NARRATIVE OF POLITICS.

PARLIAMENT, which stood prorogued to the 11th inst.,
has been further prorogued to the 31st of January, then
to meet for the despatch of business.

It appears from a recent Parliamentary return that
some of the collectors of Income-tax get enormous
incomes by the poundage. There are 122 collectors who
receive £200 and upwards; in the aggregate they are
paid £66,562. The collectors appear to be paid at the
same rate of poundage under the enhanced tax as before,
—swelling their remuneration to an astonishing figure:
Mr. Richard Till received £2967 in 1853; £5788 in
1854. One collector received £2813 in 1854, another
£1300, a third £1710, a fourth £3042. In contrast to
these overgrown payments, a correspondent of the
Times states that a collector at Burnham, for much
labour, gains but £13 a-year, and that only if he happens
to incur no losses.

Sir Robert Peel, at a dinner given to the retiring
mayor of Tamworth, made a speech respecting the Naval
Management of the War, which, as coming from a Lord
of the Admiralty, has excited some surprise. Speaking
for the ministers his colleagues, he said, that however
determined the government may be in carrying on the
war, it will be useless unless we have fitting agents
abroad to carry out the policy of Lord Palmerston.
Eight or nine millions had been spent on the Baltic
fleet last year, yet that fleet had not answered the
expectations of the public. Again, take the fleet in
the Black Sea. Admiral Dundas had been recalled
before Lord Palmerston came into office. Admiral
Dundas is a brave man; but he had to give way to
Admiral Lyons, who it was thought would inspire
more vigour into the actions of the fleet. Sir Robert
did not believe that such had turned out to be the
case, but they expected more from Admiral
Lyons, because his fleet was twice as large
as that under the command of Admiral Dundas.
Admiral Lyons had six first-class steam-ships,
thirteen steam-frigates, twenty steam-sloops, besides
mortar-vessels and other kinds of boats; and in addition
to all these, six or seven sail-of-the-line. Now, Nelson
with thirteen sail-of-the-line gained the battles of the
Baltic and the Nile; and Sir Robert thought they
would agree with him that all had not been accomplished
by Admiral Lyons in the Black Sea which might
have been. (A Voice—"The enemy would not come
out.") It was said that the enemy would not come out,
and that might be perfectly true; yet, notwithstanding,
he must say that, whether right or wrong, the people
expected, after the enormous outlay incurred on the
fleet, much more would have been done. In the last
war the sailing-vessels had to manœuvre and work their
way in to attack the enemy's forts, and to make their
escape the best way they could, and then there was no
hesitation in attacking forts; but now, when, by the aid
of steam, a vessel might get beyond the reach of harm in
five minutes, our vessels had not been (with one single
exception) within 2000 yards of the enemy's batteries.
2000 yards was the respectful distance they kept,
and it was at this range that Sweaborg was attacked.
This was not the way in which Nelson and Exmouth
acted. They all knew the way in which Nelson attacked
the famous Dutch [Danish] three-crown battery;
and at Algiers Lord Exmouth went in with five sail of
the line, five frigates, four bomb-vessels, and one or two
other small vessels, making altogether sixteen; and he
did not stop at a distance of 2000 yards, but within 200
yards of the muzzles of the enemy's guns he attacked
and captured the place. Captain Townshend, the other
member for Tamworth, regretted that his colleague,
who spoke so well on most matters, had not made
himself better acquainted with naval affairs. The navy
(he said) have done a great deal, and, with proper
appliances, they would yet do a great deal more; and he
should look to Sir Robert for a supply of gun-boats and
mortar-boats; and if there was not a sufficient number
provided, he should call him to account the next time
they assembled there. This remark was received with
cheers and laughter.

The Treaty concluded on the 21st of November,
between France, England, and Sweden, has been
published. It is declared that the treaty is concluded to
prevent every complication of a nature to trouble the
balance of power in Europe. By article 1 the King of
Sweden engages himself not to cede to Russia, nor to
exchange with her, nor to allow her to occupy, any portion
of the territories belonging to the crown of Sweden
and Norway. His Majesty the King of Sweden and
Norway engages himself, moreover, not to cede to
Russia any right of pasturage or fishing ground, or of
any other nature whatsoever, as well for the said
territories as for the coast of Sweden and Norway, and to
reject any claim (prétention) Russia might raise to
establish the existence of any of the abovenamed rights.
Art. 2. In case Russia should make any proposition to
his Majesty the King of Sweden and Norway, or any
demand with a view to obtain either the cession or
exchange of any portion whatever of territory belonging
to the Crown of Sweden and Norway, be it the
permission to occupy certain points of the said territory, or
the cession of fishing or pasturage rights, or of any other
on those same territories, or on the coast of Sweden and
Norway, his Majesty the King of Sweden and Norway
engages himself to communicate immediately such
proposition to his Majesty the Emperor of the French and
to her Majesty the Queen of England; and their said
Majesties take on their part the engagement to provide
his Majesty the King of Sweden and Norway with
sufficient naval and military forces to co-operate with the
naval and military forces of his said Majesty, with a
view to resist the claims or aggressions of Russia. The
nature, the importance, and the destination of the forces
in question shall, the case occurring, be decided by a
common agreement between the Three Powers.

NARRATIVE OF LAW AND CRIME.

AN action for Criminal Conversation was tried in the
Court of Common Pleas on the 3rd instant. The plaintiff
was Mr. Hawker, a Devonshire gentleman; the
defendant Sir Henry Seale, a major in the Devon
Militia. Mrs. Hawker, formerly Miss Polkinghorn,
married Captain Murray, who was killed in the Caffre
war. On her return to England she married Mr. Hawker.
Unfortunately, although much attached to each other,
they perpetually quarrelled about trifles, and separated
in the end. In 1854, however, Mrs. Hawker made
advances toward a reconciliation, and wrote a tender
appeal to her husband, promising that there should be