Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1850-03-30
FROM OUR EUROPEAN CORRESPONDENT
LONDON, MARCH s, 1850.

BY fortunate concurrence OF circumstances II
happens that at this season, when your columns
SO fully occupied with your own Congressional
proceedings and other interesting home matters,
there is literally nothing occurring IN this quarter
OF the globe which very much interest your
readers. Perhaps the best news we can send Is
| that there is no news. Plenty of rumors, but
scarcely any thing to-day that will not be contra
dicted tomorrow. Our Parliament is proceeding
in its usual routine business, varied with some little
mixture of novelty. Mr.. w. ]. Fox has made the
annual motion for extending education to the lower
classes Of the people. He introduced this motion
by speech Of singular good feeling and judgment,
and obtained praise from all quarters, and the
unanimous consent of the House to introduce the
bill to carry out his object. Mr.. HUME has made
his annual motion for reform in the construction OF
the House of Commons and it has met with its
usual fate, rejection, by vote of 242 against 96
being majority Of l46 against it, Last year the
majority was 1856; the year before 267. The real
numerczl strength Of the tfcrm party in the Honss
LOT Commons is said 10 be lI9. Lord JOHN Rus.
SELL, however, holds out hopes Of an extension Of
the electoral suffrage, and other improvements in
our representative system; but then the question
as to the proper time for making them always re-
ours, and it is always as promptly answered that
the present is not the proper time. His lordshiP
said, although he negatived Mr.. HUME's motion,
of the franchise must be permanently maintained
hut he and his colleagues had thought would not
be advisable in the present session to put aside all
| other questions in order to raise one that must
lead to long and protraced debates that the sem
timents of the country should be matured and
settled respecting other questions, before this,
which must create great division OF parties, ana
required fuller information and further refecnon
was launched" Referring to recent events in
II II z~I Ions ndad
should derive lesson from their experience, and
not grasp at too much at once, nor make wide
step without mature deliberation. Lord John, in
these observations, had evidently ausion to the
corn-law question, free-rade, the navigation laws,
&C., all of which, though apparently, under their
present adjustment, working well for the country,
may be said to be yet under course Of trial.
The division upon Mr.. D ISRAELI smotion respect
ing revision of the poor laws, with view oil
mitigating the distress of the agricultural classes
although apparently triumph TO Ministers, was IN
realitv the reverse for it exhibited the fact that
: sixteen Liberals and seventeen members OF Sir
n ROBERT PEEL's party were reduced, by the specous
arguments of Mr. ISRAELI, to leaveheir old friends
and vote with the Protectionsts thus reducing the
Ministerial majority to 81, which, but Tor this de-
IS feclion, would have been 81.
) There are rumors that Sir ROBERT PEEL and Sir
e JAMES GRAHAM are about to take office, that LORD
e JOHN RUSSELL and Lord PALMERsToN will be re-
moved to the House Of Peers, and that Mr.. GLAD
STONE S not being included in the arrangement led
ID TO his abandonment of his part, and his forfeiture
At of the high character which he had hitherto main
'e tanned for political honesty and consistency. These
rumors have lasted for nearly week, and therefore
m we communicate bat Sve know nothing Of th'
y Foundation upon which they rest. It's quite certain
., that the Administration could not consent to an.
a. stirring of the reform question whilst such Minis
,e teral arrangements were on the tapis; hence tn
rumor has been strengthened by the language Q
Lord JOHN RUSSELL himself Ministers hav
! brought in bill for the extension of the eectlv
franchise in IRELAND, which will have the effect
: raising the number of electors in Ireland from
. 10000 to more than 100000 This bill has beer
= mpeded by every possible parliamentary ma
10 neuvre by Mr. D'IsRAELI, who divided the House
eight times one evening upon the most trivial and
. unimportant points, upon each OF which ne " was
= defeated by very large majorlties-hls new allies
ID Mr.. GoULBURN and Lord CAsTLEREAGH, deserting
70 him after the second division. There is no doub
n that the bill will pass the Commons triumphantly
e and probably the Peers. Igves the right OF voting
u to every person occupying land rated for the poo
rate at nett annual value of eight pounds or up
wards. The opposition, now known by the title o
y o5str,tcfionisfs" endeavored to fix the eectiv
> qualification at fifteen pounds per annum, but wer
defeated by majority Of 2l3 against minority o
;, IA. Mr.. D'lsRAELI is at present confined ..
severe indsposition.
Science has achieved great triumph in the com
u pletion of the Tubular Bridge across the Mena
1t Straits it was opened the 4th instant, when Mr.
Q STEPHENSON, its celebrated constructor, drove tn
e first engine and train through it. twas afterward
i tested with weights much greater than it will eve
e have to bear when in full operation, and train o
ar coal wagons, which, with the coal, weighed NOR
Of than 200 tons, remained stationary on the middle
N of of the long tubes for more than two hours
m without DETECTING it as much as it is calculated
st will be by the operation OF hot summers day
v This noble structure appears to realize every ex
g pectaton Of its scientific constructor, and to bt
ID more than equal all that it has to assist in accom-
g pshing. We send you long account OF TIT
e. opening of the bridge, on slip cut from one of
y morning papers.
The great industrial exhibition of 1851 is goin!
on exceedingly well as respects its preliminar,
N arrangements. Manchester will raise at least fe'
IN thousand pounds, and Liverpool and all othe
Of our principal places in proportion. We believ
is intended that the fund to be raised for carrying
of out the work is to be subscribed by British sub
,e jects or by foreign merchants domicied In England
e. The exhibition is to be opened on the lst OF May
1851 but articles intended for exhibition cannot bt
ID received after the lst of March inclusive. The
site of the building to be erected is fixed by her Ma
esty on the south side of Hyde Park, where it will
IT cover space of from l6 to 20 acres, or abou
900, 900 of square feet. The productions Of al