The Sun.
London, England, 1842-05-18 00:00:00

THE SLAVE-TRADE.

MEMOIR OF' REAR-ADMIRAL
D'URVILLE,
THE CELEBRATED NAVIGATOR.

Mn. EDITOR,—A remedy was some time ago pro•
posed for the suppress:loll of the tilavn,tendi; was tt
costly osA to tilis cOuritry, mill it failed entirely. • •
As regards the evil of a want of labour in the British
tropical colonies, I do not think that the remedy pre-
tended even to cure that ; but, if it did, that cure could
have been but a slow one, since Africa was to be civi-
lised first. Allow me, then, now to propose at least an
antidote for the slave-trade, which- may diminish the
grievous want of labour in the colonies, and, I flatter
myself, at the same time, render possible, almost imme-
diately, the free emigration from Africa not only to the
British isles, but also to such other .tropiCal countries as
are enlightened enough to join sincerely for the accom-
plishment of so desirable an object, which alone can
avert from them impoverishment, demoralisation, disho-
nour, and ruin. OM EFA.

Jules Sebastian Cesar Duniout Urvil le, the eele-
brated navigator, Who, with his wife and only son,
has met with'sci unthnely and disastrous a fate on the
Versailles Railroad, was born on the 23d of May,
1790, and was ConseqUently, at the time of his prema-
ture departnre, at the age of .52. The place of his
birth. was at Conde-sur-Noireau, in the departrpent
of Calvados, and he commenced his naval career early
in life, undertaking his first tour of circumnavigation,
in 1825, being then in his nth year.
In January, 1827, M. D'Urville was the discoverer
of the island which bears his name, and whose exist-
ence he fixed positively. • It is formed of that portion
of land, which terminates at the Cape Stephens of
Cook, and which is divided from the mass of Tavai-
Pounamou by the basin of Courans. This island is
high and mountainous : the coast barren, and very
steep and rugged on the side which turns westward
towards Lake Tasman ; its aspect, however, is much
better towards the Admiralty bay ; and it has some
pleasant spots. It measures eight miles from north
to south, and a little less from east to west. "The
officers of the Astrolabe," says our modest navigator,
in this account of his own discovery, "desirous of
perpetuating the memory of their Captain, wished to
have his name attached to this part of the discoveries
of the voyage, and he thankfully acceded to this mark
of esteem on the part of his brave comrades," "La
denomination d'lle d Urville," continues he, " pourra
done rester a cette terre jusqu'a l'epoque on l'on con-
naitra le nom qu'elle a recu de ses habitans."
Point D'UiVille, which is also called after him,
lies according to the observations of M. Jacquinot, an
officer of the expedition, in 1° 24' lat. S. and 135°
27' long. E. It forms a low point, jutting out very
much into the sea, and formed by the extremity of
tb land„forming part of New Guinea.

FOR THE HOME DEPARTMENT.

M. D' Urville,lti-his last, expedition chiefly followed
the track which had been pursued-. by Weddell, who
had preceded him in exploring these sea& He was no
less guided by the labours of other excellent naviga-
tors who had proceeded before him in much the same
course. Among .:these, Capt. Cook, in 1775, had
penetrated, among other points of the globe, into these
regions, but had kept himself in a higher latitude
than i:lt pursued by-D'Urville, and who, indeed,
found himself barricaded in the parallel, of sixty
degrees by the immense, obstruetive ice-blocks,
in the vicinity of the Sandwich:- isle's. Brans-
field, in 1820, found his- route' barred out within
a short distance of
.the fioth degree by extensive ice-
fields. In - 1821 the enterprising Powell was not able
to penetrate beyond 62 deg. 30 sec.; and more re-
cently Biscoe, after different excursions and- trials
under other meridians, left the whole of this space un-
explored, and was arrested in his course near the
Sandwich Isles, near the same point as Captain Cook.
Weddell, on the contrary, by whose course the sub-
ject of this memoir chiefly guided himself, asserted
that he had attained the 74th,deg. without the slightest
difficulty, and, what was more surprising, without
encountering any barrier, or block of ice. Accordingly,
on making referenee to his narrative, we find that
in their elevated latitudes, he was in the Midst of fine
seas, and those of moderate temperature. Indeed, it
was these considerations, and Weddell's own account,
which chiefly influenced this celebrated navigator to
follow his track, so as to attain the same limits, or if
favoured by circumstances, to pass beyond them. In
this expedition, however, our navigator found his
most strenuous efforts unavailable in passing beyond
the 64th deg. of latitude, during which he had ex-
plored the Orkney and New South Shetland islands,
as. also Louis-Philippe land. Copies of his route were
at the time presented by him to the Annales Mara-
times, as also to the Bulletin of the Societe de Geo-
graphic, and printed -in each.
M. D'Urville ranked high as a literary man : his
valuable works, as they appeared, were deemed
worthy by M. CuVier, M. Arago, M. Quoy, and M.
Gaimard, as also M. Latreille; to receive from them
individually. the best aid which lay in their superior
powers, in every shape, to afford him. His travels, by
tllese and other means are not mere empty routes,
but are enriched with learned tables, observations of
the most scientific nature upon magnetic inclinations
and intensities, and vocabularies of savage tongues.
The following will present our readers with a com-
plete account of the late Admiral's published works :
in the year 1830, he published an account of his
voyage in the corvette, called the Astrolabe, which he
was engaged in writing from notes and papers in his
possession, which he had carefully preserved during
his first voyage in 1826-29. The separate works,
which appeared afterwards, in illustration of this
leading work, in the form of plates, were not less
numerous than excellent.- For instance, the Parisian
editions furnished the historical portion with plates to
the number of 40 ; the zoological- with 38 ; the bota-
nical with 9 ; the entomological -with 2 ; while the
philological, hydrographical, and operative portions
of the work were no less lavishly and handsomely
aided by design and draught.
His « Picturesque Voyage round the World"
(Voyage Pittoresque autour the Monde), _ which also
contains 'a very excellent summary,of all prior disco-
veries in those latitudes which he himself so scientiii -
cally and ably navigated, appeared in .1834, and
greatly delighted the reading, world, while it spread
the fame of its author's enterprise and skill.
The expedition to the South Pole and in Oceania, •
which in his old ship the Astrolabe, conjointly with -
the vessel La Zelee, M. D'Urville lastly undertook,
appeared from the Paris press in. 1839, and his official
Report' thereupon to the Minister of Marine, in the
succeeding year. • From this pamphlet we have prin.,
cipally drawn up the foregoing account of his voy-
ages, as also from the 'above editions of his travels.

—Rear-Admiral D'Urville was appointed Commander
of the Astrolabe on the Bth of August, 1829. He
was married to Mme. we believe, in 1827,
and his son, who has perished with them both, was
only in his 14th year. His naval career 'extended
over a space of more than 35 years ; he was created
a Rear-Admiral in 1840.

To recount the various islands, regions, or lati-
tudes visited by M. D'Urville during his arduous
voyages, would be a long and tedious task, unless set
ofr by the vivacity, accuracy, and nautical powers by
which they are conveyed in his own words. Enough
to remark that the perils in which he was involved at
Tonga, where he was with his crew on the point of
perishing—his fight at Tamaha with the savages—
his•trouble% at Viti—his sojourn at Vanikoro, where
he discovered the remains of La Perouse's shipwreck,
and with the high generosity of a sailor's heart,
erected a monument to his memory—with his visits
to Nev Zealand and the Pellew Isles, present a body
of picturesque, pleasant, and sterling reading, which
1011 make his works permanently standard m...s refer-
ences, or delightful as narratives.
We observe it stated by the Gazette de France of
Tuesday, that Admiral D'Urville bestowed the name
of " Adele" upon the region which he last discovered,
in affectionate remembrance of his wife, who bore
that name. This, however pleasing to the fancy, is
incorrect, as he himself states that he named it Adele,
" du nom du brick que commandait Ruault-Con-
tance :' so that it received its name from the ship.

UNIVERSITY INTELLIGENCE.
OXFORD, MAY 14.—This being the last day of term, a
congregation was holden, at whiCh the following de-
grees were conferred:—
Doctor in Mcdicine•--:-W. Twining, of Balliol College.
Thchelor in Civil Law—S. E. Denison, of University
College.
Masters of Arts—Rev. J. Mansfield, of Trinity Col--
lege ;. Rev. If... Batten, Exeter College (grand coin.
pounder); --Rev. R. G. Boodle, Oriel College ; li. 11.
Bathurst, Merton College; F. Tate, University College;
S. Burstall, University Colloae ; Bei% E. Hill, St. Ed- i•
;mind Hall; JL tiV. Aclancl, All Souls College ; Rev. T.
01, Rob Son, University College.
Baehelors of Arts—E. E. Tickell, of Balliol College ;
L. C. Bathurst, Trinity College; J. - Stephens, Trinity
College ; G.• E. Jemtnett, Trinity College; S. W. New-
bald, Wudham College ; .R. A. H. Stroud, Wadham Col-
lege; H. Henderson, Wadham College; 8
H. Ellison, Uni-
versity College; M. J. Routh, Pen coke College; P, Le
Maistre, Pembroke College; tirane, Exeter Col-
lege; H. F. Inman, Lincoln College; T, H. Gre,,,,:Lin-
coln College; T. A. FalkneriSrt-ielJoc4oniiege
seo;IV
N(gerlainnd,
compounder); M. L. Lopes, o
Oriel
.College; S. Minton, Worcester College; R. T.
Mills, . Magdalene College; W. E. .Busher, Magdalen
Hall; R. Rolleston,,University College.

Erf.-011 Monday
apparently about
fifty years of age, and most ali'
respectably
~ , - ----.--
attired, was
ToenkE,
a '
mrll
aftSerunD oponE,N aboutD EAtThuree . lN
o'clock,
found leaning against the wall at.. the end of Shoe-lane,
Holborn, bleeding profusely from the nose. and mouth.
He was immediately conveyed towards a surgeoar.s, but.
died on his way there. A newspaper, in ,an envelope,
addressed to " Mr. Goddard, Barton-hills Shaftesbury,"
was found in his pocket.
Mr. Eliason, whose spirited eflo •it to get up the
Promenade Concerts witk a band of most efficient power,
and with accommodations for the public of unusual ele-
gance and comfort, terminated with results so untoward
1 in reference to his own interests, takes, it will be seen,
a benefit this night at Drury-lane Theatre. His
entertainment is one of extraordinary attraction, both
dramatic and musical ; and, independent of_his claim on
public favour, may fairly be expected to draw an unusu-
ally crowded house. His bill .of fare opens with. Hamlet,
and concludes with the amusingfarce:of The Prisoner if
War. Between these a concert, vocal and instrumental,
will be given, in which 111 r. 'Elioon:will execute a. new.
concerto, and a grand duet concertante.will be played on
two pianofortes by Madame Dulchen and Benedict..
THE GERMAN .opEßA.—Mozart's . well-known
opera of Die Zauberflote, _one' of his earliest and most
meritorious operas, was reproduced by the German corn--
pany at G oven t-garden, on Mondaynigh t, Madame Heine-
fetter performing the part of Pam.ma, Madame Schodel
that of Die Conigin dar yacht, .and "Mille. Wettlaufer
that of Papagetia. The male characters were SeraStio,
Herr Standigt ; Papageno, Herr Mellenger ; and Tamino,
Herr Abresch. The opera.,wasvell and*orthily `repre-
sented,-and the beauties-of the music • seemed full—
), en -
joyed.

TUE SUN, LONDON. WEDNESDAY MORNING, MAX 18,,„1§4,2.

REPORT' -OF THE TITHE---€0*1:
AIISSIONERS .FOR ENGLAND AND WALES,
TO TIER MAJESTY'S PRINCIPAL SECRETARY OP *STATE

PURSUANT TO THE ACT 6 AND. 7 WILL. IV., C. 71.
(Pres.nted to both Houses
.of Parliament by Com-
.) e Com-
mand of her Majesty.)
. _ •__ _ _ _

Tithe Commission-office:April 422, 1842.
Sir,—lt is our duty to report to you the progress
of the commutation of tithe in England and Wales
to the close of the year 1841.

We have received notices that voluntary proceed-
ings have commenced in 9,381 tithe districts ; of these
notices 184 were received during the year 1841.
We have received 6,348 agreements,- and confirmed
5,804 of these 442 have been received, and 668 con-
firmed, during the year 1841.
2,178 notices for making awards have been issued ;
of which 1,008 were issued during the year 1841.
We have received 1,355 drafts of compulsory
awards, and confirmed 1,030; of these 534 have been
received, and 470 confirmed, during the year 1841.
We have received 5,220 apportionments, and have
confirmed 4,347 ; and of these 1,532 have been re-
ceived, and 1,715 confirmed, during the year 1841.
Of the whole business of assigning rent-charges and
apportioning them, it is probable that about half is
completed.
The Acts under which our Commission is consti-
tuted will expire on the Ist day of July next.
We are glad to be able to state that should a re-
newal act be passed, we have neither alterations in the
old acts or additions to them to suggest, which affect
in the slightest degree the broad principles of those
acts, or the relative position and interests of the land-
owners and tithe-owners.

During the working, however, of an operation as
extensive as that of the commutation of tithes
throughout England and Wales, intricate and perplexed
cases occasionally present themselves wholly unfore-
seen. With some of these it is difficult, and indeed
occasionally impossible to deal; without powers or
machinery which have not suggested themselves. 'We
have a few such cases to report for your consideration.
Some tithe-owners have spent considerable sums in
contesting points before us, and have died or vacated
their preferment before the contest was closed. The
successors of these persons reap the benefit of their
exertions, while their families, who reap no benefit
from them, are left charged with the expenses.
We think it is just that we' should be enabled, with
the consent of the bishop (in the case of ecclesiastical
tithes) to charge these expenses on the rent-charge
whether the successor does or does not consent to their
being so charged.
We have, subject to an appeal to the Courts of
Law, a concurrent jurisdiction with the Courts of
Equity in cases of dispute as to the liability of land to
tithes. Our decisions, if not appealed against, or if
appealed against, then the decision of the Courts of
Law are final. These provisions of the Tithe Act
were obviously, meant to ensure the determination of
all disputed claims to tithe before the general commu-
tation was finished.
It often happens that suits are pending in the
Courts of Equity on the very points we are called on
to decide more summarily. The arrears claimed in
these suits, and the cost of the suits themselves, are
of considerable importance.
Our decisions, though final as to the future, do not
determine the question of arrears or costs in equity.
Parties have still the power of dragging their oppo-
nents through the Courts of Equity and House of
Lords, by continuing suits as to points already sub-
stantially determined by a competent jurisdiction.
We beg to suggest, that it is expedient the Courts
of Equity should be invested with a power of de-
ciding, on petition or other summary process, all ques-
tions as to the costs and arrears in suits before the 4
when such suits relate to questions already finally de-
cided before us, or finally decided by the Courts of
Law, when our decisions have been appealed against.
In cases reserved for special adjudication we are
bound to base our rent-charges on the rent-charges
established by award in the neighbourhood.
We cannot use rent-charges established by volun-
tary agreement for the same purpose.
There seems no reason for this distinction, which
probably originated in oversight. We find it very
troublesome in practice, and beg to recommend its
abolition.

When security is given to pay an unapportioned
rent-charge, and we extinguish tithes at once, the
provisions of the Act of 3 Vic., c. 15, make it ne-
cessary that we should occasionally assign different
days for the payment of the rent-charges due from
those parties whose tithes were taken in kind, and of
rent-charges due from those who had compounded for
their tithe.
It would be convenient that we should have the
power of making such equitable arrangement of the
first payments that, after the first year, the whole
rent-charges should he payable half-yearly, and on
the same days.

The Cominissioners of Land-tax have a power, in
certain cases, of altering appOrtionmentS. • •
Certificates of their ;Iterations are sent to the
parish and the bishop's regiStrar, but not to us.
As the instruments, now in our custody, will, pro-
bably, always constitute a great central body of docu-
mentS, in which the majority of searches will be made,
we think it may he expedient that a copy of all such
certificates of alterations in apportionments should
also be lodged with us. -
The acts under which at present exchanges can be
made of glebe for other lands are apparently expensive
and troublesonie in their operation.
. We are very frequently applied to to authorise such
exchanges on the commutation of pariShes.
We think that our machinery
.would enable us, if
we had the power, to assist parties in making such
exchanges cheaply .and with great mutual advantage.
The consent of, the diocesan should, we think, be
made necessary. . .
Case's also occur in which, although a certain quan-
tity of glebe is known to exist, its identity cannot he
established. The parties are frequently willing that
we should -set out and assign a known and defined
quantity of land as the real glebe.
We think such a power would be of public use.

A rather complicated state of circumstances occa-
sionally presents itself, with which we find it difficult
to deal equitably. Land at some past period has been
given in exchange for tithe in a manner clearly ille-
gal, and one which leaves the tithe-owner's right to
his tithe, on his abandoning the land, valid. It is not
quite clear even that he is obliged in all cases to aban-
don the land ; and if he does, the persons entitled to
receive it back can rarely be traced.
In such cases, if we find the land a fair-equivalent
for the tithes we think we might properly be enabled
to confirm and render valid the transaction. If the
land is not an equivalent for the present legal rights of
the tithe-owner, then if we were empowered to assign
him a rent-charge which, with the land, would be
such an equivalent, much confusion and injustice
would, we• think, be prevented.
Doubts have been thrown on our power to sanction
voluntary agreements after certain litigated stages of
a compulsory award have been gone through, and also
on our power to deal with claims of exemption from
tithe in one particular and limited class of cases.
We give no opinion on the reasonableness of such
doubts, but they prevail extensively enough to make
it expedient to remove them.--We have the honour
to be, Sir, your most obedient servants,
W. BLAMERE,
T. WENTWORTH BULLER.
R. JONES.
To the Right /ion. Sir James R. G.
Graham, Bart., &c.

Coax AvEßAaEs.—The following fact which may
be relied upon, shows • how fallacious the present mode
of taking the averages is as a test of the price at which
good grain is selling. The Liverpool, average for the
last week. was only 465. 9d , owing to the inferior qua,
lity of the Irish and English wheat sold here, but it is
within our own knowledge that some thousand quarters
of free foreign wheat were sold in Liverpool last week at
from 10s. 9d. to lls. the .701b5., that is, at from 775. to
79.5. per quarter. The real average of the week was
thus much nearer 70s. • than 465. 9d. ; but as foreign
grain does not count in the returns, it goes forth to the
country that we are buying wheat at Liverpool at from
five-and-twenty to thirty shillings less than the real
price of good grain.—Liverpool Times.
FATAL STEAM-BOAT ACCIDENT.—Mr. Baker held
an. inquest yesterday, at the ship, High-street, Wapping,
on the body of a man, name unknown, apparently about
forty-five years of age. Charley Grey, a labourer, at the
Tunnel Pier, Wapping, said that at half-past five o'clock
on • Saturday :afternoon last, the Royal Tar Greenwich
steam-boat arrived at the pier, to allow passengers to
embark and debark. When the signal was given for
starting for London,' witness removed the gangway by
Which the people passed to and from the vessel ; but he
had scarcely done so, when a man on board ran to the
side and, when the boat was about five feet from the pier,
endeavoured to leap upon the latter. The distance being
too great, he fell into the water, and was drowned. Wit-
, ness did not linow why he wanted to leave the boat so
suddenly. His dress consisted of a brown Petersham
coat, with a velvet collar ; black plush waistcoat; and
hat with the name of "'Townsend, maker, Bread-street,
Cheapside," marked in it. He was about five feet seven
inches in height, and his hairand complexion light. Ver-
dict," Accidental death."

&silo? OF LICFIFIELD.—We are truly sorry
to state that no improvement has taken place in the state
of this amiable prelate's health, and that but faint hopes
are entertained of his recovery. We understand that
prayers have been daily offered up in his Lordship's
behalf, in the cathedral church of Lichfield, for the last
three weeks ; and we have authority- to state that a
similar expression of pious and respectful sympathy, in
all the churches of the diocese, will be as acceptable to
the relatives of the reverend sufferer, as it cannot fail to
be accordant with the feelings of the clergy, and their
several congregations.—Stafford Advertiser.
The monthly meteorological table for Greenocl;
shows that not a drop of ram fell in that town during
the month of April. It will be remembered that Greenock
and . Glasgow beaz'about au equal reputation for being.
the -Dreepdailies of the west of Scotland.---Glasgow
Courier.