8. The Rules 4th and 5th of the January shew, to be applicable to the September, as well as to the January exhibition. It is to be distinctly understood, that if the best vegetables or fruits exhibited at any of the shews are (although the best shewn) still of an indifferent quality, it shall then be at the discretion of the Committee to award or withold the prize as may appear to them expedient. With respect to all prize fruits and vegetables, the prizes shall not be given until the exhibitors shall satisfy the Committee of the situation of the gardens in which they were produced.

The Committee strongly advise that the Officers of Government in and about Calcutta be provided with Bengally notices, and requested to make them public, stating generally the change in the arrangements for the distribution of prizesthe addition of the March, June and September exhibition to that of January, and intimating that a new set of rewards has been established for the produce of fruits and vegetables, as per list at the exhibitions last mentioned.

The Committee further recommend that Malies intending to become candidates, shall signify their intention, and for what particular product or products one month before the respective exhibitions, stating their names, residences, and sites of their gardens.

That as many of these gardens as is practicable, be visited by Members of the Society, who may recommend the proprietors for a reward, if the appearance of the garden indicate care, neatness, or an attempt at improvement.

That the Committee will, at some day previous to the exhibitions suggest such arrangement as may prevent the confusion ordinarily attendant thereon.

The Committee recommend that seeds be distributed as usual, and Strawberry suckers from the Society's Garden.

The 20th June, 1831.-Govt. Gaz.

AN APPEAL IN BEHALF OF SEAMEN.

:

Since the year 1822 a Society has existed in Calcutta, called the Calcutta Seamen's Friend, and Bethel Union Society, the object of which is to provide moral and religious instruction for British and other Seamen visiting this port; and as much as possible to counteract the demoralizing influence of those haunts of vice frequented by that class of the Community. The importance of this object few, we conceive, will deny the subject of doubt with most will be, whether the means employed are adequate to the end proposed. That they have not entirely failed of their end, the following, among other proofs which might be adduced, will shew: The Captain of the Lotus, who had regularly attended the Divine Service, with his crew, on board the Society's floating Chapel, on revisiting this port sent a handsome donation, assuring the Committee that from his own observation he was convinced of the beneficial tendency of such Institu tions, and that he felt persuaded the good order which had prevailed amongst his men on their homeward bound passage, was owing, in no small degree, to their having regularly attended the services on Board the Bethel.

The sentiment here expressed is fully corroborated by the testimony of Captain Parry who, in his expedition to the North Pole, maintained with the greatest punctuality religious services amongst his men; and gives it as the fruit of his experience in that dreary region, so calculated to create disgust, and dissatisfaction and despair, that nothing was so calculated to counteract these evils, and to produce cheerfulness, order, and contentment in a Ship's crew, as religious worship regularly performed amongst them.

The vessel in which the service was conducted having become so unsound, as to render it decidedly unsafe longer to continue to worship in it, it was disposed of and with the proceeds, together with a small balance in hand and a subscription entered into by the Members of the Committee themselves, amounting in all to about 2000 Rupees they ventured to purchase a small vessel for 4000 Rupees. For the sum deficient the Committee is responsible; and they make this appeal to the Public in the hope that they will not suffer the Society to be broken up for want of support. The monthly expenditure of the Society is comparatively trifling: no remuneration is received by those who conduct the service and the only outlay is for several men necessary to be kept on board to preserve the vessel from injury, and incidental repairs, amounting to about 50 Rupees.

Should any persons feel disposed to favour the Society with their support, their contributions will be thankfully received by W. T. Beeby, Esq. of the firm of Boyd, Beeby and Co. by the Reverend W. H. Pearce, Baptist Mission Press, Circular Road, or by the writer of this notice,

June 18, 1831.

JAMES HILL,
Union Chapel.

TELEGRAPHS.

At a public Meeting of the Subscribers to the Telegraphs held at the Exchange Rooms on the 21st June 1831.

C. B. GREENLAW, ESQ.
W. MELVILLE, ESQ.
N. ALEXANDER, ESQ.
M. BOYD, ESQ.

PRESENT.

C. F. HUNTER, ESQ. Chairman.

J. DOUGAL, Esq.
R. EGLINTON, ESQ.
R. LYALL, Esq.

J. N. LYALL, ESQ.

It was proposed by Mr. Melville,

R. J. BAGSHAW, Esq.

G. VINT, Esq.

W. ADAM, ESQ.

S. SMITH, Esq.

1st. That a sum of Sa. Rs. 25,000 be raised from among the Insurance Offices, the Commercial Community, and any individual inclined to promote the Establishment of Telegraphs for the purpose of defraying the expences incurred by Government in their erection, and that by this subscription the parties so subscribing be relieved from the expences of the Establishment, and any further subscription for the intelligence.Carried Unanimously.

Mr. Alexander proposed as an Amendment.

That the word " the Commercial Community and any individuals inclined to promote," be left out, and that the Subscription be thereby limited to the Insurance Offices.

The Amendment was lost by a Majority.

Proposed by Mr. Melville,

2nd. That in consideration of the above payment, all public intelligence, immediately on its receipt by Semaphore, be posted up at the Exchange.-Carried Unanimously.

3rd. That in case the experiment should fail the proposition for the erection of the Semaphores coming from the Merchants, and being greatly. for their benefit, they agree to relinquish all claim whatever on the sum subscribed.

(Signed) C. F. HUNTER, Chairman.

THE TELEGRAPHS.

In consideration of the subscribers defraying the expense of the erec tions, it is expected that Government will cause to be published at the Exchange Rooms the information which may be conveyed by the Telegraphs, and the danger to which the subscribers are exposed is that Government may sometimes withhold information to which they are entitled. We mention this objection because it was started at the Meeting, although we do not ourselves attach much weight to it. To estimate this accurately, it should be understood that two descriptions of communications will be made by the Telegraphs,-public and private. The private communications will be made to private individuals, and they will be separately paid for; and, although we are not disposed to place undue confidence in Government, we cannot permit the supposition that they would either withhold or delay such communications. We might with as much reason refuse confidence to Government for the conveyance of letters through the Post Office. In fact, we consider this quite a case in point, as far as private telegraphic communications are concerned. The Post Office, if not in India, at least in France and even in England, has not always been held sacred; but we still send our letters through that medium, and we have the same good faith to trust to for the receipt of private telegraphic communications as for the receipt of private letters by post. Those which may be called public telegraphic communications will convey information of a general nature, such as the arrival of ships, lists of passengers, brief abstracts of news, as peace or war, reform carried or lost, Grey Ministry out or in, Parliament dissolved, &c. &c.; and the question is, whether, if Government should deem proper, they would be justified in withholding or delaying any such items. It is argued, for instance that if war with France should be announced by public telegraph, Government would be entitled to withhold this information from the general body of subscribers, i. e. in fact from the public, until they should have taken those measures with regard to French property within their reach, which such a state of things would dictate. The answer to this is, that such an invidious exercise of power would be useless, because private telegraphic communications would convey, and it is probable more fully, the same information which it is thus proposed to withhold; and we have already assumed that no claim is put in for any right of interference on the part of Government with such private communications. To withhold any item of public intelligence would not only be useless to Government, but it would be positively hurtful to the public, and that not only by the deprivation of an important article of news which is possessed by Government and its servants, and probably also by a few individuals who have received separate private communications and to whom a wide field of temporary speculation would thus be offered, but also by opening a door to abuse. If one article of intelligence is withheld to-day by order of Government, another may be exclusively communicated tomorrow to oblige a friend, and there would thus be no limit to jobbing and abuse. The only security against this is in the absolute interdiction of all curtailments of the public telegraphic communications. This, we think, the subscribers have a right to expect, and we cannot suppose that the Government will be opposed to such an understanding.

MEETING OF THE SAUGOR ISLAND SOCIETY.

Pursuant to public advertisement, a Meeting of the Saugor Island Society was yesterday convened at the Town Hall, to take into consideration a requisition which had been submitted to the Society by Messrs. Alexander and Co.

About half past 9 o'clock Mr. Richard Hunter was unanimously called to the Chair, after which the Secretary, Mr. Kyd, commenced reading to the Meeting the above requisition, of which the following is a copy. To Mr. KYD, Secy. to the Saugor Island Society.

And it is hereby further covenanted by the trustees on the part of the Society and the Company, that if at any time or times hereafter when the Society shall be desirous of making a division of the said Land among themselves, or shall be desirous to alienate or transfer any portion of it to another, such transfer of the portion of Land so transferred shall be recorded

in such form as Government shall determine in the Cutcherry of the Collector with a specification of the boundaries and extent by measurement of the said Land, and that each person, or to whom any part of the said Land shall be transferred, shall then receive a separate grant which shall be executed in such manner as the Governor General shall appoint, but upon the terms of the original grant or conveyance constituting them, their heirs and assigns, sole proprietors of the Land so transferred.

SIR, On the part of the Shikarpore Society we request that you will lay before the Committee of Management our wish under rule the 13th clause of the Society's deed of association to obtain from the Society a separate grant of that estate to be divided off as our property in lieu of all claims on the other parts of the Island. We request that according to the power given by the deed from Government to the Society as quoted in the margin, the Society will authorize their committee to communicate our wish to Government and recommend that a distinct grant be made to us of the Shikarpore Estate, and that the number of biggahs to be granted to us and the boundaries of the Estate be specified, that no future disputes can arise as to the land made over to us.

Your's obediently, (Signed) ALEXANDER AND CO.

Mr. HUNTER then addressed the meeting in a few words, and observed that from what the Secretary had just read the object of the meeting would at once be seen, but in consequence of the principal number of the Shareholders, which consisted of 250, being either absent from the country or dead, it was impossible at present to write to Government on the subject of the above requisition, as one of their clauses distinctly stated

that the Committee must consist of thirteen members, and he had been looking over the names of the Shareholders and had only succeeded in finding eleven, who were at present in Calcutta, that could form a Committee, and previous to entering any further at present on the objects of the meeting, he should propose the following resolutions, which were all unanimously carried.

1st. The Committee not being complete, the filling it up to the regulated number of thirteen members to enable the Society to carry on its operations being the first object of the Meeting, the following gentlemen were voted to form the Committee of Management.

2dly. Proposed by Mr. Hunter and seconded by Capt. Forbes,That though heretofore the Committee have been considered incompetent to act, if consisting of less than thirteen members, and it appears that the casualties among, and absence of most of, the European Shareholders precludes the possibility of forming so numerous a Committee, it is resolved that all acts performed by the present Committee, or a majori ty of them, shall be legal and binding on the Society.

3dly. The Meeting directed the Committee to attend to the requisition of Messrs. Alexander and Co.

After thanks had been voted to the Chairman, the Meeting broke up at about half past eleven o'clock.

INSOLVENT COURT,-SATURDAY, JULY 2, 1831.

Captain R. A. Mc Naghten, of the 61st Regt. N. I. was brought up this day to be discharged, and was opposed by Mr. Burkinyoung, a creditor of the Insolvent.

Mr. Turton attended on behalf of the Insolvent.

Mr. Clarke as advocate for Mr. Burkinyoung, examined Captain McNaghten who deposed as follows:

I was arrested in Calcutta. I came from Etawah on leave of absence on urgent private affairs and not for the purpose of being arrested, I came to see my sister-in-law in consequence of the death of my wife. Gunganarain Shoame is the plaintiff's name at whose suit I was arrested. I cannot take upon myself to say that I knew him before; I do not think I knew him, even by sight. I do not know what he paid for the acceptance, neither am I aware how he got it. I have had no dealings, nor any money transactions with him since I came down. I do not know of my own knowldge, but from conjecture, how I became indebted to him, and I therefore entered it "balance of account" It was not on conjecture that I inserted that debt in my schedule, I knew I owed that amount, and I considered it was some accommodation or transfer between persons in the character of debtor and creditor. The Attorney that Shoame employed wrote me to say that he held an acceptance of mine for that sum for which he was instructed by Gunganarain Shoame to proceed against me. I was aware of the acceptance and therefore did not care to whom it was transferred or who was the holder. The Attorney mentioned