forgotten, will not be abandoned by a people which is now
stronger in means, which is more populous, and more
wealthy than it ever has been at any former period.
This, then, you will agree with me, is not the period to
abandon any of those duties towards the world, towards
the whole of mankind, which Great Britain has hitherto
performed. Let us perform them, if possible, by our
moral influence—let us perform them, if possible, while
we maintain the inestimable blessings of peace. But
while we endeavour to maintain peace, I certainly should
be the last to forget that if peace cannot be maintained
with honour, it is no longer peace. It becomes then, as
I have said, no longer peace, but a truce—a precarious
truce—to be denounced by others whenever they may
think fit—whenever they may think that an opportunity
has occurred to enforce by arms their unjust demands
either upon us or upon our allies. I trust that so long
as I can bear any part in the public councils of this
kingdom, such will be my sentiments, and such my
conduct. Happy I am to find that you have done me
the honour to signify your agreement with me in these
sentiments. I shall conclude, therefore, by thanking
you again for the great honour you have done me;
assuring you that I shall remain attached to that cause
which has been expressed in plain words: in that which
used to be the standing toast at our dinners wherever
Englishmen were met—'The cause of civil and religious
liberty over the world.' I trust that wherever the influence
of Britain extends that cause will be maintained by
her. I feel it is her sacred trust, and that when she
lets fall that standard from her hands she no longer
deserves to bear a part in the concerns of the nations
of the world." —This speech was received with
warm appIause; that part especially which related
to the Turkish question, which was enthusiastically
cheered.

The Commissioners of Inquiry into Corrupt Practices
at Elections in the Borough of Maldon, upon a review of
the whole evidence, came to the following conclusions,
which are of general interest and importance:—"That
corrupt practices in various forms have long prevailed
at elections for the borough, and that open and direct
bribery was practised at the last election to a greater
extent than at any which preceded it. We also find that
a large portion of the electors, consisting chiefly of the
poorer class of freemen, have, in giving their votes, been
influenced, not by the political or personal recommendations
of the candidates, but by considerations of money or
other benefit to themselves, and that such influences
have been habitually employed to corrupt them: but
we cannot forbear adding as our opinion, that the blame
of such corruption rests not so much with them as with
their superiors, by whom the temptation to it was held
out."

The Commissioners of Inquiry into the Corrupt
Practices at the Election for Barnstaple, terminated their
proceedings on the 17th, after a sitting of sixteen days.
There has been a good deal of bribery proved on the
part of the agents of the Tory candidates at the last
election, and the last few days were occupied by the
Court in examining a number of witnesses, who had
received £6 a piece for their votes. The inquiry has
also been distinguished by some shameful instances of
perjury, and an incident of a very painful nature. It
was elicited that a family of the name of Gaydon,
numbering twelve voters, had received £6 each for their
votes. One of them, a respectable silversmith, at first
denied strongly, on oath, but afterwards, on his brother
being sent for from London to confront him, he was
constrained to admit it. One of the Gaydons, a mason,
aged eighty, attempted to commit suicide, being afraid
of being summoned before the commissioners, as his
name was on the list as one who had received a bribe.
He had denied that he had accepted money for his
vote as alleged before the committee of the House of
Commons; and when he heard that he was to be called
up before the commissioners he cut his throat, but
fortunately it was discovered in time to avert an immediately
fatal result, and it is hoped that he will ultimately
recover. The number of electors proved to have been
bribed at the last election for Barnstaple exceeded 250,
the price being £6 for each conservative voter. In some
instances as much as £10 was given. For split-votes
between Fraser and Ebrington the bribe varied from
£2 10s. to £3. The total amount expended by the
Conservative candidates amounted to £2400, exclusive of
the sum they expended in defending their seats. The
number of freemen bribed was about 140. The gross
number is 262, so that it appeared that about one-half
of this class of voters were bribed. The number of
householders who received money for their votes was 110.

NARRATIVE OF LAW AND CRIME.

AN Inquest was held on the 31st. ult., on the body
of Mr. G. Stephens, a plumber in Bermondsey. Mr.
Stephens owned some houses in Bermondsey, and a
young man and his wife, named Lawrence, rented one
of them. For some time past Lawrence has suspected
the fidelity of his wife, and looked with a jealous eye
upon Mr. Stephens, though it is believed without
foundation. On the morning of the 23rd ult. Lawrence
went to a shop in Bermondsey, where he purchased a
brace of large pistols. In the afternoon, he met Mr.
Stephens, and presenting a pistol deliberately aimed at
him. The weapon missed fire, and Lawrence immediately
presented another pistol and fired. The contents
lodged in Mr. Stephens' thighs. He staggered into the
shop of a bootmaker named Smith, who on running out
to look for Lawrence, found that he had decamped.
Medical assistance was promptly obtained, but Mr.
Stephens died a few days afterwards. The jury
returned a verdict of "wilful murder against John
Lawrence," for whose apprehension a warrant was
issued by the coroner.

A Dane named Lomerschal has been charged at the
Southwark Police office with the remarkable Murder of
Eliza Grimwood in 1838. The charge against him arose
out of some words he is said to have used to Jennings,
a woman with whom he lived He was accustomed to
beat her, she said, telling her that he would "serve her
as he served Eliza Grimwood." Jennings talked about
this, and Lomerschal was arrested. He denied his
guilt, and the words quoted against him, but admitted
that he had threatened to serve Jennings as Eliza
Grimwood had been served. He was remanded in order
that further evidence might be obtained, especially that
of a cabman who could identify the person who was
supposed to have committed the murder; but it was
found that the cabman had been transported; and the
magistrate discharged Lomerschal, observing that the
charge ought not to have been made.

A dreadful Murder of two children has been committed
at Stockport. On the evening of the 2nd inst. a man
named Thomas Moore gave information at the Stockport
police-office of the disappearance of his two step-children,
and requested that inquiries might be made, at the same
time giving a description of them. On the following
day this man was apprehended, under a warrant which
had been out against him since last November for
neglecting to support his wife and family. He was then
questioned respecting the disappearance of the children,
and his replies excited a suspicion against him. A
reward was offered for their discovery, and all the rivers
and ponds in the neighbourhood were dragged, but
without success, until the morning of the 5th, when
their bodies were found in the Manchester and Ashton
canal. It has been ascertained that Moore was seen
leading the children towards the canal, near the place
where the bodies were found, between 9 and 10 o'clock
on the morning of the 2nd. He afterwards went to
the house of a woman named Elizabeth Barton, alias
Walton, and requested her leave to dry his clothes, as
he was wet through. Although it had been raining, his
appearance induced her to ask him where he had got so
wet; when he replied that he had been helping a woman
to lift a can on her head at the river side, and had fallen
back into the water. Since his apprehension he has
maintained a profound reserve, beyond a general denial
of all knowledge how the children came to their death.
The names of the cliildren are James and John Higham,
the former eight and the other four years old. Their
father died about four years ago, and about two years
subsequently their mother was married again to the