The Sun.
London, England, 1827-04-10 00:00:00

COMPANY.

Mr. Alderman WAITHMAN presented a petition from
nine Subscribers to the Cornwall and Devonshire Mining
Company, complaining of the transactions of the Directors
of that Company. The petition stated, among a variety of
other things, that an Hon. Gentleman, a Member of the
House, did, some time in April, 1825, enter into a contract
with a Mr. Teed, of Devonshire, for the purchase of cer-
tain mines in that part of the country—that the contract
so entered into between them was unconditional, and not
absolute, and was to become void, unless the Hon. Member
who made it should succeed in forming a Mining Company.
The purchase money agreed on was about 78,000/. ; and
et a Meeting held at the Albion Tavern, in the City of
London, soon after the contract had been entered into, it
was resolved to fettle a Company for the purpose of working
these 'mines, The Resolution which that Meeting passed,
declared that the purchaser had obtained possession of the
Mines in question, at a very reasonable rate, and that
Resolution was said to have been made after an accurate
inquiry had been instituted into the matter, these Mines
being then described as very valuable. The Mines thus
recommended were to be purchased by the Company, who
were charged 121,000/. for them. At this first Meeting
Mr. Barrett, an Hon. Member of the House, was in the
Chair, and at a second Meeting, held a few days afterwards,
when Mr. Peter Moore was in the Chair, a prospectus of
the intended Company was issued; a prospectus, which
the petitioners declared to contain false and fraudulent
statements respecting the property. Out of the gross
number of Shares detetznmed to be issued, two thousand
seven hundred and fifty were to be reserved for the
benefit of the Directors, who were to be at liberty to
lock them up in a tin bole which was only to be opened
when the necessities of the Company should require. Some
time afterwards the Directors, in order to raise the price
of Shares, and to give them a fictitious value in the
market, purchased, as time bargaiis, from certain
brokers, one thousand Shares of the Company, for
which they paid a sum of six thousand pounds, which
was charged to the Company at large in their accounts.
Mr. Wilks, the Hon. Member to whom he had alluded as
having entered into the contract fur the purchase of the
Mines at the time, not only agreed to sell them to the Com-
pany, hut received 20,0001. on account; a sum which was
soutcudiy peid by a cheque from the Directors, before he had'l
obtained a complete and absolute interest in the property.
New agreements for the sale of the Mines were entered into,
and the 45,0001. obtained over and above the original price,
were agreed to be divided among the Directors—(Hear.)—
That seemed to him one of the most serious parts of the
petition, and certainly, if true, was a pretty strong proof of
fraud to that extent. It appeared, too, that the calls due
one the 2,750 reserved Shares, had not been paid up ; and
that they should have remained unpaid after the investment
of the rest, seemed to create suspicion that the agreement
which existed between the Directors upon the subject of
these Shares was fraudulent. That suspicion was strongly
confirmed by the statement of the petitioners, who al-
leged that the effect of this reservation of Shares was,
that if they came to a high price in the market, so as
to afford a good profit, the Directors would have been
enabled to appropriate it to themselves, while if the shares
fell, the loss could be thrown on the Company. Some
of the Directors, when informed of the transaction of
the 2,750 shares, certainly had expressed the greatest asto-
nishment, and had declared that they were entirely igno-
rant of the matter ; but the fact was, that not only the
money had not been paid up, but that though it still re-
rnained unpaid, another call had been made on the share-
holders, and actions had actually been commenced against
some of them for their subscriptions. In stating these
facts, he certainly was bound to say that among the Di-
rectors there were many very respectable names ; ten of
them being Noblemen, Baronets, and Members of the
House. Seine of the Directors he was personally ac-
quainted with, and he entertained the highest respect for
them; and he did believe, that if an investigation was made
into the subject, it would be found that they had com-
mitted no other fault (a heavy fault, however, as he was
ready to admit) than the folly of having connected them-
selves with such transactions. The Honourable Member
concluded by observing, that the petitioners prayed the
House would inquire into the claims they now made for re-
dress. If the House should not be prepared, after the
petition had been read, immediately to grant a Committee
of Inquiry, he should be the last person to press such a
measure upon them, but he should certainly move, at an
early period, for a full inquiry into the subject. At present
he should confine his motion to the bringing up and read-
ing. of the petition.
The petition was brought up ; and on the question that
it should be read,

Mr. Alderman WAITHMAN requested it might be read
at full length, as it contained such important matter.
Mr. JOHN WILKS said that he, too, was anxious it
might he read at full length, as he had something
.te say
upon it.

In the course of reading the names of the persons con-
nected with the direction of the Company, a name occur-
red which seemed at first to sound like Astell.

Mr. A STELL begged that that name might he read a
second time, as he positively disclaimed ever having had
any connection whatever with the Company.
The name was accordingly read a second time, when it
appeared to be (as we understood it) Astolli.
On the question that the petition be printed,

Mr. WYNN begged the House, before they went into
the consideration of this Petition, first to consider whether

it was a case in which their interference could be of advan-
tage either to themselves or to any other party. That House
was not a Criminal Court.—(Hear, hear.)—He was not
acquainted with any of the facts of tile case, but from what
he could collect in hearing the Petition read, an individual,
not at the time a Member of the House, was charged with
being guilty of acts which might be prosecuted as frauds in
the Courts of Law; and be understood that proceedings of
that nature were now actually pending. Under these cir-
cumstances he would ask the House whether an individual
ought to be called upon to make a statement there, which
might prejudice his defence in another place?—(Hear,
hear.)--If the House thought with him, he hoped they
would not allow the Petition to be printed, but take no
further notice on the subject.
Lord PALMERSTON said, it was a matter of perfect
indifference to him what course the House took with the
petition ; but as his name was mentioned in the petition as
one of the Directors of this Company, he would trouble the
House briefly, with a statement of the simple nature of his
connection with the transaction. First, he should say, that
he had no concern whatever in the formation of the Com-
pany. At the meetings at the Albion Tavern, or else-
where, be was not present ; nor did he know any thing
about them. If it were true, as certainly it was, that the
Honourable Member for Sudbury obtained a large profit
upon buying these mines, and if it were true that some of
the Directors shared a portion of that profit, he was not
one who enjoyed the benefit of that participation. lie
havingsubs cred to the undertaking as one of fair promise, and
embarked his money in it, he became a Director

because he thought he should hat's an opportdnity of seeing
how its affairs were managed. He only attended as a
rector five tim'es ; he received not one sixpence of money,
and he had paid up nearly the whole amount of his sub-
scription on his shares. And he must obserVe that if some
of the persons who had sighed their names to the petition
had stood ire the same situation. vg ithregard to the paythent
of their more'') not have been one of less credit
and honesty than that they now occupied. But there were
many who entered the Company not with a view to
the success of the undertaking itself, but for the sake of a
miserable traffic in shares, That was the situation in
which entle t-.f the petitioners stood, They Were now tindtr
prosecutions in the Courts of Law to compel them to make
good their engagements ; and he believed the real object
of this petition to be, an endeavour to interpose the autho-
rity of that Hotise between them and the course of the law.
The transaction, as far as he was concerned in it, was one
of great simplicity—(hear, hear)—and had lie the power of
influencing the House in the course it would pursue, he
would not say one word to do so.—(Hear, hear.)—The
petition was before the House, he should be most happy to
meet inquiry, and it was for the House to act as it thought
proper.—( Cheers. )
Mr. POWLETT said, that it was impossible for him
not to take the earliest opportunity of stating what his con-
duct had been, after the allusions, direct and indirect, made
to his name. He had entered the Company about the
same time as his Noble Friend (Lord Palmerston). lie
had nothing whatever to do with any of the arrangements
either previous to or after tl.e formation of the Company.
—(Hear, hear. )—He had regularly paid his instalments
when called upon, and from the first to the last he had
never received one farthing from the Company in any way
whatever.—(Cheers and laughter.)—He trusted that that
explanation would prove satisfactory to the House—(bear,
hear)—and with respect to what was done with the peti-
tion it was to him a matter of perfect indifference.
Mr. WILKS said, that after the very pointed allusions
made to him, both by the petitioners and the Hon. Member
who had presented the petition, he trusted that the House
would grant him a patient hearing, if he found it necessary
in vindication of his conduct, to trespass upon its attention
for some time. Before he proceeded to make the observa-
tions he should think necessary on the allegations contain-
ed in the petition, he would state, that never was thers
a more impudent petition presented. The petitioners knew
that the statements which they had made were false ; they
must have known so, for he himself had told them that they
were.—(Laughter.)—But the country should know, and
he would show to that Honourable House that the charges
brought against him were unjust and untrue. The peti-
tioners knew very well that an issue was in a short time to
he tried for the purpose of compelling them to fulfil their
engagements, and they had presented the petition merely
for the purpose of creating a prejudice in the public mind,
and thereby influencing the Court and the Jury. That was
a case which he was prepared to make ont to the satisfac-
tion of the House; and as he had not been in the habit of
addressing such an assembly, he had, although he knew it
was not strictly Parliamentary, set down in writing the
heads of the remarks he should have to make, and he trust-
ed the House would excuse him for having done so.—(The
Hon. Member then proceeded with a long statement, which
was drawn up principally in question and answer, and in-
terspersed with argument. The substance was as follows) :
—Who had signed the petition ?—Thirteen persons, nine
of whom were shareholders, and four were not. How
many shareholders were there 7—Eighty-one. The amount
of capital subscribed to the Company was 80,000/., and of
that sum the petitioners had scarcely subscribed an
eightieth part. Out of the 80,0001. he himself had sub-
scribed 30,000/., and he therefore put to the House to say,
whether he was not much more deeply interested in the
proper administration of the affairs of the Company than
the Petitioners could possibly be. The Petitioners stated,
that they were shareholders and scripholders ; but he
trusted that the House would not be deceived by the tatter
term. Prior to the deed of settlement being drawn and
signed, persons joining the Company received a cheque from
the banker, on the payment of a certain sum, which cheque
was a vendible article on the Stock Exchange, and too
frequently wait purchased for no other purpose than that of

_ . .
raffle and speculation; but when the deed of partnership
was drawn up, all the persons wlso had taken scrip were
called upon to sign it, by doing so and paying their in-
stalments they became bona fide shareholders ; but if they
refused to sign the deed, they forfeited all claims upon the
Company; with that fact the complaining parties were
well acquainted. The way in which the Company was to
be managed had been made fully known to them ; a hook
had been circulated, a copy of which he held in his hand,
in which was stated the number of Directors there were
to be, and the power they were to have. The Petitioners
knew all that; yet, when they were called upon to sign
the deed and pay up their ifistalMehtr they 'tensed :
and he asked, therefore, what right they had to come
forward as scripholders, when in fact no such thing existed ?
That was not the first petition which been got up
against him ; but another that had been prepared did not
suit the taste of the Hon. Alderman, and therefore the one
before the House had been procured. Nor was that all
that had been done to prejudice his character—for public
meetings had been called, and, besides petitions being at-
tempted, it had even been proposed that subscriptions
should be entered into, for the purpose of injuring him.
No subscription, however, had been made, and no petition
had been adopted by any public meeting. Hon. Gentle-
men on the other (Opposition) side were in the habit of
asking, whether a Petition was signed at a public meet-
ing, or whether it was a hole and corner petition ; let them
ask that question with reference to the one then before the
House, and they would find that the Petition had been
sent round slily for signatures ; and if he was correctly
informed, the Hon. Alderman who presented it, knew
when he did so, that one or more than one of the Peti-
tioners were desirous of withdrawing their names. That
Petition had been for months abroad, and had only obtain-
ed the signatures of nine out of the eighty-one shareholders,
and yet, notwithstanding the pending trials, and the evi-
dent intention of the Petitioners, the Hon. Alderman
asked for a Select Committee to be appointed, to investigate
the allegations brought forward. In the case of another
Company (Arigna Mining), the Hon. Member might
think that he had met with a triumph ; but he (Mr.
Wilks) well knew that there was but one feeling on that
subject, and that was, that every Honourable Mem-
ber whose character had been impugned had been materi-
ally assisted by the result of the inquiry which the Com-
mittee had gone into.—(Laughter.)—The first charge
brought against him, was one respecting the postponement
of the public meeting. The fact was, that the delay could
not be prevented. The meeting ought to have been held
on the 30th of March, but the accounts from being badly
kept were in arrears a month or two, and in consequence
of the General Election coming on, it was thought best to
defer the meeting.—The second charge was, that the
meeting agreed to purchase some mines from him at
121,0001. That was perfectly true, and to chew that he
was convinced the bargain was fair and honourable, he had
filed a Bill in Chancery to compel the shareholders to fulfil
their agreement, and the object of the petitioners was to
throw an impediment in his way, hoping that if their own
wish was complied with, the Noble and Learned Judge would
say, why do you ask me to enforce the bargain, when a
Select Committee of the House of Commons is appointed
to try its merits on the charge of its being a fraudulent
transaction. But another reason of the Petitioners was,
that they were defaulters—they bad not paid up their in-
stalments, and even that day, two hours before he entered
the House, he had been served with a subpoena to attend
a trial as a witness on the 28th inst. With respect to the
purchase of the mines, the Petition did not contain one
allegation against their value ; nor did it notice the fact,
that one to the value of 15,0001. had been taken from the
mines. Had the Petitioners been really aggrieved, they
would have sent down surveyors to examine the miner and
report, but he had uniformly said to the Company, if you
are discontent with the bargain, let it be referred to arbi-
trators. The meeting which purchased the mines was
open to all the Shareholders, and the minutes of that
meeting were always ready for inspection. Nor was the
purchase made ignorantly ; on the contrary the resolutions
of the Shareholders proved, that ample inquiry had been
made and that they were satisfied with the value of the
Mines. And there was another fact to which he wished to
call the attention of the House. To show that there was
no concealment as to the profit, he should prove the very
persons from whom he had purchased the Mines were
present when he sold them, and took their seats as Direc-
tors. The question for the Company to consider, was whe-
ther the Mines were worth the sum he asked, and not
what he gave for them. He had applied to the Hon.
Member who had presented the petition, to be allowed to
inspect the petition, and the names attached to it.
Mr. Alderman WAITHMAN said, No.

Mr. WILKS—He (Mr. Wilke) repeated it. He had
applied by letter to the Hon. Member for an inspection of
the petition, and, in the fit st instance, it had been entirely
refused to him ; he had afterwards been informed that he
might see it ; but in what state was it produced ?—..a mere
piece of written paper, without a signature attached to it.
For the charge that he had dealt doubly or fraudulently
in the sale of these mines to the company, he repelled it.
He had produced his books to the proprietors openly and
fully. He had told them distinctly—. I have given so
much for these mines; but I shall not sell them to you for
that price." Surely there was nothing strange in this? The
Hon. Member opposite would not be surprised that people
should refuse to buy and sell without a profit. A heavy

complaint was tucle about 2,150 shares that bad been re-
served. Why, the very resolutions of the company dis-
tinctly, and in so many words, empowered the Directors
to reserve as many shares as they thought fit. There was
no secret in those resolutions ; they were the conditions
attached to the undertaking; and those who joined it were
V?oiind tb he tognizant of th6n, as they had the means of
being. But the truth was, 11:a4, after all, them 2,7L0
shares had not been reserved; for, in the eriel, ottt of the
original 10,000 shares, 9,300 had been carried into the
market. The fourth charge related to the purchase by the
Directors of 1,000 shares out of the market. (Here the
&Ass which prevailed in the House prevented us from
catching the effect of the lion. Member's observations.)—
As we understood the Hon. Member, those shares had
been purchased because the stock of the Company was
falling in the market. The story on the Stock Exchange
had bean, that the company was not the sort of specula-
tion likely to take. That a foreign adventure, with hard
names and very florid descriptions, was the popular commo-
dity. That too much was known of the adventure in ques-
tion for effect, &c. In consequence of these opinions, it
bad been at one time contemplated to buy up the outstand-
ing shares, and put an end to Company, paying any loss
which had been incurred ; but in the end, there had ap-
peared to be no necessity for such a measure. The fifth
charge was one to which he (3lr. Wilke) would earnestly
beg to desire for a few momexts the attention of the House.
—(Order, order.)—lt stated that he had not been him-
self entitled to the mines at the time when he had sold
them. This statement was wholly unfounded. He had
agreed for the mines at the time in question, and had paid
a deposit on them. It was said that his agreement with
the original proprietors was conditional. Certainly it was
conditional ; and it was so conditional at the desire of the
proprietors ; and he would tell the House why. When be
went to purchase the mines, the original proprietors asked
"Do you mean to work them ?" He said, " : I mean
to sell them." The proprietors then said, " Our agree-
ment must be conditional; because the mines must, at all
events, be worked. We are bound, by our holding, to
work them in a given time ; and as your i.,:ention is not to
work, but to sell them, our contract must he, that unless
they are in operation within a fixed time, they shall return
to us." But that arrangement was merely one of conve-
nience. If there was a doubt that the sale by the proprietors
of the mines to him had been absolute—here was the
proof—they were suing him for the money. Thus, he
had paid part of the original purchase-money for the
mines—he had paid up his deposits upon the shares
that he had in the Company ; but that which the Company
owed to him he was not to be paid ? The Company had
the Mines ; they had the title-deeds of them ; they had
worked them, and exercised every kind of acts of owner-
ship over them ; but they objected to pay fur them. It
was said that he had neglected to tender the Company a
title. He could make a title to them to-morrow; but that
they held his deeds, and would not allow him even their
inspection. In short, a case of more gross hardship had

never been put upon any individual. The Company dis-
puted the price which they were to pay him for the Mines :
had they paid even the sum which he had paid to the
original owner ? The whole that they had paid him was
54,00.7. lie himself had to pay 78,0001., and the sum
he was to receive was 121,000/. The object of this peti-
tion was sufficiently clear : the issues at law connected
with these transactions, were to be tried in a few days, and
a prejudice was to be cast upon the minds of the public to
his injury. It was easy to talk; but that which was

known to be said and listened to within the walls of the

House of Commons, could not fail to have some effect
beyond them. But he would not be intimidated. He
feared no legal examination, nor any inquiry that was
fair and candid. The Company in question was, at
least, no bubble. There was the property,—the mines.
and the machinery, and the produce,—worth still, with
proper management, all that had been paid fur it.—
That he thought the Company a prosperous specula-
tion, there was, at least, one circumstance of proof,
he had been a holder of two thousand shares in it. The
ninth charge in the petition, and there was only two more
---(laughter,)—was, that 42,5001. had been divided by the
directors. In the face of the House and the public he de-
nied this. When the mines had been sold to him by the
company, not one word had ever been said like a division
of profit among the directors. At a time subsequent to
that transaction, there were some individuals—one of them
a person who had become a director, others who were share-
holders, and others who were not either shareholders or
directors—who heel assisted him materially ; and to those
persons he had stated that he should certainly make them
some compensation for the trouble they had taken. Upon
one point, however, it was fit he should be perfectly expli-
cit to three Hon. Members of that House—the Hon. Mem-
ber for Cambridge, tFe Hon. Member for Dublin, and the
Hon. Member for Durham : to neither of these three Hon.
Members had he presented any gratuity whatever. In fact,
the Hon. Members Lad been of no use to him, of no assis-
tance whatever.—(Laughter.)—There was only one Hon.
Member of that House to whom he had presented a gratuity;
and that bad been out of his own money. not sets of the
money of the Company. In doing this he had dune no
more than fairly to remunerate the Honourable Gentle-
man for his service that he had performed. He bad
only behaved as a British merchant e•eht to do, and
as he would do again in the same situation. In the
charge that the mines were not worth the money that
had been given for them, his surprise was upon what.
pretence the petitioners could presume to state this. One
of the very persons who had signed the present petition
--(Mr. Hammond), was one of the same individuals who
had investigated tbe Mines, and distinctly given his opinion
at the time of the purchase, that the speculation was a fit,
and likely to be a prosperous one. He would not deal as
harshly with the Hon. Alderman as the Hon. Alderman
bad done with him. He refrained, because he would not
wound his feelings, by any reference to the proceedings
respecting certain transactions which be thought unneces-
sary to name. He would, however, put it to the Hon.
Alderman what utility could there be in this proceeding?
Any proceeding in the House must prejudice the prosecu-
tions which must come to issue, unless the parties chose to
refer their rights to the arbitration of some honourable
men. How were the shareholders to be benefitted ?
Would the House supersede the public tribunals? That
could not be. For the claims of the shareholders there
could be no other resource than the verdict of a jury or the
award of faithful arbitrators. Suppose that the House
should be induced to interfere, could it restore the money
to the subscribers? He might say, without losing sight of
the respect which was really due to its authority, what right
had the House to interfere with his transactions as an indivi-
dual,transactions which had taken place full IS months before
he had thought of canvassing for the honour of a seat there ?
—He remarked upon the small proportion of the share-
holders who had signed the petition. The House would
of course follow the doctrine observed in other cases, that
if the matter of accusation were capable of being tried at
law or in equity, the charge ought to go first to one or
other of those tribunals. What was there in this parti-
cular case to distinguish it from those which were subject
to that safe and proper rule ? He complained of the use
made of the proceedings on the Lrigna Mining Associa-
tion. The evidence was not actually published, but state-
ments were put forth from day to day, preceded with " It
appeared quite clear," or " The Committee had reason to
believe," and so forth, all of which must have the effect of
defeating the ends of juctice. Again, he begged pardon
of the House for taking up so much time. If they did
actually suffer the petition to lie on the table, he trusted
that it would not be printed. In the mean time the trials
would proceed, and after the issues should be tried the
Hon. Alderman might come up with his report. He (Mr.
Wilks) would welcome him, and he promised to be in his
place on that day.
Mr. BANKES said, that under the circumstances it
was plainly not possible for this petition to be entertained
by the House.
Mr. ROBINSON could not see how the House could
put by this Petition, after the assurance given to the Hon.
Alderman, by the Right Hon. Foreign Secretary, that if
he would put a specific case of fraud on any future occa-
sion, it would certainly receive the attention of the House.
Without in the least degree prejudicing the case of the Hon.
Member for Sudbury, enough had been shown to demand
inquiry.—He would ask the Hon. Member for Sudbury
himself, if this was a state in which he would like to have
the question left? In the former petition (alluding, as we
understood, to the Arigna Mining Association), the gentle-
men "ho were accused stood up in their places, and de-
rnande' the inquiry. He had heard that there were par-
ties who were prosecuting for the recovery of the money
which they had advanced under the direction of the Hon.
Gentleman. He knew nothing of these parties, but he
could not help thinking that they were right in refusing to
complete the purchase, if the mines were not such a pro-
perty as had been described to them.—(" Question, ques-
tion ;" " hear, hear.")—He contended finally, that when
Members were accused of offences, such as those in the Pe-
titian, the House was bound to inquire into them.
Mr. D. W. HARVEY begged the House to consider
its functions. They had that awful and imposing power
of calling parties and witnesses before them ; but were
without the power of administering the oaths which were
to secure them from perjury. He admitted if in the
generally disturbed stated of Administration it were pro-
pased,,that the Hon. Member should succeed Lord Liver-
.i"stlyi with such a petition before them,
pb4 they might
settee upon the doubt, that, however powerful his talents,
he might not possess the moral strength of character which

belonged tg, that nobleman ; because it was plain that
though many would ha-e no hesitation in trusting to his
professional dexterity, there were sonic who had not an
equal confidence in his professional integrity. There was,
however, another view of it. The Hon. Gentleman was
an attorney of the Court of King's Bench, a tribunal
which was not overbuidened with delicacy towards airy of
its officers against whom redress was sought, nor was the
public affection for that body of men so great as to make
probable that they would withhold their complaints.
Had any affidavits been prepared and presented to the
Court for the removal of his name from the Rolls?
If so, and the Court had concurred that he was
a disgrace to his profession, he could not he an orna-
ment to the House, aad ought to be expelled. But the
House would remember that he (Mr. Wills) had appealed
to a pretty large constituent body at the late ele:Aion. if
the Corporation of Sudbury hail been really so profligate as
to choose what they considered a real representation of
themselves, let them complain. If they Ilan returned one
damnified in reputation, and prejudiced in character, as
their Member, the House, if they so considered him, should
return him back to his constituents; but, before they did
this, they were bound to wait for the decision
.of the
Courts, from which he wished the Hon. Member a good
deliverance.—(Laughter.)—He meant out of the Courts of
Law ; because, as for his deliverance from the Court of
Equity, neither of them could hope to live to see that. If
any accusation, founded upon record of those Courts, should
be forthcoming, he would then vote for an inquiry, and if
the character of the accused could not be re-established, not
by flaws and quibbles, but in a manner which would prove
the Hen. Member fit for a seat in a House of Honour, his
constituents ought to have an opportenity of selecting a
better man.

Mr. Alderman WAITHMAN, in reply, said, that if ever
a case deserved inquiry it was that before the House. As
to the motives attributed to him, he did not expect such an
imputation from the Hon. Member (Mr. Nirilks.) When
the Hon. Member was brought before him, he had not ex-
ercised any particular severity towards him, and the Hon.
Member had felt himself bound to thank him for his le-
niency. However, the question for the House to deter-
mine was—had the petition, with regard to its own merits,
and the character and dignity of the House, sufficient
claims upon their attention to be entertained. He would
impute no harsh motives to the Hon. Member, but he
Must say, that he (Mr. Wilks) of all men living, was the
last man in the world with whom he would trust himself
without the presence of a third person.—(Cries of " Or-
der" from all parts of the House.)
The SPEAKER.—Whatever the Hon. Member may
think, common decency requires that he should express
himself in language more becoming the dignity of this as-
eembly.—(Cheers.)
Mr. Alderman WAITHMAN confessed that, in the
warmth of the moment, he might have exceeded the bounds
of moderation. He would say then, that he had waited a
week for the Hon. Member ; that he had shown him every
courtesy ; that he had left a copy of the petition at the vote
office for him ; and when, after all this, he heard such
statements made by the Hon. Member, what he (Alder-
man Waithman) meant to say, was, that he should he
afraid to trust himself in any conference with the Hon.
Member without a witness. With this explanation, he
bowed to the correction of the chair. He contended that
even upon the Hon. Member's own showing, enough had
been made out to call for further inquiry to check this
scandalous and delusive system. There was likewiee the
Welsh Iron Company—
Mr. WILKS rose to order, and complained that the
Worthy Alderman was travelling out of the petition, and
introducing irrelevant matter.
Mr. Alderman WAITHMAN insisted that the affairs of
the Welsh Iron Company were referred to in this petition,
and the Honourable Member for Liverpool (General Gas-
coyne) would not consent to lend his name to that specula-
tion.
_

Mr. WILK S again rose to order, and said that be was
at issue with the Honourable Alderman as to the Welsh
Iron Company having any reference to this petition ; the
petition wee on the table, and let the House decide between
them. .

Mr. Alderman WAITHAIAN resumed exactly where he
was interrupted, and said that not had the Honoura-
ble Member for Liverpool refused to allow his name to that
Company, but he had also returned a cheque sent to him.

WILKS again rose to order.
The SPEAKER here interposed, and said that the
Honourable Gentleman (Mr. Wilke) was a new Member,
and had better rely on the judgment of others, than upon
his own, for seeing when the House was or was not in a
state of disorder.

Mr. Alderman WAITHMAN continued, that the con-
duct of the Hon. Member for Liverpool had been most
becoming on the occasion to which he had alluded. He
implored the House to pursue this inquiry; here was pal-
pably a suspicious transaction, in which some of their own
Members had been deeply engaged. One Hou. Member
had avowedly participated in the money arising out of
them.—(A cry of name, and we understood the worthy
Alderman to name Mr. Barrett.)----He begged of them to
recollect that the memory of the last Parliament was
tainted in the public mind for the had reputation some of
its Members had acquired, by passing bills in which they
had direct personal interest. Let the present Parliament
purge itself of such a suspicion, and discountenance all prac-
tises of so disreputable a character.—(Hear, hear.)--He
could assure them, that had he not discouraged the presen-
tation of petitions pending a late investigation, he should
hare bad to bring down 50 instead of one for their notice.
This very day a poor man called upon him, who had lost
every shilling he had in the world by one of
these schemes.
Mr. WILKS—Name him.
The SPEAKER—Order.

Mr. Alderman WAITHMAN in conclusion said, that
he knew another man who had cut his throat, and left
eleven children the victims of these speculations ; others
had been driven into the Gazette by them ; and one man
he knew had become from the same cause so hampered,
that his wife fell into insanity therefrom. Indeed a volume
could be filled with similar cases. He called upon the Se-
cretary of State, who stood so high in rblic estimation, to
lend his hand to inquiries into these fraudulent and disas-
trous schemes.

Mr. WILKS complained that the conduct of the worthy
Alderman had been moat unparliamentary.
The petition was then ordered to lie on the table; and
when Mr. Alderman WAITIMAK further moved that it be
printed,
Mr. WILKS trusted the House would not allow this
allegations.
as to future proceedings, having no personal
libel upon himself and other Hen. Members to be printed
and circulated pending a legal inquiry into the truth of its
Alderman WAITIIMAN was entirely in the hands
oa lfl ei‘tghfaret.
House
feeling whatever beyond a desire to see justice done. He
would not, however, press his motion now for printing the
petition, but content himself with giving notice, that soon
after the recess he should move that it be referred for the
consideration of a Select Committee.—(Hear, hear.)
FOREIGN CONSULS.
Mr. CANNING appeared at the bar, with papers con-
taining copies of instructions circulated among the British
Consuls in France and the Netherlands, which were laid
on the table.

BREACH OF PRIVILEGE.
On the motion of Mr. CANNING, the Order of the
Day was read for the attendance of Mr. H. C. Jennings
(who had written certain threatening letters to Mr. Peel.)
The SPEAKER inquired of the Sergeant at Arms, whe-
ther Mr. Jennings was in attendance, and on being inform-
ed in the affirmative, he was conducted to the bar.
The SPEAKER—" What is your name ?"
Mr. Jennings—" Henry Constantine Jennings."
The SPEAKER--" Look at those letters"—(sending
them to him by one of the clerks of the House)—.‘ there
are three of them, were they written by you?"
Mr. Jennings_4, They were, Sir."
The SPEAKER--" Have you any observation, or ex-
planation, which you wish to offer, upon having written
them ?"

Mr. Jennings, in a very feeble tone of ♦oice, replied,
a. we understood him, that he was very ill at the time he
wrote them, as the papers which he had in his hand would
show, as well as in great anxiety of mind ; but upon reflec-
tion, he was extremely sorry for having written them.
Mr. Pzu, and Mr. CANNING/ immediately rose, but a
loud call for the former ensued, and after Mr. Jennings
was withdrawn from the bar,

Mr. PEEL begged to be excused, for the apparent irre-
gularity of his wishing to say a word, while his Right Hon.
Friend was in possession of the House ; he was merely de-
sirous of saying, that after the appearance and demeanour
of Mr. Jenningli at the bar, the House would not, perhaps,
call for the production of the papers to which he referred,
as corroborative of his illness. And after the acknowledg-
ment of his error, he thought the House would come to
the conclusion, that he had done enough to wipe away his
offence.

Mr. CANNING however ungracious it might appear
for him, upon this occasion, to differ in some slight degree
from his Right Hon. Friend, must remind him that there
were some preliminary steps which must take place before
the subject could be terminated. After the menace of this
individual against one of their Members, the least that
could be done was to reprimand him from the Chair. ("ear.)
On the motion of Mr. CANNING, it was resolved that
Henry Constantine Jennings had been guilty of a breach of

privilege, and that he be reprimanded for the same -by 0,6
Speaker.
Mr. HUME waa sorry for the latter part of the motive''
It was, he was aware, quite consistent with the usage 19,
that House to proceed as they had just done ; but yet it veo
rather important for the public to understand whether 0
Hon. Member was competent to use erroneous expreseie
in that House respecting any private individual, and to ells'
regard two cr three successive applications to correct le"
errcr ; and when the person injured threatened to reel/
from the gallery (he admitted an indefensible and irregular
mode of reply), that he was to suffer under their censure.
Mr. CANNING believed the House fully understood
was his intention, after the reprimand from the Chair, tbei
this individual should be discharged. It was impossible i°
overlook such an offence, however becoming was the ape
logy offered in extenuation of it, without this mark of their
disapprobation.---(Hear, ber.)
On the motion of Mr. CANNING, Mr. Jennings S%
again called to the bar, and reprimanded by the Speaker'
He was afterwards discharged, and the Speaker's repri.
mend directed to be entered on the journals of the House,
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER moved (0,
we understood) that the Committee of Supply be postpone'
till Wednesday next.
Mr. A. ELLIS made a few observations totally Maudlin'
in the gallery.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER o'4,
that there had arisen circumstances which ewe'
the duty of considering what should be done with
York House to devolve upon his Majesty's 6°'
vernment. No one could doubt the impropriety of eor
vertiug that building into an hotel, or any thie4
of that kind. It seemed to him to he desirable t°
appropriate the building to public purposes, if possible
If it could be made the receptacle of public pictures,
thought that it would be much better than to build a fine
place for that purpose, at the expense of the Crown, as
Hon. Friend had proposed. There were at' es over some
of the rooms in the present exhibition, but over the centre
,
there was a very good light, and if it were floored, it wool'
snake a magnificent room. The large gallery to the eel°
might be lighted above, because there was no rood',
above it. To have had the exhibition of the ReY3'
Academy at York House, would have been wrong, becale"
it would be then out of the way of passengers : at pl.'',
sent it had a central and proper position. The 11°),1,'
Academy was open only a few months in the year, why:
the National Gallery was open all the year round'
As to making the building the residence for an Heir Ar,
parent or Queen Dowager,-it never once entered his heed'
In point of fact, Government was not yet in possession °
the bnilding. The pirties qualified to sell it had not ill
submitted their terms to Government : they were, that
fore, not yet in actual possession, and to do any thing tr
der these circumstances would be impossible without the
sanction of the House. He would say a word or two re'
specting encroachments on the Park. It was originelli
proposed to bring the buildings more forward in Sir'',
cage-walk, but that had been abandoned,- and the pregef:
intention was to build houses by the Barracks, and to 013'
a public thoroughfare from Storey's Gate to Buckinghel
Gate.—(Hear, bees.)—He thought that this would be;
very great convenience, and that no one could find fa°
with the appropriation of the shabby piece of ground
Buckingham-house. Nothing could be further from 111'
wish than to encroach upon the Park.
Sir J. NEWPORT hoped that no additional expeli,
would be incurred, while the people were labouring neat'
their present distresses.

Mr. MABERLY begged that the Right Hon. Geatlei
man would recollect that his sinking fund of 5,000,00°'
was nearly extinct, and that in 1828 there would be a ae;
ficiency of 2,000,0001. by the non-sale of his dead weir,
annuities. He hoped that the House would not encouraF
the Right Hon. Gentleman in plunging into any fresh as
pence.

Mr. BANKES said, that the Right Hon. Gentlenis
had given them to understand that the public would be Yaj
to no expense for these buildings, but it, was now clear th3°
some expense would he inclined for York-house. It 111,
certainly his wish that in times like these the public shoo!'
not be burdened with any extra expense.
Mr. R. COLBORNE hoped that this question would
be deferred till after the holidays.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said, the'
an Act bad been passed in which there were clauses which
enabled enabled the Marquis of Exeter and others to make eertOt
improvements near Exeter 'Change ; but he believed the
nothing had yet been done.
An Hon. lIIEMBEIt, whose name we could not leer'
hoped that the portico before Carlton Palace would
preserved, and used for some other building.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said, tb#
to adapt a portico to a building might be easy enough, bi
to adapt buildings to a portico was not by any means 01'
easy a matter. He had certainly never mounted a ladder'
and examined the columns, but he was pretty contideP
that the freize could not be worked over again.

Mr. PEEL thought that York-house was a very apprc:
priate place for pictures, especially when its situation el
considered ; it must be recollected that it was betweel.
Buckingham and St. James's Palace. He thought the:
persons who frequented the National Gallery did 0°
generally come in carriages, and that the access was, there:
fore, not of much importance. The access to the Marge°
of Stafford's gallery, which, with great liberality, AP
thrown thrown open to the public, had never yet been found
cularly inconvenient. He thought that it was not at sic
necessary that the academy should be near the residence°
the artiste who exhibited pictures there.

Mr. A. ELLIS said, that young artists always went 117
the academy to study.
Mr. PEEL did not apprehend that this was al, ()by'
tion. If room could be found for the Royal Society, the
Society of Antiquaries, and Royal Academy, under one
roof, he thought that it would be a very great thing.
Mr. R. COLBORNE asked if it were intended to rr
move the statues to the British Museum.

doubts on this 14..._ ._ _
weretsall sdiffiocuslti leegs,alsubject.The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said, tlitl
therei
remove Try serious
the case of Mr. Payne Knight's bronzes, for instance, the
were bequeathed to the British Museum, to he kept will:
other collections in that place. An Act of Parlitunee°
the House would think it no light matter to interfere wit'
but he was quite sure thti
bequests of this nature.
After a few words from Colonel TRENCH;,
CANNING said, that the question to be considered
was, whether York-house could be appropriated to publi':
purposes. For his own part, he thought it might be vef)
mgh
judiciously so appropriated. At the re-assembling of tliO
House, he was quite sure that it would be thought a veil
great nuisance if this building were found to have bee
turned into a tavern, or any thing of that kind. As le,
what had been said respecting its being the residence of
heir apparent, nothing of the kind was contemplated.
The Committee was then postponed.
On the motion of Mr. C. GRANT, the order of tb/6
day for the further consideration of the Corn Duties 13i'
was read.
Mr. LEYCESTER rose, but spoke in so low a to°
that it was impossible to hear the whole of the Hon. Men'
her's observations. We understood him to say, that be
objected to the measure, because its tendency was to WO:
lice the agricultural interests of this country to those of Go'
many, and to make the English gentleman subservient 0°
the German Baron.
Mr. BERNAL objected particularly to the clause whici'
related to the reciprocity of duties.
Mr. C. GRANT said, the purport of the clause t°
which the Hon. Gentleman referred was this—that if an}'
foreign nation should impose a higher duty on the impor
tation of merchandise from this country than was laid hi,l
this country on the goods of that foreign nation, it shout,
then be in the power of his Majesty,
the Privy Council, to prohibit the importation of core
strict analog!
from that nation. This he took to be in
with that relaxation of the restrictive system of this countd,
which had been recognized in Parliament. Whatever luo
been the nature sr extent of that relaxation, a power
had always been reserved to this country of vindicat'
ing its claims on such foreign nations as should be die'
of the British Govern'
posed to abuse the generosity
the intercourse of other countries with our West In,
men t .
pi i
,1.ti11e18..22 as,
~ ,e when
offereda l3
_i Itla: wt
Ie
been
Withasirs
0:
cudtolidgm ersenilzaoaedttdivng t
i:
dig colonies, the principle h
acted on, for a clause was inserted there to the effec
that such foreign countries as did not extend to us the
wreelaxwaetniotnstillvl
same
themselves of the
duties were in a great measure removed, we reserved t
ourselves a power of exempting from the operation of d
further,licil thaen dßailltlhoPtri°gPli°4,i
which should not agree to a fel;
ciprocal relaxation. The clause in question was preciseo
the same, and the principle which Parliament had so oft./0,
aetcd upon was recognized and preserved in it. That prig
' le did cipnet extend to a prohibition ; but merely reserv,
to this country the power of vindicating such claims i 1.5 ?,
were fairly entitled to make. It was not a peremptory f
arbitrary power, but such a one as was necessary for '9`ol
relief I ieefffecatl.l foirneiglnB2n3ations
own protection. If the foreign nation should recede freceded from ;'':,
that which ought to be granted, then we
ce
-ela.xation, and brought the prohibition into effect ag,,be
it. He thought he had now explained the principle 44

TUESDAY LONDON,
EVENING, APRIL 10, 1827.

- -- The Paris Pa --
pers of Saturday, and
the Etoile
dated Sundry mor •
mug, reached us last a
The latter contradicts an assertion of the (41041-
dicnne that the Spanish Cabinet permits the
Portuguese Royalists to return into their coun-
try in small detachments of fifteen or twenty men,
who are subsgquently to unite at points agreed
upon. The duplicity, however, with which the
Court of Madrid has acted, Would induce us to
give as much credence to the statement of the
Quotidienne, as to the contradiction of the Etoile.
Coulit PORTALIS is appointed reporter of the
C°4nnittee, which is to examine the law on the
Pres; and hopes are still entertained at Paris
that s°fie
material alterations in this obnoxious
subjoinlara
a few extracts ;
flay be made. We
(From the Etoile, dated Sunday, April 8.)
thfor For this week past we
ha 811 11,1aRcit
e seen couriers pass through, from Constantinople,
in
..)°,Litlg. in all directions. The last left that cap
In
earnt
hut asbrought private letters, we have
new,. heno
PAT"; Amu. 7.--" Count Portalis is appointed Re-
Porter of the Committee which is to examine the law on
the press.
" says—' The Augsburg Gazette •
The officers and
subalterns who are in Greece health, accord-
ing to letters from Egina, On twheerellin good
After
the unfortunate attempt to deliver theth of
Febr9.aiy: e
turned to Egina. Two of them had wounded,th
y but
were recovering. The Acropolis still heldd c the
out, an
hope of relieving it was not given. up.'

" LIES OF THE DAY.
(The Quotidienne.)
" The Portuguese Royalists have obtained front the spa-
niih Cabinet permisk 0 to return into their country, in
small detachments of 15 or 20 men. These detachments

would afterwards forms ;unction. it Various poititt pre-
viously agreed upon."
(The Constitutionnel.)
" In consequence of the operations of the first quarter of
1827, a great number of superior officers of all arms have
just been dismissed.

,‘ The Courier of the Netherlands contains the follow-
ing article The last accounts from Batavia are of the
10th of December : though favourable to our cause, they
are far from announcing the end of the troubles that de-
solate our possessions. We see with pain that the re•
bels still cover almost all the districts, and that when
they are driven from one part, they appear again in
greater numbers in another. It will not be by some
trifling skirmishing, by some partial attacks, that the
revolt will be suppressed. What action of import-
ance has taken place during six years, and more that
our troops have been fighting in that country ?_....
What do the Batavian journals, whose bulletins seem to be
composed according to the prescribed form, regularly tell
us ? Have they not announced a hundred times what they
announce now, that tranquillity prevails in such or such a
district--that the enemy have been attacked in such ano-
ther, that they did not bear the sight of our troops, that
they took flight, and that having dispersed, it was impossi-
ble to overtake them. And Depo Negoro, whom the last
accounts stated to be wounded, how does it happen that,
according to the latest news, he is again on the theatre •f
war, contriving new plans of attack ? The Batavia journals
will doubtless inform us in one of their next numbers.

FRENCH Fubros.—Five per Cents., 100 f. ; Three per
Cents. 70f. 85c. ; Bank Actions, 2,020 f.

vv
- _
FOREIGN FuNns.—Rentes Nap. Cert. Fal. 77f. 20c. ;
Fran. '7'7f. Isc. ; Obl. Nap. Em. Roth. 1. a. 25f. 50c. ;
Royal Spanish Loan, 54 ; Haytian Loan, 637 f. 50c.

Lord KING, last night in the House of Peers,
made another of those displays of eloquence and
logic with which he has lately so frequently in-
dulged their Lordships. After alluding to the
state of starvation of the People of Ireland—the
scarcely less prosperous condition of England—
the insecurity of Portugal—the want of a Minis-
try—the Corn Laws, and Louis XIV., the
Noble Lord logically deduced from these several
topics the necessity of the production of an ac-
count, which has already been published in every
Newspaper of the Kingdom—namely, " the
amount of the last Quarter's Revenue."
To this, of course, not any objections were
made; but as no Noble Lord thought it worth
while to answer any of the questions which his
Lordship had put on the several subjects to
which his lucubrations extended, the real object
of his speech was defeated, and his Lordship
was obliged to be contented with raising a laugh,
as usual, at his own expence, and getting an ac-
count which had as much reference to his speech
as to the Pope of Rome.

The Game Laws Bill was again warmly dis-
cussed in the Committee, and several divisions
took place on different clauses. The Bill was
finally re-committed for the 7th of May.

We mentioned yesterday an arrival from
Calcutta which brought no news of importance,
but enabled us to contradict a report which had
been spread of the renewal of hostilities with the
Burmese. We have since received Calcutta
Papers to the 25th November, and find by them
that the final evacuation of the Burman Ter-
ritory by the British troops was nearly completed.
The Burmese manifested a friendly disposition.
Earl AMHERST was at Allahabad, in his way
up the Ganges.

It will be seen by our Report of the Proceed-
ings of the House of Commons, that the object
to which the splendid house, recently erected as the
residence for the late Duke of YORK, should be
appropriated, is not yet finally decided upon. A
general opinion appeared to exist that it was well
calculated for the National Collection of Pictures,
and that a part of it might be very properly given
up to the Royal Society, but that it was not
so situated as to be fit for the Exhibition of the
Royal Academy. In the latter opinion we
entirely concur. The distance of St. James's
from those parts of the town from whence
the largest numbers of visitors to the annual
exhibition usually walk, would deprive thousands
of the gratification of visiting it, and con-
sequently would greatly diminish the Revenue
derived by this means for the meritorious objects
to which it is applie:..

The Exhibition ought undoubtedly to be
placed in or close to the great leading thorough-
fare of London, so that persons whose taste may
not be sufficiently strong to induce them to
go much out of the way to visit it, may,
nevertheless, be tempted to do so, by its
proximity to parts where business or other causes
may constantly lead them. In this respect So-
merset House is a most appropriate situation for
the Royal Academy, and if it is objected that it
is too far East, still it is to be recollected that a
large part of those persons who reside at the
Western end of the Metropolis, have carriages
to convey them, while a large proportion of those
who dwell in the Central and Eastern parts of
the Town, are forced to reach the exhibition on
foot.

On the whole, therefore, we would prefer
that the Royal Academy should remain where
it is, with the additional accommodation which
the adjoining apartments, now belonging to the
Royal Society, might afford, than that it should
be moved to a more splendid building in a
less central position.

It appears by the Lisbon Papers, and other
communications which have reached us from
Portugal, by the Marlborough packet, that the
Peers had unanimously adopted the project of
Law presented by the Deputies, for a loan of
Thesterling. cause
accounts of
to
ra-
tional Liberty, appears by allthe
be
gaining ground ; but, as a powerful party were
still working against it, the presence of the Bri-
tish troops afforded the only security to the Con-
stitutional Government. The circumstance,
however, of the Government being thus sup-
ported by the influence produced by the British
forcepy,
,a naturally excited the feelings of the oppo-
siteand no Opportunity was ever lost by
them of representing it as an interference
with the internal affairs of the country, which no
other nation Was justified in adopting. To a
certain extent this feeling was prevalent, and to
it may be attributed the want of hospitality com-
plained of by our Officers on the part of all the
Portuguese. The actual conduct of our Army,
hJwaver, had gained for it the approbation of
all classes, and time only is now wanting to con-

seliclate Institutions, which are founded in peas_
son and justice, but which may not be exactly
suited to the present state of society in Portugal.

Mr. HUME has given notice of a motion for
this day, " to prevent vexatious and frivolous
arrests for debt on Mesne Process, and for faci-
litating the recovery of debts accruing on Deeds,
Bonds, Bills of Exchange, and Promisory Notes."
It is certainly very difficult to reconcile the ge-
neral severity of the English law respecting pecu-
niary contracts, with the facilities which it affords
in some cases to the fraudulent debtor. The
mistake seems to be in substituting the person
for the property as security for debt. A man
with twenty thousand a year of landed property
may laugh at his creditors by crossing the Chan-
nel, whilst the honest debtor is liable to every
species of annoyance from the vindictive or mali-
cious creditor. It would be difficult to persuade
the inhabitants of this part of the island, that any
other system would suit a commercial country,
but it is only in Scotland that a more efficient
and much less vexatious system is found to
answer. Neither landed nor any other property
can there escape the just claims of a creditor;
and flying the country or making fraudulent set-
tlements would prove equally unavailing to a per-
son possessing any species of property, which was
not actually portable.
The Sepreme Court would immediately
adjudicate his estate ; that is, sell it by
public auction, and divide the proceeds amongst
his creditors. The natural consequence is, the
existence of a confidence unknown in this
country, strengthened as it is by a public registry
of the incumbrances affecting. every estate in the
country. Arrests, before judgment, are quite
unknown, except in the rare instance of a creditor
swearing that a man who owes him money me-
ditates flight, and even in clear cases of debt, as
when bills are dishonoured—the debtor is charged
to make payment within six days (under pain
of rebellion), and it is only after the expiration
of that term that he can be thrown into prison.
It occurs to people in this country that few
men will wait for such an event, and that,
therefore, the Scots law must be very in-
efficient ; but, coupled as it is with the circum-
stances to which we have alluded, we have
no hesitation in giving it a preference to the
law of this country, as less vexatious and more
efficient. How far it may be possible to alter
the law of England on this subject, we are not
prepared to give an opinion ; but certainly it
is a strange state of things, that a man may be
insulted by an arrest on the oath of any mis-
creant who has the hardihood to swear a debt
against him, howeve faLsely, and the very same
person may be defrauded of money really due to
him, by a man having fifty thousand a-year of
landed property, the rents of which he may prefer
spending in France or Italy. But to neither of
these hardships could he be subjected in the other
part of the island. Even if Mr. PEEL were to
take up the subject, it would no doubt prove one
of difficulty, as involving an important. change ;
but when it has the disadvantage of coming re-
commended by Mr. HUME, and supported only
by his eloquence, it is not difficult to augur the
fate which awaits his Motion.

Frankfort Papers, and the Allge►neine Zeitung
to the 4th instant, have been received this morn-
ing, but they contain no news of any political
importance. It appears that Don MIGUEL will
not now proceed to Brazil, but wait probably to
take advantage of any change which the Apos-
tolicals may make in his favour :

MUNICH, 31AT 29.
The Greek Committee in Bavaria has just caused to be
purchased at a moderate price, on the estates of the Duke
of Leuchtenburg, iu Italy, a million pounds of maize of
excellent quality. It will be embarked at Ancona, con-
veyed to Napoli, and placed at the disposal of the Commit-
tee, of which Lieut.-Colonel Ileidigger is President, and
which is charged with the distribution of the provisions
sent by the Committee.

VIENNA, MARCH 28.

Their Imperial Majesties appeared yesterday evening at
the theatre, for the first time since the news of the death
of the Empress of Brazil. His Majesty enjoys good health.
Private letters from Parma say, that her Majesty the Arch-
Duchess Maria Louisa was so shocked by the news of the
death of her sister that she was obliged to keep her bed for
some days.

The Brazilian Chamberlain Senor Rocea Pinto, who
invited the Infant Don Miguel to Rio Janeiro, will, it is
reported, shortly return to Brazil without the Infant. The
first dispatches from M. Von Neumann, who is gone on a
mission to Rio de Janeiro, are not expected till some time
in the course of next month.

VIENNA, 1114.xcx 29.—Metalliques, 89 1-16 ; Bank
Shares, 1062.

Letters were received yesterday from the
Island of Ascension to the 26th of February, at
which time the Commandant and garrison en-
joyed good health. A transport, laden with
stores and supplies of all kinds from England,
had arrived, and was unloading. She had
brought out hares, partridges, and pheasants to
stock the Island, from which much future sport
was anticipated. Goat and wild cat hunts formed
a considerable part of the field diversions of the
officers at present. The only civilian on the
Island, Mr. TRISCOTT, publishes a manuscript
newspaper once a fortnight, for the amusement of
the little colony ; and it is said that this curious
journal exhibits considerable talent. He is obliged
to be editor, reporter, poet, and publisher !
Cultivation was rapidly advancing on the
Island ; some judicious works had been begun,
and a storehouse had been erected ; and the
colony was in a state of daily improvement.

It is lamentable that the House of Commons
should be the scene of such vulgarities as the
discussion last night, originating in Mr. Alderman
WAITIIMAN'S motion respecting the Cornwall
and Devonshire Mining Company, gave rise to
between the worthy Alderman and the respectable
Member for Sudbury—Mr.JoHN WiLics. The
Speaker was under the necessity of telling Mr.
WAITIIMAN ,c that common decency required
that he should adopt a different form of expres-
sion," and of calling Mr. WILKs to order,"
in a tone which implied how much that
Honourable Gentleman was deviating from
the decorum of the House. The whole
proceedings on this business possess so little
interest, except to those who may have been en-
gaged in the concerns of the Company, that we
shall not make any further remarks upon them.

Mr. WAtTIYMAN's motion for printing the pe-
tition of the Shareholders was withdrawn, but the
Alderman intimated his intention of moving for
a Committee of Enquiry after the holidays.
The amendments in the Report on the Corn
Law Bill were agreed to, and the Bill was ordered
to be read a third time on Thursday.

REPORTED ENGAGEMENT between A BRITISH
SLOOP OF WAR and a TURKISH FRIGATE.

There has been a current report in the City, and at
Lloyd's, to which some credit is attached, that an engagement
has taken:place in the Archipelago, between one of our sloops
of war, (the Pelican of IS guns) and a large Turkish frigate :
it is also added that this event commenced through a mis-
take, and that the latter was very roughly handled on the
occasion. Some even state she was sunk, and the Pelican
lost two men killed, and several wounded.