The Sun. — London, England, 1837-03-21 00:00:00

COURT CIRCULAR. Count Pozzo di Borgo, the Russian Ambassador, visited Viscount Palmerston yesterday, at the Foreign-office. A Deputation headed by the Marquis of Chandos, and in cluding Messieurs Granville Pigott, Harcourt, Horwood, Briekwell, Hoare, Rolfe, Ryde, and Woodman, had an inter view' with the Chancellor of the Exchequer yesterday, in Downing -street, respecting malt. Lord John Russell arrived in town Yesterday, from Woburn Abbey. Mr. Stewart Mackenzie had an interview with Lord Cie nelg yesterday, at the Colonial -office. Lord Henry Fitzmaurice left town on Friday for the North. Viscount Melbourne had a select party at dinner, on Sunday evening, at his residence in South-street. FASHIONABLE INTELLIGENCE. ARRIVLS. The Marqui s and Marchioness Conyngham at Dudley House, in Park-lane ; Mr. Charles and Mrs. Codrington at Sir Bethel Codrington's mansion in Park-lane; Mrs. Abra ham Montefiore and. family, at her house in Great Stanhope street, Mayfair, from Brighton; General Moncton, at Ne rot's Hotel, from Staffordshire; General Armstrong, at the London Nutel, from Edinburgh ; Mr. and Mrs. Perceval and family, at ditto, from Bath ; the Hon. Frederick Ponsouby, at Thomas's Hotel, from Ireland ; Jackson Villiers Tuthill, Esq., (Zt:t Dragoon Guards), and lady, in Upper Seymour-street, from a tour. RTU Lord and L a dy Albert Co RES. nyrigham for Mr. Denison's, The Denbi es , i n S urrey ; Charles Hyde, Esq., from Nerot's Hotel, for the Continent ; Sir Harry Burrard Neale, Bart., from the London Hotel ; Mrs. and Miss Rooke, from ditto, for Wood side, Lymington ; Capt. Rooke, from ditto, for Woodside ; Col. Seale, M. P., from ditto, for Mount Boom, Dartmouth ; Mr. and Mrs. Mackenzie, from ditto, for Brighton ; the Rev. Mr. Tillard and family from ditto ; Mr. and Mrs. Beaumont, from Thomas's Hotel, for their mansion in Piccadilly. The Countess of Sandwich entertained Count Tolstoy and a select party at dinner on Sunday evening in C arlton-gardens. The Bavarian Minister and the Baroness de Cetto entertained Lord Beresford and a select party at dinner on Sunday in Hill -street. Mr. Bingham and Lady Harriet Baring gave a grand dinner on Sunday, in Great Stanhope -street, to Count and Countess Pozzo di Borgo and a distinguished party. The Earl and Countess of Glengall arrived in Grosvenor -street on Thursday, from Caher Castle, county Tipperary. Lord and Lady Louth have left Brighton, and re turned to Twickenham House, Richmond. The Earl of Wilton, who arrived in Grosvenor square, on Friday from Leamington Spa, left town yesterday for his seat at Leicestershire. The Duke and Duchess of Beaufort left Park-place yesterday for Badminton-park. Lord Stanley left Carlton-gardens yesterday morning for Lancaster, to attend the Grand Jury at the assizes in that City. Mr. Wilson Patten, M.P., his colleague in the repre sentation of North Lancashire, accompanied him for the same Purpose. Viscount Milton leaves town to-day on a short ex cursion to Paris. The marriage of the Viscount de la Rochefoucauld to Miss Coutts Trotter, sister to the Hon. Mr. George Kep pel, is expected to be solemnised at Paris in the ensuing month. Lord Hatherton's family have been put into mourn ing by the death of his sister, Mrs. Chetwod e , w if e o f Si r J o h n Chetwod e ; and his Lordship's parties have been postponed until after Easter. It is rumoured in the circles of fashion, that a recon ciliation has been brought about between parties whose dif ferences were last year the source of a more than ordinarily interesting investigation in Westminster Hall. M. Conte, Director of the Post-office, has presented to the principal establishments of the capital a small collection of tables, showing the organisation of the service of the Post office in Paris. The slightest inspection of these tables will prove the numerous improvements in the Post-office depart ment. As an instance, we shall, for the present, merely state that since the new Post-office omnibuses have been started letters from all parts of the kingdom are now delivered in Paris several hours sooner than under the old system. At the Levee on Friday his Majesty, in conferring the decorations of the Order of the Bath on the several naval officers, addressed them in the kindest terms. To Vice-Ad miral Sir Ross Donnelly his Majesty said--" You were in the glorious battle of the Ist of June, where you commanded your s hip in a most gallant and seamanlike manner. I regret that the reward of your meritorious services has been so long de layed, and I now feel the greatest satisfaction in performing a tardy act of justice to so gallant an officer." To Admiral Austin his M a j es ty p a id a hi g h comp li ment, and h oped that the honour he was then conferring would lead to higher honours, equally as well deserved from his King and country. The Princess Helen of Mecklenburg, Duchess of Orleans elect, though really a pretty woman, is said to be a confirmed bas bleu. She has the good taste, however, to speak u naffectedly, though the German Papers say, few people, men or Women, can speak more learnedly, when she condescends, upon the subject of German literature. Her favourite study is that of the German speculative philosophy—not a very attrac tive, certainly, or easy, or remarkably useful pursuit for ladies. What a world of conjecture will not Paris and France present to her speculative mind. —German Puper. Earl and Countess Cowper entertained at dinner yesterday evening Lord Melbourne, Lord and Lady Holland, and a distinguished party. P rince and Princess Polignac, and Prince Armand de Polignac (their eldest son), were entertained at dinner on Sunday, by Baron and Baroness de Cetto, in Hill-street. The by Prince and Princess were visited at Mivart's Hotel yesterday LSir Robert Peel, the Russian Ambassador, Earl Stanhope, a dy Wharncliffe, Lady Holl a nd, Vi scoun t D uncannon, L or d d Lady Fitzroy Somerset, Hon. Miss C. S omerse t, M arqu i s of Salisbury, Sir Francis H. Doyle, the Misses Doyle, Mr. Edward Drummond, C o l one l A nge l o, M r. Hope, &c. !liThe Duke of Devonshire has presented to his Letno°, Mrs. Harcourt (late Miss Cavendish) a valuable brace and suit of brilliants on the occasion of her recent mar .,age. Mr. Campbell, of Shawfield, nephew to the Duke of rgyll, Eliz-b who w as marr i ed last week to a daughter of Lady eth Cole, h as gone to reside near Windsor, at the villa they?! th e e on. H. W estenra, M . P . for Monaghan, after which will procee to Aryllshire. 1 ' he Bishop of Lincoln has informed the guardians bur the Stamfo r d U n i on that he cannot license the pauper °Y Ying-ground withi n t h e wor kh ouse unless it be surrounded a brick or stone wall, at least s i x f eet hi g h, — Li nco l ns hi re Chroni c l e , Mr. D av i dson, the enterprising traveller, of whose Lamentable fate little doubt can, we fear, be now entertained, et many yea rs ago, an act i ve partner in a well-known m heal establishment in Regent -street and Bond-street. Lord Canterbury will leave the Clarendon, on his t i Z t e ur n to Paris at the cnd of the present or the beginning of ensuing week. The Marquis and Marchioness of Abercorn and familyieri are on their route from Baron's Court, Tyrone, to t ieY Priory. Duddingstone House, one of the family seats Crl L d ni,= . Noble Marquis in Midlothian, is now occupied by Capt. . 1- " Y Harriet Ha m ilton,l • Lords hi p's only sister. his . ThP 11 • arquts -of Westminster's birthday to-morrow mtvielrlobue celebrated with much rejoicing by his Lordship's nu 'ille,try at E aton, Nantwich ; and the Marquis, who afteroo, r.on,as Noteter. his seventieth ye ar , w ill rema i n a t E a ton un til ind r i r s be. .Russi an A mbassador is again suffering from tamin g His Excellency is said to be again about ob nens:Vr t e i rge from his Government to revisit the Conti dnos not • .° improvement of his health ; but we believe he c intend for the present to resign the distinguished post h t prellts sent fills, (. . )1. Envoy Extraordinary from the Czar. ham palace the intends taking possession of Bucking dra,,,i lace the first week in May. Her Majesty will hold a of Princess e r s n nm in the new Palace on the 24th May, in honour more full Victoria Victoria coming of age. It is expected to be the k-un y attended than any one for many years. His Majesty 0 0 _ 4 1 c g of Belgium and his Queen, as well as the Duke of n s, and many other princes, will he present. ,ngUrec uesday last, M. George NV .Cived unaninnms invitation from the Kendal Election a-ommitetie,e,,William Wood, hav • of th e Proceeded to that borough. A general meeting at toode ,, .n'o.s was held on Wednesday evening, which was u I, y about three hundred persons. After explaining his 11:,.'aiples to them, Mr. Wood was unanimously invited to "07 candidate for the representation of the borough. i_" Ihursday and Friday Mr. Wood was engaged in canvass ug the eleetors.--Mqnchcster Guardian. u0.0..n. Monday evening a letter was read from Hodg ti,o, iiisusde, Esq., M.P . , addressed to the Bernick Conserva tive ta• dociiation, stating that his brother, Mr. Richard Hodg cepted answer to a requisition sent through him, ac tion. t,h, invitation to contest that borough at a future e1cc ,..;7--..vyne Mercury. , a l he parliamentary petition from Bath, for the Aim .4'll of Church -rates, was signed as follows ;—That to the 1 1 1" bY 6,256, and that to the Commons by 6,359 individuals. 6,„!..number of signatures to the petition for the ballot was 11:12,16was forwarded to J. T. Leader, Esq., on Monday, 114°1 been been under signature three days only.—Somerset Gaz. 0.‘ . 11 :1 • Robert Steuart gave notice on Saturday, that e tne 20th of April he should move to bring in a Bill for the gistr ation of Bi rt h s, Deaths, and Marriages in Scotland. ,XFortb, MARCH 20 . —Congregations will be t9oeiden for the Purpose of granting Graces and conferring v i z g r ee , ', on the following days in the ensuing Easter Term— April Wednesday, April 5 ; Thursday, April 13 ; Thursday, i rt : 20; Thursday, April 27 ; Friday, May 5 ; Saturday, he r 4 . 3 ' On Saturday last, being the last day of Lent Term, rnittedetve. George Bewsher, of S. Edmund Hall, was ad- Arts; Richard p . , e degree of Master of and Messrs. Henry of Lin co of University College, and Thomas Bean.es, m eoln College, were admitted Bachelors of Arts. A L. CI IARLTON'S FEAST AT LUDLOW.- 100 icrous scene occurred here on Tuesday. Upwards of th e marl; were collected together to dine in the room over IXaractball, with Mr.l I Charlton, for two pur ees--.rst, to C() .ec anere ngrattilatc hint on his deliverance from the I'l et Prison • and, secondly, to condole with him on his irt tended extinction as M. P. or P. 1.1. fcr Ludlow. it is usual on giving a dinner to agrcat man like this Mr. L. Charlton for some friend to tale the chair ; but Mr. L. Charlton was too bashful to a.sk, or did not obtain a respectable friend to take the chair, and therefore took it himself. His Vice-Pre sident was J. Davis,.Esq., of Manton Lacy. After the cloth was removed, M r . Charlton rose and said he must be cautious, after what nad happened, how he expressed himself. He was grateful to the company, and was rijoiced to see them in Ludlow instead of the Fleet Prison.—( Hear.) He detailed his capture at Mrs. Purslow's, No. 12, York-road—his suf ferings for the sake of his beloved country—his persecutions by libels in the .horning Chronicle, and the more villanous Shrewsbury Chronicle, and the still more atrocious juries and judges who gave him two farthings, instead of the 6,0001. which he wanted. After a most eloquent, pathetic, and Con servative speech, the Hon. Gentleman sat down amid deafen ing applause. Mr. Charlton said lie should as usual write out the whole of his speech, both what he had then uttered and what he omitted, and publish it in such country papers as will insert it ; posting bills would announce the publication.— (Loud cheers.) The company departed highly gratified. Shrewsbury Chronicle. Mr. Vigors, like Mr. White (Longford), has de clined the defence of his seat for the county of Carlow; the Liberal electors will, however, petition to be allowed to do as in the other case in his place ; the day for hearing the petition is postponed to April 25. The Committee on Joint Stock Banks is postponed till after the recess. _ _ The St. James's Theatre nominally closed its season last Saturday ; but like its older rivals, the Olympic and Adel. phi, will resume its performances on Monday next, having like them obtained, by Royal favour, an extension of license to the 31st of May next. Mr. Harley, the stage-manager, delivered a valedictory address, by which we arc glad to perceive that the proprietor has again had a profitable season. Mr. and Mrs. Wood arrived yesterday at the London Hotel, from Yorkshire, to fulfil an engagement at Drury-lane Theatre. Mrs. Wood is in excellent health and spirits. Monsieur Laporte left London yesterday for the Continent, and expects to return by the 27th instant, accom panied by Madlle. Giulietta Grisi, Rubini, Tamburini, and Lablache. An opera night is spoken of for Easter Tuesday, but it is not probable that the artistes will have rested suffi ciently to be able to rehearse and sing on the evening after their arrival here. A new theatre is announced to be opened, on Mon day next, called the" New City Theatre," situate in Norton , folgate, three doors without the City boundary. This theatre is said to be substantially built, and, as regards its exterior and interior arrangements, as accommodating and complete as any existing. A great deal of the drifted snow, which fell at Christmas, may still be seen under many of the hedges, and in the pits where it originally accumulated. During the last three weeks the railway trains be tween Liverpool and Manchester have not unfrequently per- formed the journey in one hour.—Mancliester Guardian. Letters from Vienna, of the 11th of March, state, that a great sensation had been produced in that city by the receipt of the debates, and the vote in the English House of Commons, on the subject of the Irish Municipal Reform Bill ; and the result of the discussion in the French Chamber of the Disjunctive Law. The Funds at Vienna on the 10th instant, were—Five per Cents., 105 ; Four per Cents., 1001 ; Three per Cents., 758 ; Bank Shares, 1,360. Two hogs, each weighing 1,000 lbs. are now exhi bited at Brussels. These animals hare been fattened for the prize which is given by the city. A soldier, the vaguemcstre of Kondatowicz, lately died at Konigsberg, aged 106. He had taken part in all the seven years' war, and had served for 56 years in the same regi ment of Hussars. A young man, aged 19, has been brought before the Court of Assizes of Riom (Puy de Dome), France, on a charge of poisoning 23 individuals. It appeared in evidence that Barthelemy Levigne, the Mayor of Vollese Montagne, his family, domestics, and several labourers, amounting to 24 persons, sat down to their evening meal on the evening of the 28th of July last. Twenty-three of the number, who had par taken of some soup, were soon afterwards seized with violent colic and vomiting, which excited strong apprehensions of their having been poisoned. Suspicion at length fell upon the pri soner, whose father had quarrelled with the Mayor, and he was taken into custody. He was found guilty, and sentenced to 20 years' hard labour. Fortunately none of the parties died from the effects of the poison. On Friday afternoon, between three and four o'clock, the pilot-boat belonging to John Squarey, was upset just out side Teignmouth bar, and eight persons, who were on board, were precipitated into the sea, five of whom sank to rise no more. From what we can glean, it appears that Squarey, and two other pilots, had taken Captain Ley on board the En chantress brio', belonging to Mr. Burnett, of Ch u dl e i g h, w hi c h vessel had left the harbour that morning. Whilst on board "the can" passed pretty freely round. The pilots and friends were returning towards the shore, when, by some mismanage ment of the boat, it upset. Being close to the sands at the time, it is firmly entertained that they might all have saved themselves had they been perfectly sober. The three that were saved were picked up by another boat, which happened to be near at the time. —Plymouth Journal. On Saturday last it began to snow here, accompa nied with a violent drift from the north-east, and intense cold. The mail going north from Inverness could not pass Brora, in Sutherlandsliire ; and the snow was so heavy in Caithness, that the mail from Wick, after reaching Berriedale, was forced to remain there, the bags being forwarded on horseback. A passage has since been made, but the snow still lies deep. This unlooked-for storm in the north, after a series of mild open days, has suspended the operations of the farmer.—ln verness Courier. The requisition to W. Busfeild, Esq., of Upwood, the Whig candidate for Bradford, has already received the signatures of upwards of 400 electors, and the borough has not yet been gone through. There is, therefore, every reason to believe that at the next election the borough will dispense with the services of Mr. Hardy.—Leeds Mercury. We have the best authority for stating that, in the event of a dissolution of Parliament, Lieut.-Colonel Beck with will come forward for North Durham.— Sunderland Herald. THE TEA TRADE, MONDAY.—ThC delivery last week amounted to nearly 382,0001b5. The private trade sales of tea have proceeded fully as well as was anticipated. In the Record Court at Clonmel, on Thursday last, an action for libel was tried, in which a Miss Johnson, a young lady of respectability, was plaintiff, and the proprietor of the Clonmel Advertiser was defendant. The libel complained of was a paragraph stating that a lady had eloped with one of her own relatives. The witnesses for the plaintiff proved that she was the person referred to. The Jury returned a verdict for the plaintiff-5001. damages, and 6d. costs. The weather continues to be most cold and bleak, and the prevalence of a harsh east wind, we regret to say, has no tendency to dissipate the late influenza, which is still raging in many places. To•day and yesterday we experienced a keen frost, and occasional showers of snow. On Friday night, about half-past eleven o'clock, as Thomas Dukes, a gardener to \V. Butler Best, Esq., was going to his home in the 'dabberley-road, near Kidderminster, he passed a man on the footpath. Dukes wished him a good night ; the man did not reply, but almost immediately fired off a gun or pistol at Dukes, the ball from which he distinctly heard whiz over his shoulder. Another fellow now appeared coming from the opposite side of the road, on seeing which, Dukes threw down some flower pots that he was carrying, and was preparing to receive him, when he was seized by the shoulder by the villain who fired, and immediately knocked down. He was kicked when on the ground, and the pockets of his trousers were examined by them, but fortunately there was not anything in them.—Kidderminster Messenger The Gen era l St eam N av i ga ti on Company's new steam-ship Caledonia, arrived at Blackwall at noon yesterday, from Edinburgh, having performed the passage in 42 hours ; and the Company's steam-packet the John Bull reached the Custom-house soon afterwards, having made her passage from Hamburg in 48 hours and a half, being the quickest voyage from that port on record, at this season of the year. CHRISTIAN SLAVES.—In this bagino the Chris tian captives used to be shut up at sun -set, and let out again to their labour at sun-rise. Ah I what beauty there is in that word sunrise to the imaginations of the free ! To us it re calls the carol of the lark, the freshness of flowers, the sounds of cheerful industry, and all the joyous infancy of the day ; but to the captive in this prison—what was the - daylight ? It only broke the oblivion of his misery, or perhaps the dream in love. The sun rose only to glare on him, like the fierce eye of his task master, and the black bread for his morning meal was thrown to him as to a dog I—Campbell's Letters from the South. SUNDAY TRADING.-Tlic opposition shown to the functionaries of the parish of St. Luke's, Middesex, who are endeavouring to put a stop to the disgraceful scenes which take place in several of the districts on a Sabbath-day, is ex ceedingly great; but the authorities remain undaunted and are pursuing their laudable object with increased vigour. Several actions, it is said, have b een success f u ll y b roug h t against the opposing parties, which, in some measure, has " cooled their courage," and th e ne i g h bourhood now, on a Sabbath, presents a scene of tranquillity, and not, as formerly, one of continual confusion. Other parishes, perceiving the beneficial results accruing from the course adopted, are about to proceed in like manner with their refractory districts. At the meeting of the Ashinolean Society (Oxford) on the 6th instant, Dr. Buckland informed the meeting that he had received a letter from Mr. Crosse, detailing the results of a new series of experiments, by which he has succeeded in obtaining one hundred more animals of the same description as those obtained by previous experiments. On a piece of volcanic slag, connected with the electric wires at both ends, a fluid, containing silex and muriatic acid, was gently dropped. The animals, soon after their formation, were washed off from the slag, and deposited in a wooden funnel underneath. Without muriatic . acid th e same animals were formed ; but when no elec tb,ty was use d t h e animals did not appear. The animals are been e x hibi te d at the Royal Institution, b ' y Mr. Faraday, whence originated the erroneous report that Mr. Faraday had, by a series of similar e xperiments, ' produced The animals were at first the same animals. supposed to be infusoria, similar to those discovered by the microscopicu observations of Ehrenberg ; but, on being shown to _ ie naturalists in London, they are dis covered to be of a much higher order, very closely resembling the vyell-known acari, that they have no hairs. was, cabinets, h with the exception most probably e suggested red by Dr. t}e Buckland. that the hairs h a d gum used to stick them on the card, or had been rubbed of by friction during their carriage to London. THE SUN, LONDON, TUESDAY, MARCH 21, 1837 ciently known. No objection is made to the validity of the rate ; and it is now left to your candour, your sense of equity, and your love of peace and good neighbourhood, to determine whether I am a proper person against whom to direct that power, which I am quite aware that you have, in consequence of this most unchristian law, at your command. My determi nation not to pay is unalterable. " 'The present afflicted state of my mind must be my apology for anything faulty in the manner of expressing myself in this communication. " I have the honour to remain, Gentlemen, " Your obedient humble servant, " ROBERT VAUGHAN." _ . Notting-hill, March 18. The BENCH regretted Dr. Vaughan's domestic affliction, but said they had no alternative but to order payment to be enforced. William Jones, a poor man, residing in King-street, High street, objected on the ground of not being a member of the Established Church. Mr. Conn—But Dissenters are compelled to pay. Mr. Jones—But I am unrepresented in Parliament, al though I pay 301. a-year. Mr. Conn—Have you petitioned Parliament on the sub ject ? Mr. Jones—Yes, I have. Mr. Conn—Who presented your petition. Mr. Jones—Mr. Hume. Mr. CORD—Then although from not possessing a vote you are not directly represented, yet are you, according to your own statement, represented indirectly by Mr. Hume. It is the law of the land, and payment must be enforced. Mr. Daniel Sullivan (a Catholic), residing in Peel street, felt rather surprised that he should be called upon to pay Church-rates, as he did not believe a word of the thirty nine articles. Mr. Coon—Then I am to understand you object because you consider Church-rates an oppressive and iniquitous tax ? Mr. Sullivan—Those words will not render me liable to an action, will they ? Mr. CODD—We do not sit here to give advice in that respect. Mr. Sullivan—But you ought to advise me as a Christian gentleman. Mr. Coop—Then I advise you to pay the amount imme diately. Mr. Sullivan—Well, thank God, I can; but you must fetch it. Mr. S. Cousins, one of the late overseers, objected to the old Church-rate, on account of his having been charged for his sitting in the church during the time he was in office. Mr. Chesterton (Churchwarden) declared that was untrue. Mr. CODD—Do you mean that a pew-rent was charged you for your scat in the church during the time you was overseer. Mr. Cousins—Not a pew-rent, but they have charged me for a seat in the church while I was in office. Mr. Cono.—Yon mean they have charged a Church-rate to you while you was in office; you must . therefore pay the amount in 21 days, or execution will issue. A number of poorer persons were also allowed fourteen, twenty-one, and twenty-eight days to pay the amount of their respective rates ; and after the Bench had gone through 500 or 600 of the summonses, they adjourned the remainder until next Saturday. BUNGAY CHURCH-RATES. Mr. Samuel Scott, one Of the Churchwardens of Bungay, who obtained so much renown by his proceedings against Mr. Chills, which ended in Mr. Childs being sent to Ipswich Gaol fir non-payment of 17s. 6d., has been perso nally carrying about a petition on the subject of Church rates, of which we subjoin a Copy. This petition, it will be observed, has the effrontery to state, that to diminish the revenues of tla Church WOULD BE INJURIOUS TO THE SERVICE OF GOD. This isa bold union of Mammon and religion, which could only have been put by one who has long identified Religion as Cash, and Cash as Re ligion. Whoever wrote that petition is of the spirit of those who would send their neighbours to gaol to supply them with Bread and Wine, and then consume it under the name °fa Sacrament. Those who read the Petition will see that the great burthen of it is MoNEY—the people are satisfied that the more Cash, the less Gospel, and that to diminish their revenues will increase the humility of the Clergy : To the lion. the Commons of Great Britain and Ireland, in Parliament assembled. The humble Petition of the undersigned Inhabitants of Bun gay, in the County of Suffolk, Members of the Church ,f England, and liable to assessments for Church-rates ; Sheweth, That your Petitioners are deeply impressed with the convic tion, that is the bounden duty of the Inhabitants of this Land, to maintain in the greatest possible efficiency an Established Church. _ _ That, under the Divine blessing, the Church of England es tablished by Law, has been the means of imparting Religious Instruction to a vast majority of the People, and that it has been highly conducive to the spiritual and temporal welfare of the Nation at large. That under its influence, our free Institutions, our rights, and privileges, civil and religious, have been fostered and matured. That to recitice the National Church from the position of an Establishment, or to diminish its revenues would be injurious to the service of God, and prejudicial to the best interests of the people. That, with these sentiments, your Petitioners approach your Hon. House, to express their earnest hope, that no measure which shall have for its object the abolition of Church.rates, may pass into a Law, WITHOUT adequately providing,from other public sources, for the maintenance of the Established Institu tion ; and that all possible means may be taken to extend its usefulness and for increasing its resources, to enable it in some measure to meet the pressing wants of an increased and in creasing population. And your Petitioners, as in duty bound, &c. &c. Bungay, March 15, 1837. OPPOSITION TO CHURCH-RATES. PARISI! OF KENSINGTON.-1,200 PERSONS SUMMONED FOR NON- PAYMENT. During the past week great excitement has prevailed in the parish_oPSt. Mary Abbott's, Kensington, in consequence of summonses having been issued against 1,200 rate-payers, at the instance of the Churchwardens, for non-payment of the rates made for the support of the Church during the years 1835, 1836, and 1837. Saturday having been appointed for hearing the reasons of the defaulters in the Board-room Of the workhouse, in the Gloucester-road, the following Magistrates assembled :—Mr. H. G. Codd, Mr. F. P. Barlow, Mr. R. W. Pilkington, and Mr. E. Halswell ; and from an early hour the room was lite rally besieged by the inhabitants. Among the most interesting and important of the cases were the following \lr. Stratford, gardener, objected to pay Church-rates upon principle. Mr. Conn—Are you a D'esenter? Mr. Stratford—Yes, I am. Mr. Conn.—Then we must order a distress-warrant to issue. We sit here to administer the law as it is. Mr. Stratford—l've no seat in the church allowed me. My family had one some years since, but a late Vicar (the Rev. Mr. Ormcrod) took it away. It was situated behind Lady Warwick's pew. I also object on the ground of the illegality of the rate, as well as on principle. Mr. Conn—We have nothing to do with the religious ob jections of parties; payment of the rates must be enforced. Mr. Bloomfield Webb, cheesemonger, High -street, objected on the ground of being a Dissenter. Mr. Coon—You know that by the law of the land you are bound to pay these rates. Mr. Webb—l am riot satisfied of that. Mr. Conn—We, however, are aware of it, and therefore must order you to pay the amount. Mr. Codd then, turning to Mr. Chesterton, one of the Churchwardens, said, " 1111 Churchwarden, when gentlemen object upon principle alone, you must see that warrants of distress are issued." Mr. Richardson, cutler, High-street, objected because he does not partake of the benefits of the rate, never having had a seat given him in the church, although he had paid Church rates for 21 years. He knew that the pews in the old church were let out like the stalls in Smithfield, many a non-parishi oncr having a front scat, while he was deprived of any. He, therefore, thought it a shame that the aristocracy, who do not of themselves maintain the church, should have the best seats, the poor having the worst left for them, or none at all; while their Maker, whom they went to worship, looked on them all on an equality. Mr. Conn-Then you object because you have no seat ? Mr. Richardson—No. I deny the legality of the rate al together, as well as objecting from not having a seat in the •hurch. _ Mr. CODD —We must direct our warrant of distress to issue. Mr. Richardson—Then, if it is executed, I shall bring an action against you. Mr. George Henry Sasse, baker, High-street, objected be cause he considered the imposition of Church-rates as unjust, unnecessary, and dishonourable. He trusted that his objec tions would not be construed into anything like disrespect by the Bench ; but the Chancellor of the Exchequer having in the House of Commons expressed a similar opinion, he thought his doing so was not in bad keeping. He was determined not to pay any more Church-rates but what the Bench, as the ex ecutive, might think fit to compel him to do. Ile considered there were lands in the bands of the Church quite sufficient to maintain the expenses of Divine worship without calling on the parish at large so to do. Mr. CORD—Do you wish us to understand that the Chan cellor of the Exchequer has designated the enforcement of Churc'.:-tons as " unjust, unnecessary, and dishonest?" Mr. Sasse—He has stated that the enforcement of Church rates on persons who dissent from the Church is unjust, and I think it dishonest that I should be called upon to pay these rates while so many occupy seats without paying any rent for them. _ _ Mr. Cono--You have expressed your objections with much good feeling, but you must be aware that we cannot attend to such reasons. The rate must be enforced. Mr. Sasse—And you must likewise be aware that there arc cases in which opposition becomes a virtue. The Rev. Mr. Broad, of Hornton-street, a Baptist minister, objected on conscientious principles, because, as a Dissenting Minister, he looked upon the demand as an infraction of his re ligious scruples. His opposition was not a factious one, but emanated from conscientious convictions. Mr. Coon-Then we shall consider it necessary, as we are merely administering the law, to order it to be enforced. The Rev. Mr. Meadows, of Kensington-square, objected because, being a Dissenting Minister, he conaidered it quite iniquitous to require Church-rates from him. The Chairman (Mr. Codd) had made a remark which he did not wish should go forth to the world without some explanation, and that was that " the churchwardens should and ought first to enforce the distress warrants on those who objected on conscientious principles." His objections to the impost were not factious, nor out of opposition to the Church. Mr. Coup—l had no intention that my observation should apply as you have construed it. I meant it to apply to all de faulters in general. Mr. Meadows—lt was understood as I have stated by all near me. Mr. Conn—l am happy you have drawn my attention to the point, as I had no such meaning. I have every respect for Dissenters and their ohjeCtions, but when we have to go through 1,200 summonses, we can have nothing to do with conscien tious scruples. Mr. Meadows—l am glad I have enabled you to enter into an explanation. It appeared to me very invidious, as thereby conscientious scruples appeared a crime. The payment was then ordered to be enforced. The U.ev. Dr. Vaughan, of Notting-hill-square, Minister of Hornton- street Independent Chapel, and Professor of Ancient History at the London University, was the next case called on, when the following letter from that gentleman was read : " Gentlemen,—The sudden decease of one of my children, in the afternoon of yesterday, has left me in no state of mind to attend personally to your summons for this morning, as it was my intention otherwise to have done. The main cause of my refusing to pay the Church-rates levied upon me by the Kensington parish vestry may be stated in a few words. The body of professing Christians, who call themselves Church men, includes, I presume, the majority of the people of Eng land—certainly the greater portion of its wealth, and nearly the whole cf those classes who rank above persons in the mid dle station of society. This body of professing Christians is further distinguished as possessing the whole of the endow ments which the state has connected with religion, existing in the shape of tithes and extensive landed property, which in substance were once devoted, with every sanction of law and religion, to Popish uses, and has since been devoted by acts of the English Legislature to Protestant Epi sco palian uses. In the mean time, the parties who conscientiously dissent from the endowed church cheerfully proVide their own chapels, sup port their own ministers, and defray the expenses of their own worship. It thus appears, that in the exaction of Church rates the poverty of the poorer party is made to serve as a re lief to the opulence of the more wealthy ; and the comparative needy are, therefore, after the payment of their own debts, made to assist their richer neighbours, a nd thi s , too, for the s upport of religious forms and doctrines which the more needy party cannot avoid regarding as not a little irreligious in many i respects, both n their nature and tendency. The body of Protestant Dissenters have always regarded forced contributions for the service of religion as contrary to the letter and spirit of Christianity ; but my objection—and that, as I believe, of the great mass of the class of persons to which I belong—to the law of Church -rates, has respect to its manifest social injustice, as above stated. lam also influenced to this course of proceeding by the unwelcome conviction that so long as the weaker party shall continue quietly to pay, so long will the stronger party continue to exact. The congre gation of which I have been the Minister has been accustomed to raise for my support, or for the general purposes of religion, education, and charity, from 8001. to 1,0001. yearly. Th at we have always conducted ourselves peaceably, having little taste for becoming distinguished in parish strife, must be suffi- NUMISMATIC SOCIETY. The third ordinary Meeting of this Society was held in the apartments of the Royal Astronomical Society on Thursday evening last, Dr. John Lee, of Hartwell, President, in the Chair. Several communications were read and presents announced. Sir HENRY ELLIS, K. H, communicated some curious parti culars respecting the pewter farthings issued about the middle of the lith century. Mr. J. Y. AKERMAN, the Secretary, read a paper on the " Coins of the Ancient Britons," in which he showed that the account of Cmsar, who distinctly states that the Britons had no coined or stamped money is not entitled to implicit credit, since many specimens at present exist, which are obviously of very early fabric, long anterior to the arrival of the Romans in this country. Mr. Akerman contended that the objects repre sented on British coins have no reference to the habits or customs of the people by whom they were minted, and that in fact they are copied from the coins of the Greeks. Many French antiquaries, on the authority of Caesar, hold that the Britons had no coins before the arrival of the Romans, but the circumstance that rude coins of a workmanship differing from those of the Gaulish series are found in England only, is a suf ficient proof to the contrary. A paper on the coins of the Egyptian Ptolemies was read, as was also some further remarks by Mr. Cullimore, the other Secretary, on the inscription commemorating the subjugation of Britain by the Emperor Claudins. The Society then adjourned to Thursday, April 20. The following account of an ingenious mode of smuggling between Switzerland and France is related by Mr. Cooper in his recent tour in those two countries :—On a re cent occasion, a cart loaded with split wood (larch) had safely passed the door of one of the frontier custom-houses, driven by a peasant, who appeared to be one driving a very common burden to his own home. The cart, however, was stopped, and the wood unloaded. While reloading, for nothing but wood was found, one stick attracted attention. It was muddy, as if it had fallen into the road. The mud, however, in the eye of the douanier, had a suspicious air about it ; it seemed as if it were smeared on, and on examining it closely, two scams were discovered, ►which it had been hoped the mud would conceal. The billet had been split in two, hollowed, and re-united by means of pegs. On opening it, the cavity was found to con tain no less than 70 Genevese gold watches. THE DIVORCED.—The grace, both of sentiment and expression, with which this work is written (observes the Court Journal), may be best conceived by those to whom the former writings of the authoress are familiar. But whether for interest in the story—truth in the characters—or power in the moral, " The Divorced" is without question, the best of all Lady Charlotte Bury's fictions. During the past week great excitement has prevailed in the parish of St. Mary Abbotts, Kensington, in consequence of summonses having been issued against 1,200 rate-payers, at the instance of the churchwardens, for non-payment of the rates made for the support of the Church during the years 1835, 1836, and 1837. Saturday being the day appointed for hearing the reasons of the defaulters, the magistrates assembled in the board-room of the workhouse, in Gloucester-place. The bench went through upwards of 500 of the summonses, all of the de faulters being ordered to pay either immediately or at periods varying from 7to 21 days. The remainder of the cases will be heard next Saturday. SAN SEBASTIAN.—A coloured map of this im portant fortress, with a well-defined outline of the positions oc pied by the Christinos and Cellists from the Bidassoa to Her nani, has just been published by Wyld, of Charing-cross. It is dedicated to Major Humfrey, Quarter-Master -General and Deputy Engineer to the British Auxiliary Legion, from whose sketches, taken on the spot, it has been chiefly compiled. RIIENISII `WlNE.—Charlemagne, observing from the window of his palace at Ingelhcim (says an old legend), that the snow disappeared from the cliff above Rudesheim earlier than from any of the neighbouring hills, caused the same to be planted with vines. What has become of Charle magne and his descendants, no one knows, but the progeny of his vines remain on the same spot to the present hour. ~IILITAIt FLOGGING.—The officers and privates of the 17th Lancers stationed in our Barracks under the com mand of Lieut.-Colonel Lord Bingham, had an opportunity afforded them on Monday week, of witnessing the torture of a fellow-creature by the infliction of the sanguinary punishment of flogging on private John Quigley, who is a mere boy under 18 years of age! Ile deserted, however, about two months since, but voluntarily surrendered himself, six weeks afterwards at Manchester, since which time he has been confined in the black hole at the barracks for three weeks. On Monday, the 27th ult., a private Court-martial of the officers of the regi ment, Colonel Lord Bingham President, was held to try the prisoner, who was found guilty of the charge of desertion. The sentence of the Court was that he should receive a hundred and fifty lashes on hes bare bach, and be marred with the letter Don she side I This sentence was of course confirmed at the Horse Guards ; and on its being communicated to poor Quig ley, he quietly observed, " Well, I must bear it as well as I can ; but I am glad it will not take place till Monday, as you will pray for me on the Sunday." Lord Bingham superin tended the infliction of the brutal lashing at the riding school, in person, the officers and men being all drawn up to witness the horrid spectacle. Quigley writhed much beneath the many-tailed cat, but not a sigh, a shriek, or groan, escaped from the sufferer's lips, and he bore the degrading punishment —the whole number of lashes imposed—without gratifying the tormentors by the expression of a single sound that could be token the emotions of his bosom, or the feelings of his lacerated and mangled body. By this time he will have been considered sufficiently recovered to be dismissed from the hospital, and to be drummed out of the regiment, without a friend in the world to aid him in his most distressed and most deplorable condition. This is the second time within three months that this inhuman punishment has been inflicted in these barracks. —Suffolk Chronicle. Mr. WARD'S NEW WoRK--,, HUMAN LIFE." — These " Illustrations of Human Life" have three divisions, or we should rather say, that there are three separate stories , or sources o f i nteres t, that form the work. The first of these is entitled " Atticus," and unfolds to our respect and admira tion the character of a rational being, who having acted a fair and important part in the State, quits it before he is worn out, or before it quits him. The second, " St. Lawrence," occu pying half of the first volume, consists of a set of startling s t k ie et o e f he , s , l o Fi n eit s i jung ; supernatural agency. The other two volumes, notwithstanding the ability and interest of the first one, will probably b e t h e f avour i tes . They form one story under the ti or, Society ;" and this is unquestionably a production that may take rank in every respect with the most finished and forcible parts of the author's previous writings.— Court Journal. There is now living twin brothers, one at Heage and the other at Green hill Lane, in this county, so strongly resembling each other in size, features, and general appear ance, that even their own mother has frequently been puzzled to distinguish John from William. A droll anecdote is told of one of them going into a tradesman's shop, at Belper, the other d a y, and was saluted by the tradesmen in a most fami liar manner, feeling confident that it was the one he was inti mately acquainted with. The tradesman was told of his mis take, but he still persisted that he was right, and called the servant, who also affirmed in the most positive manner that this was the Tomlinson (for that is the name of the brothers) her master was acquinted with. So matters remained, till a circumstance transpired that convinced the tradesman be was Wrong. John and William Tomlinson were born at Heage, arid are about 34 years of age.---Derbyshire Chronicle. SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS The Irish Corporate Reform Bill, containing 147 clauses and five schedules, passed through Committee in the House of Commons last night. Only a few .verbal alterations were made in the original clauses ; and only one division took place upon an amendment moved by Mr. Sharman Crawford on the 96th clause, which regulates the future election of sheriffs in eight counties of cities and counties of towns. The Hon. Member for Dundalk proposed to vest in the corporate bodies in these eight municipal towns the absolute power of electing their own sheriffs ; whereas the pro position of Ministers was to give the town-councils the right of electing three persons for the Lord-Lieute nant's consideration, one of whom his Excellency might, if he thought fit, appoint sheriff. Should the Viceroy not select either of these three, then it was pro posed that the council should make another elec tion of three other qualified persons ; ,and if it should happen that neither of these met the ap proval of the Lord-Lieutenant, the Bill in that case devolved upon his Excellency himself the duty and absolute right of appointing the sheriff, with out the further interference of the town-council. Mr. Sharman Crawford conceived this clause of the Bill to be an insult to the people of Ireland, and asked why was a distinction drawn in this respect -be tween the town-councils of England and Ireland ? The answer of Lord John Russell was, that of course no insult was intended to Ireland ; and that if the English Bill were now before the House he would propose the assimilation of the corresponding clauses, by substituting a clause similar to that in the Irish Bill for the clause as it now stands in the English Act. This explanation seemed satisfactory to Mr. S. Crawford, who, however, thought fit to press his amendment to a division, in which there were 65 for and only 5 against the original clause. The Tories did not vote in this division. Shortly before the ques tion was put, Sir Robert Peel walked off with him self ; and when the Chairman desired strangers to withdraw, Messrs. Goulburn, Shaw, Lord Castle reagh, and the other occupants of the Opposition Benches rushed to the door, to avoid voting, their notion being that the appointment of sheriffs ought to rest exclusively in the Viceroy. In the early part of the evening, Sir Robert Peel took ex ception to the working of the 22d clause, which ap• points the election of " Mayor," Aldermen, &c., in certain boroughs. The Right Hon. Baronet complained that by this clause the Chief Magistrate of Dublin would be degraded, that officer being now a Lord Mayor. Sir Robert must have overlooked schedule A of the Bill, for there we find the future designation of the head of the Dublin Reformed Cor poration thus set forth, " the Right Hon. the Lord Mayor of the city of Dublin." We were not sorry, however, to see the ex-Premier starting so frivolous an objection. It demonstrates two things : first, that Sir Robert could find in the Bill no solid ground of op position ; and, secondly, that the Tamworth Baronet is anxious to show that lie has no very strong preju- ' dice against the reformation of the Irish Corporations, and that the violence of Lord Lyndhurst finds no sympathy in his bosom. Mr. Shaw, (who, with Mr. Goulburn and Mr. Peter Borthwick, conducted the faint opposition which the Bill encountered in its several clauses) took a series of exceptions to the 106th, 108th, and 116th clauses, which re gulate the appointment and the jurisdiction of recor ders. The 108th clause directs as follows : " And be it enacted that the recorder of every borough to which such separate Court of Sessions of the peace shall be granted as aforesaid, shall hold once in every month, or at such other and more frequent times as the said recorder, in his discretion, may think fit, or as the Lord Lieutenant shall think fit to direct, a court of sessions of the peace in and for such borough, of which court the recorder of such borough shall sit as the sole judge," &c. This is a most excellent regulation. The late Baron M'Clelland, in one of his charges on the north-west circuit, designated the gaols of Ireland as pest-houses, where innocence was corrupted and vice hardened. It is obviously the duty of 'Government and of the Legislature to prevent. an accumulation of prisoners—many of them guiltless of the imputed of fence—in such demoralising places. Besides, there is the cruel injustice of depriving innocent persons for six weeks or two months of their liberty, as well as the weighty burden upon the public of maintaining crowds of prisoners in gaols. Taking all these reasons into view, we do think the recorders in populous lo calities, such as Dublin and Cork, should hold their courts once a week. But Mr. Frederick Shaw does not like to see recorders obliged to hold their Courts even once in every month. He dreads the consequences to himself of so admirable a regula tion. If the. pickpockets of Dublin, who crowd Newgate, and during the weeks they are there await ing trial occupy their minds with the invention of new modes of pilfering—if these were brought to trial weekly, Mr. Recorder Shaw would be under the necessity of vacating his seat for the University of Dublin—a sacrifice which the Right Hon. Gentleman would not like to make, now that in Ryall's Conser vative Portraits he is held up to the admiring gaze of the Corruptionists as the acknowledged leader of the Irish Conservative party : notwithstanding his cavilling the Committee passed the clause, and it now remains for the Peers to deal with it. Notice had been given of some amendments in the schedules at tached to this Bill by Mr. James Grattan and others, for the insertion of Wicklow and Bangor in Schedule C, by which their corporate, character would be pre served; but they were not pressed to a division, and the schedules were adopted without alteration. This Bill differs in little from the Bill of the last Session. One of the variances—that relating to the appointment of sheriffs—we have already no ticed. By the Bill of last year, as it was altered in Committee by the COMMOIIS, the appointment of sheriffs was vested solely in the Lord-Lieutenant : the present Bill virtually transfers the appointment to the town-councils, leaving the Viceroy a veto, as is partly the law at present. The other material variance is likewise a great improvement, even on the admission of the Tories. By the former Bill, the election of al dermen was vested in the town-councils : the present Bill makes the burgesses the electors of aldermen as well as of the councillors ; so that there shall be but one election for aldermen and councillors in boroughs not divided into wards—onefourth part of the persons elected and having the greatest number of votes being, ipso facto, the aldermen, and the remaining three fourths the councillors, of such boroughs. The elec tion shall also terminate in one day, thus swing time and preventing corruption, intimidation, and the evils consequent upon protracted excitation. The Bill is to be read a third time, according to the notice given by Lord John. Russell last night, on Monday, the 10th April next.—Morning Chronicle. For a people so intelligent, and so capable of re gection, as the English, it has often been remarked that they are uncommonly prone to be m;sled by sounds, and to take for granted, in spite of all warn ing and remonstrance, that mere names do really de note the things which they arc employed to signify. In politics the most lamentable dupery is caused by this disposition of our countrymen to give credit to appearances as if they were substances, and to infer, without examination, that whenever an invoice is shown them, the cargo must always correspond. We have often thought of this when any mention was made of that particular measure which is now on its way through the House of Commons, and on the success of which the Ministers are at daily pains to inform us that their fate as a Government hinges. The Irish Municipal Bill is that measure which Lord John Russell has declared, and the gazettes of Minis ters have repeated is a " vital one," which they call a " Corporation Bill," and which Mr. Daniel O'Connell and his tail have denominated a Bill for "loin; justice to Ireland." Now what has been often remarked, but nt,t sufficiently attended to by the Protestants of Great Bri tain, the misnomer of this falsely called " Municipal Bill" is manifest, from the very fact of its being so eagerly insisted on by the Popish party in Ireland. Had it been a measure of a bona fide Municipal or local character, purely for adding to the cleanliness, comfort, and more orderly regulation of towns, with no further purpose of any kind, what charms would it or agitation i n t er e s t ? By what could it pouess for the far-fetched ingenuity could the leaders of that interest convert it into an engine for doing " justice to Ire land?" What meaning is affixed to the phrase of " justice to Ireland," in the minds of those who are most familiar with it, they leave us under no difficulty to understand. They tell us openly, and impress it upon their followers as a fundamental truth, that justice to Ireland consists mainly in the overthrow of the Pro testant Established Church, and the substitution of the voluntary principle. Well, then, can anything be more obvious than that the measure which the pest and O'Connell faction deem essential as a meant; of justice to Ireland must be one of which the anticipated consequence is the ruin, of the Church in Ireland ? It follows, therefore, that this Irish Corporation 'Bill is in its nature, and ought to be in its title, a " Church Subversion Bill" for Ireland. For such is its recognized object with those who arc most violent in the pursuit of it,—namely, the Irish Revolutionists and Papists. Yet, strange to say, we find many of those Members of Parliament who con demn the appropriation clause as being an outrage upon the rights of the Church, and who reprobate the Bill for the abolition of Church-ratos as being a direct spo liation of Church property—we find them voting for the Irish (so called) . Municipal Bill by a majority of SO, while for the appropriation clause there was but a ma jority of 29, and for the anti-church-rate project a ma jority of no more than three-and-twenty I Of what explanation are such facts susceptible, save that En glishmen who so treat such questions have neither seen the differences of things nor their affinities-- that they have not seen the utter contrast between a really municipal policy for Ireland and that which dictated the Irish " Corporation" Bill, nor the close and inseparable connexion between the latter measure and those others which have simultaneously and avowedly been directed against the Established Church. They have mistaken sounds for substances. Why, if the appropriation clause and the Municipal Bill be considered even for a moment, it will be seen that the first is in practice as compared with the other, quite innocent and inoperative. The appropriation Clause yields nothing but a principle, which, excepting as it is a principle, sleeps for three-and-forty years. It inflicts little present loss upon the Church beyond that of which Conservative Statesmen themselves have ac quiesced in the expediency. But what does the Irish Municipal Bill ? It grants a large accession of- real power to the declared enemies of the Church, to be used horn the very outset for her rapid destruction ; while the appropriation clause is only pregnant with remoter dangers—the Municipal Priests run far ahead of the abstract principle—their evil offspring start into life at once, full grown and armed for immediate mischief. But of both the end is alike. The Protestant Church is aimed at from different points, and by paths which seem to take separate courses. The appropriation clause avows its mo tive, and seeks to introduce a political doctrine for hereafter ; the Municipal " Reform" lets in upon our Church the physical force of a fierce and superstitious rabble, to be led or driven, as the may be, commencing from the first hour of their franchise. To us it is more than strange that the true com plexion of this measure has yet at least. escaped the vigilance and shrewdness of our Protestant countrymen. Surely there is now enough before them to expose, in its genuine tendency, the spirit of a scheme whose entire value in the eyes of the public enemy, who pro claims his detestation of the Church, is its aptitude for the overthrow of the whole fabric of Protestantism throughout Ireland. It is monstrous to talk about the popularity of this Municipal Bill, in favour of which the petitions from Ireland, where the art, moreover, of getting up petitions has long flourished, have been few and unimportant. It is more monstrous to talk of the Bill as carrying with it the slightest illustration of equa lity in the laws of the respective countries, when the working and effect of English Corporate Reform are directly opposite to the Irish—the moving power in England being individual free agency, in Ireland col lective subserviency to the priest. If the agitators will have equality of corporate legislation, let them begin by recommending an equality of material for burgesses. Let them ask for such an amount of qualification in Ireland as would raise the Irish burgess to the same level of intelligence and independence as are prevalent in the municipal bodies here. But that is not the de scription of equality they look for.— Times. Several of the clauses of the Irish Municipal Re form Bill were last night passed in Committee, by the House of Commons, without any discussion deserving of the slightest commentary. We, therefore, refer for the particulars of the proceedings to our report and summary. The merits of the Bill have already been so thoroughly canvassed and established, that every one influenced by fair, honest, and impartial motives is already convinced of its expediency, justice, and sound policy, and with those desirous of arraying one sect of people against another, and one division of the em pire against the other, in order more effectually to re tard the progress of popular rights, it would now be useless to argue ; it is not by words that such op ponents must be brought to yield to the dictates of reason and justice. It is not their intellect, but their inclination, that is for the most part at fault. There certainly maybe, and we believe there are, some amongst the Opposition, too imbecile or indolent to exercise any judgment of their own, who follow their leaders in stupid indifference ; but these leaders themselves see and ap preciate as distinctly as men can do the justice of the mea sure, and hence arises their opposition. Accustomed to batten on the spoliation of the people, they re gard any and every proposition to establish a just and equitable system of government as a personal wrong. Plunder is the patrimony they have received from their fathers, and plunder is the inheritance they would transmit to their children. How could it be expected that amongst such men the proposal of jus tice to Ireland, or justice to any part of the empire, should meet with a favourable reception ? As well might the members of the " swell mob be expected to co-operate in the establishment of a more efficient system of police. The cases are exactly parallel. One class live by individual plunder, the other by national plunder. What is the history of the Irish Corpora tions but an uninterrupted record of plunder, oppres sion, and corruption ? What is the taxing of the Irish people for die maintenance of a Church in many parts known to them only by its name and ..its persecu tions, but plunder of the most heartless and aggravated character ? This, say the spoilers, is for the interest of religion. In many parishes in Ireland there is no Church, and in some not a single member of the esta bliiihed religion. Where, in such instances, we ask, is the religion or the Church for the support of which such parishioners are asserted to be taxed ? The Church, the congregation, and the religion are to be found only in the person of some reverend gentleman whose face is, perhaps, never seen in the parish unless when seeking the payment of those funds which he claims on behalf of the Church. Can such a system be otherwise designated than one of plunder and abo mination ? Can it be hoped that the abettors of such a system or systems will yield tu-the force of argument, however convincing ? The whole history of Toryism-affords ample proof of the contrary. They have never yet made any concession to popular claims but on compulsion. Whenever a measure of public justice is proposed, the Tories consider, not the me rits of the question, but merely calculate the best means of defeating it, and how far it may be safe to carry their opposition. To what was Catholic emancipation conceded ?—Compulsion. To what was the Reform of the Home of Commons, and of the Municipal Corporations of England conceded ? Com pulsion. Those measures, like these now pending, had long the justice and policy of their principle tm disputarAy established so far as argument could do it without any practical result, till the people showed, by a general demonstration, that they would no longer be trifled with. "The Tories did not even pretend that they yielded through conviction—on die contrary, they avowed with a frankness not usual with them, that they gave way to necessity. They made necessity the plea with their friends for their concessions ; but they of fered no apology to the people whose rights they had resisted, and whom they forced to the verge of revo lution in the effort to establish equitable institutions. Where, then, is the use of argument with such oppo nents ? No. They must be shown a necessity sm.