The Press. — London, England, 1856-05-03 00:00:00

TCH OF SEA SONGS. AlR—"Sing a song of sixpence." ,ing a song of mockery, A fleet without a foe, 'orty score of ships of war All in a row ; When the war was over The fleet was ready seen, — Wasn't that a silly sight To set before the Queen? Lewis in his counting-house Was counting up the money, Lords and ladies all afloat Thought it fine, but funny. Old Chai ley Wood there Muttered, " Hang the show!" or up came a little bird there And whistled, " Out you go " RULE BRITANNIA ! " , play an air less bold and brave, .nd play no more the fool. ; now Britannia "rules the wave"— Iritannia "waives the rule." 0? OR, THE FLEET'S STATISTICS. forty-three ships, 9,172 guns, and 32,610 men, compose this mighty Id and forty-three vessels of war ! build this big fleet for? Black and the Baltic Main. id i►, do ?—lt came back again tsand one hundred and seventy-two ! )d's name did these great guns do? lied with shot, and they practised with shell, . on Wednesday wonderfully well! thousand eight hundred and ten they done—all these Englishmen ? 2d at Sweaborg, and fished in Azoff, tan their yards without tumbling off. AL MEETING OF CREDITORS. From our City Correspondent.) the embarrassments into which the firm of ture, and Co., have recently and notoriously been •.dently convened a meeting of their creditors at of their senior partner, in Piccadilly, on Monday lain the state of their affairs, and to take the sense they should continue to attempt to can on bue undred individuals attended. . addressed the meeting, and did not appear to be reumstances which had rendered it necessary. He ;tingly, to the condition of the firm, and evinced to go into the Gazette, if his terms were not thought, however, that this indifference was by no was known that he had been instigating private to propitiate certain parties who could at any business to a stand-still. We are informed that rejected, but that he was apprised by the parties tarsh steps would be taken by which the interests It be endangered, and that he would certainly be )w what assets he could produce. Privately ford ice, he was the more able to meet his creditors declined to enter into any detailed accounts, but ►artners were doing their best for everybody, and refused, or hesitatingly given, he should at once tall creditor from Exeter, volunteered a statement to high honour of the firm, which he conceived Id be expected ; but his speech was not very ay the meeting, and his opinion was evidently great value. then put questions, but there was a reluctance to tost general terms. sat. he held a bill of the firm with which he had education for his little boys, but the bill had been - ‘t was he to do? said that accidents would happen. stated that he had heard that the firm had been had not behaved, even to them, in a straight 'tad tried to get credit on a bill that was sure not said that an eminent Hebrew lived a few doors ,mplainant had better go and inquire there upon said that no firm could exist that did not pay foreign agents. He knew that a representative _ looked for a consignment of gunpowder and Lenia, had been totally neglected, and finally said that it was not his fault, but the fault of Constantinople. wished to know whether the great lawsuit in !en engaged had been settled upon reasonable tad only been patched up. MAY 3, 1856. A BA Si Ft W LI LI 0 Ft Oh, Ai Not B 1 CUT BONO "Two hundred and forty armament." Two hundred What did we To go to the And what dic Three thousa What in God' Oh, they drill And saluted • Thirty•two th What have th They potterer And can man MINISTERIA] (F, IN consequence of t Palmerston, Panmure placed, they very prud the private residence last, in order to explai of that body whether t ness. About two hum Mr PALMERSTON a depressed by the circu alluded, somewhat jest a perfect readiness t acceded to. It was th means sincere, as it w. negotiations in order t time have brought his these overtures were r in question that no ha of other persons might permitted time to shoes fled with this assuranc with confidence. He said that he and his pa that if support were r put up the shutters. Mr. DlvErr, a sma of his conviction of th( had done all that conic favorably received by deemed to be of no gre Several creditors t reply, except in the mu A Creditor said till intended to provide ed dishonoured, and what Mr. PALMERSTON sa Another Creditor s with the Jews, and h forward manner, but 111 to be accepted. Mr. PALMERSTON Si further on, and the con the subject. A third Creditor st Proper attention to its of the firm, who had other things in Arm arrested out there. Mr. PALMERSTON their correspondent at A fourth Creditor which the firm had bee terms, or whether it ha THE PRESS. 421 Mr. PALMERSTON threw a huge bundle of papers upon the table, and said that the meeting was quite welcome to look into the docu ments. This cavalier way of treating the subject, however, gave much offence, and Mr. Palmerston finally promised that if those present would meet him at Westminster, next week, he would, with the assistance of the standing counsel to the firm, give such information on this topic as would, he hoped, be satisfactory. A Creditor wished to know, supposing that support were con tinued to the firm, on what it intended to trade? Mr. PALMERSTON said, " Upon that support, of course." Murmurs of disapprobation followed, upon which he added that the firm meant to trade upon the proceeds of a good deal of British spirit which had, by accident, been placed at their disposal. A Creditor inquired whether this spirit were in dock? Mr PALMERSTON said that there was hardly a dock in the king dom in which its presence had not been detected, to a most valuable extent. He begged also to remind the meeting that there had been an entire absence of opposition and competition, which showed that the firm stood high in public opinion. A Creditor observed that the firm had certainly received the utmost fair play, but that this forbearance could not be always reckoned on, as the public insisted upon being properly treated, and if wronged at one establishment would demand that another be set up. Mr. PALMERSTON said that they might make up their minds quite easy on that head, at least for the present. A Creditor asked whether it was true that the firm had contem plated adding to its business the sale of ribbons? Mr. PALMERSTON said, certainly not ; the rumour might have arisen from his having secured a certain ribbon for a private decoration of his own, but though he had showed that the firm was in no way ad verse to dealing in anything likely to bring grist to the mill, he had no idea of extending his business. A Creditor asked whether their partner Mr. Clarendon's expe rience had induced the firm to give up the sale of Irish prints ? Mr. PALMERSTON said that it had done so in a great measure, and he might add that they no longer adulterated any article with Birch. Their yarns, he might mention, had not been very favorably received, but they would be improved shortly, and would then go down. Several creditors demanded upon what principle he proposed to deal in future? Mr. PALMERSTON replied that he hoped to sell by the Peace for a long time to come. - The meeting then broke up in no very good humour, but it was agreed that the firm should receive a conditional support for the pre sent, provided its issue of bills were entirely limited to absolute necessity. There is reason to believe, however, that it will speedily appear in the Bankruptcy Court, when some extraordinary disclo sures, especially in regard to its Irish engagements, may be expected K.A.RS.-" NO ONE TO BLAME." Debate, Thursday, May 1, 1838. " There's no one to blame," so the Commons has said, Though Russia has boasted of Victory's glory, Though Williams still lies on his famine-struck bed, Though the nations still shudder at Kars' hideous story. There's no one to blame ; Pooh, the clamour is o'er ! Why search out for blame? 'Tis the fortune of war. There's no one to blame, so the Times has declared, Though nothing was done—but what could they do more? Though Stratford his private dislike might have spared, He was kept to browbeat where he browbeat before. So there's no one to blame, Nor place at man's door Any share of the blame— 'Tis the fortune of war. " What, no one in fault? will England exclaim ; If no one's to blame in our deepest disgraces, Why need we a Commons to guard us from shame? Perhaps when the Whigs shall look out for their places, And find them a-wanting, When this Parliament's o'er, The supporters of Kars May set up a-chanting, " There's no one to blame, 'Tis the same in all wars !" TORTURE AND TAXES. THE success of the torture system in India has induced the Govern ment to consider the propriety of employing similar means for the correction of peccant taxpayers in this country. It has been decided that any one remiss in the payment of taxes shall for the future be liable to the following tortures : He shall assist in transcribing the Premier's forthcoming work— " The Comic Jester ; or, Puns and Profanity." He shall be put to the " pcine forte et dure," by the imposition on his chest of the works of Sir G. C. Lewis. He shall be suspended between any two leading articles in the same Times, and not released till' he can reconcile their statements. He shall be sent in a Government steamer to thej next Naval Review, and be made work at the capstan with bishops and judges. • - •