With a mixture of ability and humanity highly honourable to him, the Marquis of Lansdowne, on Friday evening, brought forward his motion for a Committee of the Lords to inquire into the dis tressed state of Ireland. This motion, so necessary at this moment—to consolatory to the starving Irish —was resisted by the Earl of Liverpool, not because it was introduced with violence, for he complimented the moderation of the noble Marquis—not because the ilktress was the creation of the brain, for be ad mitted and lamented its verity and extent—not be cause he thought it would be unproductive of good, tin he implied a belief that it might be utile; but, forsooth, because it would convey a tacit censure upon Ministers, by intimating that the Government had not done all that was possible for their relief— and to the whole length of this sensitive feeling did the House of Lords go with the First Lord of tke Treasury—millions of our fellow-subjects had better be allowed to starve, than a distant hint of a want of ability or attention be cast upon half a score of the least competent men that ever formed a Cabinet in the United Kingdom. The Alien Bill was read in the House of Com mons a second time on Friday evening, after one of the most luminous speeches ever heard within its walls, which was delivered in opposition to it by Sir James Macintosh. We owe to truth, as chroniclers of the day, what we grieve to record—that Mr. Plunkett, once the honoured advocate of liberty, was the upholder, apologist, justifier, and supporter of his cruel outrage upon the principles that ever ought to govern British jurisprudence. We did not believe—we would not have believed from any other than his own mouth, that he would have ad vocated such a measure, because we thought it pos sible for him to accept an official legal appointment in Ireland without apostatizing from the honest feelings he had so long, so loudly, and so fearlessly professed. A meeting of the Freeholders of the County of Kent, in favour cf reform in Parliament, was held on Tuesday last, in pursuance of a most numerously and respectably signed requisition—every thing went on well—all were of one mind, until some demon threw down the apple of discord, which descended in the shape of Mr. Cobbett—that person applying to public affairs the, dishonest principles which he has already avowed (in his famous letter to Sir Francis Burdett) govern him in his private concerns, moved a rider to the petition, which had theretofore received unanimous approbation, urging a reduction of the interest on the public debt —We dare say Mr. Cobbett has not a pound in the funds, and we luow he is not particular as to the fairness of a measure so long as his own pocket is not touched —but that the collected freeholders of Kent could ac cede to so ♦illanous a proposition does astonish us.— It is due to Earl Darnley and the other requisition ists to add, that they all opposed the petition, thus disgraced by Mr. Cobbett's addition, but the meeting, in which we believe the majority were not Free holders, passed it, and the county is thus disgraced by the voices of those who had no right to a voice at all—The presentation of this petition to the House of Commons on Friday last gave rise to a warm discussion; but we rejoice to add that, with, very few exceptions, the swindling proposition it contained was reprobated on all sides—though we must confess our risibility was excited by the tena city of the Marquis of Londonderry on the score of the public faith, during the very session in which himself and his colleagues have juggled and cheated the poor widow, who had just enough in the Five per Cents. to exist upon, out of one sixth of her hard pittance. THE LATE DUEL IN ScortaND.L.The trial of Mr. Stuart, for being principal in the duel in which Sir Alexander Boswell so justly lost his life, in March last, came on at Edinburgh on Monday last. We have given a report of the trial in another .column—it lasted till live o'clock the nett morning, THE NATIONAL REGISTER when the Jury, without retiring, pronounced a ver dict of " NOT GUILTY," to the satisfaction of a crowded Court. Mr. Stuart retired from the Court amid the cheers of the multitude, attended by Lord Rosalyn, and other Noble and Honourable Friends. Pants, Jima B.—On Thursday, after the sitting of the Chamber of Deputies, M. Benjamin Constant demanded satisfaction of Mons. F. des hauls, for a letter inserted by the latter in the Quolulienne of the sth, in answer to one of M. B. Constant, inserted in the Coasiiiulionisc/ and the Courier of the 4th. Without any other explanation, the Honourable Des puties proceedett yesterday morning to the ground. M. Benjamin Constant was accompanied by Gen. Sebastiani and M. Girardin, Members of the Cham ber of Deputies ; and M Forbin des Issarts by Gen. the Count de Bethisy, Member of the Chamber, and Colonel Chamoin, Lieutenant in the King's Gravies du Corps, Company of Luxemburg . .. M. Benjamin Constant being lame, he and his adversary were placed at ten paces distance on chairs. They fired together by signal, neither was hurt, and M. Ben jamin Constant appearing satisfied, the seconds de cided that the combat ought to terminate. It is impossible to shew more sangilivid than was mani fested by the honourable Deputies. TILE KING'S DRAWING•hOOM.—His Majesty held a drawing-room on Thursday last, at Buckingham house, which it is understood will be the last this season. We scarcely ever remember to have seen one so thinly attended as this, but various causes operated to make it so—among which the disgust excited by the late proscription of the amiable Duchess of Gloucester, held no doubt a prominent situation. The King left Carlton house at half-past twelve, in a plain carriage, attended by the Duke of Dorset, and proceeded to Buckingham house.— His Majesty wore the IVindsor unifinTa. His Ma jesty took refreshment with his royal sister, the Princess Augusta, previous to attiring for the draw. in;-room. The company began to arrive a little before two o'clock, but very slowly, and from that time until soon after three, when the last equipage drove up, there was not what is called a line of car riages once formed ; they came straggling by twos and threes, and once or twice as many as half a dozen were observed in a line. The Lord Mayor went in state, accompanied by the Lady Mayoress, and attended by the City Marshals, Marshalmen, &c, a very unusual circumstance, we believe. It is many years since a Lord Mayor appeared in state upon a similar occasion. The Sheriff's accompanied his lordship in their carriages. The Prince and Princess Esterhazy, and nearly all the Foreign Am bassadors, were present. The drawing-aunt termi nated by four o'clock. On Wednesday last, his Royal Highness the Duke of Gloucester inspected the battalion of his regiment, the 3d Foot Guards stationed at the Tower. They went through the manteuvres with great correctness, and seemed to give entire satisfaction to the colonel. —His royal highness afterwards inspected the bar racks. He then visited the various armouries, de pots of arms, and ordnance map-room, attended by a numerous company of the officers of the Guards, and a party of the Yeomen of the Guards, and subse quently partook of a (Wine a la 14urclietle in the officers' mess-room. His royal highness looked very well, and took his leave apparently much delighted with the business of the day.. His royal highness on his way home viewed the Middle Temple Hall, and also the church of the Inner Temple. The occasion of the ease of the individual calling herself the Princess Olive against the King's Proc tor; being postponed on Wednesday last, was as fol lowt:—A gentleman of the name of Tucker came into court whilst Dr. Lushington was speaking, and stated to the Proctor of the party proponent, that he Came direct from& noble Lord whom he named, and the Attorney and Solicitor-General, to request that the case might stand over to the next court, to afford the opportunity of arranging the matter in the mean time with the party: and. the note which he pro duced from the lady, signifying her acquiescence, was written in consequence of a similar representa tion made by him to her. D'ESPRIT.—Two Englishmen were recently standing at the door of an hotel in Boulogne, when a boor-like looking fellow passed by, driving an ass —one of the gentlemen observed to the other, " There is a pair of asses;' on which the boor, who, from having been a prisoner of war in England, un derstood the observation, replied, Nun. Momieur, Je ne suit pea ce qu e je euis, Car si letaas ct que je suis, Je ne serail} pas Ce que je suit." —We need not remind our readers that the verbs etre and suivre are precisely the same in the first person singular of the present teusc of the indicative mood. An official return to an order of the House of Commons, states the amount of the bslance in the hands of the Treasurer of the county of Middlesex, at the 15th Apr 11,1822, at 16,9741. 16s. 6d. _ --- -, 189 COURT QF COMMON-PLEAS.—(YESTEFDAY.) CERLINO V. HA TDOCK. This was sit action for assault, which wag tried in the sitting after last term, in which the Jury gave 7401. damages. A rule to chew cause why a new trial should not be granted was this day moved for, on the ground of es.cessive damages. -The son of the plaintiff( Dr. Curling, a gentleman of very great celebrity in the medical profession,) a Loy of 18 years of age, was riding out of Hyde Park, when the defendant, fancying he meant to insult him by petting aside the flaps of his coat, fo!lneveit horse-whipped VIM on horseback, and after pulling hint i if his horse repeated - his linnishment very brutally—the defendant was a tall athletic man in the prime of life—the victim of his rage a puny boy. The Court refused the application—the de fendant's conduct had been gross in the extreme.—he was a mall recently come to a large ((inane, and the verdict was not too Leary—it would teach hint to master Lis !wakes in route. —Rule refused. The 'hatpin?, Observer of the 3d inst. contains paragraph, confirmatory of the pacific termination of the negotiations in the East. On the 6th of May, this paper observes, it was announced in the Divan, at which the Chiefs of the Janissaries were present, that the evaouation of the principalities was deeidA on, and that hencethrth the places of the FlOspixla , s would be filled with natives. • This determination, it is added, was beard with unanlotous satisfaction. Five of the soldiers • belonging to the cavalry depot, at Maidstone, have, with a generosity whic!i does them• credit, voluntarily subscribed the sum of 601. towards the fund now raising for the distressed Irish—being their-share of a seizure of contraband spirits, made by them, a short time since at Coxiteath. A new dial has been affixed to the clock on the west entrance of St. Paul's. It may be amusing to many persona to know, that the minute strokes are eight inches in length—the hone figures two feet two inches ; the minute hand, eight feet two inches in length ; the hour hand five feet fan. inches ; the weight of the minute hand, 7.51 b. the hour hand 441 b. The Lersthm, Capt. Rosen, of 300 tons burden, arrived in the river on Thursday, and is now un loading her cargo of ice, at Cox Quay, London Bridge. The-wholesof the freight is consigned to Mr. Rhodes, of Islington, and conveyed from the wharf to his ice house on the Edgware-road. ' Trpon the average it is sold at 301. pi.; ton.- • On Thursday . evening 40. tons were conveyed to Carlton Palace.- The above vessel began to load on the Ist of May, completed her lading on the 14th, and arrived in the river June 13. Two more ships of the same size were left employed in procuring the smile article, and may be daily expected to arrive in England. On Monday last the venerable Earl of St. Vincent came to town, and took his seat for the firsr time this Parliament, for the purpose of giving his proxy in support of the Catholic Bill. When it is uutii dered that his Lordship, now in his 88th year, and feeble in bodily strength, undertook the journey for ' the sole purpose of giving in aid his last efforts flr - the Catholic cause, it strongly marks the interest lit takes upon it. Nay, so much does he feel, rharbe fore he left his house, he declared that .he would go, although, like his old friend Grattan, he should pe- - fish in the attempt. . Ireland at this moment presents a frightful piz ture of pestilence and famine. The accounts rt. ceived on Wednesday from that unfortuate countr. are still more heart-rending and more appalling than • any that.previously reached us. Instead of a robii•t and sturdy peasantry, none are now to be seen in the exhausted districts but pallid, weak, and slowly moving specters—mothers weeping over their stay.. •- ing children, and thousandslying bed cf death and sickness. The Dublin Eueuntg Past gives a 1 feeling and melancholy account of the general - tress, which, it is feared has not yet - reached i:3 height. The west and south of Ireland., it sayc, present a dense population. in a state of famine, on the brink of pestilence;—a. million of mea, wo- -- men, and children, are starving—are actually.tlying; of hunger—and this in one of the finest se.a,ms- • ever remembered. In the western part of Galway, the mortality is so great, that every person who • could quit were flying in all directions, as from • plague. Sligo is similarly circumstanced, wiiera the fever has already made frightful ravages 4 and ill"' • the county of Cork a typhus fever of a inalfgnaat kind has made its appearance. The concert fur the benefit of the Irish poor was • given on Wednesday night last at the ilansici:- house, when the Egyptian-hall was fitted up expectation of a numerous company. All the lead ing members of the musical world, foreign as we:l as British (with one or two exceptions), came ;_- nerously forward to support the cause of charity.— The music in general was well self:clad, from Ch. 2-. rubini, Rossini, Mozart, and others, The audien::.e, however, was by no means crowded, notwithstandia4 the distinguished names of the Patronesses ; thou4l there is reason to believe that at the West-endolthca town a considerable number of tickets were pall for, by families who found it inconvenient to attend.— Refreshments for the company were liberally pro vided in an adjoining apartment; and those of thi Lady Patronesses, end their friends who were pee sent, were ,invited to supper with the Lord and Lady Mayoress.. - -.-INMUMII I