Vro

Viscount Clive, eldest son of Earl Pawls, has announced himself as a candidate for the representation of North Shropshire, vacant by the succession of Sir Rowland Hill to the title of his late uncle, Lord Hill. In his address to the electors, Lord Clive says-

" Should I be honoured by being elected as your representative, I shall anxiously endeavour to support the honour and dignity of the Crown, sod to maintain the privileges and efficiency of the Church. I shall study to support the rights and liberties of the people, sod to protect the institutions to which they owe their origin and preservation, both by resistance to those who clamour for their destruction, an I hy a readiness to adopt such improvemeuts as altered circumstances may require."

The Brighton Guardian of Wednes lay reports the Chichester Agri- cultural slow and dinner of the previous Wednesday. The Duke of Richt-non presided. Among the toasts proposed by the Chairman, was that of the Members for the County, the Earl of March and Colonel Wyndham ; for which, in their absence, the Duke returned thanks him- self! He set out in his series of speeches with the remark, that the rule of the society prohibited any thing like party or political discus- sion: and the first allusion of the kind was made by Mr. John Abel Smith, M.P. ; who expressed "the pleasure he felt in finding in almost all the agricultural meetings one pervadi g sentiment expressed through- out, that if English agriculture was to maintain its importance that if the English farmer was to flourish, he must devote himself to the scien- tific cultivation of his land." Subsequently, a statement from the Se- cretary, that he had difficulty in getting in the money, and that the so- ciety must fall if the subscribers were not more punctual, drew from the Duke these remarks— Be was aware that he was not to allude to any thing like politics; he was aware that farmers did not think it expedient to go to any thing like the ex- pense they could go to some Aram ago. He agreed with them : but be felt it was bad for them to sound the alarm, because Mann itself was a great evil. He asked not any gentleman to subscribe more than he could afford ; but he thought if they agreed with him, that in supporting this society they greatly benefited agriculture, if they were not able to subscribe as much as heretofore, they ought to give something. There was not one of them there present who did not feel and know that he did not fear to express his opi :: i )) n, insignificant as that opinion might be, to any body of his fellow-rountrvinen ; still less should Ile be afraid to express his opinion to them. Still, he did think, that as their chairman be ought rigidly to follow out the rules of the society ; and therefore he would say a' more on those sul jects, which had certainly cast a damp on the agricultural body of England. He might say this, that looking back in f mer times, be hoped that the cloud which appeared at the present moment • be hanging over this part of the country might be quickly dispelled, and that chore long the sunshine of prosperity might come over them with double luere. Ile believed they understood what he meant ; lie believed they were confident that he had no hesitation in stating his opinions. He wished not to transgress the rules : be could not say less, but he ought out to say more. The last toast extracted a little more — Be might, he thought, before he quitted the chair, say this, that he recom- mended every individual not to be led away by reports which he might hear of future changes in any thing that might affect the agriculture of the country. Ile recommended them to wait, and to see if there were men that would pro- pose them ; then, he thought, mould be the time for the agriculturists to rise : but be did not think that they ought to be swayed, in what they did in the selling of cattle or the selling of corn, by speculations that might be made in any quarter. He cordially hoped the next year might be a better year than the present. They were all snare, that in this part of the country, and in the neighbourhood, they had been exposed to very greet losses ; they knew that a bank could not break without inflicting serious Injury upon the community ; but there was not an individual present who should not to the utmost of his power persevere. The toast proposed %as, that they might have better times when they met next year. lie a. ologiaed fur the number of times he had risen to a 'dress them. Lie knew that he could say but little in a society whence politics were excluded, that could be of great and general interest ; but he believed they would all of them look back and remember that he for one bad never said in that room any thing that he was nut prepared to act up to in any part of the world. (Chxrs.) He therefore now asked them to drink "Better times"; and may they meet next year more flourishing, and may they be as firm and as steadfast then as he thought he might say they were now.

The cattle-show at Newport in the Isle of Wight took place on Thursday last week ; and afterwards about a hundred gentlemen 4ai down to dinner. The chair was flu ed by Lord Yarborough ; wIio enlarged on the usual topics of the day, and in the new style. e noticed the length of time that the stock had been kept—the anim Is exhibited having been twice the age of those that he had seen in t e North ; and he observed, that with reference to fattening, the motto should he, "short time and quick returns." He gave an account of a visit to the manufacturing districts-

" He would admit that they were improving in the island ; but not near so much as he desired, nor so rapidly as their neighbours. He himself went abroad in various directions to pick up information ; and they should do the same as far as they were able. He had lately been into the manufacturing districts ; and from what he had seen of their distresses, he now thought that agricul- ture and manufactures must go together ; and having been there for the pur- pose of ascertaining their real condition, be could assure the company that there were thousands and tens of thousands who had not a penny to purchase meat with. He had seen numbers of large mills, where a short time ago one and two thousand hands were employed, and could earn 28.s. per week, and the children a shilling a day, but were now out of employ, and not a particle of smoke was seen coming out of the chimnies. And when he came to talk to them, lie discovered they were very sensible people. He thought the farmers well off in the island as to sale for their meat ; their prices were higher than in the North (I2s. per score). Here they consumed all their bullocks, though the labourers, when they could get a bit of meat, always ate pork, whits: in the North labourers generally ate mutton."

He went on to remind his hearers of their supineness in certain im- provements, until they had been introduced by himself—drilling, drain- ing. and the like-

" The draining answered so well in that part, that the farmers' waggons were at the tile-yards waiting for a supply at two o'clock in the mornings ; he had bad so many as sixty waggons waiting at his yards. He was anxious about their labourers; they must get them into a quicker pace : if the horses want to go faster, they won't let them ; they want horses that would step out and the men should keep up with them. In the North there was scarcely such a thing as a day-labourer ; most of the work there is done by the piece. Here the la- bourer sauntered with his bands behind him; but in the North their very elbows went before them, and they say, we shall begin an hour earlier and work two hours later, for we shall be paid for it. But here a young fellow says, who is on the day-labour system, I don't see why I should excrt myself more than an old man, for I get no more. It was not b discharging the labourers that farmers would save money. (Loud cries of "Bear, hear ") But they would say, now John, I am suffering as well as you ; 1 will encourage you in every, pa-ible way ; but do your work you must, and not be on &daily pittance. Let John be el. ploy ed, and you will get something from his labour."

Mr. Joseph Joliffe demurred to some of Lord Yarborough's positions— As to going from home to learn improvements, he did not see the need of it, as they in th.: Island were certainly not the hindermost in agriculture ; and to i prove t, be had latey heard a gentleman say that he had scarcely ever gone through such a spot of land so well tilled as the Isle of Wight. As to the la- bourers, he thought they were as well off here as in any part of England, and their receipts we e from 12s. to Ids. a-week ; and he had never seen men work better than they did here, with all due submission to his Lordship; and as to their horses, he considered them good enough. Lord Yarboroug: —“Ifyour horses are so good, why not send some of them to the North and sell them tons? Why, some of the agricultural horses there fetch 701.; and they can step out well." At a late meeting of the Barnstaple and North Deltt.ii AgriculturaP Society, (Earl Fortescue alluded to the "great and itnpdrtant legislative measures which had been adopted respecting the importation of foreign agricultural produce into this country "- It was no part of his duty, and foreign to the object of these meetings, either to praise or condemn the principles by which such measures were carried out : it weasufficient for us to know that they had now become the law of the land, and by them our relations with other countries must be directed: but he would boldly state with respect to their mingling political with agricultural discussion. that tie ought, as wise and prudent men, to hold ourselves ready for further regulations for the admission of foreign corn. Ile did not take his opinion on this subject simply from the distress that prevailed among the manufacturing population of the kingdom; but he thought they must look in the next seas' of Parliament for further relaxation in the lass for the admission of foreign torn; and he would ask those who were in the habit of watching the political horizon, whether they were not themselves prepared for fort herchanged

In corroboration, he quoted "with pleasure," the recent speech of Mr. Thomas D■ ke /Wand ; and he recommended that the landlord should join with the tenant in agricultural improvements, thus giving additional employment to the labourer.

The Duke of Rutland has sent a letter to the Leicester Journal, com- plaining that his speeches at the meeting of the Leicestershire Agricultu- ral Society have been misrepresented- " In alluding to the new Corn-duties, lam reported to have said, that I had several letters in my possession written by intelligent farmers, and showing that even the present modified scale might be reduced by some shillings a quarter.' Now what I did say, or at least what I intended to say, and what I firmly be- lieve I was understood to say by the very numerous comp my on that day as- sembled, was, • that while the measures now in operation were in progress through Parliament, I had received several letters from intelligent farmers, con- taining scales of duties of their own, each of which was several shillings a quarter under the ffirmer duties ; which gave me the impression that the growers themselves were prepared for some alteration.' This is widely different from several shillings per quarter lower than the present modified scale.' • • • With regard to any Intention on the part of the Executive to reduce still further the duties which protect agricultural produce, of which intention my misrepre- sented expressions are said to have been • ominous,' I can only assert, that I ant as entirely ignorant as I am utterly incredulous of it. My object at the Leicester Agricultural Meeting was to give all the information which I have been able to collect, for the purpose of preventing and of allaying any unfounded alarms. I stated toy inability to give an opinion as to the results of the new Tariff in these early days of its operation ; and [ expressed an earnest hope that the occupiers of land would continue to give employment and to afford pro- tection aud kindness to their labourers, rather than make any change in the condition of the latter class, under circumstances of depression, which I had every reason to hope would prove temporary and fleeting."

There was a Conservative dinner at Devonport on Tuesday; at which Sir John Yarde Buller, Lord Courtney, and Mr. Baldwin, the Members for the County, were present. The most remarkable thing about it is the following disparaging notice in the Morning Post, introducing a very brief summary of the speeches— "Aim evening paper contains an account of a Conservative dinner at Devon- port, which is very pleasing in regard to the hopes which seem to be entertained by most of the speakers. We heartily sympathize in those hopes, though we

confess that the logical ffiree of the reasoning upon which they are founded is not obvious to us. John Smith. Esq., was the worthy chairman. He read notes from several Members of Parliament, telling how they could not he present. Among these were notes from Lord Eliot and Sir W. Follett. We rather regret these Members were not present, though we suppose they were attending to more important affairs. We should have been very glad to have heard a political speech from Sir W. Follett at the present moment. Without meaning any undue disparagement to Sir John Buller or Mr. Barry Baldwin, we do not find it possible to take quite the same interest in their statements as we should certainly take in any opinion upon the state of public affairs at present delivered by the honourable and learned Member for Exeter."

The " Great Pottery meeting" to receive the deputation of the Anti- Corn-law League was held at Shelton, in the Bethesda School, on Thursday week. About 1,500 persons were p esent, including 150 or 200 ladies. The deputation consisted of Mr Cobden, Colonel Thomp- son, Mr. John Bright, and Mr R. R. Moore ; and they met with a very cordial and unanimous reception. Mr. Cobden's speech alone affords a few extracts of interest, on points not new hut well made out ; as the fallacy of supposing that wages are kept up by the Corn-law, and that the League seek to repeal it in order to lower wages and compete with the foreigner— Why, they were already running a race with the foreigner, with the Corn and Bread-tax on their shoulders. He had been told since he had been in the Potteries, (for be bad never before seen the interesting processes that were car- ried on in the district,) that nearly one-half of the goods manufactured in the neighbourhood were sent abroad to foreign countries. They were underselling every other country to dispose of them; and it was only because they sold cheaper than others that foreign markets were open to them. What would the Ame- ricans say, if the manufacturers of the Potteries were to go to them and offer their goods fir or ten per cent higher than the French or Belgians, observing that their goods were a little dearer than those of the other parties, but they had got a bread-tax, and so had to pay a higher price for bread, and were therefore obliged to give more wages. and they hoped the Americans would not mind giving them a little more fur their china on that account ? The Americans would reply, that if the English people were such degenerate fools as to submit to pay a tax on bread, they were not such blockheads as to make it up to them.

He showed that the question did not exclusively concern millowners and capitalists— Be would ask an intelligent workman in one of the large manufactories to turn to the process of the manuficture of china, and follow • piece of clay through all the processes, until it came into the show-room in the form of a beautiful set of china. Then let him learn what it was going to be sold for, and compare that price with what the clay originally cost. Suppose the differ- ence in the price of the original material and the perfect china to be 25s., what proportion of that difference went to the workman, and what to the master? Why, it would he found that 8s. out of every 10s, in that sum remained with the workmen in the different branches.

A deputation from the League—consisting of Mr. Cobden, Dr. Bow- ring, Mr. Joseph Brotherton, Alderman Brooks, Mr. Edmund Ash- worth, and Mr. R. R. Moore—was received at a tea-party of about 800 persona, at Bury, on Monday. The subscriptions of the evening amounted to773/.

In reply to an invitation to attend the recent Anti-Corn-law soirée iliteiseeds, Earl rsitaerilliam touches,upon the question of a corn-duty for revenue, and the more important one of thorough consistenoy in free trade- " You are probably aware that I consider corn as fit as any other article of import to contribute to the national revenue, by a uniform duty, levied for that purpose ; but this is perfectly consistent (and is so considered by foreign coun- tries) with the most complete freedom of trade. Such a duty is no more in contravention of free trade than the tolls or rates paid by navigators or passengers to the Aire and Calder Nictig,ation, or to the North Midland Rail- way. It is, in truth, a payment of precisely the same character, viz, for the maintenance of the establishment, and for the interest of the debt of the com- munity. I insist the more strongly upon this, because I observe that some persons hold that there is something peculiar about corn which gives it a claim to exemption from contributions to public revenue. This I conceive to be a mistake.

"Another mistake is to suppose that there are certain manufactures so im- portant that they ought to be protected by duty : this is the landowner's mis- take applied to other purposes, and must be equally guarded against. 1 advert to it, because I know that last autumn (1 mean 1841) Leeds was not quite pre- wed to adopt the principle of free trade throughout; and we also know that, at Lord Stanley's reelection, a Mr. Brookes held that certain branches of manu- facture could not do without protection, and thereby gave Lord Stanley a great triumph. Now, all these reservations must be cast away, and the principle acted upon without exception."

There has been another destructive fire at Liverpool. The extensive turpentine-distillery of Mr. Platt, in Parliament Street, was set on fire on Thursday morning, by a man who incautiously went into a room where the stills were placed with a lighted stick, to see if they were full. The dimes soon spread to Crane's warehouse, almost filled with cotton ; and a small school in Greenland Street was next on fire. Those three buildings were entirely destroyed ; but with great effort the adj icent buildings were saved. The loss is estimated at 70,000/. or 100,000/.

A very alarming accident occurred at the Nottingham station of the Midland Counties Railway, on the morning of Thursday week. The Derby train was corning into the station-yard at seven o'clock in the morning, when the engineer discovered that he could not turn the steam off in time to prevent a concussion, being very near the landing-place at the station-end. He jumped off, after turning the steam-handle Completely back, and the engine ran with great violence ag dust a coal. waggon which was placed close to the wooden barrier which stands at the station-end to stop the advance of trains. The immense thick beams of wood were split asunder with a crash; the coal-waggon was lifted completely off the line and forced on to the platform, and through the wall of the ticket-office, where it lay amid the ruins which it bad made. The engine rebounded, hut was not further injured than in having one of the buffers broken. There were passengers in the train, and several large luggage and coal waggons behind ; hut not a single person was Injured. Men were immediately at work clearing the line and re- pairing the damage.