The Sun. — London, England, 1829-12-21 00:00:00

and fearless discussion of his own actions can ever produce, who would, to gratify a momentary spleen, or shield a questionable transaction, de stroy one 'particle of that freedom of' opinion which gives td the political, as the breath does to the animarinachine, its - very life and power of e xistence:—Morning Herald. It is now generally allowed that the Govern ments which are in most danger of Revolution, are those in- which the fewest checks arc im posed on men in power. The Emperor Nicho las is much younger, and therefore, we presume, more robust than George the Fourth ; but the nerves of the latter would hardly be discomposed by an unusual noise in the room next to that in which he slept, nor would it ever occur to him that any such noise was connected with an at tempt to deprive him of life. A Constitutional Government—that is, a Government in which the people exercise a controul more or less per fect over the Executive through their Represen tatives, and under which abuses are from time to time remedied—is necessarily much less ex posed to a violent revolution, than a Govern inent in which the influence of the people is not brought to bear. A despotic Sovereign never can know correctly the sentiments of the people ; and from the pains taken to prevent the truth from reaching his ear, the first intimation he re ceives of his error is the sight of the steel which terminates his existence. In this country, where there are comparatively feeble motives for keeping any one individual in the dark, it is now known that certain publications were occasionally kept from the late King, by the dexterous manage ment of members of his family ; and we may thence form an idea of the difficulty of conveying truth to the ears of Autocrats. But as Repre sentative Governments may be any thing rather Than what they pretend to be, and have little or no sympathy with the people, the grand preser vative against violence is a free press. If the press be free, the opinions and feelings of the public are revealed , and an opportunity is thus afforded for profiting by . them in time ; so that the changes demanded by the public may be made, and the danger avoided of having the action of a Government in collision with the wishes of the people. It has sometimes been said that the unjust and wasteful wars of the last and beginning of the present century, and other wicked and ill-judged measures ofthe Government, were sanctioned by the great body of the people. lowever this may be, it is pretty clear that popular opinion has now taken a different direc tion. In the forthcoming number of the Westminster Review, with an early copy of which we have been furnished, there is an article on the Provincial Newspaper Press, which* con tains some valuable information on the changes in public opinion, as indicated by the most un erring of all tests—the circulation of Newspapers —which our rulers would do well to attend to. The Newspapers of the country are becoming every day more and more liberal ; where new Papers are established, they are almost uni formly liberal, and of the established Papers of great circulation, which are rather neutral than not liberal, the circumstance is to be accounted for from their having been commenced " under Administrations which encouraged every kind of tyranny in the " duly constituted authorities," from the office of the Secretary of State for the .Home Department, to the Constable of a Hamlet, when the expression of liberal opinions would have been attended with danger to the pecuniary interests, if not to the persons of those who %tumid utter them," in towns " requiring some public means of announcing the mercantile changes and wants of the population." f' Several of the most extensively circulated country Papere," adds the writer, " had this kind of origin ; and in every town where the improved ideas and principles of the last four years have made rapid progress, the reading and reasoning part of the in habitants are satisfied to tolerate a local print which is either a mere medium for advertise ments, or the political opinions of which do not represent their own." The difficulties in the way of establishing newspapers are much greater in the country than in the metropolis. " There are few towns (it is observed) in which a printer is to be found with sufficient materials for print ing a newspaper, unless he has already one of hie own, consequently a large outlay of capital becomes necessary. Then the literary engage ments must be at least for one year, for no man of talent and experience in newspapers would ac cept aim engagement on a new provincial print for a shorter term. Agents must be appointed over the whole diArict, and a variety of expene.es must be incurred, of which nothing is known in the setting up of a London weekly newspaper. Considering all these, and, next, the great difli. culty of obtaining subscribers and advertisements in towns or districts where prejudices and Witte are much stronger than in the metropolis— where, in short, every thing new, however excel lent, is regarded with distrust—the surpriee that there should be so few liberal papers in some places will yield to astonishment that the march of intellect' should have induced so many per sons to risk their capital in this way in others. As we proceed we shalt endeavour toi show the extent to which this enterprising spirit has already Been carried ; and it does not require the spirit of prophecy to foretell that, unless some extraor dinary and unexpected circumstances should oc , ur to prevent so desirable a result, new papers, conducted with the spirit and liberality which so eminently characterise many of the provincial newspapers, will soon appear in places which !nave now either only a mere advertisement sheet, with a column or so of accidents and offences, or a print devoted to the interests of percons of the old Tory school, teho contrive, amid the fondness for what is ancient ainong Englishmen, to maintain a certain degree of influence in so ciety." The encouragement afforded to news papers, by the public, has raised the qualihea., tions of the conductors. " The chief thing," observes the writer, " worthy of notice in the pro vincial newspapers is the skill and talent with which they are conducted, as compared with whet was witnessed thirty years ago. At that time, scarcely one-third of the provincial papers had editors who were capable of writing what are called leading articles : they were chiefly printers, many of whom had no knowledge of any other editorial duties than the paste and scissoee pert of the process of putting a newspaper together; and the original articles were written by gentlemen connected with the London press, by whom they were sent down to the country. A few years ago, it was by no means unusual to see advertisements in the London newspapers, Wanted an Eakin for a provincial newspaper, who understands, the business of reporting and can work,at 'case,' thus coenbining the duties of an editor s reporter, and compositor; and we inweleard of one instance in which a gentleman svas offered M. per annum to compile a paper, write an original leader, report the proceedings be fore the magistrates, compose two columns of the paper, and assist in the evening in serving in the shop of the proprietor, who was a stationer. We have also heard of the proprietor of a paper in the North of England, who was a printer and pub lican, dismissing his editor because that gentle man would not undertake to teach the children of his employer to read, and thus economise the expence of schooling—but these things are now past, or are of very rare occurrence. Two- • thirds at least of the provincial Newspapers arc now in the hands of wealthy and well-educated persons, who are able to appreciate and willing to reward talent ; and the consequence is, that the Editors of Country Papers, generally speak ing, are men of good literary attainments and liberal principles. With the mechanical im provement of the Provincial Press, mental im provement has more than kept pace ; and we may read in the local prints of Liverpool, Manchester,. Leeds, and other towns, as well-written and well-imagined productions as in the columns of the best of the Lon don newspapers." We have stated that the increased circulation is almost uniformly on the liberal side. Even the Tory Papers of great towns partake in the improvement of the age. Thus, for instance, it is observed by the writer—" It may be well to state, for the infor- mation of those readers who do not see the Liverpool Papers, that most of them (even the Live, pool Courier, to a certain extent) advo cate free trade principles. This fact, we think, is a very powerful answer to the assertions of one or two London Journals, that the principal merchants in Great Britain are opposed to a system of free trade, and fully convinced of its fallacy." In nearly all the towns where there is more than one newspaper, at least two-thirds of the circulation is 'liberal, and this is a circum stance which ought to have its weight with men in power. It has been well observed by Hume, that every Government must rest on opinion.— The most arbitrary Monarch must have the good opinion of those who enable him to exercise his sway. In this country, wherever the people are untrammelled, they show, by the papers they read, the opinions to which they are inclined.— With the increasing knowledge, we may count confidently on increasing liberality. If these signs of the times are attended to ;if the Go vernment accommodate itself to the opinions of the nation, and those changes in our institutions are conceded which the people demand as essen tial to their security against misgovernment and oppression, all will go on well ; but if, on the other hand, Parliament should be so infatuated as to resist the ameliorations which are so loudly demanded, the consequences may be foreseen without much difficulty. Let it never be for gotten, that in matters of improvement and civi lization th:2rc is no retrograding. When the views have become enlarged, and the desires to which they lead have been formed, it is too late to inspire the people with a love of their former ig norance and prostration of mind.—Morn.Chron. We have no disposition either to underrate the importance of the subject which excites at ►he present moment so much discussion throughout the country—the repeal or mitiga tion of the Malt and Beer Duties—or to in►- pute selfish or factious motives to the majority of those who exert themselves to direct the at tention of Government, by means of popular meetings and petitions, to the peculiar evils of this particular mode of taxation. What we have said in adverting to this subject on a for mer occasion, is merely that every particular mode of taxation has its peculiar evils, and that whenever it may be possible to surrender any portion of the national revenue, consistently with the security and the indispensable obliga tions of the State, the Government will be en- abled to take a view more comprehensive ant' minute, and therefore more likely to be aecu. rate, of the comparative inconveniences and dis ___ advantages incident to each, and will therefore be better qualified to select the most beneficial mode of reduction, than any popular meeting, or any conceivable number of popular meetings, can reasonably be thought. There is not, how ever, we apprehend, in this reasoning, any thing derogatory to the importance of public meetings, which must always be considered highly valu able and beneficial, when properly conducted, from their tendency to keep alive the public spirit of the country, and to prevent that indo lence, indifference, or corruption, into which, without their vivifying and purifying influence, Government might be liable to fall, no less than from the probability that upon many subjects and occasions their suggestions may be right, and the claim these suggestions unquestionably possess to the regard, and we had almost said the implicit obedience, of Government, when. ever they are not decisively overruled by impe rious considerations of State necessity or expe diency. The reduction of the Malt and Beer Duties, if not the very first, ought no doubt to be one of the earliest objects of the attention of Government, whenever the actual income and necessary expenditure of the State assume such a relation to each other as will permit the reduc tion of taxes to be taken into consideration as a practical question. The interests of agriculture, and those still more important and general inte rests of .:very State, the health and morals of the people, ate deeply implicated in this inquiry, and plainly point to the taxes now under considera tion as entitled to the preference over most others, whenever the gratifying duty may devolve upon Government of selecting which of our multifarious taxes shall be first abolished or reduced, Having made this general,. ample, and cheerful admission, we think it right at the same time to point out one or two mistakes, exaggerations, or inconsistencies, into which some of the most zeaions and urgent advocates of the repeal of these taxes have permitted themselves to be be trayed, which have a tendency to weaken and dis eredit their cause, and which expose them to the reproub of being the lovers of good and cheap beer, more than the lovers of truth. That the beer tax operates unequally is true, since it falls only upon those who drink brewers' beer, while the man that brews 'at home is exempt. But it is false aud invidious to assert that the class which falls under the operation of the tax is ex clusively or even generally the poor, and that the exempted ,plass is exclusively or even gene rally the rich. The classification would be more emirate, and would also be le.F r s likely to pro duce feelings of irritation and discontent, if the sufferers from the tax were described as the in habitants of large tow - nc, and those who escape it ais the dwellers in the country. The fact is, that the occupier of the meanest cottage in thp country, supposing him capable of ordinary ma nagement And economy, enjoye greater facili ties for the domestic manufacture of beer than the Nobleman who lives in Grosvenor-square, or the most opulent shopkeeper in Fleet street or Cheauside. We have admitted that this is not a , good tax, in acknowledging it to be an unequal one ; but it is a redeeming circumstance connected with this inevality, that it presents to the lower orders of our rural popu lation one additional inducement to keep aloof from the alehouse, by putting it completely out of the power of the village Boniface to offer them nearly so good or so cheap a beverage as they can provide for themselveS at home. With the same class of reasoners who habitually in dulge in the misrepresentation we have just ex posed, the licensing system, or, as they usually term it, the brewer's monopoly, is a frequent sub ject of severe animadversion. Neither have we any objection to severity upon this latter mis chief— for mischief no doubt it is, since it fet ters the freedom of individual action, without the least necessity or the least advantage, except with a view to the interests it has itself created. But although we have never yet heard a good reason why the trade in beer should not be as free as any other trade, yet even upon this the most absurd perhaps of all existing anomalies, we should wish severity to be confined within the limits of justice and reason ; and in the abuse which is daily lavished upon Members of Parliament, and Justices of the Peace, and great Brewers, we can see no ether tendency, and it requires all our charity to give credit for any other intention, than to exasperate and mislead the public. There can be no doubt in the mind of any man who can didly examines the subject, that the licen sing system, however anomalous, absurd, or mischievous it may now appear, had its origin exclusively in the anxiety of the Legislature to protect the public morals, or that it was well cal culated to attain its end in such a state of so ciety as that to which it was at first applied. As little doubt can any calm and impartial observer entertain that the real strength of the system now consists in that tenderness towards vested pro perty, which—whatever improvements it may impede, or whatever abuses it may prolong—we sincerely hope may always characterise a British Legislature. The property embarked under this system, and which its overthrow would at once annihilate, is immense. We do not here allude only to the capitals embarked by great brewers in the leases or freeholds of public-houses, to which the possession of licenses has given an artificial value, although it would be difficult to show that this kind of property, which has been called into existence by the Legislature, ought to be disregarded by the Legislature. The kind of property to which we would more par ticularly advert is that of a much lower order of men, invested in what is called the good-will of public-houses. This class of men, the public house keepers, is a very numerous one, as every body knows. In many instances, pro bably the majority, they have embarked their all in this description of property, which the sudden and total repeal of the licensing system would at once and completely destroy. We should pro bably be within the mark if we were to compute the aggregate amount so invested in the Metro polis alone at a million of pounds sterling. Here in truth is the real difficulty of any change of system ; and to declaim against the system that exists, without noticing this difficulty, or at tempting to suggest any means of overcoming it, is worse than idle. We would recommend the opponents of the licensing system, therefore, in stead of abusing Members of Parliament, Justices, and Brewers, to turn their attention to the less easy task of devising the practical means by which the increase of this difficulty, which grows of course with the grouth of the population, may be prevented ; and to the task still more arduous and necessary, of contriving how the difficulty, as it is, may be overcome.--Morn ing Post. Not a day passes that we do not receive from some quarter or other a confirmation of IN haL we have so frequently observed respecting the mischief's which have resulted from the change in the currency, and the necessity of a return to that in which the country contracted to pay the taxes, and the greater part of engagements sub sisting between individuals at present were made. Nor are we without hopes that such a return will at length be made. The information which reached us some time ago, and which we com municated to our readers, went the length of asserting that the currency had formed part of the deliberations of the Cabinet, and that it was understood that the Duke of Wellington had determined on permitting a re-issue of the one-pound notes ; and in the Sheffield Courant of last week we find the information confirmed, with some modification. " learn," says it, " on the authority of an in dividual extensively connected with the operations of the niol:ey market, and to whom the leading men that interest are accustomed to look with a great degree of respect, in consequence (f his profound knowledge in matters connected with the currency, that, at this time, the Bank of England has two millions of one and two pound notes ready to be issued the moment that the sanction of Parliament is obtained for that purpose. " It would seem from this, that Ministers have determined to recommend the restitution of the small note currency. The fact that the Directors of the Bank of England have recently had several interviews with the Chancellor of the Exchequer, strengthens our belief in this report. It has not transpired, whether the privilege of issuing one and two pound notes is to be confined to the Bank of England, or to be extended to the country Banks. To us, however, the issues of the country banks appear most desirable. They would find their way more instantaneously and beneficially into the pockets of the suffering farmers, manufacturers, and shopkeepers, who are scattered over extensive dis tricts, beyond the influence of the Bank of England. Under the present system, Bankers have no induce ment to accommodate the trading interests of the country with loans. Their advances during the war did more than any other cause to stimulate in dustry and augment the national wealth. That they mat have this effect at all times might be easily demonstrated. When money is scarce, and borrowed with difficulty, business of all kinds will be extensively diminished. The credit of individuals becomes tainted. This is succeeded by general suspicion and distrust. He who has gold and silver to go into the market can alone hope for success. A man may have talent, ingenuity, and industry on his side, but the want of money will be an insuperable obstacle to their pH fitable develope 'pent. Nor is the scarcity of money more deplo rably man if e sted than by the ruinous sales into which traders are forced, to meet the exigen cies of a day. These are some of the evils of a con tracted metallic currency; but there are others. The great bulk of the national debt was incurred in de preciated paper. The interest of that debt has been fearfully augmented by the adoption of gold; but upon this subject we shall for the present content ourselves with a remark pf Mr. 'Western, the Mem ber of Parliament for Essex. `f Our difficulties," says that gentleman, " now arise from the same cause as in 1522; they do not arise from any of the cernmottly Oleged causes; it is neither surplus pro duction not surplus population, nor is it the effects of machinery, nor the want of markets, nor corn laws, nor tithes, nor taxes, which have produced them. It is the violent and sudden change made by our statesmen upon all our money obligations which has caused the entire evil. The tremendous effects of legislation upon the currency of a country, the influence derivable therefrom upon the fate of nations, and on the property and happiness of indi. viduals, is not at all , : understood; but - search th history of things, and of every other country closely and it will be made apparent. It is. in the power cd a supreme government of a country,by an operation upon the currency, to make or to unmake the for. tune of thousands by one apparently simple mea sure ; and I feel no fears or doubts when I assert that that one Act of 1819, .commonly called Peel's Bill, did so operate. upon thousands that . it efec tually doubled the debt and taxes of the nation, and of every debtor in it ; not, indeed, to the full benefit of the creditor, but to the full loss of the debtor." We may not, perhaps, go all the length with Mr. \Vestein. It is not altogether necessary that we should recur to a depreciated currency. An en larged paper money, however, is indispensable, to enable the country to discharge its obligations to the fundlioldpr, and to continue its foreign and do mestic trade." In those opinions, we need scarcely add, that we cordially concur. "An enlarged paper mony is, indispensably necessary" to a revival of the drooping energies of the country ; and that paper money must find its issue through the me dium of the country banks, to the partners of which the situation of the farmers, merchants, and manufacturers in the neighbourheod is better known than it can possibly be to the branch banks of the Bank of England, and who, acting on their own responsibility, would have more sympathy with, and administer more largely to their distresses. This is the only mode of miti gating the present distressed state of the country; for as to remedies, they' must be of a higher order.— Morning Advertiser. LAW INTELLIGENCE. COURT OF CHANCERY, Die. 19. IN RE JERVIS, A LUNATIC. The SOLICITOR•GENERAL applied for an altera tion in the order by which the Court had directed one set of costs to be kept as respects the infants. The object of the application was to give Lord St. Vincent an opportunity of being heard before the Master. After some discussion, the application was grunted. •IN RE WHITE AND IiEDCALFE, BANKRUPTS. The further discussion of this petition occupied the Court until its rising. VICE-CHANCELLOR'S COURT, DEC. 19. TIIE VIGO BAY COMPANY.-POLIIILL V. STRINGER AND OTHERS. In this case, which has been so frequently before the public, it will be recollected that the plaintiff was a purchaser of shares in the Vigo flay scheme. The defendants, Stringer, Dickson, and others bad, through their agents, received the money for these shares ; and the plaintiff had filed a bill against them to recover the amount. Mr. JACOB now moved that the bill be dismissed for want of prosecution. Mr. RICIIARDS argued, that there was a collusion between the persons employed by Stringer and Dickson in order to defeat the claim of the plaintiff, who had been the victim of a bubble scheme. The VICE-CHANCELLOR would allow the plaintiff to file a replication on payment of the costs of this motion. COURT OF KING'S BENCH, DEC. 19. DUKE V. FOWNALL, ESQ. Mr. KELLY opened the pleadings, The declara tion was for goods sold and delivered, and for work and labour done. The defendant had pleaded that he was not liable. Mr. CAMPBELL stated that the plaintiff, Mr. Duke, was a stationer, carrying on business very respect ably in Chancery-lane. The defendant, Mr. Henry Pownall was a gentleman of considerable fortune, residing in Russell-square. The action was brought to recover from him the sum of 2191. 18s. 10d., be ing the amount of the plaintiff's bill. The defendant, Mr. Pownall, was one of those persons who had thought that that great measure, Catholic emanci pation, which had been submitted to the considera tion of Parliament at the commencement of the last session, would be fatal to the Constitution and liber ties of the country. The Jury would recollect that in January last, his Majesty was pleased to recom mend to the consideration of Parliament some mea sure for the relief of his Roman Catholic sul.jects; and that on that occasion meetings were held in va rious places to organize moistures with a view to defeat theßill in Parliament. Mr. Pownall, the de fendant took a leading part in those proceedings. Having seen in the public papers an advertisement for a meeting to be held on the 13th of February, for the purpose of adopting the most efficient mea sures for the support of the Protestant Constitution in Church and State,ihe wrote to Mr. Halcomb, the gentleman who had inserted the advertisement— Lord TENTERDEN—What name, Mr. Campbell ? Mr. CamenELL—Halcomb, my Lord, a gentle man who has the honour to practise at your Lord ship's bar. The letter was dated the 13th of Feb. last, and was in these terms : " Sta,—l did not see your advertisement till last night. I shall be delighted to join in your endeavours to keep for my children what I have, by God's blessing, received from my fathers—the privilege of living under a Protestant Constitution. Have the goodness to let me know your time and place of meeting this day, and I will attend. " I have the honour to be, Sir, " Your obedient bumble servant, " HENRY POWNALL." " 63, Russell-square, Feb. 13, 1829. " To John Halcomb, Esq." On the receipt of this letter by Mr. Holcomb, in formation was communicated to Mr. Pownall of the time and place of meeting, as requested; and he at tended the meeting and took an active part in the proceedings. Resolutiors were passed, and among them was one proposing that a public meeting should be holden on the following day, Saturday, the 14th of February. That meeting accordingly took place. Mr. Pownall attended it ; and, on ac count of his wealth, his rank, and his zeal in the cause, he was called to the chair. Some confusion having arisen, owing to an address made in oppo sition to the proposed resolutions, Mr. Pownall dissolved the meeting, and he, and those who were most zealous in the cause, retired to a private room, and formed themselves into a Committee to carry their objects into effect. On the 16th of February, a meeting was held, at which it was resolved unani mously," That 'the expences attending the late meet ing, and of the club in furthering the object of the same, and other evise, be defrayed by public subscription; and that in the event of any defi ciency the same be equally borne by the Committee." In consequence of these resolutions, various trades men were employed, and amongst the rest was the plaintiff, Mr. Duke, who had furnished the parch ment for the petitions and signatures, the books for subscriptions, and various other articles of stationery. But it was decreed that the measure of which they complained should prevail. The Bill received the Royal Assent, and was passed into a law—oppo sition was of no longer avail. The defendant, satisfied of this, wrote on the 14th of April to Mr. Halcomb in these terms : _ _ " DEAR Sia,—Opposition to the Emancipation Bill being no longer of any avail, I have to request you will do me the favour to lay my resignation before the Committee of the London and Wesminster Protestant Club. I beg at the same time to submit to the Club, the propriety of call ing an early meeting of those who took an interest in the London petition, that the accounts may be audited and set tled, for which purpose, I will attend if requested. I remain, dear Sir, yours faithfully, " HENRY POWNALL." . _ cc 63, Russell-square, April 14. Nothino• could be more proper than such a letter, in which the defendant, in effect admitted his lia bility, and testified a strong and honourable desire to have the tradesmen's accounts settled. On the 20th of May,he wrote again to Mr. lialcomb thus ;-- "63, Russell-square, May 20, 1829. " you seen or heard from any of tke Nodlenien who promised to contribute to the expenses of the petition ? Something must be done . . I 'have again been applied to hyperons .who were employed . ; their ac ousts ought to be settled. If you Cannot spare the time, the individuals who took part in the petition should be told so, and the papers put into other bands to be exa mined and settled without delay. I remain, dear Sir, yours, faithfully, " HENRY POWNALL." Now what the defence was to be, he (Mr. Camp bell) was totally at a loss to conjecture. The de• fendant (Mr. Pownall) was clearly liable to the Plaintiff; and, on his paying his bill, would of course have a right to come upon the other members of the Committee to contribute their proportions: against him, therefore, the Learned Counsel hoped the Jury would find a verdict. The ATTORNEY-GENERAL, for the defendaut, stated that Mr. Pownall, in conjunction with many other persons of respectability, had no doubt eon ceived it a duty to resist the measure to which his Learned Friend Mr. Campbell had alluded ; but his defence to this action had nothing to do with that measure. Mr. Halcomb was an entire stranger to him prior to the month of February in the present year. Seeing an advertisement of his in the news papers on the 13th of that month calling a meeting to concert measures for supporting the Protestant Constitution, be took it for granted that he was a person possessed of some authority; that he had con nections among persons of rank and influence ; and he thought that by lending his aid to such a person he should be essentially promoting the object which he had in view. He accordingly attended the meeting which took place on the 13th of Febru ary, to consider what steps should be adopted. A general meeting took place on the next day, and Mr. Hunt having attended and made a speech, the whole of the proceedings were turned into ridicule, and Mr. Pownall, as Chairman, dissolved the meet ing. A private'meeting was afterwards held in the committee-room at the Crown and Anchor. Mr. Pownall went into that room to take his hat, but he stayed not a minute, and took no part in the pro ceedings. After this, several meetings were held, and a committee havingsbisen . appointed, Mr. Hal comb gave the gentlemen to understand that he was in communication with panne-of rank, authority, and influence., He beck it once raised into con siderable importance, and had the courage to call on Lord Eldon and to write to the Duke of Newcastle. Long before any considerable expenses were in curred, Mr. Pownall protested against them. Then it was that Mr. Halcomb stated that the noble per sons with whom he was connected would supply ample funds to defray the expenses beyond the amount of the subscriptions, and that he himself was the responsible person, the plan of the club being " a child of his own." The contract be tween them, then, was that he should be the responsible person, and on that responsibility the tradesmen had been employed and the debts contracted. He stated, expressly, that if it should turn out that the subscriptions were defi cient, his noble friends, the Duke of Newcastle and Lord Eldon, would supply him with ample funds. Some of the persons who assembled at the Crown and Anchor, thought that he was just such a person as they wanted, to be their organ in the House of Commons, and they consequently proposed to him to put himself forward as a candidate for Leomin ster, a borough that was then vacant. He acceded to the proposal, and wrote a letter to Mr. Morris, one of the Committee, in which he referred to the subject in these terms : " Data Slit,—From circumstances which have occurred since I saw you, I have decided to offer myself for Leo minster, provided I receive an assurance from gentlemen of respectability and influence in the borough, that they feel assured of my election, and wish to support me: and that I find, an canvassing the town, I have sufficient grounds on which to premise myself success. " You will make what use you please of this letter. I am just going into the country for the day. From confi dential information I feel no doubt that we shall very soon have a new Administratiou—(Laughter)--and that those Noble Lords with whom I act will be called upon to form the Ministry. Yon have no idea, nor have the public, of what is going on at Windsor.—(Great laughter.) My belief is that the Parliament will be dissolved before the new measure is brought into either house.--(Continued laughter.) " Yours, dear Sir, in great haste, very respectfully, " Sunday morning, Feb. 22. " JOHN HALCOMB. " Hy. Morris, Esq., lac." No doubt this gentleman, Mr. Halcomb, expected, on the change of Ministry taking place, thatlhe should be appointed Secretary of State.—(Laughter.)—lt was not to be expected that he would accept a less important situation. Ile would, no doubt, have objected to fill the office which he (the Attorney- General) had the honour to held, and would think himself entitled by the important services which he had rendered to the Protestant cause, to jump at once into one of the very highest offices in the State. After a few further observations, the Learned Counsel concluded his address by observing that the Protestant club had been formed by Mr. Holcomb as a scheme for his own private benefit, for his own political purposes, and for his own advancement in life, and now, when lie found that the subscriptions did not answer his expectations, and that his " noble friends" did not come down with the needful, he endeavoured to get the members of the Committee to share in his responsibility, after having given them repeated assurances that they should be saved harm less from all expense. Lord TENTERDEN observed, that the question was, whether the plaintiff was employed by the committee jointly, or by Mr. Halcomb alone. If the committee were jointly liable, then the plaintiff had a right to bring his action against the defendant or any other member, that member having a right to call on the others to pay their proportions. His Lordship then recapitulated the evidence. As to the representa tions said to be made by Mr. Halcomb, the case did not depend upon those representations. Any as surances that Mr. Macomb might have given to the members of the Committee were nothing to the tradesmen. The question for the consideration of the Jury was, was the defendant one of the persons who employed the plaintiff ? If they thought he was, their verdict must be for the plaintiff : but if they were of opinion that Mr. Halcomb only was the person who employed him, and that the articles were supplied on his credit alone, then they would find fur the defendant. If they found for the plain tiff, the amount of the demand would be settled out of Court.—The Jury found for the plaintiff. COURT OF COMMON PLEAS, DEC. 19. ROBINSON V. WATERIIOUSE. The plaintiff in this action, who is a horse-dealer in the city, sought to recover of the defendant, the proprietor of the stage-coach business carried on at the Swan with-Two-Necks, Lad-lane, the sum of 3271., due for horses sold by the former to the latter. The defence was, that the defendant having become embarrassed in his circumstances, the plaintiff, in common with other creditors, agreed to accept a composition of 10s. in the pound. The Jury re turned a verdict for the defendant. LITERARY UNION.— Sir WALTER SCOTT has written one of his wonted kind and pleasant letters, announcing his junction to this society. We learn that the members are at present 300 strong, and comprise most of those who are actively engaged in moving public opi nion through the medium of the press—almost all the edi tors of the leading publications of the day being members. No fewer than 10,000 ship letters were brought to the New Post-office on Saturday morning, by the Dover in Sax imail. Accounts have just reached us that, assembledoutrages for of a violent kind took plac e on Thursda y ni g ht at Saxling ham, near this city. A large n umber Of p ersons, alleged to weaversinabthshaeinp:foot trpt looms' ol:. e f roomf cutting Norwichyoikhaving a e o n v dW r k y o m ff o n t he looms dharn been destroyed in th e preceding week. The in habitants of the village were, how ever, prepared, as is stated to us, their for vibiteis, and a i very furious conflict too k place, n which it is said pitch forks, flails, and even guns, were used by the defenders of We w eve r , having no jurisdiction, de to iterfe. Mayor, the property. An express reached the M ayor a b ou t one clined o'clock in the morning, requesting him to s en d a d e t ac hm e nt of dragoons, and as stron g a force from the police as pos sible. The believe the ab o v e c ircumstances to be correct in the main, but we canno t p l e d ge ourse lves fir the accuracy of the particulars. --Norwich. Mercury. u el however, COUNTRY CORN MARKETS. ... DlTltllte LIST . wasr. W 1 Wheat. i_ ....... 8ar1ey. Oats. O ............/. fer Quarter. s. to s. s. to s. ,s.to 5. I.' tg -... Car1i51e...,..,....... 67 28 22 .". Carmarthen...—. 58 —I 33 14 -- . 7 ', 5: 1 ; Hexharm.........—... 52 72 r 33 41 22 ' 29 "'iv ,IF Morpeth...-- 50 60 i3O 32 19 24 0 ' .... Penrith ......,......... 66 1 30 05 ...- 4 5kee1e1d....—...... 73 _'— 29 --.,; i 45 Winchester '44 62 23 33 19 23 n . 4 ; Per Bushel. s. d, s. d. ,s. d, ciia.s. d. . d. 411 4, . Coventry 70 901 4 8 54 36 40 5 6 : . 60 Newcastle (Staff:) 90 96' 5 6 60 36 4 0 b%• 16 Northallerton —.. 70 93 36 , 46 33 ' 4 0 s :' 5 1 , 1 , Stafford —. 9 0 94 5 9 62 3 6 4 0 7 ll ~, Swansea .......... 79 83 46 49 29 2 6 0 :d I 9 Warwick 90 100 46 50 3 3 4 0 7 Per 8011. a 16 Barnardeastle ...... 13 0 16 0 8 3 9 0 5 6 6 6 F r i - 1 jo ,(?. Durham 126 160 86 96 49 8B bi v 0 v Richm0nd...,....... 17 0 22 0 9 0 10 6 7 0 8611 0 00 Stockton-- 12 6 146 80 90 48 76 0 _!........., WAKEFIELD CORN MARKET.—Dcc. 18. t ; There is a good supply of Wheat to this day's tort e 4 and the millers being generally of opinion that prices ,T. recede a little further, have bought sparingly of ithoto scriptions of New at a decline of Is. per quarter. Into Fine fresh Old, which rt i „ is scarce, nearly suppo * pricee, but there is little demand for the ordinary sa y( Oats are without variation. The best samples of 1VIA''":" vilil tb Barley fully supports last Friday's prices, bat tho se are much stained, and all ordinary qualities, are nosV_Y:ol dull sale, and rather lower. Beans' are heavy s ales New ones are rather lower. Malt is very dull. ~... Wheat, Red, Norfolk and Sultblk 525. 554. to 570. 00 61.. Wheat, 545. 466. to 61s. fine.'",' White Old 555. 575. to 625. tioe.sn - --..-- New 50s. 565. to 595. Foreign, Red 47s 5Ss. to 5F4. Boom ' White ..............545. 565. to 695. tine ' Barley, Norfolk and Suffolk ... 265. to 325.. tint' 3 1 ,„ --- L i nco l ns hi re 24s. to3ll. 5n5t.....0.- • Yorkshire Wold 265. to 295. srte°7 A . ' Foreign —4. to —a. fins= Beans, Old -----.- New sit to 346; 6ile 3 Z, Oats, Potato 22s. to 265, Ono ..- Poland 20s. 235. to 258. Ones Friesland and Small 1 Mealing Shelling Malt Rapeseed 29 4 (7.7.‘71850,411..-:.0..d20.6.,:;.::::„.3d.0,20::::per-j,na-.-----1:t. SCOTCH MARK ET S. .. i. Wheat. Barley Oats. . . ..!.... .....".........• 7:8, sey Aberdeen —.50 69 23 28 19 22 -- ""-, ...a. 0 8erwick......,. 35 39. 17 19 15 17 22 24 ~,.. Coldstream 34 39 18 19 14 18 22 2,,,,, 5 '... .., Cupar ......... 48 '72' 26 29 24 25 27 - ?..:, "". .... Dundee......... 46 72 18 21; 13 IR 24 IT '''''' ... Elgin ......... 50 89 20 25 20 23 19 2 1 4 7 3 ... Inverness..—. 48 62 24 V 7 19 21 19 2 0 .... Kelso .—...—.. 34 39 IS 19 15 17 24 27 Kirkaldy—. 60 '76 33 38. 28 32 SO S 4 -'" ~., Perth ----. 50 '74 19 91 19 21 26 93 , ~„-, 11- The size of the measure varies throughout t1____f .., c .............. .......° ° `" . HADDINGTON CORN MARKET.—Dect.IB. X 1 Barley sold readily. Top down I fr. average up _.%. 154 quarters sold. Oats went off slowly, and aOa derable quantity remained unsold ; top 8. and averag ev i o up ; 226 quarters sold. Wheat has brought mob' or , same prices as last market ; average down 3d.--one c l la a ter of Old Wheat sold at '734. Both Pease and Reap:o, a shade upwards, and about 40 quarters of each were - _,,. Wheat. Barley. Oats. Pease. Llni First 796 Od 32s Od 25. Od 25s Od r, od Second Ms Od 306 Oct 52a Od 276 Od V; od j. Third ~ 26a Od :" - r e to le Titere were 302 qrs. of Wheat in market, V 6 where° Vi. - 0 Unsold.-0 Grey. 21. 133.1 d. 3-12tha. _______„...o A veragi DALKEI'fIi CORN MARKET. —.Dec. 1 The supply of all kinds of Grain at this d ket was moderate ; sales heavy, and prices rat than those of last week. Wheat. Barley. I Oats. Prase. . 50 ts. First t34s Od 3is Od 24r Ott 304 ~,,C4 l Second s6s Od 2Ss Od od 30s u",,, "'— Third 5O. Od 268 Od IS Od 283 lay s they to CORNWALL. MARKETS' ...Data. fi g ' TR [lllto.—Wh ea t (average) 235. 6.—Barley, 135. Hat-rroa—Wheat, 225. 6d.—Barley, 12s. &I 1311-'l"'°ati. Sr. Ausratc—Wheat, 21s. to 24s.—Barley, 11s. to Bs. to 10s. Od. Bows t:%—Wheat (average) 225. Od.—Barley, 12c— , 31 1 4 „AA LsuNc ELSTON—Wheat (average) 235. Od.—Barleb li Bs. 01.—Beef, 6 d.—Mutton, bd. 164 • .'" (* Psxr.saca—Wheat, 235. to 246.—Barley, --s. to Bs. to 10s. Od.—Beef and Mutt*m , 4d . to bid.--Bork, W " Butter, 1 Id. per lb. Ltssatatto—Wheat, 225. Cd. to 236.—8ar1ey,131. 6d...oath to lls. Od. Sr. CoLuma—Wheat, 20s. to 26s.—Barley, 11s. to 13‘. 4584 and Mutton, 4d. to Sid.—Veal and Lamb, Od to 6d. MINING INTELLIGENCB. TOO. I'''. Quantity of Copper Ore sold at liedruth last Thursday JO S Average Produce .......... 7 0 ISI ~,L Quantity of tine Copper ',fa 1.00. Amount A m ount of Sale. 9,0081. Os. Al.—Average Standards ay-- CHEAP S r spra ts SPRATS.—Such quant ities °' bat have been lately brought up the river to 864 01°4 :4 on Tuesday evening they were selling at that toga s l ' - halfpenny per pound. — Dorset County Chronicl6 ' In the city on Saturday some o minous lc, - I pers were abroad, and considerable alarm was felt S t well-known house, which was said to be in a On, state. We forbear to mention the name of the firm'i wish the anticipated catastrophe may be averte d---Ss"v and I s On Saturday evening, between eight s , nine o'clock, as a lady and gentleman named Drygle were proceeding from Clapham to London, is so o s, wheeled cabriolet, the back part of the carriage was 0 001 and a box containing an ermine muff and tippetf c e, other articles of dress of considerable value , etolentro4 from. The robbery is supposed to have been C0ri11e...,1 between the Swan at Stockwell, and the Surrey Thel In our last we gave the particulars of the n i d e° , arrangements about to be introduced into this packLeti It is further understood that the Clerk of the of whose department is abolished, will have the OtiPPrea being appointed to the new office of Receiver of SI gel and that Mr. COUCH, the present Timber Master, vo superannuated, and his residence in the yard be eehts;,lo priated to the use of the chief Pay Officer. Weill $Ol learn that a considerable discharge of the mechanieecoo," labourers will take place on the lst of January uelti be prising all those who, from age or long servitude, sr° 0 ; coming inefficient or are entitled to their superannusacorr the remainder to be taken from the class of inferior osts, men, to whom, it is said, a small pension will be al') at the recommendation of the Lords of the Adm it The The Dock-yard at Deptford will be dissolved a t the 'To. time, and we hear that some of the ablest workree°ll, longing to that yard will be distributed among the ot yards. We understand that orders have been reee' ri . e ci Portsmouth for abolishing the o ffi ce of Clerk of th e "' e t, at that Dock-yard, and for carrying into immediate :o i sl new arrangements similar to those ordered to b e te r 000' this port. Orders havealso been given for the *pr od ° tr,, ation of about one hundred and fifty persons from mouth Dock-yard, in whose room the same nuereri, efficient men will be entered from Deptford 1"r establishment being about to be done away With gether. —Devonport Telegraph. BIRTHS. On the 13th inst. in Mountjoy-square, Dublin, O m. — of T. Harrison, Esq. of a daughter. CA ' On the 16th inst. at Maidstone, the lady of LieW Tod, of a son. 1 , lise On the 16th inst. at Geldeston-hall, Norfolk, ke of J. Kerrick, Esq of a ,on and heir. MARRIED Jot On the 19th inst. at St. Mary-le-Bow, the Rev ogle Langley, of Southampton, to Jane, only surviving ° ter of the late J. Brice, Esq. of the same place. 04 . On the 17th inst. at Berstead, Sussex, C. PaY Pe l it % of Connaught-terrace, to Eliza Charlotte, the eldest 004 ter of the late Rev. G. F. Fleming, of Chicheste r t oo ses grand-daughter of John Payne, Esq. of Stubillgtolt i' ' Hants. On the 16th inst. at St. Pancras, Mr, R. Atk"''ist, Mary Anne, eldest daughter of the late N. of Gray's-inn. f S t. the 19th inst. at Brixton, John Hull , PA' ° btsf , John's College, Cambridge, to Elizabeth, secon d (11 St tf of J. Willis, Esq. of Walcot-place, Lambeth, saw to Viscountess Kingsland. 0$ On the 19th inst. St. George's, Bloomsbury I°° Peoley, Esq. of Brighton, to Letitia Sarah Didebnri' Upton, Bucks. DIED. , IV On the 17th inst. at Hammerwood Lodge, Sn'self Elam. Mrs. Dorrien Ma g ens. She was sister to th e fi H sent Lord Dynevor, and grand-daughter to Witlio n Talbot. f i t ; e On the 19th inst. William Frederick, eldest 50 ° 9 0- - Nash, Esq. of Noble-street, Foster-lane , in tl year of his age. al* On the 18th inst. at her apartments in the L o w er V ' Windsor, .Mrs. Mary Powell. ~.,j, $ l4 On the lbth inst. Elizabeth, wife of W. ittg l "' — ' ..,. of West Coker, Somerset. 50, tr On the 10th inst. at Edinburgh, the HO' Napier, daughter of the late Lord Napier. A i PRINTS. AHD PUBLISHED NiURDO Y°Vl4‘" THE SON. OF,fIOE, 112; STRAND, L0113°146