11 MARCH 1854, Page 9

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Further examinations have been made before the Committee investi- gating the charges of corruption against Irish Members. Mr. Kane, soli- citor to Mr. Howley, has been again ordered to make a search among his papers at Dublin, in order to ascertain the particulars of the loan trans- action between Mr. Howley and Mr. Somers. Mr. James Fair, the can- didate for the office of paid Guardian, deposed that he had told Dr. Gray, in an after-dinner conversation, that he was in negotiation for a guard- ianship, and that money was looked for. Dr. Gray told him the place would be shortly done away with. It was done away with and Mr. Fair never obtained it. He saw a Mr. Graham, solicitor, on the sub- ject, and "inferred " that Graham would get the place for him through Mr. Somers. Dr. Gray stated that he did not intend in his statements to implicate Mr. Roche or Mr. Daniel O'Connell. He was now ready to state the names of those persons who, in the most distinct terms, had said that Members of Parliament were in the habit of selling places for money. As he was about to do so, Mr. Bright moved that the room should be cleared. It was cleared accordingly.

On Thursday, Dr. Gray handed in the names of the following persons who had spoken to him in a confident manner of the selling of places by Irish Members.

"1. Mr. Patrick Fotterell, of Lower Gardiner Street, Dublin; whose statement was general, though referring to one case in particular. 2. Tho- mas Arkins, sword-bearer to the Corporation of Dublin ; who spoke gene- rally of money having passed for Parliamentary services. 3. Samuel Bin- don, barrister, 21, Lower Gloucester Street, Dublin ; who had related to witness the case referred to by Mr. Lucas in the House of Commons. It was the case of a man who had offered him (Mr. Bhtan) the sum of 91. to procure Parliamentary influence for his advancement in the Customs. 4. Mr. Keogh, Solicitor-General for Ireland ; whose statement was both gene- ral and particular. He spoke to witness of 'Paddy Somers and those fellows who lived by selling places.' 5. James Walker, son of Alderman Walker ; who, subsequently to 3Ir. Butts's motion, told witness that he knew of per- sons who had purchased places. 6. Mr. Stoner, barrister, the gentleman mentioned in the report of the Sligo Election Committee. The conversation with Mr. Stoner occurred prior to the unseating of Mr. Towneley, the Mem- ber for Sligo; and he (Mr. Stonor) had since been appointed to a Colonial Judgeship at Melbourne, as witness understood."

Mr. Lucas was again examined ; but he declined "to give the Com- mittee any clue whatever to enable them to follow out the inquiry in any way.

Mr. William Keogh M.P., and Solicitor-General for Ireland, said ho had no recollection of having spoken of "Paddy Somers, and those fel- lows who live by selling places" ; but he would not say he had not. A postmaster of Ballymote, in the county of Sligo, had bought a place ; but being dismissed for irregularity, demanded from the Postmaster-General the restitution of what he had paid. A prosecution was ordered, and the man got off with a fine of 301. Nothing came out on that occasion to implicate Mr. Somers. In reply to Mr. Moore, Mr. Keogh said he had heard his speech at Bollina ; it lasted from eight till eleven—" I did not speak for more than sixteen minutes or so."

Mr. Moore—" Did your speech not contain a distinct charge of place- selling ?"

Mr Keogh—" I don't at all think it did. There might have been a charge of selling the country ; which, you all know, is a very different thing." (Loud laughter.)

Mr. Keogh did not recollect talking about the appointment of Dr. Power to Dr. Gray ; indeed, at the time a sort of quarrel existed between him- self and Dr. Gray.

In reply to questions from Mr. Bright, be said— It was true of both sides of the House, that after an independent Member asked patronage of the Government, he felt disposed to support them. In fact, no man of honour could take a favour from a Government and then go and vote against them. Mr. Bright—" Being now a member of the Government, you speak, I sup- pose, from experience ? " Mr. Keogh—" I speak of what I know; and I am sure there is no one better able to corroborate what I say than Mr. Bright." Mr. Vernon—"If you accepted your present office and gave the Govern- ment the benefit of yonr abilities, did you accept it with any view to be- stow patronage upon any parties to whom you are under any obligations, or with whom you are in any way connected? " Mr. Keogh—" Most certainly not."

One hundred and two Members of the House of Commons have signed a memorial to Lord John Russell, praying that, in any bill brought for- ward by Government during the present session regarding the Univer- sities of Oxford and Cambridge, " due provision, where required, may be made for the free admission of any of her Majesty's subjects duly qualified by intellectual attainments to matriculation and graduation at both these ancient Universities, without the imposition of any religious test."

One of the now not numerous survivors of the great war, which open- ed the century—Lord Londonderry—died on Monday. As Charles Stewart, we find traces of him deeply cut in the battles and sieges, and diplomatic transactions of the first fifteen years of the century. .As a cavalry officer, he was ever foremost in the field, the last in the retreat ; and though far from a great commander, Lord Londonderry was as brave a soldier as ever fought under the British flag. His eccentric, good- hearted, and not too profoundly-considered career in politics, is well known.

Dr. Denison, the Bishop of Salisbury, has departed. It appears that he caught cold on Tuesday week, when witnessing the embarkation of troops for the East at Portsmouth. The cold came on a morbid con- dition of the liver, and induced jaundice. Dr. Denison was appointed to the see in 1837. At the time of his death, he was in his fifty-third year.

Oxford has sustained the loss of another Head of a House. Dr. Jen- kyns, Master of Balliol for thirty-five years, in the seventy-second year of his age, died on Sunday morning. He had enjoyed very excellent health until a short period before his death ; but he caught cold while at- tending Convocation on Friday fortnight. No alarm was felt until the close of last week, when Dr; Latham was summoned from London. The immediate cause of death was suffusion of water upon the lungs, pro- ducing suffocation. It is said of Dr. J-enkyns, that ho " found Balliol a close College, among the least distinguished of the collegiate bodies at Oxford ; he left it almost entirely open, and confessedly the foremost of

all." In 1834 ho set aside the system of nomination, and established merit as the sole standard. In politics Dr. Jenkyns was a Conservative. He held the Deanery of Wells, given to him by Sir Robert Peel in 1845. It is said "he has left a host of friends to mourn his loss, and he has not left a single enemy."

We have reason to believe that the vacant Deanery of Wells has been conferred on the Reverend G. H. S. Johnson, Fellow and Tutor of Queen's College, Oxford. Mr. Johnson was one of the members of the late Oxford University Commission.—Times, Some misconception appears to have arisen with respect to the "water towers " at Sydenham Palace. These towers are only connected with the fountains of the two lower basins ; and their defective structure will only affect those fountains. The water display will still be very fine; as the whole of the fountains in the building, six large groups on the terrace garden, a large circular basin in the centre and its two companions, have tanks of their own, and will be ready in ample time. This upper range will play a larger quantity of water every day than the grandee eaux at Versailles do once or twice in the year. The lower fountains will all the year round play to the height of 235 feet, in shape something like unto the steeple of Bow Church, and far surpassing Versailles.

The Horning Herald published in a second edition, on Wednesday, the following paragraph, as "Most Important from the Seat of War." " We are enabled to state that a special messenger, who travelled with the utmost expedition direct from the seat of war, arrived last evening at the Foreign Office with despatches of the very last importance. These were immediately forwarded to her Majesty at Buckingham Palace. The Queen was just leaving for the theatre, but, in consequence detained the Royal carriages for upwards of three-quarters of an hour. 'From what we can gather, we fear that a dreadful reverse has overtaken the Turkish arms ; being no less than the capture by the Russian army of Kelafat, the key and the chief position of the Sultan's forces on the Danube, and we understand that almost a total massacre of its defenders took place. This news has even brought Lord Aberdeen to his senses, and henceforth he must admit that nothing but war to the knife against the Czar can atone for the atro- cities he has committed."

This created, for the hour, some sensation : everybody asked, is it true ? and very soon the most credulous began to doubt. Even the Standard copied with doubt ; but judiciously observed—" We quite agree with our contemporary, that whateeer misfortune, if any, has occurred, must be laid at lord Aberdeen's door."

It was soon perceived that the intelligence was in fact impossible; that if anything was " exclusive," that thing was something that is not called intelligence. A courier, however hurried, could not beat the telegraph, which could bring the real news in forty-eight hours. On the same even- ing, the Globe supplied the contradiction, thus- " We have the satisfaction of assuring our readers that there is not a single word of truth in the above-cited statement ; and we cannot do so without advising our contemporary not again to place before the public cir- cumstantial announcements which cannot but have their original source in wilful and deliberate falsehood."

We are informed by a correspondent, on whose information we think we can place reliance, that the new plan of Sir Charles Trevelyan and Sir Staf- ford Northcote for the reorganization of the civil service, has met with such an unfavourable reception from quarters whence encouragement of it was expected, that it will be suffered quietly to fall to the ground.—Civil &r- ime Gazette.

Lord and Lady Palmerston entertained the Duchess of Cambridge and the Princess Mary on Saturday ; and in the evening Lady Palmerston had a " reception."

The Speaker gave his fourth Parliamentary dinner on Saturday, and he holds his first levee today.

The Fox Club had its second meeting at Brooks's on Saturday.

Sir Hamilton Seymour, with his family, has arrived in England. They were landed at Dover on Sunday, in a small boat, the Onyx mail-packet having gone ashore in a thick fog near the South Foreland.

Lord Londesborough has resolved to discontinue game-preserving. This is a good example.

The London merchants in the American trade have presented an address and a piece of plate to Colonel Aspinwall,. United States Consul in London for thirty-seven years, now returning to his own country.

Prince Leopold of Saxe Coburg arrived at Southampton on Monday, from Lisbon.

Prince Lucien Bonaparte travels to Italy shortly. The Austrian authori- ties are instructed to pay him all due attention.

The young King of Portugal is about to spend some time in visiting the European Courts.

The Duke of Saldanha is so seriously ill that he cannot attend in his place in the Cortes. Uncharitable folks say he his afraid to meet his rival, the Count of Thomar.

Queen Christina and her daughter Queen Isabella have been paying of late remarkable attentions to Mr. Soule the American Minister, and his wife. M. de Turgot is still ill of his wound.

For some time a trial has been pending in the French courts respecting the sale of the Constitationnel newspaper. It was alleged by certain share- holders, that "le Docteur Vern," as he was wont to sign himself, :lad un- fairly divided the proceeds, taking unto himself the lion's share. The pro- ceeds of the sale were nearly 2,000,000 francs; Dr. Wren is ordered by the Court to refund 1,180,000 francs to the other shareholders !

It is said that Madame St. Arnaud intends to accompany her husband to Constantinople ; and that the Turkish Government will assign her a resi- dence on the Bosphorus.

Lieutenant O'Reilly, one of the officers of the Retribution, the war-steamer which ran into Sebastopol the other day, has presented a drawing and plan of the fortress to the Sultan, at a private audience.

The Turks have sent Rernzi Effendi to inquire into the Albanian insurrec- tion.

Count Lessovyski, on his way to the Brazils in the Russian frigate Diana, has received orders at Teneriffe "to return to a Russian port." Rather a riskful enterprise just now!

Arrangements have been made by the Government with a first-rate Lon- don brewery to supply the troops, while in Turkey, &e., with the best ex- port

porter at threepence per quart. A ship of 350 tons burden is now pre- taring to take in the first consignment for Malta and Constantinople,—Aforn- stag Post.

The Turks at Kalafat are noticed by military men for their zeal, docility, and courage. Their style of working at intrenehments is something amaz- ing to the orthodox military mind. The men actually carry earth to the ramparts in their great coats and bedding, and bear great burdens of sods to the works in the most cheerful manner.

In Paris cabmen are recompensed for honesty. Last year the drivers de- posited with the Police property, chiefly money, to the amount of 288,000 francs. Rewards were given to forty-five men, and thirty-six were favour- ably mentioned.

Funnel, the detective officer, has discovered the notorious burglar Hack- ett, in the New Jersey State Prison, where he is confined for a daring bur- glary committed in New York. He had been with difficulty captured. Fen- nell made arrangements for his removal to England as soon as his term of imprisonment should expire in America.

The Madrid correspondent of the Times has discovered that the Spanish Customhouse is a positive loss to Spain, the expense of maintaining the offi- cials exceeding the money collected by them. We are afraid this is no new fact.

The Jewish women in Russian Poland have been forbidden to wear false hair, or any kind of head-gear under their bonnets ! The Rabbis are or- dered not to marry any woman who breaks the law ; if they do, said Rabbis will be sent as private soldiers to a penal colony !