5 JANUARY 1839, Page 13

The Upper Canada prisoners, who arrived at Liverpool lately, will

be brought before the Court of Queen's Bench, on a writ of habeas empus obtained from Justice Littledale on the joint affidavit of' Mr. Hume and Mr. Roebuck, that they had reason to believe the process on which the prisoners were committed to be informal. Mr. Roebuck himself went to Liverpool, and served the Justices and the Gaoler with formal notices -not to deliver up the bodies of the prisoners until the writs of habeas COlp us should arrive from London. A Liverpool paper says that these notices were given in consequence of its having been intended to re- move the prisoners, in the course of Saturday, on board a Queen's vessel, to be conveyed to Portsmouth for transportation to New South Wales.

A correspondent of the Tinits complains, that he has been more than once charged 2s. 8d. fur a treble letter enclosing the prospectus of a German lottery, in which he has no interest whatever ; and that the Post-office authorities refuse to return the postage, because it does not appear that the letters were sent maliciously," or for the " purpose of annoyance." Mr. Hill's plan of uniform postage and payment in ad- vance, would stop this and many other annoyances.

During the past week, a very large shipment of arms, equal to 8,000 muskets and bayonets, has been made to Leghorn per the Guluare, Captain Vaughan.

The time of the Great Western's departure from Bristol for New York is put off fbr several davs, in consequence of a scarcity of water : at least so we interpret the following notice published by the Directors on the 31st December-

" The Directors were anxious to hear of the Great Western beim= in dock befiwe intim-ming the shippers and passengers whether they would lie able to keep their day. [laving been thrown out a whole tbrtnight for want of sufficient water on the last springs they feel thatit is likely they will not be able to sail for a week, or perhaps a'few days after their advertised days. The Directors are confident the time will not exceed: twelve days. A circular will be ad- dressed to all parties interested immediately the day of sailing is fixed upon."