members-those ingenuous and inexperienced youths, to whose unsophisticated minds the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in those tones of winning pathos (Excessive laughter, and loud cries of Question!') Now, a considerable misconception exists in the minds of many members on this side of the House as to the conduct of her Majesty's Government with respect to these elections, and I wish to remove it. I will not twit the noble lord opposite with opinions which are not ascribable to him, or to his more immediate supporters, but which were expressed by the more popular section of his party some few months back. About that time, Sir, when the bell of our cathedral announced the death of the monarch--(laughter)—we all read then, Sir-(groans, and cries of 'Oh!')— we all then read- - (Laughter, and great interruption.) I know nothing which to me is more delightful than to show courtesy to a new member, particularly if he happens to appeal to me from the party opposed to myself (hear, hear). At that time, we read that it was the deathknell of Toryism; that the doom of that party was sealed; that their funeral obsequies were about to be consummated. We were told that, with the dissolution of that much-vilified Parliament which the right honourable baronet had talled together, the hopes and prospects of the Tories would be thrown for ever to the winds; and that affairs were again to be brought exactly to what they were at the period when the hurried Mr. Hudson rushed into the chambers of the Vatican." (Great laughter.) If hon. gentlemen thought this fair, he would submit. He would not do so to others, that was all (laughter). Nothing was so easy as to laugh. He wished before he sat down to show the House clearly their position. When they remembered that, in spite of the honourable and learned member for Dublin (O'Connell) and his well-disciplined band of patriots, there was a little shyness exhibited by former supporters of her Majesty's Government when they recollected the " loves" and the "old loves" in which so much of passion and recrimination was mixed up, between the noble Tityrus of the Treasury Bench and the learned Daphne of Liskeard (Charles Buller)-(loud laughter)-notwithstanding the amantium iræ had resulted, as he had always expected, in the amoris redintegratio (renewed laughter)-notwithstanding that political duels had been fought, in which more than one shot was interchanged, but in which recourse was had to the secure arbitrament of blank cartridges (laughter) notwithstanding emancipated Ireland and enslaved England, the noble ford might wave in one hand the keys of St. Peter and in the other- (The shouts that followed drowned the conclusion of the sentence). Let them see the philosophical prejudice of men. He would certainly gladly hear a cheer, even though it came from the lips of a political opponent. He was not at all surprised at the reception which he had experienced. He had Legun several times many things, and he had often succeeded at last. He would sit down

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now, but the time would come when they would hear him. Mr. Disraeli hereupon sat down amid marks of great impatience, and was followed by Lord Stanley.

7.-The Birmingham Political Union issue a manifesto calling upon Reformers throughout the kingdom to combine and agitate for universal suffrage, vote by ballot, and triennial parliaments. Meetings in favour of these changes were afterwards held in nost of the large cities of the kingdom.

8.-The Chancellor of the Exchequer obtains the appointment of a select committee to inquire "how far pensions granted in virtue of 1st William IV. c. 24, and charged on the Civil List, and in virtue of 2d & 3d William IV. c. 24, and charged on the Consolidated Fund, ought to be continued; having due regard to the just claims of the parties, and to economy in the public expenditure." The motion was opposed by Sir Robert Peel and his party.

9.-Died, aged 23, Robert Nicoll, poet and journalist.

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11. Message from her Majesty, recommending to the consideration of Parliament an increase of the grant formerly made to the Duchess of Kent. 30,000l. voted. In the Lords, the proposal gave rise to sharp discussion between the Premier and Lord Brougham. The latter said, "Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent was Queen Mother."-Lord Melbourne: "No, not Queen Mother, but Mother of the Queen."-Lord Brougham hereupon confessed that he was but rude in speech, but ill versed in terms of courtly etiquette. His noble friend had so much more cently been accustomed to the language of courts than he had-was so much more of the courtier his tongue was so well hung, and framed and attuned to courtly airs-he was so much better acquainted with the motions of those who glozed and fawned and bent the knee in courts that he could not pretend for a moment to compete with the noble viscount in such matters, or to pretend to anything like the same accurate knowledge of courtly phraseology. He, however, knew the difference between a Queen-mother and the mother of a Queen, perhaps as well as the noble viscount. Lord Melbourne replied that he did not understand anything about hanging a tongue with reference to this matter; but this he would say, and he begged his noble and learned friend tǝ understand, that when he spoke of gloze and flattery and bending the knee, he knew no man in this country, be he who he might, who could more gloze and flatter and bend the knee than his noble and learned friend; and he felt totally unable to compete with him, when he had an opportunity, or when he found any occasion to exercise it.-Lord Brougham retorted that he had said nothing about hanging a tongue. Не did not say-but he might have said that the noble viscount's tongue was better attuned to court airs, ay, and to new court airs-airs with variations-than his was. The noble

viscount had been pleased to make certain charges against him, when his noble friend must know, when he reflected on the matteror whether he reflected on it or not, he must know-that such observations were altogether inapplicable to him. He owned that he was much surprised. Indeed, much as he was of Life accustomed to be astonished, he was astounded at the language of his noble friend. "I repeat what I have already said—first, that the imputation or insinuation that I ever, in the charge of my duty, stooped to gloze, or to bow before, or to flatter, any human being, much more any inmate of a court, is utterly, absolutely, and, I will say, notoriously, without foundation. The next part of the insinuation is, if possible, equally groundless-that, if I had an opportunity of having recourse to these arts, peradventure I should excel in them. I want no such opportunity. If I did, I have the opportunity. I disdain it. No access

which I have had has ever, to the injury of others, to the betrayal of duty, to my own shame, been so abused, not even for one instant; and opportunity to abuse it I have, if I were base enough so to avail myself of it."

12.- Seven professors of Göttingen, including Ewald, the brothers Grimm, and Gervines, having protested against the recent decree of the King of Hanover, are deprived of their offices and means of livelihood.

13. Sir John Colborne marches from Montreal for St. Eustace in the district of the Grand Brulé, which he reached next day. Here he found the insurgents mustered 1,200 strong. The greater part fled on the appearance of the Queen's troops, but others occupied the church and neighbouring houses, and fired upon their assailants. They were soon compelled to cease resistance. All who surrendered themselves prisoners were spared; those who attempted to escape were shot.

14. Intimation made that St. Paul's Cathedral is in future to be open to the public free of charge.

15.-The Royal Civil List Bill settled in committee. Mr. Hume's proposal to reduce he sum total of 385,000l. by 50,000l. was rejected by 199 to 19, and another by Mr. Hawes w strike off 10,000l. by 173 to 41.

Reduction of postage rates discussed in och Houses of Parliament.

18.-Debate in the House of Commons on

exclusion of Mr. D. W. Harvey from the Tension List Committee, the plea set up by the Chancellor of the Exchequer being that the Member for Southwark had published the proceedings of the Poor-Law Committee from day to day before they were submitted to the House, and would not give any pledge that he would refrain from doing so in the present instance.

19.--The Russian agent Vickovich enters Cabul with credentials from Count Simonich at Teheran, and a letter (though its authenticity

was disputed) purporting to be from the Emperor himself. He was at first coldly received by Dost Mahomed, but as the prospect of aid from the British Government gradually grew fainter the Russian rose in favour, and was latterly paraded in public through the streets of Cabul.

20. By a majority of 135 to 60 votes the American House of Representatives decree "that all petitions and resolutions praying for the abolition of slavery in the district of CoJumbia, and all memorials or resolutions in relation to slavery in the different States, should be laid upon the table, without reading, without reference, without printing, and without discussion."

21. In the course of a debate on the Civil List, Lord Brougham surprised the House by an impassioned appeal in favour of economy. "I trust," he said, "I shall never live to see that House less zealous hereafter than heretofore; but, for the present, a cloud has come over their vision-for a moment a cloud has passed over them, which has blinded their senses, which has charmed their accustomed activity, which has put to sleep their watchfulness, their wakeful care, over the purse of the Commons, entrusted to them, the people's faithful representatives. And when we are charged with too much attention to the purse of the people, it is said: 'Why should you take so much care? why should you, the Lords, be more watchful than the people themselves, speaking through their representatives in the Commons House?' To that appeal I have no answer to give, save this: I believe that before long the people may awake, and that they will ring a peal in the ears of the present guardians of the public purse which will be remembered, not to the last hour of the official existence of the Government, but to a much later period-to the last hour of the public life of the youngest public functionary in the country."

22.-Involvement of the British Govern. ment with the Candahar chiefs. Writing to a friend, Burnes recorded that they had gone over to Persia. "I have detached them and offered them British protection and cash if they would recede, and Persia attacked them. I have no authority to do so; but am I to stand by and see us ruined at Candahar when the Government tell me an attack on Herat would be most unpalatable? Herat has been besieged fifty days, and if the Persians move on Candahar, I am off there with the Ameer and his forces, and mean to pay the piper myself." The Governor-General was at this time on his way to Simla, and caused Secretary Macnaghten to write to Burnes: "It is with great pain that his lordship must next proceed to advert to the subject of the promises which you have held out to the chiefs of Candahar. Those promises were entirely unauthorized by any part of your instructions. They are most unnecessarily made in unqualified terms, and they would, if supported, commit the Government

22.-Debate in the Commons on the affairs of Lower Canada, the Assembly having refused to entertain the supplies, or proceed otherwise to the despatch of business. The complaints were: Arbitrary conduct on the part of Governors; insufficiency of the Legislative Council; illegal appropriation of public money; violent prorogation of the Provincial Parliament; Government connivance at the insolvency of the Receiver-General; and, to the British portion of the community, the additional grievance of being subject to French law and procedure.

Commenced in the Court of Queen's Bench the action for libel raised by T. S. Duncombe, M.P., against Mr. Daniel, barrister. In the course of the recent contest in Finsbury the defendant, in a communication to the Tory newspapers, charged Mr. Duncombe with hav ing fraudulently obtained an injunction from the Vice-Chancellor by false affidavits to prevent a creditor from proceeding against him; and with defrauding another person by a cheque which he knew would be dishonoured, having himself withdrawn the funds which he stated would be at the bankers to meet it. The defendant pleaded the general issue, also a justification that the libel was true. The trial lasted over two days, and resulted in a verdict for the plaintiff, with damages of 100%. Sum divided among Finsbury charities.

23.-Parliament prorogued by the Queen to the 16th January.

26.-Riot at Sheepshead Workhouse, Leicestershire. The mob smashed the windows and destroyed the furniture, but dispersed on the military being brought from Nottingham.

Information received at the Colonial Office of the outbreak in Canada. Sir John Colborne, in forwarding the reports of Colonel Wetherall and Colonel Gore, writes:-"The troops which have been called to act in the disturbed districts, and to put down this sudden and extensively combined revolt, have had to contend with great difficulties; their communications with head-quarters having been completely interrupted by the armed peasantry assembled on the line of march. Many of the deluded inhabitants are returning to their homes; and I trust that the events which have taken place may be the means of quickly restoring tranquillity to the country.'

28.-Fire at Davis' wharf, on the Thames. Damage estimated at 150,000l.

29.-Colonel M‘Nab, in the course of operations against the rebels on Navy Island, Niagara River, seizes the steamer Caroline, engaged in carrying supplies, sets her on fire, and permits her to drift over the Falls.

30. From Cabul Burnes writes:-"The present position of the British Government at this capital appears to me a most gratifying proof of the estimation in which it is held by the Affghan nation. Russia has come forward with offers which are certainly substantial. Persia has been lavish in her promises, and Bokhara and other states have not been backward. Yet in all that has passed or is daily transpiring, the chief of Cabul declares that he prefers the sympathy and friendly offices of the British to all these offers, however alluring they may seem, from Persia or from the Emperor; which certainly places his good sense in a light more than prominent, and, in my humble judgment, proves that by an earlier attention to these countries we might have escaped the whole of these intrigues and held long since a stable influence in Cabul."

1838.

January 3.-Commenced before the High Court of Justiciary the trial of the five Glasgow cotton-spinners charged-(1) With framing an association with other parties, cotton-spinners of Glasgow, for the purpose of intimidating and molesting spinners who did not conform to the rules of the Association, but worked for lower wages than the Association fixed. (2) With mobbing and molesting spinners at work at the Oakbank factory, on the 8th and 9th of May 1837. (3) With the like offences at the Mile End cotton-factory. (4) With conspiring to set fire, on the 23d of May, to the factory of Messrs. Hussey and Son, Dale Street, Bridgeton, and offering 20l. to any person who would attempt that crime. (5) With appointing a secret committee, by ballot, on the 14th June, for the purpose of setting fire to cotton-mills, sending threatening letters to proprietors of cotton-mills, invading the dwellings of, committing assaults upon, and shooting at or murdering cotton-spinners. (6) With especially offering a reward of 10/. for an assault on workmen at the Adelphi cottonmills. (7) With sending a threatening letter, dated 20th June, to Alexander Arthur. With sending another letter of like import, on the 3d of July. (9) With sending a similar letter to John Bryson. (10) With breaking open the dwelling of Thomas Donaghey, and forcing him to promise not to work at the mills. (11) With setting fire to the house of James Wood and Francis Wood, cottonspinners of Bridgeton. (12) With hiring the prisoner M'Lean to murder John Smith, an operative cotton-spinner, for a reward of 20%. The trial was protracted till the 11th, when the jury, after deliberating five hours, returned a

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verdict by a majority, that the prisoners were gailty of the first, second, third, and tenth counts in the indictment. The Court sentenced them to seven years' transportation.

4. Great meeting at the "Crown and Anchor" to express sympathy with the insurgents of Lower Canada. Resolutions were proposed declaring, "That this meeting, while deeply lamenting the disastrous civil war now existing in the colony of Lower Canada, is of opinion that this deplorable occurrence is to be ascribed to the misconduct of the British Ministry in refsing timely redress to the repeated complants of the Canadian people, and in attempting to sustain that refusal by measures of gross stice and coercion." Mr. Roebuck spokeErst, he said, as a British citizen entitled to express his opinion on a great subject; and Secondly, as an avowed advocate of Canada.

5.-The Canadian insurgents attack Toronto, at are repulsed by the Governor, Sir F. Head.

7-Hard frost commenced.

The

10. The Royal Exchange burnt. fames were first perceived issuing from Lloyd's Coffee-room, in the north-west corner, about half-past 10 o'clock. Owing to the intense frost there was much difficulty in procuring water, and the flames were not got under till the fire had in a measure exhausted itself, at

the following day. Two hours after its on break, the whole range of offices belonging to the Exchange Insurance Company, Lloyd's captains' room, and underwriters' room, were une mass of fire. The flames reached the new tower about I o'clock, and the bells, eight in cumber, which had been chiming during the destruction, fell one after the other, carrying aling with them the roof, stonework, and 2 over the central entrance. The Lord Mayor and several aldermen were present during the greater part of the conflagration. The police were assisted by a party of soldiers from the Tower and the Bank guard. The statue of Sir Thomas Gresham, the founder,

ich had escaped the Great Fire of 1666, was totally destroyed. So vivid and extensive as the conflagration, that it was seen at Windsor with the greatest distinctness. It was generally believed that the fire originated from

overheating of a stove in or below one of Loyd's rooms.

13.-Died, in his eighty-seventh year, John St, Earl of Eldon, Attorney-General for six Jars, and Lord Chancellor for nearly twenty

He finally resigned the Great Seal in April 1827, but would probably have held ace for some years longer, had he agreed to the policy of yielding to the Roman Catholic His personal property was sworn

Loder 600,000l.

14. Continuance of severe frost. Thermometer (at Chiswick) 4° Fahr.

15.-The jury, in the case of Miss Neville, tried in the Irish Court of Queen's Bench, tind

that she was not capable of managing her own affairs. Her delusions were of a religious character.

15. Sir Francis Head, having differed from the Home Government on one or two points of Colonial policy, resigns the office of LieutenantGovernor of Upper Canada.

16.-Parliament re-assembles. Lord John Russell, by a majority of 188 to 28, carries a motion for an Address to the Queen, expressing

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our deep concern that a disaffected party in Canada should have had recourse to open violence and rebellion, with a view to throw off their allegiance to the Crown; to declare to her Majesty our satisfaction that their designs have been opposed no less by her Majesty's loyal subjects in North America than by her Majesty's forces; and to assure her Majesty, that while this House is ever ready to afford relief to real grievances, we are fully determined to support the efforts of her Majesty for the suppression of revolt and the restoration of tranquillity." Lord John Russell thereafter obtained leave to bring in a bill to make temporary provision for the government of Lower Canada. In the debate to which the Address gave rise in the Upper House, Lord Brougham said:"If you will have plantations in every clime--if you will have subjects by millions in opposite sides of the globe-if you will undertake to manage the affairs of an empire extending over both hemispheres, over an empire on which the sun never sets--whether such a determination on your parts be prudent or impolitic, whether its effects be beneficial or detrimental to our highest interests, I will not now stop to inquire; but if you make up your minds to this, at all events it imposes on you the absolute necessity that you shall be alive, and awake, and vigilant-that you shall not sleep and slumber-that you shall not, like the sluggard, let your hands sleep before you, as if you were administering the affairs of a parish, or even of a kingdom near at home, to which and from which the post goes and arrives every day in the week." (Some laughter was caused among their lordships by this language, as it was understood to apply to Lord Glenelg's reputed somnolency.)

Earl of Durham appointed GovernorGeneral and High Commissioner for the adjustment of the affairs of the provinces of Lower and Upper Canada.

Decision in the Court of Queen's Bench, that no steamboat shall navigate between London Bridge and Limehouse Reach at a greater speed than five miles an hour.

20.-Thermometer in Hyde Park at 6.30 A. M. 3° Fahr. The Thames blocked with ice, so that people could pass from shore to shore below bridge.

21.-The Italian Opera House, Paris, burnt. M. Severini, the acting manager, was killed while endeavouring to make his escape from the fourth story of the building.

22.-Mr. Roebuck heard at the bar of the House of Commons against the Canadian Bill. To establish its injustice he entered at length into a detailed history of events in Canada from 1763 to the present time, dividing tha period into four epochs, 1763 to 1810, 1810 to 1828, 1828 to 1834, and 1834 to the present period. Sir George Grey replied to Mr. Roebuck, and the debate was continued by other Members, the House at its close going into committee on the bill by 262 against 16, who supported Mr. Hume's amendment in opposi tion.

24.-Nine persons drowned while skating on the reservoir at Hollinwood, Oldham.

Died in Kensington Union Workhouse, Charles Baron Kierrulf, a Swedish nobleman and brigadier-general in the army. He was discovered in a state of destitution in November last.

26.-Lord John Russell announces to the House in Committee on the Canada Bill that Ministers had resolved to adopt the amendment of Sir Robert Peel by striking out of the preamble of the Bill the words recognising the assembling of Lord Durham's Council of Advice, and the clause empowering the Queen in Council to repeal the Act at pleasure. These concessions were received with cheers by the Opposition. The bill was read a third time on the 29th.

29.-Lord Brougham, in the course of presenting an Anti-Slavery petition from Leeds, took occasion to speak at length, and with great animation, on that traffic, which he said flourished under the very expedient adopted to crush it, and increased in consequence of the very measures resorted to for its extinction.

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February 2.-In the debate on the second reading of the Canada Bill in the Upper House, Lord Brougham strongly urged the necessity of sending out Lord Durham with powers far more ample than Ministers proposed to give him. He cited from the history of his vered relative" (Dr. Robertson) the account of Gasca's mission to quell Pizarro's revolt in South America, a service Gasca performed by the vigorous exercise of the unlimited powers wisely given him by Charles V.-In reply to taunts thrown out against the Ministry, Lord Melbourne said he had for some time been expecting an ebullition of acrimony and acerbity from Lord Brougham. He knew it must come ; and the longer it was repressed and kept back, the more violent it was sure to become. Ever since 1833 that bitterness and acerbity had been gaining strength from its forcible suppression, and Lord Melbourne was by no means surprised that it had broken out at last. It was nothing more than what was naturally to be expected; but, unfortunately, people were generally so blind to all that concerned themselves, that they were often at a loss to perceive that which was quite plain and mani

fest to the rest of mankind. However, he thanked the noble lord for the active support which he had given him in 1835; he thanked him equally for his absence in 1836; he thanked him for the less active support which he afforded him in 1837; and he could assure him that he now felt no irritation at the very altered tone and at the course of observation in which the noble and learned lord had indulged, and which no one could doubt that the noble and learned lord's zeal for the public welfare, his great patriotism, and his anxiety for the well-being of the nation, compelled him to adopt during the present session.

5. Mr. Roebuck heard at the bar of the House of Lords against the Canada Bill. He concluded: "At this moment every one of you must feel that war with the United States has been risked by this insane quarrel with our colonies. No greater calamity could happen to mankind than such a war; and yet have we heedlessly-may I not say criminally ?-incurred the danger of it and for what? To maintain a wretched band of hungry officials in the possession of ill-used as well as ill-gotten power-to shelter a few peculating servants from the just indignation of their robbed and insulted masters. This, my Lords, is the real end of all our great expense, of all our loss of money, time, and blood-the magnificent object for which we have stayed all improvement in Canada-for which we now seek to outrage the feelings of the whole continent of America -for which we have already risked the chance of the most disastrous calamity which ignorance and wickedness combined could inflict on mankind! Is not this, my Lords, a magnificent requital for such a risk? And are we not, by our proceedings, exhibiting to the world a scene humiliating to the national character for sense, for honour, and generosity? To you, my Lords, as the supposed guardians of our ancient honour, I appeal to save us from this degradation and disgrace."

Navigation resumed on the Thames, the thaw having commenced on the 6th.

13. A meeting of women held at Elland, in Yorkshire, to protest against the New Poor Law Amendment Act. The measure was denounced with great fervour.

The question of trades' unions brought under the notice of the House by Mr. Wakley and Mr. O'Connell. Government promised inquiry.

15. Mr. Grote's annual motion regarding the ballot defeated on a division, by 315 to 198 votes.

20. The House of Lords reject two sets of resolutions submitted by Lord Brougham,