
the windows of many houses owing to the hMrsWestorm.
Several squares of glass in the workshop of . t,
the optician, were broken to pieces. The glass domes
which light the Lowther Arcade were all of them more
or less injured, and the shopkeepers in the Arcade were
obliged to give up business altogether.
Buckingham Palace has suffered severely. It appears
that the Royal Picture Gallery is lighted by a skylight,
consisting of a centre piece and sides. There is an im-
mense dome over the grand staircase, composed entirely
of glass. A glass dome over the Ministry staircase, and
a variety of others. All these have been utterly de-
stroyed ; the rallies:
torrents of hail and rain poured in
with the force of a
wateMirs
~sr.king the various stair-
cases so many
palace were completely stZaeltba basement floors of the
in which are some of the most spla. eaßicture Gallery,
;:;:' it% productions of
art danger,
the old masters, was at one time
for when the large hailstones had removed
to the ingress of the rain, the gallery was ticZattitz
depth of many inches, and the water assumed all the
appearance of a natural current. No time was lost in
res all those pictures that were liable to be injured,
removi
and we believe th
ou in no single instance has damage
been clone to any one. The more valuable pictures were
ranged under the engraved plate glass of the sides, which
success
fully withstood the violence of the storm. As soon
as the rain had in some degree abated, active measures were
taken to clear the various rooms and lobbies of the
palace from the water that had accumulated, and to
object speedily the services of the police
achieve that
stationed at the palace were called into requisition, and
a company of the Foot Guards were sent from the
Wellington barracks to assist; their services were put to
a severe test for more than an
ala hour. Mcesr. Co
visihbettted the
, the
painter and glazier to the royal p,
palace, and having ascertained the extent
for of the da
ing ge,n
.he at once gave the necessary directions cover
Ole picture gaiter,/ and the various rooms with tarpauling,
and a great number of men were instantly set upon that
work. Many thousand squares of glass" are demolished,
and at a rough calculation the loss in that article alone
will be little short of 1,8001. or 2,000/. It is satisfactOry
to state that the Queen's decorators have closely in-
spected the various royal apartments, into which the
water obtained access, and have not discovered that any
material damage has been sustained by any of the costly
embellishments. The parade in front of the palace, ex-
tending from the foot of Constisheet oftution-hill
water, and so
to James-
street, Buckingham-gate, was one
deep as to reader it impassable 0 pedestrians.

The deep deep barrel drain in the Green Park burst from
the immense accumulation of water, and formed a com-
plete river to the ornamental water in the enclosure of
St. James's Park. Here the violence of the storm dis-
mantled the flower beds, tore up the paths, and so
flooded the pastures, that became necessthearshy for men
to wade up to the middlit eto reseue eep that
would otherwise have been drowned. The water
accumulated to that depth in Bird-cage-walk that it
was rendered impassable to pedestrians, and almost so to
vehicles.
At the metropolitan police office, Scotland-yard, 300
squares of glass were broken. The Admiralty stables
sustained great damage, and not a house in Whitehall-
place-gardens escaped. Lord Liverpool's and Sir W.
James's windows suffered most.
We were also informed, from a creditable source, that
the Houses of Lords and Commons were so inundated,
from the destruction of the fan lights, that it may be
questionable whether they will be in a condition to re-
ceive the members this evening.
Carlton-terrace has suffered very much, the vestibules
of those houses which are glazed being considerably
shattered.
Every square of glass over the Regent Quadrant was
demolished, and the pathway strewed with broken frag-
ments. Several of the large houses have their stock in
trade greatly injured.
A considerable number of windows have been broken
in the Government Gazette-office, and the building
saturated with water. Scarcely a house in Cannon-row
has escaped injury by the storm.
In the well-known range of premises belonging to
Messrs. Harvey, termed Lambeth House, in the West-
minster-road, the floors of the shops were covered with
water. The stock in trade is most severely injured, The
skylights were demolished by the hail falling upon them
The Baptist chapel in the Waterloo-road had upwards of
three feet of water in it. The Hero of Waterloo Inn,
in the same road, had between 40 and 60 tons of water in
the cellar and about 60 squares of glass demolished.
Messrs. Jones's oil factory in Robert-street had 90
squares of glass broken. The Pear Tree Tavern, in the
New-cut, had the water in the cellar almost up to a man's
arm-pits. The West of England engine was engaged
nearly two hours pumping the water out. Mr. Knight,
an oilman in the same thoroughfare, had a most valuable
stock in the cellars spoiled by the water. The
Surrey Theatre had the skylights demolished
and the windows broken. The rain poured in such
a manner that the place was flooded. A notice was put
up last night that, in consequence of the damage dour,
no performance could take place that night. The sur-
gery belonging to Mr. Brookes, in the Waterloo-road,
had five feet of water in the kitchens. The Nine Elms
terminus of the Southampton Railway was extensively
injured. Astley's Theatre was injured almost as bad as
the Surrey. Messrs. Fell's brandy distillery, in the
Waterloo-road, had eighty panes of glass broken. In
Bishop's-walk, Lambeth, it is stated that the lightning
struck the wall of the Archbishop of Canterbury's
Palace, and tore up a tree in the garden. Mr. Bacon's
printing premises, in Robert-street, had a number of
squares of glass broken, and the business was in conse-
quence suspended. Mr. James's grocery premises, in
the New-cut, was injured to such an extent that] the
place was forced to be closed last night. The Victoria
Theatre,and Lawrence's miscellaneous,stores at the corner
of Webber-street, had several feet of water in the cellars.
The neighbourhoods of Fore-street and Princes-street
have suffered by the water.
Scarcely a house in Belgrave-square or its vicinity has
escaped receiving some injury. One mansion alone has
70L worth of glass demolished, and many of the rooms
saturated with water.
At the Surrey Zoological Gardens, the conservatory,
in which the carnivorous animals are kept, has sustained
such injury that to repair the glass will cost 2001. This
building is 100 feet in diameter, and its domed roof,
which is 300 feet in circumference, is covered with glass
and its sides are secured with the same material, leaving
a space of about eight feet between the latter and the
dens of the animals. This space, when the storm had
subsided, was found covered with broken glass to the
depth of two or three inches, and scarcely a whole pane
was discernible in the roof.
When the storm was at its very highest a singular in-
cident occurred in this building. A noble lioness, which
had been noticed for some time to be in young, became
most uneasy, and roared terrifically ; but it was at first
considered that this was produced by fear, as the other
animals were more or less acted on by the appearance of
the vivid flashes of lightening. ; but it was soon dis-
covered that the poor beast was in great pain, and in a
short time she gave birth to a cub lion. The keeper at-
tended to her as well as they could ; and the youthful
addition to Mr. Tyler's stock of animals was taken care
of. It is much feared, however, that it will not live, as
there can he very little doubt that its birth was pro-
moted and hastened by the fears of its mother.
The monkey-house, which was also seriously damaged,
presented an extraordinary scene during the storm ; its
inmates were so dreadfully alarmed by the lightning,
that many of them covered their eyes, to prevent them
seeing the flashes of lightning.
The splendid foliage of the gardens suffered severely
by the hurricane, and one tree was blown right down.
Three parts of the garden were covered with water.
The injury done to Vauxhall Gardens was compara-
tily trifling, and will be repaired by an outlay of, per-
haps, 301. The lightning struck the Chinese Temple,
and dashed a large portion of the panelling, which was
an inch and a half in thickness, to pieces. By the
violence of the storm a large beech tree at the bottom
of the Italian walk, was snapped off at about four feet
from the ground, and fell on the roof of the stabling, but
did not do it any mischief. This, with the exception of
the breakage of some of the lamp glasses, and the
glasses of the private rooms, was all the damage done to
these gardens. Mr. Alford, the coach-maker, in the
Walworth-road, will be a severe sufferer, a large sky-
light on the part of his premises, where a number of
harness-makers were at work, was nearly wholly de-
molished.
The Catholic chapel, in the London-road, had a great
number of squares of glass destroyed, as had also New-
ington Church.
The damages sustained by the publicans in the vicinity
of the Kennington and Walworth-roads has been very
considerable. The cellar at the Elephant and Castle
was inundated to a depth of several feet, and the loss
will be considerable. Mr. Hewitt, of the Lamb and
Hare, in Kennington-lane, had his cellar filled to a depth
of five feet.
The owners of green-houses in the neighbourhood of
Kennington and Lambeth, must be severe sufferers.
The damage done to the banks of the Thames by the
rush of water, especially about Chelsea and Milbank, •
very extensive. Boats were forced from their moorings,
and it required the greatest exertion to keep them from
being washed away.
At the Botanic Gardens, Chelsea, some thousands of
squares of glass were broken. The houses in the
Clapham, Vauxhall, and Wandsworth-roads have
scarcely a square of glass left whole in those fronts
which were exposed to the fury of the storm. The
windows of the houses in Larkhall-lane were literally
shattered, Mr. Kennedy, flymaster, having only six
panes left whole, and the fruit, young tendons, and
whole limbs of his celebrated vine being scattered in all
directions ; and the well-known Larkhall Tavern has
one front a complete wreck. At Mr. Chapman's, florist
to the Queen, in the Wandsworth-road, the storm has
been most destructive. The glass roofs of all his
hot-houses and green-houses are completely de-
molished; the fronts and sides being very little better.
Mr. Chapman estimates his loss at 1,000/. ; and the
rare plants and flowers are greatly damaged, and
some totally destroyed. In fact, the ravages of the
storm in this locality are beyond all conception, the hail-
stones which fell being generally the size of common
marbles, and some were picked up as large as walnuts.
Such a scene of destruction was never before exhibited
over so extensive a district; whole streets for miles—
indeed, the whole district from Battersea-fields to Clap.
ham-common, including Brixton, Stock well, Kennington,
and Newington-butts, has suffered most severely: It
was, literally, a West Indian tornado, with the addition
of a hailstorm.
Several of the lower floors in the Penitentiary, Mil-
bank, were several feet deep in water. In open ground,
facing the Quadrangle, the water rose so high that the
officials and other parties were forced to climb over the
iron railings to effect a retreat.
The Citizen steamer D was struck by lightning off
Battersea, and her paddle-box was carried away ; for-
tunately no lives were lost.
WINDSOR, SUNDAY EVENING.—The storm of yesterday,
which appears to have been general throughout the country,
commenced about half-past two o'clock, and continued
lap to past five. The hailstones had done consider-
able damage in the neighbourhood, especially in the vicinity
of Datchet and Horton. At Litton-park, the residence of
the Duke of Buccleuch, upwards of 2,000 panes have been
broken ; nearly the whole of the extensive hot and green-
houses having been totally demolished. At Slough also, and
the neighbourhood of Burnham, the hail which accompanied
the thunder and lightning has done very considerable
damage. A great portion of the standing corn has been
beaten down, and much injury has been sustained by the
market-gardeners in every direction. At one o'clock yester-
day, shortly before the storm commenced, the thermometer,
in the shade, in the royal gardens, at Frogmore, stood at
85 degrees.
CAMDEN TOWN.—During the violenee of the storm the
electric fluid struck the house of Mr. Corvan, No. 17,
Mornington-road, Camden-town. This took place about four
o'clock, the shock causing the utmost alarm to the neigh-
bourhood. The fluid entered the chimney, which it shat-
tered to pieces, and then passed down the chimney flue into the
kitchen, in which was the female servant, who was at the,
time occupied in cleaning some plate. She became sense-
less. and was immediately attended to by Mrs. Corvan, who
Irher removed, as it was srot possible, in consequence of
,Zillmait smell of sulphur, to remain there. In the mean-
°numbers. of the inhabitants hastened to the house, as
It was
the roof, the timber burning. Upon an examination of
strong amen that it had caught fire, and there was a
but
as it
the slating was found exten-
ishelLaideA
sively charred;
the progress of the, fire Wwastroaini" in torrents at the time,
wise zoologi-
weeuraenaltitio
of lead was also melted. ThetrrKtinan
slightly damaged. In the Regenta_pgrk,et
cal Gardens, a portion of the bank of the
was washed away, some trees being forced dotenn.Csincanhal
New-road, between Kinga=cross and Judd-street, in come_
quence of the sewer being overflooded, it gave way, causing
a considerable extent of damage. The thoroughfare was, of
course, instantly stopped.
In BROMLEY and the immediate neighbourhood very much
damage has been done to the several nurseries by the hail,
several thousands of panes of glass being demolished. One
of the hailstones, or rather pieces of ice, which fell at the
latter place, when measured, was found to be of an angular
shape, and upwards of three inches in circumference, the
greatest width at the top being one inch and a half. So far
as can be ascertained, no lives have been lost in the range of
locality previously described.
GREENwmfr, DEPTFOED, LEWISHAM, &c.—The coming
storm was indicated by very heavy and dark cloids from
the south-west, about three o'clock, followed in a few
minutes by vivid lightning and claps of thunder, resembling
a park of artillery in the distance. Then came torrents of
rain. succeeded by a fall of hailstones, which continued with
a few intervals of short duration until six o'clock. As the
sterns feleanced over these places, the lightning increased to
Aii awful cAeuti MAI bOtyrceil the iktille* Oa 49%44 won §9

heavily charged that there was the appearance of approach-
ing night. About an hour after the storm commenced, the
lower parts of Greenwich and Deptford were inundated. The
flood which poured from Shooter's-hill and Blackheath,
down Croom's-hill and Royal-hill, completely choked up the
drainage, and caused London and Church-streets to be com-
pletely under water. The kitchens and cellars in this line
down to the Royal Hospital, and alongshore to the creek
which divides Greenwich from Deptford, were in a most de-
plorable state from the same cause. The lower part of Black-
heath-road, Deptford-bridge, and Broadway,were impassable
for foot-passengers during two hours. The vicinity of the dock
and victualling-yards, the General Steam Navigation yards,
Penn's boiler manufactory, and other extensive works, were
surrounded by water at least a foot deep. The devastation
caused by the extensive and heavy fall of hail is very great.
Numerous skylights and windows were 4einolished in the
dock and victualling-yards. At the Greenwich Police-court,
the police-station, and premises attached, much glass was
broken, and damage done by the water getting into the
apartments. The skylights and windowa in the factory of
Messrs. Penn and Son, engineers, Blackheathsroad, suffered
severely, upwards of 200 squares being smashed in, together
with portions of the framework. More than 100 squares of
glass were destroyed at Messrs, Weelhouse's distiller
framy,
es an Dept d
-
ford-bridge ; and nearly the whole of the glass
greenhouses in the market garden and nareery of Mr. Loft,
near the Kent Waterworks. Much damage was done also to
the glass work and choice productions of Mr. Cormack's nurs
sery, at New Cross,. At the police-station, Rushey-green,
Lewisham, much glass was broken, oge together with the
framework thereof ; and the lower par
of
effectually
ge bee
tween Lewisham-bridge and Lea-bridge was so
under water that it was with some diicislty horses could ford
it, particularly if attached to carriages. The market gardens
at Lewisham, Lee, Deptford, and Woolwich road, have sufs
fered immensely, not only from but b which at Lewisham
fell in flakes an inch log, but from the flooding
of Black-
the growing crops. Throughout tile whole district
heath the hailstones fully averaged the site of large hazel
nuts. The gardeners who have suffered most are Air. Tyler,
near the Greenwich Union; Mr. Shepherd, Lewisham; Mr,
Palmer, Lewisham ; and Mr. Loft, Greenwich. The vans
titles of sand and gravel which have been washed from the
rubbish-hills into Greenwich and vicinity is astonishing,
leaving the high roads bare, and presenting nothing but a
surface of bright and broken granite. On the Fltham road,
a man with a scythe in his hand was struck by the electric
fluid, and fell insensibly to the ground. The poor fellow
however, luckily recovered so as to be able to proceed home,
PLU3ISTEAD.—In the midst of the stor thesecric fluid
struck one of the chimneys m belonging to hin the oc-
cupation of Mr. George Kimber, stone-masoa and marble-
cutter, next door to the Plume of Feathers, opposite to the
church, at the village of Plumstead. From a conversation
held yesterday with Mr. Kiiuber's son, by the reporter, it
appears that at the moment he, with his father, a was enthat,-
gaged in preparing tor polishing a marine tauter, an
whilst thus engaged, a stream of fire passed through the
shop, which is in the first floor on the back of the house, en-
tering at the ceiling, which it tore down with great violence,
as it also did the plaster of the side walls. Thence it passed
through the floor to the cupboards below, the woodwork of
which was demolished, and the crockery and miscellaneous
contents therein destroyed. It then appeared to pass
through a chink in the wall to a butt in the yard, which
was broken up, and after playing in sportive fury for
some time in the roadway it appeared to pass into the
ground, rising out again at a distance from the house. Full
half the chimney was torn down, and the bricks fell into
the yard among several gravestones, in a course of prepara-
tion. Two large holes were made in the tiles, which pene-
trated the roof, from the rafters through the ceiling. Mr.
Bingham, the landlord of the Plume of Feathers, states that
he was standing in front of his bar, serving customers, at the
time when the flash of lightning—or, rather, the stream of
fire—appeared. So fierce was the flame, and so appalling the
report arising from it, that he was for a few minutes uncon-
scious where he was, or what he did. The next moment he
heard the crash of the falling brickwork, and, upon looking
out of the window, after his stupor was in some measuresub-
sided, be saw a volume of dust proceeding from the roof of
the premises in Mr. Kirnber's occupation.
At Erith, Crayford, and Dartford, the storm was very
severe, and at Chatham it is said to have been excessively
violent. In the midst of this visitation and loss of pro-
perty, it is gratifying to state that the hop bine has much
improved since the storm, one of the largest growers in
the west of the country having discovered, upon an exami-
nation of his crops that, although on Friday last they were
covered with fly and lice, the thunder and lightning had
cleared the majority of the arms from these destructive
vermin.
SOUTHEND.—The damage that has been sustained by the
hail-storm which fell on Saturday is tremendous. The direc-
tion the storm took being from south to north, the hot-houses
and green-houses presented a fair mark for its fury, and the
destruction that followed it is most extensive. Mr. Samuel
Forster, of Southend, has his beautiful hot-houses com-
pletely riddled, there not having been left more than one-
tenth of the panes whole. The number of broken squares
amounts, in this place, it is said, to over 4,000. Mr. Ilill, of
the same place, has had the front of his house completely
disfigured, nearly all the beautiful plate-glass windows having
been broken.
The violence of the storm extended itself to the neigh-
bouring counties :—ln the neighbourhood of Reading, Ox-
ford, Newbury, Farringdon, Cirencester, Wantage, &c., the
storm was of a most awful description, and the damage
sustained to vegetation generally is incalculable. At Ciren-
cester two sheep and an ox were killed by the electric
fluid ; and at Wantage two sheep and a valuable horse were
struck dead by the same powerful agency. At Oxford the
electric fluid did great damage to building property, hot-
houses, and gardens. The roof of the house of Mr. Dudley,
situate near the river, was struck by the lightning. At Letcomb,
near Wantage, the lightning entered the roof of a cottage,
shattered a bedstead, and threw a child that the mother had
just laid in bed on the floor, but unhurt. At Highworth,
the servant of a Mr. Boyne got under a tree, with his horse,
for shelter; the horse was killed, but the man miraculously
escaped with a slight scorching of the forehead. At Henley-
on-Thames the flashes were awfully vivid and forked. The
house of Mr. Musgrove was struck by lightning. Mr. Mus-
grove and a portion of his family were at the moment stand-
ing in a passage, through which the bell-wires passed, and
were all struck to the ground, but happily without serious
injury; the damage to his outhouses, plants, &c., contigu-
ous to the dwelling-house, is very considerable. Some parts
of Hampshire, &c., were also visited by the above storm, and
serious damage was sustained by the e!ectric fluid. At the
Swan Inn, Inkpen, a small village about three miles from
Hungerferd, the paper on the walls was in many places com-
pletely stripped off. The lightning then followed the bell-
wire to the kitchen, where the maid-servant was at work ;
her clothes caught fire, but her screams speedily brought as-
sistance, and the flames were happily extinguished without
her receiving much injury; and a boy, who was standing
in a barn near the house, was knocked down by the light-
ning, but escaped with a few slight scars on the cheek; a
great portion of the barn, however, was destroyed by the
electric fluid.
THE STORM IN BIRMINGIIAM.—BIRMINGHAM, SATURDAY.
—This afternoon Birmingham and its neighbourhood were
visited by a dreadful thunder-storm which lasted upwards of
two hours. The wind blew gently from the south-west, from
which direction the tempest came. The rain descended in
torrents, and in some parts of the neighbourhood the flood
rendered the roads impassable. Fortunately, although at
one period the storm was of the most fearful description, no
I serious damage was done in the neighbourhood.
al

THE LATE STORM.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE TIMES.
Sir,—As many of your readers may feel an interest in cir
cumstances connected with the hailstorm on Saturday, I beg
a corner of the Times for a few observations that may amuse
them.
The small garden of the house in Camberwell New-road,
in which I was when the storm commenced, has an easterly
aspect. There was no wind at the moment, and there was
no perceptible drift in the shower; the hail seemed to fall in
a direction nearly vertical ; and, from the nature of the sur-
face of the garden, it rested where it fell. From a spot
measuring three superficial feet, and which was selected as a
fair average of the general surface of the garden, I gathered
947 hailstones, the smallest of which weighed 9 2-10ths
grains, and the largest 84 grains.
I was anxious to ascertain the number of the different
sized hailstones which fell on a given space, as I observed
they varied greatly in their dimensions; more so on this
occasion than in any other hailstorm that I ever witnessed.
They were five sizes; there were GI of the largest size.
Five of them hastily selected, as far as the eye could judge,
nearly of the same size, weighed 405 grains, which gives 81
grains as the average weight of each. Five others, ap-
parently the smallest of the number, weighed 394 grains
which averages 78 grains each. One of the first five mea-
sured 9-10ths of an inch in length, 6-10ths of an inch in
breadth, and was about 5-lOths of an inch in thickness. It
had, like most of the others, the shape of a flattened pigeoa's
egg. A dozen had a shape approaching a flattened sphere.
In general, it may be observed, that no two hailstones, al-
though nearly of the same size, had nearly the same form, or
seemed to have been produced under the same circumstances.
417 hailstones were of the second size. 10 of these weighed
519 grains, which gives 51 9-10ths grains for a single one.
The 10 smallest that could be selected from the whole num-
ber had an average weight of 50 2-10ths grains each. The
uniformity of size and shape throughout this large number
was very remarkable; they were mostly like flattened
spheres, with a thickness of half their diameter. They could
hardly be distinguished from small white turnip radishes
trimmed of their root fibres and leaves.
285 hailstones were of a much less size than the preceding.
17 of them weighed 651 grains, which gives 38 2-10ths grains
to each. The smallest that could be selected from the whole
number, by the eye, weighed 31 grains. Their forms were
all imperfect; some were roundish lumps, others like short
contorted cylinders, others had an almond form.
Of the fourth size there were 159 hailstones; 36 of these
weighed 828 grains, or 23 grains a-piece. The smallest of
the whole number weighed 18 grains.
The largest of the 16 hailstones of the fifth size weighed
13 grains, and the smallest 9 2-10ths grains. The shapes
were most irregular ; they had much the appearance of being
chipped from larger pieees, with their sharp edges rounded
by the warm rain in which they descended.
9 hailstones of the largest size had a squarish form. One
of them was nearly an inch long, 7-10ths of an inch broad,
and was fully 5-10ths of an inch thick. Two of its edges
were ragged, and looked as if it had been part of an irregular
cake corn posed of several thin plates of soft ice pressed toge-
ther, and then broken off; the other two edges had a
similar appearance, but their arrises were somewhat rounded.
It weighed 87 grains. Of a similar shape and appearance
were four others, the average weight of each of which was
76 grains.
Of the remaining four hailstones it is difficult to give an
idea. They had the appearance of a portion of snow that
hid been firmly pressed and flattened in the hand, and then
dipped in water, but they nevertheless seemed as dense as
the hailstones of a more regular shape.
Many of the largest sized hailstones had a portion, as
much as a third or a fourth, broken off. This, in some in-
stances, might have been produced after they had fallen, by
the impact of those falling, but not in other instances. I ob-
served the same thing in some large hailstones which fell
into a tub of Water, and where an impact with others could
not have taken place. The disruption of these must there-
fore have been produced in their descent through the at-
mosphere.
of the fifth size were spongy, like pressed seefd
In general the largest hailstones seemed to have the
hofavteheochea7liwonaesdfelmt utochbedsaomsa
greatest density, several of those which I have described as
but I scarcely remember a hail-shower suchsnow. large hail will
gardens and windows,
I have no doubt but that' the tall
7ewriliiere the momentum
small.
tor-
rents of rain may have, in many cases, diminished
. the falling
ases, diminished the im-
petus, by deflecting the hail, and by occasioning an upward
current of wind from the ground, like that prodUcedbythe
fall of Nutter in the chamber of a wind furnace,- and
which neutralized, in some degree, the effect of the de-
scending hailstones. I am, Sir, your obedient servant,
August 2. M.

THE APPROACHING PARTRIDGE SEASON.—The ac-
counts in Surrey and Sussex are very favourable to the ap-
proaching partridge season. The broods are very strong in
the wing, and the coveys are large, and the prospect of an
early harvest will enable the sportsman to enter the field on
the Ist of September without the usual restrictious vritli re-
spect to stautliAg crop,