Star.
London, England, 1831-02-24 00:00:00

COAL DUTIES.

Sir R. }MATCH BULL asked when it was the intention of Govern-
ment the duty on coal should cease, and whether a drawback would be
allowed for the stock on hand.
Lord ALTHORP, in reply to Sir FL Rnatchbull's enquiry, stated
that the Repeal of the Coal Day it was proposed should commence on
the Ist of March, and that any ships laden with coal, then or previously
lying in the river, should be entitledto the repeal, provided they had
sold no part of their cargo. His Lordship added in reply to other ques-
tions that a Bill was about to be brought in to modify the London (City)
duties ; that the " Richmond shilling" was not to be repealed as part
of such plans; that coals sent to our Colonies would be duty free ; and
his Lordship added (in reply to an enquiry from Mr. O'Connell) that
the Dublin coal acts were to undergo revision.
Mr. STUART WORTLEY asked if It was the intention of the
noble lord to make any alteration in the regulations for the sale of coal
in London, as without that was done he feared the repeal of the duty
would have but little effect in lowering the price of coals in London,
where the local charges on the importation and sale of coals were so
enormous.

Mr. O'CONNELL asked, was it the intention of Government to
make any alteration in the regulation for the sale of coals in Dub-
lin. which at present was a mesas of imposition in the hands of the
cormtion.
ALTHORP said ire understood one of the Representatives for
London intended to bring in a bill to rmulate the coal trade In London.
With respect to Dublin, it was intended to revise the acts by which the
coal trade of that city was regulated.
Sir M. W. RIDLEY asked whether it was the intention of Govern.
went torepal the Richmond shilling duty.
Lord ALTHORP said it was not the intention of the Government to
repeal that duty at present.
A bIRAIBaR, whose name we did not know, said he believed there
were stocks of coals in our ports, on which a serious loss would be
eel if the duty were not paid back.
Lord ALTHORP said, if such cases existed they would be considered.
Sir J. MACKINTOSH presented petitions from Glasgow, Montrose,
and Elgin, fora Reform in Parliament.
Sir M. W. RIDLEY presented a petition from Galway, in favour
of the Kelp trade, and against the repeal of the Barilla duty.
Mr. PORTMAN asked whether there was any plan to Evilleste the
receiving of petitions.
Lord ALTHORP replied that be did not know bow they could
stretch the 24 hours more than they had done; be saw no other remedy
than that of meeting on Saturday to receive petit Hear, hear.)
The SPEAKER said he would be perfectly willing to come to
the house and take the chair at twelve o'clock on Satinday, and he
hoped menbers would attend, and enable him to take the chair at that
boar. (Hear, bear.)
Mr. HUME approved of the proposal, and the house would
not continue to sit longer than six o'clock on Saturday. (Hear.)
Lord ALTHORP said, they owed their thanks to the Speaker for
this arrangement, and suggested that none but Reform Petitions should
be presented • and that the house should adjourn at six o'clock.
Mr. CALCRA FT bore testimony to the constant anxiety of the
Speaker for the public accommodation, and would be punctual in his
attendance at twelve o'clock, and hoped no member would delay the
proceedings of the day.
The SPEAKER begged to remind the house that as there were three
ballots for Friday, except they were obtained, the arrangements for
Setunlay would be defeated, as If all the ballots could not be obtained
they must be completed on Saturday In precedence of all other
business.

Sir J. SEBRIGHT moved that the house be called over on Friday.
(Cheers.)
Mr. HUNT seconded the motion.

Mr. CA LCRAFT thought the house might depend on the honour of
members for their attendance.

Mr. WYNNE suggested that members who were not in town should
not be taken into custody for non.attendance.
Mr. LITTLETON said the effect of that would be to drive the
members out of town.

The motion was then agreed to.
tutuvric ASYLUMS.
Mr. R. GORDON said, the bill passed for the regulation of lunatic
saylums bad been eminently successfaL The improvement of the
White House, at Bethnal-green, was so great as to be almost mere.
dible, and the expense of the commission to the public was not more
than nine hundred and fifty pounds per annum. The bill was to ex-
pire on the Ist day of August, and in the bill which he
to bring in there were some alterations in matters of deter red ,which
would be best explained in the Committee. The only difference of opi.
nion was, whether the commission could go on as an unpaid commis-
sion. He thought it could, and that theme would always be found gen-
tlemen to undertake the duty without emolument ; and that if it were
made a paid commission, it would greatly impair its power and utility.
He was confident the house would not refuse to continue its protection
to the most hapless of human beings. The hon. gentleman moved for
leave to bring in a Bill to continue and amend the Act of 10th Geo. IV.
for the care of insane persons in England.
Lord GRANVILLE SOMERSET seconded the motion. The
set had been attended with the beat effects, and well deserved to be coo.
tinued. He hoped he should not be considered deficient in respect for
the high office of lord chancellor, if, for the purpose of vindicating him.
self and his fellow commissioners, he adverted to some animadversions
made on them by the Iced chancellor on a late occasion. His lordship
made some observations on them which appeared to call for some es.
planation in justification of their conduct. His lordship, in reference to
a letter which had been written to him by the Metropolitan Com-
missioners of Ltuirsey, had censured their conduct in strong terms—
That letter, with the leave of the house, he would read. His lord-
ship read the letter, which stated, that a report had appeared in The
Times and Mom*, Herald newspapers, of observadons mode by his
lordship in the ease of the lunacy of Mr. Houston, by which it appeared
that his lordship had been under a misapprehension their eon.
diet. They begged se assure his lordship that had never Interfered
with any lunatic under the are of the Court of without the
direction of the Chancellor himself. The letter thea awed the partieu-
lan of the ease, and requested his lordship would have the goodneaspub-
Holy to relieve them from the Misapprehension that had taken place of
their oonduct. This letter they did not think was hicoosistaupwith the
highest respect for the Lord Chansellos, as it only requested that se he had

The SOLICITOR-GENERAL said, iie Noble Lord appeared to
suppose that the reporters pronounced judgment, and he must conceive
they very much forgot what was due to the high office of Lord Chan-
cellor when they questioned it, and called upon him to retract it in the
roamer he bad done. Mr. Brown had written as if under the sanction
of lid Sable Lord, to desire the keeper of the home L whkh the law
mils was placed to keep him in custody. The learned Gentleman here
read the letter, and animadverted on its connive, which he admitted
were capable of being construed into legal ambiguities; but in the ordi-
nary acceptation of epistolary correspondence would never have been
understood in any other sense than that which had been attributed to
the Lord Chancellor's understanding of the language. The letter
commenced with the writer's saying, that he bad seen Lord George
Somerset ; and after a few intervening sentences, proceeded to
inform the keeper, that he, the writer, (Mr. Brown), had autho-
rity to desire the keeper to retain custody of the lunatic ; from
which the only inference that could be drawn was, that the
authority which Mr. Brown spoke of was no other than his Lord-
ship's authority. The Hosourable and Learned Gentleman
entered into a long vindication of the course which had been adopted by
the Noble Lord Chancellor, and repeated what had taken place in the
Court at the time. The hen. and learned gentleman said, the Commis-
sioner's letter had been written after that judgment had been delivered
in the case of the lunatic, and that the noble lord and the gentlemen
on the commission must have, while they wrote it, forgotten the situa-
tion in which the Lord Chancellor stood. He (the learned gentleman)
would take the liberty to say, that be it right or wrong, it was the
judgment of the Lord Chancellor, and that they could not with pro-
priety interfere or remonstrate but by appeal. It was not a course to
pursue towards any judge for any iudividual, after that judgment
had been passed to write to that judge on the strength
of a newspaper report, and to call upon him to make the
asseade banouraile by a public avowal of error. In the profession
such a thing would be laughed at; the report of a newspaper was no
[ authority for adopting so grave a measure; and such injustice ought
Ito be the opinion of every one out of the profession. If such were
not the case, it would weigh on the mind of every judge so much
that, for fear of making a single incorrect expression, it would impede
his freedom in the discharge of his duties. The hon. and learned gentle-
man would like to know what was the mode of concession that a Judge
could make to parties under such a dictation ; it must either be that he
was to make a recantation of a part of what he said (and if this was done
in private it would not have satisfied the punks who conceived them-
selves to be aggrieved), or he must go to press and publish his defence.
This was not the mode in which the master should be tried. Although
the commission had been appointed by the Parliament, they had not the
right to connect it with the Great Seal, and to dictate how it was to dis-
pose of the lunatic.
Mr. ROSS defended the conduct of the Commissioners, and said
that the letter had been written before that judgment had been pro-
nounced, and it had not been written to accuse the conduct of the
Lord Chancellor ; but it was to endeavour to correct some wrong in-
formation which his lordship had received of the circumstances of the
case of the lunatic. The hen. member added that the information had
not been taken solely from newspaper reports; but it had been com-
municated to the Commissioners by sot one, but several persons, who
stated that they had been present In the Court when the Lord Chan.
cellor had made use of the expression. The hon. member thought the
noble lord was bound for the sake of himself and his boa, colleagues,
to bring this statement before the house.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL said, that the act was a very undue
interference. The bon. member bad now said that the information bad
not been received alone from newspapers ; he (the hon. and learned gen-
tleman) would like to know who it was that had given the information ;
for now it was, for the first time, that any other bad been men-
tioned in the affair, for the letter made no mention of any other than
newspaper reports; sod, as it seemed to be a case that had originated in
a complexity of jealousies, if the persons who gave the information
were named, it might be discovered what had lurked in the business.
The learned gentleman regretted to be under the necessity to make use
of Mr. Brown's name, but he was compelled to do so (because his
friends bad thought fit to bring the case before the house), and
to express his sense of disapprobation of his conduct. The learned
gentleman also reprobated the course which had been adopted
by the Commissioners, and alluded to a case on record of Judge
Holt, who repelled the interference of Parliament, accompanied with a
threat of authority as a judge which the learned gentleman would de-
cline to repeat in that house in the words of the judge. The high law
officers, the learned gentleman said, must assert their right, and he was
glad that this case had occurred, as it would prove to the world that
the present noble and learned lord chancellor would not suffer his con-
duct to be questioned by any one whatever, in any thing that related to
his official capacity.
Lord G. SOMERSET replied, and said be disclaimed all know-
ledge of the letter sent by filr. Brown, and that be disapproved et his
having written the letter.
Mr. R. GORDON defended the conduct of the commissioners.

Mr. G. LAMBE vindicated the conduct of the LordCKaiteilliv, and
expressed his disapproval of the course that bad been pursued by the
commissioners.
After a short explanation from the ATTORNEY-GENERAL, the
previous question was put and carried.
The orders of the day were disposed of, and on
Mr. 0110 RM AN M A HON's presenting a petition, the house was
called to be counted, and only 21 members being present, it was ad-
journed at twenty minutes to nine o'clock.

THE ARMY.

By a Parliamentary paper, just published, it appears that there is an
increase in the Army Estimates for 1841, over those of 1830, of
141,6901. 13s. Bd. of which 72,4761. lls. 7d. iscaused by an augmenta-
tion of the Volunteer force,

The depots of the 73d and 86th regiments, which have been stationed
in Exeter Artillery and Cavalry Barracks, marched on route to Devon
port on Saturday last, tot relieve the 87th regiment, which is uoder
orders to embark for the Isle of France. Our barracks will be occupied
by the East Devon Militia.
The North Devon Militia assembled at Barnstaple on Wednesday
last. The men are not to have the full military dress, but • foraging
caprred flannel jacket only.
Royal Lanark Militia assembled at Hamilton on the 15th insL
and next month proceed to Ireland. Of thirty-five regiments of Scottish,
English, and Welsh militia called out for training, only sixteen will be
retained on permanent duty.
A garrison court-martial has been held at Government House on
Patrick Murray. a private in the 22d regiment, for having deserted'
from Long Room barracks io June last, and not returning until brought
back by an escort of the 73d regiment on the 7th insL and for selling or '
making away with regimental necessaries ; upon which charges he was
sentenced to four months' solitary confinement, to be put under stop-
pages until his deficiencies are made good, and this being the fifth time
belted deserted from the service, to be marked with the letter D. Ano.
ther court-martial was held the same day on Alexander Anderson, pri-
vate iu the 87th Royal Irish Fuaileers, for from that regiment
in December last, and not returning until brought k on the 3d insL
when be was sentenced to two months' imprisonment, sad also placed
under stoppages.
Major-General Sir John Cameron reviewed the 87th Irish Posileen
on Friday, on the parade before Government House, when this gallant
regiment went through various evolutions with a precision and prompt-
nude in the_ highest degree creditable to their military reputation. The
87th •will shortly embark for the Mauritius in the Arab and Orestes
tT
rts now Plymouth, and the Amity nanspeut, expected daily
fror at
Portsmouth.
Among the augmentations in the cavalry the Blues are filling op
their companies to the same numbers as those of the other regiments of
Royal Horse Guards.
RICOIIIIINTS ORDZRED TO IRELAZINAThe number of
Mill& regiments ordered to be permanently embodied sad proceed to
Irelandare eleven. Of this number the West Middleirn is one. They
are to assemble on Thursday erector three weeks' training, preparatory
to their being sent on their destination. Orders have been sent to the
Tower to get in readiness 20E1,000 stand of arms, to be given to these

Bridget Martin, the seduced, appeared to be about two
or three and twenty years of age, and one who was, at least,
as likely to love as to excite the sentiment. She was dressA
with gaudy finer!, and looked confident, collected, and in-
telligent. She was altogether a tolerably good sr ecimen of
women of her class ; clever from the nature of her inter-
nists* with society, of an ardent temperament, and more
issiest in her conduct than in her demeanour. Examined
by Mr. Dwyer.—l am daughter of T. Martin. I know the
defendant since 1825; be was on honourable terms with me;
I recollect receiving a letter from him in October, 1828 ; it
did sot bear his signature, I received it by a messenger sent
by bin ; I recollect December same year ; he endeavoured
se seduce me, but I told him my family were respectable, I
wadi sot disgrace them, and be should never enter the
Imes again ; I saw him afterwards in January, 1829 ; ho
excused his conduct, and asked what my fortune was,
that he might make application to my father ; he was satis-
fied when I told him it w s a hundred pounds ; I recollect
February ; the seduction took place in the latter end of the
'month, and he continued his visits more frequently than e‘er
till the latter end of March following ; he then said he would
sever make me his wife, unless I allowed him to repeat los
liberties; the intercourse was repeated on two or three occa-
sions ; he continued his visits till March ; I remained at my
father's till the June following ; I quitted it because I undo -
stood the defendant was going to be married to another ;
claimed the protection he promised me, and he told me
be would give me no protection ; I considered there were
consequences, involving exposure, likely to ensue, but
found afterwards that I was mistaken. I ..vent towards
his house with the intention of drowning myself in
a river, but found his house open and went in ; his servant
gave me the key of his parlour. I saw him at three o'clock
in the morning through the window ; he wanted to get in,
and I told him if be composed himself I would let him in ;
I did let him in when he was composed, and he welcomed
see to his house. I remained from Saturday night till Tues-
day morning in his house; he then dragged me out. I
went to a tenant of my father, and afterwards to my bro-
ther's house : he is an apothecary. I assisted my father in
his business as an inn-keeper and baker ; I can read and
write.

_...—.-examined by Mr. Antisell--I was very fond of the
defendant; 1 know the place called the Grove; your con-
versation brings to my recollection a walk I took one evening
with a little nirl, when I met the defendant; the girl's name
was Kitty C:rballis ; the defendant was accompanied by Phil.
Bryan, a shoemaker ; I have sent Bryan to ask the defendant
to meet me, but not till after the seduction ; I have met him
seven years ago ; the defendant and Bryan used to come to-
gether to drink with me at my father's ; sometimes Bryan left
us alone, and sometimes the door was bolted on us alone ;
I never told Bryan to speak well of me to the defendant;
I know a person named Thomas Connell, from my earliest
days; Connell often drank with us, up stairs in the room ;
two of my brothers lived with my father ; I don't know
whether my father ever knew I was up stairs drinking, but
my brothers did; the door was bolted sometimes; some-
times In opened it, and sometimes I did • on the night I
left my father's house, he and I were drinking up stain
in my father's house; I left the house first, and the
defendant then ; it was between 11 and 12 o'clock at night ;
I went into his yard to drown myself in the river running
before his door ; I did not desire any person to put whis-
key in the defendant's porter ; but Bryan told me to do it ;
the defendant saw it done and drank the porter; Bryan was a
confidant; he was trusted on the other side, and I thought I
might trust him.
Thomas Clarke examined by Mr. Martley, K. C. proved
certain letters to be in the handwriting of the defendant.
Cross-examined by Mr. Sheil, K. C. I do something in the
lawyer line ; I fill processes ; I never proposed for Bridget
Martin; I never coorted her, but I often said a soft word
to her. (Laughter.)
Samuel Wallace examined by Mr. Martley, proved the
circumstances of the parties, and the habits of life of their
rank ; he said the defendant was a warm farmer, and that
the greatest familiarity was permitted between a young man
and woman, when the addresses of the former are honour-
able ; he would not permit his daughter to be locked up in
a room with a young man, unless a third person were pre-
sent. Mr. Martley read three letters from the defendant
to the girl, in general and cautious terms, tending to allay
her jealousy of others, and her apprehensions of certain con-
sequences of their intercourse. This completed the defen-
dant's case.

Mr. Antisell called for a nonsuit, on the ground of decla-
ration between the counts in the indictment, and the course
of proof of facts in the evidence. The Court took the
point, but did not role with him, and Mr. Sheil, K. C. ad-
dressed the Jury for the defendant. The Chief Justice
charged the Jury in a speech, in which he dwelt on the duty
incumbent on men of all ranks, the lowest to the highest,
to attend with vigilance to the conduct of their daughters,
and the protection of their innocence, and impressed on the
jury the propriety of compensating the feelings of a father
in such a case, for the loss of a Odd over whose fete he
had watched with tenderness and care, and of the necessity
of marking with their indignant refuial the attempt of a fa-
ther to profit by the negligence of the virtue, or connivance
at the vice of his. daughter. His Lordship concluded by
reading his notes of the evidence. The Jury retired for a
few minutes, and then returned a verdict for the plaintiff,
2001. damages, and sd. costs.