The Sun.
London, England, 1846-04-09 00:00:00

THE SECRET PRISON HOUSE.

Some workmen lately in taking down an old monastic
building in Hereford, came to a prison, in which there
is reason to believe some unfortunate victim was im-
mured alive. A correspondent of the Hereford Times
gives the following interesting account of the dis-
covery :

" In taking down the south-east corner the work-
men came to a paving-stone, which, on being re-
moved, disclosed to view an aperture about eighteen
by twelve inches in dimensions ; on further examina-
tion, by removing the walls, it appeared that it was a sort
of niche, five feet six inches high, capable of containing
a human form, broad at the head and tapering
down to the feet, where it was ten inches broad ; it had
been plaistered in the interior on the front, back, and
east side, on the opposite it was closed up with rough
wall stone ; at the bottom was another paving-stone,
and upon it the heap of collapsed bones, a glass bottle,
and an earthen pan, portions of the leather and high
heel of shoes, and a piece of wood which, it has been
asserted, bears the marks of having been gnawed, as
if in the last frenzied effort to sustain a famishing and
desperate nature. The fragments of the bottle and
pan, for we regret to say they were broken, and the
other portions carried away, the leather and the
sole, and the piece'of wood referred to, are before you.
Was it in refinement of cruelty that these vessels were
deposited at the feet, where the wretched sufferer, from
the straightness of the narrow cell, could not reach the
viands they contained? What crime could deserve such
awful retribution, or rather what human being might
dare to visit on his fellow sinner such agonising tor-
ment, such accumulation of the pangs of many deaths?
What else could have been the tragedy which these
walls have witnessed—what other the agonies which
they assisted in administering? The very heart sickens
at the contemplation, and the religion of peace and
mercy repudiates the deed as that of demons
rather than the ministers of reconciliation, of salvation
to the sinner's soul. But to proceed. The poor wretch
does not seem to have been alone in this appalling
exigency; another similar niche at the south-west
corner of the wall was subsequently revealed, built
up in the same manner, but standing sideways to the
other; at the bottom of this, too, were the mournful
indications of the purpose to which it had been ap-
plied—a heap of bones. If a mystery hangs over the his-
tory of this spot as to its material fabric, much more
must this dark deed elude the scrutiny of man. That
such things have been, and under the most sacred pre-
text, is, alas, incontrovertible. I had purposed to have
searched out some of the decretals which touch on

this most melancholy subject; but time has not sufficed
me for the purpose, and perhaps it is welL I shall
content myself with reading to you some extracts from
writers well known to you, and shall then leave the
narrative and its accompaniments to your contemplation,
until such time as fortune or subsequent discovery may
throw new light upon the spot :
" In Headley's Letters from Italy, it is recorded that
in the church of San Lorenzo, in the town of San
Giovanna, is the withered form of a man cased in a side
wall. A sort of trap-door is swung open, when you are
shown a human skeleton, perfect in all its parts; it
stands erect and motionless among naked, jagged
stones. This church had been built centuries ago, and
remained untouched till within a few years, when,
in making some repairs, the workmen bad occasion to
pierce the wall, and struck upon this skeleton. They
carefully uncovered it, without disturbing its position
or loosening a single hone. A narrow door has been
made to swing over it, to protect it from injury and
shield it from the eye of those who worship in the church .
The frame indicates a powerful man, and though it is
but a skeleton, the whole attitude and aspect give one
the impression of a death of agony. The arms are
folded across the breast in forced resignation, the head
is slightly bowed, and the shoulders elevated, as if in
the effort to breathe, while the very face—bereft of
muscles as it is—seems full of suffering. This unhappy
man seems to have died of suffocation, as he was built up
alive in the wall ; it is evident it must have been
a case of murder, for there are no grave clothes, no
coffin, and no mason work round the body. The poor
civility of a savage was not shown here, in knocking
off the points of the stones, to give even the appearance
of regularity to the enclosure. He was packed into
a rough wall, and built over, beginning at the feet.
It is difficult to tell anything of the manner of death,
whether painful or not, by any skeleton, for the face has
always the appearance of suffering, but there are cer-
tain indications about this which show that the death
was a painful one, and caused by suffocation.
The arms are not crossed gently or quietly in the
decent composure of death, but far over, as by a painful
effort or by force. The shoulders are elevated. as if the
last strong effort of the man was for breath. The bones
of the toes are 'curled over the edge of the stone on
which he stands, as if contracted in agony when life
parted. He appears to have been fully six feet high,
with broad chest and shoulders, and strong limbed.
" Again—ln the notes of Sir Walter Scott's exqui-
site poem of Marmion,' we read (note xvii.)—' It
is well known that the religious persons who broke their
vows vows were subjected to the same penalleassuffi-
Roman vestals in a similar case. A small.nicthe,
mas-
cient to inclose their bodies, was mad I
sive wall of the convent, a slender
and water was deposited in it,
Vade in pace were the signal for immuring
punishment was
It is not likely that, in latter tun
discovered the and
teiet t atahnwnecil lee
ri mfw iofnoraodlds.
oftencoidi
nrge resorted e (t
worn,tt.); butsot,
.m
77;
years rumshialeiegeoh,, f
roomf thethe
sAbbeyhape oo ff
re-
mains of a female skeleton,
the. figure, seemed to be that,
the niche and position
Qf an immured nYn!.
_ .

THE ARCILEOLOGICAL
INSTITUTE.

The third meeting ofthe committee and subscribing
members was held at the rooms of the Institution of
Civil Engineers, on Friday, April 3 ; Lord Northamp-
ton, President, in the chair. The attendance was more
numerous than on any former occasion.
Among the presents announced, were Mr. Gibson's
splendidly illustrated History of the Monastery of
Tynemouth.
Eight new subscribing members were announced ;
among them the Bishop of Gloucester, and two cor-
responding members. It was also stated that the
Earl De Grey and the Bishop of Ripon had respectively
accepted the office of Vice-Presidents of the meeting to
be held at York in July next.
Among the objects of primeval date exhibited on this
occasion, were several strings of beads of amber and
vitrified pastes; a spear-head of bronze of unusual form,
and two remarkably small eelts; these relics, which were
found in Suffolk, were communicated by Mr. Whincopp,
of Woodbridge, ‘1 hose extensive colleeti, n of antiquities
discovered in the eastern coenties has been alluded to in
our former reports of the meetings of the institute.
Mr_ Talbot exhibited two gold rings, discovered some
years since at Terling-place, is Essex, the seat of Lord
Rayleigh. These rings, which are of medieval work-
manship, were found in a jar at a spot where about
three hundred coins of Constantius Valens and the late
Roman emperors were found. Mr Talbot also exhibited
several ancient brass and leaden matrices of seals, among
which may be noticed the seal of the bailiffs of Dunwich;
date, the fourteenth century.
Mr. Farrar sent for exhibition an elaborated dee-)-
rated monstrance of the Renaissance period. The de-
sign of it is architectural, enriched with statuettes and
relievi. Mr. Farrar observed that it was of German
workmanship, and that three shield-like sockets in the
base, now filled with pieces of coloured glass, appeared
to have been originally destined for armorial escutcheons
in enamel.

Mr. Buckler submitted to the inspection of the Preii-
dent a series of drawings by himself of Wells Cathedral,
and of the Bishop's palace there. The works attracted
much attention among the members present.
The Noble President, in calling the attention of the
meeting to the subject previously appointed for discus-
sion and illustration—viz., " The art of design as ap-
plied to the illumination f MSS., and the peculiarities
which mark the ;productions of each country," tor oc-
casion to regret the absence of any comprehensive work
on this subject ; and expressed a hope that the institute
might be the means of originating, or at least facilitating
the production of so desirable a contribution to the his-
tory of the medieval art.
The President then alluded to the succinct treatise by
Sir P. Madden, on illuminated MSS., the only one of the
kind hitherto published in England, and to the works of
Mr. Shaw and Mr. Westwood, which had been the means
of attracting much attention to this neglected branch,,of
inquiry, and after a few remarks on the great work now
publishing in France by Count Bastarde, Lord Northilmp-
ton concluded by direeting the notice of the me tiyi to
the numerous assemblage of MSS. of all dates w ' 'ay
on the table, and were contributed by Mr. Hoff!. ,7litr.
iku
Hailstone, Mr. Hodgkinson, Mr. Rodd, and other gen-
tlemen.

Mr. Hailstone then exhibibited a series of mainu-
scrip ts from his own collection, and pointed out some of
the peculiarities of style and treatment which distinguish
the various schools of medieval art. He described such
of them as appeared to be products of English, French,
Flemish, German, and Italian skill, and dwelt upon the.
successive changes in the treatment of the borders o:
MSS. from the pure to the mixed arabesque, in which
grotesque figures are a conspicuous feature. Mr. Hail-
stone also alluded to the great value of such works, as
illustrations of costume, ecclesiastical and domestic
architecture, and of manners and customs. Mr. Hail-
stone's remarks were received with much attention, and,
a general conversation took place on the subject, in
which the President, Mr. Holmes, of the British
Museum, and Mr. Shaw took part.
Mr. Redd submitted for the inspection of the meeting
a most valuable collection of illuminations of Italian art,
chiefly collected by the late Mr. Ottley from the spoils of
the monasteries in Italy, and also a beautiful MS. of the
twelfth century, in the collection of Mr. Holford, con-
taining thirty-two curious paintings, representing the
life and miracles of St. Edmund.
Altogether the subject seemed to have excited the
greatest interest, and the table was thronged with mem-
bers examining the various MSS., for some time after the
Noble Marquis had left the chair.
It was announced that at the next meeting, on Friday,
May 1, the subject for illustration and discussion would
be " Fictile manufactures ; the earthenware, porcelain,
&c., of all periods."

SACRED HARMONIC SOCIETY.

EXETER HALL. - ---
-
Last evening Handel's Oratorio, " The Messiah,"
with Mozart's additional accompaniment, was performed
by the above society, (as is customary during passion
week,) to an overflowing audience, assisted by its power-
ful and efficient chorus, conducted by Mr. Surman and
led by Mr. Perry. The principal professionals were
Miss Birch, Miss M. B. Hawes, Mr. Braham, and Mr.
H. Phillips. The sublime whorusses with which this
oratorio abounds were perfection itself, we noticed par
titularly " For unto us a child is born," and the " Hang'
lujah Chorus," which although we have heard so many
times, yet did not lose any thing in our estimation,
given as they were last evening ; but all were alike excel-
lent, and reflect great credit on the members and
assistants of this.- society. We must not forget
the trebles, they were exceedingly effective in the cho-
russes above mentioned. We were glad to find Mr.
Braham in good voice again ; he seemed determined to
make up for his imperfections at the last concert, when
he was labouring under a hoarseness. His " Comfort
ye" was a splendid effort, and elicited great and con-
tinued applause. We consider the air, "Rejoice greatly,"
Miss Birch's worst effort ; we wish she would pay more
attention to her cadences ; they were at times unmean-
ing, and marred the effect which she would otherwise
have produced. There was a marked difference in
the st'le of Miss Hawes, who gave "He shall
feed his flock " in a most °baste and impressive
manner. Mr. Braham, in " Thy rebuke,' was
very effective, and reminded us of his early days,
" Thou didat not leave," was sung by Miss Birch, in
which she was encored. In the air, " How beautiful are
the feet !" the accompaniments were splendidly per-
formed by the orchestra.
The air with which the Third Part opens, " I know
that my Redeemer liveth," contained some fine points :
Miss Birch sung it excellently. The trumpet obligate,
by Mr. Harper, in "The trumpet shall sound," was per-
formed by that gentleman in his usual able manner.
We never remember to have been more gratified than
we were last evening. The Messiah was never per-
forme i better.

A performance of Perry's Belshazzar's Feast, Men-
delssohn's 114th, and Haydn's Service No. 2, was an-
nounced for April 24th inst.

In the park of Malmaison, recently purchased, with
its chateau, by Queen Christina, her Majesty has erected a
Gothic chapel, under the direction of M. Sureda, the archi-
tect, in the style of the Sainte-Chapelle, at the Palais de
Justice. The walls are to be covered with mural paintings,
in the fashion of the thirteenth century ; and M. Henri de
Garente has just finished one of five windows tvhich are to
enrich the arch. The one completed represents St. Augustin,
the patron saint of the Duke de Rianzares. The other sub-
jects will be, St. Christina, the patron of the Queen-Mother;
the Holy Virgin ; Isabella of Hungary, the patron saint of
the Queen of Spain ; and St. Louis, the patron of the Infanta
Louise. The great gate will be surmounted by a rosace of
stained,glass, richly executed. The arms of Castile, of Leo,
of Grenada, and of France, succeed each other on a ground of
blue.—Athenaeum.

PIERS AND lließouns.--.lt appears, from a return
issued by tue House of Commons, that tolls are now autho-
rised to be levied for the maintenance of piers and harbours
at the following places, on the coast of Great Britain and
Ireland:—Whitby, Scarborough, Dover, Ramsgate, and
Bridlington. At Whitby, the receipts of tolls from sth of
January, 1838, to .sth January last, amounted to 21,0111.95. 4d. ;
and at Scarborough, to 4,020/. (is. 7d. But in the latter case
(according to the decision in August last at the York as-
sizes, in the case of " Mayor, &c., of Scarborough v. John..
nason") the revenue from this source is lost to the piers and
harbours of Scarborough. At Dover, the receipts during the
same period have been on an average of 9,300 ha ca. ,r
and 19,0001.
0r1u99;,80 0
04 0 00.11 e..
alsoper annum uanni
n;
uaniii.d at
A tli
the Bridlington
between p
ileBrs,oaoZ.
receipts have been between 1,7001. and 1,8001. a year.
Bentley gives us this month among its "leading arti-
cles," "Brian O'Linn; or, Luck is Every Thing." The
story is well sustained, and the pleasant manner in which it
is narrated adds a charm to it, and occasions a feeling of
regret when the author and ourselves part company. " Tip-
perary Hall," is lively, clever, and spirited, and promises to
be a favourite re-union for the readers of Bentley. We have
alto "a Memoir of Flora Macdonald," by Charles White-
head, with atbeautiful portrait by A. Ramsay. "The Seat
of War, the Sikhs and the Punjab," by Dr. W. C. Taylor,
is a well-timed paper, offering to those who will not, in any
other way, take the trouble to understand, the past and pre-
sent position of the Sikh people. The managers of this
Miscellany deserve commendation for leading the public, as
in the above instance, to a more improving style of reading
than is now generally found iu the host of monthly publica-
tions launched from the press. We confidently recommend
this month's number to our readers.—Pridgewater Times.
THE HIGHLAND3IAN'B CURE.—A true son of the
Gaelic and the tartan, on a journey last week from his
heather-clad hills to the Fair city, had unfortunately, not-
withstanding the well known capabilities of the Scottish
mountaineer to endure fatigue, broken down when he reached
Bankfoot. A Highlander must be very ill when in pursuit of
a purpose he is compelled to give in, but so was the case with
our present friend. Besides inward ails, one of his feet was
sorely lacerated, and exhausted; crippled and sufkring.se-
verely, he took up his lodgings in an inn in Bankfoot. Having
seated himself by the fire, lie engaged a bed forthe night, and
had partlydoffed his habilimeutsto get into it, when he re-
membered his condition, and bethought himself of the remedy-
No one need ask what that was, for nothingis more
rt proverbial
tsiimeni
than that whisky is the Iligiand cure for. eeery 0
The halt' lieappli d
ehilertaina
commenced rubbing
balsam, and with the other half lie
t
initacsli kwienl lot a's'
this opera.ion, he necessarily
his sore coot. While performing
dinoutebiliei.a,l; Our friend thereforesoe..
in-
sidesordanecdrequired to examine his
caughtwoundsia
fire; and in an instant the
so, unluckily, the aqua ti with the candle, and in doing
stony were in a blaze. Down went
rubbing . thedispel the ou, but, •
0 foot to
took tire too, and carried the flame up his leg. Both
alas, it
then put in requisition, but the snore lie rubbed
bands were
subdue the flame the snore it increased. Nevertheless:
the
et
handa htahlaftnui u..stchilui
to
Donald continued at his labour, notwithstanding the agony
he endured, with heroic fortitude, and would have per.
severed until the spirit of the whisky had been exhausted
had not his night garment taken fire. This was too much.
He fairly gave in and roared out murder. The landlord
hurried in, and in a second a couple of buckets of water
were dashed upon him. These extinguished the flares, but
Donald's injuries were such that he had to take a conveyance
rtooaPdehrtoroe._perd'ar
hnextdjauu, and e
Courier
THE yet been able to take the
THE HOUSELESS POOR.—The asylums in Whitecross-
street and East Smithfield were closed last week, having
been opened but six weeks, the shortest period of any winter
since their establishment. The total number admitted the
former was 3,471, and to the latter 2,362, being 1,701 men
and 661 women and children.

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.
HOUSE OF COMMOIVS, April 8.
INDIAN CORN.
(Continued from cur Afternoon Edition of yesterday.)
Mr. P. SCROPE said he quite agreed in the sentiments
of the Hon. Member who had just sat down. If this House
had any chance of passing this Coercion Bill with the same
expedition as that which marked its progress through the
House of Lords, then there might be some reason for thus
pressing it on ; but when the Government saw that the
discussion which had been raised upon the first reading ofe
that Bill was, in fact, a discussion upon the
Bill, and upon its merits, they must have seen also principle of the
they could not escape a protracted discussion upon it. From
_ the
moment then that the Government had ascertained that fact
all the responsibility of the delay of the Corn Bill r
dtrsted eon-
tirely upon them—(Hear, hear)—and if that iscn ssin
should be followed up after the recess, he did think the public
would be impressed with the idea that the Government had
some unexplained and inconceivable reason for protracting
the Corn Bill, and forcing on this Coercion Bill instead
of it.--(Hear, hear.)
Sir J. GRAHAM said he had explained that twice before.
Mr. P. SCROPE said he had heard the explanation
only the day before yesterday.
Sir J. GRAHAM said he had given the explanation
I e before.
Captain HARRIS said he could very well understand the
reason why the Coercion Bill had been brought on at that
particular period, and he should protest against the two que.s •
tions being mixed up as they had been.
Mr. FORSTER would appeal to the farmers' friends them-
selves, and ask them why they persevered in delaying the
Corn Bill ? He could assure them that their long speeches
would not have the effect of changing a single vote in that
House.—(Hear, hear.)
Sir J. GRAHAM, in answer to some question from Mr.
Christie, said that those questions were questions of which
he had given no notice, and therefore he could not
give them any answer, and he should here observe that
it was extremely inconvenient that such a course should be
adopted. In reference to the Wootton Basset union, he
begged to say that it was not in the power of the Commis •
sioners to censure the guardians, but they might point out to
them the manner in which the law should be carried out.
He communicated with the Poor-law Commissioners to know
what steps they had taken, and on the sth of February they
addressed the letter to the board of guardians from which he
had read the extract. If it were required he would lay the
letter itself on the table.
Sir R. PRICE regretted that the Government should per-
sist in forcing the first reading of the Coercion Bill upon the
House, and he equally regretted the opposition which was so
pertinaciously given by the Irish Members. Neither of them
appeared willing to give way, and the consequence was,
that the business of the country stood still, and that a mea-
sure intended to benefit Ireland in no small degree was de-
layed.
Mr. FITZGERALD begged to correct an expression which
had been made by the Hon. Member for Eversham, and
which was calculated to lead to misapprehension of the real
state of Ireland. The Hoe. Member had alluded to the im-
portation of potatoes into Wales, and he inferred from that
that there was a surplus over the quantity required. lie
could assure the Hon. Member that in this he was perfectly
mistaken. The fact was that the prevalent disease was on
the increase, and they were glad to dispose of- their potatoes
before they would be utterly ruined. He gave the Right
lion. Baronet credit for the measures he had introduced for
the purpose of giving relief to Ireland; and with regard to
the Coercion Bill, he could assure the Right Hon. Baronet
that the opposition given to it by Irish Members did not
- arise from any desire to throw impediments in the way of
the Corn Bill, but solely because they considered the
Coercion Bill ill-timed and uncalled for. He found that,
during the last melees in Tipperary there had been no
capital cenviction, and that in the north crime had also
diminished.
Mr. WYSE thought the conduct of the Irish Members in
offering every opposition to this measure could not be im-
pugned. They felt bound to do so in compliance with the
wishes of their constituents, anti because they considered the
Bill an odious and unjust one. The Government had it in
their power to adjourn the measure, and thus they would
secure the good wishes and hearty co-operation of the Irish
Members in the future stages of the Corn Bill.
Colonel SIB'FHORP said he fully agreed with the llon.
Members who had just sat down., he gave the Irish Mem-
bers all credit for the open, manly, and straightforward,
and be would also say the consistent manner in which they
had opposed the Coercion Bill.—( Hear, hear.) He wished
the present measure of her Majesty's Government was one
calculated to conciliate the people of Ireland. He wished to
see the people of that country prosperous, and he was
compelled to say that the• measures brought for-
ward for the last twenty years in that House
were not calculated to promote the welfare s f
the country. —( ear, hear.) The Government should
introduce a measure that by its beneficial results,
would restore peace and plenty to the peasantry of Ireland.
—(hear, hear.) Such a measure would always meet with
his (Colonel Sib; eorp'e) concurrence and hearty support,
for lie considered it would be more adapted to the condi-
tion of the country than the Coercion Act proposed by her
Majesty's Ministers.
The papers were then ordered to lie on the table.
THE AnT-UNIONS BILL.
Oa the creation of the orders of the day fur the House going
into Committee on this Bill being put,
Mr. WYSE said he wished to know from her Mejesty's
Ministers the nanire of their opposition to the measure.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said the op-
position to the Bill was greunded upon the fact of th
power sought to be given to the Government, namely, that
of being empowered to declare the Art-Unions legal. Now
this was ire amount reviving the system of lotteries, for the
Art-Uinoas were founded upon such principles, and to de-
clare diem legal would be most impolitic.
Mr. WYSE would, after this explanation, postpone the
consideration of the measure till that day fortnight.
THE RAILWAY DEPOSITS BILL.
The House then went into Committee on this Bill.
The whole of the clauses were agreed to, and the House
having resumed the Chairman reported accordingly.
Report to be brenght up on the 24th of April.
RAILWAY LEGISLATION.
On the question being put fpr the House going into a Com-
mittee of Simply,
Mr. LABOUCHEIZE rose, and said be wished to call the
attention of the House, and t.e Right Honourable
Baronet opposite to a most important subject. They were
about to separate for the Easter recess, and yet no Bill or re-
solution had been introduced into either house of Parliament
with respect to the railway measure the Right Hon. Baronet
alluded to the other night. Now, it was important that
something should be known with respect tai that Bill imme-
diately, or great loss would ensue to some of those parties
who were engaged in promoting railway schemes, and he
wished to ask the Right Hon. Baronet the First Lord of the
Treasury whether he would put the railway world in posses-
sion of fee principle, if not of the details, of the measure?
Sir R. PEEL was much obliged to the Hon. Member for
calling attention is this important subject, and he could
assure the Hon. Member and the House that no time had
been lost by the Government in considering this measure. It
however involved the nice details of the law of partnership,
and it was, therefore, important that the measure should
be considered by the highest ,legal authorities before it was
introduced to the Legislature. The highest authorities had
accordingly their attention directed to the subject, and no
time would be lost in bringing in the Bill when
it was finally settled. He was strongly, however, in-
clined to think that it was desirable for the Board
of Trade to issue a circular addressed to the different railway
companies, informing them, without going into the details,
of the general principles which the Government were dis-
posed to agree to in introducing this Bill. He shoal, there-
fore, advise his Noble Friend the President of the Board of
Trade to give some public notification to that effect.
METROPOLITAN BUILDINGS ACT.
Mr. TUFNELL wished to ask the Right Honourable
Baronet the Secretary for the Home Department when he
intended to proceed with the Bill.
Sir J. GRAHAM replied, that it was impossible for him,
in the present state of public business, to give a positive
answer to the question of the Hon. Member. In the first
place, there was the important Bill relating to the law of
settlement, which involved the whole question of removal,
and then there was the Highway Act, and the Militia Act,
all of which lead to be disposed of, as well as the third read-
ing of the Corn Bill, before this measure could be brought
forward. He did not, however, despair of being able to pro-
ceed with the Bill in the course of the present session.
Mr. M. GIBSON hoped that the third reading of the Corn
Bill would be got through before they pro-
eeeded with the other measures sanctioned by
the Right Honourable Baronet. Government might
very easily have bad the Bill read a third time
before the Irish Coercion Bill came on, had they resisted the
coercive policy of the protectionist party.—(Hear, hear.)
He for one strongly objected te Honourable Members being
placed under duresse in this way—compelled, as-they were,
to dispose of one Bill before they could proceed with an-
other.—(Hear, hear.)
Sir W. JOLLIFFE said; that as he had been alluded to in
this discussion, he felt himself compelled to deny that he
had offered any obstruction to the progress of public busi-
ness. He certainly had stated that he would offer his de-
cided opposition to the Turnpikes Bill, which he conceived
would be highly detrimental to the public if it were allowed
to pass in its present shape.
Sir R. PEEL, in answer to what had fallen from the Hon.
Member for Manchester (Mr. M. Gibson), denied that there
had been any understanding whatever between the Govern-
ment and 'Hon. Members on his side of the House
with regard to the Corn and Coercion Bills.—(Hear,
hear.) He might state that it was the intention of leer
Majesty's Government to proceed with the Corn Bill, and
not to introduce any Government business of any kind
whatever, until the sense of the House should have been
taken with respect to the passing of that measure.—(Hear.)
If the arrangement to which the Hon. Member for Man-
chester had alluded had been entered into by the Govern-
ment, it would have been a most unworthy proceeding on
their part.—(Hear, hear.) But there had been no such en-
gagement—(Hear)—and he believed that the Noble Lord,
the Meneber for Lynn, (Lord G. Bentinck) had distinctly
stated the other night, that there had not been any such
arrangement entered into between the protectionists and the
Government.
Mr. M. GIBSON.—I did not say that there had been any
arrengement.—(Hear.) I stated that I had seen in the
public papers that there had been such arrangement.
METROPOLITAN BUILDINGS BILL.
Mr. B. lIAWES said he must complain of the delay
which the Right Hon. Baronet the Secretary of State for the
I tome Department had occasioned with respect to this mea-
sure. When the first Bill or this subject had passed this
session, that Right Hon. Baronet stated that there was an-
other amended Bill which he should introduce at a very
.early period during the present session, and it was with that
understanding that he (Mr. Hawes) had voted for the former

Sir JAMES GRAHAM begged to assure the Hon. Mem-
ber that every exertion was being made to mature the Bill in
question, and he promised that it should be introduxed on an
at-iv day after the Easter recess.
;lir. JOHN O'CONNELL said that as he had been lip to
engaged in a railway Committee, he was not
a ware of the proceedings that h at taken place duringhis ab-
sence ; but he wished to take that opportunity before the
House rose of once more repeating, on the part of hiinseif
and those Irish Members who eat on Lis side of tLe
House, who were opposed to the passim: of the Irish
Coercion Bill, that while they were determined to wse-
:ere to the last, and the very uttermost, in their opposition
to that measure, They were at the same time anxious Itch',
:rf,'2.l.liC any delay to the prog-reis of the public business et
.1. !lions-, and they were therefore willing to withdraw any
e,e:eit of metilen which they had fo: such days ai might be
_xed for the di- mission of the Corn Bill, to udlich as he and
they had already, stated they acre prepared to give their
cordial assent. 'They were prepared to support the repeal of
the corn-laws, but they felt it to be their imperative duty to
oppose, in every stage, the progress of the Irish Coercion
Bill.

that 1110111,21 it

Mr. P. SC ROPE gave notice that lie would, on an early day
after the recess, ask her Majesty's Government Whether if
the tenants cf land in Ulster refused to quit the farms which
they rented at the bidding of their landlords, under circum-
stances similar to those which occurred in the other pro-
vinces of Ireland, it would be lawful for the proprietors of the
land to call in the aid of the military to compel a surrender

LIST or scomrzsrs COMPANIES' PEICE.S
-- - - -
Dividend Amount —
Name of Company. per of Paid. Price
Annum. Share.
.£ s. 0. £ s. 0
Bank of Scotland ..... Cl. per cent. 100 0 0 165
Royal Bank of Scotland 61. per cent. 100 0 0 158
British Linen Company Si. par cent. 100 0 0 224
Commercial Bank .• • • Gl. per cent. 100 0 0 161
National Bank. ..... .. CI. per cent. 10 0 0 14%
Union Bank of Scotland 7%1. pr cent. 50 0 0 92
Western 8ank........ 61. per cent. 50 0 0 73
North of Scotland Bank Cl. per cent. 5 0 0 7%
Clydesdale Bank.... • . 61. per cent. 10 0 0 137,
Eastern 8ank........ 5/. per cent. 10 0 0 11
Caledonian Bank ••. • • 7%1. pr cent. 2 10 0 4%
Edinb.&Glasge,w Bank 61. per cent. 5 0 0 6%
City of Glasgow Bank . 51. per cent. .10 0 0 13
Scottish Union lns.Co. 51. per cent. 20 0 0 1 0 0 245.
11/mules Insurance Co. 71. per cent. 1100 0 0 10 0 0 14%
!war. Co. of Scotind. • i_2l. der cent. 10 0 0 All paid. 94,,
North British Incur... a%l. pr cent. 200: 0 0 10 0 0 28.
Caledonian Fire Insur. 101. per cent.lloo 0 0 10 0 0 24
Edinburgh Life Insur. 61. per cant. 100 0 0 12 10 0 18%
Edin. & Glasg. Railway 1/.los. pert. 50 0 0 50 0 0 72
Ditto, % Shares.... 7s. 6d. p. s. 12 10 0 All paid. 17)4
Edin., Leith, & Grantn 20 0 0 20 0 0 16%
Glasgw & Ayrsliir Rail. 5/. per cen :. 50 0 D All paid. 70)4
(liaspv & Gretna Rail. 21. per cent. 25 0 0 All paid. 19
(;I,gv,•& Garukirk Rail. 51. per cent. 25 0 0 All paid. 40)4
Dundee& Arbroth Rail. 61. per cent. 25 0 0 All paid. 39
Standard LifeAssarnce. 51 per cent. 150 0 0 I 2 10 0 9

` 7.6.TE1L,A2703Z,MS
Dividend Amount
Name of Company. per of , Paid. Price.
Annum. Share.
£ s, d. 1
East London. - 215
Grand Junction - 90
Kent ••••• • • • • • .... • • 2/. 10s. 100 0 0 - 65
Vauxhall • .... ..... - 57
West Middlesex .. .. • - 130
CANALS.
4 4 Dividend
Names of a? IDividendl Names of '..,
Price. ,••• per Price.
Companies. A per Companies. 2 . _
4,winm.
CO Annum. Cn
X r
X
1
Ashtn& Oldh 97 51.55. p e 72 Monmouthsh 100 81. 160
Ashby-d-la-Z 113 41. 70 Mntgomrysh 100 51. 98
Barnsley.. • • 160 12/. 180 Macclesfield. 100 - 38
Basingstoke.. 100; - - Neath .... • • 100 17/. 340
Brknk&Abrg 150 5/. 85 Nottingham . 150 12/. -
Croinford .. • . 100 141. 150 Peak Forest. 78 3/. GS
Dudley, lOO 41. - Regent's ... • 33 1/. is. 25'
Derby .. - - 100 6/. 73 Rochdale .... 85 41. 77
Ellsinre&Chs 133 41. 65 Shropshire .• 12.5 81. -
Erewash
Forth & Clyd 100 4/. - Do.Lkid St 12 6/. p. c. 11
GrandJunctn , 100 71. 95 Stffrd &Wore 140 28/. 200
Grand Union,loo 11. 10s. - Shrewsbury.. 125 151. 230
Glamorgnsh .1172 13%1. 210 Stourbridge .. 145 201. 280
Glstr &Brklyi •00 - - Strtfrdon Av 79 1/. 10s. -
Grantham -1150 121. 100 Severn and 26 11. Se. 32
Huddersfield.' 571 - - Wye Rail.
Kennt & Avu'
an 391 7s. 6d. - Tnit &Mr- '
Mr-
Lancaster - sey, IA sh. 1 -
j
50 30/.
Leeds& Livrp, 1001 341. 520 Thams &Med 19 - -
Leicester .. i 1401 10/. 105 Worcstr /k 7
Leicstr&NiLl 83 4/. 60 Binning. j7B 21. 44
Loughboreghil42 701. 850 Wilts & Brks 67 11. 11

DUTCH-RHENISH RAILWAY.
(THIS DAY.)
A general meeting of the shareholders in the Com-
pany for this line was held to-day, at one o'clock, at the
London Tavern. W. J. Chaplin, Esq., Chairman of the
South- Western Railway, in the chair.
The CHAIRMAN opened the proceedings by stating
that circumstances had occasioned the presence of several
of the directors in Paris, and had put him into the posi-
tion of chairman. This could hardly be considered as
an English meeting, because the head director being in
Holland, they :could not therefore come to any de-
finite decision, but as the meeting had been called in de-
ference to the wishes of their proprietors, their sentiments
might now be gathered, and be stated by the delegation
at the meeting of the directors in Holland. He lamented
that the meeting had not been deferred till the close of
the financial year ; but still, although only ten months
had elapsed, he thought the directors would be able to
give some satisfactory intimation of the worth of the
property at the end of the year. He would now call
upon Mr. Janson to read the report of the directors in
Holland.
The report stated that the King of the Nether-
lands and the Secretary for the Home Department
bad not hesitated to connect themselves with the line;
that by the Concession of 16th May, 1845, the posses-
sion and working of all the railways granted to the Com.
pany, and to be constructed, are fully secured till the
end of the year 1898 : after that, they are not to re-
lapse to the Government, except on its refunding all the
sums that have been expended, without any deduction
on account either of dividends or of any repayments. If
the Government intended to resume the lines, it must
give at least one year 'b notice previous to the expiration
of the grant ; and, in. failure of this notice, the grant
will be extended for a new period of twenty-five years.
The Government has, moreover, guaranteed to the Com-
pany the greatest freedom and inch pendence in its man-
agement and financial administration ; whilst no greater
tax can be imposed upon it annually than three-
feur,;is per thousand, or Is. 6d. per 1,0001. on
the capital. The difficulties which manifested them-
selves in the commencement have been already in part
overcome. The regulations for the administration were
approved of, with very few alterations, in the meetings
of the general direction on the 18th and 19th July
last, at which meetings his Excellency the Count Schim-
melpennick accepted the presidency of that direction.
The chief engineer was Mr. N. J. van der Lee, who had
previously been employed as engineer by the Government.
'The transfer of the existing railway was not effected till
the ist of September last. Since then the company have
had the entire management of the line ; and that the
service had not only been c:)ndueted with great regu-
lrrity, but ihat not a single accident has happened on
obis line. Meanwhile, so far from the sum stated as she
peob.T.ble cost of the transfer having been ex..Teded, the
curripany has actually realised a saving in that item of
about 300,000 florins, c qual to 2.5,000/ On another
positionted t of fa
that
hae
scompany
0070aws
florins,also m
eppgroouinc.:ctdt.ll°_flit:ll-naeslasitipul.
to Al 6661.shoulbdebine
being
aplolsoiltevedda;oar Sitecbuyrituy
oFveurnnd_,
without any interest
mlieeuntt.herTewhiasiiebbee;iirlelbieevaerd,inotnerdeespto—sistoing,
thatin
florins,tb,e.e oemqupaaln
jt.o.
of
al766a6ninti., alhasprtohfletreobfyupbweeanedssoecf
capitalbond s
secured
3nt, and
The materiel of the railway remains in the best state
the condition of the wkole property of the COMP 3'e _

of the line, in its entire extent, leaves nothing to be
desired, and it has obtained the approbation of all who
have closely inspected it. In order to afford greater
accommodation to the trains, they had laid down
a double rail on some points of the line, and
this alteration has already answered the designed end.
They had also felt the necessity of improving the means
of conveyance by water to the chief station in Amster-
dam; and, for the attainment of this object, to establish
additional warehouses, as well as to erect wharfs for
landing and shipping merchandise. By means of these
comprehensive improvements, the merchants of Amster-
dam will be able to have goods conveyed by the accus-
tomed water carriage, without the expense of cartage,
and immediately placed on the waggons of the railway,
and to receive them in the same manner from the

station. It is also in contemplation of the authorities
to form a convenient wharf at Arnheim, which
will establish the most ready connexion between
the chief city of the kingdom and the Rhine,
for goods destined to places beyond Prussia.
Among the branches the construction of which has
bean undertaken by the Company, that to the Entrepot-
dock at Amsterdam occupies the first place, regarded
in a mercantile point of view ; because it not only in-
sures to the Company the conveyance of goods from the
warehouses of private individuals, but also those which
are warehoused in that large commercial depot. Two
routes presented themselves—the one longer, over an
objectionable tract of ground, and interfering with
much private property ; the other, over better ground,
and belonging exclusively to the Corporation of Amster-
dam. The former-route was originally projected and
sanctioned by Government ; the latter was, after due
examination, selected. The advantages connected with
this new route were as great as they were obvious ; and,
in the construction, it was calculated a saving of 400,000
florins (33,3331.) would be effected ; the keeping of it in
repair, in consequence of the superiority 9f the ground,
would be much less expensive ; and tedious and costly
law-suits with private individuals, for the expropriation
of their properties, would thus be avoided for the future,
as regards the keeping of it in repair, as would have been
observed from the foregoing statement. With respect to
the conveyance of passengers, we can also announce,
that the results already obtained were of the most
satisfactory nature. Notwithstanding the unfinished
state of the railway, and although the mea-
sures adopted and projected can develop their full effects
only at a future period, still we are able, in this first
year of the opening of the line to Arnheim, to calculate
with certainty on a return of more than 600,000f1.
(50,000/.), which will thus, for that first year, yield an
interest of nearly four per cent. on the expended capital,
after deducting all expenses. Agreeably to the act of
concession, the juncton of the Dutch Rhenish Railway
with the Prussian was to be a matter of diplomatic
arrangement between the two Governments, and that
had just been brought to a successful conclusion.
Meanwhile, the financial interests of the Company have
not less occupied attention : and here, also, they had
reason to be satisfied. In conformity with Art. 24 of
the statute, the meeting of the general direction, on our
proposal, authorised us to redeem a portion of the loan
of 9,000,00011 (750,0001), and nearly a third of that
loan has teen redeemed on reasonable terms, and the
bonds have come into possession of the Company. The
effect of this redemption has of course been a consider-
able saving of interest ; but as the time is approaching
in which the works confided to our care will have to be
commenced, we also intend to submit to that meeting
the propriety of making a third call. We have laid it
down as a principle, when speaking of the future, to
keep within the bounds of probability ; and we, there-
fore, trust, that the anticipations which we have in-
dulged will'be surpassed by realities. If your expressed
wish in this respect had not prevailed, we should have
preferred delaying our report till the close of the finan-
cial year, because we flatter ourselves that we should
then have been able to communicate the adjustment of
still open questions, whereas we now often have to speak
of pending negotiations. They proposed, however, on a
fitting opportunity, to give another report, which will
be satisfactory to the shareholders at large.
The SECRETARY afterwards read the report from the
English directors and the observations of Mr. Locke,
the English engineer, the former confirming the Dutch
report, and the latter showing the probability of good
traffic, and that the earthworks to Arnheim had been
completed fur a cloub'e line, although only a single line
bad been laid down. The country was flat, and the cost
per mile will be far below that of English railways. The
gauge was to be the same as the German lines, with
which it was intended to communicate.
These several documents were received with much
applause.
The Cirainarate said that as confidence in our foreign
line ought to be supported, he would s sy a lew woris, al.
though not otherwise after such lengthy reports. He had
last autumn been invited to visit Holland, and he found
the population so great that there was a certainty of
success. There was Amsterdam with 250,000, Rotter-
dam with 100,000, Utrecht GO,OOO, and Arnheim with
24,000, ell upon the line ; and he only wondered that
the wealthy and numerous inhabitants of these
places did not make the line for themselves. But a little
reflection soon showed him the cause, and the snore so
when he recollected three or four years since, when they
were desirous of getting the concession of the Rouen
line, it required 2,300 subscribers in France to take as
many as 200 shareholders in this company had talc
amongst them. He then went over a plan of the line
showing its course anr). connexion with the German
railway*. In 1845, the traffic on the Amsterdam line
had reached 6,625,000 persons and upwards, and as the
proposed line was seven miles nearer, it was natural to
presume that this would be increased. There was a
consideration as to wh.:ther the transfer of the traffic
should be at Arnheim, on the frontier, or at E.undrick.
This matter was, however, now satisfactorily settled.
The line to the latter place would be all finished in the
course of one year, and the remainder of the line, which
was now being formed to Minden, a distance of 42 miles,
would be completed early in 1847, and then the
Dutch-Rhenish line would be in communication with

one already formed, and which was made all the way to
Berlin. By a comparison drawn up by Mr. Moss be-
tween their probable traffic on this line—by the books it
appeared on the Birmingham line, between the Ist July
and December 31, 1839, the first year of its opening, the
number of passengers were on the whole 94 miles,
which were at that time opened, 301,557, or on an aver-
age of 3,208 1 assengers per mile. On the Grand Junc-
tion line, during six months, the average on the 96
miles of its course was 233,501, er on an average 2,432
passengers per mile. On the Paris and Rouen line during
six months of the first year of its opening, the numbers
carried were 348,976, or on an average 4,150 passengers
on the 84 miles of its course, while on the Arnheim line
the number carried during the six months was 281,814,
or an average of 4,857 passengers, or more than double
that of the Grand Junction. On the line between Am-
sterdam and the Hague, the number carried was, in the
six months after its opening, 626,316 on the 37 miles of
its course, or an average of 16,927 passengers per
mile ; while during last year the average of the
number carried by the South-Western Com-
pany had been 11,412 passengers per mile, thus
showing that the passenger traffic to be anticipated
was in every way satisfactory. Then as to the proba-
bility of remuneration, lie would state that the prices the
Company were entitled to charge were lid. per mile for
the first class, lid. for the second class, and id. for the

third class, against 1 3-sd. for the first class on the
Rouen line, which was, perhaps, the best correlative
that could be adduced, 1 1-sd. for the second class, and
id. for the third class. This Rouen line was paying
ten per cent. dividend. On the Western line the ave-
rage charge for the three classes was lid., so that there
was little doubt of success. Then as to the cost of the
line, the original estimate was for the whole 103 miles,
which would be the whole length, including the
branches, 1,824,6001.; but, in consequence of the nego-
tiations of the direction in Holland, the sum was
1,731,6001., making a cost of something more
than 17,0001. a mile. On the Arnheim line
the cost, including land, was 15,507/. -per mile, while,
in England, the cost was 20,0001. to 30,0001., and in
one instance, he believed, as much as 50,0001. a mile, so
that the cost was far in favour of the Dutch line. Then
again, as to the cost of working, be found that on the
Arnheim line the whole number of miles traversed was,
during the last six months, 120,568, at an expense of 3s. ld.
per mile; while on the South-Western line the miles tra-
versed were somewhat above 400,000 miles, at an:expense
of 3s. 6d. a mile. On the South-Western line the Company
paid 12,829/. ss. for mileage to Government, and 12,576/.
for poor-rates and taxes, while, according to agreement
with the Government the Company were to pay is. 6d.
a mile, so that the expense was 750 Z as against 12,9991. ss.
In Holland there was no poor-rates to pay at all. The
coke cost about 275. a ton, while in the south of England
the price was 265. And as a proof of his belief for the
goodness of the line he held 4,033 shares whieh he in-
tended to keep.

The Chair Man was cheered throughout the whole of his
address which seemed to give the meeting the utmost
satisfaction.

In reply to a Shareholder, Mr. CHAPLIN said
the double line of rails was laid down part of
the way to Arnheim, and that throughout the whole
length the works were constructed for a double
line and all that was wanted to complete
the line was the laying of the rails. It would be seen
that when the several avenues of traffic were opened,
the amount of it would be very largely increased, for it
had been found impossible to keep the passengers on the
water, and great benefit would ensue from the convey-
ance of goods as soon as the line was completed.
On the suggestion of Mr. CASH, it was agreed to pub-
lish the names of the directors at the next meeting, and
to postpone the financial statement to the same oppor-
tunity.
Ttianks were unanimously and enthusiastically voted
to the Chairman, and the meeting separated.