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Northern Star (1837-1852), 24th March 1849, Edition 3 of 3, Page 7

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      Derby- , March 17. A Fiontixo Family.—W....

      • signature was not Mr . North ' s m _w _««™ _* , * .. C _& ed to say what North it ™ ft ™ * . ? de that notice had been _dS j _& E _Hrc l duce the note ; and Mr . _Comv-r \ K « f _V ? . _^ s _^ . _-sss proved that the promissory note which he saw ° at _J _% _^ ces office was not signed hy him . —The _K _^ J ™ _7- _^ he prisonerthroughout denied _Swh 0 rtb ' Trm _^ _C 0116 _^ _*•» the Mr . Aorth whose name was signed to the hill and the jury , therefore , « Acqnitte ° d » the prisoner '

      BREACH OF PROMISE OF MARRIAGE . Socthee v . Gabreti . — Mr . Andrews and Mr . O MaUey were council for the plaintiff ; Mi- Prendergast and Mr . Sanders appeared for the defendant . From the opening statement of the learned council it appeared that the plaintiff was a young lady of great personal beauty , the only daughter of a medical gentleman of long standing and _respectability in this town , and that the defendant , at the time when the foundation for this action waB laid , was an under-graduate of Catherine Hall — himself the son of a medical man in the north of England . In early life tbe plaintiff had been a great invalid , and during a long illness had fallen lame . From this defect , however , she had gradually recovered ,

      butsttUTCmaiuettlfi delicate health , when she was introduced to the defendant at the house of a common friend . Ere long her attractions hid elicitedgreatattention from the defendant , who was not much her junior , and in ashort time he became her professed admirer and suitor , till in the month of May , 1847 , he gave expression to his feelings in the followinff note , which may perhaps be given to to the world as a remarkably neat and appropriate mode of conveying an offer of marriage . — "Catherine HalL—Since rry first introduction to you I lave not been master of my own heart , and therefore I cannot do better than ( sic ) to offer it to her who Las robbed me of it . If you will aeceptof such an offering , I am indeed a haDDV man . Believe me .

      your truly attached , II . W . G . " —This letter was enclosed in a _rery tiny envolopc . _addrCBSedtO 'Miss Southee , Cambridge , " and , being shown hy the _younglady to her mother , was submitted afterwards to her iather , who thereupon wrote to the defendant a hig hl y creditable letter , wherein he delicately alluded to the state of his daughter ' s health , and , after admonishing the defendant that _Ehc would consequently require the greatest care , consideration , and affection at his hands , called anon him to examine well the serious nature of the offer he had made to her , and to pause ere he involved her in an _engagement , which , unless honourably carried out on his part , would entail a load of misery on her , which would be considerbly

      enhanced by her infirmity . The defendant responded to this appeal in a manner and with an earnestness which satisfied Mr . Southee that his affection for the plaintiff was not of a transient character , and from that time he was the accepted suitor of the young lady . La July he left Cambridge for a short time , repairing to his £ unily at Liverpool , whence he wrote _frequently , _addressing the plaintiff as " Mr dearest Amelia , " and subscribing himself asher "devotedly attached , H . W . Garrett . " At the installation of Prince Albert the defendant repaired again to the university , when he became the guest of Mr . Southee , and accompanied his family to all the gay doings of that event . On his return home he resumed his correspondence , which , at first , was

      characterised by the same expressions of attachment to the plaintiff which had won her heart . In a short time , however , he alluded to certain losses which he had sustained , and ere his return to Cambridge , in the October following , she was simply "dearest Amelia , " while he was only --her attached H . W . Garrett . " When he came up in October he sent a friend to speak to Mr . Southee , touching his losses ; but that gentleman required a personal interview , wherein he nut certain questions to the defendant relative to that subject , which were now described to have heen hut unsatisfactorily answered . On the whole the conduct of the defendant excited the suspicion of the young lady ' s father , who had heard rumours of another attachment , and after waiting

      some little time for "further and better particulars , " as the lawyers have it , he took upon himself - —although his daughter ' s affections had been rather strengthened than weakened by the reported deficiciency in her suitor ' s fortunes , ( which at no time was ever supposed to exceed £ 300 per annum)—to address a pointed letter of remonstrance to the defendant , calling to mind the caution he had given him in the first instance , and requiring an explicit explanation of his motives for discarding his daughter , with whose feelings he , as her father , could not hut deem that he had heen trifling in a most heartless manner . To this letter no reply was given by the defendant , who had in the meantime taken his degree , and had entered into holy orders , and no

      solution of his conduct was vouchsafed till his marriage with " a lad y in the north " was announced in the public prints . Stung to the quick by this desertion of his daughter , Mr . Southee determined that this action should be brought ; and soon after the _proceedings were commenced the defendant wrote a letter to the gentleman at whose house he had met the plaintiff , in which , after inquiring whether his friend had heard of " Southee ' s preceedings , " and wondering why he had been " so sly about them , " the writer adding that he did not care for them , as " he had made a settlement on his wife of all his tin , SO that neither Southee nor any one else could ever get a copper of it . " This effusion , so different from nis first composition , his friend deemed it

      his duty to show to Mr . Southee , and , as may be supposed , its terms did not in any way assuage the indignation of that gentleman , nor make amends tO hlSunhappy daughter forthat insult which the poets terms the " sprehe injuria : formal . "The above statement having been made on behalf of the plaintiff , her father was put into the box to substantiate it , but his exainiriatioii had hardly begun , ere The Chief Baron interposed , and observing that as the defendant could not deny his promise and its breach , the only question was as to the amount of damages , and suggested that they might possibly be arrangedbetween the parties on terms comensurate with the circumstances of the defendant , who , as appeared from one of his lettershad

      accep-, ted the appointment of under master at some grammar school in the country . On this suggestion , the learned counsel entered into a close and lengthened _nesjociation , which finally resulted in the defendant s submitting to a Terdlct for £ 200 , accompanied b y an express and suitable disavowal on his part of any imputation on the conduct or character of the fair defendant . On the contrary , the defendant , to use the language of his learned counsel , *• had always desired that his case should be conducted in a manner which mi ght relieve the plaintiff from all blame and jpain ; but the truth was that he _hadfonned a pnor attachment in another quarter , which had only g iven way to the influence of the plaintiff ' s attractions , and it was , perhaps ,

      but natural and likely that the defendant should revert to his earliest love when removed from the immediate presence of the plaintiff . "—The Chief Baron expressed his entire approval of the course which had been taken in the arrangement of the case , and having passed a well-merited compliment On the first letter of Mr . Southee , added that the object of the action had been fully obtained , for the plaintiff had now the satisfaction of knowing that the change in the _defendant ' s feelings towards her had not heen actuated hy any impressions in the sli ghtest degree derogatory to her fair fame and reputation , which had been fully vindicated by these proceedings . —The jury then found a verdict , under his lordship ' s direction , for the plaintiff for £ 300 .

      Dorchester , March 16 . Illegal Inoculation . —M . Lymes , 58 , was arraigned on the coroner s inquisition , which eharged him with causing the deaths of John Hoare and Samuel Hoare , at Broadwinsor . The children were the infant children of a dairyman , who , instead of taking them to a properly qualified practitioner , allowed the prisoner to perform on them the dangerous operation of inoculation . The prisoner acted apparently from kind motives , but the learned Judge pointed out that by the 3 and 4 Tic , cap . 29 , he had rendered himself responsible for the death of the cldldren . Tcrdict , " Guilty . " Sentenced to two days' imprisonment .

      Charge of Stabbing . —G . Davis was indicted for stabbing "William Bolt , with intent to kill andjmurder him . The p arties were conversing together in a public house at Weymouth , and their language getting warm the landlady took the prisoner by the " shoulders and shut him out of the back door , which Was opposite to his lodg ings . The prisoner rushed into Ms house and seizing up a shoemaker ' s knife , rctunied , going round the house to the front door , and going up to the prosecutor he stabbed him deep in the abdomen , inflicting a _*? _erv serious wound . The prisoner was found " Guiltv * " and the Judge ordered sentence of Death to be " recorded . The assizes terminated at an early hour . Exeter , Mahch 20 .

      _COIDOTTIL _TOB BeFCSKG to TaKE AS OATH . —! The crier of tbe court informed his lordship that a witness refused to be sworn to give evidence in a case of housebreaking hefore the grand jury . —Mrs . Watson , the person indicted , having been called forward and questioned by the learned judge , she ia reply stated that she had conscientious scruples to takiniT the oath , founded upon the 5 th chapter of _« . Matthew . She belonged to the church of England , and ( having been informed that she must be « nt to prison if she persisted in her refusal ) she

      "would take the consequences . It was ioousn , perhaps , her having thought of it , hut having thought of it she must abide the punishment . —Mr . Justice Williams then consulted LordDenman , and on returning said he would give her an hour to «> i ) ader of it , and during that time he would re-• _j _« nnicnd her to read the articles of her religion _, ¦ f she persisted in refusing , he had no other alternau but to send her to prison . —Mrs . Watson said _*«• • was verv sorrv for it . The hour would be of no Bfe ; she should be of the same resolution . —Before toiiuaencinjr another case , about _tW hours after-

      Derby- , March 17. A Fiontixo Family.—W....

      wards , Mrs . Watson was requested to stand forward , and his lordship said he understood she had in the interval seen a clergyman . Was she aware that the bishops and clergy felt no scruples in taking the oath , which she declined to take?—Mrs . Watson said she was quite aware of it . —The Judge : Then why do you refuse ?—Mrs . Watson : Because I see it in the Bible . —The Judge : And do you mean to persist in refusing to be sworn ?—Mrs . Watson : I do . —The Judge : Then the sheriff must take you into custody and convey you to the county gaol . I have no other alternative . The contumacious witness , who is a middle-aged woman of very respectable appearance , was then removed in custodv . Possessing Forced Baxk of England Notes

      A _Policewoman—J . Davis and T . Byrne were arraigned upon four indictments for llavin _** in their possession two £ 5 Bank of England _notesfknowinc them to he forged . —Mr . Sergeant Manning and Mr . Hadow conducted the prosecution on behalf of the Bank p f England , aud Mr . Stone and Mr . Collier defended the prisoners . On the 5 th of August last , a letter arrived at the Dorchester Postt ) ffice , in tlie Chard bag , _du-ccted to "Mr . Lock , Post Office , Dorchester , Dorset . " The name of the post-master at Dorchester happened to be Lock , and supposing the letter was intended for him , he opened it , and found enclosed two apparentl y genuine Bank of England notes , without any wr iting to show from whom they were sent . Mr . Lock _e-ave the letter

      containing the notes to his wife , who locked them up in her drawer until the 9 th of August , when he took them to Messrs . Williams ' s bank , Dorchester , and it was then intimated that the notes were suspected to have been forged . On the following morning , a letter , posted at Weymouth , reached the Dorchester Post Office , directed to the postmaster there , which requested that if a letter was lying in the Dorchester Post Office , directed to Mr . Lock , and sent from Chard , that it might be forwarded to Exeter . Upon reading this , Mr . Lock ' s suspicions were strengthened , and , by advice of his friends , he proceeded to Exeter on the 11 th of August , and had an interview with the Post Offiee surveyor of the district . The consequence was , that tho letter

      containing the two £ o notes was re-sealed , the word "Dorchester " erased , and "Exeter" added , to give the appearance of the letter having been forwarded from JJorchester at the request of the writer cf the letter from Weymouth . The former letter was then confided to Mr . Pattinson , the chief Clerk of the Exeter Post Office , and he placed it in the pigeon-hole marked " L , " where letters in that initial dirt cted to the Post Office aro deposited . A policeman , dressed in plain clothes , was at the office in waiting the whole day of the 12 th . 2 fo one called ; hut on the following day ( which was _Suaday ) the prisoner Davis knocked at the Post Office window , and asked if there was a letter for Mr . Lock . Mr . Pattinson said there was a re-directed letter in that name

      from Dorchester , and on producing it , Davis said it was his . He paid a penny charged for it , and walked away , being in company with the other prisoner , Byrne . Meanwhile Stuckes , the policeman , had heard the application , and watched the prisoners . Just at this time , Mrs . Stuckes , in discharge of her domestic duties , had brought her husband his dinner . He told her also to observe the prisoners . The policeman , Stuckes , and his wife followed them in the High-street , perceiving which Varis , who had previously opened the letter , crushed it in his hand , and passed it to Byrne . Stuckes made a dash , at them both , and captured Davis , but Byrne eluded his grasp , and would have escaped had not Mrs . Stuckes collared him , and , in

      spite of great struggling , held Mm until assistance arrived . In the scuffle Byrne contrived to drop the letter ; it was almost immediatel y recovered by Mrs . Stuckes , and found to contain the two £ 5 notes , which an inspector of the Bank of England now pronounced to be forged . When informed of the charge at the station-house , both prisoners declined saying anything . On the person of Davis were found three thimbles , such as are usually employed in thimhlerig ; and Stuckes recognised him as a person he had seen frequently at the Exeter races , and who was known as Joe Rowe . Inside the lining of Byrne ' s hat was found a Bank of Elegance note . —The jury found both the prisoners " Guilty , " and they were sentenced to be transported for seven years .

      SHREff 8 _DI 3 RY , MARCH 22 . Chabge op Murder . —Richard Wilson was indicted for the wilful murder of his wife , Anne Wilson , on the 10 th February last , at the parish of Drayton-in-Hales , by drowning her in a canal . — Mr . PMIlimore and Mr . Bailey were counsel for the prosecution ; and Mr . Kenealy for the defence . —It appeared that the prisoner was a pensioner living in Hankelow , in Cheshire , and was in the habit of coming to Market Drayton to receive his pension . On the above day he and his wife came to Market Drayton & r that purpose , and they remained there till late in the day . About five o'clock they were seen walking homewards by the side of the Shropshire Canal , and appeared on good terms ; he

      calling her " my dear , and speaking kindly to her , until she , inconsequence of being lame and drunk , could not walk as fist as he wished . He thereupon abused and beat her , and threatened to throw her into the canal . She replied that he would not dare to do it . He said he would do it before she got home . He then knocked her down and abused her again . After some angry language he pulled her up and made her move on . About five or ten minutes after they had gone out of sight of the witness who saw this last transaction screams were heard , and a cry of murder . Soon afterwards they were seen foing along the canal bank by another witness , who eard them occasionally interchanging terms ot endearment and sometimes quarrelling . He walked

      about half a mile with them . They were both tipsy . She was lame , and unable to walk without the aid of a stick . He walked with them to near a bridge called Victoria Bridge . When they got near that she became very lame and was unable to go on , and lay down . The prisoner begged of her to go on . She said she could not . He said , " your eyes , if you do not I will drown you . ' She replied , he dare not . The witness then left them . That was about six o ' clock . About seven o ' clock that witness again met the prisoner at a lock-house , called the Adderley Lock-house , and not seeing the woman with him asked him where she was , -and he said he had left her near abridge , called Simon ' _sbridge , on the side of the canal , waiting for a boat .

      The witness took another man with him , and went back to tbe place indicated , and a considerable distance beyond it , but could find no trace of her . About nine o clock the next morning he saw her body taken out of the canal , near Betton Woodbridge , about 200 yards from the spot where he had last seen her with the prisoner , and he found her stick in a field about thirty yards from the spot where the body was found . The canal at that point runs through a cutting five or six yards deep . The embankment is exceedingly steep and hi g h , and on the top of the embankment there is a high hedge , and inside the hedge the stick was found . It was utterly impossible for her to have climbed the embankment _, or to have flung the stick from the

      footpath of the canal up over the hedge . On cross-examination , this witness , John Williams , said that from the first time he had seen her and the prisoner she was unable to walk , and moved on with great difficulty . It was starlight and dark when he parted from them , and she was then lying against the side of the footpath . Boats were in the habit of passing about that time on the canal , and about an hour afterwards a boat came up in the direction in which she was coming . Her bonnet was not found . The body was first seen floating on the surface of the water , by a boatman , who was passing in a boat . The body was lying straight , and her clothes were lying straig ht . Her gown was wrapt round her left hand . This , the boatman said , might have been

      caused hy the flush of the water . Her shawl was Wrapt two or three times round her head , " This , in thejudgmentofthesame witness , must have been done hy some one . There was no sign of blood upon her . Her cap was not torn , and presented no sign of a tear . About ten o ' clock on the Saturday evening prisoner called at a public-house in his neighbourhood , and had a glass of ale ; and on the landlady inquiring for his wife , he said he had left her on the canal side waiting for a boat , * and on his proceeding to go away , and her asking him why he went , he said he wanted to go home to prepare a cup of tea and a good fire for his wife , as the boat would not pass till about half-past twelve o ' clock . He appeared as if he had been a great deal the

      worse for liquor , but was then recovering , - sometime later in the evening he went to another publie-house , and offered to treat a young man to a quart of ale , and on the landlad y saying it was too late , and his wife would not likehis stopping out late , he said she would not know of it . On bemg questioned the next morning by two police-constables , he said he had last seen her the nig ht hefore c & ming from Drayton on the banks of the canal . He had occasion to stop behind for a short time , and on again walking along the canal , and not overtaking her , he shouted out , hut he admitted that he had since made no inquiries amongst the nei g hbours respecting her . On being charged with having drowned her , he exclaimed , "My God ! has the poor thing done anything to herself ? I hope she is not dead . On being taken towards the lock-up house , as he

      was passing that part of the road parallel to the spot where the hoay was found he was greatly affected , and when he reached the lock-up house he exhibited all the signs of a man in deep affliction . When he was taken to the place where the body lay , he said , « oh _, dear ; oh dear ! I doubt I shall suffer for this . If I do I shall die * innocent . These hands never put that poor bod y in the water . " On gomg near the body , and removing the shawl which covered the face , he became insensible , and the policeman was obliged to hold him up in his arms , and take him out into the open air . The surgeon who examined the body said there was no mark whatever of violence to be discovered upon it . —Sir . Kenealy addressed the jury on behalf of the prisoner and after a careful and minute analysis of the evidence bv his lordslup the jury almost immediatel y returned a verdict of " _Sot guilty . "

      Derby- , March 17. A Fiontixo Family.—W....

      Leicester , March 21 . Cavs v . Hawkins . —Action for Seduction . — The plaintiff was a farmer and grazier living at Frolesworth , in Leicestershire , and defendant was also a farmer , formerly residing in that parish . In the year 1840 , the defendant ( who was about thirty years old ) became acquainted with Catherine Cave , daughter of plaintiff , who was about sevent en . The intimacy was formed without the knowledge of her parents , and lhe place of meeting was frequently in the plaintiff ' s garden , to which defendant had access by getting over a hedge from a road . This intimacy was kept up until 1847 , when Ca _' hr rine Cave was found to be pregnant . This was represented as having so serious an effect on the heallh of her mother , that she died a few months after . The young woman

      was confined in February , 1848 , and was so anected by her misfortune having caused het mother ' s death , that her health declined , and •¦ he never recovered . After the birth of the child defendant was applied to to contribute to its maintenance , but he refu cd . An application was ttv ? n made to the Lutterworth bencli ofmagist ' ates , who made an order upon defendant . This order was appealed against , and the court of quarter sessions quashed it on account of informality . Another application was made to the same magistrates , and they had to adjourn their court , on the 13 th of February last , to the bedroom of the young woman , for the purpose of taking her evidence , « s

      she was , at that time , on her siek bed , and , indeed , died on the following day . Another order for 2 s . 6 d . p * _r week was made upon defendant- Evidence was cilled to prove that the young woman superintended her father ' s dairy , and was a very good cheese maker . This was done , as Mr . Humfrey informed the jurj _* _. because the law required proof of " loss of _serviceB' ' to sustain an action of that kind . No evidence was calledfor the defence ; but Mr . Whitehurstdelivered a long address , intended to damage the evidence for plaintiff , and the character of the deceased , Catherine Cave , but he called no evidence in support of his defence . After a rather _lengthy consultation , the jury gave a verdict for plaintiff—damages £ 100 .

      Masch H 1849. _ Tfle Nqrthern Gtar

      _Masch _h 1849 . _ TflE NQRTHERN gTAR

      Middlesex Sessions.-Tuesday. Caution To ...

      MIDDLESEX SESSIONS .-Tuesday . Caution to Sebvasts . —T . Rixon , 19 , a very cunning looking fellow , was indicted for stealing two coats , value £ 5 , the property of the Hon . George WaldeTave , from the mansion of Earl Waldegrave , in Hafley-street . —There were other indictments against the prisoner , charging him with stealing a large quantity of wearing apparel , the property severally of Viscount Chewton , Hon . Sarah Annersley , John Warren , George M . Lesse , and Matthew Gunning . Evidence was given in support of two of these indictments , and the facts disclosed showed that the prisoner was a very artful person , and possessed of consummate impudence . He would provide himself with a large milliner ' s basket , and assuming the air of a regular distributor and collector of bonnets , would call at various houses in the neighbourhood

      of the west-end squares , and inform the servant who answered the bell that he had been sent from some well-known millinery or dress-making establishment , in either Kegent or Oxford-street , for some articles of clothing , to be _^ altered , cleaned , or exchanged . While the domestics were making inquiries relative to the articles supposed to have been sent for , the prisoner took advantage of their absence , and crammed every coat , hat , umbrella , and pair of boots the hall might contain into his capacious basket , and on _thouc occasions when he did not carry the basket he contented himself by throwing all the coats he could lay hold of across his shoulders , and made off as quick as hiss legs could carry him . That was the mode in which he effected the felony at Earl Waldegrave ' _s . —Tho jury found

      the prisoner " Guilty . "—Mr . Serjeant _Adanis said that the prisoner was far too clever to be allowed to remain in this country , and , therefore , to see what his wits would do for him in another , the sentence was that he be transported for seven years . —The prisoner left the dock bowing very blandly to the judge and the officers of the court . Felon ? by a _Clergyman ' s Sons . —Charles and John Remington , the sons ofa beneficed clergyman , were indicted each of them , for stealing a pair of trowsers . The prisoners pleaded guilty . The Learned Judge said that he had in his hands a letter from one of the parents of the prisoners , and proceeded to read in an undertone to the magistrates on

      the bench . The letter contained the names of several very respectable persons , and was couched in very pathetic and feeling terms ; in addition to which it alluded to matters of a private nature which were not intended to be made public , and therefore it was not read aloud . The learned judge said that it was a very painful case , and taking into consideration all the circumstances , the sentence was that Charles be kept to hard labour for three months in Westminster Bridewell , and John for the like period in Cold Bath-fields . —The prisoner John said that both he and his brother were extremely sensible of the consideration and leniency his lordship had shown them .

      Juvexii _^ Conning . —A diminutive boy , apparently ten or eleven years old , was convicted of having walked into a shop and stolen 2 s . from the till . —Serjeant Adams asked the prisoner how old be was —Prisoner . —Sixteen , sir . —Mr . Serjeant Adams said that showed the sort of boy he was ; he said he was sixteen years old , whilst he could not be more than ten or eleven , his object being to get an extra allowance in prison ; a prisoner of ten years old having somewhat less than one of sixteen . ( Laughter . ) Subsequently the prisoner was sentenced to three months' hard labour .

      Dreadful Fires. London,—On Sunday Mornin...

      DREADFUL FIRES . London , —On Sunday morning , shortly hefore three o ' clock , the extensive soap factory belonging to Messrs . Paton and Charles , 148 , High-street , Wapping , was discovered to be on fire . In a few minutes the brigade engines from Schoolhouse-lane _, Wellelose and Jeffrey-squares stations attended , when the firemen found the flames ascending through the roof high into the air , completely _illuminating the river and the surrounding districts . Such a fearful aspect did the flames at one period present that it was deemed advisable to send to ltotherhithe for the floating engine . It was not until nearly fifty feet by thirty feet of the roof over the main factory was burned off , and two vats , containing * about four tons of tallow , were seriously

      damaged , that the fire was extinguished . The loss , although very considerable , wfl . 1 not prevent the firm from carrying on their business . Fortunately Messrs . Paton and Charles were insured in the Sun fire-office . The ori g in of the fire was said to be the spontaneous ignition from the steam apparatus . One of the workmen at Messrs . Paton and Charles ' s , in rendering assistance at the fire , fell down one of the pits , and was seriously if not fatally injured . Tottenham-Court-Road . — On Tuesday night , about a quarter before eleven o ' clock , the oil and Italian warehouse belonging to Mr . _Bewman , No . 3 , Tottenham-eourt-road , was discovered to be on fire . An officer sprung his rattle and raised an alarm , and after repeatedly knocking at the front door he succeeded in arousing the inmates , consisting of Mr . and Mrs . Tompkins , the lodgers , with _^ Lai « 4 _>* _t . _a . _nhitilnAn _TtiAan ¦ nAVTlnt ! _ItJOVO Ql 001 * 11 Tl _fT An nviv

      LliClJ- ti » U _UUllUiWIt J . 1 _ACOV JJ « _v * . * J _**—« _J _uivufuig _w « the second floor , and upon being aroused from their slumbers found the building so filled with sulphurous vapour and smoke that none of them were able to make their descent by the staircase . Mr . Tompkins made the best of his way to the front room on the second floor , the only place of escape left , when the poliee caUed to him and told him to remain until the fire-escape arrived . The man , apprehensive that some of the gunpowder or other inflammable articles would explode , was just on the point of throwing his family out of window , when two of the Royal Society ' s fire escapes arrived . The conductors having mounted their machines , they entered the second-floor , and in the back room they found the inmates , whom they assisted in _escaping . The flames were not extinguished until considerable damage was done . Mr . Bowman was insured in the County Fire Office .

      Incendiary _Fiiie ir Blackuokk , Essex . —On Saturday night last , the buildings upon Wyatt ' s Farm , Wyatt ' s Green , in the occupation of Mr . WUJiam Greenwood , were found to be on fire . An alarm was raised , and a messenger despatched for the engine at Ongar , which was promptly conveyed to the spot , and every exertion was made to arrest the progress of the raging element . The flames however , Spread with uncontrollable fury , and two barns , a range of sheds , three waggons with other implements , some hay and straw were speedily consumed , the total loss being roug hly estimated at £ 700 . The 6 tock was insured in the Sun Fireoffice to Christmas , 1847 ; but it has heen uninsured in that office since that period , and we are informed also

      was not protected in any other ; the buildings were uninsured . Little doubt is entertained that the conflagration was wilfully occasioned , and Superintendent Flood , who with several constables were in attendance , ascertaining that a man named Robert Ufford , had been recently discharged by Afr . Greenwood for misconduct , on inquiry found-that . he was seen on the premises shortly-before the fire broke out , and soon after it was discovered was met in the fields a short distance from them , going in the direction of Blackmore . These suspicious circumstances , in connexion with the conlusea account he gave of himself , induced the officer to take him into custody , and the accused , after undergoing examination before a magistrate on Monday , was fully committed for trial .

      Parer Stamp, And Advertisement Duties,—T...

      _PArER Stamp , and Advertisement Duties , —The letter-press p rinters of Glasgow , at a meeting held on Tuesday last , unanimously agreed to petition the House of Commons for a repeal or reduction of the dutv on paper , the stamp duty on newspapers , and the dutv on advertisements , as inflicting injurious restrictions on their profession by which large numbers of them are out of employment .

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      Monday , March 19. House Of Loitds._T Ka...

      MONDAY , March 19 . HOUSE OF LOItDS . _ T KA . vsPORTATioN to tub 2 _lWat ~; _SS « GuEr \ in re P-y t 0 L 01 _' St anley , w _^ , _fi „ _12 _v _***? » u V * of transportation had been discussed m that House the Government had been made aware that the step contemplated of sending convicts to the Cape had been received with disapprobation in that colony . Despatches had been received tr ansmittimr a memorial from the colonists in opposition to the proposition , which there would be no objection to produce . _OUT-Doou pAO Tfiss .--. Tlio Earl of Ona . rsi . BL in moving the second reading of the Out-door Paupers Bill , explained that inasmuch as parishes could send pauper children out of their jurisdiction to be

      maintained anu cuueated it Was necessary that tlie buildings winch were devoted to their reception should be under the efficient supervision of the Poor Law Commissioners , as well as ot medical inspectors , tins being one of the princi pal objects which tlie measure proposed to efteot . Tlie bill was then read a second sime . Polish Refugees . —Tlie Earl of Eolwmw moved or a return of the number of Polish _rcfueccs receiving allowancos fi » s ubsistence and medical expense Between thes 28 th of March , 1818 , and the 20 th of March , 1819 The noble earl , after referring to tho class of medical relief that had been supplied , complained , that , while the country was undergoing all sorts of shifts in order to reduce the expenditure

      , the Polish refugees in England were receiving just as large an amount as ever , and protested against the people being taxed beyond what they could bear onbehalt ot a lawless and turbulent race , who had no claim whatever upon them . Whether they looked to the barricades of Paris , to the rebellion in _Hungry , or to the insurrection in Vienna , it would be tound that the Polos wero always revelling in scenes of anarchy and bloodshed . The Marquis of Laxsdowxe was not prepared to deny that distress to some extent prevailed among the agricultural classes ; yet the poverty of the country was not so great as to render it necessary tO depart irom the principle of extending sympathy . with a liberal hand to a people driven from their

      Country Dy a Calamit y which deprived them of a national existence . Whatever the conduct of the Poles had been in other countries , they had not misbehaved themselves in this ; and the effect Of tlie bounty bestowed upon them hero had been to prevent their engaging themselves in such scenes as tho noble lord had described , the rule being that if recipients of it left this country they forfeited their claim to further relief . At the same time , tho greatest care would be taken in the administration of the grant in order to prevent abuse . Lord Stanley was of opinion that if , as stated b y the noble earl , the assistance afforded had not been g iven to relieve distress , but applied to medical cases , arising out of profligacy and vice , it ceased to be medical charity altogether , and was a

      monstrous abuse . The Marquis of _Loxdoj-debiit contended that great abuses existed also in the relief of Spanish refugees , which class of persons were in fact a disgrace to any country . The return , in a modified form , was then agreed to , and their lordships adjourned . HOUSE OF COMMONS . — Mi * . Mcntz moved the second reading of the Birmingham Borough ( Exemption from County Rates ) Bui . Lord Bkooke objected to the bill on two grounds —first , that the county lunatic asylum and gaol would be of service to Birmin gham , and Becondly , because the bill would go to alter the general law of the land , which , if desirable , should be effected by a general measure , including other towns similarly circumstanced . The noble lord moved that the bill be read a second time that day six months .

      A ter a debate , in which Sir G . _Gbey opposed the second reading of the Bill , Mr . Mu . vtz referred to tho almost unbearable amount of rates already levied upon the people of Birmingham , and warned the Home Secretary if they were increased , a disturbance in the borough might be the consequence . On a division , the second reading was carried by a majority of 8—the numbers Indemnity to hie Canadian " Rebels . " —• Mr . _Hawes , in reply to Mr . F . Mackenzie , as to a bill being in progress in the Canadian legislature for indemnifying certain persons for losses incurred during tho rebellion in 1837 and 1838 , including thirty-eight persons who had taken part in the rebellion , stated that no despatch or communication had reached tho Colonial office that such a bill was under consideration .

      Adulteration- of Coffee . — Mr . Anstet . put several questions on the subject of the adulteration of coffee by the use of chicory , in consequence of the treasury minute which was issued two years ago suspending the Act of Parliament which prohibited the sale _ofchicory from being used for the adulteration of coffee . The CiiANCEHiOR of the Exchequer replied that he had received accounts from various quarters stating that a due admixture of a certain quantity of chicory improved the coflee , and tended to promote its . use , especially among the labouring classes . It was undoubtedly true that a great reduction in the price of Ceylon coffee had taken place , hut which might be attributable to the quantity introduced , as also to the introduction of a very inferior description of coffee grown by the natives of

      tlie island , and not well prepared . But undoubtedly , with the low prices which prevailed last year , the consumption of coffee ought to have increased instead of diminished , as was the case ; which , however , might be accounted for on the supposition that chicory had been substituted for coffee , and that a portion of the revenue which the Exchequer ought to hare received had been diverted into the pockets of the dealers in the former article . It would not be desirable to put a duty on chicory at the present time , but it was proper that the parties engaged in its cultivation should be Warned that such might be the case hereafter , in order that they might not then say they wore wholly unprepared for such a result . Education in tub Aemy . —In answer to a question from Mr . Ewabt ,

      Mr . F . _Matoe said , his Grace the Commander-in-Chief had determined to institute a test of education for officers previous to their Obtaining commissions in the army . It was also intended by his Grace to have two examinations on the promotion of officers from the rank of ensign to that of lieutenant which were to be entirely of a professional character—to . ascertain that those officers were thoroughly acquainted with all the duties entailed upon them by their profession and bv the _regulations

      of tho army . Then there was to be a third examination of subalterns before they got their company , which would be of a move enlarged character as to their skill and knowledge , and would be the final examination to which officers would be subject . The Commander-in-Chief had entered into this inquiry in the spirit which public opinion had manifested for some time past , and with a -view to the efficiency of the army . ( Hear . ) Army Estimates . —The _Houbo having gone into Committee of Supply ,

      Mr . F . Maule said the number of troops which it was proposed to maintain for tho ensuing year was 103 , 254 , her Majesty ' s government having considered that , look . ng to the state of the colonies , and the general aspect of affairs , the country might be relieved from the cost of 10 , 000 men , the number of troops borne on the rolls of the army last year being 113 , 847 . He then reviewed the various demands for troops , for which the government had to provide . First , with respect to affairs abroad , although the alarm had to a great extent passed away , yet their aspect was not such as to permit this country to assume an entirel y indifferent attitude . Secondly , in regard to the colonies , although hereafter the force there might be diminished , at

      present it was not considered by the government safe or prudent to reduce its amount . Thirdly , for the preservation of peace and order at home , he stated that of the 53 , 000 troops at home , _27-. 000 and a fraction were located in England and Scotland , and 25 , 0 QQ _and a . fraction in Ireland ; and he demonstrated the necessity of keeping a sufficient number of troops in readiness to meet applications irom the civil magistrates to preserve the peace of towns by referring to the number of such applications during the past year in England , and by suggesting tho expediency of repressing with promptitude any apprehended collision with the civil power . Upon the last head , the furnishing reliefs of our troops in the colonies , Mr . Maule cited an opinion expressed by

      Sir R . Peel , who , in 1845 , said it was the duty of those in charge of our military arrangement to take care that men sent abroad in the service of the country should not he exiled , but should be allowed to return to their homes within a reasonable time ; but if the House complied with the propo sal of Mr . Hume for a further reduction of 14 , 000 men , it would not be possible to carry out the wholesome rule of relieving corps in India in fifteen years and in other colonies in ten years , with an interval of five years at homo . Mr . F . Maule then took a rapid glance at the various items , pointing out the decrease which had taken place in most of the money charges , and observed that the present expenditure for the army was very little hi g her than that of 1835 , the gross charge on the army estimates

      of that year being £ 5 , » UI 5 , 7 » 2 , and that of 1849-50 , £ 6 , 142 , 211 . the increase being only £ 233 , 000 . He concluded with a defence of the army against the attacks of tho Financial Reformers , and especially on the ' clothing colonels . " He wished , before he sat down , to say a few words in refutation of charges which had been brought against the army in general by a body of individuals who had constituted _tkemselvcs a , Financial Reform Committee in Liverpool . ( Hear , hear . ) He would not have noticed any of these charges if they had been founded in fact or in truth . ( " Hear , " and cheers . ) He did not object , and he was sure no persons in the army would object , to the closest scrutiny into the whole expenditure of that service ; hut with such a scrutiny , the officers of the army had nothing

      Monday , March 19. House Of Loitds._T Ka...

      to do ; it rested with tho officials of the government , and with the determination of that House . He would not object to any scrutiny into the expenditure of the army conducted in a fair and proper manner ; but , as the statements put forth by the Financial Committee of Liverpool wore neither founded in fairness nor in justice —( cheers)—and as they would tend not only to do infinite injury to the armv , but to the very parties who were putting forth those statements , ho thought it necessary to say a few words on the subject . Tlie committee to which he alluded had attacked the system of clothing the army ; but surely they mig ht have attacked that system without ' imputing motives—( hear , hear)— ' to the colonels , whose duty it was to provide the clothinnr for their men , not by any arrangement

      of their own , but under a system winch had existed for upwards of 140 years . ( Hoar , hear . ) Thecommittco might certainly have inquired into this matter , before insisting that " the colonels and quarter-masters of regiments laid their heads together to change tlie pattern of tlie articles with which the soldier was compelled to provide himself , ' in order that their own profits might be enhanced . ( Hear . ) The system of clothing the army had been the subject of several inquiries , and if the parties by whom those inquiries had been conducted had not been able to recommend a better plan than that now pursued , he did not think it very likely that the Liverpool Committee would do so . In 1783 , the clothing system was inquired into by the Commissioners of Public Accounts , who stated that they

      could not recommend any change , either in point of economy , or of satisfaction to the soldier . In 1798 , the subject was inquired into by the Finance Committee , and in 1808 by a military commission , with the same result . In 1833 , a commission of that ITouse , many of whom , he would venture to say , wero as prejudiced as any members of the Liverpool Financial _Committee , went into the consideration of tbo subject , and they agreed unanimously to a report containing these passages : — " It further appears that the wholesome cautions and checks b y which tho supply Of clothing by the colonels has been accompanied , have invariably secured the comfort and satisfaction of tho soldier , and the complete efficiency of this branch of the public service . Tho committee are not , therefore , prepared to

      _suggest any change m this long-established system , which , although at first it may appear anomalous , and to involve the objectionable principle of giving profit to the colonels out of monies ostensibly voted for another purpose , secures the responsibility of those officers for the just and punctual distribution of the clothing to the ' different regiments , dispersed as they are throughout various and distant colonies , and which at the same time protects tho public from the losses to which they would be exposed by the accumulation of stores of this description supplied under the management of public boards from extensive establishments , superannuation allowances to those who conduct them , and from that multiplicity of accounts which a transfer of the charge of this supply from those in whom it is now vested

      into any other hands must inevitably produce . " Ho thought , then , that it was somewhat hard to charge upon the " clothing colonels , " as they were most invidiously called , the responsibility of a system which they had not themselves created , which had undergone no less than four scrutinies , and for which no substitute had heen proposed . ( Hear , hear . ) But he was sorry to observe that the Liverpool Committee did not confine themselves to these insinuations against the colonels ; he had read their pamphlets with great care , and it seemed to him their chief object was to run down the officer in the opinion of the soldier . ( Hear , hear . ) The officers of the army wore held up to odium , and it was said the army was erected and maintained for the benefit of the aristocracy .

      Indeed , the whole tone of the pamphlet was in his opinion , dangerous in the extreme , not only to the constitution of the army , but to the very existence of good order in this country , ( near . ) JS ow , if the soldier should , from any circumstance , lose that confidence which he now justly reposed in his commanding officer , and if he consequently lost his regard for discipline , he ( Mr . P . Maule ) had no hesitation in saying that the army would becomo at once an armed rabble , ( near . ) If this were the case , who would be the first to suffer from such a state of things ? Not the officers of the army ; not the landed gentry , who lived on their estates in the country ; hut the inhabitants of towns . Instead of having orderly and well-behaved soldiers , who kept their hands from picking and stealing , and who

      offered no violence to their neighbours , walking through the streets , they would have a disorderly rabble , thieving in one direction and assaulting in another , and the peaceable inhabitants would rue the day when tho Financial Reform Committee of Liverpool , or any other Reform Committee , began to hold up the officers of the army to odium and reproach . He did not make these observations from any objection to inquiry into the expenditure of the public money ; but because he thought any inquiry on this subject should be carried on with due regard to the feelings of the officers of the army , to the disci p line of their men , and to the safety of the Sublic , and not in a manner which might tend to estroy that respect for authority and discipline without which the British army , instead of being a

      boast and protection , would be a disgrace to this country . ( Hear , hear . ) Mr . _Humb confessed that the condition of the army had been much ameliorated , and urged perseverance in the system of improvement . With respect to the Liverpool Association , he _thought his right hon . friend might have omitted his allusions to that body . He ( Mr . Hume ) was not a member of that association only because he resided at a distance , and had laid down a rule to confine himself within what he considered his own legitimate limits . ( Laughter , ) He thought the Liverpool Association had done good service in opening the eyes of the country to abuses in regard to the national establishments . He had often heard it remarked that the man was a benefactor to his

      country who made two blades of grass grow where only one grew before ; and he also thought that he was . a national benefactor who could make in future £ 5 go as far as £ 10 did at present . ( " Hear" and laughter . ) The charge against the Liverpool Association was that they had accused the colonels of regiments of being tailors . Mr . F . Maule . — The charge against the Liverpool Association is that they accused the colonels of combining with the quartermasters for the purpose of cheating the soldiers . ( Hear , hear . ) Mr . Hume admitted that that was a great error , and most unjust accusation . ( Hear . ) Tin ' s he knew from the investigation before the committee in 1833 , for which he moved ; but at the same time he must observe that at that period the artillery were clothed bettor than the line ( though the clothing of the latter had improved since the sitting of that committee ) , and no colonel was connected with the clothing of the artillery in the same way as in the line . While willing to accord to colonels of tlie line

      all that their rank and station entitled them to , he still retained his opinion , that connecting tho colonels with the clothing of the men was placing the former in an anomalous situation , and that it would bo better not to afford even a pretence for charges such as the right hon . gentleman had alluded to . Ho thoug ht it therefore hard that a severe charge should have been made against the Liverpool Association for an error into which they mig ht have been led in consequence of the anomalous position in which the colonels were placed . He denied the validity of all the four reasons assigned by Mr . F . Maule for the number of men proposed , deprecating foreign intervention , advocating a reduction of tho forces in the colonies , and calling upon the government to discountenance the applications of magistrates at home , who were too fund of calling for military aid , * and he moved to reduce the numbers to 89 , 254 , explaining the grounds upon which he fixed upon that number .

      Afr . If . Dbujimond : The hon . gentleman the member for Montrose said , he thought there ought to be a great reduction in our military establishments , and he complained that there was much extravagance shown in all these matters . Now undoubtedly there was a groat expenditure under this head ; but he thought it was evident that the more we increased in trade , in manufactures , and population , the more we must increase in a force of some kind , and he did not much care whether that force appeared in blue coats or in red . ( near , hear . ) It was not the country boobies ( as the country gentlemen mi g ht perhaps be called on the other side ) who caused this increase , but it was the mayors of enlightened town constituencies in tbe manufacturing districts who called meetings with one hand , and with the other

      applied for military aid to keep them in order—( a laugh)—for just in proportion as these merchants ana manufacturers were cowards the one minute they were bullies the other . ( A laugh . ) They were the people who led us into war in China and South America , as the House had heard the other night , and now they turned tail upon her Majesty ' s government , and charged it with having incurred the expense . (" Hear , hear , " and laughter . ) Now he thought that if they entered into war they should not come out of it till they had conquered . ( Hear , hear . ) Either they should not begin to fight at all , or they should fight if it was necessary till they were dead . ( "Hear , hear , " and laughter . ) But they were told that these things were only said

      on the word of military men ; that these military men were not proper judges how to defend the country , and that civilians were the only good judges on such a matter . Now , this fallacy lay at the bottom of the whole question , and it was , therefore , well to examine it a little .. It appeared to him that it was a burlesque of the old saying , " Who drives fat oxen should himself be fat . " ( A laugh . ) In other words , " Who pays a general must himself be a _n-enoral . " ( A laugh ) . It was gravely _maintaineS by the hon . gentleman the member for the West Hiding that it was a question for the tax payers , and not the military , to decide what was tlie proportion of men necessary for the defence of the country . ( Hear , hear ) . "Hear , hoar ! " Wh y , if gentlemen opposite did not see the absurdity of such

      Monday , March 19. House Of Loitds._T Ka...

      an argument , he hoped the country would . H _* would toll them that thev were not cempeti'iit judges of this matter . What would thev f _liiiil ; if a party of general otiiecrs were to goto Jl . T _. _u ' . hess _^ r to instruct them how to make cotton twist _¦> . I" LVar . hear , ' and a laugh ) . Would thev not ansv . _-..,- that the ) were a set of _meddling f ools ? Ou _i . iu- same principle , he held that gentlemen in th . _ir iu ' _mse were going beyond their borders , that < _hnv were p resuming too far when thoy entered up _.-. n a mutter of which they were essentially , and nccc _^ ar . ! _-.- , : md naturally , not judges . ( Hear , hear ) . Tin : ' hon . gentleman the membor for the West _ltliiua ; , however , said , "You only aro the judges—* . ' : _£ < ' < varo , therefore , how you perform your duty ; you . v . v sent here to determine upon all these cconom _!•*• .- •

      _jiiestions . " Now ke held that , as judges of the v : i - ;¦ before them , they had nothing to do but to deci' ! f * according to the opinion of her Majesty ' s _goverih-jeiit , who only could know what the circumstances of the country required . ( Hear , hear ) , It anpravod to him that on such a question they were all equally stupid —( a laugh)—and that they ought to pin , uonfidence in those persons who must , of _ncef-sih , be better informed than the gentlemen seated on the other side . ( Hoar ) . Ho believed that a _hwk- upright man , or one who would g ive more satisiaccory testimony regarding what he saw or hoard , did not exist than the hon . member for the West Hiding ; but they must recollect also that there was not a , man in the country who stood convicted of being so utterly unable to give an accurate opinion of the

      state of Europe as the hon . gentleman was . ( A laugh ) . __ Xo man had been so unfortunate in his prophecies—none had ever been so completely refuted by the events . ( Hear , hear ) , lie spoke of our having near us peaceable and fricmliy neighbours;—why , he mi ght go to the Zoological Gardens , and , because lie saw the tigers lying quietly iu their lairs , ho might speak of them as peaceable and harmloss animals ; and , perhaps , he mi _^ fht amuse himself " wth the antics of the monkeys , Rut let , _lllCfll DO set loose , and he would find what altered creatures both tigers and monkeys would become . ( A laugh ) . In France the whole nation , to a man , had been rendered able to express their opinions , and they had just run mad at tor the ghost of a gr . iv Greatcoat and a very little hat . ( A laugh ) . They had

      just given to the world the information that the time when they wore happiest was not a time of free trade , but when they were under the Berlin and Milan decrees ; that the time they were looking back to with the greatest delight was , when they were under an absolute emperor , and that the thiii _- j _; they _WCl'O aspiring to again was another thirty _yc-ars of war with England , ( near , hear ) . Mr . M . Gibson , in reference to what had Mien from the hon . gentlemen opposite , would admit that , if he wanted to know how to deal with a regiment , when it was brought into the field , he would apply to a military officer ; and if he wanted to know how a ship was to be kept away from a lee shore , or handled in battle , he would apply to a professional man ; but he would not apply to the

      professional man on matters of general policy , or as to what was necossai-y for the safety of the country . ( Hear , hear . ) He declined altogether setting up military and naval men as a sort of independent government in the state . ( Hear , hear . ) On the contrary , he regarded them as public servants , and not as the only persons to bo consulted as to the mimbor of men the establishments of tho country required . There were always complaints of the great difficulty which government felt in resisting the demands of the army , & c ., for grants , and if it were not for what wero called the gentlemen of the Manchester school , those appeals would become altogether

      irresistible . He would support the motion of the hon . member for Montrose , mainly because no reason had been shown for keeping so largo a force in our colonies . As to the committee appointed to inquire into the condition of the services , he could not help expressing a wish that they had been empowered to inquire into the amount of the forces required , 80 that thoy mi ght have the whole question thus brought before them . ( Hear , hear . ) Mr . J . O'Coxxelt , urged that by acceding to the just demands of the Canadians and Irish two-thirds of the forces employed in those countries mi ght be reduced .

      Mr . W . P . Wood thought the government was the best judge of these masters , but right in throwing the responsibility on the House . Mr . V . Smith and Mr . Bice concurred'in thinking that the colonies should be made to maintain themselves . Captain Boldeeo contended for the necessity ofa system of reliefs , and therefore could not consent to reduce the army below the number of men proposed to be voted . Sir W . MoLEswoRTn stated his reasons at some length , chiefly with reference to the colonies , for voting for Mr . Hume ' s amendment . Mr . S . Crawford contended that if the people had an extended franchise and a greater voice in the legislature , there would he no need of standing armies in the time of peace .

      Mr . Cobden , after a brief reference to tho colonies , attacked the Secrctary-at-War upon x " Home Question . " They were toldthat the troops were required on account of our domestic condition . He must confess lie had heard with very great regret the remarks of the right hon . gentleman the Secretary-at-War , with respect to the necessity of keeping troops at homo for the purpose of keeping down the people , That was the first time such an object had ever been avowed by any member of any government , for it had hitherto been always denied that troops were kept to repress the people . ( " Oh , oli ! " ) It was a very alarming and melancholy state of things that it should be avowed in 1 S 1 _D that we kept up a large force to keep down the people oi England—Englishmen , who had been always considered peculiarly suited for sclf-governnicnt here or abroad , and who had always claimed the princi p le of being governed by the civil power . ( " Oh , oh ! " )¦ The right hon . gentleman distinctly avowed that

      Object . Ho said It was lor the purpose of keeping peace among the people . Some remarks had been made as to the state of the manufacturing towns . He perfectly admitted that the mayovs and magistrates of some large towns had sent for some troops last year , but there must be some fault in the system when such a reinforcement to the civil power was called for . He thought , on behalf of the middle classes , that those who were responsible for the government of the country should introduce some arge measure with respect to the working-classes , to bring the two into harmony , and that they 8 hould , hy bringing the latter within the pale of the constitution , take away the disaffection and discontent which induced the necessity for employing troops . With respect to the immediate vote before the House it must be borne in mind that troops had become really much more efficient than they had been a few years ago . A great authority—General Gordon—stated to the committee of 1844 that 1 , 000 men could be sent from London to Manchester in

      nine hours , and would arrive there fresh as when they started ; whereas , before the introduction ot railways , they would have taken seventeen days for the journey , and would have arrived fatigued and exhausted . Though he did not admit the necessity of repressing the people by armed men , railways had g iven tenfold force to their military establishments , and if thoy were necessary the number of men might be reduced , and yet the same amount of force be available . He maintained , however , that in large or small towns peace mig ht be maintained by the civil power , if government would sanction a mode by which an organised body—not of military or of National Guards—but of special constables , could be always in readiness to assist tho magistrates . Why not imitate America ? New York was

      larger than Liverpool , and yet there were neither soldiers nor barracks there , and the peace was kept by the police . There was a fluctuating population of English , Irish , and foreigners , and ho contended that what could be done at _Uew York with Englishmen could be done with Englishmen at home . The hon . member for West Surrey ( Mr . Drnmmond ) had made some remarks winch he would not have referred to but that they mig ht produce ill feelings elsewhere . The hon .. member had called the French tigers and monkeys , fit for exhibition in the Zoological Gardens . Perhaps the French might not know that the hon . gentleman was a privileged member of the House and that he was so nckle in his aversions

      and likings that they might find him next week calling them doves and Iambs . The rig ht hon . gentleman tho Secretary-at-War referred to the state of the continent as a reason for a large standing army . He would admit , if the right hon . gentleman pleased , that the French and the other continental nations were going to fight with each other . But that was not the question for us to consider with respect to our forces . What we had to ask was , if anybody was coming to fight with us ? Was there a symptom or a tendency of such a disposition on the continent ? Such being the case , and having no enemy he knew of to dread , ho thought there was no necessity for keeping up a larger military establishment than had been found necessary in 1835 and 183 G .

      Lord J . Russell replied to this with truly aristocratio insolence and falsehood . The hon . gentloman . objected to what he called the system of using troops to keep down the people , and said that the princip le had been for the first time avowed by his right hon . friend the Secretary-at-War ( Mr . Fox Mauie ) . _Kow I heard what my right hon . friend said , and I certainly heard nothing from him to such an effect . ( Cheers . ) My ri g ht hon , friend stated most _* ruly that during the past year there had heen many applications—tho greater part of

      them , fropithc mercantile and manufacturing towns , not hy the military , but hy the civil authorities , far troops to preserve order . ( Hear . ) But were these troops to keep down the people 1 ( Hear . ) By no means . They were to keep down a certain number of ill-conditioned and disaffected persons who wished to commit disorder , to promote tumult , and probably to gain an opportunity for plunder , and with whom it is a libel and a calumny to confound the people of this eountrv . ( Great cheering . ) The hon . gentleman asked why should not the municipal

  • Citation
    • Northern Star (1837-1852), March 24, 1849, page 7, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/ns3_24031849/page/7/