The Sun. — London, England, 1823-05-24 00:00:00

a THE LONDON' JOURNALS. DAILY Extracti from the Morning Papers, May 24. EBICITISII PittSS.] • The French Papers.of Wednesday and Thurs day reached us by express last night. The Mo nileurt from the state of public feeling and the reports so prevalent in Paris, had been at length obliged to break its silence of some days, and give something like a statement of the situation of the French armies in Spain. The official paper of the French Government accordingly gives in its number of Thursday the telegraphic dispatch and detail of the movements of the troops. , --(See another column of the SuN.) One deduction may be clearly drawn from all the French aceounts,- and that is, that their armies are making no progress in Spain . ; if we except the ground they have marched over to Madrid. In Catalonia they have not gained an inch. Mina has coniplvtely out-manoeuvred;. Moncey, and keeps the French in continual terror ; and when Augouleme is in-Madrid, all Spain will be. before him, hostile and unsubdued. A ccounts. from Seville to the 6th May state, that the Govern, ment bad addressed a circular to all•the military commanders of the 9th and. 10th districts, to hasten, the execution of all the measures' of arm.; ing and' equipping the 'levies.- In-the sitting of the Cortes of the 3d, mention was made of tho negociations for the loan with the house of Ber nales and Co. in this city, and three proposals were made in lieu of this loan---one to alienate forty millions of rentes, as a security for a new loan with any houses who may accept - it. M. Calatrava had accepted the situation of-Minister of the Interior. [MORNING CIIRONICI.E.I The kind disposition of the higher orders, o this country towards their poor fellow subjects, has often been the theme of praise. We have a striking instance of this kindness in the recent attempt of Mr. Martin to prevent dog-fighting, cock-fighting, bull-baiting, and other amusements of the same kind, in which low people oceasion ally indulge- Neither Mr. Martin nor any other Patrician has, as far as we know, ever yet at tempted to prevent fox hunting, shooting, or any of the other cruel amusements in which the higher orders indulge, to the great deterioration of their character. This exceeding care of others and utter disregard of themselves, so conspicuous in the higher ranks of our days, certainly deserves the highest praise, and will, we have no doubt, be properly appreciated. Ilad they been actu ated by any think like selfish motives, they would have attended to their own moral im provement, and. 'neglected that of the poor people, whereas We find them carefully watch ing over the pew and neglecting themselves. — No matter how brutalising some of their own amusements are, they do not take the pains to exclude themselves from any one of them; no matter, on the other hand, how little de moralising some of the amusements of the poor are, they carefully put a stop to all of them. The progress in improvement under this system of the classes so hikhly favoured must be very rapid.. A line of circumvallation is drawn round them, which vice cannot possi bly break through. Without doors or within, it, matters not, they are constantly beset by the care of the Legislature. Fairs are put down for the sake of the poor. —Dancing is put down — fiddling in the streets is put 'down—and to con , summate this glorious .systern, the very dogs must keep the peace for their sake. If we could recommend a fUrther improvement of the system, it would.be to lay hold of every poor man the moment he is seen out of 'doors idling away his titne in any manner whatever. Ll4lOlO l l N P 0 ST.] t appears probable, from the advanced position of the Duke of Angouieme's head-quarters, and the falling back of Abisbal's detachments on Madrid, that the French will be allowed,to enter that Capital without opposition. As it lost all its importance wheeit e ceased to be the seat of the King anti Cortes, its occupation will yield no real advantage to the enemy, nor do any injury to the Constitutionalists. The Prince Generak issimo will no doubt be gratified at sitting on a Throne which he may perhaps consider as his future property; but the moment of his becoming Regent of Spain, if, as it is reported, he should assume that title, will give the death blow to the little popularity which the French may have obtained amongst the Royalists in Spain, and will lead to that union of "parties, which, however delayed IL may, have been, will ultimately take place to root out the invaders from the Peninsula. With the exception of the change of position announced in the telegraphic dispatch, all the intelligence from the Duke of Angouleme's army is the repetition of a " twice told tale." We are again told,amongst other things, that Bessieres had taken a few prisoners and cannon from Ballesteros; who continued to retire towards Valencia. Surely when so trifling an ad vantage gaiiied not by the French themselves, but by a Spanish Guerilla, is thought worthy to figure twice in an official Report, without any additional details to justify the iteration, it is but just to infer, that there must have been a, most woful dearth of . atchievements on the: part of the Generalissimo's army, to occupy the recording pen.—The intelligence from Moncey's army is not of a more impor tant or 44 decisive" nature. The enemy seems engaged in collecting the corps which had been scattered in all directions in the vain hope of intercepting Mina, whose pursuit has dwindled into a mere endeavour " by a few chosen men to tra c e his march." So that up to the 15th instant the real course of that skilful Commander had not been discovered ! and yet he had passed behind a powerful army, and had all its Generals and divisions marching and coun termarching for two weeks around him. It was reported, however, that he was retiring upon Barcelona by Montserraty so that nothing could preVent fifs union Wit fi :Milans whenever he pleased. [THE TIMES. We have referred with some anxiety to the most recent information from Switzerland, in order to ascertain the precise danger' with which that country is threatened, whether from Aus triaP interference, or any other cause; for that there is at the prosent moment something cri tical in the state of her foreign relations, no one, notwithstanding the reserve and equiito cations of Ministers, entertains the smallest doubt. We do not find any evidence that Aus tria has either demanded military occupation or a passage for troops, but' it appears likely that some requisitions have been made of the Diet not generally in use towards independent nations, and calculated, therefore, to impugn the independence of this free country. These have proceeded, ft is said, not from Austria alone, but equally from the other members oT the Holy Alliance, and have related chiefly to the shelter given by them to the Italian and other refugees, and to the liberty of the press injoyed in the Cantons. It has been urged to the Diet, that the " insurrections," for the suppression of which the Alliance was formed, are to no purpose put down while Switzerland is allowed . to become the focus of new insurrections by sheltering the original au thors ; that they must be called on to. leave that territory,and,to prevent the use that might be made of sopotentan engine that new restrictions should be placed on the Press. Though the delibera tions of the Diet are secret, enough has trans pired to shew that this body has acted with all the independence of character consistent with the very delicate situation in which they were placed. There can be no doubt of their having firmly disclaimed the right of the Allied Powers to dictate on either of the points mentioned, as a violation of their independence, and an inter. ference with laws of the country. Weak States are frequently compelled by circumstances to adopt a temporizing policy ; but though it is believed that a majority of the Members of the Diet have granted to the Executive the power of suspending the laws under which pro tection is accorded to foreigners, and even that of putting further restrictions on the Press, it 'does not appear that the extraordinary powers have been acted. on, nor that a tone of submis sion has been ever adopted towards the Merrr hers of the Alliance. Secret intimations have been conveyed to some of the more distinguished refugees, of the wish that, by voluntary removal, they should cease to place Switzerland at variance with her powerful neighbours, but force has not in any instance been used. Feeling deeply, at the same time, the insult to their independence implied in the demand, the Swiss Government has determined, we understand, to assume such an attitude as will show at least a determined spirit (however physically unable to resist such powerful antagonists), if the course of aggression thus begun is persisted in. Orders have been issued to exercise the militia, the force on which the Cantons entirely depend for pro ection, more frequently ; and it was ex pected they would shortly be called inlay active service. The impression has become go neral, that Switzerland is about to be involved in a war for her independence, we trust erroneously ; but we have seen letters worthy of credit, which speak unequivocally on this point. One from Geneva of the 12th instant, and written by a member of the Senate, anticipates this calamity very distinctly ; and at Yverdun, as we learn by letters of the same date, the students were armed, and in readiness to march for the defence of the country if attacked. Others were exercising themselves as corps of guerillas. INEW T M Es:l The dispatch from Gerona is quite sufficient to settle all doubts as to the progress of the Allied arms ; and it is only necessary to point out the relative situations of the places mentioned.— Bocequillas is about 45 miles in advance of Lerma, the last head-quarters: and it is 65 miles from Madrid. t3uitrago, which the French van• guard were , expected to reach on the 18th, is only 35 miles from Madrid, and within the Somosierra pass. The defiles of Somosierra and Guadarrama are most formidable, and would have afforded A bisbal easy means of defence against almost any superiority of numbers; but it would seem that he has not attempted to make a stand there, but has fallen back on Madrid, which is incapable of a protracted defence. Probably he was compelled to do this by the approach of Gen. Obert on his right flank. The latter Ge neral commanding a division of the 2.d French Corps, had passed the mountains which border New Castille, and was on the 16th at Siguenza, 77 miles north of Madrid, and 54 east of l3uitrago. fle communicated with the Royal Spanish Ge neral Bessieres by illedhui-Celi, 15 miles further to the Eastward ; and Bessieres had been for some time harrassing the runaway troops of Bal lasteros, who, instead of manoeuvring in con junction with Mina and Abisbal, as some wiseacres have lately asserted, bad fled to Teruel, nearly two hundred miles distant from the former and about 150 from the latter. — As to Mina, it is really amusing to see what fond hopes the Liberals had built on the fancied exploits of this hero, and how completely they have ended in smoke. [MORNiNG lIERAT.D.I Notwithstanding the rejection of Sir ames Mackititosles Resolutions, it is evident, from the ton J of the speeches,even of those who opposed them, that the principles upon, which they are founded are gradually making way.--, We would alines; suspect that a reluctance to enter upon a subject of such extent at this period of the Session was among the chief causes of their rejection. It is certain that some of the wisest heads and most eloquent tongues have and out of Pirliament laboured to effect a reforinathin of. our Uri.; ' mine 'Jaws ; yet with all this, and the unique freedom of discussion and publication which we enjoy,. the despotic 00. vernmenti of enslaved nations have outstripped 'England in this career of inithanity and wisdom. This, however, though matter of regret, is not matter of reproach. An enlighten ed Monarch, or a Monarch docile to the 'counsels of an en lightened Minister, is . alone' required, in the one case, to carry Reform Into imMediate effect.' It is one of the few dia.: advantages of a Constitution like the British; that' prludice, timidity, narrolimess t s of intellect, and various 'ether. coun. teracting biasses, must be overcome, before *lse' and en. lightened views can be clothed in tho garb of law. There is little doubt that much of the opposition which the told. gation of punishm ents has heretofore ekperieficed, sprang from feelings even less deserving of Indulgence, an more sel fish. If the Ministers should take up the matter, d as there is . some probability; or should *partly support the views of the;dLs tinguished person in whose hands the question rest.at present, we confidently anticipate that the self complacent pedantry _ which used to enter the lists a g ainst the late Sir S. Regally will be silent. It is singular the perseverance with which illiterate inions and false princip les are p ut forth upon this subject. i One of the most common and reprehensible is the opinion, that 'severe laws operate beneficially,rn terrorem, without shocking Immanit by being carried into execution. Nothing can be more fallacious ant perniciout. It is in direct contradiction to contemporary experience, the experience of history, and the first rudiments of ethical science, as connected with this sub ject. The certainty of punishment is , the most efficacious re. straint, and from constrained to habitual obedience of the laws there is but a step. What can be more obvious, than tha t the penal system must be bad which, by its' uncertainty, makes the relation between ' crime and punishment a subject of despe-. rate calculation to the offender in petto. There arc two anec dotes told by .ttlian curiously illustrative on the point.— One of the States of Greece sent a citizen to Sparta for the purpose of procuring a copy of the laws - of the Lace-. tl . winonians, which were to be adopted at the best barrier against the growth of crime . . He returned and met the assem bled' people to make his report. Instead of a code of laws, he produced various instruments of torture and death to be used against the several offences, respectively, from which the State was suffering. The people revolted from the severity of the pu nishments, and would have discarded them ; but some of the wiser sort sugkested keeping them 4is terrorem, and the imple ments were hung up in the hall of justice. Crime, it is true, .was checked fora mon,ent—but soon one offender and another escaped punishment—in a short time all fear vanished, crimes multiplied, and at length the Draconian Code gave way to milder but more certain punishments. The other case is that Of Zaleucus, a law-giver. .I.le assigned the punishment of the loss of both eyes to the crime of (it will shock modern no. dons of morality) adultery. The first offender was the law giverit own son. • All the citizens entreated the remission of the punishment, in consideration of the services and virtues of the father ; but the law-giver was inflexible, and at last pmposed, as a compromise of pity to him, and respect, for the sacredness of the law, that the son shoUld be deprived of one eye, and he (the father) of one eye, so that the full penal ty..of 4 the law was complied with. The effect of this cer itainty' of punishment was, that the laws of Zeleueus subsisted for centuries, the safeguard of life, property and morality. —Another' opinion commonly expressed is, that a salutary discretion should be left td the Judges. Nothing is more . mistaken, or more repugnant to the functions of a Judge, who should be, as far as possible, the impassive organ of the lavA But cases will arise. where the letter and rigour of the laW should not be enforced. It is very likely, and for this there is an admirable provision' of the Constitution—the 'prerogative of meta) , in the Crown. As our Criminal Laws stand at present," there is no escape ftorn a 'dilemma, either horn of which is most pernicious. If the laws be administered with Uncertainty, and multiplied' exceptions, a loose is given to crime, by the calculations of impunity-,if duly enforced, the 'stiffeiing criminal becomes tuirobject of sympathy; and the mi iisters of the law, with the law itself, become odious. . _ PROVINCLA.T., JOURNALS. Froin the LiverpOot Courier of May 21. ) SPAIN.—The question . respecting our negocia 'lions with France on the Spanish invasion continues to be agi tated in Parliament, but for what practical' purpose is not very obvious. Lord' Holland has had another opportunity of show ing or his profound Opinion of the terrific erect which the count ry would have ? minced by the mere show of anger and hostility. We do 'his Lordship the justice to admit, that the :Spanish cause formerly found in him a warmer advocate and tv more hopeful mind than in Lord Grey ; but even he was refri gerated by, the coldness of his opposition associates, and cer tainly never encouraged the confidence of success, when Great Britain had a large army actually in the tield. We are glad to find, that his opinion. of his country 'S valour and influence has 'so much advanced. He now thinks . that the French would have turned their backs on the' Pyrenees e the very rattling of her armour. If so, we grant it would . have been wise to rat 'tle it ; .to have clanked the sword upon the shield, and b the helmit against the corsele t ; but if the experiment hail failed ? There's the rub. If the experiment had failed, if the French had said, " All this is but .show and pre tence," then we must either hate been made ridiculous, or havo Bono at once to war. To one or other we must have been coin- mitted ; and, strongly as we feel fur Spa in, we think that the wiser course was taken by Ministers. It is an easy thing to go to war; there is no need to be in a hurry as to that. An oppor. topity for making peace, if once let slip, may hot easily be le. covered ; but nobody can be at a loss how and when to quarrel;' so that the whole is reduced to this, whether a step so serious to the country ought to have been. one of passion or reason, one of graVe deliberation or of hasty resolVe ; for as to the trick of' frightening, which is so warmly advocated by the Opposition, as a masterpiece Of Policy, it is surely a most ridiculous point of debate, and, had true dignityy, been consulted, would never have been gravely put forth. How we shall keep clear of the contest, should it continue, and especially if the other Powers of Europe join in it, in a common league to overwhelm Spain, it may be difficult to say ; but, at all events, we are glad of the • chances which time presents to enable us to avoid so serious a calamityAs that of war, and of the opportunity for that calm observation which will enable us, if we must be involved, to ground our hostile interference upon facts and reasons, the force of which will commend themselves to the patriotism - and jiitlg meat of the better part of the nation. As for the systematic OppOsition another rad t i i ca le l i‘ f i a i c n ti i o st fi, , y we th e a x t p t e h c e t, s N l v io a u i l g d o th o a v t e s r te t p o be taken u ltimately by ry, the side of the , Bourbons and the Inquisition in pure apiti; so that we do not reckon the advantages of their alliance among the benefits of, delay.—The chance that we may avid war is not, howevere.lost ; for, with respect to the state of things in Spain, it is certainly far from hopeless that the Spaniards, single handed, may baffle their invaders. Nothing, certainly, as yet has occurred to destroy their hope, nothing which might not 'reasonably-be expected.. In two things the French Govern ment have been dearly disappointed ; in the holding out 'of the fortresses, which they seem to have expected would throw open their g ates u p on their presenting themselves, and in the firmness of the Cortea. The latter have a5...1 semblechit Seville around the the person of their King, and have formally declared war against- France,_ as an unpr the n cipled aggressor, bot h b y sea and land. We grant that French have many advantages. The first is a disciplined and numerous artily, With experienced officers: a second is, probably. the real unfaithfulness of Ferdinand and the Royal Family to the Constitution. They have a third and a most poWerful one, in the hold which their cause must have upon the good wishes of a Papist priesthood, and the hold which that priesthood has upon a superstitious peole.. This is an advantage which Buo naparte had not, and will fully counterbalance the absence of much of the energy of his measures and the zeal of ids armies. But, on the other hand, the troops of the Faith do not appear to have increased ; the Spanish army has hitherto remained faithful ; the Spaniards are naturall y roused against the intru sion of foreigners ; and the constion holds out the annihila tion of feudal abuses and oppreasions tuti , and a better state of p 9. tidy as to the middle an d lower classes. If the Country remain generally faithful, the difficulties of the French will increase, and, it' not, the French armies may be speedily withdrawn ; and, in either case, the necessity of our interference is equally removed. We ought not, certainly, to fight either to destroy a constitution which the Spaniards generally love, nor to main tain one' to which they are generally averse. The true line of policy lies before us ; it is to watch events, and to take no part is the quarrel until it really concerns us. NDEPENDENCE OF WESTMINSTER. During the war between England and Spain, in the time of Elizabeth, Commissioners on both sides were appointed to treat of peace. The' Spa nish Commissioners proposed thnt the negocia tions should be carried on in the French tongue, observing sarcastically, that " the gentlemen of England could not be ignorant of the language of their fellow subjects, their Queen being Queen of France, as well as England." " Nay, in faith, Gentlemen," replied Dr. Dale, one of the Eng lish Commissioners, " the French is too vulgar for a business of this importance ; we will, there fore, if you.please, rather treat in Hebrew, the language of Jerusalem, of which your master calls himself King ) and in which you must, of course, be us well skilled as we are in French." The qualiticitions of a cook are thus described in a scarce book, entitled The English Huswife : — 44 First, she must be cleanly both in body and garments ; she must have a quick eye, a curious nose, a perfect taste, and ready ear ; she must not be butter-fingered, Sweet-toothed, nor faint hearted—for the, first will let every thing fall ; the second will consume What it should increase ; and the last will lose time with too niacin nice ness." In the same volume it is recon n riended as a preservative from the plague, " To smell on a nosegay made of the tasselled end of a ship rope.", . Yesterday the - tixteenth anniversary of "The Triumph of the Electors of Westminster" was celebrated at the Crown and Anchor Tavern, Strand. The Meeting was very numerous (exceeding 400),. and highly respectable. At halt past five o'clock, Mr. J. C. HOBIIOUSE (who took the Chair in the absence of Sir F. Burdett, who was prevented from attending by severe illness) entered the room, acc ompanied by several Gentlemen, amongst whom we noticed—Lord Ebring ton, M.P.; - Lord Nugent, M.P. ; E. Ellice, Esq. M.P.; Jones Burdett, Esq. • Hare Townsend, Esq. S. C. 'Whitbread, Esq. M.P.; ql. W ood, Esq. M.P.; T. Denman, Esq. M.P.; Cooper, Esq. ; R. Bernal, Esq. M.P. ; J. Williams, Esq. M.P. T. Coke, Esq. M.P. ; D. Ricardo, .Esq. M.P. ; J. G. Lambton, Esq. M.P. ; Adams, Esq. ;-- Blackburn, Esq. ; J. Evans, Esq. Col . Torrens ; C. H. Hutchinson, 111 . P ; J. B. Monck, Esq. M.P. ; Sir G. Robinson, M.P. • the Hon. Grey Bennet, ; Bowring, Esq. ; Hou.D. lamaird ; D. 1111. n, Esq. The dinner, which was very excellent, being concluded, Mr..11013110175E rose and gave—" The people, the only source of legitimate pOwer." Drank with three times three, and loud cheers.--Air, " Britons, strike home." The'next toast s was, " The King, and may he ever recollect his own declaration, that the Crown is held for the benefit of the - people:" Three times three.—Air, "Hope told a flatter.' ing tale. Mr. ADAMS next gave—" The able opposer of 4 tyranny and oppression, the constant advocate' of Parliamentary Reform— our truly honest representative, Sir. F. Burdett."—(Long and loud cheers followed the announcement of this toast.) Mr. HontrouSE said, that before he put from the chair the toast which their brother elector had proposed, he must express . what he knew to he the great regret of their excellent rFpresen tative, Sir F. Burdett, at the impossibility of. his being with them on the present occasion, the 16th since his first return. It was the earnest wish of Sir Burdett, even at the imminent risk of his health, tebe present. It was true his Hon. Friend . .might have been brought to the room ; and that indeed was his own wish, but his physician had declared that he would not answer for his health for five minutes after he came into so crowded an assembly. Mr. JONES ,BunnzTT expressed his thanks for the manner in which his brother had' been received by the meeting. Ile would say that his Honourable Friend Mr. Hobhouse had truly expressed the feelings of his relative, in stating that it was • a source of deep regret and mortification to him to be absent on this occasion. He would only mention one fact connected with the question of reforM, which was recently stated in Parliament by Mr. Abercrotnby, respecting the state of the representation 'of the city of Edinborgh. There were in that city 100,000 men with property to the amount of 4,000,0001. It would hardly be believed, if the fact were not well attested, that the repre sentative of that city was chosen by 33 electors; and out of this small number there were 19'who nominated their successors. 'Upon this it was unnecessary to offer any cominent.—(Cheers.) Mr. HOBLIOUSE now called the attention of the meeting to a letter from Sir F. Burdett to his constituents. The letter was read by Mr. Gardiner : " St. James's-place, Mey 23. Gentlemen—' it is hard to kick against the pricks, and im possible against the gout.' Otherwise, , notwithstanding the strong remonstrances of My excellent friend and physician Dr. Pearson, I should have come, or rather should have caused' my- , self to be brought amongst,you, in order to partake of your just and honest triumph, and to aid in the annual Celebration of your independence; nor have I ceased to ding to this hope up to this last moment. I am, however, now that it isarrived, most feeling. ly convinced of the impossibility of realizing it. Much as I re gret this on, my own and on every account, I regret it particu larly on account of being deprived of the'pleasure of meeting some of the most staunch friends of Reform, who, from different parts of the country, are to join us in the celebration of this anniversary. The en-operation of these friends of Reform; and the union - of all friends of Reform, is upon every occasion most anxiously to be desired, as it is only by union and 'inn faith, and firm accord, and mutual agreement, that we can teser hope to carry into 'effect thix great and necessary measure. At a time when so many interesting views present themselves to the notice of, mankind—so many topics challenging the at tention of an enlightened public—when Spain, undaunted by a foul confederacy of deapotsi , seems nobly prepared .to endure every extreme, rather than yield up her independence and na tional rights, in upholding which she is also upholding the in. dependence and eights of other nations, and on the successful issue of whose exertions the liberties of all other people, and especially the people of France i greatly depend— when Greece, to' the wonder and athniration of the world, has burst her ignominious , fetters, and achieved deeds of he.: roism, equalling, if not surpassing, her former renown, and accomplished, as it were, impossibilities, under circum stances the most heartless and discouraging, eliciting hope from the deepest gloom of despair, and bidding fair to outrival her former glories in the same cuasewhen every people in Europe, panting for rational freedom, is anxiously casting about for an opportunity 'of shaking off the'load of despotism, that oppresses them—when Our great and gallant countryman, your late Representative (Lord Cochrane), with little other resources than his own genius and courage can supply, hav ing unfurled the banners of liberty in another hemisphere, is augmenting the renown of his country, and combatting for the happiness of mankind--Iwlien, turning our eyes homewards, we behold the march and progress of those principles of re form, the adoption of which can alone - give a fair chan ce of developing all the energies of England, can alone give e, chance of redress to the manifold grievances of Scotla nd, and the still snore intolerable sufferings of Ireland—when an op-1 portunity presents itself like the present for exhorting the .people of Scotland and Ireland to lay worthy pursuits of redress, and to join the honest voice . ,)_l l aside all partial, the liberty-loving people of England for that measure, -wlu i will do equal justice to all—which will admit all men within on the pale of the Constitution—which will exclude no ! ima m. pretence of religious opinions from the enjoyment of civil rights, but and t therebywi will, with bindan strong as the axle on which the heavens ride !—a bon d . of mutual affection and mutual interest, by means of a fair re equal together ha t n h d e whole administeru i united d toall empiree q equal 0 1 n j o i r t h st r o i n c justice, " Believe me Gentleman, at such a time, and under such cir cumstances, to be compelled to forego the gratification of meet presentation of the whole people in Parliament. ing my constituents, the independent and enlightened citizens of Westminster, is as great a mortification as the power of fate could well have inflicted upon me, and that nothing short of absolute necessity could have forced me to yield to. Gentle. m en, with deep regret, but the' most unfeigned sincerity, I subscribe Myself, • " FRANCIS Your most faithfulted Servant, BURDETT." (Loud cheering followed the reading of this letter.) Air-:-" Death ofhliberty." Mr, COKE, of Norfolk , ne xt addressed the meeting, and was rece ived with loud cheers. Ile said , tha t as the y had drank the health of one of his earliest acquain t a nces in life, their worthy representadve Sir F. Burdett, he hoped he might, as one of the oldest reformers amongst them, be allowed to propose the health of his (Sir F. Burdett s) worthy colleague, Alr. Hobhouse.— (Cheers.).--He would give—" The steady friend of Reform and the constant advocate of the Rights of the people—their worthy representative, J. C. Hobhouse." This toast was received with loud acclamations. As soon as silence was restored, Mr. HO/1110i1SE said, that he had always looked forward with great anxiety, and if it were not presumption, he would say with great delight, to the return of this anniversary, as lie naturally wished to collect the opinions of those whom he had the honour to call his constituents, as to his past conduct and for his future guidance. It was 'to him a source of great satis faction to listen to the sentiments of those who bad sent him to Parliament —to learn that they still considered him worthy of speaking their sentiments in die advocacy of that great cause of which they had at all times proved themselves the strenuous supporters. He took heartfelt pride in the maluer in which his health had been proposed by his Ilobourable Friend (Mr. Coke.) He looked upon thisomnion as no mean, but rather as a decisive test of those of the great mass of freemen who still upheld the liberties of their country. They now found that there were not' ewer than 208 Members of the Commons House who did not , think that the Consti tution, in its present state, was that system. of perfection which it bad heretofore been represented. The Honour able Member alluded to the opinions lately' delivered by him and his honourable colleague on the subject of our foreign .megociations which were-said to breathe nothing but war. He contended, that even if a wish for war was the true coustruction to be put upon his sentiments, it would be borne out by the opinions of his constituents, and by the conduct of the allied Powers. But he did not think war was the only al ternative. The whole of the continental powers had enough to do to ptevent their going to war, if we had assumed the atti tude which we ought to .have taken. Austria would have found enough to do in Italy ; Prussia with her subjects, to ' whom she had broken her promise of a free constitution ; Russia with Poland ; and France with that majority of het subjects who were averse from a war. In conclusion he ob served; that the cause of the people was imperishable, and that It must eventually triumph. It reminded him of the words of Lord Byron— " Yet freedom—yet thy banner, torn but flying, " Streams like the thunder storm against the wind ; " Thy triumphant voice, tho' broken now and dying, " The loud.est still the tempest leaves behind. cc Thy tree has lost its blossoms, and thy rind, " Chipp'd by the axe, is roUgh and little worth ; " But the sap still lasts, and still the seettwe find " Sink deep even on the bosom of the North : " So shall a better spring less bitter fruit bring forth." I ,..The CHAIRMAN gave, " The memory of the late Mr. Samuel 'Brooks," which was drank in silence. Mr. RICARDO rose and spoke as follows—" Gentlemen, the toast which I have had put into my hand, I shall give with the 'greatest . possible pleasure, for it expresses most aimpletely the opinions which I myself entertain. I hold the proper re medy for all our national grievances to be that which is in ' eluded in the toast, the words of which ars these : The only remedy for our national • grievances, is a full, free, fair, and equal representation of the people in the Commons' House of Parliament.'—(Cheers.)—Gentlemen, it appears to me that a full representation of the people in Parliament is absolutely ne cessary, as a check and security against misgovernment. It ap pears to me absolutely necessary that the people themselves , should be enabled to check the misconduct of_Government.7- It appears to me that we should have a House of C,orh rnons fairly and effectually representing the people . , and not a small portion of the people. A difference of opinion may very fairly exist as to the proper extent of the elective fran chise. Some, and they forma very numerous class, think that the whole of the people should enjoy the elective fran chise. Others think that there would be a sufficient extension of franchise if all householders had a vote. Between those opi nions there is much debateable ground; but I. don't think, that question is of very serious i m portance. I think it would be a good basis for the representation, for - all who pay direct taxes to the state, or for those who are usually called house holders, to have a vote. But it is much more important, after the elective is given, than those who have the franchise should be able fairly to exercise it—not influenced by rank or fortune or any such considerations. Ido not deny the fair influence of ta lent, property, and good offices done to the people ; but I do deny to any of them the right of interfering in die exercise of the elec tive franchise. It is of the utmost importance that the exercise of this privilege Should be free, in order to secure the choice of a representative, made really, not virtually, by the people. There is one security for popular representation which I am sorry to have forgotten. I allude to the necessity of having Parliaments frequently chosen.—( Cheers.)—Wi thou t frequent elections there can be no security for liberty. It is impossible to deny that we have among us a great deal of practical liberty : but it is not enjoyed in the manner which conduces most to the happiness of the people. And I hope the example of the people' of Westminster, which has awakened the people of the country to the advantages which would result from good government, will soon have the effect of securing to the country that which we all so greatly desire." He concluded by proposing the toast mentioned in his speech. Tune—" Kick the rogues out." Song, by Mr. Murphy. Mr. 1.1,3.1131;m proposed, " The brave Spanish people—a speedy and complete defeat to their invaders—destruction to the Holy Alliance, and ultimate triumph to the rights of the people,"—Drank with loud and enthusiastic cheers. The next toast was, " Lord Viscount Ebrington, and may such men be daily added to the ranks or,the reformers." Lord EBRSNOTON returned thanks, and proposed,—" The cause of civil and religious liberty all over the world." The next toast was—" The steady and persevering friend of the cause of Reform in Parliament, Thomas W. Coke,Esq."— Drank with three times three, and loud applause. Mr. COKE returned thanks. Air. —Ca irg. The next toast was—" Thomas Denman, l Esq. the Mem ber for Nottingham, one of the j ud g es of the land—a rare ani mal among real reformers."—(Cheers.) Mr. 'DENMAN returned thanks, and gave, " The Greeks : independence to this noble people, and may science,. liberty, and virtue again shine glonously amongst them." (Three times three.) " The health of Lord Nugent" was next proposed, and drank with three times three, and loud applause. Lord NUGENT returned thanks, and proposed as a toast— " Manuel, the brave in the . cause of freedom, and the other French Deputies who supported him in opposing the tyranny of the Bourbons."--(Cheers.)--Air," Ca h a." Mr. Honnonsz next proposed —"The tried friend of the ud people, Joseph Hume, Esq." The toast was drank with lo cheers. Mr. Huiltr returned thanks In a speech of considerable length, in which he dwelt upon the advantages to be derived from the liberty of the pre ss. He concluded by givin "g. The liberty of the Press." (Three times three, and loud applause.) Colonel TOREEWS made a suitable reply. The following Gentlemen, their heal ths being drank as friends. of Reform, severally returned thanks U. Bennet, Mr. S. Whitbread, Mr. H on ywood, Mr. J. Williams, Mr. Monck (for himself and his colleague, Mr. C. F. Palmer), Mr. Baines, of Leeds, Mr. H. Marsh, Of Reading, Mr. H. Townshend. The Meeting then dispersed at half past 11 o'clock. o N u c r7 . o --- t. drometritihjouenheen to r f t e n . C Ceive a lte MYO:ll7hNepldoCl•at°fCurom the Urigde 'House Comtilittee relative to the proceedings in the louse of Corn. mons, since the last Court, respecting the New London Bridge. The said Committee presented R e port, stating that his Majesty's Government , had assented to make advances to the extent of 150,000/. by payments of from 10,0001. to 20,0001. per annum out of the Consolidated Fund, and which the Committee were of opinion would be sufficient, with the (mans the Corporation posSess, to warrant them proceeding with the work.—A Motion was made to agree with . the Committee in their Report. To which au Amendment was moved, 'to adjourn the consideration thereof, and for the Report to be printed; upon which a . division took place, and the numbers were as fol low :—For the Adjournment 40; for agreeing to the Report 49—The Report of the Committe was then agreed to, and the Bill in Parliament ordered to be altered conformably thereto. COAL-MARKET, MAY 23. Ships at Market. Ships sold , Price. 19 Newcastle - - 15 -34 s Gd to 40s 9d 3 Sunderland - 31 -33 s Gd to 41s 9d 1 Scotch CoaL -35 s Od to —s Oct COURSE OF EXCHANGE, May 23. kmstet dam Ditto, at Sight l4 8 Rotterdam l2 11 Antwerp liamburgh 3B 4 2i Us Altona 3B 5 '2i Us. . Paris, 3 Day's sight 25, 90 0 Us. Ditto Rourdeaux, ditto Frankforton the Main Madrid . , 361 ElNctiee Cadiz Bilbos 36} Efleetits Barcelona ieville Gibraltar Leghorn Get am . 43 --Venice, Ital. Lir •4B to Malta 45 -Naples 3Bl Palermo Lisbon Oporto Rio Janeiro Dublin .... 91 Cork 91 pet * t : C *' e s64l ; i t . per 0. -11 BULLION. • Oil , Portugal Gold,in Coin • - 1.0 0 0 pet Foreign Gold, in Bars New Doubloons New Dollars ' ' 0 4 9 Silver in Burs. Standard 0 4 10 _...... . BIRTH. On the 9th inst, the-. - letdy of R. Gazeley, Esq., lurg e°ll4. Northampton-terrace, Clitproad, of a son. • MARRIED. w i n g.. On the 22d inst., Mr. Samuel Kershaw, Of Stoke Ne o f ton, to Ilarriot, eldest daughter of Mr. A. I. Parquot, one the On the 22d in st. cashiers of theil , a t ak llorns.of En ey the Rev.-Richard gland. ittrtb• Vicar of Stapleford, Notts, to Elizabeth Catharine, orlik,lri o ter of the late Samel Leach, Esq. and niece of thel ate Leach, Esq. of Aluswell On Wednesday morning, l) a i t E h l is house in Sitittua ttll4l34* On Wednesday, the 21st intit , at I(ennington, P. W. Longdill, Esq., Solicitor of Gray's-inn. year of his age, Richard Cheslyn, Esq., son the -, 1 141 1 Cheslyn, Esq., proctor, of Doctors' Cornrooo. 0 0 " On the 22d inst., at his,house Moore-place, Lambe:hi • Hyde, Esq. surgeon. ' , PP On the 19th inst. at Porto Bello,. near EdiributV,'„,too, Begbie, widow of tlie'la,te Alexander Be hie, Esq., °f - he 0 14 ' Printed and Published.. for, the r PRoPui ET MIR, at t- - Orriet, 112, Strand, by J. B. CARSTAIRg' in t ry fad