The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser. — London, England, 1826-09-08 00:00:00

IRISH JOINT STOCK COMPANIES. It would appear, Nem consulting the Dublin Share List, t h a t the Joint Stock Companies of the sister kingdom are Slot in a much more prosperous state than our own, very few of them being quoted at any selling price; and those that are, at an awful discount. For the information of those who may be interested in these securities, we give the quotations of the list in question : IRISH SHARE LIST. Last. Share. Paid. selling Price. Hibernian Bank . - 100 ..125 0 0 -, £lO 0 0 Provincial Bank . - 100 . 20 0 0 National Insurance . 2.50 - 25 0 0 Patriotic Insurance , 1011 - 0 0 St Planck Insurance - 100 . 710 0 . 011 0 Royal Irish - lon 5 0 0 . 2 to 0 Xining Company of Ireland 23 . 215 0 . 112 6 ,Royal Irish alining . - 25 111 3 Bibemian . 50 7 0 0 Imp vial Mining - 10 - 0 7 6 In the same paper we notice an advertisement from the •St. Patrick's Insurance Company, calling a general assem bly of the Proprietors, for the purpose of appointing a Committee to report on the state of the Company's affairs ; to which advertisement there is a postscript, in which it is stated, that the call made by the Directors for a further payment, on account of the shares, is postponed. The St. Patrick's Company is one of several in Ireland for marine insurance, and which, as well as those of a si milar description in this country, has excited considerable attention, from the largeness of its business and the small ness of its capital. It would appear from the announce ment of a Committee of investigation into its affairs being projected, and the postponement of the further call by the Directors, that the Company in question is about to be dissolved; and certainly, should the Shareholders come to such a resolution, it would appear to he the wisest they can adopt. In Companies of this description, the responsi bility of the Shareholders must be of a very serious cha racter, particularly if it should turn out that the original proprietors are individually, as well as collectively, respon sible for the claims that may be made upon them. When the Bubble Act was repealed, the Legislature could have little anticipation that thcy we re about to create such mo nopolies as these Companies have proved, hut, possessing all the advantages resulting from coLibination, arc yet un able to carry on their business to a profit. It is quite clear, in London at least, that Marine Insurance can never be more safely or more honourably conducted than it was during the period of a long and protracted war by the individuals composing the room at Lloyd's; and though it may be said that place itself is an incipient monopoly, still it is essentially individual in every thing that respects property and responsibility. It is impossible to furget the highly respectable individuals who have from time to time dignified commerce by embarking in this species of business, or the large fortunes that they brought to aid them in their speculations. With the ins. Lunar accumulation of capital which Lloyd's Room then presented, it is confidently asserted that Insurance Ac- Willits did not yield a much hi t sher per centage than vari ous other modes of business held out: and yet the public hal the security of millions; while in the public Companies that have sprung up it appears matter of doubt from whom losses could be recovered in the event of things going wrong ; unless, indeed, it be from the original Directors, should they be liable, and should their fortunes prove suffi dent to pay the claims to which, under the possibility mentioned, they might he subject. It is well known that the gentlemen forming the Marine Insurance C panics in London are most respectable and wealthy ; but they cannot control events, and it does appear tolerably certain that, with the capitals possessed by the Companies, they are wholly unequal to meet the claims that might by pos sibility he made upon them. Under these circumstances it certainly does appear that the Insurance business is safer in the hands of individuals than in those of any Company whatever. Z. The I i ectors of the Bank of Scotland have announced their i. t .1 t on of reducing the rate of interest to three per c nt. from the let of October, unless on money lying frr cis months or longer. They do not m.mtion whether they are o reduce the rate of discount.—Edinhurgh Observer. A ball of fire fell on Wednesday, at ILpf.Lworth, near Crtringham. A sulphureous smell was experienced for a considerable time afterwards, the cattle were much terrified, ald a part of a hedge was burned.—Hurl Pa.•krt. ST I•M-BOAT ACCIDENT...4AV UMW., SYPT. 6.—We are sorry to hear that the Etna and Thetis, two of the New Post Office steam-packets, recently established be ts een Liverpool and Kingstown, ran foul of eat h other on Monday night last off Point-Lyitars ; fortunately, how ever, the damage sustained was not so serious as to prevent either proceeding on their voyages. A melancholy accident occurred at Heathfield last week. Mr. Christmas, a young man, took a gun from over the kitchen fire-place, for the purpose of unloading, when accidentally the cock struck against a clock-case, and the contents exploded and caused his death. On Sunday morning last, as Mr. John ilawkesford, of 'Elston. was returning home with two ladies in a gig, from Wilenhall church (where the inhabitants of Bilston usu ally attend while their own church is rebuilding), a fero cious bull-dog, which was with its master on the road, siz,el the horse by the nose, which set him off at full speed, till the gig was overturned in a ditch ; time dug still keeping his hold, could not be got off without killing him, which was done by cutting his throat on the spot. We are happy to learn that neither Mr. Hawkesford nor the ladies received any personal injury, except the terror of the fright, and a few scratches from a hawthorn hedge, into winch they were all thrown. IVe hear that the dog be longed to a man commonly.called " Jack the Nailor," and was a very savage one, having bitten a man at Willenhall that same morning; the horse is much torn and lacerated about the nose, lips, and legs. We regret to find that the law affords no remedy fur complaints of this serious nature, but by action for the recovery of damages or by indictment, and u the expense.' (where the delinquent has no property) must fall on the prosecutor, it is next to no remedy at all. —lro'verhamplon Chronicle, Sept. 6. On the 25:11 ult. Philip Henry Guntset was tried at the Assizes of Strasburg, for the murder of his wife. It ap pears that the deceased was a most desperate termagant, often inflicting personal correction upon her husband. On one occasion she threw him front the top to the bot tom of the staircase, since which his intellectual faculties teem to be a little deranged. On I7:11 April last, he went to the forest to cut down some trees. Shortly after his departure, his wife learned that he had contracted a debt of SS fr. with a Jew. She fell into a violent passion, and declared to one of the witnesses that she would follow her husband into the forest, and that she would settle with him after a summary manner. At three o'clock the prisoner came back, and asked if his wife had not yet returned ? The ne x t day her body was found covered with wounds, and weltering in blood, near the tree which the Owner had been cutting down. Fifteen days before this event, be had been heard making use of threatening expressions, with regard to his wife ; amongst other things he said, " Do vole hear the mad dog? Patience for a little while, we shall Loth go out together some day or other, but only one shall return." Nothing more positive, however, having been Produced against him on the trial, and all the witnesses concurring in giving him an excellent moral character, the Jury returned a verdict of acquittal. On Sat ur d ay last, when John M`Taggart, one of the weavers employ ed in the Green, was levelling the bank of the river a li tt le to the east of Nelson's monument, he round a silver coin about two fret below the surface. The coin, which is somewhat larger and much thinner than a shillin g , i s i n tolerably good preservation, although tome Parra of the inscription are scarcely legible. This coin is of James I. of England. It bears the King's head crowned. The inscription, Jacobus D. G. Mag. Brit. Fra. "I fib. Rex. Behind the head there appear the numerals " • • iming the value to be sixence. On the reverse the arm ply s of Great Britain, viz. quar p terly, Ist and 4th the urns of France and England quartered, 241 anti 311 Scot land and Ireland. At the top of the shield 1606, the year coinage. anti the inscription rout.d the whole, Quo Deus ;•onjunxit Nemo Separet. The description of the coin is °I Ur. John Dillon, who says, that although of no great a ntiquity, he does not find it described either in Ander- Ntunismata nor in the treatises of Snelling or Cor ,l.onnell on coi ns . Mr. Cl e ll an d, w h o was p resent w h en 1 th e can was dug up, has presented it to the Hunt c ri a n M useum—Glasgow Chronicle. BRIMS!! IRON COMPANY. Yesterday • Meeting of the Shareholders in the above Company was held at the City of London Tavern, for the purpose of Freely. ing the Report of the Co.ninittee appointed to investigate their Atm*, for the purpose also of conferring on the state of their affairs generally, and to consider as to the propriety of altering a certain clans.. in the deed of settlement. At one o'clock precisely the Diree.oro entered the room. and Sfox , E.q. took the Choir, and ordered the minutes of the last er ng to be read. A SIIIIAREIIOLDER requested to be informed. previous to she niinutes of the lam Meeting being read, whether the Report f the Public Press had been rdniittell. The CHAIRMAN replied in the affirmative. Mr. TATI.OR inquired how it wa. that 3lr. Wm. Clark Irma not admitted to be a Shareholder, having purchased the scrip of the Company in the public market. The ( HAIRMAN said that the Directors held a distretionary power,accotding to the deed of settlenievt, of sanctionirg any trans fer of stock. Mr. TAY Loa said he thought Mr. Clark ought to be admitted to the roam, and he would take the sense of the Proprietor's whether or not he 'should be admitted. Howler NO said, that if an individual was dis.inguished for being of a prying tint, skims. t h •.t was perhaps the very reason wny he ought to be ad, )) tt et, ; but as the Directors hid the discretion, according to the deed of settlement, of excluding whom they though, proper, he thuaght the motion could not be entertained by the :Sleeting. Mr. TAYLOR said that he would not give un his motion. A SHAREHOLDER said that no motion of the sort could be en. tertained. Mr. Taylor might frame his nicnion as a recommenda tion to the Directors to admit Mr. Clark, and then it would be per. reedy regular. Mr. TAYLOR—If my conduct be correct, what care I who at tends the Meeting ? (Cheers.) A DIREETost said that the Directors had exercised a Round dis. cretion in rejecting Mr. Clark, who had been troublesome in other Companies by his inquiries. Unless they altered the deed of set. dement. the motion could not be put to the Meeting. A SitARFIIM.DIER said they had better give up the bovines! at once, if they were not to be permitted to go the length of ore►ingg a recommendation to the Directors. lie knew nutlibtg of Mr. Clark. but he never knew such a reason given for the exclusion of an individual as because lie came into the Company for the purpose of investigation. (Cheers.) A SHAREHOLDER said, that his admission would be shad tram. pliment to the Committee, who had been appointed for the purpose of investigation. (Cries of •• No. no.") A SHAREtioLDER then moved, That it he recommended to the Directors to approve of Mr. Clark, and that he be accordingly now admi•ted." To this an amendment was moved to the effect that the Meeting should proceed to the business of the day. The amendment was then put and carried, and Mr. Clark was therefore not admitted to the 3laeting. ‘IesCIIET, the Chairman of the Committee, then read the Report of the Committee to the Mee.ing, which stated that a most extravagant purchase had been nude of the Aberrychan property, front alr. Atwood. That gentleman required that Mr. Philip Taylor. who had been sent down by the Directors as superintendent of their concerns. should make no inquiries as to the property, ex cept from himself or his agenu, to which Mr. Taylor most injudi ciously assented. The consequence was, the property was purchased at an immensely overrated mine, and it was tolerably clear that Mr. Atwood's intentions were frauttilent. A snit in equity had hi en preferred against him in order to recover 22.5,900 f., which had been paid on account of :MAO/ , which was the yu case money erg e:d upon. The Committee, however, recommended to the pro prietors to refrain from entering into the particulars ..1 that tranue tion, until the suit in equity shall be decided. A gentleman had been sent down by the Committee, and he thought the management had hither.o been imprudent. The Committee also complained that tk, y were unable to obtain plans of the works. The gentle. man who ta they hal sent down est.maied the val. e of Aberystwitlt at 3:.0001. It had cost the Company 72,11O1(. (Cries of shame, shame.) The Report went on to say that although the Com mittee could rot congratulate the Proprietors upon the state of their affairs, yet they sue no reason to despair. There ant been a fall in every species of proaerty, and of course it was to be expected that the property of the Company 'oust experience a similar depression. The operations of the Com pany had been too extensive, and too expensive also, and it appeared to the Committee that a want of experience on the part of the Dime. tors, as to mineral property,compelled them to rely upon others, and thr y were unfortunate in those upon whom they had relied. The Committee therefore recomended the introduction to the Directory of one person acquainted wilt mineral property, and they also re commended monthly meetings of the Proprietors, and quartet ly audi s of their affairs, and that instead of a Managing Director with a salary of 20901. per annum, and 6001. per annum travelling ex- Isamu, another person might be chosen at a smaller salary. They re omm ntletl, in addition,thar steps should b e t a k en t o reduce every branch of the expenditure, which reform could not fail to give the Pro, f a c t ors confidence in the state of their affairs. They further recommended calls to be made to the amount of 101. per share, in quarterly payments of 'N. 104. per share, and at the same time ex pressed an opinion that it' the suit against M. Atwood should be brought to a inertly taminat ion, sone of those calls would he un necessary. If the Proprietors do not come forward, their property must be sacrificed ; but if they did come forward their concerns niight yet flourish, if attended to with the same degree of skill and economy that is adopted in the concerns of a private individual ; though even in that case they could not hope for a dividend in less than two years' time. A SHAREHOLDER said, that before proceeding further, they ought to pus a vote of thanks to the Committee for the labour they had undergone in preparing so able a Report for the meeting. M - . Sittuas said that the Report of the Committee bore rather hard on the Managing Directors: but the Meeting ought to be aware that Mr. Taylor was chosen by the Din elms at large. The Managing Directors were certainly to blame; but for his own part, as soon as he had heard of the misrepresentations which had been made use of by Mr. Atwood or his agents, he protested against the purchase. Mr. PHILIP TAYLOR begged to be heard, as the Report of the Committee clearly affected himself, both as regarded his judg. meet and his integrity. He had not seen the Report, and could not therefore be expected to go into details, in explanation. He could assure the meeting, however, that with regard to the ex penses at Congreve's property aid Aberystwith, which had been attended to by himself, they were as low as possible • and although the property was not at present so valuable as it had been in 1823. yet, upon investigation, they would find that the money had been fairly, honestly, and judiciously expended. He regretted that some member of the Committee had not gone down, as lie had proposed to them, and examined personally into the expenditure. lie was still a oinked that the properties in South Wales were of a good description. He was aware that the temper of the times was not to praise, but he felt convinced that a time would come when he would get credit for what he had done with respeet to that property. The circumstances in which he had been involved had prevented him from performing the work in the manner he could wish to have done it ; but dragged as he hai been into matters which, with a due regard to his character, he ought never to have under. taken, he had been unable to give the plans or estimates required by the Committee. He had got credit with the persons connected with the iron trade in Wales for the manner In which he had con. ducted the affairs of that Company. A SHAREHOLDER—Ay, for destroying it. Mr. TAYLOR said he courted the most minute inquiry into the plans and the expenditure. A SHAREHOLDER said, that there was not the slightest impu. lotion upon his judgment in the expenditure upon the estate, but upon his integrity in giving 55.5.0001. for the property itself, which was not worth a fourth of the money ; and if he would confine himself to that, he would save much of the time of the Meeting. (Hear, hear.) The CHAIRMAN acid that, by the advice of the Solicitors of the Company, Mr. Taylor was requested to say nothing upon that point until the suit with Mr. Atwood should hays been terminated. Mr. P. Taaraoa said he was as deeply interested as most per. sons present, as a considerable proportion of what had been spent was his own money. Ile had offered those few observations to the Meeting, lest it should be supposed that he had previously seen the Repot t, and had nothing to say against it. A SHAREHOLDER asked how long Mr. Ogleton had taken to investigate the property. Mr. Al USCHET said he could not exac ly tell ; but the Com mittee had pressed him with letters, entreating a speedy Report ; to which he replied, that he would not commit his character in such an important affair by making a hurried Report. (Ilur.) The same SHAREHOLDER said he understood that Mr. Ogleton had been recommended to the Committee by the iron-masters of South Wales. Mr. MuscirET said he had been master in South Wales. by an iron. The same SHAREHOLDER then continued, that most likely that iron-master was no very warm friend to the Company; and iet the Committee, on his bare request, had put themselves nto the hands of a person of his recommendation. The Meeting ought to know the data upon which he founded his calculations, or else his opinion should just go for nothing. Some one or two of the Committee ought to have gone down themselves. Mr. MtrsexET said, that out of the nine individuals composing the Committee not one of them were competent to value such pro perty. They had no authority to go; and it would therefore have been imprudent and forward in them to have done so, not being possessed of the requisite judgment to render such a journey avail able. (Cheers.) A motion was then made to print and send round a copy of the Report of the Committee to each Shareholder, prior to taking any steps, in order that they might have an opportunity of taking it into their co9sidcration. Mr.'llow IN° observed, that agreeing to the motion did not at all pledge the Meeting as to the facts contained in the Report. A SHAREHOLDER suggested that Mr. P. Taylor should be allowed to give any statement he thought proper within fourteen days ; and that it should also be printed, and sent round with the Report. A GENTLEKAw, who said he was a barrister, thought it was most sbsurd to involve the Company in a Chancery suit with Mr. Atwood, when the matter in dispute might be as easily determin able in a Court of law, where it would be decided in six month., whereas in a court of equity it might be kept pending until three fourths of that meeting were in their graves. The CHAIRMAN said thy had taken the advice of eminent legal gentlemen, who were of opinion that they must succeed. It was not a Chancery suit against Mr. /Vinod. The cause was in the Court of Exchequer. THE BRITISH PRESS. The same Gentleman said that he held in his hand a Report for August. in which the Director* state. that after full investigation th y paid the money to Mr. Atwood. flow could they recover against Mr. Atwood in the face of such a declaration ? The SOLICITOR of the COMPANY said that there were circum s•ances connected with that Report which still induced Counsel to be of opinion that Alr. Atwood must be defeated. In reply to a question from a Shareholder, The CHAIR MAN said that if they succeeded against Mr. At wood, they would recover back the 225,0110/. which they had paid ; but if they filed in the suit, he could not compel them to pay the remaining 330.0001. of the purchase money. The resolution was then agreed to. The Report of the Directors was then read, which recommended that those Shareholders who ahnuid not be able to pay up the next instalment!, should not lose all they had paid if any method could be pointed out by which an equitable arrangement might be entered into. Dlr. 31Esssen said that on the 30th of June, according to the Report of the Directors, there was sufficient property to pay all claims, and if that was still the cue, he thought the most adviaa. ble plan to be pursued would be to dissolve the Company, and take their chance for the recovery of the claim against Mr. Atwood, which would give each Shareholder something tier share. For his own part he had psis! :10/. on every share he held, but he was re solved to pay no more. A SIIA EMOI.I)En asked if one of the estates was not in pawn. The Cirantstaw—No. Mr. BAILEY asked if nu part of the property was mortgaged or isle fired. The (llamas* replied that 18,0001. was due to Messrs. Wil liam• and Co., and that a small estate had been offered as security for the money, but that the backers were satisfied with the respon sibility of the Directors. Mr. THOMPSON thought the most advisable course to pursue would be tile revival of the Committee, to confer upon the hest means of effecting an alteration in the whole system of manage ment. The Committee sure-elected ought to be instruct' d to give an estimate of the presenkyalue of the property, as also f the an nual average profit that might be expect - el it the Company was proceeded with. It mi g ht b e as we ll, h e th oug hts to h ave only six or even four Directors as sixteen, and they should hold frequent communications with the Proprietor*. The Committee might alma inquire into the best mode of raising money, and of dealing with the forfeited shares. The said that it would be two or three months before they could have a report of the value of the property from Aberyat with alone, and in the wean time the means were required for car rying on the works. The Directors had made a call of 2!. and if that was not paid up in the course of next week those shares would be declared forfeited. A SHAREHOLnER said that those shares on which SI. only had been paid were not yet forfeited. The CHAIRMAN said that they were not worth forfeiting, as nothing could be got for them. (Hear, hear, and cries of shame.) SHAREHOLDER—IIIy not have sold them when they were ass premium ? CHAIRMAN—There was then no occasion to raise money. SHAREHOLDF.II-ISith what justice then can you forfeit shares on which 304 has been paid, and not forfeit those upon which less sums have been paid? (Cries of shame front all parts of the room.) A SHAREHot.nrn,who had paid 30/. upon all his shares, moved that all the shares should be forfeited that had not paid up the last and all previous hutalments ; and declared at the same time that he would not himself advance another futhing upon his own shares. A SIIAR slum-DER naid that 51r. Martineau, the brothernin-law of Mr. phiii i , Taylor. had signed the deed of settlement for 300 shares, 150 of which hr had sold, and he now held upwards of 100. upon each of which there were due instalments to the amount of 221. 10.. When he ascertained that fact he thought it was high time to sop throwing away his money. Mr. Tar I.hR said he paid 1,2501. upon his shares, and should not puy any more. The CUAIRMAN—your shares are forfeited. Mr. TAVLOR--What ! have you mit law for one person and another for another? I have paid 251. on each of my shares, and they are the only shares forfeited, although others have only paid 51. and 101. Thin in because I wished to investigate. (Tremendous cries of " Shame !") The Chairman said the Directors had a dis cretionary power as to what shares should be declared forfeited. (Cries of " Shameful !" Scandalous " Grossly partial !" and " It is not to be endure.' !" from all parts of the nom.) The Secretary then read the number of shares which had been paid upon :- 311 Shares, upon which 51. had been pail. 215 111/. -- 610 151. 150 201. a-- 668 25t. 4012 30/. 15.000 321. lOs. Mr. Tay bou—Vottr own Solicitor informed you that you could not forfeit those shares. CHAIRMAN—No. Mr. Tars.ort—lie did, and he is now present, and I call upon hint to deny it if what I say is not correct. Roth of the Solicitors of the Company were present, but neither rose to deny the statement. Sir. BAILEY' declai ed that the proceeding was the most scanda lous he had ever heard of. Not a single share had been forfeited except those of Mr. 'Taylor, who had paid 251. per share, while such numbers were defaulters at the very first instalment. (Cries of " Shame !") It was only done for the purpose of having a good dividend at the winding up of the concern. (Hear, hear, hese.) Slr. THOMPSON thought such conduct on the part of the Direc tors most gross and unjust. The CHAIRMAN said there was no use in forfeiting the shares on which only St or 101 had been paid. A SHAREHOLDER—No one share ought to have been forfeited, in preference to ano.her. Mr. TAYLOR said he had asked the Chairman of the Committee if the Proprietors would he in a better situation when the call made last should be pail than they were at present? to which he replied. " No, it would all go to the dirt, but it was necessary to go on." (Hear, hear, hear.) Mr. MUSCIIET said the Chairman of the Commluee was not present, but no conversation of the kind had taken place in his (Mr. 51.'9) hearing. Mr. TuItNEU said, that all the shares which had not been paid upon ought to be forfeited. It was true that the man who had only paid 51. got the advantage in such a proceeding. That might have been avoided, but it was now useless regretting the past. If the Company was to he dissolved 'hose who had paid the last 2!. 10 s . ought to have It back again. ' Under all the circumstances of the case, he should move that It be referred back to the Committee to consider whether it was proper that the Company should be dis solved or not ; and if not, as to a proper scheme for its future ma nagement. Sir MESNARD moved as an amendment that the forfeited shares *Lind over until the Report of the Committee. Mr. R. TAYLOR advocated the forfeiting of the shares, upon the principle that Thom who had not paid up were mere speculators, and not bormilide Proprietors. (Hisser.) All those who hissed were r C71,01/11 of that description. (Hisses and laughter.) Mr. MESNARD said he cams into the ,Company as a bona -fide Proprietor, and not as a speculator. After a great deal more of desultory conversation, Mr. Turner'. resolution was agreed to,.and that of Mr. 3lesnard was negatived. A resolution was also agreed to, recommending the Directors to proceed with the forfeiting of the shares. At least we believe it was agreed to; but so great was the confusion, and so numerous were the resolutions moved from all quarters, that Mr. Deward and other Proprietors left the room, professing total ignorance of what had been at last agreed to with respect to the forfeited shares. A motion had been previously made that all shares not pod upon in fourteen days should be forfeited, but what became of it we could not ascertain.' It was past five o'clock when this tumultnous assembly t rol e up Died, at Tabaga, near Panama, on the lit February last Captain James Ramsay, of the Colombian Navy, eldest son of the late Rev. James Ramsay, of Glasgow. The eir. cumstance attending the death of this young officer is peculiarly distressing, having been assassinated by his gunner, while asleep in bed, on board his own ship, the Guayaquilina : the assassin instantly terminating his own existence. Captain Ramsay was a brave and enterprising officer, and having been engaged in several actions, attracted the notice of Admiral Ellingsworth, which was the means of his becoming known to General Bolivar. His brother officers admired him much for his gallant and seamanlike behaviour, and respected him for his amiable private quali fications, and they join his relations and friends in deplor ing his premature loss. On the afternoon of yesterday se'nnight a very fine cow belonging to Wm. Lucas Shadwell, Esq. of Hastings, was killed in consequence of having betrayed symptoms of hydrophobia. The animal was bitten on one side of the nose about three weeks previous to the above date, and on Thursday, August 24, refused to take either drink or food, and when water was placed before it, seemed greatly agitated. The sight of a dog occasionally put upon a wall excited the cow to acts of violence, and she would fre quently foam at the mouth, and run her head straight for ward against what might come in contact. Several days before she was slaughtered, she became exhausted, enra elated, and in a desponding state. On dissection, the wind pipe and the (esophagus, with the muscles serving the pur- poses ofrespiration and deglutition, presented not the smal lest appearance of inflammation or morbid affection. A dog, supposed to be rabid, was destroyed at Hastings on Wed nest ay Int.—Lewes Journal. Aof r.—Partritlrs are very numerous this season, and unusually strong ; the o:d sportsmen say they never recoi -1 lect then. so well on the wing, in consequence of which much fewer have been killed than was anticipated. A motley group sallied forth on the morning of the lit, through the rain, bearing the outward appearance of 1 sportsmen in uniform, but, altar toiling all day, returned, having taken nothing. PILOTAGE. If it were now for ths fit st time a question, whether the system of Pilotage it, force by authority of Parliament in this country was in its origin legal, we should say (as we believe every one would say, setting aside the lung-con tinued usage) that it was not. We should say, that the granting of the privilege to navigate and steer another's ship, by the former Kings of England, was in point of fact an usurpation and an infringement upon the rights and pre- , rogatives of English merchants. How far the introduction of this system was for the benefit of the elintry, and for the safety of the lives of sailors of all descriptions, is another question (a question, too, we can hardly in these later times discuss), but which we still may venture to say would he an swered in the affirmative, if inquiry was made into the extent and depth, and generality, of the knowledge our mariners in those times had acquired, not only of the principles of a navigation, but also of the exact state of the channels of the English seas and the rivers running into them, as to shoals, quick-sands, and sunken rocks. It is, however, indisputably clear, that the knowledge of the art of navi gation and the peculiarities of our own seas are now so widely extended, as to leave the public but little to appre hend on the score of loss of property or lives, if masters of vessels were permitted to navigate their own ships, or had left them an option as to the employment of pilots or not, according as their own discretion might point out. Such option, however, is not left them, but ship-owners are compellable to take pilots on board without any reference to the skill of the commander, which most commonly ex ceeds that of the pilot. Favours, even when beneficial, are most ungraciously recrivi d if forced upon us, and they altogether cease to be favours if their advantages arc ques tioned or denied. This seems to us to be the exact state of the qu , stion between the pilots and the ship owners, who now regard the compulsion to take pilots on board as an additional and useless impost upon trade: enhancing greatly the cost of equipment (if pilot age may be termed a portion of it), and unattended with a single advantage either to them, or the merchant, or the public. We do riot mean to say that the Parlia mentary pilotage fees are extravagantly high ; we do 'trot mean to quarrel with the Act in this respect or with the system ; we are only desirons that it be left to the discretion of the husband of the ship, aided by the judg ment of the master, to determine whether the assistance of a pilot is necessary ; and if not, that they be permitted to sail without one. In short, that the compulsion to take pilots on board be done away with, retaining, however, the rights already vested by the Legislature in the pilots, that a licensed pilot he employed on every occasion where the owner and master think it expedient to call in the assistance of any pilot at all. It is not by any mean, here intended to insinuate that the pilot system in foree in England is Atogether useless; far from it, we know that in many cases it is eminently serviceable and that much property, and Imany valuable lives, have been saved from destruction by its means ; but we still think, that in the majority of British ships that trade with the ports subject to the Pilot Act, the respective masters would be found fully as com petent to steer their own vessels up and down the rivers 'Thames and Medway, and in the English channel, as any licensed pilot, either of the Trinity-house or the Cinque Ports. The compulsion too, to take on board a pilot, was certainly intended as a benefit to the ship owner, and it is, therefore, somewhat anomalous, when we see a man obliged to receive a favour whether he will or not; and, what is worse, that the rejection of it is followed by the in fliction of a heavy fire. The first statute that at all legaliz , the usurpations of the Crown, in respect of pilots, was the 3d George I. cap. 13, and this related solely to that body which are now called Cinque Port Pilots. Since that time many other statutes have been passed on this subject, but there does not appear any public general Act which affects every port of the United Kingdom. The 6th Geo. IV. cap. 125, is a consolidation of the statutory provisions relating to the Pilots belonging to the respective establish ments of the Trinity House of Deptford and the Cinque Ports, whilst the pilots of the Trinity House of Hull are subject to the provisions of the 39th and 40th Geo. 111. cap. 10, and those of Liverpool to the 37th Geo. HI. cap. 78. All these Acts are, strictly speaking, Local Acts, and the two latter are accordingly ranged in this class, but the first has the force and effect of a public general Act. Besides these Acts, it is possible that others exist for regulating Pilots attached to other British Ports, as those of Bristol, Plymouth, Falmouth, &c. The Act of the 6th Gco. IV., cap. 125, recites in its preamble, that " whereas the master, wardens, and as sistants of the guild fraternity or brotherhood of the most glorious and undivided Trinity, have, as well by usage for more than three centuries, as by grants of the Crown, been empowered to appoint pilots, &c. to conduct ships and vessels into, and out of, and upon the river of Thames, through the North Channel, to or by Orfordnrss, and round the long Sand-head; or through the Queen's Channel, the South Channel, or other channels, into the Downs; and from or by Orfordneu, and up the North Channel, and up the rivers Thames and Medway;" which shows the extent of the authority of the Trinity House of Deptford, and Warden of the Cinque Ports, and that the same, in its origin, was a mere usurpation, founded on convenience, and the humane notion of preventing loss of life and property, by unskilful hands conducting vessels through the intricate channels of the English seas. This preamble, moreover, is a copy from that of the first Act which passed on the subject, and thus demonstrates, that before and up to that time the rights of the pilots existed by prescription only. The absence of any statute regulat ing pilots in general, and the circumstance that even their prescriptive rights attach only to particular ports, would almost lead us to conclude that little public advantage is to be gained by this institution; for, if the employment of pi lots is necessary to conduct ships and vessels into and out of the riven Thames and :Medway, and along the English channels, it should seem equally necessary that all the ports of Devonshire and Cornwall, as also those of Hamp shire, and those of the more eastern and northern parts of the island of Great Britain, should have pilots attached to them ; for the access to them is no less intricate and dangerous than that to the mouths of the Thames and Medway, to which, and the ports connected with or near adjoining them, it would seem that the rights of the pilots of the Trinity House of Deptford and the Cinque Ports are confined. Independently too of the limited extent of the rights of the pilots, there are many vessels which are not liable to take pilots on board. Such as all colliers, also ships tradinF to Norway, the Cattegat, or the Baltic, or round the North Cape into the White Sea; also all constant traders inwards' from the ports between Boulogne and the Baltic, on condition that they be registered, and come up by the North Channel ; also Irish vessels navigating the Thames and Medway ; all coasters, and also stone-laden vessels from Guernsey, Jersey, &c. ; and generally all British vessels under 60 tons burthen, and all vessels within the limits of their port, not under special regula tions by private Act or Charter; and the master or mate of any ship of which he is owner or part owner, who resides at Dover, Deal, or the Isle of Thanet, may also pilot his own ship up or down the Thames and Medway, or into or out of any port or place within the jurisdiction of the Cinque Ports. The pilots belonging to the Trinity-house of Deptford act under a licence granted by the Corporation of thtt Trinity-house, and those of the Cinque Ports under a licence granted by the Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports and Constable of Dover Castle, and after examination into the ability and knowledge of the candidate to perform the office to which he aspires. Without meaning to impute any charge of negligence or ignorance to either of these bodies, we still must express a wish that the examination was somewhat severer, and the necessary portion of nautical skill a little higher rated than at present ; for it not only very frequently happens that the commanders of ships (and especially those in the service of the East India Com pany) resign the conduct of their vessels into hands who are not half as well qualified to steer them through the mazes of the river or the intricacies of the channel as themselves; but also, that ships have been, by the igno • A question has arisen at one of the police-offices, whether this word is used in the Act as a word of limitation, or a word of de scription. In the first sense the ..xception is only operative when the vessel is proceeding inwards ; in the second and common sense of acceptation ft would cover both inward and outward voyaces. The first, however, is held by the Attorney-Gentral and the Police office in question.—Sen. ranee of the licensed pilot, placed in such critical aittilld Lions, that nothing but the instant application of that commander's nautical skill has saved them from *reek or being stranded. As things now stand, commanders can place no confidence in the pilot; and so far from being assistants, they become only the means by which many dangers are risked, which, had the pilots been absent, would not have been incurred. The establishment of a system of pilotage is undoubtedly useful, if the pilot could be wholly and entirely depended upon ; but we appeal to the commanders of any vessels (and especially those of the Ea.,t India Company), whether they do place that implicit confidence in the skill and knowledge of the pilot which leaves them without apprehension, that, if left to the pilot alone, the vessel would reach her destination without soloe accident. We should therefore desire a greater degree of vigilance on the part of those whose duty it is to licence the Trinity House and Ci nque P ort Pilots, and moreover think it not unreasonable to beg them to require a greater knowledge in the art of navigation, and generally a larger portion of nautical skill, than is now commonly found ict an average pilot of the above establishments. CURIOUS DOCUMENT. ( From the Anttozgliem Herald, Sept. ILI A gentleman of this to wn h as b een kind enough to favour us with a sight of a curious document. It appears that, in the year 17 15, when the peace and happiness of this country were menaced by the intrigues of the exiled family of the Stuarts, and when an army of Highlanders, assisted by a hotly of French troops, and led by the grand son of the unfortunate and ill-advised James, had pene trated into the kingdom, and were on their march towards the metropolis, the town of Nottingham was one of the first to show its loyalty and attachment to the reigning family. An offer was accordingly made to Government to raise a body of men to oppose the further progress of the rebels ; and the document to which we have alluded, and of which a copy will be found below, was a commission granted by his Majesty George 11. to the then Mayor of Nottingham, authorising his subjects of this town to take up arms anti form associations for the purpose therein ex pressed, and the Mayor to grant commissions, and exercise such troops. The document bears the sign manual of the Hine, and of the then Duke of Newcastle, and is as follows : " GEORGE R.—George the Second, by the grace of God, King of Great Britain, France. and Ireland. Defender of the Faith, &c. To our trusty and well-beloved Henry Butler, Etq.. Mayor of our town of Notlinzham, greeting. Whereas several of o ur loyal sub jects, in our town of Nottingham, have testified unto us their earnest desire, at this time of common danger, when a rebellion is a:tually begun within this our kingdom, in favour of a Popish Pre tender, to enter into associations for taking up arms foe the common defence, and have desired our Royal approbation and authority for their so doing ; we, therefore, having a just sense of so commend able a zeal, arid being desirous to encourage this seasonable instance of their loyalty to us, and their concern fur the religion and liberties of their courtry, have thought lit hereby to give you power and authority, and we do hereby authorize and empower you to signify 'o our well-affected subjects, our Royal approbation of the said de. sign, and to form into troops or companies such persons as shall be willing to associate themselves for the purpose aforesaid, in our torn of Nottingham, and to grant Commissions in our name to such of them as you shall think proper to exercise and command ; and for your executing the power and authority hereby given and granted to you, this shall be a sufficient warrant. " Given at our Court at Kensington, the 29th day of September, 1745, in the 19th year of our reign. (By his Majesty's command.) " HOLIES NEWCASTLE. " Henry Butler, Esq. Mayor of Nottingham." GIPSIEL—On Sunday last several of the gipsy tribe, with their moveable furniture and donkeys, were escorted to Lewes by the constable of Ninfleld, and brought before a Magistrate, where they were examined and committed to the Lewes House of Correction, to take their trial at the Quarter Sessions. It appeared that on Sunday, about noon, sonte hop-binn sacking was missing from Ninfield ; the owners immediately made Inquiry, and had nearly given:up their search, when the track of donkeys was dis covered, which they traced for about ten miles, not run ning into the turnpike once, but leading to Lewes. The track terminated near Horsebridge, at the turnpike gate : the keeper informed them that a horde of gipsies had passed some few hours prior, they pushed on to Ringmer, where they overtook the travelling fraternity, and searched their luggage, when the sacking was di scovere d an d re cognised by ie owners. Several women were with them, who were not committed, but moved off with the donkies. An awful occurrence took place at Buxton on Tuesday. Mrs. Locke, wife of Mr. Locke, who attends the wells an nually from London as ehampooer, arrived on the Monday, and appeared in good health. On Tuesday morning she went from her lodgings, and casually met a friend—she shook hands with her, and in the act of doing so dropped down, and immediately expired. A young man, named Jean Verjus. was lately tried at Melun for the murder of hie wife. The ferocious counte nance and apparent indifference of this individual u to the result of the trial were remarked by all those who were present. It appeared in evidence that this young man, who is a baker by trade, was married a short time since to a female only seventeen years of age. The match t oo k place contrary to the wish of her friends, and it has since been discovered (however extraordinary the circum stance may be deemed) that she was led to form this union from no other motive than that of fear. He had threatened to murder her unless she consented to marry him. Intimidated by these menaces, and knowing the vio lent disposition of the man, instead of communicating her apprehensions to her relatives, she remained silent, and even gave them considerable displeasure by her final determina tion to become his wife. She foolishly imagined that the via. lence of his temper would subside after a time ; but, as might naturally have been anticipated, no sooner were his desires sated, but he ill treated her under the most trifling pretences. A respectable butcher, residing within a few yards of her house, frequently heard her cnes, and was sometimes pre sent at shameful and cruel behaviour of the villain. On one occasion he interfered with sonic warmth, being indig. mint at the unmanly conduct of the baker, upon whom he threatened to inflict corporal punishment, if he attempted a second time to beat his wife. The butcher was a power.. ful and courageous man, and there can be no doubt that he would have kept good his word had he again witnessed the ferocity of the brutish husband; the latter fearing that the screams of his unfortunate wife would be heard were he to best her in his house, took the cruel precaution of sending her a short distance into the country, in order to accom plish his wicked purposes. He soon followed her, with the intention, probably, of ill-treating her, but not to tak e away her life ; and yet his cr ue lty towards the unfortunate woman was such, that he could not easily suppose that she would ever recover from the effects of his barbarous usage. He took delight in stabbing her in the fleshy parts of the body, with a thin sharp instrument, and more than twenty wounds were inflicted on her person; on the heat occasion, having stabbed her in the thigh, one of the knee ries was separated, and the poor creature fell welteeing in blood. The monster then exclaimed. "Go now to your butcher; you are covered with blood, you will look like his wife." The unfortunate female died in consequence of the wounds she had received, but not until three months after the arrest of her husband. He was sentenced to hard labour for life. We have much pleasure in announcing the publication, by Hatcher& of a correct report of the speech delivered by Mr. Huskiston, in the House of Commons, on the 14th of last May, when the Right Hon. Gentleman entered into his luminous exposition of the system of our Navigation Laws. Such a combination of extended research, of phi. losophical argument, and of logical deduction, deserted to be rescued from the perishable culumns of a Newspaper. An Appendix is given, containing the several official ac. counts referred to by Mr. Huakisson in the course of his speech, either for purposes of illustration, or as the basis of his conclusions. LADY CLARKE'S PA RODIRK ON POPULAR SONGS... COmiderable sensation has been created k die bluing World for borne months past, by the annownsameat fee publication of " Parodies on popular Bangs," by lady Clarke, with whoa nary talents the public kayo tang boon familiar. They hart at length made their appsasawee, sat the soli toseifested by the fashionable pude ef settety bat bon Tolsia in tat fittl musical treat while is thee ~el *au um* width it composed and on by Abu Stamm. pesossee most. dera le hammy; sas she ertesepsnat -of the ewers Ain esdeets the greatest mikes she Waits and itweetsi= s is.jestly eds. Mated and sesieses raspeasr. The above haw bo os ushered into the tooth seder the puttees,* of the Nutmegs Charlevllle, to wheat they we dellested ;6 7 a ber 14.1 _e!yshl per. mission. The "Indust l'eselsolsor t h. work is written with esesideeshis tut. mood sow iii — piedh c i ag that whimsical and ludiatous elhet bustmied by the fait Maws& I . 1 ,I 1 • t) . tI• •• I i t . • Id 3- It! • *