the Vrobintes.

The Worcester Journal announces that a requisition to Mr. Frederick Wynn Knight, of Wolverley, to stand for the Western division of "Worcestershire, has already received numerous signatures.

According to the Western Luminary, family reasons induce Mr. Parker to resign his seat for Shah Devon. A requisition to Lord Courtenay had been signed by a great number of the electors.

We have heard, and our information proceeds from the highest au- thority, that T. J. Trafford, Esq., of Trafford, has come to the deter- jnination of withdrawing from the Conservative party ; and that he intends, in case of a dissolution of Parliament, to give his support to the Liberal candidates. This change in political sentiments has been produced, we understand, by the unmitigated hostility which he con- ceives continues to be shown towards the Church to which Mr. Traf- ford belongs, by some who are considered leaders in the Conservative or Tory party.—Preston Chronicle.

The friends of Mr. John Fielden and General Johnson are canvassing the borough of Oldham for their reelection. The Chartists talk of bringing forward Mr. Feargus O'Connor or Mr. J. R. Stephens, in opposition to Mr. Fielden ; and the Tories have fixed upon Mr. Charles Wilkins, the barrister, and a Mr. Benjamin Braidley.

The Northampton Mercury says that Mr. Augustus O'Brien will be the successor of Lord Maidstone as Member for the Northern division

of Northamptonshire, in the Conservative interest, together with Mr. Maunsell.

Parties are manifesting some activity in Peterborough : meetings have been held, and agents are canvassing the town for the Honourable George Fitzwilliam, a relative of Earl Fitzwilliam, and Sir Robert Heron, in the Liberal interest, and for a Mr. Gladstone on the Tory side.

The Tories threaten to exclude Mr. Divett from Exeter, and to bring in a second Tory with Sir William Follett. Lord Courtenay is sup- posed to be the intended candidate; and Mr. Garratt of Bishop's Court has also been named.

A considerable excitement has been created in Canterbury by Speaker's warrants having been served upon some of those who took an active part in promoting Mr. Smythe's return, to give evidence before the Committee on the petition against the election.

A public meeting was held at the Town-hall, Salford, on Monday, "to take into consideration the Parliamentary Report upon the Import-duties of the United Kingdom, with their prejudicial effect upon the industry of the country ; and to petition the Legislature for their revision and re- peal." Mr. Hall, the Boroughreeve, was called on to preside. The at- tendance was numerous, and included some of the working-men. Among the speakers were two Tories—Mr. Holland Hoole, who is already known for his exertions in favour of Corn-law Repeal ; and Mr. Garnett, the Tory candidate at the last election. The speeches were much to the purpose, though they necessarily went over beaten ground. Mr. J. B. Wanklyn accounted for the delay which had oc- curred in dealing with the subject- " Many persons wondered that, during twenty-five years' peace, Govern- ment had not sooner turned their attention to this matter. The fact was, Government, and the people too, bad been squabbling about things of very small import, instead of those more weighty matters which, had they exerted themselves to render understood by the whole people, would sooner have been got rid of. To serve party purposes, it was often said that the people were overburdened with taxation, borne down to the earth, and ground down to the very verge of pauperism : but they paid into the revenue no less than eight millions on consumption of articles which might be strictly called luxuries, being totally unnecessary so far as the wants of living were concerned,— namely, spirits, wine, and tobacco. He mentioned this to remove the impres- sion that the people were ground down. That a very great number of working- men did not possess the comforts that could be wished, all would agree ; and by bestirring ourselves in the commercial districts to obtain a better state of fiscal regulations, we should confer on them the greatest boon, by giving them full employment, and enabling them to get articles at a cheap and low rate."

He showed how the present duties prevent any increase in the consumption of sugar-

" The average consumption of sugar from 1814 to 1825, in this country, was about 160,000 tons ; from 1826 to 1831, it increased to 207,000 tone. This amount bad never been exceeded, in consequence of its overtaking the produc- tion in the West Indies; it had never passed the maximum of 207,000 tons a year. And although, in 1840, our population had vastly increased, and our capacity and inclination to use articles like sugar had correspondingly in- creased, the consumption of that year was only 170,000 tons ; offering a strange contradiction to the article of cotton, which had gone on progressively in- creasing. The cause of this was the high price; it having been an object in every family to use less sugar on account of the increased cost. Were we allowed a free importation of sugar, we should have been consuming about 300,000 tons; and we should also have opened a market for an increased con- sumption of our manufactures."

The proceedings at this meeting were at one time interrupted by a Chartist, who denied that any increase of exports would benefit the working man : but the vast majority of the meeting was against him; and the resolutions were all carried, with scarcely a hand against them.

At a special meetina.t' of the Town-Council, of Manchester, on Thurs- day, to consider the Import-duties question, resolutions proposed by the Free-trade party of the town were passed without opposition. One of the speakers, as an instance of the effect which the Parliamentary Report has had, said that he had just seen a gentleman, hitherto opposed to such measures, who declared that he " would vote for no man who did not go into the question of the Import-duties with a view of remedy- ing their discrepancies." This resolve was applauded by the meeting.

Church-rates have been the cause of squabbling in several places lately. At St. Ives, on Thursday, after a sharp contest, a church-rate was refused, by 371 to 319 parishioners. There was a contest at Great Slaughton on the 5th ; but the rate was carried. At Rosemarket, is Pembrokeshire, on the 4th, the Vicar refused to put an amendment which was moved against the rate, and threatened the contumacious with the ecclesiastical courts. In Leicester, a Baptist clergyman has been summoned for non-payment of rates, and proceedings against him. are pending. And in Melton, warrants have been issued against se- veral Quakers.

Excitement on the subject of the Church-rate seems to be dying away at Brighton. A rate for the churches of St. Nicholas and St. Peter was carried by 804 to 236, on Thursday week, after two days' languid polling.

At a meeting of the Vice-Chancellor, Heads of Houses, and Proc- tors of Oxford University, on Monday last, the following resolution, condemning the Puseyite Tracts, which have attracted so much atten- tion, was adopted-

" Considering that it is enjoined in the statutes of this University (tit. IlL, sect. 2 ; fit. IX., sect. IL, § 3, sect. V., § 3) that every student shall be in- structed and examined in the Thirty-nine Articles, and shall subscribe to them ; considering also that a tract has recently appeared, dated from Oxford, and entitled Remarks on certain Passages in the Thirty-nine Articles, being No. 90 of the Tracts fur the Times, a series of anonymous publications pur- porting to be written by members of the University, but which are in no way sanctioned by the University itself : " Resolved, that modes of interpretation such as are suggested in the said tract, evading rather than explaining the sense of the Thirty-nine Articles, and reconciling subscription to them with the adoption of errors which they were designed to counteract, defeat the object, and are inconsistent with the due observance, of the above-mentioned statutes.

" P. Wrwrxn, Vice-Chancellor." The promulgation of this resolution has called forth the following singular letter, dated " Oriel College, March 16th"— " Mr. Vice-Chancellor—I write this respectfully to inform you, that I am the author and have the sole responsibility, of the tract on which the Hebdomadal Board ims just now expressed an opinion; and that I have not given my name hitherto, under the belief that it was desired that I should not. I hope it will not surprise you if I say, that my opinion remains unchanged of the truth and honesty of the principle maintained in the tract, and of the necessity of putting 'It forth. At the same time, I am prompted by my feelings to add my deep consciousness that every thing I attempt might be done in a better spirit and in a better way ; and, while I am sincerely sorry for the trouble and anxiety I have given to the members of the Board, I beg to return my thanks to them for an act which, even though founded on misapprehension, may be made as profitable to myself as it is religiously and charitably intended.

I say all this with great sincerity ; and am, Mr. Vice-Chancellor, your

-1obedient servant, JORN HENRY NEWMAN."

A correspondent of the Times says that the Board of Heads of Houses 'and Proctors are not authorized to represent the University on such .a subject, and that therefore the resolution is not to be taken as a " Urn- -versity censure." The sensation which has been created in the Uni- versity by all this is considerable.

Eton School is all in confusion. Three children of one of the teachers died lately of scarlet fever, and it has been bruited abroad that an epi- demic rages in the place. To quiet the alarm, and ascertain the proper course to be followed, Dr. Hawtrey, the Head Master, obtained the ad- vice of Dr. Fergusson. The physician wrote a letter, which has been published, stating that scarlet fever did not prevail more in Eton than elsewhere, and that there was no present occasion for breaking up the school. Nevertheless, by Wednesday last, out of the 600 boys com- posing the school, 300 had left it. The alarm still continuing, Dr. Hawtrey broke up the school yes- terday evening. The examination for the Newcastle Scholarship is consequently postponed till after Easter.

The unsettled state of the foreign relations of the country, says the Manchester Guardian of Wednesday, continues to exercise a most in- jurious effect upon the business of Manchester ; "and although the pre- sent is usually considered about the best season of the year, though we are blessed with weather beautiful almost beyond example, and though there is a decided tendency to advance in the Liverpool cotton-market. there scarcely ever were two duller or more discouraging markets than those of Tuesday and Tuesday week. The demand both for yarn and goods, and especially for the latter, was languid in the extreme, and sales could not be effected at all without serious sacrifices. Indeed, we believe 27-inch printing- cloth was, in some few cases, sold on Tuesday at the lowest rates current in December last. This discouraging state of the market has, of course, caused a very general inclination amongst the spinners and manufacturers to lessen their production, and two or three large concerns in Manchester have already begun to work short time. Should the present state of the market continue two or three weeks longer, there is no doubt that working short time will be as ge- neral throughout the district as it was in 1839."

At the Norfolk Assizes, on Monday, an action was brought by a per- son named Friswell against the Duke of Marlborough, for 4301. due for the occupation of a house and grounds, called Howbary Hall, near Bedford. The plaintiff is trustee for Captain Polhill, the proprietor of the estate ; and the Duke hired it at 2151. a year for three years. The Alitim was not disputed, bat there was a set-off of 175/. paid for the repair of bells. It seems that rather a complicated correspondence had taken place upon the subject of the discordant and inefficient bells in the mansion ; and the Duke was assured that if he put them in repair the amount should be made good. The case was stopped in its progress by the Judge, upon a point of law ; the Duke having had bells hung in moms where there were no bells before, which was in excess of his licence to repair the bells. Ultimately the parties agreed to a compro- mise; and a verdict was taken for 801. on account of rent.

At Oxford Assizes, on Tuesday, Messrs. Caldicott and Wynn, the publisher and proprietor of the Staffordshire Examiner, were convicted of libel, with intent to excite divers persons to assault Lord Ingestre and others. The libel was in an article published before the Bilston dinner in August last, at which a serious disturbance took place. The paper "hoped" that nothing would occur to disturb the equanimity of the diners. but at the same time held up the " man-starving Ingestre " as being about to " gorge the bread he denies" to others. The defen- dants were sentenced to pay—Wynn a fine of 501., and Caldicott 20/. The fines were immediately paid, and the parties were discharged.

At Maidstone Assizes, on Monday, Mr. Seward, a man of some opulence, residing at Sittingbourne, who was indicted for forgery, did not appear. His bail was estreated.

Robert Willman Cook and George Wakeham were to have been tried at the same Assizes on Thursday, for the murder of William Sago, by ill-treatment at sea; but the Grand Jury ignored the bill against them. Nearly forty most respectable witnesses were ready to vouch for the good character and humanity of both prisoners. Their recoguizances were discharged.

At Staffordshire Assizes, on Monday, George Nixon was indicted for the murder of Joseph Ball, at Burstein, in August last. Ball was an en- gine-tenter, and his duty was to watch the engine-house of the Jack- field colliery at night. One evening his body was found, horribly man- gled, in a cavity in which revolved a large wheel used for working off the water from the coal-pit. It was proved that the prisoner had marks of violence about his face, on the evening when Ball was last seen alive ; that he complained of having been beaten at Burslem ; that be had mentioned some quarrel which he had had with Ball ; and that he slid at a ,public-house, to one Tunstall, that he was convinced that he had pushed "one of the Balls " into the fly-wheel race. Tunstall said, " Then you must have killed him ?" To which he replied, " No, I think not, for I only pushed him into the water, [in which the wheel revolved,] and then ran off." As he accompanied this remark with a laugh, and appeared intoxicated—which most of the party seem to have been- Tunstall thought he could not be in earnest, and no attempt, therefore, was made to assist Ball. The prisoner stated before the Coroner who held an inquest on the body, that he had seen Ball as he passed the en- gine-house, and that Ball had threatened to kick him if he did not go ,off, but that they had parted without any blows. He was sentenced to transportation for life.

At the same Assizes, Matthew Fowles was convicted of murdering Martha Keeling. The deceased was an old woman who kept a lodging-

house at Newcastle-under-Lyne. Fowles was a lodger in her house is September last. He murdered her one night, and decamped with some money, a fowl, and some bacon. He called upon a tailor to pay him for a pilot-coat which he had bought on credit; and at a cottage on his way he exhibited the fowl and several sovereigns. Owing to these cir- cumstances, he was traced to Davenham, near Northwich, and secured. He•was sentenced to be hanged.

Taylor, a pig-dealer, who shot his wife in a fit of jealousy, for having eloped with a railway labourer at Wootton Basset, in the summer, was- executed at Salisbury on Tuesday. He made a shocking exhibition of levity at the scaffold; dancing, singing "Jim Crow," and pouring forth ribald language. Almost his last words expressed satisfaction at his wife's death.

At Middleton, on Sunday, a man committed suicide by jumping down a colliery-shaft. He had been complaining of illness and low spirits. His wife saw him rush past the window of the house, and heard him fall. His body was almost cut in two by a tub that was suspended in the pit. He leaves a family of three children.

On Monday last, as a police-officer was taking prisoners from Halifax to Wakefield House of Correction, in the Manchester and Leeds Rail- way carriages, one of them, committed for housebreaking, asked to have his handcuffs taken off, as he was in great pain from the pressure on his wrists. The request was, from kind feeling no doubt, complied with ; and the man no sooner felt himself liberated, than he leaped out of the carriage, although the train was going at full speed. An alarm was given, the engine was stopped and pat back, and the poor wretch was found with his skullfractured and both his legs broken. He was taken up into the train again, and conveyed from the railway station on a board to the House of Correction.—Leeds Mercury.

On Monday evening, at the parting of the Croydon and Greenwich Railways, an accident which is not explained, threw the up-train from Greenwich off the rails, and some of the carriages were thrown across the trams for the down-train, which had passed the place only a few minutes before. No injury was done to any person.