The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-04-07 00:00:00

HOUSE OF COMMONS-FRIDAY

After the presentation of numerous petitions on the subject
of the corn laws, church extension, &c,
Mr. PAKINGTON asked Lord John Russellwhether he had
applied to the law officers of the crown for their opinion as
to whether the thirty days required by the constitutional act
of Canada, during which the clergy reserves bill should re-
main on the table of both houses of Parliament, would include
the time during the holidays.

We are pretty safe in broadly affirming that no such certi-
ficate of consent has ever passed the great seal. Then the
marriage would be illegal. Then the public will be prone to
ask why so extravagant a grant should emanate from the
throne, in favor of any already, or here after to be, born
Bugginses, or Invernesses ? If the lady be not the rightful
wife of the Duke of Sussex, this is a sort of sacrifice to the
lucky genius of the house of Buggins which even the house of
Saxe Coburg might envy !
Take the other alternative. Is the Duchess of Inverness
the lawful wife of the Duke of Sussex ? Why in that case,
these enormous honours to the widow of the Hatton-garden
attorney, which were denied to the high-born exemplary wo-
man, Lady Augusta Murray, whose marriage with the Duke
of Sussex, duly celebrated by a protestant clergyman at
Rome, was clearly, qouad the effect upon it of the 12th Geo.
iii. legal ; because the.purview of that statute does not ex-
tend to marriages celebrated dehors the British dominions ?
That marriage was further confirmed by a repetition of so-
lemnisation according to the forms of the English established
church, in England, at a subsequent period, though it may
be doubted, on the highest authorities of the ecclesiastical
courts, whether such marriage, being in all other respects le-
gal according to the forms or dispensations of the foreign state
in which it was first celebrateed, needed this additional solem •
nity. If the marriage with the beautiful and accomplished
Lady Augusta was legal, why are the honours now destined
for the Bugginses (for aught that appears) withheld from the
admirable, the excellent issue of that marriage, the accom-
plished gentleman and soldier, Sir Augustus D'Este, and his
virtuous and high minded sister, Lady Augusta ?
If the Duke of Sussex be married to Lady Cecilia Letitia
G. U. 8., Duchess of Inverness, and the defect of any such
consent of the sovereign, signified under the great seal, as is
required by the Royal Marriage Act, had not invalidated the
marriage, how can the legality of his royal highness's prior
marriage with Lady Augusta Murray be disputed ?
If the marriage with Lady Augusta was valid, what pre-
tence, what reason, what explanation, can be assigned to the
British public for this inexplicable preference of the Bug-
ginses over the D'Estes ?
Truly it excites some misgivings in our mind when we
collate with this astounding patent to Lady Cecilia, the al-
most over-acted, impetuous affection and profound reverence
of his royal highnessfor and to the sovereign of these realms,
on the three memorable occasions of her majesty's first
meeting her parliament, her majesty's coronation, and her
majesty's marriage. •A lively hope of " grace to come" is a
wondrous ',rout-curer !
Again, what did Mr. Gillon's motion portend, at the close
of a former session, when he expatiated on his royal high-
ness's ill-paid state; and after showing how he had got in-
volved, from sheer disinterestedness, in the discharge of the
duties of President of the Royal Society, prayed the house
to levy countervailing " duties" on the people to the tune
0f.t6,000 or £B,OOO a-year, in the shape of an addition to
the duke's income? Is this proposition, then, repudiated
very unequivocally by the House of Commons, to be brought
on again under the more insulting suggestion tithe expediency
of providing for the descendants of the relict of the knighted
attorney? And if this ever be done, can any man guarantee
us against a similar application, some fine morning, on be-
half of a sister connection—of which fame speaks odd things ?
What pass arc matters now come to? .Now far does our
" socialist" premier mean to shock the ancient purity of Eng-
lish society ? With what further sacrifice of the decorums
and decencies of life, after presenting Owen to his Queen,
will this reckless lord be satisfied ?

We bid him to beware. It is a dangerous experiment
which we apprehend. On the nne hand, however, we shall
never cease to suggest that justice, generosity, and honour,
atre first to be satisfied to the D'Estes ; and that hitherto
we know of no such case made out for the Bugginses. On
the other hand, we solemnly and with deep respect submit
to that high tribunal, from which on earth such honours
flow, that had they been devoted in a divided appropriation
to the two D'Estes, and the reparation of the insulted cha-
racter and sacrificed life of Lady Flora Hastings, by the dis-
tinction of her next female representative, the fearful possi-
bility of all questions of a doubtful succession hereafter, and
the hazard of public disgust at present, might have been
avoided or overcome.

STATIONS OF THE BRITISH ARMY,

ON VIZ IST Or APRIL, 1840.

(Front the United Service Journal.)

[Where two places are mentioned, the last-named is that at whic]
the DepOt of the Regiment is stationed.]

Ist Life Guards—Hyde Park 40th Foot—Bombay; Chatham
2d—Windsor 41st—Madras; Chatham
Royal Horse Guards—Reg. Park 42d—Templemord
Ist Dragn Gds.—Canada; York 43d—Canada; Naas
2d—Glasgow 44th—Bengal ; Chatham
3d—Edinburgh 45th—Newport
4th—Birmingham 46th—Gibraltar ; Jersey
sth—Nottingham 47th—Malta , Inniskillen
6th—Manchester 48th—Gibraltar; Fermoy
7th—Leeds 49th—Bengal; Chatham
Ist Dragoons—Sheffield 50th—N.S.Wales ; Chatham
26—Ballincollig 51st—V. D. Land ; Chatham
3d—Bengal 52d—West Indies ; Armagh
4th—Bombay 53d*—Ionian Isles ; Plymouth
6th—Dublin 54th—Madras; Chatham
7th Hussars—Canada; York 55th—Madras ; Chatham
Bth—Leeds 56tht—Jamaica ; Belfast
9th Lancers--Ipswich 57th—Madras ; , Chatham
10th Hussars—Dorchester 58th—Portsmouth
11th Light Dragoons—Cantrhry 59th—Malta ; Tralee
12th Lancers—Brighton 60th.(Ist battaln.)—lonian Isles;
13th Light Dragoons—Madras Birr
14th—Hounslow (3d batt.)—lon. Isles; Clonmel
15th Hussars—Bombay 61st—Winchester .
16th Lancers—Bengal 62d—Madras ; Chatham .
17th Lancers—Dundalk 616—Madras ; Chatham
Grenadier Guards (Ist batt.) 64th—JaMaica ; Boyle
Port man Barracks 65th—Canada ; Clare Castle
(26 batt.)—Canada 66th—Canada ; Kinsale
(ad batt.)—Wellington Barracks 67tht—West Indies; Cork
Coldstream Guards—(lst bat.) 68th—Jamaica ; Cork
St. John's Wood tigh—America ; Yougliall
(2il batt.)—Canada 70th—W. Indies ; Fermoy
Scotch Fusileer Guards—(lstbatt)7lst—Canada.; Stirling
St. George's Barracks 72d.—Cape of G. hope ; Dundee
(3d batt.)—Tower 730—Canada ; Sheerness
Ist Foot (Ist batt.)—Gibraltar 74th—West Indies; Fermoy
(2d batt.)—Canada 75th—C. of G. Hope ; Plymouth
3d Foot—Bombay; Chatham 76th—West Indies, Enniskillen
3d—Bengal; Chatham 77th—Malta; 11011 •
4th—Madras; Chatham 78th—Edinburgh
sth—lonian Isles; Galway 79th—Manchester
6th—Bombay; Chatham 80th—N. S. Wales; Chatham
7th—Gibraltar ; Cork 81st—Barbadoes • Hull
Bth—America; Guernsey 820—Jamaica; Portsmouth
9th—Bengal; Chatham 830—Canada; Belfast
10th—Burnley 84th—Kilkenny
11th—Canada; Gosport 85th—Canada; Plymouth
12th—Mauritius; Brecon 86th—Bolton
13th—Bengal ; Chatham 87th—Mauritius ; Dublin
14th—West Indies ; Chester 88th—Dublin
15th—Canada; Plymouth 89th—West Indies ; Gosport
16th—Bengal; Chatham 90th—Ceylon ; Dover
17th—Bombay; Chatham 91st—Cape&St.lIelena; Aberdeen
18th—Bombay ; Chatham 926—Malta; Birr
19th—Bristol 930—America ; Fort St. George
20th—Stockport 94th—Madras ; Chatham
21st—Bengal; Chatham 95th—Ceylon • Carlisle

22d—Dublin ' 96tht—M'anch'ester
23d—America; Castlebar 97th—Dublin
24th—Canada; Cork 98th—lewcastle-on-Tyne
25th—C. Good Hope ; Devonport 99th—Athlone
26th—Bengal; Chatham Rifle Brigade (Ist batt)—Weedon
27th—C. Good Hope ; Wexford (2d batt.)—Windsor
28th—N. S. Wales ; Chatham Royal Staff Corps—Hythe
29th—Woolwich Ist W. Ind. Regt.—Demerara, &c.
30th—Bermuda ; Newry 2d—New Providence & Honcturas
31st—Bengal; Chatham Ceylon Rifle Regiment—Ceylon
32d—Canada ; Cork Cape Mounted Riflemen—Cape of
33d—Gibraltar; Tynemouth Good Hope
34th—Canada ; Chatham Royal African Colonial Corps-
35th—Mauritius ; Chatham Sierra Leone
36th—America ; Limerick Royal Newfd. Veteran Company-
37th—America; Waterford Newfoundland
3Sth—Limerick Royal Malta Fencibles—Malta
39th—Madras ; Chatham
* Ordered home. t The 56th and 67th are to go to Canada
Ordered to New South Wales.

Bombay, Feb. 29.
The accounts from China, which are to the 7th of January,
continue of the same unfavourable complexion as those pre-
viously received. The reports which were previously in circu-
lation respecting the imperial displeasure at the failure of
the Commissioner Lin's attempt to eradicate the traffic in
opium turns out to be totally unfounded. His master's con-
fidence in him is unshaken, and instead of being degraded,
as reported in the Canton papers, he had received additional
marks of the imperial favour. The decisive measure adopted
by Lin of excluding British commerce for ever from the em
pine has received the approbation of the emperor, and the
commissioner has not only been relieved from all the respon-
sibility of the ordinance, but the power of modifying it has
been taken out of his hands ; and he is thus precluded from
entering into any negotiations for the restoration of our
intercourse, all of which must be henceforth directed at once
to the court at Pekin, and not to its minister at Canton.

Before the Emperor's pleasure had been know, the com-
missioner issued a fresh edict (a copy of which I transmit
herewith), prohibiting the evasion of the new law by the
transhipment of British goods to foreign bottoms, to be con-
veyed to Canton under the'protection of a foreign flag, to do
so. The Captain of every American and other foreign ship,
before being permitted to enter the port of Canton, was re-
quired to give bond to the following effect :—" If we have
got on board the goods and merchandise of any ship belong-
to the English nation, no matter whether taken on board
within or without the Grand Ladrone Island, or on the high
seas, or at Singapore, or at Penang, or at Manilla, or while
touching at any other of these foreign possessions. If any
thing of the kind be found on board, we are hereby perfectly
willing that both ship and cargo be confiscated."
The Thomas Coutts had commenced taking in her home-
ward cargo, and was expected to leave about the end of
January. She was being loaded by the merchants at the rate
of £8 to Li) per ton. The Royal Saxon, Captain Towns,
had also succeeded in getting .up to Whampoa. It appears
her Majesty's ships Volage and Hyacinth had left their an-
chorage at Tankoo, and repaired to Macao, for what reason
does not appear, unless to enjoy Christmas-day at that place;
and the captain of the Royal Saxon took advantage of their
absence and entered within the Bogue, of course having pre-
viously signed the required bonds. Connected with this
event is the capture by the Chinese, of Captain Gribble,
Of the firm of Gribble, Hughes, and Co., who proceeded
after the Royal Saxon in a Chinese fast boat for the
purpose of putting a tea taster on board, which, having
accomplished, as he was returning to the fleet his boat was
seen and chased by a Mandarin boat with about fifty rowers,
and was overtaken close to the shore—himself taken out and
carried away—but all his Chinamen escaped by jumping
overboard and wading ashore. On the circumstance being
made known, a number of the boats of the fleet at Tangkoo
was manned with the greatest promptitude and went in pur-
suit, but failed to come up with the boat. On the 3rd of
January it was ascertained that Captain Gribble was in con-
finement at Canton, and it was expected that he would be
immediately released therefrom by the Commissioner.
The officer and crew of the Sunda, wrecked on the coast
of the Hainan, had been conveyed to Canton, where they
were at once admitted into the city, and introduced to the
Commissioner and all the other public authorities. They
were treated with great kindness ; the sailors were regaled
with a pork feast, and the whole party was sent on to the
English fleet without detriment. Lin talked much with the
captain, and was greatly delighted with Mr. Thelwall's book
against opium, a copy of which appears to have been on board,
and which was read to him, it is stated by a cabin boy. He
is also reported to have said that notwithstandidg all that had
passed, the English might return, if they would engage in
the lawful trade ; but this is inconsistant with the edict of
eternal exclusion, to which he had obtained the Emperor's
sanction. -

The late conduct of Captain Elliott seems inexplicable,
even making every allowance—and great allowances ought to
be made—for the difficulties of his position. He appears to
have made an attempt at reconciliation, which has only
afforded a fresh opportunity to Lin to degrade him still fur-
ther. This vacillating conduct of the Superintendent is
lamentable, and it is matter of congratulation that all further
negotiations with the Chinese will be speedily placed upon a
different basis, and entrusted to other agency. Captain
Elliott's position has been a very difficult one, and his feel-
ings are not to he envied when the accounts of the dishonour
his bills have met with from the British Government shall
have reached him.

A very great error appears to be prevalent in England in as-
suming that the opium trade was the sole cause of the late
crisis in China. It undoubtedly accelerated it, but, inde-
pendently altogether of matters connected with opium, the
time had arrived when the interference of our government
with respect to China was absolutely necessary to place our
relations upon a proper footing. The British Government
ought to have peremptorily interfered in 1834, on the occa-
sion of the murder(for it was little better) of their represen-
tative in China, the late lamented Lord Napier, the occur-
rences connected with which had nothing whatever to do
with opium. Nothing however was done at that time,
the attention of people in England being engrossed with
some petty affair of politics, and the insult was tamely
submitted to. Nothing short of a crisis such as has
occurred, and the consequences of which will be felt through-
out the length and breadth of the land, was sufficient to rouse
the British Government to a sense of the importance of the
interests at stake. _ .

With regard to the projected expedition to China, I have
not any additional particulars to communicate.
Lord Auckland has arrived at Calcutta. and in a few days
we shall hear more definitely what the plan of operations
will be.

lI.M. ship 'Wellesley, Captain T. Maitland, having on
hoard Sir J. J. Gordon Bremore, commodore, commanding
the British squadron in the Indian sea, arrived at Madras on
the 11th instant, from whence she was to sail immediately
for Calcutta in order to enable the commodore to confer with
Lord Auckland, as to the measures to be adopted in relation
to the expedition destined for China.
The expedition is said to consist of the following troops ;
from Bengal, her Majesty's 21st and 26th regiments of native
infantry ; from Madras one regiment of Queen's troops, four
of native infantry, one regiment of artillery, and one of en-
gineers ;—from Ceylon, one regiment of Queen's troops,
total ten regiments. General Sir R. Arbuthnot, Commander-
in-Chief at Ceylon, is to command the above-mentioned
force; and Generals Oglander and Walker are to have divi-
sions.

The expedition is not intended to arrive in China before
May next. Two vessels have been chartered each to take in
200 tons of coal and some stores, and to proceed to Madras ;
froni thence receiving troops they proceed to Ceylon and
Trincomalee where they will change the troops and proceed
to China. Eight other vessels, the Ernaad Hiaemar, Rai-
many, Nassurat Shaw, Indian Oak, Edmonstone, Alla Al-
lenie, and Mahomed Shaw, each receiving 300 tons of coals
and provisions, and, taking troops, will proceed direct to
China.

Tenders for tonnage to convey her Majesty's 55th regi-
ment, had been issued, but afterwards countermanded.
Brigadier Stewart of Vellor, has been appointed to the com-
mand of the Northern Division on the departure of Major-
General Welsh.

The Marquis of Camden, one of the old first class India-
men, has been totally wrecked on a sand-bank off the Seme-
rary Islands, between Pannay and Mindora Philippine
Islands. The French ship IlAsie, which was in company
when she struck, succeeded in saving a quantity of opium,
(228 chests,) she had on board, the amount of salvage
on which (one-third) allowed to the French captain, amounts
to upwards of 30,000 dollars. '