The Sun. — London, England, 1829-01-01 00:00:00

- ^i APIR!T OF THE LONDON JOUIiNALS. We were not sure when the Duke of Welling ton's letter to Dr. Curtis first appeared in print, whether it had been printed with his Grace's per Mission or otherwise. That ignorance, how ever, is now removed by the publication of a reply from the Catholic Archbishop, which con tains a formal apology to the Duke of Welling ton for having suffered - the private expression of his Grace's sentiments to be laid before the pub lic. Perhaps the reason assigned for this act, avowedly unauthorized by the party whom it most affected, may, infbro conscienticr, be sof fieient. Perhaps the Deke may not have been displeased with it. We would like to see the first letter of Dr. Curtis, dated the •4th of De cember, to the Duke ; and his Grace's answer to this present production, if he has transmitted any ; though it is probable that a paper war with a veteran controversialist is not exactly that spe cies of conflict into which the leader of victo rious armies would be most easily seduced.— Apart frOm these questions of taste and delicacy, we are bound :0 say that in -the composition now before us, the Catholic Prelate has turned the Field-Marshal, as completely as 'the latter out flanked his opponents at Salamanca. We have once or twice, on former occasions, lamented the conscious confession of political weakness made by the Duke of Wellington, when he treated as inammeuntable the difficulties which factious violence had thrown in the way of Emancipa tion ; and the other, the intellectual weakness which he betrayed, without being conscious of it, in fancying that the period will ever come when such difficulties—namely, those caused by party feeling"—can cease to " be mixed with the question" until it shall have been ac• wally settled. Dr. Curtis touches his Grace pretty smartly on these points. fie tells him to the effect that an expression of mere good wishes towards a measure which the Duke admits would he a national benefit, might be sufficient were he a private nobleman ; but that it does not redeem the honour, and ought not to satisfy the self-approbation, of a powerful and inde pendent Minister. Dr. Curtis adds—what we are convinced is true—that half the abuee which has been pouted out against Emancipation is not founded on an equivalent and bona fide hatred or the measure, but may be placed to the account of mere bullying, to deter the King's Govern ment from making the attempt, and the Legis lature front affixing its sanction. We agree • With the Catholic prelate in these observations. The Duke of Wellington, it appears to us, need only circulate througn the upper classes his re solution to settle Iretaud, and the whole necro mancy of Orangeism will vanish like a spectre at the break of day. The - Test Act, that." mighty bulwark" of the Constitution, was levelled by the first fire from the Ministerial trenches, and who now utters one word of lamentation for its fall, ortorments himself about rebuilding the " mighty bulwark ?" So would it be with Catholic ex c:usion. Prejudice, ignorance, and terror sur round it as with a mist, through which its reality as a fortress is assumed, and its defensive po;vers are magnified : approach and demolish it, and you will, not scrape from among the ruins one ounce of convertible matter. If the Duke of Wellington flatters himself that- the wise men of this age, or teat any class of men in the next ge neration, wili :dank him for words of barren benevolence towards the great cause of religious freedom—words, unsupported by any proof of their sincerity—by any active struggle against obstinacy among the great—against the unmean ing bigotry of the vulgar—bv any independent risk of place or manly sacrifice of personal quiet —if he declines to exert the natural influence of his station for the relief of millions of his fellow subjects, because, with careless and supercilious scepticism, he distrusts the tenability of a glo rious principle by the same power which has often shoWn itself unconquerable when employed in vindicating the most desperate and atrocious job—we.say that the Duke of Wellington may win a thousand battles, but that he is not a man for empire, or for immortality—that he has yet to study the rudiments of his (long-deferred)profes sion as an English statesman. - if his Grace would not hasten the destruction of that Irish Church establishment, which perhaps it may require the utmost stretch of political wisdom and virtue to perpetuate, he will seek counsel even from Dr. Curtis rather than from some pretended cham pions of the '' Constitution in Church and State."— Times. Our readers will see, from our extracts from the Scotch Papers, that the doings at Edinburgh turn out to Kaye been far more atrocious than the wildest imagination eould possibly have con ceived. The Caledonian Mercury says, that Burke now admits having sold, in all, from thirty to thirty-five uninterred bodies during the last two years. "If (observes the same paper) it be true, as Burke now states, that, in the course of the last two years, he sold to one in dividual from thirty to forty uninterred bodies, be and his associate must have committed as weeny murelee?." it adds, that "it has been remarked that e enbers of the unfortunate fe males upon the town have disappeared, no one knew how. Natural deaths have become rarer among that class; and for some time past the interment of one of them has scarcely been heard of." In Burke's house there is bloody &tray; in the corner, a heap of bloody clothes on the floor, and a pile of old boots and shoes, amount iag to several dozens. Some of these ruffian:. had the effrontery to proceed to a teacher of anatomy with a body in a sack, which, when turned out, proved to be the body of a woman on the town in her clothes, .and with her shoes and stockings on. The assistant of the teacher having been startled, proceeded to exa mine the body, when he found an enormous fracture on the back part of the head, and a large portion of the skull driven in, as if ky a blow from the blunt part of a hatchet, or some such weapon. On making the discovery he in stantly exclaimed, " You villains ! where and how did you get this body ?" To which one of them replied, with great sang froid, that it was time body of a who had been popped in a row (murdered in a brawl) in Halkerston's Wynd ; and that if he did not choose to take it, another would. While he was taking measures to have them detained, the ruffians, three in number, besides the porter, immediately with drew with their horrid cargo. Neither Hare nor Burke were resurrectionists ; so that their supply must have been altogether the fruits of mum der. Those w'm obtain bodies, in what the Scotch papers say may now be called the regular and legitimate way—viz. by disinter-' meet alone—know them not; and they could not have followed this business, without being known to the other members of this infamous craft, " who are said to be all leagued together, and to know one another, and to-suffet no in terloper to interfere. with their business, or to pursue it exchtaively on his own account." According to the 'Courant packages used to come to these people as from a distance, and the bodies were occasionally pickled. Among others an Irishwoman and an idiot-boy were murdered one after the other and thrown into a cask with herring brine in, it, the lad above his mother. It may be possible in this way to prevent medical men from discovering whether the deaths are or are not natural. Who knows the extent to which the horrid traffic has been carried in Sect land ? We trust -every memst will be taken to obtain such information respecting it as may be of use to the public. There is something very horrible in the Cold-blooded indifference which seems to have been manifested with regard to - the abandoned females who seem to have been the chief victims. What an idea it gives of the Police of Edinburgh I It has been remarked, it seems, that , for some time past the interment of one of the unfortunate creatures has not been heard.of ! Now there is no class in society so abandoned as not to sympathise with its own members ; and though the other classes might not know when au unfortunate female disap peared, it was hardly possible, in a place of the size of Edinburgh, where the individuals of this class must have been more or less known to each other, that inquiries should not be made, on any one being missing, whether s h e h a d di e d, or left the place, or was in an hospital, &c. In the case of the girl Paterson, who was murdered by. Burke, during the twenty minutes between her companion quitting her and returning to inquire after her, it is not likely that such a circumstance a!muld not have struck the sisterhood, and that it should not have been communicated to the police. Now, except we can suppose a copart nery between the murderers and the keepers of the houses in which the girls live, it is alto gether out of character to suppose that they should not have been alarmed at the havoc in the numbers of the poor creatures, from what ever cause, and that the police should not have been aware of the talk. A good police ought to know much of the habits of the lowest and most abandoned of our species. We can easily conceive that strangers passing through Edin burgh, soldiers' and sailors' wives, beggars, anxious mothers from remote parts—as Ireland, the Highlands of Scotland,and so forth—might be decoyed into these dens and dispatchec4 wii h out any suspicion being thereby excited; but we think the alleged disappearance of so many of the unfortunate females alluded to proves too much, for the circumstance must have been remarked ; and if it had been remarked, the police most have been led to inquire into the sub ject, except, we suppose the police in a confederacy with the guilty, which we do not believe they were. -If one were to suppose the police utterly in . different to the fate of these poor creatures, merely because they have been thrown ii;to a course of i iite which shuts them out from all re turn to respectability, no language would betbo strong to describe their guilt. But we are in clined to think that there must have been exag geration here. Were it otherwise, we should say that the cold-blooded wretches who could look with indifFerei.ce on the destruction of any part of their fellow -creatures, deserve no mercy for their own sins. It is, independently of na tural feeling, miserable policy to teach any class . of human beings to consider themselves as be neath protection. How can we expect that re gard can be paid to life, if we ourselves show none to it ? In-this metropolis, the brutality of every petty parish officer, countenanced, as he is too often, by Magistrates and City Solicitors, has ooly the effect of making the bad worse, and throwing down all the barriers between. vice and crime. What would be the effect of the isasilking project lately submitted to the Magistracy Of the City, but filling numbers of unfortunate human beings with the most deadly hatred against scse ciety s' Whenever we forget humanity to any portion of society, we can only expect cruelty in return. There is no reason why we should take pains to add to the amount of crime and suffering in the world. - But we are mistaken if the horrid practices have been confined to Scotland. Our readers may recol lect the sensation produced at Liverpool, a year or two ago, by the accidental discovery of a warehouse which had been used for pickling bodies to ho conveyed to Edinburgh. Among the bodies found on that occasion, there was one young woman who had evidently never been in terred, of whom no knowledge was ever obtained. How easy in many parts of this country to decoy travellers, and dispose of their bodies in this way I Whenever a pecuniary temptation is held out to take life, it. will be taken, so long as there are necessitous criminals in a country. Who does not know that numbers of poor country lads, towards the middle • of last century, were judicially slaughtered in this metropolis, by gangs of ruffians in league with the thief catchers, for the sake of the rewards on conviction ? Were the details set before the public, and fully proved, they exhibit such cold-blooded cruelty, that they would not be believed. The means of securing the public against attempts against life, is to take away the temptation. Any ill-judged attempts to prevent the supply of bodies, will only he af fording an additional premium on murder, because additional difficulties will enhance the price. It is because supply has been rendered so difficult in Scotland, that. organised bands of murderers have been let loose on society.— Morning Chronicle. Of late years the state of our Police has at tracted more than an ordinary share of observe ion. This no one can wonder ;Lt, who sees how defective its practice it has long become. With out looking, however, to native remedies for a native disease, some of our State Doctors look to foreign countries, and to France especially, as the quarter from which alone a cure can be de rived. The late Police Committee appear to adopt an evident tendency of this kind ; and we appear to stand a tolerable chance of seeing our - selves soon surrounded by a system of the most minute espionage, backed by Bens d'arrnerie. One writer, wha starts at once in nzedias res, proposes, as one of time preludes to improve ment in our Police, that a register shall be kept of the inhabitants of all houses—a -. measure which, of course ; would be followed_up by a power of allowing the police to favour us with those do miciliary visits of which we have heard so much in 'another country, and which, till now, we never heard of hut in terms of horror and condemnation. We trust, however, that no British Minister will be found to propose to a British Legislature any such inroad upon personal liberty as this. We are satisfied that Mr. Peel will not be the man to tarnish his fair fame by such a proposal—one which, in the case of the Alien Act, was so much condemned, and which, if applied to the whole population of the metropolis, would ren der it but one vast gaol, of which our Police Magistrates would hold the keys. No—this is not - the remedy which is wanting ; -or, if it were, it would be of a ten times more galling nature than the disease. The real defects of our Police are to be found, not in the want of powers of surveillance and espionage, but in a want of head and unity of system. The proposal of the late Police Committee to supply this defect by the establishment of a distinct office, with competent Magistrates to adopt and regulate a better general system, seems reasonable, and much more likely to be of benefit than this hatel•'l idea of a public register, by means of which the motions of every Englishman would be liable to be watched With more strietnefs than those of a debtor . on a day rule. In fact, let us not look for distant refine • dies while we have more effectual ones at hand. That this is the case in our Police cannot be doubted by those who see what it is, and know what it might be.—Morning Herald. WINTER ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE. KINGSTON, Dsc. 31. Philip Gale was indicted for hurglarinusly breaking and entering the dwelling-house of William James, at Lambeth, and stealing from thence a quantity of took, combs, and a canvass bag, containing 6/. 64. 6d. The Jury returned a verdict of Guilty, without any hesitation. Mr. Baron VAUGHAN told the prisoner, that al though he should recommend his life to be spared, yet be must expect to be transported for life. John Jardine was placed at the bar, under a charge of feloniously and maliciously administering to . Mary Jardine, his wife, a deadly poison, called arsenic, with intent to kill and murder her, at Newington. Mr. LAW, on the part of the prosecution, stated the case. The present was an indictment founded on ,a statute passed in the reign of his present Ma jesty—the 9 Geo. IV. c. 31, s. 11. That Statute repealed a former one—the 43 Geo. 111. c. 58.; hut , the provisions were substantially the same. By the Srattue on Which this proceeding was founded a provision was made, " That if any person unlawfully and maliciously shall administer, or attempt to ad minister, to any person, or shall cause to be taken by any person, any poison or other destruc tive thing, with intent to murder such person, every such offender, and every person counselling, aiding, ar abetting such offender, shall be guilty of felony, -Al being coevicted thereof shall suffer death as a felon." The prisoner at the bar was formerly a bombardier, and for his services had received a pension. The wife, who was the subject of the pre sent indictment,and who would be called as a witness, had been married before she became connected with the prisoner. The children who were the fruits of the• former marriage were, it was fair to the prisoner to say, always treated e:th the most fatherly kindness. They had lived together for six teen years, during the first thirteen years of that period he had, he understood, conducted himself as an excellent husband. Towards the commencement of the last three years he unfortunately became Re quaiated with some women who completely es tranged him from his wife. She became the object of his abhorrence, and was treated in the worst man ner. At length. he refused to support her, and she was taken into the Woolwich workhouse: a part of the pension allowed him by Government was stopped to defray the expellees to which the parish was put for the support of Imis wife. This the prisoner not ►iking, he made au application to the Committee of the workhouse to allow him to take her out. This was permitted, and the stoppage of the pension ceased. She had scarcely got home whet, he re sumed his ill-treatment ; he was to have allowed her 2s. Gd. per week for her support, but this was soon reduced to 4d. a day,, and at last to 2d. a day. The unfortunate woman being thus brought in danger of starvation, told her husband that unless he increased her allowance, she must have recourse to a Magis trate. He told her she might go when she liked.— She replied that she would go. The prisoner then rejoined the following remarkable words :—" Don't' speak too List, or perhaps you may not be able to go." This was on the .sth of October. Ott the morning of the Gth, about nine o'clock, she had prepared her breakfast as usual, and for some . pur posOWC the room. When she returned, she found the prisoner standing with the lid of the kettle in his hand, shutting it down. This did not excite any sus picion in her mind, as he was in the habit of taking water from the kettle for shaving. Without any hesitation she poured the quantity of water she wanted from the kettle into the tea-pot, end drank about a cup and a half of the tea thus made. In a few minutes she felt a very great heat in her sto mach, accompanied wi h a severe shooling pain. Her stomach became distended, - and she ',omited some of its contents. During this time, the pri soner was walking up and down the room laughing at her. She at length became so ill, that a medical man was sent for. The prisoner had, previous to this, put on his hat with great unconcern, and left the house. Mr. Boast, the surgeon, heard the wo man describe her symptoms, and thence he con cluded that she must have taken arsenic. lle made use of the stomach-pump, and the contents drawn out by that means showed his opinion well-founded ; in the stomach-pemp,and on the sides of the kettle whence the water in the tea-pot had been taken, nearly eight drachms of white arsenic were found: By the remedies then applied, any permanent injury to the woman was prevented ; the parish authorities interfered, and after an examination before a Magi strate, it was determined to apprehend the prisoner; accordingly a constable was seat to the bemuse of the prisoner, and he was taken into custody from his bed ; he was afterwards fullycommitted for trial. Evidence was heard in support of these facts, when The Jury, after retiring for about half an hour, re turned a verdict of Guilty. The prisoner having then been called up for judgment, Mr. Baron VAUGHAN, in a very feeling manner, pronounced the awful judgment of the law. The Jury and almost every one in Court were so much affected, as to shed tears during the address of the Learned Judge. John Doyle, a cooper's apprentice, waft indicted for stealing fourteen pawnbrokers' duplicates of various amounts, and a waistcoat, the property of his master. The case was fully established against the prisoner; but the Learned Judge told the Jury, .that pawn brokers' duplicates were not such a security as could be made the subject of an indictment, and they must, therefore, confine their attention to the waist coat.—" Guilty." Sentenced to six months' im prisonment, with hard labour. This decision with respect to pawnbrokers' dupli cates is new. In a case similar to this, two years ago, Mr. Justice Park intimated an opinion that they did not come within the Statute, but as the question was not necessarily raised in the case, he d ec li ne d riving a formal opinion. In the present case they were pronounced, without qualification, not to ha such " warrants for the delivery of goods" as could be proceeded criminally upon. . • • A French Paper, La Clinique, in noticing the late hill of Cooper v. Wakley, says, "After a long and solemn discussion, the author of the libellous article, Air. Lambert, was condemned to pay a fine of 1001. to Mr. Bansley Cooper." A rumour is in circulation that the Speaker' is to be raised to the Peerage, and that he is to have the Privy Seal—that Mr. Manners Sutton will receive ae honour usnally conferred upon a retiring Speaker—and that, when divested of his present office, he may be eum mooed to the active service of his country in some Other way is highly probable; but there is no ground, we be lieve, for auppming that the Rigbt Hon. Gentleman retires at present from the station which he so admirably fills; It is very much the fashion in this country, to talk of the comparatively mild punishments inflicted by th - 4 French tribunals. would sr•ens, however, from the sub joined paragraph, that the French are nut always very lenient in their mode of punitlinteLt :—.‘ A few days ago, the Court of Assizes of the Lower Seine condemned a man to be sent to the gallies for five years, with pillory and branding, fur a burglary, although he stole nothing mote thin three eggs."—Galignani's .3lessolyer. POLICE. INTELLIGENCE. GUILDHALL Thomas Wilson, a decent-looking elderly man, wag brought before . Mr. Alderman kEY yesterday, charged with pledging with Mr. lipsall, a pawn broker in 13arbithm, several pieces of base metal, under the false representation that they were in gots of standard silver, with intent to cheat and defraud him. Mr. UPsell related that the prisoner bad been in the habit of pledging articles of silver with him for the last three years, and taking these to be specimens of his ability, witness had conaidered him a most superior workmen. A few days since witness discovered that several ingots of silver (ac cording to the tickets) which had been pledged by the prisoner, had very materially altered in appear ance, laving become as white and shining as if it had been newly melted; and he soon satisfied him self that the pieces were not in fact of the descrip tion the prisoner had represented. On Tuesday evening the prisoner brought another lump, and re quested the loan of 11. Bs. upon it. Witness asked him if it was sterling silver, and he answered " Yea; just the same as the rest you have of mine." He was then requested to walk into the parlour, and an officer being sent for, the prisoner became alarmed, confessed he had been imposing base metal on him for silver, and entreated him to " behave like a tradesman," and settle the business with him quietly. Witness replied that he had no wish to do business in that sort of way, and persisted in giving him into custody. He admitted also, that by Washing the pieces in a preparation of pearl-ash, he produced the dull silver-like appearance, which passed off in a few hours. Witness handed up to the Magistrate two of the sham ingots which 'had been pledged on the 24th of December, for 2/. Bs., the weight being upwards of 1405. , and said he had been taking such pieces in since January last. As Mr. Upsall was not prepared to prove what the lumps were really composed of, he not having yet rece►ved the report of the assayer at Gold smiths' Hall, the prisoner, who did not offer any defence, was remanded till Friday. DOW-STREET. Mr. James Mansell Barclay, a young gentleman nho resides in Kenton -street, Brunswick-square, ap peared before Mr. Haus, to charge Mr. Thomas Mason, a tradesman residing in Hart -street, Blooms bury, with an assault under these circumstances : It appeared that Mr. Barclay went on Tuesday evening to the pit of Covent-garden Theatre, and sat down in a seat which he found unoccupied. lie had been but a few moments seated, when the de fendant came up and told him, in a peremptory way, that he must find some other seat, as that form had been previously bespoken by him to accommodate a party of fourteen persons. Mr. Barclay did not feel disposed to obey the mandate, observing that it was not customary to take seats in thepit, and that as he found himself very comfortable where he was he felt inclined to remain. The defendant, and one or two persons by whom he was accompanied, then laid hold of Mr. Barclay's collar and dragged him from the seat. Mr. Barclay, not wishing to create a riot in the theatre, retired to procure an officer, and charged Mr. Mason with an assault. The officer knowing Mr. Mason, took his word for his appear ance before the Magistrate to answer the charge. These facts having been stated by the complainant, Mr. Mason was asked what he had to say in reply ? He said, that on the night in question he went to the theatre with a party of fourteen persons, and had taken possession of part of a form in the pit to ac eemmodate his friends, when the complainant sat himself down in the very spot which a female friendwas about to occupy: The defendant requested the complainant to go elsewhere, and, upon his refusing to do so, be admitted that he took him gently by the arm and compelled him to quit his seat. Mr. BALLS--You had no right to do so. Seats in the pit of the theatre are not reserved" for par ticular persons, like these in the boxes. " First come first served," has always been the practice in that part of the house ; and if a gentleman wanted accommodation from ,another, he must ask for it civilly, and as a matter of courtesy. Mr. Barclay said, that had the defendant applied to him in a proper manner, he would willingly hare given him the seat to accommodate his party. He seemed to demand it, however, as a matter of right, and as such lie (the complainant) was not disposed to yield it. He was then seized by the collar, and forcibly obliged to quit the form. Mr. Mason—You walked very quietly away ; no force was used towards you. Mr. Barclay—l certainly made no resistance, be cause I did not wish to put myself in competition with a man of your years. Mr. HALLS—You acted very properly, Sir; and I shall call upon the defendant to find bail. Mr. Barclay said he would prefer, if it met with the Magistrate's sanction, that the defendant should be fined ender the late act, or he would be stiff bet ter satisfied if Mr. Mason put a sovereign iii the office box. Mr. HALLS said he had no objection to an amica ble arrangement of the matter. The parties then retired, and Mr. Barclay soon after returned, anti declared that he wag satisfied. Mr. HALTS--You have acted throughout with great temper and good feeling, and as a gentleman should have acted. The parties then retired; and Ford, the gaoler, said he was directed by Mr. Mason to hand in half a sovereign for the use of the office charity box. MARYLEMONE. The Cato-street rioters were re-examined, but no fresh evidence was brought forward, and the 15 who were apprehended on the day o f the occurrence, and detained, were committed f or trial. QUEEN.SQUARE- Yesterday Thonms Lloyd vras placed at the bar for further examination, before Mr. MARRIOTT, charged on sußpicion of being concerned in the late robbery of the Government stamps from the Bull and Mouth lan. A solicitor from the Stamp-office begged that the prisoner might be remanded for another week, which, after some discussion with the prisoner's solicitor, was agreed to. UNION-HALL Yesterday Mr. Mason, of the firm of Mason and Co., coal-dealers, was summoned under the Coal meters' Act, for using an illegal bushel measure in the admeasurement of coals. The summons having been read setting forth the offence, the defendant said that he admitted art im perfect bushel measure was discovered on his pre mises, but that when he assigned the reason, he had no doubt the penalty attached to the offence would not be visited on him. Mr. SIVABISY.—You must either plead " guilty," or " not guilty," and I should much rather you do Cle latter, as you will then have an opportunity of making a defence, and stating any mitigatory cir cumstances so as to induce me to place a lower penalty on you if the offence should be proved, than I should be otherwise inclined to do. The defendant having pleaded " not guilty," George Wilson, a labouring land coal-meter, was called, and he stated that on the 2d instant he was engaged at Messrs. West and Freeman's wharf, Lambeth, in measuring coals. While on duty there a waggon belonging to the defendant drove into the coal-wharf, and seeing an imperfect bushel-measure on the sacks, he immediately seized it. Mr. SWABEY—Describe in what way the mea sure was impetfect. Witness—The rim was broken all round, and it would have been impossible to measure a full bushel in such an article; the coals would necessarily run over all round. The defendant was anxious that the case should be deferred until the arrival of his solicitor; the ap plication, however, was refused, on the ground that that an hour and is half over the time had been al lowed to elapse, and also the circumstance of other pressing business waiting to be heard. The defendant admitted the bushel measure to he imperfect; it was an old one that had not been used before for the last two years, and was promiscuously flung into the waggon by one of the pellets. The measure in question (the defendant added) vas ge nerally use 4 for the purpose of keeping ochre in, and that fact could be substantiated, the ochre still ad hering to the bottom and sides of it. . The coal-meter's solicitor latitl, that if it was ne cessary he was in a situation to prove That coals bad been measured by the same bushel on a previous oc casion the same day. • The Magistrates agreed that the offence was clearly established, and inflicted a penalty of +l. and costs on the defendant. The full penalty is 101. Mr. James Sturdy, a coal-dealer• at Stockwell, was charged with a similar offence. He,• however, pleaded "guilty," and at the same time declared, that it was entirely through inadvertence the mea sure was used on this occasion. Since it had be come shattered and old, he had converted it into a machine for feeding his horses. The defendant was fined V. and costs, and recom mended to destroy the measure altogether, as it.did not redound to the credit of any man in the trade keeping such an article on his premises. Nfr Elias Jones, a coal-dealer, was summoned for using 10 short sacks in the delivery of coals. William Blinkwood, the meter, stated that on the 15th Dec., while on duty' at a private dock adjoin ing the Palace coal-wharf, he obierved thiee seeks of coals placed on the defendant's cart, which appeared to witness to he short in length. Haying measured the fourth sack, he found it deficient, together with more, some two inches, and others less iian that.— He added that they were all deficient, and now in Court, if it was thought proper to measure them. • Mr. SWABEY—It appears the atmosphere has an effect upon sacks; might not these have shrunk in consequence ?—Mr. Turquand, the piincipal meter, said that the Act specifically directed, that at the time sacks were in use the owners were bound to hare them of the legal adineasurement. The sacks in question decidedly came wider the provisions of the Act. On the behalf of the defendant, it was urged by Mr. Harmer that the offence was owing to inadvert ence, during some domestic affliction of his client's family. The sacks were old ones, and had been taken out of one of his warehouses by the men with out his knowledge. Mr. Rickman, the principal meter, admitted that a day or two subsequently to the seizure of the sacks having been made, the defendant called upon him, and describ e d th e ill ness of Some portion of his family; he at the same time attributed the cir cumstance to have arisen in consequence, while ho was absent, attending the sick bed of his wife. Mr. SIVABEY said that under these ciicumstance's he should not cpnvict the defendant, in which de cision Mr. Chambers also cordially joined ; the Ma gistrates merely directing the defendant to pay 5/. to any charity the principal coal-meter might sug gest. The above sum was transmitted to the secre tary of the asylum for discharged prisoners in Surrey. • A Mr. Tippet, a builder, was summoned by the district surveyor for erecting a large timber building in Russell-street, Bermondsey, as a circus or theatre, intended for the performance of Ryan's equestrian troop, against - the provisions of the Building Act, whereby he had incurred a heavy penalty. It appeared that the performances were to have commenced on the Ist of January (this day), mid that fire-works were also to be introduced. The surveyor, having.been informed of the fact, proceeded to the place, and finding. it was erected on a spot contiguous to other buildings, and that the erection was contrary to the plans required under the Build ing Act, summoned the parties. The defendant said, that he had no objection to take down the building, if he were allowed two months to accomplish it. • The Surveyor said, that it would not take half that time in the erection ; how mud) easier then, was it to pull dawn than to put up ? " The object in view is plain," said the surveyor " the per formances might go on the whole of January and the greater part of the following month, if the applica tion was granted." The defendant begg©d h;ird for a month ; brit it was ultimately decid e d that th e woo d en 'edifice muAt come to the ground in a fortnight from this date, the defendant haring entered into a surety of 1001. to that effect. A person waited on a friend or our's a few clays back, to ask him to copy out fairly for him, prepa ratory to his 4:notching_ it to his inomorata,,the follow- ins e.xciaisite specimen of the " intellectual march :" My dear—l n-ant to know your niind—that is, to say h. as or now.—and sand word bark alone what you will stand to--- your humble S., and Trew bailed soil—l. J."—Hall Packet. ' • STATE OF TRADE.—We think there has been this week and last,'rather a better feeling in commer cial matters. Though many" of the foreign merchants have quite closed their shipments of yarn fur the present season, a number of them have evinced a disposition to make, at a very small concession in price, contracts for the opening of the next. Rut, amongst the spinners, little or no giving way has taken place. In goods, rather more inquiry exists, and though ,for two or three weeks at this season, business is generally comparatively .at a stand, there seems a confident expectation that, with the com mencement of the new year, an improved demand may be an tici pa texl. —3luuchester Mercury. A short tithe since Lord and Lady W Were sojourning at Florence. A young and spirited El4g. Heitman of fashion, Mr. 11. lost one night to her Ladyship 500/. at ecartl. Mr. S. very properly paid the money, but mentioned the circumstance to a gentleman, who suggested the possibility that there might have been something unfair in the matter, but which, however, Mr. S. would not permit himself to believe. It was, neverthe- less, reported to Lady W., shortly after Mr. S.'s depai tare for England, as if said by himself. Lady W., in conse• quence, and very naturally, felt hart, hut was soothed by her Lord's kind promise to shoot Mr. S. through the head on the first possible convenient opportunity; and this pre sented itself last Wednesday, when (all the parties liavisg reached Paris) Lord W. met Mr. S. in the Rue de la Nix iI believe.) A meeting was immediately proposed and ar ranged, and took place yesterday morning in the Bois de l Boulogne. His Lordship att en d e d by Colonel C., and Mr." S. by Captain W., en the half-pay of one of your dragoon regiments. The parties having taken their ground, the word " Fire!" was given rapidly, and fortunately neither shot took effect. The seconds then very properly inter fered. The real facts .of the care Were diseloeed, and the parties, of course, immediately 'shook hands. " Now," mid Mr. S., " that the affair has terminated, let me con fess that I fired purposely Wide, and stiffer me to show you what I can do.. Place this hat on that bramble, give me the other pistol, and " the word, as qnickly as yon please." All this was done, mad slap went the ball through the hat, to the satisfaction, no doubt, of all parties."—Paris Lttter. FLORENCE.—(From a private letter.)—ln addition to the regularly-established English resident., amongst whom we can boast many distinguishes( names, there are staying here nt present,—Lord and Lady War wick, Lord and Lady Wm. Russell, Colonel and Mrs. Ca vendish, Lord Douro, Lord Charles Wellesley, Lord Fitz hirri., Ric. And in the corn-se of the last two months we have born visited by Lord and Lady Lansdowne, I.cr*t and Lady Salisbury, Lord and Lady Barrington, Lord and Lady Dartmouth, &e. The principal attraction, in the way of amusement, have hect , the private theatricals with which Lord and Lady Normanby have, since their return from England, been entertaining their friends. In stic cession there have been petformed The Merchant u, Ve nice, Much Ado about Nothing, and other ftvourite plsys of Shakspeare, in all of which the admirable stage arrangements, studied attention to erratum, and scenic ef fect, have' been the admiration of all, as disphying a cor rect and highly-.cultivated theatrical taste. Of the acting at these &lighten] performances, so unlike ordinary ama teur attempts, it is unnecessary to speak in praise, sine,, owing to the affability and kindness of the nobie Lord and his interesting Lady, there are few of our travelled coun trymen who have not had an opportunity of judging for themselves of their meth.. Lord Bnrghersh has likewise fitted up a pretty temporary theatre in his for the performance of an Italian opera ef his own composition. It was given with great success a few nights since. The chorusses, which were very effertire, were Inilliantly ex ecuted by no hiss titan 40 amateurs, English and Italian. Mr. Cooper, the American novelist, is *titled her. with his family, and it is aupposed that be is engaged in col ], vting, materials for another work. Sir Walter Scott, It is said, intends shortly to Visit here. "'Ammo and PUBLIMRD by MURDO YOUNG, at the cn OFFIOE, 112, Silt A rrt, LoPriPtih. SHIPPING INTELLIGENCE. LlVEarooc.. TIJ esto.v, DRf'F. ItBEIt SO. -- S. S. W._ fi vrat4..x 23 . iniontta Nita tive.--Arrirrd the H raid, Graham, from Charlestone; William and Mar from Newfoundland; horn Prlton, Baxter, from SL Jahn'",; Dorotts) -, from St. John's, N.B. ; Battey, Seimilinry, from lele of Alan. THE MARKETS. COAL MAR Adair's —31 s. Otl. Beaumont. le.rtirn 1.1 in----- 23 9 23 6 Siliingworttt 31 ti Liddell's Main— 30 2 ['claw V 6 vi 0 t'Ott top %Vi !dor 21 0 22 0 NVylain %Valk End Berrickalalo. 26 0 Ditto Bell ttobson Co. 36 0 Ditto ttrown's —.. 33 0 Ditto Csrr and 31 6 Ditto Clarke and Co. 33 3 Ditto Cramlington...—., 30 0 Ditto 33 2 Sl,pg i at nctrket, ET.—Dec. Al Walls lfuil Nirxrnarch... 314. 01 Ditto Nortlinntivfland 31 3 Ditto I'enreth.--__, 32 3 Ditto Perkins and Co. 31 t 1 1/itto SO a Ditto Ittiseelre 15 6 Letmbton's Primrose —33 6 Walls k.oil I 0 IVAN End I.ions 34 9 Walls End 3t cwart's 0 Ws+le's Spring Main... 30 0 Blyth 44 0 Hartley 31 Siik.tone Field and Co, *.) g Tanfield 33 Walls End anull 10 smAll 22 0 Tyne small 16 0 14.4 io4, 33--I.ltim44i, 10i. CMINTRY CORN MAHRET3 DLIHINGI Tug WERK Wheat. . Barley. Oats. 'Boum.. Per Quarto. ato 4. 5. to s. lit. to 4. a. a. Abingdon 68 13 :15 42 35 42 ...., 56 Andover_ --:.-- 811 87 32 Pi I V 36 94 36 4 , 6 Bridport 741 71 3 31) 913 34 , 54 Cirenceetar 60 80 131 40 24 36 44 Waringdon-- 51 66 126 48 96 58 Guildford 44 St 3 4.5 2$ 36 .;1.••• a. 5 Henley -- 55 80 31 43 23 ' 31 48 Ilercrur6 -- 64 84 '3B 45 36 40 (0 Ilighwortl7 ---- 02 WI 32 " £9 31 Mai.l en h eed f*.) 84 V 42 511 144 Oakinghara ...:—. 56 76 AI 36 22 34 44 , Reading 60 100 al. 44 92 35 84 ,92 85 42 21 - 28 —. 18 Nouthlmptou 34 711 37 40 28 32 Stroud Tewkesbury 78 40 42 30 38 —MI -Uxbridge WznitAge Warminster SO - 1 , 0 59 45 56 31 51 56 • 80 32 42 96 36 1.41 72 80 32 44 21 36 CHELTENHAM MA RKET.—D,c. Per Bushel. a. d. to s. d. Pet lb. •B.to 8. wheat Barley ads ..... 4 0 5 0 Veal Beam 4 9 6 6 Perse ........ .... yt .... 0 0 Pork .......... 6 ni Hay 3l. 15e. to 4/. le. pct ton. ' • J, 8 ft 6 'Til HUhL MARK ET.—Dec. So. We had a middling supply of farmers' Wheat to-day.' ' which inct very dull sale at a decline of 2e. per quarter" from last w ee k' s pr i ces ; the condition is still d amp ; t h e ' hat day or two has brought its considerable supplies of foreign, and had saes been pressed lower prices must havol been the stonseqneuce ; the holders, however, are firm, and will not submit to much lower prices. On the trifling business clone, a decline of 2a. per quarter was snhniittc to, but nearly the whole of the arrivals are ordered to ware. bowie. There are some arrivals cf Barley from Xerfolkt which our malt:tern will not hny, but continue to aupplyi themselves with Y or k s hi re an d Li ncolnshire, the deliveries! from whence have been large, especially of the former i i the prices for which we note same as last week, but the ) d eman d ,d mv ; Oats, Bean; and Peas, still continue to' bear a nominal value, and in very little demand. Rape= aeod is held at more money. Linseed without alteration. Wheat, 01st ' 78s. Spa. —6. New --s. 74e. 7liss Foreign ...... 745. 781. m oats, Poland Sall or Feed. — —4. • ..... +S. +O . 29a. Foreign — 4. 945. wit. Barley, Norf. & But —e 883. 945. Line. & Wold - -a a. 365. 88s. Foreign —6. 40e. 445. Beans 425. 4.4 a. Us. Foreign ..—.... —a. 455. 414. Pease, IVliite Taros —a. 40s. SO6. Foreign ...... 545. 4 0s 0 . , —s, iteyeased, in ...... Free, per last... --/. 81/. - DUMFRIES MA. s.d. e.d. s. d. Wheat, Imp. Bush 8 6 to 9 0 B u tt er 0 oto 9 9 Batley 4 6 4 8 E ggs , dozen ...... .9 0 04 Oats ' 8 9 3 2 Beef, per 1b... 44 06 Flour, 111 b...........- 2 0 311 Mutton Oatmeall >i 1 10 Veal O4» - Potatoes. cat. ...... * 0 1 0 Quarter,, Loaf.. 0 a Cars. --. The chow to-d a y consisted of 379 head, 4/ 0 which the larger portion v. - tre good two and three-Years•Wi Galloways. The remeinder consisted of 15 highlanders 63 stir); ; 42 eneys and heifer', and eight cows. Tbef drove beasts were in prime condition, end attracted mkt • lion the moment they appeared. One of the lots had heal, 'odd before it reached the Sands, and was inertly brought' forward to mix with "Itch other nowt as the owner migktit purchJse. Prices were considered a little better, and 8 , 1 4 there was competition for all the Leavy stork, the whole, found pnrehasers at an early hoar. A lot of three INC four-years-olds brought 111. per head; and another, of very suprrior two-years-olds, brought the handsome price of SI. 10s. Taken, generally they were but a middling show. Mirka ranged front 4/. to Si. 10s. Same of them were in very lair condition ; and we noticed a good let of Irish queys, though we are hot aware that it changed owners. Pose.—ln spite of the soft mock/ weather, which is the very bane of the. bacon-dealer's art, the supply of grecn put kis becoming more and snore extensive. To-day there were 164 carts in the market--the value of which in money, from a calculation we have made, would be above, rather than under, 2,000/. Still the season is only corn- 0 bouncing, anti from the plentifulness of potatoes, and the i increased number of pigs, we. may expert to hear of from six to eight thousand pound , ' worth of the same article being sold in one day after the frost sets in. The demand , to-day was pretty brisk, and price", if anything, a shade better. Sow, and other infer for °armee, rated from 4s. 94. to ss. 34., and middling and good qualities from ss. 4d. to ss. 9d. A penny more might be given here and there, hot Inatanees of this kind were not numerous. Igor seven pigs, the heaviest of which was 17st. 41be., and which weighed-.altogeth e r 87 stones, the owner received , 26/., havi ng - vo l untar il y a b ate d t h e o dd two thiPinga. This was the hi g h ea t p r i ce g i ven , but th e pork tern beauti ful,andtti of m grnmph o i a ca r„ ,when alive, he had been a ll owe d an extra quantity average pries of the market may be stated at Zs. 64. per stone of 161 be. Pout.ray.—As Christmas is the season for guillotining geese, and bleeding (a cruel operation) poor turkeys to death, we had an immense supply of poultry to-day. The o King's Arms entry. and the street !roiling to it, were lit e .- ally blockaded with bonny laves; the front of Meters., Gregan and Creighton's warehouse Was in a similar prp.li• cement, and between the two placc, several hendreds of we n-dressed, respectable, and in many cases, really bean-s tif e l country girls were Bern holding or resting their butter, egg , or poultry baskets. The eight, so to speak, formed a show of the ►noel agreeable kind, and was bettti: worth looking at than mauy of those itinerant exhibitions for which the lieges are charged a high price for admission.-- Our city dames were, of course, on the alert, and we dare ''Say some of them, as they.thrtaded their way through long and crooked avenues of baskets, envied the owners their 0 roses, tlimples,:and all the other I'4lu:tete of rusti c b eau ty c and perfect health. Turkeys generally sold at froM g s . 24. to 4d. Dest geese frbm 2e. 6d. to 3s. ; inferior ditto o from ls. 64. to 2s. Hens front Is. 64. to 2s. a piece. ,it K STS.--Dee. 24. BIRTHS. On the 28th ult. at Lathallan, Fifeahire, the lady of John Small, Ed+ of a .on. On the 24th tilt. at Beggearn-heish, near Taunton, the lady of John Upton Tripp, Doi. R.N. of a son. On the Slat ult. in Finahury-circus, Mrs. Lukit., of a son. On the .95th alt. at Stillingfleet, the lady of the Rev. D. F. Markham, of a son. MARRIRD. On the Slst ult. Mr. N. Bailey, of Camden-street, Camden-town (late of Devonshire -street, Qneen-oquire), to Miss Jane Brown, of Oxford-home, Marylettone. On the 29th ult. at Brighton, by the Rev. Robert An derson, Timothy cootie, Egg.' of the Foreign Poet-offiCe, to Catherine, youngest daughter of the late Benjamin Taylor, Eel. On the 26th tilt. at Chester, Henry Griffith Rowlands, Esq. second son of the late Griffith Ptowlinds, E N , if Chester, to Catherine Emily, third daughter of the late Wm. Botrawen, Esq. one of the Couarnieeioners of 11 . Slaiesty's Yietuatling-office. . On the 18th ttlt.at Genoa, at the English Chapel, by the Rrv. Richard Battiseombe, Henry S. Emile,' Esq. of London, to Anna, daughter of Joseph 'Cidliford, Bishop-Weermouth, county of Durham. On the 2sith ult. at Kensington, William Henry, eldest son of the late William Walter, Esq. of Devonshire-plaer, Christi Ans, eldest daughter of Geurge Brett, Eaq. of Grove-honse, Old Brampton. DIED. On the 30th ult. at Kelvedon, &sex, Mrs. Tot-in, relict of the late Robert Torin, EN. On the 28th nit. at his residence near Eaglehntst, Vitteonnt Kilcottraie, bom of the Earl of Cavan. The Rev. Robert Rathorrt, of Frarnlington, near Nor wich, third son of the Lord Bishop of Norwich.