The Sun.
London, England, 1842-04-20 00:00:00

THE ROYAL NAVY.

Woo',sew 11, Area 18.—The following has just been issued :
"Memorandum—The rating of leading stoker' having
been added to the establishmentsof her Majesty's steam-vessels,
by order in Council of the 2d of February, 1842, the command-
ing officers of all such vessels are hereby acquainted that the
object of this rating is to improve the practice of •stoking,' to
which too little importance has been hitherto attached, so as to
combine, with the greatest possible efficiency in the raising and
I maintaining of the steam, the utmost. economy in fuel, whether
considered as a constant and heavy item of expense, or as
tiffs cting the resources of her Majesty's steam-vessels in this
important particular. With this view their Lordships are
pleased to direct that the commanding officers shall be at
liberty to recommend to them, for such rating such stokers as
tiles, shall have good reason to consider reserving of, and qua-
for, the situation, on account of their steady conduct, ex •
,„,ience in this particular business, and superior ability in con-
ducting it. Their Lordships strictly forbid any such recom -
mendation until men can be obtained possessing the qualifica-
tm„, above mentioned and if, on trial, any man so rated be
0, nb. unfit to fill the situation, either on accaunt of character
their 'lity, he is to be disrated, and a report thereof made fur
Lordships' information.
The ieading stokers are to be under the immediate direr--
11" n of the engineers of the respective watches, and to he respon-
sible, during the watches, for the due performance of the duty
committed to their charge. Their names, characters (especi-
ally as to sobriety), and qualifications, are to be inserted im-
mediately under under the engineer!, in every monthly report
of the engines, &c.
" The number of leading stokers in each vessel's establish-
ment being the same as that of the engineers, their Lordships
recommend to the commanding officers so to arrange the several
watches as to create an emulation in the performance of this
very essential duty ; and special mention is to be made, in the
reports, of any leading stokers who may display peculiar zeal
and ability in carrying out the desired improvement in this
department of the service, with a view to their future employ-
ment in preference to others.
" A list of leading stokers will be kept in this department
and at Woolwich Dockyard, containing an account. of their ser-
vices, character, qualifications, &c. ; and when a steam-vessel
is paid off, the leading stokers, if of good character, may be
retained, if they desire it, as supernumeraries on the books of
the William and Mary, for future employment, as is now the
case with certain other classes of petty officers, who are borne
on the books of the guard-ships for that purpose."

MTSTHRIOUS OCCURRENCE.—SinCe Friday evening
the family of Mr. T. Martin, of Deverell-street, Old Kent.
road, have been thrown into a state of alarm, arising from two o f
the female servants having been discovered to be poisoned; of
one of whom, from the dreadful state in which she remains up
to the present time, there are but faint hopes of recovery.
The poison taken has been laudanum, which was adminis-
tered in the later. The following are the particulars con-
nected with this mysterious case :—From the statement of Mr.
and Mrs. Martin it appears that the oldest of the two women
had received notice to quit ; and in the course of a day er two
afterwards the other girl gave notice. Being a very good ser-
vant, and much liked by the !amity, Mrs. Martin inquired the
cause of giving notice, and wh'ether she had any fault to
find with her situation. She replied in the negative. Upon
which Mrs. Martin said, " You had better consider what you
are going to do; for if I should go after the character of any
applicant, sod it suits, it will be too late for 3ou to alter
your opinion." Subsequently the girl said, that her fellow-
servant had advised her to leave. Nothing further tran-
spired until the evening in question, when the beer came,
and was placed upon the bob of the kitchen range, which
they both partook of, but the youngest thank by far the
greater portion; the effect of t- e beverage was almost inatan-
taneous, and but for the arrival at home of Mr. and Mrs.
Martin at the time they did, death would have ensued. Upon
searching the kitchen a bottle which had contained laudanum
was found, and which had recently been emptied of its con-
tents. Mr. Martin observed to the police, that, since the older
servant had notice to go, one of his children was a few days
before discovered to be labouring under an extraordinary degree
.of stupor, and slept fur a great number of hours. At present
neither of the Women are in a condition to be removed.
DisrnANcnisEm ENT or SennußY.-- The recom-
mendatory resolutions of the Committee to disfranchise this
borough for its alleged corruption. has given much offence and
uneasiness to the independent and virtuous parts of the electors,
who feel the hardship of being mixed up with the corrupt and
venal portion. Every effort, it is understood, w ill be made to
prevent the contemplated aggression by ternoustance and by
petition. Ipswich Express.
turner, named Peget, wa; lately tried he for
the Paris Court of Assizes, for the minder of a man named
( holies who exeteised the same callftig
as the accused. The
deceased returned home to the Hue St. Martin, 157, one night,
in October last, bathed in blood from a large wound on his
right temple. He had on a cap which was not his own, and
held in his hand a knife which he said he had snatched front a.
person who had attacked hint near the Canal St. Martin. 'I by
e
aggressor, he stated, first asked bun the way, and on rfeiVtlig
the information he sought, suddenly rushed on him, and, in a
struggle, inflicted the wound on the head. Choilet grew gra-
dually worse, and at last died, giving the same account of the
matter. The accused was taken up for being heard to say that
he had been attacked on the night in question by three indivi-
duals, and only got rid of them by striking about right and left
with his knife. On the trial he persisted in the same state-
ment, and, his character being good, he was acquitted.
DIED. On Monday, the IMF' inst., Jane, the beloved
wife of Mr. Joseph Wickenden, Surgeon, New Hall-street,
Birmingham.

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF LORDS, April 19.

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Their Lordships met at Five o'Clock.
EDUCATION IN IRELAND.
The Bishop of DERRY presented a petition from the
parish of Templemore, in favour of the present system
of national education in Ireland. The petitions stated
that, of the 59,000 children receiving instruction in the
national schools, 21.000 were Roman Catholics.
PRESBYTERIAN MARRIAGES.
Lord MOUNTCASHELL presented a petition from
a congregation of Presbyterians in the city of Cork,
praying for an alteration of the law relating to Protestant
marriages in Ireland.
The Indemnity Bill, and the Public Works Bill, were
each read a third time and passed.
CORN-LAWS.—THE TARIFF.
The Earl of YARBOROUGH presented a petition
're.n'firir,g, in Lincolnshire, against the proposed altera-
tit,,t (); the Corn-laws.
• Earl of HARDWICKE took that opportunity of
vading extracts from papers on their Lordships' table to
show that there was no reason to apprehend that an in-
crsasel importation of agricultural produce would have
a" sensible effect upon the interests of British agricul-
ttire“. as the returns showed, that, notwithstanding a
constant. and progressive increase in the importation of
live cattle from Ireland since 1817, there had been no de-
preciation of British stock, and no diminution of prices.
CORN IMPORTATION BILL.
Lord MOUNTCASHEL gave notice that on the
Corn Importation Bill going into Committee, he should
move that certain towns in Ireland be added to those
already mentioned, as the ones from which the averages
should be taken.
APPLES IMPORTED.

Earl IZADNoII. moved for a return of the quantity of
apples imported into this country, and said that he would
also move for a repeal of the duty.
On the. motion beinc, put,
Earl WINCIIILSEa said he would take that oppor-
.tnnify of stating that he considered any alteration in the
duty would be injurious.
Earl RADNOR said that when the prohibitory duties
existed, the price of apples fell from 12s. 6d. to 2s. 4d.,
and when the duty was lowered the price rose.
The return, as we understood, was then agreed to.
Earl .11ADNOR presented a petition from Sydenham
against the Corn-laws.
• Lord IiINNAIIiII presented several petitions to the
same d'eu'ce.
-Earl FITZWILLIAM presented petitions to the same
effect.