The Sun. — London, England, 1837-12-06 00:00:00

(Hear, hear)—and I hardly ever saw that proof succeed ; it is so easy to make the Judge consider that the party had probable cause. But then it may be said—and that, no doubt, is also to be considered—that the person in question exposes himself to the risk of a criminal proceed ing. If the debt was not owing, he might be indicted for perjury. But what if he is a foreigner 2—for your law does not confine the power of arrest to your own subjects, who are always here, and liable to the control of your own law, and to punishment by it. The foreigner as well as the native has this right ; who, after having done his deed, accom plished his purpose, nay, profited by the success of his de sign, leaves this country, and you never hear of him again ; and so the other party is as remedyless as he is scathless before and after the transaction. These are the conse quences of this system—a system cruel and utterly unjust, and to all principle utterly abhorrent—which is as incon sistent with the sound wisdom of legislation as it is with the humanity of that law which I had hoped we were about to come to a final decision upon, but into which I am now afraid we are only about to commence a new and pro tracted inquiry. I entirely agree with many of the remarks of my Noble and Learned Friend as to the defects of the pre sent measure. Some of them have been pointed out by my Noble and Learned Friend who introduced the Bill. As to all that my Noble and Learned Friend has said re lating to the dealing with trusts, and as to the right of executing powers giveu to the courts, there can be but one opinion. But Igo a step further, and I agree with my Noble and Learned Friend opposite (Lord Lyndhurst) as to the impropriety of extending that old, and I think impolitic and unjust, at all events highly inexpedient provision of the Bankrupt Law, but a remnant of a very ancient fashion of legislation, derived from a very old and obsolete state of society—l mean from the early time of Elizabeth and of James I.—that part of the Bankrupt Law which relates to orders and disposition. This Bill tends to extend that provision to the case where a party is a trader, and so within the provisions of the Bankrupt Law, but who is not a bankrupt. lam against that ; I would rather see it in the Bankrupt law itself, than extend it to cases to which it dees not apply. Therefore I agree that this part of the Bill must receive re-consideration, and I think material alteration. My Lords, I heartily agree that the great question is now not so much as to the details of the measure, as upon the general principle, shall arrest for debt be allowed or not ? I have repeatedly given my opinion on this subject ; I did so several yerr3 ago when I brought the general question of the state of the Law before the House of Commons, and which ld to tv.e appointment of the Common Law Commission. The ground upon which I always conceived that the law ought to proceed is this, and it is the principle upon which I eon ce've, though not in all respects very satisfactorily, never theless substantially, this Bill proceeds, that debt should never be treated as crime ; that whenever a man was only in the position of owing money to another, in whatever wav, but being unable to satisfy that just demand, he should only be liable to have all his property, whether in possession, or to which he had any right or claim, that could be converted into money, or which was owing to him, taken for the benefit of his creditor, and used in order to discharge that debt, hut that his person ought to be free from imprisonment as long as he had committed no offence. But, my Lords, I qualify that proposition by this other, and which also is recognised by the provisions of this Bill, that if the panty refuse to give up any part of his property, that contumacy shall be, I do not say punished by imprisonment, but visited with imprison ment for the purpose of putting an end to the contumacy, and securing obedience to the enactments of the law, and the orders of the Court.—( Hear.) And, in the next place, where any offence has been committed, either at the time of contracting the debt or subsequently to the contraction of it, that that also might be visited by imprisonment. But, my Lords, I am sorry to see—and I assure my Noble and Learned Friend who introduced the Bill, that I speak this with very sincere concern—but I am sorry to see that, among the altera tions about to be made in this useful, in my opinion just and humane, and I am certain wholesome and salutary Act, there is about to be made, besides the changes to which my Noble and Learned Friend adverted, one other alteration which I most deeply deplore—l mean that alteration which i 3 to draw the line between the Members of the two Houses of Parliament, and by which we arc invidiously and unjustly, and, in my opinion, towards the rest of the community, little short of in sultingly, to say that with us the law shall not operate; that alteration by which we are to plaee ourselves in the proud pre-eminence of bein g law-makers, and, therefore, law breakers— of making alaw by which ee know that we retain in our own hands the power to violate, and by which we alone, of all our fellow- citizens, are to keep to ourselves that power which was described both by my Noble and Learned Friend who spoke first, and my Noble and Learned Friend who spoke last, the power of not doing what every honest man does, and what every man ought to do. Their observation was, that the object of this Bill, of this compulsory enactment, was to make every man do what every honest man already did without compulsion. What an invidious position is it—and that, too, by way of privilege, by way of exalting Parliament and making it more likely to gain the affections and to command the respect of the people—what an invidious position is it in which this alteration is about to place you ! You, of all men, arc not to do, or at least are not to be obliged to do, what they who propound the alteration in the same breath tell you the object of the Bill is to compel every one to do— namelly, nothing more than what every honest man already does, and do not want any compulsion to force him to do. My Lords, this appears to me ominous cf the fate of the Bill ; I think I see its destruction in this most inauspicious change about to be attempted to be made in it. But what shill I say when I remind your Lordships of the principle of this - Bill, to which I have already ad verted, and upon which it was originally founded, that prin- ciple which I stated and contended for ten years ago in another House, and which led to the appointment of the Commission of which this Bill is the first most precious fruit, namely, that a distinction is to be taken between crime and misfortune, between contumacy and inability, between that which is only unavoidable and therefore innocent—an ina bility to pay a debt and perform an engagement, ar.d that which is fraudulent and, therefore, guilty, a criminal and shameful refusal to do whet every honest man, what my Noble and Learned Friend does of his own free-hill. That is the origin of the measure ; that was the origin of the Commission ; tf;at it was that made the Commissioners report in favour of this measure ; that it was that induced them to draw up this mea sure, which measure is based upon that principle, and that principle alone. If that be not the ground of this mea sure, it has not one inch of ground whereupon its foun dation can be said to rest. Well, then, how do you follow up the principle—how do you apply it ? The prin ciple being that every man who commits a fraud, every man who is guilty of a wrong, every man who conceals his property, every man who fraudulently makes it away, every man who fraudulently trailics to cheat his creditor—that all who che it their creditors wilfully and knowingly shall be dealt with not as uefoTtunate debtors, but as actual criminals. That being the principle of the Bill, what is the line about to be adopted by my Hon. and Learned Friend and ethers ? That your Lordships, that the Peers of the realm, the Aristocracy of England, the head and ornament of the State—they whose honour is reckoned better than other men's oaths— they who decide upon honour, while others judge upon their oath—the) who, above all, are not only the Peers, the aristocracy, the ornament and head of society—they, who are not only the law-givers of the country—they, who are making this law, as they say, to raise and aggrandise them selves, but, as I say, to debase and stigmatise themselves— are also, as it happet,s, the judges of the land in the last re sort, civil and criminal, and in all such cases administer crimi nal justice with the highest, the most supreme, and the most uncontrollable power—what is it that your Lordships, pos sessed of all these attributes, are to do to raise and aggran dise yourselves, and to recommend yourselves to the respect and affection of your fellow• subjects ? 'Why, you are to adopt a clause enabling you to do that which I will not repeat in conjunction with your names—but enabling you to do that by your honest creditors which, if other men were to do, you would punish as cheats, knaves, rogues, and swindlers. Now, let me see this clause propounded—let me have this alteration of the Bill propounded—let me see it brought forward, and I pledge myself to give every one of your Lordships an op portunity by your vote of redeeming yourselves, of saving yourselves, of guarding and protecting yourselves against the stigma about to be attached upon your names.—( Hear.) Lord WYNFORD thought that the Bill as it at present stood was hardly sufficient to effect the first object for which it was intended, to make people pay their just debts. There fore, when this Bill went into Committee, if he had the honour of being a Member of that Committee, ho should certainly propose additional clauses to carry the intention of the Bill into full effect. He (Lord Wynford) was the Judge who first established the practice—he believed it had since been em bodied in an Act of Parliament—that instead of applying for bail in any case, if the party paid the money into Court he should be saved from further expense. That being the case, the complaint of his Noble and Learned Friend upon that head was entirely an imaginary one. He (Lord Wyn ford) differed entirely from his Noble and Learned Friend upon the Woolsack as to the mode of carrying the princi ple of the Bill into executicn. Looking at the provisions of the Bill as it at present stood, he must say that he could not help regarding it as a most inefficient measure. It would of course be vain for him (Lord Wynford) to attempt to op pose the second reading ; but the Bill appeared to him to be so extremely defective that he should be very much surprised if one of the clauses which it now contained were to be found in the Bill after it came out of the Committee. He was de cidedly of opinion that arrest by mesne process ought to be avoided in all cases, except where it wasproved to be absolutely necessary. Arrest by mesne process, it was said, might be safely allowed where the creditor said he believed that his debtor was about to abscond. He thought that the Noble and Learned Lord (Lord Brougham) opposite had said enough to show that that was not the ,case ; and that the power of summary arrest could only ibe properly exercised in cases where it was proved, or where it was evident that the debtor was acting fraudulently. In no case would he allow the creditor, acting as he often did under the influence of passion, to be his own judge. The Noble and Learned Lord then entered into a discussion of many of the details of the Bill, but from the low tone of voice in which he spoke, it was im possible to gather the purport of his observations in the gal lery. He concluded by entering a protest against the Bill being hurried forward in a manner so hasty as to preclude the possibillity of its being properly considered. He was prepared with several amendmets, which he should feel it his duty to move in the Committee. Lord DENMAN could cite instances of the unjust opera tion of the arrest by mesne process. A member of a South American Council being in this country, and having given certain orders to a firm, was arrested for 50,0001., the debts of the firm, on the pretence that he was one of the partners, and he was lodged in prison. He afterwards brought an action for false imprisonment, and recovered damages. Could it be supposed that this occurred in a civilized country ? He could cite another flagrant instance that had occurred since he was Chief Justice. A Portuguese Duke, having landed at Falmouth, was put in prison. He was obliged to pay a large sum in order to purchase his release. He also brought an action for false imprisonment, and re covered some damages. But the party who had injured him was never able to pay any damages.—(Hear, hear.) And what damages, if paid, could be any compensation for such an outrage 1 It was absurd to suppose that either party in these cases could be prepared with the money to purchase their release. It was very often the case that parties could not command money to purchase their release, and they must suffer imprisonment. Let them reflect upon the injury which an imprisonment did to the trade and to the credit of the party arrested, and let them say whether there was any action for false imprisonment which could afford com pensation. An action for ills() imprisonment was no remedy, and often a party so arrested was injured for life. He trusted that a law which gave rise to acts of such great injustice, as the law of arrest upon mesne process, would not be conti nued in this free and enlightened country.—(Loud cheers.) He observed that these arrests generally took place for small sums. Two-thirds of those arrested had been arrested for sums under 301. He observed that parties were placed at the mercy not only of the creditor, but of the low practi tioners of the law, who had no regard, except for their own interests. He trusted that, whatever alterations they might make in this Bill in Committee, and whatever sub stitute they might adopt for arrest—whether what was proposed by the Bill in its present shape, or any other substi tute, he trusted that by the second reading of the Bill that night, it would stand recognized that the principle of arrest was abo lished.—( Hear.) In regard to exempting Members of Par liament from the operation of the Bill, be trusted that no clause to any such effect would find its way into the Bill, be cause the abolition of arrest did away with the reason which had given rise to the privilege of Parliament. Lord A BING E R said he was willing that the Bill should be committed ; and he was ready to give every assistance in his power towards improving the Bill ; but as the Bill now stood, it did not contain one single clause which had his ap probation. He observed that the Bill would throw additional labour upon the Judges without any additional remuneration. Lord BROUGHAM explained. The LORD CHANCE LLOR said, after the course which the discussion had taken, it would not be necessary for him to say much. In regard to a Select Committee, if that was considered the most effectual means of considering and im proving the details of the Bill, he should offer no objection to such Committee, but he hoped that such Committee was not for the purpose of obtzining further evidence, when they had such a mass of evidence now.—( Hear.) Ha thought that Members of Parliament should be liable to the operation of this Bill, because the abolition of arrest did away with the privilege of Parliament. Lord BROUGHAM explained. Wadsley, Yorkshire, at the Town-hall, Sheffield, Jan. 2, at one— E. Read, cordwainer, Laxfield, Suffolk, at the King's Head Inn, Beccles, Jan. 2, at two—J. Roberts, linendraper, Llandilo, Car - marthenshire, at the Commercial-rooms, Bristol, Dec. 29, at twelve—H. Cobb, farmer, Graveney, Kent, at the Guildhall, Can terbury, Dec. 26, at eleven. CERTIFICATES, Due. 26. J. W. Ringer, victualler, Great Yarmouth—S. H. Jonas, sugar refiner, Well-street, Wellclose-square— S. Eadson and R. Kilvert, fustian-manufacturers, Manchester—AL Andrew, grocer, Sheffield. Lord LYNDHURST explained. The Duke of WELLINGTON was willing that the traders of this country should have some security other than the arrest on mesne process, if any substitute could be found. He hoped that the Committee would be able to find some substitute for the arrest in question, that would be satisfactory to the traders : but if neither the Select Committee nor the Committee of the whole House, could find such substitute, then he should oppose the bill at a future stage. He agreed with the Noble and Learned Lord, that one of the causes of incurring debts was this very power of arrest, but he believed it was also both the cause and the consequence of the great prosperity of this country. The enormous transactions that were carried on in this country did require other and stronger means of recovering debts than existed in other countries. There must, he said, be some strong security for the traders. The Marquis of LANSDOWNE agreed with the Noble Duke, that some satisfactory substitute for arrest must be found ; but he could not agree with him that every species of credit which existed at present should be preserved.--( Hear, hear.) Part of the credit was far from beneficial—it was, in deed, most noxious to society. There was one species of credit which was disastrous to the country. There were many tradesmen who entered into it, which created a species of gambling transactions ; and there were many who, by watching the feeling of the sons of men of wealth, took advantage of it. He called this the most unjust method of encouraging the unwary, particularly when the cre ditor is perfectly aware of the circumstances of the debtor. The Legislature ought to prevent this state of things. It did not require an attorney to seek for and by his in terference to adjudicate these matters of credit ; in fact, to do that unequally which ought to be left to the Legislature to determine. The Noble Duke who had preceded him had made reference to the nature and description of credit given in foreirm countries ; Lut in those countries, France in par ticular does not rely on arrest. The merchants of Bout deaux, Marseilles, and Rouen, still observe the old law of arrest more than in other places, but still it had been found to be ineffective. He ( Lord Lansdowne) was anxious to go into Committee on this Bill, feeling assured that the less credit there was given would ultimately tend to the benefit of the country. After a few words from Lord BROUGHAM, who said, after what had passed he hoped the second reading would take place. The Bill was read a second time, the Committee was ap pointed, and the House adjourned until ten o'clock on Thursday text. PARTNERSHIPS DISSOLVED. J. Pitcairn and D. Pitcairn, brewers, Maldon, Essex—J. Butter and P. Dent, surgeons and apothecaries, Kenninghall, Norfolk — G. Osborn and S. Nash, dyers, Liverpool—W. Marriott and W. Watkins, hat-manufacturers, Southwark—W. D. Hawson and G. T. Hawson, maltsters and common brewers, Yorkshire—T. Hyde and W. Ward, cotton brokers, Liverpool—G. W. Anstie and W. Waylen, attorne7fs and solicitors, Devizes—J. Heap and T. Shar ratt, coach builders, Lichfield—J. Palmer and M. Gardiner, beer and porter, cider, and perry merchants, Cheltenham—E. Williams and G. Kerr, c, ibinet makers, Liverpool—S. Hicks and ill. Ald ridge, millers al id farmers, Knapp, Southampton-t-D. Moginie and J. Chikaldy, dealers in East and West India produce, and spice merchants, St. Mary-at-Hill, London—G. Blakeley and J. Geldard, plasterers, Leedr—L. Rostron and R. Rostron, Manchester and Rio de Janeiro—T. W. Woolfe, G. J. Woolfe, and J. B. Woolfe, boat builders, Lower Shadwell—R. Ray and J. Tideswell, earthen ware and china manufacturers, Lane-end, Stoke-upon-Trent — E. Silva, sen., E. Silva, jun., and T. P. Silva, wharfingers and insurance brokers (so far as regards E. Silva, jun.) Morgan's-lane, Tooley-street-- W. H. Somerton, C. E. Coote, and Sarah Coote, newspaper proprietors, Bristol—J. Heeps and J. Heaps, black smiths, Maidwell, Northamptonshire. SCOTCH SEQUESTRATIONS. WILLIAM GRAHAM, haberdasher, Leith, Dec. 8 and 23, at twelve, at the Exchange Hotel. J. GRAY, Dundee, merchant, to meet Dec. 9, and Dec. 27, at twelve, within the Royal Hotel, Dundee. PRICES OF STOCKS THIS DAY AT ONE O'CLOCK. B tnk Stock. - 3 per Cent. Red. 92%54% i Ditto Bonds .. `6 30 otr. 3 per Cent, Cons. — lSouth Sea Stoi k -,- 3i, per Cent..........- ........... \ Old .kiinnities ......... ...... — Ditto Re:l. 99% T5.)41., , i , Nc w Ditto ' New 3.4 per Cent ... —i 3 pe - .; Cent. Annuttirit. 17 , 0... —.— New 5 per Cent... — F.,eti. Bills, .Elp44i 43 50 47 49 um Bank Long Annuttiestoeitorp Ditto 5OO 43 50 47 49 pm. Jan. 5, 1800 14 13-15 N, Ditto Small ... ...... 48 51 43 49 pm. Oct. 10, 1859 14 11-16 Ditto C0mmercia1......... pra. Jan. 5, 1860 l5 1-16 Ditto Advertised 44 43 pm Jan. 5, 1/39n April 5, itiN Jan. 5, 1870 — Co.ntiols for Account 93% T s Om nium pr.i. FROM LAST NIGILFS GAZETTE. ST. JAMES'S PALACE, OCT. 28, 1837. The Queen has been pleased, on the nomination of Lord Foley, to appoint Henry Larkin3 Ewart, Esq. one of her Majesty's nourable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms, by purchase, vice H, Weir, retired. PRICES OF FOREIGN FUNDS Aiistrian Bonds Belgian ..... Ditto Account Brazilian Bonds Ditto Account Buenos Ayres Bone- Acc-i)unt hiilian i3onds Ditto Account ........ ';o!urribian 80nd5............. ..... Ditto Aecoulit C)lunioian 80nd5,1324... Ditto Account l)tnish Bonds ..... Ditto Accouut Greek Bonds ............ Ditto Bonds, 1825 Ditto Account ..«..........« — Mexican BantAs, 5 pi, , r cent — Ditto Account Ditto, 6 per cent. -- Ditto Account Neapolitsn,.... ........ ........ PRICES OF SHARES THIS I'HIS DAY AT OSE O'CLOCK. Peruvian nonds Ditto Account ........ Vcrtuguese Bones ll Acconnt Pitto New Bonslv 2l Ditto Account 29 D‘tto, 3 per cer , 1 9 ,A% entlsian Bonds Great Western Railway Company Brighton Railway company Brighton Railway"( Rennie's) L cledon and Birmingham Railway CE Ditto Shares Ijintion and Croydon Railway Corn Itusatan Bon4s, 18'2'2 ...... Ditto Account nut. Metallic ...... •••••• Spanish Bands Ditto Account_. Ditto Bonde.lB2l 1936 Ditto Account French, 5 per cent —f —c. --'---- 4 per cent —l —. 7 , —1 per cent. —l. —..c. Exchange —C...., Dutch, '46 per cent. 5 4 1%4 Ditto Account — Ditto, 5 rer cent lo2tAli Ditto Account — DAY AT ONE O'CLOCK Paid. pir Share 6 5 1 i% 7s. 149 9 many 9O ipany Ditto Scrip I ontloa and Westminster Bank National Bank ot Ireland National Prorincial Bank of England COURSE OF EXCH. Amsterdam C.F. 12 4 Ditto, at sight 2 U. 12 Antwerp... Hamburg. Al tona.. - . 17g Paris, 3 days' sight 25 60 Ditto - 3 Ms. 25 90 Marseilles. t3ourdcaux Frankfort on Maine, Ex. M 52!.4 Peternbuigh, ruble 3 Us. 10 Berlin Vienna, effective El 2 M. 10 10 rrieste ditto lO 11 Madrid 34 Cadiz.-- 35 Bilboa Barcelona II wille 34 7 fi I , IV. 32Y, THE SUN, LONDON, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 6, 1837. the childishness to swagger about " Magna Charta," "the Land of Liberty," and so forth ! The present Bill is a praiseworthy attempt to wipe off this disgrace which is unknown in other countries from our land, and to substitute a law more in unison with reason, humanity, and justice. Instead of giving the creditor an almost unlimited power over the per son of his debtor and hardly any over his pro perty, it gives him a more efficacious remedy against the property, and takes away—except in cases of fraud, which are in fact cases of crime—the power of imprisoning the pe rs o n . The chief argument upon which Lord LYNDHURST seemed to depend was this, that many traders had repre sented to him that the Bill would be very detrimental to their interests. It is possible that some of the clauses may tend to clog commercial transactions, and may, therefore, require consideration but is the whole ma sure to be sacrificed on that account ? There is ano ther class of traders whose opposition to the Bill is, we believe, implacable, and who are striving tooth and nail to defeat it—we mean the petty tradesmen who encourage and entice their customers to take goods on credit, and then pounce upon them either with an arrest or with a threat of arrest, and screw the payment, if not out of the debtor, out of his friends. Now one most important be nefit to the community from this measure will be that there will be - much less credit given, and those who are now tempted by long credit to contract debts which they cannot pay, will be compelled to exercise more economy in their expendi ture. The objections made by Baron LYNDHURST were satisfactorily and ably answered by Lord BROUGHAM, to whose admirable speech we beg to refer our readers. They will there see an admirable illustration of the working of the present abominable law, and of the sufferings which it may inflict on the innocent, when set in motion by unprin cipled persons. The Irish Municipal Reform Bill was, on the motion of Lord JOHN RUSSELL, read a first time in the House of Commons last night. We congratulate the Government on the early redemption of its pledges to the people of Ire land ; and we trust its influence will be employed in accelerating the progress of the more important Bills, for improving the laws and institutions of that country—in order to prevent their rejection by the Lords under the plea of the advanced state of the Parliamentary Session, and the pressure of other public business. Ire land is as much entitled to Municipal Institutions as either England or Scotland, and it is high time that she ob tained them. The " Battle of the Diamond" was re-fought in the House of Commons last night and terminated—if not in the reversion of the victory toasted for upwards of forty years by the Orange Magistracy of Armagh, Derry, and Tyrone—at all events, in the total discomfiture of the Hon. and Gallant Orange Representative of the first named of these counties. Colonel VERNER, in the excess of his zealous adherence to the Protestant-Ascendancy principle, justified to Parliament and to the country the conduct of the Government in dismissing him from the magistracy. His defence of his own conduct was a bold one ; but at the same time it was one which confirms Mr. O'CoNNELL's oft-repeated declaration, that " the present Government is the only one that ever zealously exerted itself to do justice to Ireland." The Gallant Colonel ad mitted at once that he had toasted the " Battle of the Diamond"—that he had not done so for the first or the fiftieth time—that it was a toast which had been given and cheered, at public and private dinners, i❑ the Coun ties of Armagh and Tyrone, for nearly half a century—that the fact of its having been so given was known to every Government in Ireland since 1795, but that no notice had ever been taken of it before the month of August last. This open admission of so startling a fact alarmed the Tories who had come dawn to the House to fight under the banners of the Orange ex-Deputy, Lord- Lieutenant. The Hon. Member for Kilmarnock, who has recently been exhibiting his ignorance of every thing con nected with Ireland, admitted that th 9 toast was " ill judged ;" Mr. LITTON complained of the espionage of the Government which interfered to prevent country gentlemen from hiccupping Orangeism over their cups ; Mr. SHAW rose to tell the House that he did not mean to justify the toast ; and Mr. Et.ms, who was present when the toast, was given, declared that he knew nothing of what it was about, or to what previous transaction it referred. Thus there was not a Tory in the House, with the exception of Colonel VERNER, who did.not either openly or tacitly condemn the conduct of the Irish Magis trates during the whole period so boastingly referred to by the dismissed Orange functionary. The speech of Lord MORPETH was masterly in the extreme ; and the earnestness with which he declared that a " Magistrate who could give such a toast was unworthy of the confidence of his neighbours," elicited shouts of applause. The CHANCELLOR Of the EXCHEQUER dealt some bard blows at the Irish Magistracy, which told amazingly well. The motion was not opppsed by the Government. The German Papers received this morning announce that the metropolitan chapter of Cologne has elected the Vicar-General of the Archdiocese (HUIGSEN) to perform the episcopal functions until the Court of Rome has decided whether the Prussian Government was justified in com manding the removal of the Archbishop. For this act some of the canons of the chapter had their houses attacked by the populace, but the appearance of the military served to restore order, before any material damage was done. We regret to learn that the Government of Austria, irri tated at the harsh treatment of the Catholics by Prussia, has adopted a retaliatory policy, and has even proceeded so far as to expel from her territory the small community of Zillervale, for declaring themselves converts from the Church of Rome to the doctrines of the Lutheran Church. These exiles have been received with raptures of applause by Prussia ; and thus, by a fatal error on both sides, are the seeds of religious feuds, for centuries to come, now sowing in Germany. Hallovint, Nov. 27.—(From a letter in the Hamburgh Cor respondent.)—" We learn that the Gottingen Professors have re ceived from the Curatorium of the University, in reply to their remonstrance respecting the Royal Patent of Ist November, that it was of such a nature that it could not be received. At the same time, it is said, the Oath of Allegiance was tendered to them for their signature, with an intimation that in case of their refusal, they would be discharged from their functions as professors of the Universisy. If this is so, we may look forward with certainty to a great, almost irreparable loss to the University. Great sensation has been excited by a report that the Supreme Court of Appeal at Celle has declared against the Royal Patent, and the reported steps of the Dukes of Sussex and Cambridge, in favour of the Constitution of 1833, appear to be confirmed. The Leipzig Allgerneine Zeitung has an article from Bruns wick, dated Nov. 23, which says—" The Assembly of the Estates, in its sitting yesterday, unanimously adopted the motion of a member to insert in the Journals of the Chamber a declaration, That the Estates confidently trusted that the Ducal Government would take such measures, in its relation with the German Confe deration, as might effect the restoration of the Constitution in the kingdom of Hanover.' " The whole of the Paris Journals of Monday have been received. They contain no domestic news of the slightest interest. &dykes from Pamplona of the 20th ult. state that nothing can be more deplorable than the condition of the Carlists. The Curd MORENo is reported to have been killed by his own men-the Infante Don SEBASTIAN has been imprisoned for conspiring against the Pretender- VILLAREAL and SIMON DE LA TORRE have been exiled and eighteen Carlist officers have fallen into the hands of BUEREN'S division, in an attempt to re-cross the Ebro, after the failure of the late expedition. On the other hand, ESPARTERO is taking his ease at Pamplona, nor is there any appearance of his troubling his head about the proceedings of the rebels during the winter, provided the Madrid Government will allow him to act as he may deem most convenient. Instead of striking a final blow, now that the enemy is in some degree in his power, he busies himself with intrigues which he has neither the brains to unravel nor the ability to profit by. We have no intelli gence from Madrid. Baron Allege de Cepry, Minister Plenipotentiary of France to the German Diet, has been for some days in Paris. It is said that he has been summoned to Paris to give his opinion on the prevail ing opinion of Southern Germany, and in particular on the spirit of the Members of the Diet with respect to the affairs of Hanover. Another subject of his coming is said to be to receive instructions, which may be necessary for him to act upon, in case, as is highly probable this affair should be brought before the Representatives of the Confederation.-Messager. FRENCH FUNDS.-Pests,DEc. 4. Five per Cents., 107 f. sc. Four and a Half per Cents., 104 E 75c.; Four per Cents., 100 f. 75c. SOc. 90c. Three per Cents., 80f. 25c. 35c. 25c. Bank Actions, 2,580 f. Rente de Naples, 99E 50c. 40c. Roman Five per Cents., 101 100%. Spanish Actives, 20%%. Spanish Passives, 414. Belgian Loan, 10214. Brussels Society, 1,680 E Belgian Bank, 1,525 f. 1,527 E 50c. 1,530 f. Portuguese Three per Cents., 18%% ‘il / 6. Dutch Two and a halfper,Cents., 54% 14 . Haytlan Loan, 355 E EXCHANGE ON LONDON. One month, paper, 25f. 42%c. i • money, 25f. 40 c . Three months, paper, 25E 2736 c.; money, 25E 2714 c -(;ours Authentioue. LAST PRICES, Five per Cents. 107 f. 25c. Three per Cents., SOf. 40c. Bank Actions, 2,560 f. Romans, 100%. Belgian Loan, 102 k. Belgian Bank, 1,530 f. Brussels Society, 1,680 E Portuguese Three per Cents., 18%. Spanish Actives, 20:X. Spanish Passives, 4A. Haytian Loan, 355 f. Dutch Two and a Half per Cents., 54141'. We are happy to observe that the Chancellor of the Exchequer intends to move for a Committee to consider the propriety of increasing the number of parochial schools in the Highlands. There is, we believe, a population in the High lands of about 80,000 unable to read or write i—lnverness Courier. CITY OF LONDON ELECTION. (THIS DAY.) A Public Meeting took place this day at the London Tavern, Bishopsgate-street, of the Reform Electors of the City of London, for the purpose of considering the steps necessary to be taken in consequence of the petition presented by the Tories against the return of the four sitting Members. Among those on the platform we observed W. J. Denison, Esq., M.P. ; W. Kingscote, Esq. ; G. Hibbert, Esq. ; A. Hastie, Esq., M.P. ; Currie, Esq. ; J. Pattison, Esq., M.P. ; G. Grote, Esq., M.P. ; F. Ladbroke, Esq. ; Thompson Hankey, Esq. ; G. H. Larpent, Esq. ; M' caggart, Esq., M.P. ; J. Warre, Esq. ; G. Calvert, Esq. ; Hon. T. Denham ; Sir Matthew Wood, Bart., M.P. ; W. Craw ford, Esq., M.P. ; Bourdieu, Esq. ; Hervey, Esq. : Thomas Christy, Esq. ; A. Alexander Hankey, Esq. ; John Tra vers, Esq. ; Bassett Colvin, Esq. ; H. Forsyth, Esq. ; B. Wood, Esq. ; W. Drane, Esq. ; E. Ellice, Esq. ; F. Wakefield, Esq. ; J. J. Barton, Esq. ; G. Rew, Esq. ; S. Amorey, Esq. ; G. Moreland, Esq. ; J. L. Jones, Esq. ; W. Pritchard, Esq. ;.G. W. Edwards, Esq. ; S. Baylis, Esq. ; and many other mercantile men of great eminence. On the motion of Mr. TRAVERS, seconded by Mr. HEPPEL, W. J. Denison, Esq., M.P., was called to the Chair. The CH AIRMAN said, flattered and gratified as I must be by the honour of presiding over so numerous and so respectable a body of gentlemen as I now have the honour of seeing before me, I should make an ill return for that kindness if I were to tresspass long on your time, or occupy any part of that portion of the day which will be devoted to other, and I trust better purposes. —( Cheers. ) Still I think it is a duty incumbent on me, before we proceed to the business of the day, to state to you in as few words as I possibly can, the object, and intent, and purposes of this meet ing. I trust that every Gentleman will have a fair hearing, what ever his political opinions are—whether he is Whig, Tory, or Ra dical. Every Gentleman should have a candid and fair hearing.— (Cheers. ) Gentlemen, I have no report to make to you from any Secret Committee ; we are not met in close divan or secret conclave, but in the face of day, and by public advertisement. We are fairly met to consider the extraordinary conduct of our political opponents, for . such I must call them, and how best to support the return of my Honourable Friend on my right. I trust, Gentlemen, that no party heat will occur to day, but that. with calmness, moderation, and discretion, we shall discuss the best mode of effecting that purpose. It must be per fectly well known to all of you, what took place at the last election. You had been represented in the last Parliament by four Gentle men whom I have the honour to call my friends—three of them were returned by large majorities on the poll—they are all men of most unexceptionable private character, against whom the finger of calumny has never been pointed. You had, Gentlemen, in the first place, your venerable Magistrate on my right, who I think has been returned ten times for your City—( Loud cheers)—whose whole life has been passed in a steady and consistent course in the popular cause.—( Continued cheering.) If he has been wrong I must plead guilty to the charge. He has lately been rewarded by our youthful, illustrious, and beloved Queen, who has conferred on him an honour he well deserves, and, I trust, may long wear.— ( Applause.) Next upon the poll is my respected friend, Mr. Crawford, whom I had the honour of proposing first of all at a Common Hall in the Guildhall. Of him I will only say, that as a friend and neighbour knowing his worth, that while he most stre nuously attends to all his Parliamentary and metropolitan duties, he does not omit those of a county magistrate and country gentleman. My next Hon. Friend is Mr. Pattison, the ex-Governor of the Bank of England, who, I am sure an earthquake would not remove from his principles.—(Great cheering.) Of the last gentleman, whom I lament to see so low upon the poll, my Hon. Friend, Mr. Grote, I shall only say, from his talents, from his literary acquire. ments, and steady attachment to the popular cause, from his un wearied efforts to obtain for the humbler classes. of society that pro tection for their vote without which their suffrage becomes a burthen—l can only say of him, that there is no constituency in the three kingdoms that ought not to be proud of having him as their Representative. The fifth candidate was a gentleman with whom I have the honour of being acquainted. He is a gentleman perfectly qualified to represent this great city in Parliament, though I differ from him toto edo in his principles. He is a gentleman of great talent, unsullied worth, and extensive knowledge. Over that Gentleman my Hon. Friend, Mr. Grote, had a majority of six. If that Gentleman or his Committee thought he hada fair chance of success, he would have done right to petition against the return of Mr. Grote only, but I contend that the most extraordinary course has been adopted by his Committee, for 1 entirely acquit Mr. H. Palmer of their acts. Any gentleman who knows anything about elections, must know that when a candidate is started his hands are tied, and all that is done in his name is done by his Committee. The course the Committee has taken in this case is the most extraordinary which, in rather a long political life, I ever witnessed. It hes been my lot to be engaged in many contests. I have known the reverse of fortune ; I have been triumphantly borne on the tide of success, and I have known the cold hour of defeat and distress ; but we have always fought the contest with the spirit of men and the language of gentlemen—(Cheers);—and when that contest has been con cluded we have always shaken hands and been the best of friends.— ( Cheers.) But I rather think that was not the case here.— ( Cheers.) We all know the angry feeling that is engendered by an election, and we know also how bitter is party feeling upon de feat. But this petition is got up when those feelings have in some degree subsided.—( Cheers.) Now what can be the object of this ? I will tell you, gentlemen, what I think the object is. It is two fold : one is, to wear down the popular party by expense.— ( Cheers.) But there is another cause. You all know, gentlemen, as well as myself how nearly the two great parties in the country are divided in the House of Commons. You all know the number of petitions presented, and you all know bow those petitions arc to be supported..--(Cheers.) By petitioning against three of my Hon. Friends they deprived the country in the House of Commons of their services upon Committees. I make no reflections upon Com mittees of theHouze of Commons ; but we all know how an able, elo quent, and artful advocate will often make the worst appear the better cause ; and certainly if I was so circumstanced, I should prefer having a Whig Committee—(Laughter)—as no doubt the gentlemen on the other side would prefer a Tory one. Now, gen tlemen, a few words more, and! shall trouble you no longer. You all know the wealth and power of our political opponents. They are composed of the most opulent of the wealthiest aristocracy that Eu rope ever saw, and they are not very scrupulous in the use of that wealth.—( Hear, hear.) Think not that I say this for the purpose of alarming you. No, but in order to stimulate you to more ardent and strenuous exertions. Besides, I believe that the wealth and power opposed to us can no more stem the tide of impoo7ement, of civilization and reform, than the celebrated Saxon Monarch of the Heptarcby could stem the tide of the ocean.—( Great cheering. ) I shall now, gentlemen, trespass on your attention no farther than to express a hope that every gentleman will not only obtain a fair hearing, but that the discussion shall be carried on with temper, moderation, and above all that there shall be no discussion amongst us Reformers. Let us recollect that the object of our assembling to. day is for the purpose of dereating the petition—l was about to say conspiracy—which has been got up against the return ; to that object, and that object alone, I hope that the discussion will be confined. I thank you most gratefully for the atten tion with which you have listened to me—(cheers) — GEORGE LARPENT, Esq., said—Not having taken a prominent part in the election for the City of London,. a resolution had been put into his hands, which he felt much pleasure in laying before the meeting. The resolution was 1. That the electors of London here assembled regard the peti tion presented to Parliament against the return of the four present Representatives as an attempt to coerce the majority of the con stituency, and to deprive them of the services of those who have been elected their Members by a fair and open election. This proposition would not require much argument from him to enforce it, particularly after the luminous exposition entered into by their respected Chairman ; and as he was to be followed by a gentleman who was much more conversant with its details than he was. But he felt so strongly upon this occasion that he would make one or two observations upon this extraordinary attempt. That there should be an inquiry when the majority was only six between two of the candidates was to be expected; but he did not expect, when he looked to the respectable character of their opponent, that they should have petitioned against the three others, when there could not be a shadow of doubt as to their election.—(Hear, hear.) Besides, it was impossible that out of the four any one but Mr. Palmer could sit, supposing his petition to be successful.—(Hear, hear, hear.) Why, therefore, should the expenses be brought to such an enormous extent, as probably they would be, but to dial' the purses of the constituency who supported the Reform candidates.—(Cheers.) Unless, indeed (which he should be sorry to imagine) it arose from personal pique.—( Hear, hear.) There was certainly an allegation of bribery in the petition, but from all that he had heard, and from the inquiries that he had made, he was satisfied that the accusation would recoil on those who made it.—(Loud cheers.) What! bribe the electors of the city of London ? The thing was an absurdity—an impossibility. —(Cheers.) But God forbid that if there had been bribery com mitted it should not be inquired into.—(Loud cheers.) Much po litical morality was yet to be learned by public men with regard to bribery at elections—(Cheers)—but the electors of the city of Lon don would never support men who could be guilty of each a crime. —(Cheers.) The gravamen of this attempt, however, was, that the parties against whom the petition had been presented were united, and it was now endeavoured to make them pay the penalty of their union. Holding, however, as he did, opinions differing somewhat from those entertained by some of his Hon. Friends, he would state why he came in this manner to support all the four Metribers. The country was divided into two great parties—he might almost say two great columns—there was the Blue from the deepest down to the lightest Curalian ; and there were all shades of yellow, from the brigbtest orange to the lightest possible tint.—(Laughtcr, and Hear; hear.) Now, if he had seen upon the other side any such scrupulousness as to coming forward to assist their Candidate, because there was some difference of opinion _ between them, he might, perhaps, from a slight difference of ()Pinion between him and some of his Hon. Friends, have been induced to stay away. But though Mr. Palmer on a former occasion had de clared himself to be no Tory, all shades of Tories have come for ward to support him.—(Hear, hear.) Therefore did he (Mr. L.) come forward at the election, and therefore did he come forward now to support all his Hon, Friends.—(Cheers.) He considered it to be the duty of all Reformers to support reforming principles and a reforming Government—(Cheers)—and on great occasions like the present to forget al 'minor distinctions—(Loud cheers) — and he had no doubt that their united exertions would prove ulti mately successful.—(Cheers. ) He would conclude by moving the resolution. Join; TRAVERS. Esq., then came forward and said—Gentle men I have great pleasure in seconding this resolution, and of coming among you early in this business, because it so happens that I am acquainted more than those that surround me at this time with the circumstances which have induced us to call you together on the present occasion. We are assembled here, Gen tlemen, as you have heard, in consequence of a petition just pre sented to the House of Commons against the return of our four present Members, and that petition has been presented by our old friends the Tories.—(Great laughter.) Gentlemen,l have read the petition somewhat carefully, and I state without hesita tion, that it is full of allegations •as false as they are absurd and scandalous.—( Tremendous cheering, and a few hisses.) Gentlemen, this petition, perhaps, is couched in the usual form of such petitions ; but nevertheless I recommend you, uninitiated as I am in such circumstances, to read it. It is a curious document, and will amply repay your perusal.—(Laughter.) W e are there charged with bribery and intimidation—with perjury and the subornation of perjury—with false personation, and every thi ng that is black in the catalogu e of political crimes—and this, gentle men, to come from the Tories at any time.—( Great cheering and laughter.) But I think I can solve the riddle for you. Our friends the Tories having been at the late e l ec ti on somew h at more intimate with suc h practices than they oug ht t o h ave been, are willing to anticipate a difficulty that may fall back on themselves ; and therefore they accuse you first with those things with which they are, I believe, themselves exclusively chargeable. --(Cheers.) I had the honour at the late election of filling a cer tain post among you, and had a pretty fair and full view of the whole matter ; and I tell you, Gentlemen, I know of no such evil doings on ou r side ; but that upon every occasion, during that election, when certain prop osa l s were ma d e to me—and be it marked, Gentlemen, that those proposals generally came from men who were strangers to me, and whom I considered at the time were spiesfrom the enemy' s camp wanting to entrap me, and whom I still believe to be so—when such proposals were made to me, I repelled ST. JAMES'S PALACE, Nov. 30. The Queen has been pleased, on the nomination of Lord Foley, to appoint Robert Alexander Gray, Esq. one of her Majesty's Honourable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms, by purchase, vice Joseph Knight, retired. OFFICE OF ORDNANCE, Dr.c. 4. Royal Artillery—First Lieut. T. Knatchbull to be Second Cap tain, vice R. G. S. Smith, retired on . half-pay ; Second Lieute nant H. W. Montresor to be First Lieutenant, vice Knatchbull; First lieutenant J. Humphrey St. John to be Second Captain, vice Gilbert, retired on half-pay; Second Lieutenant W. M. D. Willau to be First Lieutenant, vice St. John, Nov. 28; Second Lieutenant C. Dickson to be First Lieutenant, vice Losack de. ceased, Nov. 29. WHITEHALL, Nov. 27. The Lord Chancellor has appointed John Millington, of Carnar von, in the county of Carnarvon, Gent., to be a Master Extraor. Binary in the High Court of Chancery. DECLARATION OF INSOLVENCY. THOMAS BA TCHELOR, coach maker, Baternan's-row, Shoreditcl,. BANKRUPTCIES SUPERSEDED. ISAAC BRUNT, button-manufacturer, Leek, Staffordshire, JOHN FORD, Jun., dealer, Wolverhampton. BANKRUPTS. _ _ GEORGE T3OUGHEY, tea-dealer, Bridge-street, Blackfriars, to surrender Dec. 15, at ten, and Jan 16, at eleven, at the Court of Bankruptcy. Graham, Basinghall-street, official assignee; Geles, Lime-street, Leadenhall-street. HENRY MOPSEY, ironmonger, Oxford-street, Dec. 12 and Jan. 16, at ono, at the Court of Bankruptcy. Belcher, official assignee ; Smith, Chancery-lane. THOMAS WOODS and JOHN DOWDEN, cabinet-makers, Portsmouth, Dec. 12 and Jan. 16, at one, at the Court of Bank ruptcy. Abbott, official assiee ; Rush , g,n Austinfriars. JOSEPH CH ARLWOOD, hop-merchant, Birmingham, Dee. Li and Jan. 16, at eleven, at the Clarendon Hotel, Birmingham. Whitehouse, Quality-court, Chancery-lane ; Rowlinson, Birming ham ; Harrison, Birmingham. THOMAS WYATT, baker, Oxford, Dec. 13, and Jan. 16, at ten, at the Mitre Inn, Oxford. Matthews, Oxford ; Holmes, Great James-street, Bedford-row, London. JAMES MITCHELL, baker, Yeovil, Somerset, Dec. 11, and Jan. 16, at twelve, at the Antelope Inn, Dorchester. Lucas,. Bloomsbury-square, London ; Slade, Yeovil. GEORGE LANDER, upholsterer, Warwick, Dec. 14, and Jan. 16, at twelve, at the Lansdowne Hotel, Leamington-priors. Lamprav and Field, Warwick and Leamington; Taylor, Sharpe, and Field, Bedford-row, London. JACOB BRADLEY COOPER, coal-merchant, Suffolk, Dec. 13, and Jan. 16, at twelve, at the Six Bells Inn, Bury St. Edmund's. Hawkins, Bloxam, and Stocker, Lincoln's-ins ; Golding and King, Walsham-le- Willows ; Hayward, Needham-market, Suffolk. CHARLES TURNER, lodging-housekeeper, Leamington priors, Warwickshire, Dec. 14, and Jan. 16, at twelve, at the Lans downe Hotel, Leamington-priors. Parker, St. Paul's Church yard, London; Empson, Leamington. RICHARD FREEMAN, builder, Wisbeach, Cambridgeshire, Dec. 14, at eleven, and Jan. 16, at five, at the Globe Inn, King's Lynn, Norfolk. Hincks, Wisbeach ; Haslam and Bischoff, Copt hall-court, London. HENRY JONES, china-manufacturer, Hanley, Stoke-npon- Trent, Staffordshire, Dec. 20, and Jan. 16, at eleven, at the Swan Inn, Hanley. Litchfield and Owen, Chancery-lane, London ; Brown, Hanley. WILLIAM GRIFFITHS, draper and grocer, Great Malvern, Worcestershire, Dec. 12, and Jan. 16, at twelve, at the Crown Inn, Broad -street, Worcester. Bedford, Calthorpe-street, Lon don ; Bedford and Pidcock, Worcester. JOHN SCANTLEBURY, builder, York-place, New-road, Paddington, Dec. 11, at one, and Jan. 16, at eleven, at the Court of Bankruptcy'. Green, Aldermanbury, official assignee ; Thomp son and Hewitt, Great James-street, Bedford-row. THOMAS SIMCOCK and JAMES SLATER, tailors, Little Ryder-street, St. James's-street, Dec. 13, at two, and Jan. 16, at eleven, at the Court of Bank ru pt cy . G o ld sm id, Ironmonger lane, fficial assignee ; Duncan, Lincoln's Inn-fields. SAMUEL BENTLEY WOODHOUSE, lace-manufacturer, Nottingham, Dec. 16, and Jan. 16, at eleven, at the George the Fourth Hotel, Nottingham. Percy and Co., Nottingham; Austen and Hobson, Raymond-buildings, Gray's Inn. MATTHEW EXLEY, mercer, Bromsgrove, Worcester, Dec. 23 and Jan. 16, at eleven, at the Crown Inn, Bromsgrove. Robe son, Bromsgrove ; Gregory, Clement s-inn, London. JESSE MITCHELL, draper, Portsmouth, Dec. 20 and Jan. 16, at twelve, at the Fountain Inn, Portsmouth. Lambert and Bunter, Raymond-buildings, Gray's-inn, London; Hoskins Portsmouth. DIVIDENDS. At the Court of Bankruptcy, Basinghall-street. J. D. Metcalf, jeweller, Regent-street, Jan. 2, at twelve—H. A. Douglas, merchant, Old Broad-street, Dec. 28, at twelve— W. Anderson, Anderson, licensed victualler, New-road , S t. George's in the East, Dec, 28, at one—D. Mott, poulterer, Leadenhall7market, Dec. 28, at two—A. Widger, woollen-draper, Buckfastleigh, De vonshire, Dec. 27, at twelve. In the Country. J. Evans, dyer, Hulme, Manchester, at the Commissioners rooms, Manchester, Dec. 29, at three—A. Southward, dyer, Hulme, Manchester, at the Commissioners-rooms, Manchester, Dec. SO, at three—G. J. S. Tomkins, scrivener, Leamington priors, Warwickshire, at the Red Horse Inn, Stratford-upon-Avon, Dec. 28, at twelve—C. Radenhurst, innkeeper, Birmingham, at the Nelson Hotel, Birmingham, Dec. 26, at twelve—J. M'Gowan, tutton-maker, Gerrard-street, Soho, at the Clarendon Hotel, Bir mingham, Dec. 29, at one—J. Osborn, jun., ironmonger, Gains borough, Lincolnshire, at the Woolpack, Gainsborough, Jan. 10, at twelve—J. Webster and J. A. Webster, paper-manufacturers, MARKET INTELLIGENCE. (From the London New Price Current of last Evening.) SUGAR.-The British Plantation Market continues exceed ingly inactive ; 625. has been accepted for good dry brown Jamaica, 665. for good mid, yellow ; for mild grey St. Vincent's Os. has been offered and refused. Barbadoes went heavily at a reduction on former rates of Is., fine sold at 665. 6d. to 685., middling to good 645. to 665. Of refined goods there are very few buyers for home consumption, and the prices of 795. for lumps passing, and 775. to 78s. for those rather under the standard are merely nominal. This afternoon the grocers continued to keep altogether out of the market. For shipping the double crushed is in demand, and further sales have been made at 365. 6d. a 375., at the latter price the market is firm. Matoarms.-The transactions privately have been ex tremely limited, at a reduction on former prices of 6d. to Is. upon all descriptions. EAST INDIA.-Bengal subject to tho 245. duty continue to decline in value. Fine white sold at 68s. to 695., mid. and good at 655. to 675., damps 625. 6d. to 67s , mid. yellow 62a. to 645. Gd., very low moist brown 51s. 6d. to 555., mid. 59z. 6d. From the shippers there is still no demand. FOREIGN.-The market has assumed rather a quiet appear ance. Low and mid. white Rio and Bahia at 27a. 6d. to 345. 6d., gcod and fine brown 225. to 235. 6d., and mid. yel low 21s. ; yellow Havannah of good quality is held for 30s. Gd. to 31s. ; Paraiba in chests mid. brown 19s. to 205., ord. ISs. ; Havannah supported previous rates, but were only prrtly dis posed of; good to fine yellow at 295. 6d. to 315., one lot at 28s. 6d. The Muscovadoes were all taken in above their value ; fine brown at 235. 6d. to 215., good to fine yellow 253. to 295. 6d. MOLASSES.-A reduction on former prices of is. has been submitted to ; for fine quality 375. accepted. COFFEE.-This afternoon the grocers were ready buyers of British Plantation, and 155 casks Berbice offered at auction were taken readily at fully the rates previously established; low middling went at 102 s. to 1055., ragged 975., unclean triage 925. to 935. The public sales of 820 bags o f Foreign went at an advance of is. to 2s. ; Brazil, fine coloury sold, at 4s. to 435. 6d., good 41s. Gd. to 425. ; sea damaged, first class, 40s. to 41s. 6d., second and third ditto, 395. to 40s. 6d. St. Domingo good ordinary coloury 445. ; Havannah 41s. to 41s. 6d, for good ordinary yellow. GLOUCESTER-TUESDAY. TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN. SIR,—In consequence of the declaration of Lord John Rus sell on the question of Vote by Ballot, it has aroused the honest men of Gloucester up ; and last night (Monday) our large Shire Hall was filled at an early hour (six o'clock) to hear the Ex-Member fur Stroud (Mr. Simonds) on the subject. Cap tain Harward, R. N., was in the chair. Never was so much warmth felt in Gloucester on the subject. The meeting was numerous, in spite of Tory attempts to oppose it. A petition was agreed upon, and the meeting separated at ten o'clock, fully and satisfactorily convinced that Vote b . , Ballot is the only protection for the interests of Gloucester and the country generally. A CONSTANT READER. Gloucester, Dec. 5, 1837. P. S.—lt is of no use Lord John or Lord Any-body defend ing it ;it must be the law of the land. Three hundred names were put to the petition before the meeting separated. NOE YESTERDAY ilibraltar 44 Leghorn 11 Genoa `.:6 10 Milan A ........ 31 Venice 6 Naples n9 Palermo per oz. 118% Lisbon 534 ° e on° 53% Rio Janeiro .......... 27% Bahia 25 Buenos Ayres Dublin, 21 days' sight l% Cork l% PRICE OF BULLION, PER OZ. Portugal Gold, coin £8 14 0 Foreign Gold, in bars 3 17 9 New Doubloons New. Dollars Silver, bars. standard 0 4 11% lIIGII WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE TO-MORROW. Morning 45minutes after 9 I Evening 16 minutes after 10. The publication of THE SUN NEWSPAPER commenced this day at 50 minutes past Three a' Clock. LONDON : WEDNESDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 6, 1837. The Imprisonment for Debt Bill passed the second read ing in the House of Lords last night. We are not war ranted, however, in concluding from this seemingly favour able omen that all will go well with the Bill. Lord LYNDHURST made a fierce attack upon it—so fierce, indeed, that we are persuaded he would, but for the odium attached to such a course, have thrown it out at once. The "alien" Baron knows well how he stands in public opinion, and therefore prudently avoids all unnecessary occasions of adding to his unpopularity. Instead of moving, as a manly opponent of the measure would have done, that the Bill should be thrown out, Lord LYNDHURST proposed that it should be referred to a Select Committee above stairs. This Committee will consist of the law Lords, and as a majority of them are on the Opposition side of the House, the measure will come down so mutilated, that its advocates will prefer withdrawing it to its passing in a state of emasculation that must render it ineffectual to any good purpose. The object of this Bill, as our readers are aware, is to do away with that barbarous law which gives to a creditor the power of seizing the person of his debtor, and immuring it in a gaol the instant the debt amounts, by fair means or foul, to twenty pounds. All that is re quired to deprive a British subject of his liberty, and in many cases to ruin his future as well as his present pros pects, is the oath of any one person, no matter how un worthy of belief, that the sum of twenty pounds is due to him. Such is the tenure by which Englishmen hold that which they are said to prize more than lif e t And yet, with this blot upon the national brow—with the consciousness that in the Statute-book of his country, personal freedom, the greatest of social bles sings, is appraised at the value of 201., the Englishman has . 41- .N7.412 t r a'j, c:r e ;to etV 4 l . .. 11 1 1", 4' , Wbt Zun. t w h h e a m te w ve it r h te th e e n gr y greatest t e feelings f th e o sortf ; and, G indignation.ee something of self-appointed -post since, which has given_ me thanu opportunity of examining into those matters more accurately. Gentlemen, egna,Telnhoas:enchtie°elda r you eeol e v a e n d doeu ourselves I t v h e e e i hurry nte e o c f eannuneiltetcetei e,ndaneclauseoemdeeonf i T y , e o e t l i d g a fr t t i e e n ti d t s a , take place into the whole of the circumstances ; and after that int: vestigation, I tell you, Gentlemen, that I look at a scrutiny.w? perfect condence and with perfect ease—( Loud cheers) — t l a va have no fear for any result which cau arise out of an imPar t a lair enquiry. And, .Gentlemen, that result will be, or lam very. much mistaken, to place our four Members higher on the than they were at the close of the eleetion.—(Great cheering.) That bribery prevailed to a large extent on the other side there o s ysteM little doubt—( Hear, hear )—and was carried on with a which was more disgraceful to those who attempted to corrupt their fellow-citizens, than it was to those who were corrup,tr What are we to do under these circumstances ? why, we !nu; „:), course defend the scats of our four Members.—(Chee rs.) can really place confidence in those who are the men of our choice, we are bound to threw a shield over them and protect thein i; (Cheers.) It is our affair, rather than theirs. —( Hear, every man give his mite—that is what I think the country wile' can pect of him. It is every man's duty to make what sacrifice h o _ in defence of his own honest rights, and to lay that incense !! the altar of his country.—(Cheers.) Do we not know that thr!e...", a conspiracy organised throughout the whole country ?—(11e34_,,, hear.). es. hear.) Are not the Tories—for I will not call them by their nlne names of Conservatives—are they not renewing the old systeek to corruption in every part of the country, and bringing us b d a c i ec .. the times when votes used to be openly bought and sold, an so tors were driven like cattle to the market ?—( Hear, hear.) tor e what do you think is the object of this conspiracy ? It is to res the Tories to their places—where they alight help themselve.hy; formerly, to the public money—where they might annoy aU tr a „ et. and harrass the people, and if possible crush us under the I; But you know what you want, and you know who are the _r e from whom yon can get it—only from those who are of the sa w i n t to political creed with yourselbes—(Hear, hear) —and let me P° you one or two particulars of that creed. We want goohidpe.hrP ..... Government. Will the Tories give you tha t do you t and laughter.) You want the franchise to be extended to : e rg man in the community to whom it can be committed with —(Hear.) You want also to secure the exer cise of that franc. country r e without injury or risk to the individual in whom his vote , .., poses the trust. You want to give protection to the timid to shield him from the oppression of some merciless patroll.-; Hear.) You want also to have the duration of Parliament° abridged, and your representatives more frequently to retur. ,l at you, that they may feel their responsibility more than theY u.nye;, present. That is not necessary with your present repres e ntati_ on but still it is necessary that the principle should b e engrafted ") your system of representation.—(Loud cries of " Hear, But you expect not those things, I am sure, from from those whatever disguise or name they may sssurae, w h i . h a l really Tories at heart.—(Hear, hear.) You may e%P ect , a nd from our present Members for they adopt those sentinaenisT'oea they are not disposed to deceive.—( Cheers.) Gentlemen,,;,iness Rot detain you by any further observations, my prineiP al " I being to second this resolution which I cordially aPPr °ve have the satisfaction of believing that the petition whichisrecences to Parliament against us stands' upon the most shallow procj that and foundations. It is, I believe, supposed by some of the petition is supported by the Tories of the City gen Tories; aro; eral i ;; t i e s deny that to be the case.—(Hear, hear.) There are ma n y t hem' who, from pure laziness or unwillingness to examine for tc' s selves, have lent it their sanction; but there are manY Bog the City who are not to be entrapped, and who are too war. minded to resort to such poor and miserable means too i z bt fare.—( Loud cheering.) There are others of whom 1 ,. n g o . say more than I think it prudent to say ; but there are eert al i n o l vs terested persons who support this petition. I am, however, always cautious in what I:say, when 1 find a set of mereonaries com e , - „,- I me to propose things calculated to suit their own interests ; know that if the high-minded Tories of this city would onlY e t he mine this petition for themselves, the petition wou ld fall to t i o g ground.—( Cheers.) In speaking of the Tories who axe suPP: r . O a this petition,' you will find that they are attacking Yon r rd ' that, Tories different way to what they have heretofore done. They. " — t an d the city constituency cannot be overcome by intimidato n ', O ur they are desirous of starving you out. They are a ttacking' ( .1 00 , . pockets ; but still I think you know what is r ur t , 0 00 on an occasion like this, too well to require me to say mu' ;' to it. You will, lam persuaded, perform your duty to yourselle;'tbis your neighbours, and to the country. The whole world are,„,,, n ; d e moment intent on the efforts of the people of England. '7 f ly of the whole world is upon you to see how you are likely dicate your independence. Recollect, that, and act aceeruw° It will ;:e proposed towards the end of this meeting, that enbs6l-01;ro tions should be opened, and I hope you will give those whuare.obo c h afing your cause—who do it for nothing—who are giving uP ni eso 7 , their time, and incurring considerable expense, your IlearlAeeas port. It is the money we want to satisfy the world ,of the 7 ti ded of our cause. Provided we have the means, we are Pel4,,.;ctlf that if our cause is fought before a Committee even net 5 1 7 - 0 0 impartial, we Shall succeed. Gentlemen, I have only to as. fi d I under such circumstances„ for your most cordial support , conclude my observations by seconding the resolution. [We shall give the conclusion of the meeting n - in Second Edition.' THE MARKETS-(THIS DAY' , CORN EXCHANGE. There are this week moderate supplies of Grain, bise",ll good quantity of Flour. The Wheat trade remains firood Monday's prices. Barley has been dull of sale to-day. ne a , n pfon- Pease are unaltered. Oats firmly maintain the prices °' k 0 day. There is some dulness in the Flour trade this we e last quotations. A RRI VALS. Wheat. Barley. Engmla 5,829g ra 9,!..50 qrs. Irish - - Foreign ... . Iner> Oats. e s sl' t r i 760 qrs. , sp le 750 , UNTR CORN MARKETS, Barley. Oats. ....." "."-- I. E• / Per Quarter. a. to a. a. to s. s. to s, s. to a• Boston 4l 55 23 26 15 21 32 42 Gainsborough — 55 32 28 ' 42 -- Grantham - ' Grimsb7 - , -- Horncastle 42 60 32 37 20 24 36 4 . Lincoln ,O 58 24 33 16 27 40 41 Spalding Stamford 4B 56 28 33 21 25 36 4 4 York 5O 56 26 34 24 26 32 44 --- / LLOYD'S SHIPPING.-(THIS DEAL, DEC. s.—Wind E.—No arrivals. 'PORTSMOUTH, DE c. s.—Wind E.N. E., fresh breezeeb.itoth rived the Streatham Castle from Quebec; passed by, th e Jamieson, from London, for South Australia. Ce rn PLYMOUTH, DEC. s.—Wind N. E., strong.—Arrived the Duff, from Seville; Atalanta, Grey, from Fayal. FALMOUTH, DEC. 4. —Wind E., strong breezes.—. o°- n dert l Sailed the Racer, Bull, for St. Michael's; City of LOoule-e,fof (steamer), for Engledore, Vigo, Oporto, &c. ; Ocean, Morfe London. fro ° SOUTHAMPTON, DEC. s.—Arrived the Transit (st eamer) London. nnebe e ; DUBLIN, DEC. 3.—Arrived the Sarah Mary Ann frorit,-40er/ Lady Alexander, Curtis, from St. Übes; Commerce le' from London. WATEILFORD, DEC. 3.—Arrived the William, Wakeher° , it° Newfoundland. St Peter' HUMBElL.—Arrived the Perseus, Chambers, from burgh, and Caledonia , Harrison, from Wiburg. n d° l° CRONSTADT.—Arrived the Bullfinch, Gunton, from to. William Lee, Shepherd, from Hull, and Ruby, Ashton, from The Pinasse, Monsted, from London to Copenhagen, wa'm'aiter, wrecked on the coast of Jutland on the 2 2 d ult ., the froo mate, and passenger drowned. The Albatross, Schalberg,_ Rio Janeiro to Copenhagen was stranded near the the Rio on ult. ; crew saved. • pent' The Louise, Ehlers, from Plymouth, has arrived 1 11 ,„,„ a ,11 35 Roads, leaky, bound to Riga. The General Brock , from to o un d arrived at Christiansand, very leaky, and must discharge s,,rristiO: London. The Margaretha, Moylan, from Lisbon to 11 00 sand, put into Aallsund on the Bth ult, in a sinking struck on Bradsund. state, THE FUNDS-(THIS DAY•• There are very few arrivals Ci7 b 0 no news of consequence to communicate. ~: hem , e f We hear that the Transit steamer has arrived from L A 9- t he u" CITY, morning; consequent' C al l/ til t/300 she only brings advices of the same date as those receive"' t ion before yesterday, of the 28th ult. fa Up to the present hour th ere is a stagnation in the °Pe t . of the Funds, both in the British and Foreign Markets. . co o Consols, which closed yesterday heavy at 93 i i for the ,a 47 48), opened at the same price this morning ; Exchequer Bill% SO' India Bonds, 26 29 ; Bank Stock, 2021 20 3 1 mo ne y ; in — r receded to 2651. Spanish Active heavy at I9i i; Portuguese, 28-1 29i ; 14 1' i t re r Cents, 181 191; Brazil, 78 78i ; Mexican, 28&; HALF-PAST ONE O'CL„vto93,'. Consols ingthe course of the morning receded from 9 3 79 a 9.1: i .: sellers for the opening, since which they may be q uo s t o e hig b Exchequer Bills 48 50 47 49 higher • India Bonds, ala , 28 30; Bank Stock higher 203 204 ;India ' Stock shut.. _ t ee . . In the Foreign Market Portuguese Stock has rather imcy a sso; done at 2911, at present 29i ; Spanish Active 191 ; I i ;seicic a 43. i ; Deferred 71 1; Dutch Two-and-a-Half 5414 ii. if 28k; Colombian 25i ; Brazilian 781; Danish 73% 7 4 oacm THREE . O'C Dutch, '',o‘ , 3/ Consols for the Aseonnt, On. -nDA LIVERPOOL COTTON MARK ET, 4 T ,o h o e o demand for Cotton to-da y . been toirErhs: eE:tiutraot: bags, without any change in prices ; 1,200 bags have been taken on speculation. The Rev. Alex. Philip has been elected gi_n iSt a e c' of Cruden, Aberdeenshire. Lord Erroll, the patriw's.on, wvohloveadppthoeineteledcatiocnomonmitthteeemtaoleconnidemucbtetrhseof the congregedLiog, plan of 1 3 " )c philic , which was by secret voting. The votes were, for Mr -130 ; for Mr. Boyd, 84.—Inverness Courier. ~,,,r Grote We understand that both Mr. Hume and Fr. 01105 some el important List Com mmiatttteeer,s,wahsenw e the a re intended to be present at the meeting of the Westrnitlints.t formers on Monday last, but they were obliged to MVO'', an t flood "- Keswick has been visited by the greatess. of Woe , membered for many years ; so violent was the r . 0 that th : and so great the quantity coming down from tnuiensm, two lakes of Keswick and Bassenthwaite wer 2 1 presented th e in consequence of the late incessant and heavy r ains, . o ° : t a ilill o s' Rinefporomrtedw,aws :roena.iidsfessaed. Thursday last, and the fall of the famed Lodore p most majestic appearance.—Cumberland Packet. With With silvers i l v e r hunting s.. . cases..... ..................................................... 1 , 6 55 1 6 a PATENT LEVER WATC11B;) This celebrated construction (the c as struc ........the• • mps t accurate on owe! watch can b e ma de) is now offered, with the latest improvernetl i. C. the detached escapement, jewelled la four boles, caPe__ hand t o mar k the seconds, hard enamel dial, and maintaining powo to continue going while winding at the above price, by T. CON SAVORY, Working Silver and Goldsmith, 47, Cornhill, London. N.B.—Second-hand Watches purchased in exchange. No, London: Printed and Published by Yourfq, 0001 112, Strand, at Tha Sun Office, No. 112, Strand, in toe of Middlesex. --W ednesday , December 8, 1837•