rite Vrobinces.

The Ipswich Express says that Sir Thomas Cochrane had determined not to stand again for the borough of Ipswich.

As it is every day becoming more apparent, that with our present Representatives we can never obtain the repeal of the Bread-tax, the Anti-Corn-law League are wisely communicating with the various constituencies in the kingdom to promote the return of Members pledged to the abolition of the Corn-law. A deputation consisting of some of the leading manufacturing and commercial gentlemen of South Lancashire are appointed to confer with the electors of Lancaster on Monday evening next ; who, we are persuaded, will unite and determine to return only such Members as will endeavour to free the country from this heaviest of all national burdens, which, if it be not speedily re- moved, will involve all the interests of this country in one common min.—Lancaster Guardian.

A very numerous Anti-Corn-law meeting was held at Mitcham, in Surrey, on Wednesday last, to hear a lecture from Mr. Sidney Smith. Several Chartists attended, and proposed a chairman of their own ; but they were defeated by a great majority ; and they offered no further in- terruption to the proceedings.

Hull only sends two vessels to the whale-fishery this year ; and we rejoice at the fact. The number has been gradually decreasing for up- wards of twenty years ; and some of our readers will recollect that, about 1815 or 1816, as many as sixty-four were employed in this very hazardous and often unproductive voyage. Our commerce has, we trust, got directed into other and better channels, holding out a much brighter prospect of remuneration to the adventurer than any which could be rationally looked for in the Arctic regions. Notwithstanding great and repeated losses, those engaged in the speculation abandoned it with reluctance, and not till ruin was almost certain to result from longer perseverance. The capital employed was, we presume, at one time upwards of half a million ; nearly the whole of which is now in- -vested where the risk is considerably less, and the chance of success, as we have before remarked, much greater. Our trade with the Baltic and America has rapidly increased ; we have opened a communication with the East Indies, which promises well, though still in its infancy ; and our enterprising merchants will ere long, we doubt not, revive the com- mercial intercourse which they once possessed with the different ports of the Mediteranean. Having happily recovered from the piscatory mania, we expect great things from them.—Hull Rockingham.

The line of the great North of England Railway was opened for the conveyance of passengers and goods from Darlington to York, a dis- tance of forty-five miles, on Tuesday senuight. The communica- tion by railway from Darlington to London is now complete ; and, with auxiliary conveyances, parties may now go from Newcastle to London in about sixteen hours.

The Reverend William Cockburn, D.D., late Dean of York, has been deprived of his Deanery, for simony, by the sentence of Dr. Phillimore, acting as Commissary for the Archbishop of York. The visitational inquiry took place in York Cathedral, and occupied several days. The scene on the first day was of an extraordinary character; the Dean frequently interrupting the proceedings with violent language, protest- ing against the authority of Dr. Phillimore, insisting on being heard before the business went on, and otherwise behaving in a contumacious manner. The Dean was at length pronounced in contempt ; and the officers of the court being ordered to remove him, he, after some furtiiii; altercation, withdrew, amidst the loud applause of the bystanders.

Counsel then proceeded to state the charge brought by the Reverend Mr. Dixon, the Canon in residence, against the Dean ; which was, that being patron and ordinary, he disposed of all his benefices for a pecu- niary consideration. The inquiry was thrice adjourned; and at the third sitting, the Reverend W. V. Harcourt brought a long charge against the Dean, of mismanaging and misappropriating the funds of the Cathedral. The Commissary gave judgment on Friday last. In the course of his address, which occupied above two hours in the delivery, he stated, that Although the Chapter of York had at different periods undergone more visitations from its ordinary than any other chapter la the realm, and these visitations had generally been followed by useful results, yet there never was a period in the history of their corporate body when a visitation was more es- sentially necessary and more imperiously called for than when the Archbishop issued his inhibition to the Chapter at the commencement of the present year. The Chapter had then fallen into a state of complete disorganization. Whether this was owing to the irregular temperament of the Dean, to his want of order and method in the conduct and arrangement of business, to the utter contempt which he manifested to all forms, or to the inordinate pretensions be advanced as head of the Chapter to the control and government of the whole corporate body, of all which imperfections he had given abundant evidence in the course of the inquiry, he should not stay to inquire: it was sufficient to say, that the Visiter found the Chapter in disorder and confusion.

After adverting to the necessity for instituting a strict scrutiny into the fabric funds, and for ascertaining what amount of money was avail- able from the Cathedral estates to the purposes of its restoration, the Commissary went on to observe, that

The Dean himself had proved by his letters against himself that he was guilty of simony, and it had been further indisputably proved that he habi- tually committed simoniaeal practices. Four cases had been proved which were completely within the general definition of the canon law, and they called. for and required the highest spiritual censure and punishment which the law could inflict. There was another distinctive ground on which it scented to him the Dean had rendered himself liable to canonical punishment, and that was his contumacy. At the conclusion of the judgment, the public were admitted to the Chapterhouse ; where the Archbishop and his Commissary were sur- rounded by the Chapter and a great number of the clergy. The Arch- bishop then rose, and, addressing the Chapter, pronounced sentence of deprivation against the Dean. The Visitation was then adjourned to the 14th May ; when it is expected that injunctions relative to the money disputes will be issued.

Dr. Cockburn was formerly of St. John's College, and was twelfth Wrangler in 1795. He proceeded to the degrees of M.A. in 1798 and D.D. in 1823. He was the first elected Christian Advocate, to which office be was appointed in 1803. Dr. Cockburn is the third son of the late Sir James Cockburn, of Langton, Berwickshire, brother of the pre- sent baronet, and of Vice-Admiral Sir George Cockburn, M.P. He married, in 1805, Elizabeth, second daughter of the late Sir Robert Peel, and sister to the present baronet. This lady died in 1828. Dr. Cock- burn succeeded Dean Markham in 1822. The value of this preferment is about 1,2501. per annum.

At the Kingston Assizes, on Friday, a person named Taylor brought an action against Mr. Weston, a Magistrate of the county of Surrey, for trespass upon his premises and illegally removing a coalscuttle. In December 1839, a Vestry meeting of the parish of Christchurch was convened for the purpose of making a church-rate ; and by the notice it appeared that this rate was to be applied to certain purposes, such as insurance, paying the parish-clerk, paper, printing, and other items—to which, it was contended, a church-rate ought not to be applied. A penny rate was proposed ; and several inhabitants, among whom was the plaintiff, protested against a rate being made for such purposes ; but the .rate was ultimately carried upon a poll of the parish being taken. The plaintiff afterwards, feeling a convinced that the rate was not legally made, entered a caveat in the Ecclesiastical Court, with a view to try its validity : but notwithstanding this, the Churchwardens summoned him before the Magistrates, of whom Mr. Weston was one, to show cause why he refused to pay the rate. He handed in to the Bench a written objection to the validity of the rate, in these terms—" I do hereby re- spectfully give you notice, that I object to the validity of the rate, and I request you to forbear to give judgment thereon." The question at issue in the present trial was, whether this objection was sufficient. Mr. Baron Parke told the Jury, that they had only one question to decide— whether, at the time the plaintiff attended before the Magistrates, lie had a real and bona fide intention to dispute the validity of the rate ? In his Lordship's opinion, the notice given to the Magistrates was not sufficient: he thought the law required that a man should give them some reasons to satisfy them of his intention. Because a man merely chose to say " I dispute the rate," were the Churchwardens to be baffled, and compelled to resort to an Ecclesiastical Court ? He thought not. If it were so, the act of Parliament in question would be almost a dead letter. The Jury im- mediately returned a verdict for the defendant. On bring asked by Mr. Baron Parke what damages they should assess, should the verdict be dismissed on any of the technical points of objection to the indict- ment which had been made and reserved, they said they would give 5s. for the coalscuttle. The question of costs was then raised ; when Mr. Sergeant Channel', who defended the cause, said that if the plaintiff would undertake not to adopt any further proceedings in reference to the verdict, he would pay his own costs. Baron Parke said this was a very handsome proceeding ; and Taylor's counsel assenting to the ar- rangement, an unconditional verdict for the defendant was returned.

At Liverpool Assizes, on Saturday, John Frances, Henry Stevenson, and Henry Mitchell, were indicted for stealing a quantity of property from numerous dwellinghouses in Liverpool. The indictment also charged the prisoners with feloniously wounding John Stevenson and John Kirkham, Police-officers, in the discharge of their duty, with in- tent to murder them. Louisa Mitchell, the wife of one of the men, was indicted for receiving the goods knowing them to be stolen. The pri- soners used to carry on their trade of robbery and housebreaking in a very systematic manner. They kept a house in Laurel Street, in which the Police found rooms filled with an immense quantity of goods, and one loom the floor of which was covered with skeleton-keys and other housebreaking implements. In November they broke into the house of Mrs. Forsyth, in Grove Street ; and some of the goods which they took away were offered by Louisa Mitchell to a Mrs. Parkes, the keeper of a beer-shop. Mrs. Parkes, suspecting something wrong, gave informa- tion to the Police, and the gang were detected. When the Police first visited their house, they were violently resisted by Mitchell and Ste- venson, and one of them was seriously injured. The male prisoners were found guilty, and sentenced to transportation, Stevenson and Mitchell for life, Frances for fifteen years.

The trial of John 'Jaime and John Williams, who were implicated in the murder of Benjamin Cooper, at Ashton, in December last, took place at the Liverpool Assizes, on Monday and Tuesday. It will be re- membered that Cooper was shot while at work in a saw-pit. The only evidence against the prisoners was that of their fellow combinators in the " strike " and "turn-out" of the sawyers ; an account of which was given at the time of the occurrence. It not being corroborated by any other testimony, however, the Jury returned a verdict of " Not Guilty."

At Chester Assizes, on Monday, Bartholomew Murray, who is only eighteen years of age, was charged with the murder of Mr. and Mrs. Cook, at Over Peover, near Knutsford, in Cheshire. Mr. Cook was an old man, in very good circumstances. The prisoner was engaged with a number of Irish labourers in haymaking near the town ; and while there he made various inquiries concerning Mr. Cook's wealth. The aged couple were murdered in their beds, with an axe, in August last; and the murderer stood for some time over the servant-girl as she lay in bed, to murder her also if she waked. Though terrified, she suc- ceeded in feigning sleep. Two bits of paper were afterwards found in the house, which contained names that ultimately led to Mur- ray's detection : they were parts of a written character which he had exhibited before the murder. He was proved also to have become sud- denly possessed of' a large sum of money, the actual spending of which was proved nearly to the full amount of money taken from Mr. Cook's house. The Jury returned a verdict of " Guilty," and sentence of death was pronounced.

Mr. Thomas Stevenson, ex-Mayor of Stafford, was held to bail on the 1st instant, on a charge of forging the acceptance of his nephew, Mr. W. Wynn, to a bill of exchange. The nephew had been in the habit of accepting accommodation-bills for his uncle, but refused to lend his name any longer.

Josiah Misters, who was convicted of an attempt to murder Mr. Mackreth, at Ludlow, was executed at Shrewsbury on Saturday. To the last the townspeople and Misters's friends looked for a reprieve. The Governor of the Gaol and the Under-Sheriff were in attendance at the Post-office at an early hour, in the expectation of a communication from London ; but none arrived. Meanwhile, crowds poured into the town. Misters is said to have received the information of the non- arrival of a reprieve with an appearance of composure, and in the last trying moments to have conducted himself with firmness ; though the effort which it cost him was very visible. At eleven o'clock he was conducted to the chapel, where he partook of the sacrament. Before leaving the gaol he reasserted his innocence, and, inquiring if any of the Jury were present, said he fully forgave them for their verdict. He shook the Governor and turnkeys cordially by the hands, and expressed to them his great obligations for the kindness with which he had been treated during the period of his imprisonment. Upon ascending the drop, the preparations occupied but a minute or two ; the rope was placed around his neck, the cap was drawn over his face, and the bolt was withdrawn : for one or two minutes he appeared strongly convulsed ; the effect upon the crowd, who shrank appalled from the spectacle, was most revolting. Misters left behind him a sealed paper, to be opened after his death. It was a letter addressed to "my readers," re- asserting his innocence ; though he admitted that the evidence justified the verdict of the Jury and the sentence of the Judge. He expressed fervent thanks to Mr. Mackreth, Mr. Ludlow, and others who had exerted themselves to save his life. The crowd behaved better than usual at the time of the execution ; but the holyday terminated in dis- gusting scenes of drunkenness and debauchery in the town and its neighbourhood.

Matthew Fowles, who was capitally convicted on the 17th March, for the murder of Martha Keeling, at Newcastle-under-Lyne, was executed on Saturday morning. Ever since his condemnation Fowles had re- mained in a sullen state of mind. To every exhortation to repentance and confession he invariably replied he had no confession to make, and had never heard of the crime until he had been apprehended. When be was summoned to the place of execution, he sent one or two presents to his fellow-prisoners ; his greatcoat to one, and a book called The Sinner's Friend to another. After the rope had been placed round his neck, the Governor asked him for the last time, whether he had any further communication to make ? He replied, he should like to say one word, and, turning to the chaplain, he said, " It's hard to die an innocent man for this thing." The chaplain added, "You still assert your innocence?" To which he replied, "Yes, Sir." In a few se- conds the bolt was drawn, and his death was almost instantaneous.