The Sun. — London, England, 1829-03-05 00:00:00

~• .~-` .i ; 7 •••••;*••• • • • -; - SPIRIT OF' THE LONDON JOURNALS. The frequent Cabin?t Councils of late have natu.- rally given rise to all manner of rumours. On Tues day there were two ; the second, which met at half- past nine o'clock, having remained in deliberation until past two o'clock yesterday morning (two hours later than was stated in the Court Circular.) While the Council was sitting, a dispatch arrived for the Duke of Wellington from his Majesty ; and his Grace the Lord Chancellor, Mr. Secretary Peel, and Mr. 'Terries, left town yesterday morning, at ten o'clock, for Windsor, in obedience, as it was un derstood, to his Majesty's commands to attend him at twelve o'cloCk. These meetings and journeys to - Windsor, on the eve of the communication of the gland Ministerial measure to Parliament, lead to the suspicion that all is not as it ought to be. The Standard of last night says, " This abrupt move ment (the journey to Windsor) has suggested many various and contradictory rumours ; according to some, the Ministers have gone down to force upon the King the Resolutions to be proposed to-met row night ; otheee assert, that it is merely to force the King's consent to the Association Sup pression Bill. All admit, however, that the west remorseless dictation is to be exercised upon our Sovereign to obtain his sanction to a breaking in rbon the constitutional Settlement of 1688." The o ,,,emcias of Ministers have owed no small pits of their success in obtaining petitions to the coefidence with which they have all along main tained, that the King, in his heart, was unfavour able to the measure recommended in the Speech. On the very day of the meeting of Parliament, Lord Eldon evidently spoke at the King ; and ever since the tactics of his Lordship have been rigorously ob served. The inferences generally drawn from the bold asertions of the opponents of Ministers, of their possession cf a knowledge of his Majesty's secret inclinations, coupled with these messages and meet ing, are that his Majesty either does not know his own mind, and allows himself to be driven one day from the determination taken the day before, the last Counsellor carrying his point for the time, or that he is finessing with his Mi nisters. It is perfectly obvious, that when Mi nisters submitted the measure to his Majesty before the meeting of Parliament, he might then have opposed it with propriety, and on the refusal of hie Ministers to desist from the measure, have ac cepted of their resignation. But :raving allowed Ministers to announce the measure to Parliament, any subsequent appearance of indecision is altogether out of season, and can have no other effect than that of unnerving the Executive, by provoking an opposition to it. When it is reported that the Duke of Cumberland is influencing his Majesty at this critical time, the report is injurious to the repu tation of his Majesty, because his Ministers are com mitted to the measure; and though he is entitled to dismiss them, lie is not entitled to retain them in office, and at the same time to act in such a manner as to counteract them. By dismissing Ministers at once, they would know their position; but the re taining them, and encouraeing, or rather not discou raging reports of secret inclinations, at variance with the measures which Ministers are allowed to recom mend, looks like a plot to take Ministers at an ad vantage, by stirring up an opposition to them, that they may appear to be discomfited. The mercenary and the trading politicians, no immaterial part of the force of the Government of this country, naturally act according to their estimate of the chances for or against the permanency of an Administration. The King, who allows it to be believed that he can be influenced, is faithless to his Ministers. They are entitled to be either dismissed or cordially supported. There is a passage in Hallam 's Constitutional History, which some may think not altogether inapplicable to the present con juncturet—" It seems difficult," he sa y s, " for any King of England, however conscientiously ob servant of the lawful rights of his subjects, and of the limitations they impose on his prerogative, to rest always very content with this practical condi tion of the Monarchy. The choice of his Coun cillors, the conduct of Government .are entrusted, be will be told by the Constitution, to his tole plea sure. Yet, both in the one and the other, he finds a eserpetual disposition to restrain his exercise of power; and though it is easy to demonstrate that the public good is far better promoted by the virtual controul of Parliament and the nation over the whole Executive Government, than by adhering to the letter of the Constitution, it is not to be ex pected that the argument will be conclusive to a :1..0y.al understanding. Hence he may be tempted to play rather a petty game, and endeavour to regain, .by intrigue and insincerity, that power of acting by his own will which he thinks unfairly wrested front Jinn. A Kin , of England, in the calcula tion of po sies, is little ' more than one among the public met; 01' the day ; taller, indeed, like Saul or Agatnernnon, by the head and shoulders, at d therefore with no slight advantages in the sciamble ; but not a mltch for the many, unless he can bring some dexterity to ec.coed his strength, arid make the best of the self-int:.Yeat &>MI p4imo sities of those with whom he has to does A 4O . Pf this there will generally be so much, that 5 ,1 the long run lie will be found to succeed in the greaten.' part of his desires." It has generally been supposed that his Majesty has not been averse to practise the ieesojis of what may be called King-craft. Accord ing to the most approved principles of that science, a Sovereign, in order to have as much of his way with an existing Ministry as possible, should take particular care that it be not without apprehensions shat his inclinations point occasionally elsewhere. 'Hence Ins :Majesty has always been particularly auxiette to have personal friends among the outs as well as among the ins. It is understood that dur ing Liverpool Administration, he had much less paironage than he afterwards contrived to obtain firiritig the Ministerial fluctuations that succeeded. We can easily conceive, therefore, that the strength of the Duke of Wellington's Government may not liave been altogether so palatable to his Majesty us to his Grace himself. —Morning Chronicle. It appears by yesterday's Parliamentary proceed ings, that it has been settled for Mr. Peel to bring forward the measure of Catholic adjustment in the course of this evening. The form of the proce dure, says Mr. Goulburn, will be similar to that adopted on previous occasions of removing Roman Catholic disabilities—tkat is to say, a resolution Drill ire moved preliminary to the introduction of the Bill, and explanatory of its objects, principles, and provisions. That such a measure has been con ceived and undertaken amidst difficulties so grave as were funs] the first foreseen, would be suffi ciently honourable to the Minister who prepared it; that the Minister and his colleagues have persisted in their beneficent work, and have now the firmness to stand Or fall by it, after the experience of ob stacles unhooked for, and from quarters whence it would have been little short of treason to anticipate them—the result of artifices most foul and base— we say the existence of such statesman-like wis dom, and such admirable courage in any British Government, refleets lustre oa the whole poli tea community of this kingdom. The frequent Cabinet Councils which have been held are in evitable attendants on a policy so important as that now on tisa eve of execution. The machina, tions for opposing the King's Government—for compelling hie Majesty to forego his gracious and healin g pledge to the pess.,eeuted millions of his loyal subjects, and through their di appointment and despair to convulse the empire and pt.'s - duce a bloody and exterminating war in Ireland—those eeachina tions have, indeed, been most unnatural and Zis gusting. Who the chief incendiary is or can be, we have inquired, whether successfully w' appear appear be fore many days have gone by. There is something awful in the efforts made by bias (if it be a .sinial:a agent), or by. t hem ( if their ;seine be " legion"). Those who poison the mind of a King against his most constant and faithful friends—against his dearest interests, and his most sacred and urgent duties—must be already hardened against conscience and remorse. But to the shame of a public ex- posure—to the desertion of even that dependent portion of society which may still have been forced to endure such creatures—to the horror of being openly loathed and cast out—no criminals can be quite insensible.—Times. Independently of the merits of the question which now agitates this empire, the mode which the Duke of Wellington has adopted of bringing it to what he calls a " settlement" is certainly most objectionable. That the Minister should not only conceal his senti• ments up to the very eve of carrying them into exe cution, but write a letter to the titular Primate of Ireland, expressing his conviction of the unreason ableness of the present time for attempting a " sut dement" such as he had then determined in his own mind on proposing, was like any thing rather than the direct and straightforward mode of pro ceeding for which his Grace bad heretofore obtain ed credit with the British public. The nation had a right to expect candour on the part of its Statesmen, relative to a question of such mo mentous interest. To attempt to take the coun try by surprise was as impolitic as it was die ingenuous. A people of generous habits, but stubborn resolutions, like the English, naturally re volt against circumventing policy or despotic dic tation. When the Duke of Wellington had re solved upon making the Catholic Question, for the first time since the dethronement of James 11., a Government measure, he -could not too soon have informed the nation of such an intention, and invited their cool and dispassionate consideration of the subject for some future time ; for instance, he might have given notice, in the beginning of the present Session, that his Majesty's Government had come to the determination of proposing a Bill relative to the Roman Catholic disabilities in the ensuing Ses sion, and that they did not wish to take the people of England by surprise, but, on the contrary, that they were desirous they should take the subject into their most deliberate consideration, being convinced that the more the people examined the subject the' more they would be satisfied that the proposed mea sure could be carried into effect without endangering the security of their constitutional rights. This sort of proceeding, on the part of Ministers, would have been not only the more honest, but the more qolitic course. If it be possible at all to settle the ' puestion upon any permanent basis, this would have smoothed the way to such an adjustment. By a mode of proceeeiog so frank arid conciliating, the pride of Englishmen would net have been wounded. The passions of the people would not have been roused, whatever advantages the advocates of con cession could expect from the calm exercise of rea son would have been obtained—and whatever adjust ment could have been agreed upon would have been of the most satisfactory and permanent nature. But what is the character of the proceeding which the Duke and his colleagues have adopted ? It is one which treats the people of England as the ene mies, not as the friends and supporters, of the Go vernment. It is very well for a General to take his enemies by surprise; but to adopt the same tactics . towards his friends is not quite so proper. There is no question on which the people of England feel so . deeply as that which they consider involves the se . curity of their Protestant institutions; and, whether their opinions on this subject be right or wrong, it was rather too much even of the Duke of Welling ten to expect that they would surrender those opinions at the "word of command," and "wheel to the right about," not because they were convin ced, but because they were ordered.—Morning , Herald. CORONER'S INQUEST. MELANCHOLY CASE.—DEATH OF A FEMALE PROM STARVATION.—Yesterday afternoon an in quisition was taken at the Grange-inn, Carey-street, Lincoln's-inn-fields, before THOS. Hiocs, Esq., on the body of Elizabeth jeffkins, aged twenty-five, who died in the streets from hunger. Margaret Connell, of No. 3, Wellington-place, Drury-lane, stated that the deceased was au unfor tunate female. She had seen her about the streets for nearly five years. Last Monday afternoon, about two o'clock, she saw the deceased in Wellington place sitting on the ground. About three o'clock site again passed her, when she appeared dreadfully sick and faint. Witness, although very poor, could not bear to see her in such distress, and made her a jug of tea and a round of toast, which she ate voraciously. She could not speak from the effects of cold and hunger. Witness gave her her hand to assist her up, which she clasped, and exclaimed, " May the Almighty God bless and protect you for this !" She then sunk down again, and those were the only words she heard her utter. A young man also brought her some bread and meat, which she ate. Witness passed her several times afterwards in the afternoon ; the deceased shook her head, but never spoke. Wellington-place is not a thorough fare. CORONER — Had you ever seen her helot e in Wel lington-place' Witness—l know she has frequently slept at night on the pavement in the court. She was found 4,1,2 ad in the court about eight o'clock on Monday evening, Site had scarcely any clothes on, only an o jj own whltb was full of holes, and not worth a penny. Michael Bov ,7 " 41 ) a watchman, knew the de ceased by sight, an d' not believe she had been on a bed for a twelvemonth. Elizabeth Stephens, of No. 4-i, Charles-street, Drury-lane, knew the deceased, who formerly lived with a man natnefl James Lane, but who had turned her off about a year ago ; since which time she had been in a state of the most dreadful distress, and quite a cripple from a white swelling in her Ban oc casioned by his ill usage towardi her. Witness had frequently given her shelter in her- lodgings ; she had neither father nor mother, and completely des tittite. The CORONER observed, in summing up the evi dence, that this was one of the most shocking cased he ever remembered. The jury, after some deliberation, returned a verdict, "That the deceased died from the severity of the weather to which she became expooed in con seguence of intoxication." Note.—There was not the slightest evidence that the unfortunate woman was intoxicated. The Revenue of the United States consists, for nine parts in ten, in duties upon imported goods. ANATOMICAL FACILITIES.—We tauter stand that Mr. Peel has given his sanction to a Bill which will be introduced early in the course of the sessions by Mr. Warburton to put the anatomical schools in this country upon the same footing as to facilities of procuring aubj,c•s as those of France. Particular care is to be taken to prevent any violation of those feelings which excite the mass of mankind when the horrible labours of the resur rection men are detected and exposed. The Bill is to pro vide that persons who die unclaimed in hospitals and work houses are to be disposed of to lecturers for a trifling con sideration, and that the fund created by the sale is to be appropriated to defray the expense of interment after such subject shall have undergone anatomical investigation as the surgeons call the work of dissection, Medical in spectors are to be appointed by the Act to carry the pro visions into effect.—From a Correspondent of the Time:. Mk; MISCREANT HARE.—The name of this wretched being, who, like Cain, bears the mark of murder on his forehead, hal become a kind of bugbear to frighten unruly cidWren. During the past week, not merely the children, but erep zrown people, particu larly females, who reside at the south end of the town, were greatly alarmed for their personaler safety, i n co „. ,„. quence of a rumour having got rn, that the k - rretelt bad taken up his abode somewhere in the vicinity of St. James's Church, where, it was feared, he might recommence h horrid tra , !e. Parents were alarmed for their children, and 4141firen were alarmed for themselves, the dread of being Burked or 'fared exciting the most lively fears in the breasts of the timid and the ignorant. W e need scarcely say, that these alarms were " the very coinage of the brain," for, though Hare may be in Liver, pool or its suburbs, the miscreant will not have the hardi hood to carry ou his old trade of human butchery in this country again.—Liverpool SECOND Em-rioN. UN 01TIC12, Seven o' M PE RI it, I, PA R lAA NI E TEIIS EVENING. HOUSE OF LORDS. A Commission was formed by the Lord Chancellor, Lord Slatesburv, and Lord Elle!)borough, to express the Royal Assent to the Bill for the Suppression of Dangerous Associations in Ireland. The Duke of cUNIBERLAND presented a petition out 11;m:kston, Wilt~, againwt the Catholic, • The - Earl of ALBEMARLE presented a similar peti tion from Yarmouth. Lord KING presented several similar petitions from Ireland ; and also several against the Sub-letting and Vestry Acts. The Earl of ESSEX present d two petitions in favour of the Catholic., and another against the Vestry Act. Lord DARNLEY presented nine petiticns in favour of the Catholics from the county of Lancaster. The Earl of RODEN presented a petition from the county of Meath for the repeal of the Vestry Act. Lord DE DUNTSANVILLE presented a petition from a parish in Cornwall, in favour of the Catholics. Lord LONSDALE presented petitions from parishes in Westmoreland and Cumberland against the Catholics. Lord ELDON presented petitions from the city of Glas gow and other places against the Catholic. On present ing one from Sheffield, Lord WHARCLIFFE said that the meeting was not called by any Magistrate, although it purported to he the petition of the Magistracy. There was certainly a Magi strate in the chair, but he should say that it was a clerical meeting, where all the speakers where olergymen and Laymen were not permitted- to speak. A short time afterwards another meeting was called by a regular requisition, and none but Clergymen opposed the counter petition.—(Heir, hear.)—He was sorry to say that very improper language had been used. The people had been asked if they would have a Popish King.—(Laughter.) If they would have their daughters taken from them, and under the pretense of keeping them in chastity and placing them in convents. He deprecated the interference of the Clergy in such cases, as he believed that if the advice of the Clergy had been followed, the House of Hanover had not now occupied the Throue. The Bishop of LONDON wished to say a few words of defence for a calumniated body of men. Was this to be the only occasion in which they were described to express their sentiments to this House, which had always protected the Protestant Constitution. An awful change was about to be made, on which he would not offer an opinion, and were the Clergy to be the only persons who were to be deqarred from expressing their opinions, he believed, that if an investigation were mode, he be lieved it would be found that the Clergy had not attempted to promote petitions, but that they had rather attempted to delay the expression of the public feeling. He had been told so by several of these gentle, and he hheved that the word of the poorest Clergyman was entitled to the same credit as the noblest Peer. Lord WHARNCLIFFE repliedd that it was evident the Noble Prelate was not in the House during the former part of his speech. as he himself acknowledged Lord ELDON said, that the meeting at which this peti tion was got up was merely called together for those who were adverse to the Roman Catholic Claims ; and if persons chose to intrude themselves, the Chair man was right in preventing their obstructing the business of the meeting. He thought, however. that the Clergy of Engiand wonld have eternally disgraced them selves,—(Hear, hear)—if they had not firmly and calmly come forward to support the Protestant Constitution of this country. HOUSE OF COMMONS The gallery doors, which were crowded to the greatest excess, were opened for the admission of the public (the call of the House having previously taken place) at a little before six o'clock. Immediately on our entering the gallery, the call for Mr. Peel from all parts of the House, was deafening in the extreme. The officers of the House then read part of his 'Majesty's speech, when Mr. Secretary Peel rose and spoke to the following effect : Mr. Speaker,—l rise, Sir, as the Minister of the State, and by the just authority which belongs to that State—(bear,ltear)—to vindicate the advice which was given to his Majesty by a united Cabinet, to insist in his gracious Speech to Parliament that recommendation with respect to the condition of Ireland and the disabilities of his Majesty's Roman Catholic subjects which have just been read, and to submit to the consideration of this Houso, those measuses by which his Majesty's Government propose to carry that recommendation into effect. Sir, I rire on the subject of peace, to pro pose the adjust:rent of the Catholic Question—( Hear, hear, bear.)—of that question which has occupied so much of the time and attention of Parliament, and which has distracted the Councils of the King for nearly 30 years. I rise to discuss this subject in the spirit which is enjoined iu one of those beautiful drayers by which ou this, and on every day, we are enjoined to lay aside all LMr. Peel was addressing the House when our Second Edition went to press, we will give the result in a Third Edition.] POLICE INTELLIGENCE. Arr. Mrssnutt. ordered him to find bail for the assault, and recommended the complainant to indict him at the sessions, observing that the offence was t learly proved, and that the company collected at the theatre in question, in cluding performers, managers, prompters, and m usicians, bad been unlawfully collected together. A tall lusty-looking fellow, Whose addiction' to strong waters was visible in his countenance, was c harged by a publiran named Clancey, who keeps the sign of the Robin Hood, in Iligh Holborn, with obtaining sundry glavies of gin and brandy without the means of paying for them. The fact stated by the landlord was not attempted to be denied by the defendant, who, with a strong Irish accent, and a look of the most comic assurance, said he was quite entirely surprised at the conduct of the landlord, to bring him, a gentleman bred and horn, before a justice, for the matter of a little drop of drink, and he was the more asto nished because the landlord was a brother mason. "MY name, your Worship," he said,;" is Misther Carroll, I am an Irishman by birth, and I hold a situation under Go vermeil:. No man in Ireland can say that black is the white of nay eye, and I could show your WBrsldr a pile of paper to prove ray respectability. I have come over to this; town to be a witness in a great trial that's coming On aN.n in sae of the Courts, and in truth I ana quite ashamed of Mr. Clancey here, a countryman and a brother mason, to serve me such a dirty trick." .‘ What business or profession are you ?" said Mr. ALIN.- SHULL. "lam a Supervisor of Excise, your Worship," answered the defendant. He told me he was a supervisor of Excise," observed the pplriirerp, "and said he would settle with me for the gin and beaMy ei•hen he came to take my stork. I have no diseire to proceed fuethsr in the matter, but wish that the trade should be warped againpl. bin as I have reason to believe he has beets is the habit of going 0. 0 ,7 4 p to dif ferent publicans obtaining liquors t hr o ug h t h e same pip' rrs.' Mr. MiNsuum. ordered the clerk to take down the evi , donee, and the pri•oner was finally locked up in default of declared that he was an ill-used man. • 4 - 44p1,13C0ROUGILSTREET. Moses Jacobs, a g lass-mannfacturer, who has been some days in custody upon a charge of awn?, by wilfully Petting fire to the premises in which he carried on Ilia bo*pb in Pholnix-street, St. Giles's, which were entirely destroyed by the conflagration on the night of last Monday week, and on which occasion a poor woman, named Davis, lost her life, was yesterday brought before f.:okratvr, the I.lt gistrate, for re-examination. M the 43nlipa t tion yvag nos final we shall not publish any account at present, QUEEN-SQUARE. Charles Smith, a genteel youth, about 16 years of age, ' living at Pimlico, was brought up from St. Margaret's watch-house, on one of the most extraordinary charges perhaps ere. t all before a Magistrate at a Police office. Holwell, a watebman, ;,itated that he found the de• fendant in the street on the previous ei,r,444 quitp ipen.. sible ; he did not know whether be was drunk or in a i$P; he, therefore. took him to the watch-house, and gave hiM in charge. In a short time it was observed that he had been seized with a fit. your worship, I did no t know jar. p A „, orr .—Then what do you bring him here our ord e rs are , w hen we whether it it tc w h a w s 44 a tiTO N r AP V-o;:atiqt app} take a person to the watch-house, to Rini „ a ;',le.iFe, or he would not he allowed to remain ; and when the ctiarge ip made in the book, we must bring the person before your worships. Mr. AIA RRIOTT. —Then this young man is charged with being seized with a tit ?.--a visitation of Providence, that I or any person in the kingdom may be subject to in an instant. There can be no such order, or you do not [ understand it ; common sense, common humanity would tell you better. worship. Mr. MARaum.—Nonsense : you do perfectly right if a person is in the streets, and is so ill as to be in danger of his life, to take him to the watch-house until he recovers, but not to routine him all night because be has been seized with a fit. If there is an order about making a charge at the watch-house when a person is brought in, if the watchmen had common understanding they would know that it had - 00 reference to a person being brought in unwell.—The youth was discharged immediately. Watchman.—Those are our orders, your LAW INTELLIGENCE. COURT OF COMMON PLEAS, MARCH 3. SEDUCTION.ASIITON V. PINIIORN. This was an action for the loss of the services of the plaintiff's daughter, by reason of her seduction by the defendant. Mr. BROUGHAM should state the circumstances of the case as shortly as possible, the defendant having the grace to keep out of Court, and not to appear before them to defend the action. The plaintiff is a respectable gentleman, who is a clerk in the Ord nance Sert ice at Deptford, and the defendant was iii the service of the said department. He (the de fendant) visited the family of the plaintiff' on the terms of familiarity, which their relative situations warranted. The defendant did not accomplish his infamous designs on the plaintiff's daughter, till he had deluded her with a promise of marriage, under which he effected her seduction. He understood that the defendant's salary was some where about 3/. a week. Miss Jane Miller Ashton was called, and said that she was daughter to the plaintiff, an officer in the dock-yard at Deptford, and had a mother and four brothers living. She became acquainted with the defendant in the year 1826. He was a clerk in the (lock-yard, and commenced his addresses to her in an honourable way, and was received by the family as her future husband for the period of a year and a half. An intercourse first took place between her and the defendant in January, 1828. She became pregnant, and communicated that fact to defendant in March. Neither her parents nor her brothers knew any thing of this till she was delivered in October. Defendant continued his visits till four days after she was brought to bed. Examined by the LORD CHIEF JUSTICE.—He saw her in bed four days after she lay in. She could swear he was the father of the child. His income was SO/. a year. His age was 22, and her's 23. Her parents permitted them to be alone to gether sometimes. He was not suffered to stay up with her at night alone; but he did with her and her brothers. Her father and mother often left her at home with her brothers. 1(e-examined—It was about ten in the evening, when this happened in the front parlour, when her parents and brothers were out. There was only an old and infirm gentleman in the house. Defendant told her he was 22 last birth-day, in January, 1828. Verdict for the plaintiff—Damages 100/. MPORTANT TO THE CORN TRADE. Our readers mill, no doubt, remember the letters which appeared in our columns, in November and December last, respecting the returns of wheat bought and sold in this market, returns which were, by management, made so very defective in quantity and so high in price as to cause a vet) , material and injurious advance in the price of bread. The effect produced by that exposure of the practice was the abolition of the assize of bread ; the magistrates finding that they could not, without having recourse to the coercive measures of the statutes, obtain such returns as would give the public the advantage of • the whole quantity of wheat sold in the market, as contemplated by the Acts of Parliament. . In the progress of the discussion upon that ques tion, we had occasion particularly to notice the sales of wheat returned to the receiver of corn returns in Liverpool, and by him published, us required by law, in our Corn-market every Tuesday, as being the sales made during the preceding seven days. We were then strongly impressed with the opinion, that the returns were greatly short of the true quantity ; and stated that, if the returns from other towns were similarly defective, the effect must be very prejudicial to the public, in re ference to the average price of wheat, which is taken from such returns, and which governs the price at which it is allowed to be imported. The opinion we then entertained has been confirmed by the fol lowing resolutions, passed at a meeting of the ex portel s and dealers in corn, held in the Corn Ex change, Dublin, on the 23d ult. : " That, from the inconsiderable quantity of corn re turned as having been sold, as also the high price at which returns have been lately made in Englaad, (particularly in the districts of London and Lancashire,) it is expedient for the preservation of our property, and a due compliance with the law, that measures should be promptly adopted, and arrangements made, to detect false, or a suppression of, re turns of and Irish grain. " That it appears to this meeting that it would tend ma terially to enable all these interested to detect and remedy this evil, were publicity given to the returns recently made, and that application be made to the Board of Trade for copies of the same. " That positive orders be given to our agents in Eng land to furnish the inspectors of corn with returns, at the several putt, with all sales made, with the buyers' name, quantity, and price, as a check on the returns made by the buyers." The policy of a free trade in corn has been, of late, so fully and ably, though unsuccessfully, argued, that it would be presumptuous i►► us to say any thing more in its favour. But, during the prohibi-' tion of that important benefit to the. public, it is the imperative duty of his Majesty's Government to give that public the protection of the statute, by en forcing from " every corn-factor, miller, maltster, brewer, distiller, owner or proprietor, or part owner or proprietor of any stage-coaches, waggons, carts, or other carriages carrying goods or passengers for hire, and every person who, as a merchant, clerk, agent, or otherwise, shall purchase British (that is, English and Irish) corn for sale, or for the sale of meal, flour, malt, or bread, made or to be made thereof," the returns they are required to make ac cording to the Act, under a penalty of twenty pounds for every neglect. The following are the returns purporting to be the total sales of wheat in Liverpool as made to the inspector during each week for the Gazette average : Price per qr. 1828, Dec. 30, 2132 quarters...XS 12 2 }829, Jan, 6, 405 3 12 10 --- )4 762 3 11 11 25 3 9 6 - 27, 247 fd Fel). 3 . 318 3 13 11 - 10, 844. 3 8 0 - 17, 219 - 24, 3115 3 2 8 The gross deficiency of such returns is too ap parent to rejuire any comment. Theinquiry praye4 for 'uy the corn merchants of Dublin will, no doubt, by instituted by his ISl4jpoy's Q o yerntnent, for the b ene fit o f t h e public, arid lead rnpre vigilant and ac tiv e en f orce m e nt of returns which so mveri,,lly affect the price of bread through!. out the kingdom.—Liverpool Albion of Monday. Mr. G. Dawson last night, shortly before the rising of the House, gave formal notice that on Thursday Mr. Peel would bring forward the views and measure of Alinisters regarding the Catholic Claims. No question puy or remark made thereon. A most abominable ()tamp W 14' e 4 on the public road near the village of Elderlie lately. A young woman, after purchasing a few articles at a shop i n the village, was, on her way home to her father's, be twi%t nine and ten o'clock at night, attacked by a stout fellow, who, after offerin g her money fir his unhallowed pK p u , , e; liegan to use L er in the most indecent and shame ful mall1;r• 4fter a yi.sient struggle she fortunately suc ceeded in getting out of his Litehes, and an into a neigh bour's house, who immediately went in seaeli"of creant, but he had fled. The attack made upon this un offending girl (who at the time was in delicate health) b ro ught on violent inflammation, of which she lingered till Saturday last, when she died.—Paisley Adveraser. IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT. HOUSE OF COMMONS.—(LAST NIGHT.) Mr. SPENCE took the oaths and his seat fur the Borough of Ripon. Sir WILLIAM SCOTT took the oaths and his seat as Member for Carlisle. Mr, Wilbraham, the Deputy Clerk of the Crown, reported that a double return had been made for he City of Bath, each candidate having polled the ;lune number of votes. The election was then de- Glared void, and a new writ ordered to be made out. Mr. HUME presented a petition from Wexley, in favour of the Catholics. Colonel POWELL presented a petition from a parish in the county of Cardigan, against the Cat holies. Mr. JONES deprecated the plan adopted by the opposite party in the mode of influencing the opinions of the people. He had just received a letter, which informed him that in a town in Wales there had been a packet of placards sent over the Irish channel, and posted during the night. The bills were of the most in flammatory description, as they represented Pro testants being roasted by Catholics. He re gretted that such a mode had been taken, as it was no argument, but an appeal to the worst passions of the people. With regard to his own opinions, he remained unchanged, and he would advise other Honourable Members to suspend their judgment till they knew what they had to decide on. Sir W. HEATHCOTE presented similar pe titions from the Archdeacon and Clergy of Winches ter ; the town of Gosport ; the parish of Holybourne, and one from the towns of Portsmouth and Portsea. He observed that these petitions were most respect ably signed, and one of them was attended with rather a curious fact, that the meeting was called for a counter petition, and the present one was carried by an amendment. He added, that his own opinions on the subject remained unchanged. Mr. CARTER wished to say a few words re lative to the petitions which had just been presented. and the observations which had been made on them. With regard to that particularly mentioned, 10 or 12 respectable persons had advertised that counter petitions would be prepared, and lie for signature at some of the neighbouring towns. A requisition was then signed by sixty or seventy persons, and a public meeting called to get up a petition in favour of the Catholics. The meeting was fairly condeeted, and the amendment was undoubtedly carried by a majority of about 5 to 4 against the Catholics. The male population of the place amounted to about 20,000, and both parties agreed that there were not more than 12,000 present. About three years ago, a meeting was called, and then the petition against the Catholics failed, as the peti tion alluded to had failed in favour of them. He knew from his own observation that two or three boys, of .. - - 12 or 13 years of age, had signed that petition, and that schools had been called upon to sign it. It had also been sent to the poor-house to be signed by the paupers. As to the number of signatures, there fore, he did not think that it would prove much one way or the other. His own opinions remained un changed. An Hon. Member presented two petitions from places in the county of Oxford against any further concessions to the Roman Catholics. Colonel SIBTHORPE in presenting a petition from Barkston and seven other places in Lincolnshire, against Emancipation, said the measures about to be introduced were so much to be dreaded, that it was enough to make the stones in the wall cry out against them.—( Hear, hear.) —It was idle to talk about there being no danger, let Hon. Members but read the history of former times, and but for one moment reflect, he was then sure they would see there was great danger; he had presented many petitions, but before the measures were carried they would be increased twenty-fold.—The petitions were then brought up and lead. - Mr. WILLIAMS WYNN presented a petition from the county of Montgomery agai►ist the Roman Catholic Claims; he must bear testimony to the respectability of many of the signatures; but it was almost unnecessary for him to say, that he entirely differed with them in opinion on the mea rure of Catholic Emancipation, for if it was carried he was convinced it would afford additional securi- les to the Protestant Constitution.—(Hear, hear.) A petition was presented from the town and county of Southampton, against the Catholic Claims. Lord DUNCANNON presented seven petitions from the Roman Catholics of parishes in Ireland, praying for unqualified Emancipation. Sir C. BUItRELL presented a petition from Steyning, against the Catholic Claims. Sir F. BURDETT presented a petition from the Dissenters of Worship-street Chapel, Finsbury square, in favour of Catholic Emancipation ; also other petitions of a similar nature from Brentford ; from Newhall, Derbyshire ; and from the Roman Catholics of Foxton, Derbyshire. Sir JAMES MACKINTOSH—I beg leave, Sir, in presenting a petition from the professors of the University of Glasgow, and merchants of the same glace, to trouble the House with a few obser vations ; the petitioners, Sir, are most respectable, and pray for a repeal of all acts imposing civil dis abilities on account of religious opinions. • Many of the petitioners arc Ministers of the Church of Scotland—(Hear, hear) —and they say they are convinced, that removing all restrictions would add security to the Protestant Establishments, the blessings of which they wished to see extended to all classes of his Majesty's subjects; such sentiments did great credit to the enlightened views of the pe titioners. I, Sir, after paying the greatest atten tion to this important subject, am decidely of opi nion, that the majority of the well educated society in Great Britain, are in favour of the measure, I have come to this conclusion after years of the greatest attention to to the subject. (Hear.) I am of the same opinion as the most enlightened Cler gyman of the Church of Scotland, I mean Dr. Chalmers—that the Protestant religion requires no other weapons than those of reason and argument to defend it. (Hear.) The petitioners only amounted to about 300—for they did not, from various causes, wish it to be itumeroas—they wished it to be cons fined to the most respectable of the inhabitants. If they had wished for numbers they could have•easily been obtained. The petition had his most cordial support. Sir M. SHAW STUART begged to add his testimony to the great respectability, intelligence, and station of many of the gentlemen who had signed thie petition. He was not aware, when l, Y etimp dqwn to the House, that his Right Hon. Friend had already receiied the petition, and that it was to be presented this night, or he would have requested his permission to go at length through the long list of respectable names attached to it, but merely glancing over the names was suffi cient to justify him in enforcing the assertions of his Right Hon. and Learned Friend, and in respect. fully assuring the House from his own knowledge that many of the most distinguished literary cha racters, of the leading merchants, of the first,rate men of business, and of the most intelligent gentlemen of 014sgov, were included in this list of petitioners, who earnestly implore this House to etiacede such measures of relief to their Roman Catholic fellow subjects as, in the present state of the Empire, ' they may deem necessary and expedient, and he begged to express his own cordial concurrence in the prayer of that petition. The petition was then brought up and read. • si r J . ; mA t _cicINTOSI - 1 then presented a petition, praying for a Reform of the Laws in the Colonies. ' Mr. BROUGHAM said it would be recollected, that last Sessions he gave notice of a motion to bring in a Bill for admitting the evidence of Slaves to be received in Courts of Law; he was then, on !account of indisposition, obliged to withdraw it, but he would take the opportunity of stating, h e sh ou ld • shortly again bring forward a similar Biil. Sir G. MURRAY said, a similar law was at the present time in existence in the Island of Grenada. 1 Mr, BANKES wished to address a question to the Right Hon. Member opposite, as to the • mode intended to be adopted to-morrow night on the dis cwsion of the great question which they expected. He wished to ask whether it was intended to ex plain the measure in the first instance, and refer that passage of his Majesty's speech to a Committee, or whether it was intended to propose a string of reso lutions, and move for leave to bring in a Bill ? He trusted that the Right Hon. Member would 'excuse. the question, as he asked for the information of himself and the House. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER replied, that it was intended to pursue the same form of proceedings on this occasion as had been followed on other occasions, when the civil disabilities of the Catholics were the subject of discussion. PETITIONS. Sir IL INGLIS rose to present two petitions against religious toleration ; the one from Bolton-le- Moor, and - the other from South Shields. The Hon. Baronet denied that the petition from Glasgow spoke the opinion of its inhabitants;. and as to the assertion that the talent of the country was favour- able to toleration—if that were the case, he could only say it was ignorant or uninstructed talent. He represented the most learned body in the country. — (Hear, hear, with bursts of laughter and cheers.) His Hon. Friend could not point to any one profes sion in which he would not find that the very first name was in favour of the old system--(laughter)--; of preserving, he meant, the Constitution inviolate. —He was authorised to conclude that the greater part of the intellect of the country had remained firm in favour of the old principles.—(Laughter.) The rising talent was on this side, anti the Government had neglected to bring it forward. Mr. M. A. TAYLOR had presented a petition of a' very contrary nature a few nights past, from South Shields. He denied that there was any intention to alter the Constitution, and those that raised the cry knew it to be unfounded. He should feel himself most degraded, as the Representative of Durham, if he : could sanction any such intention. _ He wished the Honourable Member for Oxford had been content to take the Univers'ty as he had found it, instead of talking of the Undergraduates, and he would have found many of its most illustrious names in favour of Emancipa- tion. It had been set forth that the country was to have a Catholic King and a Popish Government ; and every artifice had been used to prevent the pa cification of the country. (Hear.) He was glad that gentlemen did hear him. (Question, question, from, we believe, Sir Robert Inglis, under the gal lery.) He thought the interruption of the Hon. Member under the gallery perfectly improper, and perfectly unnecessary. If the Hon. Member did not like what he was saying, he was at per f ect liberty to walk out of the Houle. -- (Laughter.) The idea that the Duke of Norfolk, the E.rl of Shrewsbury, and the three or four other Catholic Peers, could forfeit their allegiance and betray the Constitution, was quite absurd. - Mr. G. DAWSON could not refrain from offer ing some observations to the House after the turn which the debate upon this petition had taken. — The Hon. Baronet, who was now the representa tive of the University of Oxford, had ventured to state that all the rising talent of that learned body . .. was decidedly opposed to an further concessions to the Catholics. He had been at Oxford during the last election, and he would venture, from his know• . ledge of the University, to give a denial to the cor rectness of the Hon. Baronet's information upon that point. [Here an interruption took place in the debate, in consequence of a gentleman who sat on the Ministerial Benches falling down in a fit. He was carried out of the House 14y some Members who sat next him.] On order being restored, Mr. Daw son proceeded as follows :—" Whilst I was at Ox ford during the late contest, I found myself with more leisure on my hands than that which I usually enjoy. I was invited to attend the discussion of a debating society, called the Union—(if we heard the Hon. Member correctly)—a society which is known to every member of the University, and among others to those who are intrusted with the superintendence of the students. At that society the question pro posed for discussion was this—' Are his Majesty's advisers justified in recommending to Parlia ment the expediency of removing the various disabilities under which the Roman Catholics of the empire at present laboured.' Such was the question which all the rising talent of the Uni - versity was engaged in discussing; and I say that the conclusion to which they came upon it is ell• titled to some consideration. (Hear, hear.) The debate upon it was an angry, a very angry debate, and yet, accustomed as - I have been for many years to the debates of this House, it was such us I had great pleasure in listening to. 'What was the result of it ? (Hear.) I will tell the Hon. Gentlemes \silo cheer me. The result was a decision of two to one in favour of the course recently pursued by his Majesty's Government. (Great cheering.) Now this is a fact, and I defy it to be contradicted. The young gentlemen of this Club comprise, I say, all the rising talent of the University. They have a ll of them the benefit of the most accomplished edu cation, they are all influenced by the generous im pulses of youth,—they are all open to the aspiration s of ambition,—they are all eager to distinguish them selves in the eyes of their contemporaries,—and the. result of their deliberations is an expression of op' pion which proves beyond all contradiction the in correctness of the information given to the Hon. Member for Oxford respecting the bias which the rising talent of Oxford has taken upon this particular question. This is a fact, I again repeat, which it i 5 impossible to gainsay ; and I therefore request the Hon. Member for Oxford to weigh his words Wgit before he again ventures to repeat his assertien specting the rising talent of the University of 07 '' ford. (Hear, hear,) With respect to the matured talent of that learned body, I will only say,- that whenever the poll-book for the last election is put ) " fished, the lion. Baronet will find that it is o pposed in the proportion of ten to one,—l will not say to him individually, but,--to the opinions of which he is considered the representative."—(dear, hear.) Lord MILTON.—The Hon. Gentleman who has just sat down has given a most decisive a nswer. to one of the points which the Hon. Member for Oxford attempted to make in his speech : but there were other points in that speech, to which, as they were at present answered, he would beg leave to advert. The Hon. Bart. has asked us, —. 4 Are you prepared to change the Constitution as it was estab lished in the year 1688 ?" Now, he would - just venture to recommend to the Hon. Bart., who plumed himself so much on his historic recollectioN to consider whether the Constitption which he qharges with a de4ign to change.---to use his OW" phrase,--As not the Constitution of 1678, and net - that of 1688. (Hear, hear.) That at least wa s the way in which he had read the history of those times —that at least was the conclusion N% hich he had; drawn from a perusal of the acts of Parliament which were passed at the close of the 17th century. So much for the dates of the Hon. Bart. (Hear.) But there is another point, on which it appeared to him that the Hon. Baronet was much mistaken. it, is not perhaps unpatural, that the Hon. Part. feturneCt • as he had been, in triiimpli i as ihe representativ e for Oxford, should see no other vision floating be fore his eyes, save that of the talent of that Univer sity. He would, however, remind the Hon'i Baronet that there was in this kingdom another; University.—(Hear,hear.)—which, though it might not boast, perhaps, of quite so many colleges, was at least entitled, according to the opinion of "thl. i public at large, to be placed op en equality with 1 6. for the learning and' intelligence of its members.--", (Hear.)—lle was sure that the individuals wh o were most devoted to the interests of the UniversitY . of Oxford—he was sure that the Hon. Barone t ) himself who had just been returned as its repreSelr tative, would not deny that the University of Cern bridge was also entitled to be considered as one the most learned bodies in that land. (Hear.) 4.* lie begged to inform the lion, Baronet (if, indee . .O,pl he did not know it already), that the University, Cambridge had declared, if not by so large a ma'