Feb. 17,] 



THE NEWSPAPER. 



[1844. 



men, and his entire force cut off. Sir Charles Napier was blamed 

 for differing with Major Outrara in opinion : but political resi- 

 dents were actuated as much by ambition as generals ; if the one 

 thought of glory by the sword, the other was actuated by that 

 of the pen ; and Sir Charles Napier, in relying on his own judg- 

 ment, followed the course which had testified its wisdom in its 

 results.— Mr. S. Crawford, not satisfied with Lord Howick's 

 objection without a division, moved the previous question, which 

 was seconded by Mr. Brothbrton.— Lord Palmerstov did not 

 think that political considerations should enter into the consi- 

 deration of the question. He saw only valour and skill in the 

 achievement of brilliant exploits; and regretted that the House 

 should depart from former precedent in not concurring in a 

 unanimous vote. There was no analog)' between the case of the 

 battle of Navarino and the operations iu Scinde ; the one was an 

 accidental movement on the part of a combined fleet, the other 

 a real war, ending in dethronement. Reserving his opinion as 

 to the policy of the war, he would concur in the vote of thanks. 

 — Mr. O. Stanley added a few observations; after which the 

 House divided on the previous question, when the numbers were 

 164 to 9. This result was received with much cheering, and the 

 ▼ote of thanks then passed.— Mr. Christie moved for a select 

 committee to consider the expediency of recognising the presence 

 of strangers at debates, and the publication of debates under the 

 pleasure of the House ; and to consider and report what regula- 

 tions may be necessary for that object.— Mr. Duncombb seconded 

 the motion.— The Chancellor of the Exchequer objected to 

 it as unnecessary for any useful purpose, and not worth the risk 

 of a change.— After a short discussion Mr. Christie struck out 

 that part referring to the exclusion of strangers, and confined his 

 motion to the recognition of reports. On this amended motion 

 the House divided— for the motion 37 ; against it 84 ; majority 47. 

 Tuesday.— Lord John Russell brought forward his motion 

 for a committee to take the state of Ireland into consideration. 

 The present Government he said rather occupied Ireland by 

 military force than governed her. A Government ought to rest 

 upon opinion ; but this Government stood only upon force. How 

 was it that a kingdom handed over two years ago in perfect 

 peace was now in a state of general disturbance ? He could see 

 in the now probable punishment of the man whom the Irish peo- 

 ple affectionately regarded as their liberator, no hope of im- 

 proved tranquillity. After tracing the history of Ireland from 

 the Union, he said the Irish people would have taken a wiser 

 course had they waited with calmness till their strength should 

 have enabled them to obtain effectual relief from the English 

 Government. But their leaders thought otherwise, and consi- 

 dered that no efficacious redress could be obtained but by a Re- 

 peal of the Union. Upwards of three millions of persons had 

 now expressed a desire for that Repeal; and was it not an alarm- 

 ing symptom that so vast a number of persons should have come 

 to such a conclusion ? Ministers however took no decisive step 

 against the Repeal meetings; they only dismissed some magis- 

 trates for not having taken notice of the newspaper reports of 

 the Prime Minister's Anti-Repeal speech in Parliament. The 

 meetings were allowed to go on from March to October; then 

 suddenly on a Saturday evening a proclamation was issued to 

 forbid a meeting which was to have taken place on the Sunday 

 morning in the neighbourhood of Dublin. Great blame attached 

 to the Government for their carelessness in thus incurring the ha- 

 zard of riot and bloodshed ; and the subject was one of those which 

 demanded inquiry. He did not himself disapprove the prohibi- 

 tion of meetings dangerous from their numbers; and if a pro- 

 clamation to that effect had been issued at the outset, he be- 

 lieved it would have been obeyed. In regard to the late 

 trials he asked what advantage would the Government reap 

 from the conviction they had gained? He doubted whe- 

 ther imprisonment and suffering would not rather increase 

 than abate the popularity of Mr. O'Connell. What he should 

 propose if the House went into committee, would be firstly 

 to get rid of all sectarian policy ; secondly, to give a fair 

 and equal franchise, corporate as well as Parliamentary; next, 

 to abolish the system of civil exclusion. Then, as to the question 

 of the Ecclesiastical establishment. It had been urged as a main 

 objection against the voluntary system, that the clergy main- 

 tained by it were too apt to make themselves and even their 

 doctrine subservient to the prejudices of those who paid for that 

 maintenance. Now this objection existed in Ireland with respect 

 to the spiritual guides of 6,000,000 of people; and those guides 

 were thus forced into politics and agitation. With this inherent 

 evil of the voluntary system was united in Ireland that opposite 

 evil also, which is moie or less inc dent to every establishment 

 —the jealousy and odium which it generates among the Dis- 

 senters from it. Thus your present state combined the disad- 

 vantages of both systems. His wish was to see the ecclesiastical 

 endowments applied to the religious instruction of all classes. 

 But this would not be feasible as yet ; for in the existing state of 

 feeling the priesthood would not accept a public provision; 

 perhaps the utmost that could at present be done would be to 

 make a liberal allotment for the education of the Irish clergy. 

 The grant to their college, whether at Mayncoth or elsewhere, 

 should be the double of its present amount. The prohibition 

 upon the Roman Catholic bishops against taking the titles of 

 their sees should be abolished; and so should every other badge 

 of degradation to the Roman Catholic clerpy. But perhaps the 

 most difficult of all thesesubjects was that of the disorders arif Ing 

 from the tenure of land. Mr. O'Connell had said that the ^lo- 

 tion of this difficulty is full of danger; but there seemed at all 

 events to be no necessity (or the collection of further evidence 

 by a commission. He should wish to see an increase rather than 

 a diminution in the number of the stipendiary magistrates; but 

 he could not venture to say that he knew of any complete 

 remedy for tucta an evil as that which was connected with the 

 existing tenure. — Mr. Wvsb in seconding the motion took a 

 review of the Irish penal laws and of their operation. lie com- 

 plained that the Roman Catholics had not received their fair 

 proportion of the favours of the present Ministry, and contended 

 that they had been very contumeliously treated in being ex- 

 cluded irom the Jury <»n the late trials in Dublin. He con- 

 demned the present policy of Government, especially on the 

 subject of education, and assured them that the discontents 

 and danger of Ireland would be rather aggravated than al!e- 

 Tiated by the course now adopted. — ^ir Ja.mks Graham com- 

 menced by observing that it was on the fatal field of Irish policy 

 that he had first parted from Lord John Russell, and ex- 

 pressed his fear that, judging from the noble Lord's senti- 

 ments just delivered, on the same fatal Irish field they never 

 could meet again except as antagonists. The Right Hon. 

 Baronet then proceeded to answer seriatim the accusations made 

 by Lord J. Russell. ( As to the omission in the Recorder's office, 

 that was an accident for which the Government were not 

 responsible. With respect to the striking the Roman Catholics 

 from the jury, he greatly regretted that a body whom he so 

 much respected as the English Roman Catholics, should have 

 treated this as an affront to their religion, when, in truth, the 

 objections were only political. These Catholics were struck, 

 not because they were Catholics, but, as to eight of them, be- 

 cause they were Repealers. Then, as to the two others, Michael 

 Dunn and Hendrick, there were four Michael Dunns in the 

 same ward, three of whom had signed a Repeal requisition ; and 

 it was, and still is, believed by Government that this man was 

 -one of those three ; for, in an affidavit which he had now made, 

 denving that he had subscribed to the fund, he did not deny that 

 Jie had signed the requisition. The jnsti action given by Go- 

 vernment was to strike only those Catholics who would have 

 been equally struck had they been Protestants. The 10th of 

 these Catholics was Hendrick, and he, when struck off, was sup- 

 posed to be a Protestant, and was objected to for reasons which 

 it would not he proper to disclose. The object of the Govern- 

 ment had been not to get a single conviction, or to get convic- 



headand front of the offence; and this object had been attained, 

 under the direction of a unanimous bench. The discrimination 

 exercised by the jury had evinced that if the indictment had 

 been merely for attending illegal meetings, there would have 

 been no conviction ; for the offence of which the traversers were 

 found guiltv was not that of attending at an illegal meeting, but 

 that of holding" a meeting, not in itself illegal, for an illegal pur- 

 pose. It was idle to say that there was no conspiracy because 

 there was no secrecy : in these days, Leaguers met in theatres, 

 and Repealers in Conciliation-halls. He would remind the House 

 that it was possible for Government to have tried the question by 

 a common jury, in which case the traversers would not have been 

 entitled to challenge a single man, while the Government, exer- 

 cising its right, might have ordered the Jurors to stand by without 

 stint or limit, but that they preferred giving the traversers the 

 chance of a special verdict, and their right to challenge. 

 One important benefit had already been derived from the con- 

 duct of the Government; because for the last three months 

 there had been comparative peace in Ireland, an increase in the 

 industry of that country, and an increase of employment for the 

 labouring poor had been the result. He admitted that the hopes 

 of the country would be sad if for the future there were to be no 

 means of retaining Ireland but by military occupation, but he 

 had discovered nothing very new in the suggestions made to- 

 night for the future government of Ireland. All that had been 

 proposed on the subject of tenure was comprised in the scope or 

 the Commission already issued. The only measure which Lord 

 J. Russell had recommended, as between landlord and tenant, was 

 an increase in the number of stipendiary magistrates. On tne 

 subject of education it was intended to propose in the estimates 

 an additional grant. With respect to the elective franchise he 

 explained the way in which the number of electors in the Irish 

 counties had diminished, and stated that the proposed increase 

 of that number was intended by way of compensation for the 

 decrease so occasioned. He then defended the judicial appoint, 

 ments of the present Ministry. It had been said that the liberal 

 party in Ireland was the strongest in talent, and that from their 

 ranks the new appointments ought to have been made and yet 

 of the counsel selected by Mr. O'Connell for himself and his 

 associates every one except Mr. Sheil, Mr. M'Donough, and the 

 Attorney and Solicitor-General of the late Government, were 

 men of Conservative opinions. Then there was the great subject 

 of religion, and the noble Lord would be satisfied with nothing 

 but equality. It must be a postponed equality however, for the 

 ncble Lord admitted that the life-interests of t?ie existing Pro- 

 testant clergy were to be respected. How would you make pro- 

 vision for the Roman Catholic priesthood ? The English people 

 would not pay a tax for it, and if they would the priesthood 

 would not take it. Would you overthrow the whole Church and 

 resort to the voluntary system? That was not more acceptable 

 to the noble Lord himself than to the Conservative party. Or 

 would the noble Lord like an equal division between Protestants 

 and Catholics ? He himself could conceive nothing which would 

 produce more angry feeling. But in truth he would consent to 

 none of these inroads on the Protestant Church ; the State had 

 made its choice at the time of the Reformation, and that choice 

 would not he believed be rescinded by the attacks of the conspi- 

 rators at the Conciliation-hall. He concluded by calling on the 

 House to negative the motion by a decisive majority. The 



debate was then adjourned. 



Wednesday.— lit. L. Bruges took his seat for Devizes.— On the 

 motion of Mr. Pakington. the County Coroners Bill was read a first 

 time.— Mr. J. S. Wortley moved the second reading of the Horse- 

 Racing Actions for Penalties Discontinuance Bill, a temporary mea- 



threatened us, should we ever be engaged in war. Nor were either 

 the past conductor the future promises of the Government calcu. 

 lated to inspire confidence; at a time when the whole population of 

 Ireland was arrayed against us and was only to be kept down by 

 physical force, the announced measures were but a M beggarly ac- 

 count of empty boxes." The proposed extension of the franchise 

 might prove beneficial : but he feared that in the unsettled 

 state of the relations of landlord and tenant, the commission 

 would excite expectations which would be doomed to disap. 

 pointment. No remedial measure was now likely to heal the 

 wounds of Ireland, unaccompanied by a removal of that galling 

 sense of injustice engendered by the partial treatment of the 

 members of the ancient faith of the Roman Catholic Church. 

 Even the Presbyterian clergy of Ireland, dissenters in the eye 

 of the law, received a portion of the bounty of the State ; whilst 

 the Roman Catholics, the poorest population in Europe, were 

 excluded from all participation in State endowment. The 

 struggle might be protracted ; but it could only end either in 

 the triumph of popular fight, or in that convulsion which some 

 were mad enough to desire. In this awful conjunction of the 

 fate of the British empire, it was their solemn duty to God and 

 their country to weigh well the existing state of Ireland.— On 

 Lord Howick sitting down (at half past eleven), no member 

 rising, a cry arose of " Divide," but Captain Bernal moved the 

 adjournment of the debate. Strangers were ordered to with- 

 draw; but on re-admission to the gallery, Sir R. Peel was 

 found addressing the house. He was understood to be replying 

 to a taunt for remaining silent ; but he assented to the adjourn- 

 ment.— Sir G. Grev thought it strange that Ministers, especially 

 Sir Robert Peel, should maintain a determined silence. The 

 debate might have closed that night, if he had risen and ex- 

 pressed his sentiments.— The debate was then adjourned. 



CITY. 



Money Market, Friday. — Consols closed at 97 \ ; 

 Red, Three per Cents., 98£ ; Three-and-Half per Cents. 

 Red., 103J; India Stock, 278; Bank Stock, 194; Ex- 

 chequer Bills, 69s. to 70s. prem. 



sure, to stop the qui tarn actions founded on an obsolete statute, and 

 commenced against a few gentlemen eminent on the turf. It will be 

 recollected that this bill has passed the House of Peers ; that it sim- 

 ply stops the proceedings already taken upon payment of the costs 

 out of pocket ; and that it suspends the operation of the old statute, 

 so far as these penalties a/e concerned, for a time sufficient to admit 

 of a revision of the Gaming Laws and the passing of a general act on 

 the subject.— Mr. M. Gibson* moved as an amendment that a select 

 committee be appointed to inquire into the existing statutes against 

 gaming of every k ; .nd.— Lord J. Manners supported the original 

 motion, and iittt a discussion, in which Capt. Berkeley, 

 Mr. M. MiLVFJ, Mr. V. Smith, Col. Peel, Mr. Hume, the 

 Attorney-General, and Mr. C. Berkelky, took part, the 

 House divided, when there were for the second reading, 112; 

 against it, 25; mojority, 87. The bill was read a second time, 

 after an intimation given by Sir J. Graham that he was ready to 

 support a committee to inquire into the whole state of the laws affect- 

 inc gaming.— The adjourned debate on the condition of Ireland was 

 resumed bv Lord Leveson, who deplored the policy which made 

 religious differences the test of political distinctions; expressed his 

 conviction that Ireland was not to be pacified by convictions and 

 military rule; and was not without hope, as he had even during his 

 brief career, s*en so many changes in the conduct and opinions of 

 public men, that he should yet witness Sir R. Peel devoting his 

 abilities to the advocacy of a more liberal cause than he was now 

 identified with.— Mr. B. Cochrane and Mr. J. Young followed in 

 support of Government, and Lord Clements and Sir George Grey 

 spoke in favour of Lord J. Russell's motion.— Lord Eliot defended 

 the conduct and policy pursued by Government throuehout their 

 entire Irish administration ; and stated that the reason why, in their 

 I^al appointments, they had chosen gentlemen professing the Esta- 

 blished, rather than the Roman Catholic religion, was, because there 

 was not a single Roman Catholic member of the Irish bar entitled by 

 his professional reputation to be promoted to the bench or to high 

 legal offices. The debate was again adjourned. 



Thursday.— Mr. Sotheron and Mr. Maher took their seats, the 

 former for North Wiltshire, the latter for Tipperary.— On the 

 motion of Mr. Wyse, an address to her Majesty, praying her to 

 direct that the minutes in Council taken upon the subject of 

 education in Great Britain be laid on the table, was agreed to. — 

 The adjourned debate was opened by Mr. Ross, during whose 

 speech Mr. O'Connell entered the House. Loud shouts from 

 without announced his approach, and there was a rush of Mem- 

 bers to their places. As he entered a burst of cheering broke out 

 from the Opposition side of the House which was kept up for a 

 long time, the Ministerial Members sitting in profound silence. 

 Mr. Borthwick, Sir H. Barron, and Mr, Repton followed. Mr. 

 More O'Ferrall said he drew from the speech of Sir J. Graham 

 that he saw no alternative for the future but the government of 

 Ireland by force. [Sir J. Graham dissented.] Well then he had 

 declared the intention of the Government that the Established 

 Chuich was still to be maintained in its present offensive form of 

 inequality, and that was equivalent to a determination to govern 

 Irelandby force. He passed a severe censure upon Lord Brougham; 

 and with respect to the trials declared hi3 conviction that the 

 blundering; of the Attorney-General, the striking of the Jury, 

 and the charge of the Chief Justice deprived the verdict of all 

 moral weight.— Sir J. Graham disclaimed having said anything 

 which would justify the allegation that the Government contem- 

 plated the future government of Ireland by force, though he had 

 certainly said that the Established Church must be maintained 

 in all its rights, privileges, and .property.— Mr. Shaw entered 

 into a minute technical detail of the mode in which the revision 

 of the Jury-lists was carried on under the provisions of the sta- 

 tute. From his statements it appeared that instead of sixty or 

 sixty-five names having been omitted there had been only nine- 

 teen omitted, and five which had been incorrectly placed, out of 

 the five thousand names of common jurors from which the spe- 

 cial jury panel of between seven and eight hundred had to be 

 selected. He had bestowed trreat care, labour, and anxiety on 

 the revision of tbwe lis's; but the omitted names had acciden- 

 tally been slipped amon^t some blank sheets and Ihe mistake 

 had not been discovered in time. With much earnestness he 

 assured the House that no corrupt motive had actuated either 

 himself or the registrar of his court— Lord Howick warned the 

 House that the policy pursued in Ireland by the wide-spread di^af- 



JlUtropotfe antt fts FtcmftB. 



Anti Corn- Law League— The fourth weekly meeting 

 of the League was held on Thursday in Covent Garden 

 Theatre, the Hon. C. P. Villiers in the chair. The 

 meeting was addressed by Mr. Hume, M.P., Mr. Christie, 

 M.P., and Mr. I. Fox, and the chairman announced that 

 Mr. O'Connell would attend the next meeting. 



London and County Bank.— The half-yearly meeting 

 of the proprietors of this company was held last week in 

 Lombard-street, Mr. Hawes, M.P., in the chair. The 

 report stated that the business of the bank was progres- 

 sively increasing, and that after deducting the current 

 expenses of the head office and branches, the interest on 

 current and deposit accounts, &c, there remained a 

 balance of 3,871/. The directors recommended that a 

 dividend of five per eent. be paid to the proprietors, leav- 

 ing the sum of 805/. to be added to the guarantee fund. 

 The balance-sheet showed liabilities and paid-up capital, 

 121,685/.; reserve fund, 8,245/. Due to customers on 

 account of deposit accounts, &c, 996,082/. ; rebate and 

 loss, 29,152/. : assets in hand, 1S8,951/. ; security dis- 

 counted bills, 912,869/. : preliminary expenses, &c, 

 33,040/.; current expenses, interest on current and deposit 

 accounts, 20,304/. ; total, 1,155,164/. After the reading 

 of the report, Mr. Isaacs, of Maidstone, addressed the 

 meeting at considerable length, alleging that the bank had 

 lost one-third of its paid-up capital ; that it had incurred 

 losses which had not been written off, and that its shares 

 had fallen from 15/. to 7/. 10*. He concluded by propos- 

 ing that a committee of inquiry be appointed to investi- 

 gate its affairs. The Chairman replied to these statement?, 

 affirming that they were utterly unfounded and that they 

 originated in the ill-will of a discarded officer. Ultimately, 

 the amendment was negatived by a large majority and a 

 vote of renewed confidence in the directors was unani- 

 mously passed. . 



College of Surgeons.— A meeting of Surgeons tooK place 

 lately, " to consider and determine," according to the 

 words of the notice, " what steps ought to be taken to resist 

 the oppressive clauses of the recent Charter of the Koyai 

 College of Surgeons." Mr. Macilwain took the chair, ana 

 in explaining the objects of the meeting said that tnoug 

 there was some degree of difference in the feelings wuu 

 which the Charter was regarded, it was viewed with gre 

 dissatisfaction by the majority of the profession— by n- 

 tenths of the profession at least. Dr. Lynch, Vr. > 

 son, Mr. Carpue, Mr. Cooper, Mr. Dermott and other 

 gentlemen addressed the meeting, and resolutions 

 favour of uniformity of education and equality ot pr 

 leges, and condemning the exclusive character of the 



Charter were unanimously adopted. f hnrn- 



Liberation of Mr. Oastler.— On Monday Mr. mo 



ment of three years and a quarter. Mr. Ferra ?%* ien ds 

 Mr. Rashleigh, M.P., and several others of his in 

 were deputed to conduct Mr. Oastler to the central *j 

 mittee-room at the British Coffee-house, where ne 

 received by the committee, over which Lord * eve , 

 presided, supported by Mr. Coiville, M.P., M[- * a ad . 

 Mr. Scholefield, and other gentlemen. Mr. ° as " f 

 dressed the meeting at some length, and resoiuu ^ 

 thanks were passed to the chairman, cotnmittee, ^ 

 others who had taken an active part in his liberatio . 

 Thursday Mr. Oastler left town for Nottingham ; u» y 

 (Saturday) he proposes to visit Leeds; and on * fieldf 

 next he will make his public entry into Huda e ' 

 where great preparation! are making for his recep ' }fefl 

 The New Royal Exchange.— Instructions have bee ■ s^ 

 by the committee superintending the erection ot f aC inf 

 Exchange to sell the triangular block of buildings 

 Cornhill and Threadneedle-street, known as lian* . 

 ings, which are to be taken down for the purpose oi ^ ^ 

 the western approach to the New Royal Bxchang ^ 

 site for the Wellington statue. The portion ™ 





tiers UDon sinele speeches or paragraphs, but to get the whole House that the policy pursued in irelandby tne wide-spread disaf- I ' . „™;««. «o*n,ueA for many years 



^!bS^tlhtv^» ™* l ° con ™ 1 th0 - e wh0 «K«titiittd the fec:ion which it caused, was a real and alarming danger which I comprises the premises occupied lor many ; 



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