The Sun.
London, England, 1842-05-02 00:00:00

PORTUGAL.

FALMOUTH, APRIL 30.—The steamer Liverpool arrived
here this morning, and after landing the Peninsular mains pro-
ceeded for Southampton. She brings dates from Gibraltar
2lst inst., Cadiz 22d inst., Lisbon 25th inst., Oporto 26th
inst., and Vigo 27th inst. Passengers:—Messrs. Fitzgerald,.
Ostman, Eaton, Delius, Villar, Baker, Howard, Kanin, Jon-
quim, and Jackson ; Lieutenant Osborne ; Captain Lyons and
servant ; Mrs. Baker, two children, and servant. Left at Lis-
brn the Indus arid Lynx British ship: of war.
LISBON, Amin. 25.—Some delay will necessarily take place
in the negotiations about the commercial treaty, owing to a
difficulty started by the Portuguese negotiator, and which will
oblige Lerd Howard. to refer the question to the Government
at home. What the Portuguese want is to ensure a continu-
ance of exclusive favours, as regards their wine,, &c., in our
market; so that whatever treaties we might make subseqUently
with other wine. growing countries, there shall always be-a
lower duty on Portuguese wines than on any other.
Our Government, I believe, is willing to make a very ex-
tensive reduction of duties on Portuguese products, for an equi-
valent reduction here on British cotton, woollens, hardware,
and salt fish. It is understood that the duties on Portuguese '
wines would be reduced from ss. Gd. to 2s. 6d. per gallon ;
that en Brandy from 21s. 611. to 10s., and Portuguese fruit,
which now pays 7s. Gd. per chest, would be admitted at the
merely nominal duty of Is. per chest. For such concessions as
these, which would give an enormous impulse to the agricul-
tural interests, the Portuguese ought not to hesitate to reduce
their duties on our staple articles to one half at least ; in bet,
the principle should be to regulate the duties so as to amount
to about .4) per cent, ad slalom/4 making sense exception, on the
one hand,lin favour of additional protection to such branches of
.manufacture as have been long established under the existing
system, and on the other, reducing to a still lower amount than
20 per cent. the duties on such articles as are consumed exten-
sively by the poorer classes, and which do not enter into com-
petition at all with their home manufactures. The idea is
tp appoint a commission of practical men, English and Portu-
guese, to examine the tariff, and the hearings of the-reductions
proposed. The hitch that has now taken place is unfortunate ;
and the interest of Portugal certainly is that there should be no
unnecessary delay. The best exemplification of this afforded
by the strenuous efforts making by the French and Spanish
Ministers to prevent the conclus on of the treaty. The opposi-
tion of its two rivals in the British market ought to convince
Portuguese statesmen how much their country would benefit
by the proposed arrangement,
It is reported that the Council of State have not yet come to
a definite conclusion as to Baron Lagos's plan of converting the
foreign into home stock. The idea of its supporters is to con-
vert no more than a million or two millions at present. It ap-
pears that Messrs. Neave and Co., of London, offer to deliver
over to the Portuguese government a million of Five per Cents.
Foreign Steck, to be exchanged for a million of Portuguese
Four per Cents., payable at Lisbon, the parties receiving a
commission of 2} per cent. We e this carried out, then the
conversion of a further amount would be proeeeded with.
The golden rose consecrated by. the Pope, and which con-
tained some relics within it, was presented to the Queen yes-
terday with much ceremony, at the Chapel of the NecessidadeS,
by Monsenor D. Estavao Vizzardelli, councillor of the Papal
legation, chamberlain to his Holiness, and his delegate here for
the especial purpose of presenting this offering on the occasion
of the baptism of the young Prince. It was made a religious
ceremony, and after mass the delegate presented the golden
rose, with a short speech, hoping that it would be the precur-
sor of the prosperity of religion in Portugal. The Queen re-
plied in suitable terms, expressing a hope that the acts of her
reign would corrispond with the benevolent intentions of his
Holiness. Monsenor Vizzardella received a gold snuff box set
round with brilliants, and also the Commandership of the order
of Christ, of which the nuncio has received the grand cross.

British ships here, Indus and Lynx. The Kite steamer of
war came in on Wednesday, from Plymouth in four days, and
left on Friday for Sierra Leone, to order home the steamers of
the Niger expedition. The Duke and Duchess of Montrose
are here en route for Madrid.

THE MATRICIDE AT MERTHYR.

commirrAL OF THE MURDERER.

MERTHYR, APRIL 30.—Yesterday the accused, Richard
Edwards, was brought up for examination before the Magis-
trates. The room in which the examination was taken anti
the street in front were completely crowded by the multitude,
and the prisoner, on being semoved from the police-station,
was saluted with loud yells from the populace.
The evidence which was given before the Coroner having
been repeated, the following additional testimony was given:—
Anne Williams, wife of Richard Williams, deposed that the
wife of the prisoner came to her house the Saturday pre-
vious to the discovery of the murder. She said, her husband
told ber to coMe, and that his mother was perfectly willing for
her to come. Witness said she thought his mother was from
home, as she had seen a cloak 'hanging over the window the
whole of Friday, arid the door shut all day, and that she had
seen the prisoner peeping from the outside through the win-
dow ; he was pushing the cloak a little on one side through a
broken pane. Witness told him his wife had been looking for
him on the Saturday morning, rind asked him if ho had seen
anything of his mother. The prisoner replied that he had seen
her on the Thursday night, and that she was gone from home.
His wife had not been living with him for the last three
months.
GowenriSif'lnnes -przllsi-IWt—titivitig- seen the old-woman
alive on the 16th, which is two days later than was previously
known.

William Richards deposed to the prisoner's having beggep
a bit of bread of him on the Sunday after he abscondod ; he
said he had not had a bit that day, and on being asked how it
was he was begging, he said that he had beim out of work two
months; that he was single, and that he lodged near Dowlais
Chapel.
Several other witnesses were examined, but their testimony
was unimportant.
The prisoner was asked if he had anything to say, at the
same time being duly cautioned. He replied that he would
rather make his statement then, and said ( in Welch) that on Mon..
day morning I went to my mother's house. She had told
me that she was going to Llanfabon on Friday, and would
remain till Saturday morning. I asked Nary Treharne,
the next door neighbour, if she had seen any one look-
ing for me, and when she had seen my mother? She
said she had not s ,en my mother since yesterday evening ;
that my wife had been there on Saturday morning, and that her
father had turned her out of doors. She also told me, that my
wife was gone to Caer Drain, to a relation; I went there after
her, and asked her if she would come with me. She at first
refused ; but after a long Conversation she consented, and we
left the house together. about 7 o'clock in the evening. When
we wit to my mother's house there wai no fire, and my wife
began to light it, while I went into Ewan Davis's shop. When
I returned, my wife was sitting in the corner ; she told me my
mother was under the'bed, dead. I said, " What did you say,
girl?" She repeated what she had said. I went and looked,
and got quite distracted. Peggy took hold of me, and told
me to be pacified, and I said, " God, God, who has been here
killing my mother." We both of us pacified ourselves, and
then agreed to say she was from home.
The prisoner was then fully committed to take his trial at
the next. Glanaorganshire assizes.

The Journal du Loiret states that the Mayor of
Lorris, in the arrondissement of Montargis, had forbidden,
under a penalty of from sf. t0.10f., any person under his juris-
diction to dance the galop. Ile has also prohibited the bond
in the .Pastourelle from being executed •" so rapidly," as
the order states, " as the ladies generally desire." The worthy
functionary, in his excess of zeal for the morals of his com-
mune, has forgotten that the music must regulate the slowness
or rapidity of the dancers' movements ; he should also, there.:
fore, issue an order to composers to substitute the andante for
the allegro movement.
NORTIIERN AND EASTERN RAILWAY. With
much pleasure we lay before our readers the following extract
from the letter of a Shareholder :—" You may remember in
what a, depressed state the funds of the. Northern and Eastern
Railway were for a long time, and I am sure you will be glad
to hear they are now in excellent condition, so much so that a
circular has been sent to each party in arrears with his calls, tel
the effect that money is coming in so fast on the debentures,
that the arrears need not be paid until next year. The calla
were at one time very heavy—'sl. per share io 12 months 4
This line will. do well now."—Railway Mayuzine.
On Saturday several workmen were set to work in
filling up a portion of the deep hollow between Holborn-hill
and Snow. hill. in order to afford an approach to the new strret,
which iii,nearly three feet above the carriage-way of the hill.
Tjae,paving of the new street is completed, and was this morn-
ing viewed by the Surveyors and several of the Coranittee: It
will be completed for traffic in the course of the day, when it is
expected that foot passengers will be allowed to ss.pa
On Thursday the Committee-on the Budget elected
M. Vuitry as reporter, in place of 'M. Lacave-Laplagne.. M.
Darbly was appointed President of the Committee, Which post
was also held by, M. Lacave-Laplagne. At the close of the sit-
ting of the Chamber e,f Deputies on Thursday, the report of the
Committee on the Budget, which was drawn up by M; Lseave,
Laplagne, was laid on the bureau of the President by M. Vuitry:
The last portion of this report was read to, and adopted by, the
Committee, on the slay that. M. liumann died. The Moniteur
Purisien states that the Minister of Finance will maintain all
the opinions expressed by him as reporter on the Budget.

A letter frcim Narbonne, of April 21, states that
the waters of the Aude, which for some time had been much
swollen, had on the preceding day reached so great a height
that the embankment on the left side was swept away to a
considerable extent. The vast plain reaching to the pond of
Capostang was nothing but a vast lake, where the water must
remain for a length of time as the inclination from that part
of the country to the sea is very slight. Great damage has
been (lone, and the loss, the letter state,,, will be enormous;
both for the repairs of the embankment and by the destruction
of the crops, which were in a flourishing state when the dis-
aster took place. _ _

THE LATE EARL OF MUNSTER.—(FTOM a Cor-
respondent. )—The will of the late Earl of Munster has been
proved in Doctors'-Commons by Lord De L'l4e, General
NVyndhate and Mr. Cameron, the executors. 'I he will refers
to vario is family settlements, and directs the residue of his
Lordship's property, after payment of debts and legacies, to
be laid out in the purchase of estates, to be entailed in his fa-
mily, Lady Munster taking all the rents (except 3001. for the
present Earl) and to have the use of the houses and furniture
at Brighton and in Belgrave-street, rent-free for her The
personal property wes sworn under 40,0001.
A woman, named Cocluard, who resided in the
Rue Reaubourg, was murdered by her husband, on Saturday
week, in a fit of jealousy. Cocquard having sent for his wife
from the shop of a tobacconist, who employed her as a char-
woman, bbe came, and, immediately on her entering, a quarrel
was heard by the neighbours. shortly afterwards all was
silent, and Cocquard came out of the room in a state of great
agitation, hastened to the Commissary of Police, declared that
he had murdered his wite, and surrendered himself prisoner
The Magistrate went to the room, and found the poor wassail
lifeless, with three desperate wounds in the breast, with a
knife, which had killed her instantaneously.
A land-slip has lately taken place at Villequier, near
Rouen. Three or four acres of land have been removed from
their former position, carrying with them trees and hedges.
'Large fissures appear in several, places; one house has fallen
down altogether, and another was so injured as to force the
owner to quit it. This land-slip was accompanied with a noise,
which is described as like a strong blast of wind. The road
from Villequier to Caudebec presents several openings, antl
considerable sinking has taken place in part of it,