They said, they hoped they had, by their silence under such severe pressure, shown the desire patient ly to await such measures as the Earl Marshal of England, or the government, might recommend; but, they added, that a circumstance had occurred which compelled them to implore attention to the hazard to which the public treasure of records, of which they had the custody, were continually exposed, by the erection and use of a steam-engine of considerable force in the sugar-house.

The Secretary of State for the home department hereupon had the condition of the College of Arms investigated by the surveyor of the Phoenix Fire-office. He reported that the apartments, in which are deposited the records, abut upon the sugar refinery of alderman Smith, which is also an ancient building, &c.; and that if the dépôt of records in question is considered an object of national importance, the present building by no means possesses the security requisite for such purposes.

Lord Sidmouth, previously to his quitting office, directed the case to be considered by the lords of the Treasury, and the case is now under special consideration. The difficulty has been, to select a good situation for the site of a building for the Heralds' College; and it is in discussion between the Treasury and the Crown Lands Revenue department, to allot a piece of ground in the King's Mews for such a College, the new building to be in a line with, and to accord with, the great improve ments in Cockspur-street, Pall mall, &c.

New Churches.-The third an nual report of the commissioners for building new churches was

Of

presented to parliament, and or dered to be printed, the day before the close of the session. The following is an abstract of its contents:-It commences by a brief recapitulation of the report made in the preceding year, from which it appears that in the interval between the two, ten new churches had been completed capable of affording accommodation to 4,081 persons in pews, and to 9,949 poor persons in free seats. Six of these ten had been already consecrated. The report then proceeds to detail what progress had been made since the preceding year. From this and the schedules annexed, we learn that nine churches had been consecrated; that the number already built can afford accommodation to 7,116 persons in pews, and to 14,399 in free seats. The number of churches or chapels, the building of which is now in progress, is 44. these the far greater part will be of the Gothic order; some with tower and pinnacles; some with tower and spire; and some with tower only. There are to be a few of the Doric, Corinthian, and Ionic orders. The whole will be capable of affording accommodation to 34,563 persons in pews, and to 39,842 in free seats. The contracts for building them (including incidental expenses and commission) amounts to 498,681/. 18s. 4d., or, in round numbers, to half a million sterling. Specific grants have been made for 4 of them amounting to about 30,000l. Of the 44 thus in progress, it is stated that 12 will be finished in the course of the present year; 27 in the year 1824, and 5 in the year 1825. In addition to these, it appears that plans for churches or chapels in nine parishes have been

approved of, but the works have not yet commenced. These will be capable of affording accommodation to 5,542 in pews, and to 5,125 in free seats. The estimated expense is 42,040l. 7s. 8d. Specific grants have been given towards the erection of 3 of them, to the amount of 8,555l. 118. 1d. Plans

The

for the erection of 16 new churches or chapels were before the board of commissioners, and not decided upon when the report was laid before the House. These, it is said, will, if adopted, afford accommodation to 11,321 persons in pews, and to 14,139 in free seats. estimated expense will be 206,2001. 13s. 5d. Grants have been made by the board for 5 of them amounting to 34,5531. There are besides 12 places in which it is intended to build new churches or chapels, of which the plans had not been received by the commissioners at the date of the report. These, it was thought; would be able to accommodate 9,900 in pews, and 8,600 in free seats. The probable expense will be about 90,000l. If the 44 churches now in progress, and those decided upon and in contemplation, be finished, they will be capable of affording accommodation to 68,442 persons in pews, and to 82,105 in free seats.Total, 150,547. The estimated expense of the whole is 834,921. 11s. 9d. The dioceses in which these new buildings will be situated, and the number in each, are thus given: In the diocese of London, 24; in that of Chester, 19; York, 15; Winchester, 9; Litchfield and Coventry, 6; Worcester, 2; Durham, 2; Bristol, Lincoln, and Rochester, 1 each. (This does not include the churches already completed.) In order to show that the applications for ad

ditional churches were not indiscriminately complied with, the commissioners add to their report a list of 25 parishes or parts of parishes, from which application for further church accommodation had been made, "but which," to use the words of the report, "owing to the engagements made on the parliamentary fund, his majesty's commissioners have been under the necessity of rejecting; and a great many other parishes have been deterred from making similar applications, being aware that for the same reason they must prove unsuccessful." The present church accommodation afforded in the 25 places from which these applications have been received, is enough for 39,986 persons, but the population amounts to 311,588. The Exchequer bills, which have been issued by the commissioners up to the present time, amount to the sum of 257,4571. The advances consist of specific grants in cases which require it. In other instances, advances are made to the parishes by way of loan, to be repaid without interest in a given time, varying from two to seven years.

Paris in its Civic relations.Some statitiscal researches regarding the city of Paris and the department of the Siene, have been published by order of M. de Chabrol, the prefect. The following circumstances are some of the most interesting that they contain:

The city of Paris pays annually to the state 81,000,000 francs-a sum equal to half the revenue of the whole kingdom of the Netherlands. Of this sum 28,000,000 are paid in direct, and 19,000,000 in indirect taxes; 16,000,000 are received for crown property, acts of registration and stamps;

6,000,000 are derived from the lottery; 5,000,000 from the gaminghouses, and 4,000,000 from the post-office. Each individual, taking the population at 713,000 souls, pays 114 franks; and without the gaming-houses, 106 francs.

Paris under the principal relations of finance and political economy, is a tenth of the whole of France.

The number of houses and chimneys on fire in Paris is as follows: Chimnies on fire. Houses on fire. In 1818-514......133

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1819-524... 148 1820-631......170 The value of the different buildings insured by the company for mutual insurance is 860,000,000 francs. There are five other companies. The corps of firemen consists of 568 men. The damage sustained by fire every year is upon an average one twenty-three-thousandth part of the value of the houses. Paris contains 560 bakers, 355 butchers, 265 pork-butchers, 927 restaurateurs, innkeepers,cooks, and chophouse-keepers, 325 pastrycooks, custard-makers, and confectioners, 2,333 retail dealers in wine, 1,466 retail grocers, 1,767 fruiterers, many of whom are also gardeners, 281 corn-chandlers, 787 lemonade-sellers, 416 brandy-merchants, 52 milkmen, &c. In all, 9,761 dealers in articles of sustenance for human life. There are besides 1,749 milk-women, standing in the public streets. The women who have sheltered stalls in the market-places and public streets are about 3,000 in number.

The month in which most deaths occur is April; that in which the least occur, July. In the order of mortality, the calendar will run thus:-April, March, February, May, January, December, June,

September, October, November, August, and July.

The number of deaths in April is in comparison to that in July as 16 to 11.

The following numbers establish the estimate of the difference between the months, as regards the mortality of each; viz.:-April, 163; March, 158; February, 153; May, 149; January, 147; December, 130; June, 129; September, 125; October, 123; November, 122; August, 120; and July, 116.

According to the estimate of the deaths during the years 1819 to 1821, in which the distinction of age and sex was established, it is remarked that mortality among males, up to the age of 25 years, is greater than among females, and that from this age up to 50, there die more women than men. It is reckoned that more women than men arrive at advanced age.

In the year 1821, 348 suicides were effected or attempted: in 244 of these cases, death ensued. Of this number, 236 were men. The presumed motives for suicides

Knights of Malta.-During the pendency of the negotiation of a loan to the sovereign order of St. John of Jerusalem, the following circumstances were stated with respect to the actual situation of the order.

According to the statutes of the order, the supreme power is vested in the General Chapter, which is composed of a dignitary of each tongue or nation, who are the representatives or general attornies of the whole body. The Grand Master alone has two voices, the Lieutenant but one. At the present time there is no Grand Master, but a Lieutenant of the Grand Master, Antonio Busca, Grand Bailly of Armenia, now in Austria, on the business of the order in that country, with the Ambassador of the Order at Vienna, the Bailly Miari. The Knight Vela, Vice-Chancellor, is at Catania. After the taking of Malta, the chiefs of the tongues or nations retired to their respective priories and commandaries; and continued, according to the statutes, to regulate the internal affairs of the Tongues; and as the dispersion of the Knights required a central government, the General Chapter assembled in France on the 26th of May, 1814, under the presidency of Prince Camille de Rohan, Grand Prior of Aquitaine, for the election of a permanent Capitulary Commission, until possession should be obtained of a seat for the knights of the Order, that may represent the Chapters of the Tongues, and the Provincial Chapters of the Grand Priories, which assembled only twice a year. This commission was invested with all the faculties and powers which were exercised by the general chapters and assemblies of the Tongues and

Nations of Provence, Auvergne." France, Castile and Portugal, Arragon and Leon; the representatives of which resided formerly at the principal seat of the order at Malta; the government being thus concentrated in this permanent chapter which included a representation of the Italian and German tongues, by knights se-lected from those tongues, or from others, in conformity to the statutes. This chapter is empowered to treat on political, civil, and financial affairs. The Bailley de Lasteyrie, grand prior of Auvergne, is president. The Commander Bertrand de Molville, the knight Peyre de Chateuaneuf, the knight de Dienne, receiver of the Public Treasury and attorney-general of the late grand master, are the commissioners and general attorneys of the different Tongues; and the Marquis of St. Croix Molaix is the chancellor.

The actual number of the knights is 1452, composed of Catholics, Protestants, and members of the Greek Church. There are 4,000 applicants, who, on paying their respective fees, will furnish a sum of twelve millions of francs, to the treasury of the order. It is not to be imagined that the reve nues and existence of the order, when it had its seat of Government at Malta, were dependent on the possession of that island. By far the greatest part of the revenue was derived from the possessions of the order in France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Austria, Bavaria, and other parts of Germany, Russia, and Poland; it arose from the estates called Commanderies, in which each commander had only a life interest, and was obliged to contribute a certain part to the common treasury of the order.

Total.. 4,660,772

Prussian Universities.-In the summer of 1822, the university of Berlin had 1,182 students; Bonn, 571; Breslau, 539; Halle, 866; Konisberg, 259: the number at Griesswalde is unknown. The total number of students in Prussia, in 1822, was 1,236 students of theology (193 only being Catho lies); 1,069 in law; 644 in medicine; 468 in philosophy and philology. Those at Griesswalde were but few.

Sweden and Norway.-A map of Sweden and Norway, constructed by Hagelstam in 1820, from official documents, presents the following results: