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Wellington Independent, Volume II, Issue 105, 14 October 1846, Page 3

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(From the Spectator.)

Our opinion in favour of the principle of Lord Brougham's bill hag been repeatedly expressed. Lord motion is also well worthy [of support: the Commission he proposes might do good service were; it merely 'by scrutinizing the details of the Short Deedjßill, with a view to render it more completely effective. But other and more important matters lie [beyond that. Cheap titles are wanted, and a ready mode of rendering land transferable from hand to hand, and available as a security of raising money, and otherwise satisfying the immediate necessities of the owner. Tb 8 Registry question now forces itself upon consideration. These, and many such topics, hive been noted in the course of the examinations and discussions of the Committee of the Lords on Land Burdens; and reports upon them, followed by judicious measures emanating from competent persons, would at this moment be sure to command a favourable attention. Much, however, depends upon the proper selection of persons. The old Real Property Commission is dispersed. They were a useful body ; but a far more important task devolves upon their successors. A mere board of practical conveyancers and equity draftsmen would new be worse than useless. Professional learning must be fairly represented; but the landowner, who has the commodity to sell and the public, who want to buy the commodity,' must be assured that tha proper measures will be considered by the proper men, and that professional interests shall not impede the necessary changes. To be useful, any Commission that may be appointed must be so composed as to be above suspicion of bias torn interested motives. A judiciously selected Commission would at the present crisis enable a government so disposed, to effect extensive, beneficial, and reforms in the law. Hoose or Lords;— Practice op Conveyance.—Lord Brou-ham laid on their Lordohips table a Bill for lunher simplifying the conveyance and sale of landed property, and the granting cf term leases. His present Bill extended the former provisions in all sales and txchanges, and to tb e forms of leases. One of the greatest evils to which landowners in this country were subj cted was the expense of conveyancing, and the consequent uncertainty of title. A body of evidence had been given before the Committee on Burdens on Lands, which was quite frightful in this respect, as shewing the difference between the number of years* purchase in this and other countries, in consequence of the expense here that attended conveyancing. The expense of the conveyance of an acre was as great as that of a large estate, and hit measure would give great facility to the commerce in land. There was a reluctance on the part of the profession, he had understood, to use the new forms, because they were not compulsory; but he defied any one to make chem so: for if a man chose to use the long form of conveyance in preference to the short one, he could not compel him to adopt the latter. But in the present Bill he had inse.ted a provision giving the taxing master power to take the matter into consideration, and not to allow the long form in costs, if it w re shewn that the short one was sufficient. The Bill was read a first time. We are of course entitled to expect, that whatever reforms may be introduced by the Imperial Parliament into the conveyancing system, will be promptly adopted by the legislature of this colony; and thus the most plausible argument in favour of pfandbrief will cease to exist.—Sydney Morning Herald. The Value op Smoke.—A striking instance of economic talent came to our knowledge in tbe district of Alston Moor. From the smelting.healths of one " house," an arched tunnel conducts the smoke to an outlet at a distance from the works, in a waste spot, where no one can complain of it. The gathering matter of " fume " resulting from the passage of the smoke is annually submitted to a process, by which it at that time yielded enough to pay for the construction of a chimney. A similar tunnel chimney three miles in length was erecting at Allendale. Its fumes will yield thousands of pounds sterling per annum. Truly, here it may be said that smoke does not end in smoke.—British Quarterly Review. Evangelical Alliance.—During last year a great association has been formed, under this name, of all evangelical protestants. Its first general meeting was held in Liverpool, in December last, 216 delegates, ministers and laymen, representing 19 different denominations, met and deliberated on the objects of the association. This meeting was preliminary to another and larger meeting of delegates from all the proteatant churches in the world,

to be held in London in June last. The Liverpool conference appointed four committees, to make preparation for the great meeting in London. One for the south and midlend counties of England, to meet in London ; another for the north and west, to meet in Liverpool; another for Ireland, to meet Dublin; and another for Scotland, to meet in Glasgow. The Evangelical AlLance is not a union of churches as sucb, but a union of individuals holding evangelical sentiments, to attain as tar as practical the following objects. A higher degree of mutual affection—a filler display of manifest unity— and a greater amount of common effort in opposing popery, infidelity, and immorality, and in advancing the common interests of .'Christianity throughout the world. The conference at Liverpool was characterised by great cordiality of feeling, and unanimity of sentiment, and the proceedings of the association are pxciting the most lively interest throughout Great Britain and Inland. Free Church of Scotland.— This church now numbers upwards of 600 ministers and 80) congregations. In the short space of two years it raised 700,000, for religious purposes. In order to secure a comfortable manse to every country minuter, it was resolved to raise a fund of j£ 150,000 In December last, at a public meeting held in Edinburgh, it was announced that £ J BO,OOO of this sum had been subscribed in the course of a few months, and that there was every prospect of the whole being obtained in a short time. The Marquis of Breadalbane, the only nobleman, connected with the Free Church, has contributed %about £'5,000. The rest has all been in sums of not less than £b, the whole payable in five years. The disruption of the Church of Scotland and the B ub. sequent movements of the Free Church have had a happy effect in quickening the activity of other dissenting churches in Scotland. A new era of activity, in pecuniary mattora at least, has commenced. The Scotch seem to be remembering the words of one of their old national bards. " Gowd maks the sodger fecht ths fiercer. " Without it preachin wad be scarcer." It is next to certaiu tlut in a very few years, there will not be a dissenting place of worship in Scot, land, on which there will be a penny of debt, a circumstance that will tell powerfully iv behalf* of missionary, educational, and other philanthropic institutions. Switzerland, Canton* de Vaud, Disruption in the Established Church.—ln December last, a disruption, similar to that which occurred in Scotland thres ye.rs ago, took place in the established church of the Canton de Vaud. The Government in Vaud ig radical and infidel. For some years past it has been making many unwarrantable aggressions upon the liberties of the church. Latterly these restrictions became so stringent and unsupportabie, that of the 200 ministers connected with the established church, in that protestaat canton, 100 resigned their charges and their livings, and for conscience sake have thrown themselves and their families upon the bounty of providence for support. The Government continues to act towards them with relentless tyranny. In Lausanne the ministers and people who have left the establishment ars prohibited from meeting for public worship, and.it is feared the same course will speedily be followed in the rural districts. It is highly probable that a number of the ministers will be obliged to banish themselves to other countries. This disruption has caused a great sensation and culled forth a great Rmount of sympathy throughout Britain, but especially in Scotland. Since the days of Calvin and Knox, Switzerland and Scotland have reciprocated more or less closely on religious matters ; and of late years their mutual intercourse has been greatly oh the increase. The principles of religious liberty are spreading rapidly on the Contioeut. A laughable exhibition enlivened the members of the Lower Houses Sir James Graham begged to be ptrmit'ed to present a petition from himself. (Laughter.) The Speaker informed the right hon. baronet that he could not be permitted to do so, such a course being contrary to the orders of the House. (Great Laughter, durinc which Sir James Graham resumed his seat, h< lding his petition in his hand. The Attorney-General tendered his services to present it, but they were not accepted, and, after some mirth and a little confusion) — Mr. Sidney Herbert present d the p. tiiion of Sir James Graham against the Caledonian Kailway. Captain Vivian complained of the irregularity of the Post-office in tho transmission of let ers and more especially newspapers, by the morning mai s.—Mr. Cardwell attributed the irregularity mainly to the enormous increase in the number of London daily newspapers despatched by the morning mails. In one week of the present year the entire number was no less than 729,000; and the difficulty of sorting in time such a mass as this was incressed by the fact that many were sent without covers, misdirected, and so forth. Efforts were now making to render tbe Post-offi c fully adequate to its increased duties.

National defences.—Lord Dundooald has reminded the public that he has a tremendous secret of de.-tnicti»;., come nnknown power, which no present 'mean* of marine warfare could re»bt, while i w old supersede cumbersome stationary ih?feoce<. Lord Duiidoriald is not the o-dv p r-on who vaunts the possession of such terriblo secrets; we remember Mr. Warner 'or one, and there m*y be more. The sfio- u - ingdisreg.rd shown to these persons o * not appear to us. to be judicious. The matter ought to be set at r'eit in soni:< way. There is one seeet, at least, which the public have a right to know—the priu'ip| c on which government have acted in their rebuff of these gentlemen. Lord Dundonald, for ins;ance, says that he has a plan which will supersede millions' worth of fortifications, and will destroy invading fleets. Government say, by their acts, that they will not meddle with it. That looks strange. It may be very ri^ht: but, to have even the most general notion of its propriety we ought to know the principle that has dictated its refusal.—Spectator. A second edition of the Times of the sth of April, gives despatches announcing the complete tranquillity of India. Parliamentary Summary — The Parliamentary proceedings had been diversified by Mr. Smi-h O'Brien's committal to the custody of tbe S<>rgeai,t-at- Arms for contempt of the House. Mr. Smith O'Brien announced his determination not to serve on any Parliamentary commit.cc whose labours were not specially devoted to the interests of Ireland. This resolution Mr. O'Brien recen iy communicated, in an official lor-n, to the commutes of selection on railway bills j and as the committee had no power to exempt Mr. O'Brien from bis duties, the hon. gent eman was appointed in his turn to serve on a committee of inquiry into a group of English railways. This appointment brought matters to an issue, since Mr. O'Brien's non-attendance at the committee rendered it necessary to bring the whole question before the House; accordingly, Mr. Eslcourt reported the facts of the case, and exprrssed great pain in being obliged to move that Mr. O'Brien, having disobeyed the order of the, House, had been guilty of contempt. Mr. O'Brien, was present when the subject was brought forward, but declined to add anything to the reasons already set forth in his correspondence with Mr. Estcourt. He was therefore directed to withdraw. The d.scussion which ensued was remarkable for the evident desire of all parties to induce Mr. O'Brien to reconsider his determination. On a division, the original motion declaring Mr. O'Brien in contempt, was carried by 133 to 13. Mr. O'Brien still persisting in his resolution, was committed to the custody of the Sergeant-at-Arms; and at the latest date, continued comfortably domiciled in prison. On the 4th May, upon the resumption of the debate on the Corn Importation Bill, Mr. Hutt presented various petitions in favor of the measure he had proposed last session from Sydney, and Van Diemen's Land, signed by 3,100 persons, and from various settlements in Australia. Messages from the Queen were submitted to both Houses, stating that Her Majesty was desirous to confer some signal mark of her favour on Viscount Hardinge and Lord Gough. for their distinguished services during the campaign of the and the Punjaub, to descend to the two next surviving heirs male; and recommending the respective Houses to adopt such measures as may be necessary for the accomplishment of the object. The Time 3 states that pensions of i' 5,000 a year to Viscount Hardinga and Lord Gough will be the Ministerial proposal on Monday. It is also said that the East India Company are to display their accustomed liberality, towards the same parties ; the probability being that Viscount Hardinge will have a pension of £5,000 a year, and he Commander-in-chief one of £2,000; making from both sources £10,000 a year to the one, and £7,000 to the other. Mr. Ewart gave notice that on the 12th of May, he should renew his motion for the abolition of the punishment of death. The Lords have effected one useful task in adopting the principle of the Lord Chancellor's " Religious Opinion Kelief Bill ;" which passed its second reading without dissent. The measure is to remove from the statute-book many obsolete penal enactments against persons not belonging to the Established Church —Roman Catholics, Jews, Dissenters, and other recusants. Keying,the Chinese HighCommissioncr, has contributed a sum equal to £190 in aid of the Thame; Floating-Hospital. •

Things Lost for Ever.—Lost wealth may be restored by industry—the wreck of health regained by temperance—forgotten knowledge restored by study—forfeited reputation won by patience and virtue. But who ever a»ain looked upon his vanished hours—stamped them with wisdom, or effaced from Heaven's record the fearful blot of wasted time ! The Booty taken in Scinde,—We understand that a gram has been made to the captors of the booty taken in Scinde by the troops under Major-General Sir Charies Napier, in February and March 1843. The amount of bullion and treasure is stated at upwards of £400,000. What the value of jewels, &j. may be, is not known, but they will probably realise £100,000; so that no less than half a million sterling will be to be divided among the captors. To the troops who were stationed in Scinde at the battles of Meanee and Hydrabad, but who were not actually present at these battles, a specific portion (we believe one-sixth) is allotted. The residue is given to the forces engaged in the battles, after deducting what they have already received, under the head of " extra batta," on this account. The stamp duty paid into the Bank of England on account of the bullion and treasure, amounts to upwards of £21,000. What Next?— The following is extracted from an account of the trial of a man named Van Steenburg, for murder, as reported in the " New York Weekly Herald ":— " One of the most singular, extraordinary and curious things about this trial is the fact that Stanley Grimes, Esq., the celebrated lecturer on that sublime and interesting science called Phrenology, at present delivering a course on the subject in this viilage, sits on the right hand of counsel for the prisoner, and critically examine* the faces, but more particulary tbe lumps on the craniums, of Jurors, while undergoing examination. —His advice regarding their character has been taken in several instances; and if the juror was declared incompetent bythe trier, the peremptory challenge has been used at his suggestion. This is certainly one of the most novel, romantic and funny proceedings we have ever yet heard of. It is the beginning of a new era in modern criminal jurisprudence—-for, if successful in this instance, we have no doubt a phrenologist will hereafter become an indispensable appendage in a criminal suit. An animal magnetiser may hereafter be found useful in putting an obnoxious jury raan into a state of somn dency while the evidence is being heard." Fluctuations of the Funds during a Century.—The following notice of the fluctuations which have taken place during the last century, and the causes which produced them will be interesting. From 1730 till the rebellion of 1745, the 3 per cent 3. were never under 89, and were once, in 1737, as high as 107. During the rebellion they sunk to 76; but in 1739 rosa again to 100. In the interval between the peace of Paris in 1883, and the breaking out of the American war, they averaged from 89 to 90 ; but towards the close of the war they sunk to 54. In 1792 they were at one time as high as 96, but within five years from the time, namely, in 1797 consols fell to the unprecedentedly low price of 44f. The great change was the consequence of the French with whom we were at war; the muiny at the Nora; and the general distress and bankruptcy which then prevailed. The highest price of consols in 1797 was only 56. On the conclusion of a peace signed at Amiens, in 1802, they advanced to 79 j but, hostilities immediately commencing, they sunk again to 50 in 1803. In 1809 they reached 66, in 1808 they were at 70, and in 1810 at 72. The fate of the American war in 1812 brought them down again to 55; and although they rose to 73 on the abdication of Bonaparte in 1814. they were again at 55 on his escaping from .Elba in 1815. The battle of Waterloo, however, Caused an immediate reaction, and in 1817, they rose to 84. At the period of the Queen's trial, 1820, consols eunk to 65, but in 1826 had again ascended to 97. The panic of 1825 brought them down to 74, but, with the exception of another sudden fall, in consequence of public distress in 1834, however, was of very slight duration tbe funds have since continued to advance . —Globe. Egypt.—Private letters from Alexandria announce that the portrait of Queen Victoria was presented to the Pasha at Cario, by the British consul, Col. Barnett That functionary wa» met at the entrance of the citadel by an entire regiment under arms; and Artim Bey and Edhetn Bey introduced him to Mehemet Ali, who stood

up to receive the picture, and raised it to his head as a mark of respect. Th 3 gift of her Majesty appeared to have produced a deep impression on the Egyptians. The Viceroy's prime minister, Artim Bey. issued a notice on the 22nd, that his High. tess, ever studying the welfare of Egypt, has decided on prohibiting for the present the exportation of grain and pulse in consequence of the short crops. The agents of the Pasha have discovered a mine of fossil coal in a mountain situate within twelve hours of the harbour of Seleucu. This coal is said to be of excellent quality.—Times. London to Liverpool and back in Ons Day.—A. memorial has been addressed to the Directors of the London and Birmingham and Grand Junction, requesting them to mn an express train daily between Liverpool and London, at six a.m. each way, for the convenience of merchants of both cities. Should such an express be sent it will, by starting from London at six a.m., arrive in Liverpool at twelve, or half-past, so that newspapers and dispatches which now reach Liverpool at half-past three will find their destination at mid-day; the journey and post deliveries being* accelerated by from two and a-half to three hours, over a distance of 208 miles. Common Origin of Man.—Mankind appear to have had a common origin, to have spread over the earth from one source; carrying along with them more or less of primitive faith, arts and civilizati >n. Remains of pyratnidial and palatial structures ot towers and mounds are discernible almost everywhere in the new and old world. The most enduring traces of most people are their tombs ; and the temples and sepulchral monuments of the remotest date ; and in every country are found to possess and to have been formed aad derived from a common type —to have a kindred resemblance. What are the pyramids of and Mexico, the round towers of Ireland, and throughout Hindostan the burrows, and tumili of Siberia and our own Island, but heaps of earth and stone intended for religious rites, or in honour of or for the preservation of the illustrious dead! They differ in some respects, as for instance the monumental towers of Celtic Gaul are square, but this devarication does not seriously impeach the likelihood of a common origin or uniformity of design ; in general structure and probable purpose there is a striking conformity, a family likeness, indicative of the same end paternity of motives. The magi of the Persians, the gymnosopbists of the Hindoos, Chaldeans, and Assyrians, and the priests of Mexico, were the Druids of their respective nations. The Irish claim to rank amongst the oldest of the European communities; their aboriginal lineage is most free from admixture with the Gothic races ; and it is a facl that the term * Druid,' which is the oldest name lor pries-, or philosopher — once united in their functions—is still used to designate the sacradotal order in the Celtic translation of the Bible of Ireland. Dreadful Fire—Four Lives Lost, and Beveral persons seriously injurED. —On monday morning, shortly before four o'clock a fire, attended with fatal consequence to four parsons, father aud three children, and serious results to several other parties, broke out upon the premises belonging to Mr. Simpson, chemist, No. 77, Crawford-street, Marylebone. The Royal Society for the Port ction of Life from Fire had the escape from Baker, street, Portman-square siatian, very early at the scene. The first thing the conductor of the machine attempted was to ascertain if all parties had escaped. Before, however, he had succeeded in affixing the escape to the front of the premises, a female apparently 45 years of age, suddenly approached one of the front windows, and threw herself into the street. She fell partly on her back and head. The poor creature was so dreadfully injured that the only thig she could say was," Oh, my poor children are in the house." This becoming known, the conductor of the escape ran up the machine, in the expectation of being enabled to save the parlies in the place When, however, he had got up.»n the top of the escape a sort of explosi m occurred in the shop, which blue the shutters off, and the flames rushing through set the escape in a blaze. • The poor man attempted to slide down the cavass b,t«, when he fell through the hole made by the fire. Lighting upoii his head, he received a serious if not fatal injury to the skull. The female and the man were prompiiy removed to the hospital. Before in getting the flames extinguished, the shop, kitcheusi staircase, and the major part of tha second floor?

were destroyed, and the remainder of the premises seriously damaged. As soon as the building was sufficiently cooled a number of firemen entered to search for the parties missing. Upon entering the second floor a siirht of the most distressing character presen ea itself. In one of the rooms were to be seen the bodies of Mr. Robert Batters and his three children;. They were not much bunied, an I death appeared to have resulted from suffocation.