The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1845-07-22 00:00:00

HOUSE OF COMMONS.-FRIDAY

The house met at noon. The resolutions and amend-
ments to the Lunatics Bill were agreed to, and the bill
ordered to be read a third time on Tuesday next ; the
report on the Drainage of Land Bill was agreed to ; the
Jurors Books (Ireland) Bill went through committee;
the report on the Poor-law Amendment (Scotland) Bill
was agreed to; the Highway Bill went through com-
mittee; the Valuation (Ireland) Bill, after a most strenu-
ous opposition from Lord CLEMENTS, was committed.
On resuming, Mr. T. DUNCOMBE moved that the com-
mittee on the Bolton and Leigh, Kenyon and Leigh
Junction, North Union, Liverpool and Manchester, and
Grand Junction Railway Companies Amalgamation Bill,
have leave to report forthwith ; and, after a brief con-
versation, the motion was agreed to.

The Small Debts Bill (Na. 3) was then read a second
time, went through committee pro forna , and was ordered
to be re-committed.

On the question of going into committee of supply,
Captain BERKELEY called attention to the importance of
suitably recompensing the officers, seamen, soldiers, and
marines engaged in the operations against China. He
affirmed that the parsimonious conduct of the Govern-
ment drove the best of our seamen toAmerica in disgust ;
and he concluded by moving an address to the Crown to
grant further recompense to the troops.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER opposed the
motion, on the ground that the operations against China
were not a regular war. The rule as to prize money
could not, therefore, be acted upon ; and even if all the
prizes had been awarded, they would have yielded a sum
much less than that granted by Government.

After some further discussion the motion was rejected
by 68 to 27.
Mr. EVELYN DENISON next drew the attention of the
house to the management and di,posal of that part of the
property of the Irish Church vested in the hands of the
Irish Ecclesiastical Commissioners.
Sir THOMAS FREMANTLE stated the Ecclesiastical
Commission was not under the control of the Govern-
ment, and affirmed that the management was not nearly
so bad as had been represented.
After some remarks, the subject dropped.

FOREIGN AND COLONIAL,

The Royal Court of Paris decided on Thursday that
duelling is not an offence in the eye of the law in France.
UNITED STATES.—The Packet-ship Montezuma ar-
rived here on Sunday from ,New York with one day's
later intelligence, but it is unimportant.

The population of Jamaica, by the census of 184-1, is
computed to amount to 350,000, adults of both sexes and
children, of whom 320,000 are said to be in the condition
of agricultural labourers.

INDEPENDENCE OF VENEZUELA.—A very important
change has taken place in the political relations of Vene-
zuela. Her independence has at last been recognised by
Spain.

A SPANISH EXECUTION.—Baldomero Medoeza, an
old soldier of Cabreras army, was executed July 6th, in
garrto vil, outside the gate of Toledo, for murder. The
prisoner left his capilla at 12 o'clock, and at the door was
mounted on a small white mule. He was arrayed in the
fatal dress, the red cap and flowing gown, which indicated
the doom to which he was destined—its tawdry yellow
drapery glaring in the hot July sun. On either side of
him went a priest on foot, one holding before his eyes the
crucifix, and the other reciting in a loud voice the prayers
for the departing, which were repeated by the criminal

a picture he held in his hand of the agony ofja

Saviour

in the Garden of Olives. Two youths pi:eceded him, one
with a black banner, the other with a large crucifix,
which he held aloft, and four others carried lighted
torches. On arriving on the ground he remained at the
foot of the scaffold a quarter of an hour to take leave of
the priests who attended him, as well as of the executioner
and the youth who led his mule, mounted the platform
unaided and with a firm step, looked his last on the mul-
titude of upliften faces, seated himself on the fatal chair,
to which the executioner bound his feet, submitted his
neck to the torniquet—the instrument of death : one turn
of the handle, and he was a corpse. Death was instanta-
neous. He was left two hours in that position, his face
remaining uncovered, and exposed to the burning rays of
the sun.

FRENCH ATROCITIES IN ALGEIRA.—The Akbar of
Algiers, of the sth, has the following from Orleansville :
—" There has just occurred in the Dahara a most fright-
ful tragedy committed by the French. It is known
that the corps commanded by Colonel Pelissier, have
ben carrying on combined operations in the west. Col.
Pelissier was busy in pursuing the Ouled Riahs, who
have never yet submitted, as they live in immense ca-
verns where it would be madness for the troops to enter.
On the 18th of June, finding themselves closely pursued,
the Ouled Riahs flew to their usual place of refuge. After
having surrounded the caverns, some faggots were lighted
and thrown by the French troops before the entrance.
After this demonstration, which was made to convince
the Arabs that the French had the power, if they pleased,
of suffocating them in their hiding-place, the colonel
threw in letters offering to them life and liberty if the!
would surrender their arms and their horses. At first
they refused, but subsequently they replied that they

condition was considered inadmissible, and more burning
faggots were thrown. Colonel Pelissier then suspended
the throwing of the burning faggots, and sent a French

Ley with the Ouled Riahs ; but his
messenger was received with a aischarge of fire-arms, and
could not perform his mission. This state of things con-
tinued till the night of the 19th ' • when, losing all patience,
and no longer having a hope of otherwise subduing these
fanatics, who formed a perpetual nucleus of revolt in the
country, the fire was renewed and rendered intense. Du-
ring this time, the cries of the unhappy wretches who
were being suffocated were dreadful; and then nothing
was heard but the crackling of the faggots. This silence
spoke volumes. The troops entered, and found five hun-
,d bodies. About 150, who still 1"--"---1

acer to bolc

_...., were brough
into the fresh air; but a portion of them died afterwards.
—[Additional news from Algiers comprise the account of
the horrid atrocity. The bodies in the cavern were found
naked and bleeding at the nose : the children suffocated at
the breasts of the mothers. The number of bodies
amounted to from 800 to 1,000. The colonel would not
believe the report ; 600 were taken from the cavern, with-
out counting those which were heaped one upon the other,
nor the children at the breast. The colonel was horrified
himself at the result—he dreaded chiefly the attacks of
the newspapers. It is certain that, from what has taken
place the whole country will submit. The superstitious
prestige which was attached to the caverns is destroyed
for ever in the country.]