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May 26, 1849. THE NORTHERN STAR. 7 ^1^ J...
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MIDDLESEX SESSION'S. *h£ ™ SDA - r ' ^ T...
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IMPORTANT DECISION UNDER THE FACTORY ACT...
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General Fost-Office, Mat, 1349.—Many new...
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LOSS OF TWO HULL WHALEItS.. The null ves...
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SURREY ADJOURXED SESSIOXS. These session...
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Pernicious Influence of Privileges.—The ...
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¦Jtmpital "Bavtfanmu.
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MONDAY, May 21; HOUSE OF LORDS.~FinixGAT...
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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Daring Outrage On Her Majesty. On Saturd...
transported 4-3 _^^^ - _^^ * * vears , or to he bnriL _f *? the term of seven labour , for-any 3 d ° _„? ' _mth -- _Southard and during _ftc "periTd of _Lnf _— _^ three Tears , publidv or prS v _WhiS mm ' _?<»™™ t to be manner andH ? _W U oft _^ _**' _* _*«& _^ ectjnot _exSb _. _S _^» _^ sba 11 _~ der and _-DOriSl ! _" _f ? that ' if the sentence ofteinsmen-- tl , n _„^ ; ? fl , ct sucna necessaiy _punidimcn ,, the court must pass the minimum sentence _^ 1 _^ _Ja _^ _at-dMt , di 8 n _^~ _^ : , _,,
May 26, 1849. The Northern Star. 7 ^1^ J...
May 26 , 1849 . THE NORTHERN STAR . 7 , _. " ¦ _. _¦ - _, _-, _--u- _^ L
Middlesex Session's. *H£ ™ Sda - R ' ^ T...
MIDDLESEX SESSION'S . _* h _£ _™ - ' _^ _T 22 .-Th 7 se sessions commenced _•^ _rtanssiiri _-aasrc _Ixdecext Assault by a Poucemas , and p PRJour oF 0 JfE of _uisWiixessk . —William _Jennin-s _apohce _^ onstabc , who , at the lust sittin ffhe court -was convicted of having committed ° an indecent assault upon a little girl named _WinSove , was brought up for judgment 'nigrove _, The court had deferred passing sen tence on the prisoner , in orderthat the polic _? mi ght make inquiries as to vvhat connexion , if any , Lad existed be-C im _2 nda _^ ltn nam _« l J _«« a Lanewho
_^ _^ n _., , was called for the defence , and who swore that the prisoner was an entire stranger to Mm . _SisTeridence _wa- _^ that he was near thc spot where the . drl _^ _tl _fv _T _* , . ommitted , having been to -visit a niece pf his who lived in Wellington-place , _Tic _tom-grove . He said that he asked the prisoner who was on duty there , the way to his residence ! and it was Ly that means the prisoner found him after the charge was made against him Lispectoi- _Tahltox , If division , said _thatheliad instituted inquiries , and he had ascertained that the witness Lane had not visited his niece in Welline ton-pkice avail for the last eighteen months , and that on the Tuesday preceding the trial of the prisoner ( -who was hailed " " thev were seen _torotW in
the Victoria-grove examing the locality , and measuring the ground , so that the witness might be able to describe it on the trial , lane was also at the ppliee-court when the prisoner was bailed , and a -very intimate friend ofhis ( Lane ' s ) was brother-in law to the prisoner , and was bail for him . The learned Judge said the result of the inquirv was very much like what he had antici pated that "it would be . The witness it was now proved had committed gross and wilful penary in this case . Sow , looking at this fact—that the defendant at the time he had committed this assault was one ofthe policeforce , and , moreover , that he was also on duty , and thai he had called a perjured witness to speak in his behalf , with the full knowledge that what that
witness was about to -swear was altogether false , it was impossible , under such a state of circumstances , but that the Court _shoidd visit the defendant with a punishment of some severity . The sentence npon him therefore was that he be imprisoned for the period of three months in the Blouse of Correction , and that before his liberation he find security for his future good behaviour _. Robbery . —William Langley , a well-known member of the " swell-mob , " was indicted for having robbed a lady of the name of Webber , of a purse containing three sovereigns , a half-sovereign , and ihree half-crowns . It appeared that the prosecutrix and a femalefriend were walking in the neighbourhood of St . John ' s Wood on the evening of the 2 > ih of April , and upon arriving at a lighter part of the road than they had just been traversing , the former observed _something "listen hv her side . She
looked round with quickness , when she saw her puree , which was worked with steel beads , in the hand of a person whom she fully believed was the prisoner at the bar . As soon as she turned round tlie man ran off , leaving thc purse behind him , but _jicwas pursued hy her friend , and eventually the prisoner was overtaken and secured by a young man who joined ia the pursuit . The identity * of the prisoner was proved , and the jury thereupon returned a verdict of " Guilty . " The learned Judge , in passlug sentence , stilted that the prisoner was a wellknown incorrigible thief , ana was one of those whose practice it had been to lurk about dark corners and avenues on the watch for ladies . lie was very much ioo perfect , and too much accsmplished in his avocation to he allowed to remain in this conntry and therefore the sentence upon him was iransportation for ten years .
Important Decision Under The Factory Act...
IMPORTANT DECISION UNDER THE FACTORY ACT . A tench of magistrates at Dewsbury , in Yorkshire , lave given a unanimous decision against the relay sy > Um . The adjudicating magistrates on the bench wereIklr . Ingham , ofBlake-haU , chairman ; Mr . J . B . Greenwood , and Mr . AV . II . Wheatley . Colonel Pollard aud Mr . Ralph , both . West Riding magistrates , were also present , but took no parti-i the proeeedimrs . The court was filled wi : h millowners and others interested ia thep' . int at issue . The parties charged were . Messrs . Wilson and l'iak , cotton-spinners , of Liversedge , and the offence laid against them was preferred by Mr . Bate , sub-inspector of factories , who charged them with employing a young woman , named Ann Hint , under eighteen years of age , for more than ten hours , on the 27 th of April last . Mr-Saunders , theinspector of factories for the Yoikskire district , conducted the _tase on the part of the - _rosecution ; Messrs . Wilson andPink were defended _tv Mr "Walts , solicitor , Dewsbury _.
" _ilr . Saunders , in stating the case , said—The second _section of the act commonly called the Ten Hours Act , directs that no young person shall be emploved more than ten hours in any one day , except in certain cases as provided . There are two clauses in the 7 th Victoria , chup . 15 , to which I beg respeefully to call the attention ofthe bench—viz .. the 26 th and 52 nd sections The words of the information are , " that Ann Flint was employed for more than ten hours ; such space of more than ten hours being reckoned and computed according to the mode prescribed by the said act , " and this mode is laid down in the two sections to which I have referred . Thc 20 th section provides , " that the hours of work of
young persons -hall be reckoned from the time when any child or voung person shall fir--t begin to work in ihe morn _' ng in such factory ; " and the 52 nd section provides , "that , the time of _beginning work in the moraine , which * hall be stated in any notice fixed up rathe factory , signed by the occupier or his ai-ent , shall _l-e taken to be the time when all persons in the factory , except childp-n beginning to work in the afternoon , began work on any day subsequent to the date of such notice . - ' This exception is important , because it express l y excludes from the optration of this notice the on ' . y class of persons who mar work as a relay class in the afternoon-viz , children under thirteen years of age wh = i have attended school in the forenoon . He
called—Mr . B _ites , who _siid , that he was at _Wilson and link ' s factory on tlie 27 th of April last , and found the notice now pr _oduced bung up in the mill . He "knew it again from having put his initials upon i ' - Thev were then thew . He saw there the notice as to die hours of work of all young persons employed on that day a ? follows : - " Fr iday- From six to eidii ; from half-past eight to one ; from tivo to _kalf _.- iast five . " John Ashworth , in the employment of Messrs . _Wilson and Pink , proved " that Ann Flint worked at their factory ou the 27 th of April ; that she came at _eight o ' clock in the morning , went out to dinner stone o ' clock , came _Oak « it two ; worked till four ; canie hack at half-past _fi-ur ; and worked till eight _atnisLt
Mr . Watts then addressed the bench at _epnsideraVe lensith , c- _« tending that the witnesses had proved that his clients had employed Ann Flint no more than ten Lours on the day in question , and that was lhe time allowed bv the Ten Hours Act -Mr . Ingham ( the chairman ) said—This is a case as to the _contraction of an Act of Parliament ; and h is not as to whether any person reallyworked more tkn ten hours , but whether any ? erson working certain hours is to be deemed to have worked more than ten hoars in the-opinion of the justices . -Therefore , if mere is _anything false in our conviction , it is in ihe law , not us ; we act as we think the law requires us lido ; we are quite agreed , unanimously in fact , all three of us—and we deemed Ann _Ffiut to have worked more than ten hours in one day . and therefore we convict these parties in the penalty of £ 3-
General Fost-Office, Mat, 1349.—Many New...
General Fost-Office , Mat , 1349 . —Many _news-I-apers addressed to New South Wales and Sew Zttdaud , _havin" recently been posted unpaid , it has It-come necessary to repeat the announcement that fh" jackets heretofore conveying the mails between this countrv and Sydney , Xew South Wales , have _twoi discontinued , and that all newspapers for the colonies above mentioned , being now transmitted «} ' private ship , are liable to a postage of one penny each , whieh postage must he paid in advance , or the newspapers cannot he forwarded . Bu > _H-urnr tor _Twc-rr Ti _^ -lM _3-H * u _* n- _Bhjef bt _fl-u . _OTaT ' s _Ptui-Extract of a letter from , the Hev . Wre Prior , curate of _ilevagh le tterrkenny , Camgart , In & uia _- , Mav * ' 1 S 45 - — "To Professor Hoiioway . Dear _Sv-Wiflun a short distance of my house , resales a smaU "farmer , _whofor than twenty years had been in a Dad
mere state of health , and never got hut a _m ° ment ' . _^ J _S ; , r _^ _jl _rnw _prwwe-lahoxofvour _pnls for ram , _^ _hich _^ _didhun _« "mich good that I heard him say that for twen * _r-sK _J « ar _* l _^ riousIy he never ate his food and enjoyed it so _fflm-h as since teldngvour piIh _* . - { Sgned ) Geobge Pwoe . _TuETsmn . —These organs are alike essential to health _aoa _i-eantv . Itis therefore to he regretted that they are _sohaUe todecav . Yet it is a feet wliich cannot he too _'"H _** known , that it directly a black speck is seen in a _Wrth , it be ffllea with _B-usra-s Esamel _, the decay will he ¦ _Crested , pain escaped , and the teeth preserved to ripe old _•** - *¦ If people allow their teeth to decay rata thenenous 5 ? P _« wholly exposed , it cannot he wondered at that they _f" * it _diffiralt to ease or cure that terrible paw , the «* ' ! _* j . arlie . .. A _gjitpjj ra time saves irine "—and upon - ¦ _* "" Principle , the use of Bha-sde-s _Ek-AMtt -anil prove a j **! Mesang to all who give it a trial _wheredecayhasmada _** _I-Pearance in the teeth .
General Fost-Office, Mat, 1349.—Many New...
ADULTERY AND ATTEMPTED HOMICIDE _
IN PAltlS . Several weeks ago a case of adultery , accompanied by three attempts at homicide , took place in tlie house of a gentleman named Caraby , No . SO , Hue _d'Anjou St . Honore . The three principal actors in the drama—M . and Madame Caraby and M de Coetlogon—were arrested , and after an investigation by the judicial authorities , were ordered for trial before the Court of Assizes . The trial commenced on Monday last . Madame Caraby was the first to enter the dock She is twenty-eight years of age , very handsome ' with brilliant black eyes ; she was ' fashionably dressed Her husband was placed beside her : he is of middle stature , with _larire moustaches Th . f _* w _
logon came next ; he is good looking , with mou - taches , and was attired in black . In answer to the usual questions , the female prisoner said that she is twentv-ei-rht years of age and was born at New Orleans ; the husband said his name is Cahxte Caraby , his age thirty-six , his _pasi--v r _? i at of a rentier _- > and his place of birth _^ ew Orleans ; the other prisoner said his name is liippolytcE . A . de Coetlogon , his age twenty-nine , and was formerly an officer in the army . The indictment set forth that the Carabys were maiTied in 1 _S 39 , and had four children ; their marriage was one of inclination—indeed , it was a runaway match .- In 1813 they went to live with the wifes mother at Chalons-sur-Saonc ; but in 1847
returned to Paris and took an apartment in the Rue d'Anjou St . Honore . Thc husband thought his wife ' s conduct in society was not becoming , and this led to dissensions between them , which ended m their living separate , though under the same roof . Caraby did not suspect his wife of being unfaithful to him until the 27 th of February last , when ho heard Annette Fernet , the cook , say to her , " 1 can hold up my head , and you cannot . " The next day the bonne of the children , Louise Becu , in reply to some observation hc made to her respecting his wife , said , "MonDieu ! I wish to say something to you , but I dare not ! " When pressed by him to explain herself , she stated that she had often seen a man in her mistress ' s bedchamber ; and she added
, "If you would wish to surprise him there , you must take precautions , for he is armed 2 " Carabv , in a state of great agitation , went and purchased a brace of pocket pistols , and caused them to be loaded in Ids presence . Caraby then went to his mother ' s house , and begged his brother Eugene to accompany him home , lie told him his suspicion . Eugene went to the Commissary cf Police to get him to go to the house to obtain formal proof of the commission of the adultery ; but , as that functionary was not at home , he knocked up the concierge of his brother's house , and told him to be on the watch . Eugene then joined his brother , who at that time had " with hiin another brother , named Etienne . The three brothers arranged with the
servant Louise that she should watch her mistress ' s chamber , and give a signal when she should see the lover cuter it . The apartment occupied by the Carabys was on the fourth story of 2 fo . 80 , Rue d'Anjou , and it had a balcony on which the window of Madame Caraby ' s room and of two other rooms opened . At about a yard from one end of the entrance was thc window of a garret , which garret De Coetlogon rented . It was from this garret that he was in the habit of passing by means of a gutter , into Madame Caraby ' s bedroom . At about eleven o ' clock on the night of the 2 Sth of February Louise being , as just stated , on the watch , heard " a bell ring in the room of Madame Caraby , which was responded to by another bell in the garret ; presentlv
she saw a man pass along the balcony into the bedroom of ! ier mistress , and close the window . She immediately informed the three brothers ; they waited for about a quarter of an hour , and then Caraby , putting on his great coat—in the pockets of which were his p istols—went by the balcony to the window of his wife ' s room . lie was followed by his brother Eugene and Louise ; Etienne went to the door of Madame Carab y ' s chamber . Caraby saw that two lig hts were burning on the table , but the emotion he felt prevented him from distinguishing anything in the room . Eugene , however , saw a man lying in bed by the side of Madame Caraby , and reading a newspaper . Caraby ran for his National Guard musket , to break open the window .
On his return , almost at the same moment , he broke two panes of g lass , and cried " Open ! " The man who was in bed jumped out , and advancing to the window , said , " Give me time to dress myself !" lie then returned to consult Madame Caraby . The husband heard her distinctl y say , " Take your pistol and shoot him . " ( "Arme toi , et tire sur lui . ' " . ) Coetlogon disappeared for a moment behind the curtain , and then opened the window ; but as soon as Caraby made a step to enter , he discharged a pistol at him and wounded him in the arm , Thereupon Caraby pulled one of his pistols from his pocket , and discharged it full in Coetlogon ' s breast , seriously wounding him . Coetlogon stepped on the balcony , hut , owing to the darkness , Carabv could
not distinguish him . Presently the latter heard another report of a pistol , and rushed into a room to avoid his assailant . Louise saw the man pass from the end ofthe balcony to the garret . Caraby ' s brothers finding that he was wounded , sent for a doctor . Caraby , his brothers , and the doctor descended the staircase . On arriving at the foot , a young man named Borgogiion , who had been passing the evening with an English family residing in the house , was descending the staircase . The wife ofthe concierge , on seeing him , cried , " There he is —the assassin ! " and Eugene Caraby exclaimed , " It is be I I recognise him ! " Borgognon was immediately roughly seized by thc brothers , and all his remonstrances were disregarded . At length
Caraby , excited to fury at the si g ht of the man he considered the accomplice of his wife , discharged his pistol in his face ,- whereby his jaw was smashed . ' Borgognon was then dragged to the office of the Commissary of Police , and was subsequently conveyed to the Hospital Beaujon . It was only the next day that his innocence was proved . Whilst this was passing Madame Caraby had disappeared and followed Coetlogon from the balcony to the garret , and thence to his residence in the Rue de rUriversite . The next day she went home to her _famify . The indictment concluded by stating that the charge against the woman Caraby was that of adultery ; against Coetlogon of being an aecempliee in the adultcrv , and of having on the 28 th of
February committed an attempt of homicide on the person of Caraby ; and against Caraby of an attempt at homicide on the person of Borgognon . Iii the course of her examination b y the President , Madame Caraby admitted that a criminal intercourse had existed between her and Coetlogon ; and in reply to other questions , replied as follows : Had yon not a signal to summon -Coetlogon to a rendezvous ? I rang a bell , and M . Coetlogon replied in the same way . —On the 28 th of February you notified to him in that manner that he could come ? Yes , Sir . —What time was it when he came to you ? Half-past eleven o ' clock . —You were in bed ? Yes . —By the side of your child , aged two years ? Yes : he was in the little bed which I made
for him whenever M . de Coetlogon was to come . 1 made this bed with a pillow on two arm-chairs . —De Coetlogon got into bed to you * Yes . —You heard your _hush-uid cry on the balcony , ¦¦ Open , open ! I have witnesses ? " M . De Coetlogon had been 20 minutes with me when I heard —( here the accused paused for a moment , and then , bursting into tears , exclaimed)— " But I beseech you , M . President , to spare mc this recital . " The statement she had made to the examining magistrate was accordingly read . —Did-you pronounce the words , " Takeyour pistol and shoot him ? This is infamous ! " If M . de Coetlogon had wished to hill my husband , he mi ght have done so . lie had a four-barelled pistol , and mv husband fled before him . Coetlogon bad told me that he had pistols , but that they had no percussion caps . I did not see his pistol on the 28 th of February . It is false that I said " Take your
pistol and shoot him ! " Coetlogon asked me what hc was to do . I said " Do what you will . How can I tell!—how can I tell ! " He cried , " Wait until I am dressed . " When he went towards the window ' he had the pistol behind his back , and it was pointed towards the ground . I heard a report when his pistol was still in that position . I did not remark that Coetlogon was wounded . He fired in the air . The answers of M . Caraby io the questions put by the President were in accordance with the facts stated in the indictment . The thud accused , M . Coetlogon , acknowledged that it was not till after a long and persevering pursuit that he had succeeded in seducing Madame Caraby . He denied that he had been the first to fire . He declared that he had not fired at M . Caraby at all , and that his wound must have been occasioned bv the rebound of the ball after striking
the wall . Witnesses were then called . Annette Fernet , the cook , said that M . Caraby had struck and kicked his wife in her presence . They did not live happily together . M Borgognon described how he was wounded on descending the staircase of Caraby ' s house ; but he asserted , to the astonishment of the Court , tliat it was not the accused Caraby , but his brother Etienne , who had fired on him . On this Etienne cried , " I solemnly swear to Godthat this is not true . " Another brother , Eugene , declared that the pistol was really fired by the accused . _ Several other witnesses were examined , but their testimony added nothing to thc infoimation already given ; After speeches from the public prosecutor and the counsel for thc prisoner
, The President summed up , and , after about an hour ' s deliberation , the jury returned a verdict of " Guilty" on the charge of adultery , and " - Not _guilty" as regarded all the other charges . M Caraby was consequently immediately set at liberty and the Court condemned Madame Caraby and Coetlogon , for the _^ dulteiy each to two yean ? imprisonment , and the latter to l _. OOOf . fine .
Loss Of Two Hull Whaleits.. The Null Ves...
LOSS OF TWO HULL WHALEItS . . The null vessels sent to Greenland this year have been very unfortunate in their fishing ; but this is unimportant contrasted with the intelligence wo have to convey of the total loss of the William Ward and the Pledge , of this port . The former was a barque of 295 tons , and a crew of forty-five men ; the latter , a smack of thirty-one tons , and a crew of nineteen men . A letter has been received by Mrs . Gravill , wife of Captain Gravill , of the William AVard , which contains the further details of the loss ofthat vessel . It is dated the 7 th instant , on board the Dublin of Peterhead , lat . GO dog . X . The writer states that the loss of the William Ward occurred on the 24 th March , in a tremendous gale from the N . E ., amongst heavy ice , in lat . 47 deg . 30 min . X .
, and long . 10 deg . W . " Everv precaution , " observes Captain Gravill , "had been used for her safety , having sent down topgallant yards , and struck mizen-topmast , and close reefed the topsails , on the morning of the above day , while it was calm . The gale commenced about three a . m . mostterrific , for we had to stow away all but the closereefed main-topsails . The frost was very severe , with constant thick weather . The Traveller of Peterhead was in company . We had all hands on deck attending to thc braces which we could scarcely haul through the blocks for thc frost ; many ofthe mens faces were frost-bitten , and although not above the deck , it was impossible to make the men hear without the trumpet . The ship being amongst heavy ice , with a tremendous sea . about three n . m .
hove down upon the weather side of a heavy _' stream' ( of ice ) with no possibility of . getting clear . We were , therefore , compelled to let her go into it . Her larboard side was soon stove fore and aft , and , before we got through , the water was np to the hold beams . Our situation was now most alarming , there being no-ship to be seen ; we had lost sight of the Traveller some time before . Our condition was aggravated bv the continued severity of the frost , and many of our men suffering under its inflictions , but we got the i ** * y- -- - _t 0 tne eastward , and all hands were employed at both pumps . We cut away the mainmast to keep the vessel from turning on her beam ends . In this condition we continued until two days afterwards , when , in the morning , there was a cry , fove
and aft , 'The ship's going down head first . ' I fave orders to _cutaway the foremast , which being one eased the ship greatly , and every exertion w _* as made to keep her above water , the men dropping off from the pumps daily , through fatigue and having their feet frost bitten ; and so we remained , from the 24 th until the 29 th , constantly at the pumps , and with the water sometimes in the cabin . On the morning of the 29 th we could only muster twenty-eight at the pumps out of forty-five hands , but , through the intervention of an ever-watchful Providence , a ship hove in sight , and , with difficulty , made us out to be a wreck , as we appeared to be like a large heap of ice , but thc mizen-mast being sfcill standing , convinced the other ship ' s crew that it was a vessel in distress . They , therefore , bore
down to us , and proved to be the Fairy , of Dundee , Captain Robert Ker , who with the " feelings of a father and a friend , sent his boats immediatel y to our relief , and took us all from the wreek . The weather proved moderate that morning , but as the sea ran high , we were compelled to keep to the pumps up to the last moment , until his boats got alongside for us . We then got all the sick up as well as we could , amounting to eighteen at that time . Some we were obliged to carry on our backs to the side , and lower into the boats , their feet being very much frost-bitten , and their legs wrapped up in pieces of blankets . It took the greater part of the day to get us all out , and the Fairy had only time to save three boats after we were all on board The ship ( the William Ward ) was _filling fast , and a
gale increasing , before midnight the Fairy was obliged to come under a close-reefed main-topsail and foresail , so that had we not been taken off before that storm I greatly doubt whether any of us would have been felt , as the poor men were giving up every hour . Both myself and the crew will never forget the kindness to the sick , and the attention paid to us all by Capt . Ker and his ship ' s company . I left the Sarah and Elizabeth a little more than a week ago , to come home by the Dublin , Capt . Mackie . He has about 8 , 000 seals , about 115 tone . He had given up all hope of ever getting out of the ice , as it is a heavy - pack , ' and there is no « young ice' to shelter them . Many ships are stove , and those that have escaped consider it a miracle . The smack Pledge is lost , but the crew saved . Some of them are on board the Dublin .
I am afraid there is another vessel lost , as I have _, been told of a main boom that was picked up . It appears to have been a brig . The smack Turk , Brown , had about 400 seals , but she is stove . 1 know verylittle about the Hull ships , but heard they wero all badly off . The Sarah and Elizabeth had 150 seals when I left her , but I hope they will all do well . The Traveller is very much stove , as are also tho Resolution and many more . 1 am sorry to say many of our men have lost the toes off tlieir feet , and I am afraid some of them will lose their feet . Poor Arthur had lost five toes last time I saw him . I intend landing at Shetland , as I think we shall be better able to get home . Young Lee , Smith , Tather , and Robinson are with me . " A letter has also been received from the mate of the Pledge , and is , we believe , the onl y communication which has arrived from that vessel . Tlio master is still at Greenland . It is dated as the above , and , after briefly stating the loss of the
Pledge on the 2 Sth ult ., contains the following particulars addressed to the owner : — " Sir , I have to inform you of the wreck of the Pledge in Greenland . On the 12 th of April it was blowing a heavy gale , and we were completely disabled , having no seam fromice-knees down to keel , no _mainboom-, no mainsail ( the mainsail having blown to ribbons _^ and water by this time iu the lower bed cabins , and gaining on us . The Traveller of Peterhead , being m company with us , was under close-reefed topsails . We hoisted our ensign to the Traveller , and thc captain sent two boats and took us on board . On the 28 th of April we came onboard the Dublin of Peterhead ( mate , second mate , cook , and rest of tho crew ) , leaving the master and two boys till morning . It was then blowing fresh , and , coming on thick during the night , we lost sight of the Traveller , and left the master . —Your obedient servant , Henry Trott , late mate of the Pledge . "—Hull Advertiser .
Surrey Adjourxed Sessioxs. These Session...
SURREY ADJOURXED SESSIOXS . These sessions commenced on Monday at the Sessions-house , . Ncwington-causeway , before Thomas Puekle , Esq ., and a full bench of magistrates . IXCREASE OF CRIME ASD AVaNT OP EDUCATION . — The calendar contained the names of seventy-nine prisoners for trial , thirty one of whom could neither read nor write , twenty read and write imperfectly , twenty-five read imperfectly , and only three could read and write well . A Lucrt Escape from Transportation . —Henry Lee , 24 , was indicted for stealing at Lambeth a coat tbe property of William Webb . —The wife of the prosecutor said on the morning of the 21 st ult . she was standing at the parlour window , when she saw thc prisoner pass the house several times . The hall door was open , and suddenly she heard some one
leaving the hall . She then saw the prisoner run past with tho coat under his arm . Siio instantly gave the alarm , but thc prisoner escaped . —Mr . Robinson , on behalf of the prisoner , contended that the witnesses must be mistaken as to their identity , as he was instructed to deny tho charge—The jury , after a few minutes' consultation , returned a verdict of " Guilty . "—Thc prisoner was afterwards indicted for stealing two coats , the property of Thomas Hawkins , a tradesman in the borough . This was a ease similar to the above , and the jury found him " Guilty . "—Mr . Ivecnc , the governor of the gaol said the prisoner had been four times in his custody , for re-examinations , but to his knowledge had not been convicted . —The chairman told the
prisoner tbat he had boen a lucky fellow ; had he been only twice summarily convicted he would have been transported , as there could be no doubt that he was an old offender . Prior to thc passing of the new act , such , no doubt , would have been his fate , but as a warning to him , the court would sentence him to twelve months' hard labour in Brixton House of Corretion .
Pernicious Influence Of Privileges.—The ...
Pernicious Influence of Privileges . —The human character could not have been moro effectually degraded than by giving a man absolute power . Birth , riches , and all the extrinsic advantage that , without any mental exertion , exalt a man above his fellows , sink him in reality below them . In proportion to his weakness , he is played upon by _designino- men , until he loses all traces of humanity . That tribes of men should quietly follow such a leader is truly extraordinary . Where shall we find men who , educated in slavish dependence , and enervated by luxury and sloth , will stand forth to assert the of moral
the right of man , or to claim privilege beings , who should have but one road to excellence ? Servility to monarchs and ministers , whose deadly grasp stops the progress ofthe human mind , is not let instinct . Let not men , then , m the pride of power , imitate the arguments of tyrannic kings and venal ministers , and assert that woman ought to be subiccted to man because she has always _Tiecn so . AVhen man , governed by reasonable laws , enjoys his _n-ituralfreedbm _. lethim despise woman if she do not share it with him ; but , till that glorious period arrives let him not , in descanting on the folly ofthe other sex overlook his own .-Mary Wollstonecraft s Riahts of Woman . * J _rtnrrrmv rui rxti
• » ' . ... . _ronn--n . EPITAPH IX A COUNTRY CHURCHYARD . "As you are now , so once was me ; As I am now , so you must be ; Therefore prepare to follow me . Below which a wag had _witten" To follow you I ' m not content , Unless I Know wbicli way you went .
¦Jtmpital "Bavtfanmu.
¦ Jtmpital _"Bavtfanmu .
Monday, May 21; House Of Lords.~Finixgat...
MONDAY , May 21 ; HOUSE OF LORDS . ~ FinixGAT-TiiE Queen . The Maiquis of Lansbownb called attcn : ion to " the unfortunate occurrence'' which had happeiud on Saturday , when , said his lordship , " an odious . _-ind disgusting , but at the same time an absurd and c nteraptible attempt had been made upon the person ofthe sovereign . " The inquiry which had followed clearly _established that there were no circumstances which would justify in this iustance a commitment for _hijili treason . He therefore should n t propose to the House to go up to the throne with any expression of sympathy for the Queen , or of abhorrence of the attack . He should leave the law to take its course , believing that the act of 1842 would be found singu : arly applicable to the case , and trusting the wretched culprit would receive the _degrading and contempt iuspiringpunishmonthe so richlv merited .
Lord Stanley expressed his approval of this course , and Lord Brougham observed that , under any circumstances , he should have objected to an address , because the culprit had not been tried , and any address must assume his guilt . But as to this , Lord Lansdowne said that fin address would have referred to the character ot the offence , and not to theperson of i he offend er and the subject dfopped . Works of art in Rome . —Lord Brougham said that be had received a letter from Manzoni , who _wasin this _coun'ry , and who WOuld have petitioned their lordships if such a course would not have been informal , solemnly stating , in tlie _m- _'st positive and distinct terms , that the reports in the Fremh and English newspapers , as well as in private letters , thai he had brought a way works of art from Rome , was entirely without foundation . He thought it due to M . Manzoni to take the earliest opportunity of making this statement .
The Land Improvement and Drainage ( Ireland ) Biti _. was read a seoond time ; and the standing orders ofthe House having been suspended , it was also passed through committee , bo that it may be read a third time and receive the ' royal assent immediately . Navigation Laws —The House then went into committee on the navigation laws . Lord STANbKY rose to bring forward amendments of which he had given notice , and the House , which was noisy at the time , was immediately hushed into silence . He _observed emphatically that he considered " reciprocity" for our own trade ought to be preliminary to any advantages which Great Britain _bestowed on the trade of _foreian countres . The
principle of the government was to abandon the navigation law and then to retaliate on other nations which did not follow the example . His princi ple , on the other hand , was to maintain the navigation law , but to reciprocate the advantages which _othrinations might be anxious to extend to us . This distinction embodied the line of policy adopted _^ by Mr . Huskisson . He denied tha * , without reciprocity , they should surrender no . more than was absolutely required by the exigencies and for the advantages of commerce . The country cried out to them to take this course . All the naval men , all the commercial men , and all who were connected with shipping
throughout the country were urging them toavoid the rash step they were at present taking . Ministers were acting against the sense of the country , and they knew it . ( Loud opposition _cherrs . ) He protested _against the principle . * of " retaliation" which they proposed to adopt . It would be a difficult principle to earry out it would be an invidious , hostile , anduncourteous policy ; it wou'd be a policy under which we must make sacrifices without the power of _> esuming our rights . He left it to the House to decide , then , between " reciprocity" and " retaliation , " and concluded , amidst loud cheers , by moving his amendment to Clause 1 .
Earl Grey commenced by observing that the _altes _a'i n would make nonsense of the whole bill , and was evidently only proposed in its present shape in ihe hope _tf catching thc stray votes of noble lords who felt the difficulty of again taking a division on a question of principle which had already been decided . Lord Stanley shrunk from comina to close quarters . ( Ministerial cheers . ; He wanted them to adopt a principle of " leciprocity . " But would " reciprocity" answer the objects of the British merchant ? By a system of reciprocity , instead of the trade of the world being open to us , we should only have open to us the trade of some particular nations , and then only in articles the produce of those countries . The question , then fore , lay
between absolute restriction or a free system . It we continued to insist upon the former court of policy , " t was matter of certainty that other nations would follow the example , and a great benefit would be lost , not only to ourselves , but to the world at large . He reminded them of tlie fable of the dog and the shadow , and urged them not to throw away their own trade while grasping after that of others . Lord Stanley had refrained that night from referring to the colonial trade . He had done wisely . His proposal with regard to the colonial trade was futile ; He was absolutely going , by his amendment to clause
6 , jo create a protection in favour of the United States as regarded the trade of the St . Lawrence . ( Hear , hear . ) This was not what Canada wanted . Canada wanted the European vessels which brought out emigrants to be able to take hack corn and timber . And whilst the noble lord permited United States ships to convey the produce of Canada to Europe , he afforded no single inducement for United States ships to go to Canada to get it . ( Hear , hear . ) The noble carl _concluded by expressing his belief that the opinion of the country was no ' aiainst this measure , and by urging the House not practically to rescind their vote upon the second reading .
Lord Wharncliffe , from the cross-benches , expressed ' hi _* intention of supporting the government . The amendment of Lord Stanley was entirely at variance wi h the whole spirit and purpose of the bill , and it was impossible for any one who had supported the second reading to vote to-night in favour of the _nltvration . He dissented altogether from the clause affecting the Canadian trade 5 and with regard to foreign trade , Lord Stanley's policy seemed to make restriction the rule , and relaxation the exception . One great evil of the present navigation law was its extraordinary complexity : Lord Stanley , instead of simplifying it , would make it more complex .
The Earl of Harrowby ( the brother-in-law of the last speaker ) combated his a giiments . He thought there were many peers who bad voted for the sec rid reading who were by no means prepared to pass the bill without modifications , or to abandon the navigation law intato , without obtaining some reciprocal advantages from o her countries . He thought the " complexity" referred to was more in his noble friend ' s imagination than it would prove to he in operation . Noble lords ought to recollect the vastness of the step they were taking . This was not a measure from which they could everre _' reat . Once passed , thev could never draw back . Who demanded the measure ? The people — the merchan ' _s—the
shipowners—the sailors of the nation ? Not one of them ! ( Oh . ) If they did , why did they not say so ? ( Opposition cheers . ) By hydraulic pressure a petition for thc bill had been squeezed out of Liverpool . It had 143 . * _-igna-ures : no more . ( Laughter . ) They had not established that with safety the present system could be abandoned . They proposed to give away a vast fade . Were they to make so great a sacrifice without making an effort to obtain some reciprocal advantage ? He hoped that by adopting the _amendment their lordships would de ide that question in the negative . Earl Granville made a discursive speech , in the course of which he again defended Mr . Porter and his statistic * from Lord-Brougham ' s assaults .
Lord Colchester followed , condemning the bill , but adding nothing new to the arguments in opposition to it . The Marquis of Clanricaroe addressed himself to the statement of opposition peers that the people were opposed to the bill . When they talked of meetings against the bill , what , let him ask , came ofthe great meetings in the City , to attend ' which so many noble dukes migrated from the west to the east , and found themselves unsupported ? The bill came up recommended by a majority ofthe representatives of the seaport towns , and was not that a circumstance entitling it to consideration ?
The debate had flagged for some time , when Lord Brougham rose to give his reasons , as he said , for supporting - the amendment . He commenced by ridiculing Earl Granville , whose fpeech , he said , made men forget the passage of time , unless they roused themselves to look at the clock . His defence of Mr . Poiterliad only one fault , it was too candidit admitted to ? many of his failings .- " - Mr . Porter ' s life had been one of errors , and the greatest error of all was that he was detected . He was a fallible mortal , and more especially fallible 111 respect of figures , and most of all in respect of the magician . ( Loud laughter . ) He then adverted to the petitions against the bill , and to that presented from Liverpool in its favour . Ten-elevenths of that town had signed against it ; the petition of the one-eleventh had been gut up at a hole-and-corner meeting , upon which he cast ridicule . The noble marquis said that
a majority of the members of seaport towns were in favourof the bill . Was the member for Hull ( Mr . Baines ) ? On the contrary , if not misinformed , he had voted against the bill , although a memberof the government . ( Hear , hear . ) Where was the Lord Mayor of London ? He was as good a Whig as any in England , but he had not voted once with the government on thi 6 question . What was the majority ? Last year it was 117 ; this year it had dwindled down to 54 , in spite of ail the exertions of the government , The noble lord then entered into an argument to show the advantage of the " reciprocity" project . He begged them to consider what prodigious interests they were placing at stake by this ill-advised and illdigested measure . He saw from the appearance of the House what prodigious efforts had been made ; he saw that precautions had been taken which were more than unprecedented ; he saw peers _gummgned
Monday, May 21; House Of Lords.~Finixgat...
from far and near—from every quarter of the nation ; he saw a right rev . prelate just enter the House ( to vole _. 'he hoped , With the _opposition)—( a 11 ugh)—who had not heard a wo ; d of the debate ; he siw present the represeniadves of the Sovereign abroad—come , he supposed ' , to represent the opinion of their countrymen in foreign parts in opposition to the opinion of their countrvm ' en at home . It would seem as if tho fate of a constitution , and not th- * fate of a government , was at stake . He thcu gave a glowing account of the rise and progress of the navigation law , and of the mercantile and _rational marine wliich had grown up and been fostered by it . On all occasions au advocate of free trade and an opponent of needless restrictions , he was , nevertheless , with Adam Smith , a supporter of the _navigation laws , more important by far than wealth—nay , more important even than trade itself—was the defence of the nation .
Karl FrrzwiiiiiAM remarked on the discursive character of Lord _Brougham ' s speech , and owned himself a convert upon this subject . "With reference o our boasted superiority at s a he asked if the nation did not owe more to the Almighty power that had beneficently arrayed our coasts and havens than to any navigation law that ever was devised . The noblo Earl was followed by the Earl of Ellenborough , who addressed himself to the technicalities of the amendment , pointing out what would he its practical operation . The Marquis of Lansdowne then rose and spoke with all the skill of a practised deb iter . He commenced by rever in _? to Earl Grey ' s address , which had remained _entire ' y unanswered . He pointed out that there was a wide difference of principle between
t _^ e bill and the amendment . Whilst the government sought to temovo every possible restriction , retainirg none but such as wera abolutely necessary , the noble lord _proiosed to keep up all restrictions , removing those alone from which he was driven by the force of circumstances . The amendments which the nohle lord had moved were completely at variance with all the principles upon this _t-ubject whirh he had previously laid down . He wished to satisfy Canada _: he desired that no favour should be shown to the United States . But whilst he entirely failed in carrying out the first object , his amendment to the sixth clause would effectually accomplish the second . The noble marqiii- then adverted . to the allegation that the sense of the country was against
the bill . It was a matter , he said , of history , tbat no one measure of commercial reform had ever been introduced into the British parliament th . it had been popular with the cla _^ s _. wliom it specially affected . It was said that Liverpool was against the bill , but at Glasgow , he learnt from a Tory paper , the merchants were called together last Saturday to petition against this b'll , and only 150 persons attended , of whom there were not half-a-dozen connected with shipping . Hc then told a good story of the pilots of the Tyne , and concluded by adjuring their lordships to adopt the bill and rqject the amendment . Their lordships then divided-Contents—lor the amendment _•!• 103 Non-contents—against it ... ... 116
Majority for the government ... —13 The majority was _considerably larger than appeared to be expected , but it elicited no expression of feeling . HOUSE OF COMMONS .-A new writ was ordered for Sutherland , in the room of Sir D . Dundas , who has accepted the office of Judge-Advocate-General , void by the appointment of Mr . W . G . Hayter as one of the joint Secretaries of tlie Treasury . Firing atthe Queen . —Lord J . RussiaL , hefore
moving that the order of ihe day be read , observed that it appeared to him to be desirable , in order to allay apprehension in connexion with the attempt represented to have been made on her Majesty ' s life , that he should inform the House that , although it was true that a * pistol had been discharged at her Majesty , there was no reason to accuse the person who had discharged it of a treasonable attempt on the Queen ' s life , and that the crime was more remarkable for its baseness than its atrocity . Had the attempt been one ofa different character , he was sure that he would have had the cordial and unanimous
as ? ent of the House to an address to her Majesty congratulating her on the preservation of so valuable a life . ( Cheers . ) Her Majesty , under circumstances well calculated to inspire alarm , had acted with her usual coolness and fortitude . ( Cheers . ) [ The noble lord , in delivering this brief address , spoke in a tone of voice so tremulous as to betoken considerable agitation . He was loudly cheered while making his communication to the House . ] Mr . J . O'Connell begaed permission to say , that if anything could aggravate the misery of _hisnnfortunate country , it was the reflection that the miscreant charged with this outrage was an Irishman . During the wildest excitement of popular phrensy in Ireland , he believed that no one harboured the slightest idea of personal insult to the sovereign , and even now he _believe-i that misfortunes would be forgotten in the general hurst of congratulation at the fact that her Majesty had _escaped this base attempt . The hon . member ' s observa'ions were a _' so interrupted by loud cheers during their delivery .
Health of the Metropolis . —Sir G . Gre y replied t _> Sir W . Clay , that there would not beany public health bill introduced for the metropolis during the present session , the first report cf the commission having been mainly carried out by the consolidation ofthe Commissioners of Sewers , and the general survey . He could not say when the final report would be ready , the labours of ihe commission having been very much increased by the outbreak of cholera in different parts ofthe country . Agricultural Distress . —Lord John Russell answered Mr . Grantley Berkeley , by stating that the government had no special measure in contemplation for the relief of agricultural distress , neither was it intended to reduce the income tax chargeable on farmers .
Kaffir War . —The Chancellor of the Exchequer , in answer to Mr . V . Smith , stated , with respect to the accounts ofthe money spent in the Kaffir war , which the Commissioners of Audit had pronounced to be unintelligible , that he had sent them back to the colony for revision , and until the amended accounts were supplied , he could take no further steps in the matter . Encumbered Estates ( _Irtsland ) Bill . —The House then went into committee on the said bill , some ofthe earlier clauses occasioning debate , efforts being made to elicit from the government who the commissioners under the bill were to be , but which proved unsuccess ' ul . The Solicitor General stated the official
_arrangement to be as follows : a chief commissioner with a salary of £ 3 , 000 a year , and two other commissioners with salaries of £ 2 , 000 ; a secretary , some clerks , and one or two messengers ; the whole expense , which would not be large , to be defrayed out of the public exchequer . That it was not proposed to create any office for thc purposes of valuation under the bill ; and , with reference to travelling expenses , should such a necessity arise , which was not anticipated , then only thc actual expense incurred to be repaid . On arriving at clause 19 , Mr . Turner moved a proviso , to the effect that no order of sale should be made on the application of any owner or encumbrance r , the value of whose in * tercst was not equal to . the amount of the enoun > brance ; nor unless the whole of the encumbrances amounted to two-thirds the value of the estate .
Thc Solicitor-General opposed the _amendment , as it would involve the necessity of a previous inquiry as to the respective values of the estate and the encumbrances , wliich in the depressed state of landed property in Ireland , was perhaps now not worth more than half its amount , as compared with the period when th . ' mortgages were effected . After a conversation , Mr . Grogan _suggested that estates encumbered to the extent of " one-half " be substituted for " two-thirds- " Mr . _Tuhneb . having assented , the committee divided , when the amendment altered as suggested was negatived by a majority of 57 , thc numbers 9 to 06 . The remaining clauses were then agreed to , the House resumed , and the report was . ordered to be received 011 Thursday . The other business on the paper was summarily disposed of , _jyro forma , anil the House adjourned at eleven o'clock .
TUESDAY , May 22 . HOUSE OF LORDS .-EpiscorAi . Church in Scotland . —Lord Brougham presented petitions from members of the United Church of England and Ireland , temporarily settled in Scotland , involving questions of doctrine , as between two bodies and their ministers , both of whom professed the episcopalian _religion , but who in Scotland were sectarians ; and who differred with respect to thc use of the liturgy . The arguments in reference to these petitions were purely ofa religious character , and were participated in by Lord Brougham , the Bsliop of Salisbury , the Earl of Suffolk , the Archbishop of Canterbury , the Bishop of Gloucester , the Duke of Argyle , the Bishop of Exeter , the Bishop of _Cashed , the Earl of Minio , the Duke of Buccleuch , the Bishop of Oxford , tbe Earl of _HAnaowBY , Earl Powis , and the Earl of Galloway .
Lord Brougham , who had originated lhe discus sion , finally put it to their lordships , whether they had not had quite enough of the matter . ( Laughter . ) The real _grievance was , that an English clergyman having resided some time in Scotland , could not , on his return to England , get a licence to preach , being thus worse off than the Romanist priest , whose ordination was recognised in the churc _^ of England . The English clergyman , under such circumstances , it appeared , being looked upon by certain right rev . prelates as merely a schismatic from the church of Scotland . . __ The petition w « _ts then ordered to he on the table . The Navigation Bill . —The Marquis of Lansdowne said , that at that fate hour he would not proceed -with the navigation bill , but postpone the committee .
Lord Brougham : To this day six months ? ( A laugh . ) The Marquis of Laxsdowne ; To Thursday next
Monday, May 21; House Of Lords.~Finixgat...
—with the understanding that there shall be no pcti tions discussed . ( Laughter . ) Tlieir _1-jrdships then adjourned , at ten o ' clock , to Thursday , HOUSE OF COMMONS .-A new writ was ordered for South Warwickshire in the room of Mr . E . . T . Shirley , who has accepted the Chiltern Hundreds . Friendly Societies . —Mr . P . Scnor-K asked the hon . member for North Wilts whether the Friaidly Societies Bill wliich he had introduced would have thu effect which was apprehended in some parts of the country of depriving aU such societies of the management of their own affairs , and of taking
_possesion of their funds for the use of the govei mnent . Mr . Sotiieron admitted that much alarm had arisen among persons not conversant with acts of parliament because in ono clause ofthe bill the Commissioners forthe Reduction of thc National Debt were nuntioned . and that consequently they feared their funds were to be applied to that object . It was hardly necessary for him to say that thore was no foundation for the apprehension . On the contrary , the object of tlie bill was , to give friendly societies proper _cmtrol over their affairs , by empowering them to call for aud examine their accounts whenever they deemed it necessary for the purpose of ascertainini * their solvency .
Ballisaslob Workhouse . —Mr . Reynolds pud some questions to Sir G . Grey on the subject of the poor in _Ballinasloe workhouse , referring to the alleged fact of cholera and typhus having carried off 1 , 150 of the inmates , asking ; _whetlrr the commissioners had received instructions to inquire into this frightful system ? Sir George Grey denied that there was anything frightful in the system . The mortality refen ed to had arisen from cholera , and was in no way connected with the workhouse Bystem further thin that the houses were used in the emergency to mitigate the virulence of the epidemic . The _Derbt DayT— On the motion of she _Marouis of Guanby , that the Uouse should not sit on Wednesday ( the Derby Day ) , Mr . Aghosby opposed the motion , and an animated debate ensued , « hich terminated in a division in favour of a holiday , the numbers being 133 to 119 .
Duratios op Parliament . —Mr . T . _D'Evscourt then rose to move for leave to introduce a bill to shorten the duration of Parliament . Ho trusted he would not be charged with impropriety if , instead of waiting the result of agitation , he thought thc preferable course was to bring this ' question hefore the House now . ( Hear , hear , ) It was a question which at the time of the Revolution of 16 SS occupied a considerable share of attention ; and in the Bill of _Rights it was declared to be the right ofthe people of England that Parliaments should frequently assemble . In 1 G 94 the question was brought more into shape , and tho Triennial Act passed , though _,, as he would afterwards show , unnecessarily repealed . It could not be said that this . question had been pressed unnecessarily ; on the _contiary , he
had been blamed for being too lax regarding it . He . had suffered two Parliaments to go by without bringing it forward , precisely for the same reason that the peoplo had during that period not petitioned tlio House on the subjeet , viz ., beeause they did not believe thero was any disposition on the part of Parliament to give a favourable consideration to the proposal . AVhether the present Parliament would show a more favourable disposition remained to be seen j and therefore , after a period of twelve years , ho had doomed it his duty to bring it forward as a question of public right . ( Hear , hear . ) By " public right" ho meant that Parliaments should not continue longer than was sufficient to secure their responsibility to the people . ( Hear . ) Formerly the people of this country enjoyed by practies and habit
sessional parliaments . That habit and practice continued up to the time ofthe Tudors and Stuarts , when there took place a gross usurpation on the part of the Crown . In 1694 , as he had already stated , the Triennial Act was passed , being intended to secure the country from the disadvantages that had flowed from the Long Parliament . The preamble of that bill recognised frequent parliaments as warranted by tbe ancient law of the kingdom . It continued in operation for twenty-two years , and he believed there were no statutes that more adorned the statute-book , or had greater regard to the dignity of parliament and the liberties of tho people , than those passed during this period . But the Rebellion of 1715 was made a pretext for putting an end to the Triennial and passing the
Septennial Act , for it was supposed that at the next election an attempt would be made , on thc part of those who supported the cause of the Fretender , to return men who would endeavour to change the dynasty , and restore the Stuarts . The passing of the Septennial Act , he contended , was a complete coup d ' etat- " an act of revolution ; because , nothing could be more outrageous than that a Parliament elected for three years should vote its own continuance for seven years . He then proceeded to show that thc main grounds assigncdibr its passing wore unjustifiable ; viz ., that Triennial Parliaments occasioned more expense than Septennial , and that thoy were destructive ofthe peace and security of government . These were mere pretexts . The Septennial Act , however , became the law of the land ; and , so
disgusted did the people of England become with its working , when they found the great difference there was between the conduct of their representatives under it and their conduct under the Triennial Act _,, that a motion for its repeal was made in the House of Commons in 173-1 , and supported by Mr . Pulteney and others , wliich motion was rejected in a House of more than 400 members by a majority 01 onl y 63 . The Septennial Act continued to produce so much mischief , and excited so strong a feeling in tho public mind against it , that at length a cry was raised for a general reform of parliamont , and the question of shortening the duration of parliaments became merged in that of a general reform in the representation of the people . The reform wliich was contended for consisted of two branches ,
tlie one being the amendment of the representation of thc people , and the other being an increase of the responsibility of members by more frequent parliaments . The declaration of the "Friends ol the People , " with Lord Grey at their head , recognised this as the legitimate division . Well , in March , 1831 , his noble friend ( Lord J . Russell ) , on introducing the Reform Bill , knowing that the whole nation expected both branches of reform to be embraced by the bill , thought it needful to explain that the question of the shorter duration of parliaments had been considered by his Majesty ' s Ministers , but that upon the whole they thought it would be better to leave it to be brought before the House by any members who might choose to take it up , than to bring it in at the end of a bill regulating
matters totally distinct . ( The right hon . member here road the passage in the noblo lord ' s speech relating to the subject . ) The friends of short parliaments , though naturally disappointed at the omission of that branch of reform from the bill , felt much consoled by the prospect of having it discussed by itself at a future time . He ( Mr . T . D'Eyncourt ) accordingly brought the question forward in 1833 , again in 1 S 34 _, aud again in 1837 . The noblo lord opposed the motion on all those occasions ; but lie ( Mr . D'Eyncourt ) had never had tho benefit of the noble lord ' s opinion whether he really thought seven years a fit term for the duration of parliament or not . All the opinion the noble had given was that hc would not vote for his motion , because it did not state the term to wliich parliaments should
be shortened . His ( Mr . D Enycourt ' s ) answer had always been that he was willing to leave that point to the decision of the House itself , but that , if forced to name a term , lie should of necessity adopt that which had been sanctioned hy the constitution previously . Would tho noblo lord tell him whether he agreed in that opinion ? ( Hear . ) In 1833 his motion was rejected by a majority of only 49 . In point of fact , it was lost by the weight ofthe Administration—because , but for the votes of the Ministryand its adherents , his motion would have been carried . He begged the House to notice , also , that his motion was not met by a direct negative , hut merely by the previous question . In 1834 his motion was rejected by a majority of 50 , and in 1837 by a majority of only * nine . ( Hear , hear . ) The
question had remained in that position till the present moment . The House might rely upon it , howover , that the absence of petitions and the want of public meetings out of doors to urge the question upon the attention of parliament afforded no evidence whatever ofthe want of interest in this question on the part of the public . The question was one upon which interest was always felt , and which would continue to be urged upon the House at all times of public , excitement , until at length they mi g ht be forced to consider it under circumstances which might be painful to deal with . They would therefore do more wisely to consider it now , before any such painful necessity arose . ( Hear , hear . ) He asked how was it possible to ascertain public opinion clearl y and satisfactorily unless by means of frequent elections ? New questions of importance must always ariso within tke course of three or four years , upon which there could not possibly have
been any previous understanding between representatives and their constituencies , and when this happened , as it frequently did , the consequence was that many constituencies under the present system were unrepresented , if not absolutely misrepresented , with regard to such questions . If the House wished to secure a universal feeling of agreement between the Crown and people , there was no means so sure of effecting this as frequent parliaments . By these means they would at once increase the confidence of the people in their representatives , and diminish the corruption and influence which wore at present almost unavoidably and imperceptibly exorcised by government oyer members . There was no other country in Europe which had so long parliaments as we had . Why should we be behind others countries ? If the noble lord should say he was in favour of fivey ears as a good and wholesome term , as far _ashe ( Mr . D'Eyncourt ) was individually concerned he should be perfectly ready to concur ; but , until he heard some proposition of that kind
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Citation
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Northern Star (1837-1852), May 26, 1849, page 7, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/ns3_26051849/page/7/
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