11141sttilantous.

The Gazette of Tuesday announces the appointment of Earl Grenville to be Master of the Queen's Buckhounds.

Some singular disclosures have been made before the Parliamentary Committee of Inquiry into the affairs of the Andover Union, relative to

the manner in which the Poor-law Commissioners conduct their business. Mr. Edwin Chadwick, their own Secretary, is the witness. In the course of his examination on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, Mr. Chadwick made the following disclosures—

In the summer or autumn of 1841, he prepared a statement objecting to the Commissioners' sitting separately kr the transaction of general business, and also to the manner of recording the minutes of the proceedings of the Board. He complained that letters and communications were brought into separate and pri- vate rooms of the Commissioners, which occasioned many embarrassments in transacting business. When he presented his statement to Mr. Lewis, he heard

suo objections either to his facts or to his conclusions. Mr. Lewis and Mr. Lefevre

were at that time the two acting Commissioners. His opinion was overruled; and he then urged strongly that the opinion of the Law Officers should be taken upon the subject. The effect of this was, that certain alterations were made in the manner of recording the minutes, but not so as to meet fully his objections; - and there was no material alteration as to the method of doing business. The disposal of business by the Commissioners separately was rather increased than - otherwise, as was also the objectionable practice of individual Commissioners writing letters having the authority of the Board, which were not recorded at all. Since the discussions commenced upon this subject about twelve months ago, the letters had been regularly taken before two Commissioners. It was his opinion upon the legal construction of the statute, that the Commissioners had no author- ity except sitting as a Board, and that consequently they had no right of sepa- rate action. The letter which requested Mr. Parker, the Assistant Poor-law Commissioner, to resign his office, for reasons connected with the Andover Union Inquiry, was not recorded, as it undoubtedly ought to have been. He thought the Secretary should always be present when official business is transacted: indeed, it was the practice of the Comniissioners to censure the proceedings of Boards of Guardians in the absence of the Clerk.

"It was consonant to my engagement and duty that I should not only represent illegalities to the Commissioners but even to the i Government; and on two occa- sions when decisions were come to by the Board which were n contravention of the law, I represented my objections to the Government, and the Government affirmed my representation. One of these cases was in 1838, when a general order was proposed to be issued which would have tended to extend the allowance system. I was compelled to send in my views on the subject, and the order was disallowed. In 1840 a similar proceeding in statutory form was recommended by the Commissioners. I was painfully obliged to send in my representation on the subject to the Government, and the contemplated proceedings were stopped. The first case was one involving matters illegal and inexpedient, and the second pointed to statutory provisions which were inexpedient." In answer to several questions put to him on the subject of Mr. Lewis's recep- tion of the report with relation to the Macclesfield and Bolton Union, Mr. Chad- wick explained, that, having found representations us s. what he considered a leading case neglected, he would not again have ma similar representations under the same class of malepractices, and would have considered the refusal of the Commissioners to act in that behalf as decisive. But had a new abuse of a dif- ferent character arisen he would not have hesitated to represent it, and would lave been guided in his future course by the resolution which the Commissioners adopted on his representation of that new case. His view of his duties on this point was strengthened by the reception which he found given to the similar ad re- presentations and complaints of the Assistant-Commissioners. Mr. Chadwick continued—" Very recently, indeed, Mr. Conde complained to me, that in some case near Tring he represented that workhouse children were let out to work some silk-mill, and that he could not get Mr. Lewis to understand the illegality or impropriety of the practice, and the necessity of interfering or inquiring about it." Paragraphs had been written by the Secretary and Assistant-Commissioners it the newspapers, without the authority of theCommissioners; but it was not a habit. He was nut opposed to the Commissioners. He was only opposed to their Captain Charles Graham, R.N., and Commander George James Hay, R.N., have been made Companions of the Bath.

Mr. Adam Elmslie arrived at the Foreign Office on Tuesday from China, being the bearer of the late convention signed by the Emperor, for ratification by her Majesty.—Times.

Sir Robert Peel is expected iu the North in the course of a week or thereabouts, on a visit to his noble friend the Earl of Aberdeen. We doubt not that our townsmen will come warmly forward and take advan- tage of the occasion to do honour to a statesman so eminent, and who has conferred so signal advantages upon the country.—Aberdeen Herald.

The Conservative party has lost an accomplished veteran in General Sir George Murray; who died on Tuesday night, after a protracted illness, at his residence in Belgrave Square. His period of active military service extends from 1789 to the peace of 1814; and since that time he has been much before the public in high civil employment, in Parliament, and even in a literary capacity. George was the second son of Sir William Murray, of Ochtertyre, and was born at the faulty-seat in Perthshire, in 1772. In 1789 he entered the Army as En- - sign; and his military career embraces service in Flanders, Germany, the West Indies, Holland, Egypt, Hanover, and Copenhagen. In 1808, as Quartermaster- General, he accompanied the expedition under Sir John Moore, first to Sweden and afterwards to Portugal. In 1809 he was appointed Quartermaster-General in Spain and Portugal under Lord Wellington; and was present in most of the battles which preceded the peace of 1814. From 1818 to 1824 Sir George was Governor of Sandhurst College; then, Lieutenant-General of the Ordnance; next, Commander of the Forces In Ireland; and from 1828 to 1830 he was Colonial Socretaiy. In 1841, on the return of the Conservatives to office, he was appointed Mrster-General of the Ordnance; an office which he held till the recent accession of Lord John Russell. Sir George Murray was in Parliament from 1824 to 1882, as representative for Perthshire. He was Colonel of the First (the Royal) Regi- ment of Foot, and Governor of Fort George, Inverness. His last task was lite- rary—he edited the recently-published Letters and Despatches of John Churchill Duke of Marlborough,. In 1826 he married the relict of Lieutenant-General Sir James Erskine: she died in 1842; leaving a daughter, who became the wife of Captain Boyce, of the Second Life Guards. mode of doing business and of acting, as illegal and inn-inns; but he had no pri- vate hostility to any of them. Mr. Lewis had no private hostility to him. He could gather that from his asking him to join him in some literary matter. Several questions were put to Mr. Chadwick concerning opinions which he was understood to have expressed on the subject of the administration of the Poor- law, and which are generally regarded as tending to render the administration harsh and oppressive. His answers amounted in substance to this. He never advocated the entire use of the workhouse test: " the great principle is that there shall be entire and not partial relief." His opinions bad been often misrepresented, from particular passages and expressions baying been selected for criticism, with- out regard to the context. The celebrated paper brought under the notice of the House of Commons by Mr. Walter, " containing the recommendation of a person in the Commission to give a coarser food to the poor formed the subject of a long explanation. The paper was drawn up by Mr. Chadwick in consequence of a requisition from the Government to have some general outline of the course of measures the Commissioners intended to recommend. That paper was under the consideration of the Commissioners; and corrections or modifications were made upon it by the Bishop of Chester, the Bishop of London, or some other of the Commissioners. Among the most flagrant abuses which then existed, were the extravagant supplies of food by tradesmen who had an interest in lavish expendi- ture of every sort, and in the use of food of expensive kinds. In districts where not only the labouring classes, but rate-payers, had brown or household bread, the paupers had fine wheaten bread. In districts where the labouring men had meat only once a month, and many of the rate-payers could only have meat once a week for their families, the paupers had unnecessary supplies of meat once a day. It was in reference to these flagrant abuses that the recommendation was given that alterations should be made in the dietaries of the workhouse. But even in these cases it was recommended that the alteration should be made in detail, and the use of a " coarser food " gradually substituted. The description of food adverted to was " household " or " second" bread. The abuse crept from the workhouses to the prisons • and while the Army was fed with brown bread, the convicts had wheaten bread, and derisively offered to bestow it as a treat on the soldiers by whom they were guarded. The gradual change proposed was intended to be a change in the food of the able-bodied pauper: but any statement or representa- tion that by "the poor " was meant the labouring population of the country —that it was intended to reduce them to the use of coarser food—every such innuendo was then, and is now, a false and libellous innuendo. [The latter expression was deemed objectionable by the Chairman, as casting an imputation on the Committee, who were responsible for the questions put. At first Mr. Chadwick did not seem inclined to retract. Mr. Stuart Wortley, how- ever, having disclaimed any intention on the part of the Committee to put the question in any opprobrious sense, Mr. Chadwick withdrew the expression " and is now," and apologized for having used it.] Mr. Chadwick complained of having been assailed for documents which he was not individually responsible for. "There had been complaints of the abruptness of the correspondence, some of which I thought well founded. Yet I as Secretary have borne the blame of all this. Par- ticular letters have been animadverted on is Parliament for the terms in which they were written, yet it so happens that not one of those letters was written by myself. On one occasion, Sir James Graham, in reply to some animadversions, said that the letters were not those of the Commissioners, but the letters of the Secretaries; who, he must say, had made the law unpopular by writing harshly. Now, it so happens, that the letter on which the observation was made was not written by me, but by one of the Commissioners."

Mr. Christie—" By which of them was it written?" Mr. Chadwick—" By Mr. Lewis." Mr. Christie—" Did you ever complain?" Mr Chadwick—" I complained to Mr. Lewis, who was considered to be in most confidential communication with Sir James Graham; but his answer was, that I should get no redress from him." Mr. Christie—" Was any acknowledgment or contradiction ever made by Sir James Graham in relation to his comment on that letter ?"

Mr. Chadwick—" No, never that I heard of."

Mr. Walker and the Committee have had several consultations respecting the condition of Westminster Bridge; and the general opinion entertained by them is that the present unsightly and dangerous structure should be pulled down and a new one substituted. Mr. Walker has already drawn out plans and speci- fications for the new bridge. He proposes that a temporary wooden bridge should be erected, and the new bridge commenced below Ginger's Hotel—Globe.

The East India Company have given notice of their intention to charter vessels for the conveyance of ordnance to Bomber and Madras, of about BOO tons dead

weight. The notice specifies that the greater portion is for heavy enhance; and that for Bombay, " very heavy." So large a quantity has not been sent over for a considerable time.

Lieutenant Hawkey has been reinstated in his original rank in the Royal Marine CorPs-

Miss Graham, the daughter of a gentleman residing at St. John's Wood, took the white veil on Monday as a Sister of Mercy, at the Catholic Church, Parker's Row, Bermondsey. All the usual imposing ceremonies were performed.

The ingenious but ill-starred Colonel Macirone died on Saturday morning, it is feared in a state of extreme destitution. He has left a widow and two daughters.

A swimming-school was instituted by the Eton College authorities in 1836, in order that fatal accidents to the boys on the Thames might be prevented; a re- gulation being made that none who could not swim should be permitted to indulge in boating. Since that time, fourteen hundred of the scholars have passed the swimming test. There are annual "swimming-school games"; when professor ships of swimming and diving, and medals, are bestowed on the moat expert. Yesterday week these games were held, and everything went off well. Two hundred and seventeen of the present scholars ire swimmers. Last year there was a boat-race between the Eton and Westminster scholars, in which the latter were victors. The Etonians challenged their opponents to

another trial; and the match came off between Putney and Mortlake on Thursday evening. The two boats were manned each by eight rowers and a steerer. The struggle was very severe; but the Westminster boatmen were again the winners, beating the Etonian by two lengths and a half.

The Metropolis is supplied with water by eight companies. The daily supply of the whole amounts to 86,000,000 gallons; and the houses to which this vast quantity of water is distributed are 250,000, or an average of 144 gallons to each house.

The Universal German Gazette states, that an Imperial ordinance has just been issued, permitting the Jews in Hungary to redeem, by the payment of a sum once paid down, their yearly taxes for leave to reside and carry on business. In five years all special duties on the Jews are to cease.

A provincial journal, in vaticinating on the evil results which must inevitably flow from free trade, declares—" The consequence must follow the cause as light- 'sing pursues the thunder"!

The French provincial papers are filled with details of incendiary fires in al- most every part of the cour'ry, notwithstanding the strict watch of the farmers and their men. In many places the origin of these fires cannot be traced, nor the guilty parties detected. The most extraordinary circumstance is that the build- s are invariably set on fire in broad daylight. On Monday morning the Hip- me, situated at the upper extremity of the Champs Elyaies in Paris, which has lately been the resort of numerous visiters, was set on fire and partly de- stroyed. No lives were lost, and all the horses but one were saved: the damage is calculated at 4,0001. Intelligence has just arrived of the loss of the ship Sir Walter Scott, many months since. On the voyage from Quebec to Limerick, the vessel encountered a snow-storm upon the coast of Labrador, and went aground. The crew lashed themselves to the • • ; after remaining thus for two days, they made a raft, and got safe to land. they wandered about for five days, without food, and exposed to the severity of the weather. After they were discovered, fifteen died, from the effects of cold and exhaustion; the mate and two seamen alone surviving.