The Sun. — London, England, 1841-12-14 00:00:00

ef t,,„ ugnats9o/. to R. Pritchard, as in part payment of 1 / 4 6(1,7 - due bills b e f ore a ll u d e d t o . A ugu st 31st 4121 thee,„ that was for the same purpose. On the same day i leeiLas 140/. p a id to Mars len andPr i tehar d on accoun t o f i;.y . ,,.eedings an d d e b t to t h em. O n t h e I s t Septem fe,ts",Oltani Marslen, 8/. Bs.; that was on account of law k him on his separate account prior to the part -I,eiart9 of Alaralen . and Pritchard. That, I believe, ex • all those amounts. ! ice° Li not your brother George Hitchcock liable on your tei c i tt ,, nt ,to R. P. Pritchard for the money you say you joq phula on the dates last mentioned ?-He was. e n Was the first demand in bankruptcy made upon think it was made on July 29, by Ellis and i Tg h t°a, for one h un d re d an d o dd p ou nds. 4 di e l ' at ' 74 rupt, before making the above reply, said e m , a'Jt u n d erstan d w h at a d eman d i n b an k ru pt c y and Mr. Ashurst said he would take that down, r‘tooPed the Commissioner would remember the aent of the bankrupt of his ignorance. Mi. 8 urst having explained the meaning of a demand in "ttalc . r up teY, the bankrupt gave the answer aboye reported. ot'd the'ou pa) that sum or bail it P-Bailed it. eAt examination being read, th affair relatingstatedebankruptto th e b ii ,he could not explainthe to hi s ul Court, he thought he might be able to do so thibid assignees. l'as and Everington ultimately get paid ?-I el ( not. te e li o ; Y o unot know they did not ?-I believe not. I if they were not paid. Ch „2 4 not another similar demand made upon you by e.fler, Watson. and Jackson, on the sth of August ? , tutu* there was iz_ittiot a fact P-LI do not recollect that individual r, but I have no doubt but it is. l k•• Y o u Pay that, or bail it ?-As far as my recol ato„ th " s erves, we paid them a part, and should have paid tathe remainder, but for the steps they took. KI You pay any part of that demand?-Ib - lieve we We Ie Part out of the sum demanded in bankruptcy. I l i: not pay any part of that. We bailed it. top e was your bail ?-11y brother and Mr. Chris_ p . ; Leaf. M r. C. Leaf also joined in bailing the first?-Yes. C litia L e e f, of whom you aro now speaking, the same ‘ ,7,Puer Leaf to whom you invoiced goods 2 , 800 /., , 1 43" t sold th em as y ou h a ve stated for less than WY, -Yes applied to Mr. Groucoff to become my Leaf, not from any particular preference. Vs not the ne x t demand on the following day, Aug. St rutt and Sharp ?-I have no doubt of it. kyL i l'cw much ?-I do not recollect. I can see by ihe - "• -- (Having referred he answered)-1791. 15s. P 4.1; ,Yen pay that or bail it ?,-Bail it by the same , be? my brothe r an d Christopher Leaf. 8, 1 4 C Oct F e ll er an d C o . ma k e ano ther demand in l<' y, August 9 ?-I have no doubt did they did. 1)04' t hat bailed by the same parties ?-Yes. to ehitt aot Sheriff and Co, also demand ?-They did ; but ly Amount or what date Ido not recollect. it *ere bite also bailed by the same parties P-It was, if d 0 not recollect how many bail bonds you signed? re° not aI eSSrS. Kand and Co. make a deed about 14th_ k d l t a i s ' t for 104 / . or thereabouts ?- I b e li eve they es di, d l)i,4t 11 °t alsoCou , if bailed, was ba and Wild e makd bye a the simi sui.e lair demand uBil e gtondl 6 t lB August think they did, and that was 11 3 , 4 bailed, by the sanee parties. At ) . ° l l belie ve Sheriff and Co.'s was about the 7th of kttst , ?-- I have no receAlection of dates. °f o h bankrupt here explained that when he Sf,':d part gal ( 4Per's debt Peas paid, he meant part of d ie er , g i_ t ltc y - !' and not part o f th e sum deman'aed in bank „„ , S A ni'ek that Sheriff and Zeillett's demand was ll t,-august?-I think it might have been. h r lis e e ; T •ol'y of the sums so demanded paid by you?-No. ',tile r " You any doubt they were all bailed by your - and Christopher Leaf P-I have none. NU' not they and you go on bailing their demands, "6th 00 dn „ September last P-1 do not recollect the date. not believe that the bails were put in on days tteo between 18th August and 6th September, both e i t er,e ?-I have no recollection about it, but I think clii,l-;4;etcyca.silyseen by a reference to the Court of t iol c il tk er e are those demands in bankruptcy ?-I should "te " 4 eY are with Marsden and Pritchard, or with my ifra at the Official Assignee's. 4 ve 41? lon no belief about the time ou ceased to give httve none. Ido not recollect to a month. dp to your b oo k, and tell me when you received 4 4t 1 roeeeds of the goods sold by Christopher Leaf.- '41. 2 e 1 ' 50 0/. ; 24th, 240/. ; 28th, 5001. ; 31st, 5001. !')f . the • .`3ole stated that the assignees were perfectly 11-,eare litk l s d e facts, and lind consulted counsel upo - . 4 them. h 41 C ll wever, no wish to,stop Mr. Ashue_,, L 4 te " s unnier then resumed the ex:emination.-You Nfto,34`ated that on. the 21st of Aure e st you received 5001. • I f ‘e 1 -A " 'el R to, 'ea-, 4ti.o teat on the same ..ay )ou pat R. 1 1 4 tat zn ztr Li 6001. Did not the mdliey received from C. 1.4 Part pa ment of that debt to Pritchard, for W,,4';our brother was liable ?-I should think it did. ttlec 'lt or not ?-A part of the 5001. was used, the t ,,, ) : 1 4, )4 ,,, rt was paid to other creditors. - 'k ne h Was paid to other creditors ?-461. lls. Bd., '"'-ht have been 1561. 12s. It is impossibleteoe of as ,)/! - o.o! 3. 7exa c t disposal. of the money, as a balance ( 1 4 h a , vas in the 'elands of the clerk at night. le t ree s i 1 stated that on or about the 28th August, Tee 50 0_,/, and stated on same day paid 290/.?- 4t.-441 '..t.id not supply the money so last men -1111,,.°440„ pa rt 24 et made the following explanation • lAA Para, received 2501. for C. Leat, which went in ek -e ot to Gamlen t 4l l:lt . :Q 4 Urte r here interfered, and said that the ox k_tlttli,:ll)l night be an answer to his next question, , 11..t t . tulcrupt had ben lookin g over what he had r ise ri ba " nt:ll3 l t d " A ' a l s r . anent p i g l .la2ll;riginall'; written 4; 4 24th August, and finding that went's;isewhere, ho I A it out.-(Applause and hissing. ASIIURST - None but lir, nr iirapers' apprentices tt r e '''d be guilty of such. iml:eopriety. Now, Sir, answer orpestion. You h'a stated that on or about the 28th c u gnet you ree.eived 500/. for C. Leaf, and that on the I ,ic t l aY you ;Ad It. P. Pritchard, to whom your bre „`‘„.l„,,fa," hal';ie, 5901. Did not the money received from e ':epply a part of the money so mentioned. 340/. L 'Nl , 5OO/. appears to have been part of the 5901. T4, lt part of the 590/.?-I should think it was. I -1 / 4 ° o doubt it was. I wish to add in explanation, i "a1i t ;,, 2 ,, 4 :1 We received 2501. of C. Leaf and Co., which was te e =of in the payment of Gandell's bill and costs, Aloe Mme day, amount 310/. 19s. 2d. l' i t , e . - ,"Ave said that the 500/. received from C. Leaf on -1 1 , ‘ 1,m,aPpears to have been a part of the 590/. paid to 'lt o -roe:hard was it a part of the 5901. paid to hint ?- e.el think 340/ of the 500/. was. efba believ e it ;as boe part P-I do. ave said that in August 31, a sum of 3001 was from C. Leaf, and that on the same day you ~„, ohs t last • Pritchard a sum of 412/. 6s. 6d. Was not ‘ t p e "lirri paid to R. P. Pritchard out of the money - At --' ~,:eoned as on the same day received from C. ) ,,Ilo‘;' I k Part of it. • P- I should tleinic about 3401. The rest el l ' si tt to , others. I ' v ve' l ot the whole amount paid to R. P. Pritchard be hell'3e, 1 , 11 ' 1% 9 and 31 about 2,1061. ?-I think not. 13 -kleh ? - -Abo ' ut 2,0001, being the amount of the redis-Qualired bills before alluded to. 'r.t thet 000/. go to discharge a debt for which e l t i e ld r y (lth tt e r G wh - o'gave the bill : was liable ?-Yes. reee ve money for any of the goods which IS% e Pt e r , -4 "\nn i )rour premises - from - any other person_ om °4l 41 C. Leaf ?-No, except a small amount from AV IL SI a b tl 4ll -which I have before explained. b ° ' lessrs. Marsden and Pritchard the solicitors to ,t ow n roth or George ?-Yes, and to all my friends 11" 4 % er e th , ) i se (kb t 9 Y - not also solicitors to the R. P. Pritchard, ere I th" Yo u were thus discharging ?-Yes. V () e 3' also your solicitors ?-Yes. shal l give the conclusion in a Second Edition.) T. ( HLS DA vo ellt3llN AL 0, 43 (0 t r OLD COURT. 411 1 ton aged 33, was convicted of stealing property of Henry Herring, her master, - wellin e b and one purse, the property of na.r Qt ati f i - i .. is ouse, Ll Pr i, i "ner had been servant to the prosecu.tor, house.who A • Inoney named from a drawer in . his f t4 (4)., (''vereigns were seen in the possession of the 7-(1}::: and she was given into custody, when she con 1. 4r A vr - mg committe d the robbery. kq e " rd, R gave the prisoner an excellent cha f,°r t c ," (4 ' she lived with' him as servant 'ets, t itne e . stY ''h as was se at times singular in her man ‘ft,Tll-iheh led to the belief that she was at times flighty. t t e a -r °ther of the prisoner stated that she had been 1) 2-4 sA w ith brain fever. order to—ntence was respited till the next Sessions, in 1441 te further inquiries respecting the prisoner. G eo NEW COURT. 441 d .• S kin, aged 20, w as i n di c t e d for stealing a comb, Iler t ; - () c ' re ign coin o f th e va l ue o f one s hilli n g, the pro • , Q f Allred Lovell, his master, and Herbert White, hare Tie pe w as indict e d f or rece i v i ng th e some , knowing it en stolen. fvidprisoner Ston pleaded Guilty. t. nee was then shown against the other prisoner, li k e t t w o bieh it appeared than Ston had been an appren ,4,lti eh eesemonger. His master suspected him a I "eaC i t,e before his apprehension of several defalca ',,e al, White, being a constant companion of Ston's, 'was suspected, and both were given into custody.. hcli Qh ., B boxes were searched, and the coin named in the ; 1 4 , g• o — od ell _t w . as found. On his being charged with receiv as a with a guilty knowledge, he . admitted that _he 144st OaAeet r ll k are Ston being in the habit of robbing his but he had no connection with him in r e-441 th 0 11MON SERGEANT having summed up, the Jury 4114 fle e Y d id not consider there was senctent evidence~rl, yaitted the prisoner. ali, a . sa lne prisoners were again indicted, the one with _ and the other receiving, Mbs. weight of k oh ) 'no Property of the same prosecutor. 4it izon: P le aded Guilty to this charge, and the other - ` r was acquitted on the same ground. t4 tol vf ItouNEL—The weather has been so . exi ltlrme.Y boisterous, with continued rain, that all agricu . tom ursuits are a stand, and much of the seed got in wti....... 131 .6 et e1Y wasted away, and the land must be re over Chronick. t "Ca OF THE SUBLIME.—The clouds bla ck, s . , ,try and l ower i ng — t h e thun d er r i ppe d a way vio "eqvin'4lld as a vivid flash of lightning shot across the itero k i' s, wo discovered a fat nigger running like the devil the lutermelon patch THE CORI C--LAWS AND THE ME. I TIODIS'I'S. TO THE : EDITOR OF THE SUN. Sin—The universal cry of the labouring classes for food at rationol i ;n(1 natural prices having led to much public discussion, 4 :-, as effected a compl e t e an d di sgusting expose ofth the ni 'r Creator " h as ma d e of one blood all nations of nit m, to dwell o n th e f ace of the Forgettingth e it a t l 24 elfishness of our l an d e d ar i stocrats, 4 earth ;" and that, (ht 'inanely speaking) the accident has elevated them abc •ve the rest of their fellow creatures, these lords ( )f the earth trample upon the industrious, and grind th e faces of the poor ; surely for getting their owns respoi isibility to God for the use or abuse of their privileges ai id their wea l t h . These are trite and 'stale truths, but still truth s of the disgrace of our rulr. , rs, at, d the condemna'aon of our country . before God. • Condemnation ? Y' is ! W e are nomio Ally Christian people ; and the weal thy and . great anion , / us are gene rally th best educate d in all 'mg's' and i _religious truths. But does their cond Bet, or their profession only, recom mend the doctrines of Christianity to the ignorant and poor? Are they indeed exalted by their ra u',, and, as cities set on a hill, dou .bly conspicuous to their inferiors by ; their virtues, or 'oy th eir vices, as a. e Jess ? Do they set :An example of pietg . ,- tow-Ards God and man ? The ans.wer is on every it an's lips—No. " You tell us, " say the poor, " that God is good ;" but you impiously place yo , arse Ives between us and the bounties of Iris provideu e, securing for yourselves luxurious profunion, and co o.si?,uing us and our children to hunger and despair. You tell us, that " Mal l's heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wiecked." Your own conduct is a daily commentary urjon. the truth of the Sacred text. You say that Oar, ist's mission was primarily to the poor and wretched' , and that from among the labour ing class he chose the fir st preachers of his Gospel : also that Christ declat .ed the ldoor should always be with you; bu t you in crease / .heir nu? Albers, and aggravate their misery. You lift up fo Med hands to Heaven, and piously exhort us to endure or a. lot, as the appointment of God. What is this but blat ;phemy, while yourselves are the sole a u , thors of our n iisery ; while you add chains to Our tall and contempt to privation ? Yet "He that Ospiseth ' the poor, repro 'acheth his Maker." Much has be en said, justly and severely said, respect- 1 ing the eolidue4; of the tit asleyan preach.'er;, in reference I to the taxes o a food. i We have re cently had a Confetrir.;e here, and I have had many opportunities of convers-ng with the prek ii t'r s as guests; and .. 1- am compelled v ath sorrow and shame,to avow, that the j anior parish_e-4 are the tools of th e i r su perintendents, :mcl that the .latter are but the locomotive engines of the Conservp .. . A . re laymen; fre quent and exten live and in their . p r "regrination.s, se influence the ma jority of the Sof aetv, as to neutraAize the labours of the upon relig 3 .Ous grounds, petition the 'ner advisr . ; rs few who won/ d, to give the poor their daily bread. I Piaci '4 befor , . ; my Sovereign and Reverend teachers and guests the example o f o ' s:'-:4:ist himself, his compassionate regard for the poor. ; Kid inflexible requirements from the rich and power 0:1 The preachers spoke of various conflicting interests ~ contradictory opinions, and perplexing argu qentrs • , and, above all, their own inability to study the ues , .ton. I said, " the workman is worthy of his hire." T 1 ey thought " VESTED INTERESTS" might suffer, I said that my foreign trade was so diminished during i the last three or four years, th a t I w as less able to contri -1 bute to the endless calls of the Society for pecuniary aid. They did not see how my export trade would be bene fitted by the repeal of the Corn-laws. Our Sunday schools are deserted by many pupils, their parents being able only to provide a scanty supply of the coarsest food, but not to clothe their children decently. The preacher spoke of the drunkenness and improvi dence of the operatives. I inquired how they should learn the best motives to sobriety and economy, if excluded by their destitution from a place of worship? The men of God answered, " Let us pray," and took their leave.—l am, Sir, your obliged and constant reader, A METHODIST THE BRAGANZA STEAMER. We the undersigned passengers on board the Penhn sular and Oriental Ste 'in Navigation Company's vessel, detained at Falm°:..lth until the departure of the next weekly mail, in consequence of the Braganza's return to harbour, af having put to sea, conceive it to be our y to du make public the following statement of facts. t . i• • ane voyage from Southampton, usually accomplished with weather more unfavourable than we encountered, in twenty hours, occupied thirty. The Braganza quitted Falmouth with the mails on Monday at noon, but it was soon evident that her speed was more than ordinarily slow, and it was remarked that her wheels made but seven revolutions a minute. A con siderable escape of steam through irregular channels was perceptible, and, owing to the leakage of her boilers, the pumps were constantly going. At half-past seven, r.m.,although the Braganza was making four knots an hour, she was put about, as was subsequently ascertained, in consequence of the engineer's report that the defective condition of her boilers prevented her generating suffi cient steam to work the engines effectively. Happily, although it was blowing a gale, with a heavy sea, we reached Falmouth Harbour about an hour and. a half after midnight. In due course the boilers were emptied and examined, and the defects nominally repaired. The steam was again put on, and Wednesday, at noon, the Blue Peter was again hoisted ; but those who, even now, calculated upon pursuing their voyage were doomed to a now dis appointment, for it was soon apparent that the leakage had not been stopped. The pumps were once more at work, the mails were landed, and the Braganza returned to Southampton to be supplied with new boilers, which, we understand, to have been for some time in readiness ; but which, owing to an insufficiency of steamers to perform the service, the Braganza has not yet been laid up to receive. With the loss thus occasioned to her Majesty's service we have nothing to do ; the penalty attached to the non fulfilment of the contract rests with the Government to enforce or forego, as it may deem fit ; but, with regard to our own personal inconvenience, anxiety, and risk, we conceive that we have just cause for remonstrance and complaint : the more so, because this is by no means a solitary instance in which vessels wholly unfit have been sent to sea by this Company, thereby subjecting the passengers to unnecessary delay, hardship, and peril. Not two months since, in the " Royal Tar," the passen gers were freed to work at the pumps, and when these were choked, to assist in baling out the water with their hats. The still graver case of the " Wilberforce," last year, must be yet in the recollection of the public. Until an efficient control is exercised over this and other Companies, it is but too apparent that passengers cannot depend upon that due provision being made for their personal security which they are entitled to expect. It therefore behoves those who have been sufferers from such culpable indifference, to hold out a beacon to others. It is this conviction and this alone, which induces us to publish these facts. Had we been further at sea, or had the &ration of the gale not favoured:our return to port, it is difficult to conjecture the disastrous results which might have ensued. Falmouth, 9th December, 1841. JOHN CLEMENS. MA.TTHIAS MAHER. J. M. HUGHES. M. O'DONNELL. - JOHN SHORTER. G. BERESFORD. R. BREAKSPEAR IVENS. JAMES THRAPP. GEORGE It. PURDON, Clerk. JOHN AULDJO. JOHN MAHER. COURT CIRCULAR. - - - WINDSOR, MONDAL — The Queen and Prince Albert took walking exercise on the Terrace of the Castle to clay. Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent, attended by Lady Fanny Howard, also walked for some time. The Earl of Liverpool, the Earl Dam% arr, and the Hon. and Rev. E. S. Keppell left the'Castle this morning. Mr. and Mrs. Harcourt St. Leonard, will have the honour of joining the Royal Dinner Circle this evening at the Castle. A Deputation from the Committee of the Baronetage for Privileges, attended by A. Brown, Esq., K.T.T., the lion. Secretary, had an interview yesterday with Sir Ro bert Peel at his official residence in Downing-street, and placed in his hands ' for the information of her Majesty, a Representation, embodying the conclusions which have been arrived at in tespect to the revival of the rights which have engaged the attention of the Order since 1835. The Ministers of the Five Powers had a meeting, and transacted business yesterday afternoon at the office of her Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. Count St. Aulaire, the French Ambassador ; Baron Brunow, the Russian Minister ; Baron de Nieu man, the Austrian Minister, on a Special Mission ; Baron Schleiniti, the Prussian Charge d'Affaires, and Ferad Effendi, Turkish Charge d'Affaires, were present. Mr. Bodkin, M.P. for Rochester, an interview with Sir James Graham at the Foreign-office, on Saturday. The Chevalier Bun Sen, his Prussian Majesty's Mi nister Plenipotentiary on a special mission, had an inter view with Sir Robert Peel yesterday in Downing-street. The Bishop of London had an interview yesterday with Sir Robert Peel. _ _ _ The Lords of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council sat yesterday. There were present :—The Lord President, Lord Brougham, Mr. Baron Parke, and the Judge of the Admiralty Court. The Hon. W. Bathurst was the Clerk of the Council in waiting. An appeal from Upper Canada, " Tyler v. Rowand," was disposed of. Mr. Jackson was heard on motions to revive appeals from Madras. The Solicitor-General and Mr. Sergeant Spnnkie were heard on a petition for l eave t o appeal from Bombay, " The Collector of Kairah v. Modee Pestonjee Khorsedjee." Mr. Kindersley, Q.C., and Mr. Burge, QC., were heard for the re spective parties, on an appeal from Lower Canada, "Fraser and Lagueux v. Murray and Fraser." STAVELEY.—For some time past a courtship has been carried on by a certain couple in this peaceful parish, and matters became so far matured that the banns were published, and Sunday week was appointed for the wedding-day. Of course every p r ep aration was made, and sundry a ddi t i ons were procured t o the ward robe of the hap bridegroom ; b ut, alas ! the fair bride had to bear witness to the truth of the old adage, that " there's many a slip between the cup and the lip," for at•the hour appointed for the meeting which was im mediately to precede the ceremony of making them "one flesh," the aspirant for Hymeneal honours was non est inventue. On inquiry, it was found that on Fri day week he had packed up his clothes and some eat ables, and had left the scene of his adventures by a rail way train from Eckington station, taking with him a new great coat and other articles, for which he has left the tailors of the neighbourhood minus the damage. The deserted fair one is left either to lament her disappoint ment, or to be thankful for her inauspicious union, as her inclination norfrgoomoda e dictate.—Derb,yshire Chronicl e . sense oomvhaayt THE 1 1 111),LAND COUNTIES COX.TERENCt. (From the Times.) The mill-owners, or, as they hare been not inaptly designated, the millocrats, of the midland counties, as sembled on Thu rs d a y last, at Derby, in What is called by them it "Great CoArence," for the purpose of clubbing their information respecting the influence of the Corn laws upon their manufactures ; and after a morning consumed in detailing the sufferings of unemployed arti sans these gentlemen proceeded to celebrate the public distress which had brought them together, in "an excel• lent dinner, provided by the landlord of the Royal Hotel." To expose the various fallacies, (some of them put forth from ignorance, but some, we fear, knowingly), which abused the public ear on that morning and afternoon would occupy as many columns as we can spare lines. The majority of the statements were very much of the same nature with those which have already been given in the House of Commons, and which were there either disproved altogether, or explained to carry inferences wholly at variance with the views of their utterers. There is one lesson, a most important one in modern politics, which the speeches at this meeting remarkably illustrate and strongly enforce—namely, the imprudence of ever legislating with a view to pacify the Radical party. Their course goes regularly through the same series of stages. First, they make a large demand. That being resisted, they offer to accept a part in full of the whole as a final settlement. This being conceded and secured they instantly re-open their original demand, and insist upon the whole, without qualification or reserve. The expulsion of the Whip has happily saved us, in the present ease, from such a fraud, but we have had a very narrow escape. " There is a general cry," said the Melbourne Government, " for a repeal of all protection upon agriculture. We dare not go quite that length, because the very few respectable friends still left to us are chiefly connected with the agricultural classes. But we can commute the existing protection ; and when once We get a duty fixed the question about Cern-laws will be finally settled between the Govern ment and the Radicals. Just as finally, no doubt, as the Roman Catholic questions were settled by the Relief Act, or the constitution of Parliament by the acts of reform. And now tha Corn-law plot is out, and the mill-owners, finding that their confe derates are displaced, and that it is no longer of any service to conceal their own purposes, remove the mask froth their faces and the bridle from their tongues, and call out openly and lustily for the repeal of all agri cultural prestectiott whatsoever. " Gentlemen," says Cobden, " i s the duty of those in Parliament to take up some defined fuel well •understood principle ; and that I conceive to be the principle of no protcc tiVe duties: I see very little difference between Lord John Russell and Sir Robert Peel—between now pro hibitive duties and the sliding scale." And then, after ridiculing Lord John Russell as a friend to half-measures, and deprecating the qualified sort of opposition which the Whigs would bo likely to make upon any question of corn duties, lie proceeds to say, , "There is no probability of any opposition, taking such a turn as this, maintaining its ground with the public. On the other hand, if we take up the principle of na pro tective duties, if we take our stand upon the principle of , free trade, that will form such a cement and bond of union that (heterogeneous as are the elements composing the Opposition benches) I venture to say it would be the most powerful and complete that ever sate in the House of Commons."—( Great cheering.) Yes, we have no doubt there was great cheering to that. Yet, were the whole force of the Parliamentary Opposition to join, not in a measure for the improvement of the existing Corn-laws, but in the absolute destruction of all Corn-laws whatsoever—to combine, not for the mere relief of the consumers, but for the utter overthrow of the whole landed proprietary of England by the unre stricted admission of foreign corn, and you will have a very strong party, as far as there is strength in numbers, throughout the whole of the manufacturing districts. Indeed, you will never want a strong party when you offer an unlimited license of spoliation. But what is your strong party, when thus collected, to do ? Why, says Mr. Cobden, we must re-value all the land of the kingdom, and impose a new land-tax according' to that re-valuation. " There must be a total abo- lition of all taxes upon food, and we should raise at least twenty millions a year upon the land; and then the owners would be richer than any other landed proprietary in the world." Yes ; and, probably, if we were to confiscate half the property of the cotton lords they would still be richer than any other spinning proprietary in the world ; but would it, therefore, be fitting that a mob should be hallooed upon the premises of Mr. Strutt and Mr. Evans, and half a hundred other millocrat mil- lionaries ? " I see no reason," pursues Mr. Cobden, " why we should not have compensation in the shape of land• tax, which would relieve us from the whole of our burdens." No reason ! It is really idle to talk about reason with a man who deals in such monstro sities as these; else we might say that we can see no reason ►why " the whole of our burdens," which are now borne by the different classes of society, should hence forth be thrown, as he ►would throw them, altogether upon one; nor why that one should be the landed class. That is the question which it would be natural to ask, not only in point of reason but in point of justice too: but, as justice is a matter as little cared for as reason by many of these gentry, we will put the question in another way. When you shall have impoverished the landed interests as you propose to do by the total repeal of protection for agriculture,—when one half of the land shall have been driven out of cultivation, and the rents of the other half reduced as you ►would fain reduce them—what will re main to yield you the twenty millions you mean to levy in the way of laud-tax ? Lest our renders should imagine, from the exceeding absurdity of the passages we have quoted, that they are taken from some unfriendly reporter, who has had a mind to pervert the statements of this eminent Anti- Corn-law leaguer, we beg to assure them that all our extracts are verbatim from the report contained in the Morning Chronicle. What a specimen do they convey of the intellect and of the spirit ►which have guided " the Great Conference I" No doubt the difficulties of legislation very speedily vanish before a financier who proposes to relieve the pressure of taxation upon one-half of a country by shift ing that taxation upon the other half, in addition to the taxation which this other half had to bear already. This is easy work; and at such a rate Mr. Cobden would make as good a first Mini,ter as Sir R. Peel. Perhaps this was the inference which Mr. Cobden sought to establish. But presumptuous rashness is not the worst of his offending. lie is answerable, also, for the crime, and there can hardly be a more heinous one, of uttering those presumptuous and rash effusions to a population who, if his own account be true, are in a state of unex ampled distress, and therefore naturally in a temper of irritation and excitability. If the evils he alleges have any existence (and we are far from denying that amid all the exaggeration of this subject there is still, unhap pily, but too large a proportion of truth), is it to a starving multitude that a Member of the Legislature ought to appeal upon the philosophy of taxation, and the adjustment of the doctrines of political economy , ? Is it in such a cause that he ought to set the poor in judgment on the rich, with a proviso that if the judg ment be an unfavourable one, the property of the defen dant shall be sequestered to the judges' use ? The statements of the Derby sympathizers go to show that in the manufactures of the midland districts there has been a downward progression, or rather re trogression, for these five and twenty years. Does that prove the existing distress of those districts to be the result of the present Corn-law ? We should rather think not, inasmuch as the present Corn-law is only of about half that standing. A more rational inference, we suspect, would be, that the cause of our diminished manufactures is to be found in the pacification of Europe, which, five and twenty years ago, set the nations of the Continent at liberty to pursue the arts of peace, the develop ment of their own resources, and the employment of their native industry. If, then, overlooking or ne glecting these circumstances, our manufacturers continued to increase their own productions, and by invitations of fresh operatives from the country to multiply the numbers dependent on a precarious trade, then, however we may feel for the poor arti zans, however IVC may regret even the disappointments and losses of the masters themselves, yet certainly we cannot submit our understandings to the delusion now attempted by those masters, nor lend our selves to the iniquitous project for making up their unlucky speculations at the expense of their neigh bours. And we say this the more stringently, because we cannot help observing, that although the dis tress which they harp upon has been in progress, accord ing to their account, for a quarter of a century, it never occurred to them to make the heartrending statements which they have laid before Parliament, and to call " great conferences together," until the deficiency of the Whig-Radical budget and the peril of the Whig-Radical Administration suggested this movement of political sympathy. THE BOY JONES.—This extraordinary lad, whose repeated visits to Buckingham Palace caused so much alarm some time ago, and who after being released from prison was sent out to sea in a merchant ship, has lately returned to England, and is now at Liverpool. His case is likely to come under the notice of the autho rities, for it appears he was sent away without the con currence of his father, who has received a letter from him stating that the ship in which he had been induced to leave England had returned to. Liverpool, and th a t he had i been subjected to much lhusage on b oar d. Th er e ap pears to have been sonic irregularity in the mode of gesting rid of this troublesome lad, and a good deal of money unnecessarily expended by a tra d esman name d James, residing in Westminster, and a Th ames P o li ce inspector, named Evans, who, after tra ve lli ng a b out w i t h him in England and i Ireland for a m on th, eventually pro cured him a berth ? a Liverpool ship, as was stated some time ago. and not at Cork, Died on the 25th ult:, at Palgrave, Mary Minter, aged 30. She had been subject to fits from her infancy, which impaired her faculties. She notwithstanding at tained to full stature, but afterwards became a lunatic, and was confined to her bed for sixteen years. So great were her sufferings that her lower ex t rem i t i es were drawn up, with her legs almost imbedd e d i n h er b o d y, 2ft. 6in. in length, and 15in. over h er b ody. s a u n r d ed he o r n tn , ees up to her chin. W hen a corpse she mea- Added to the melancholy scene of death, her father had lain twelve years in the same bed, in a decrepid state, unable to get up}—Norwich Mercury. • The heart Of the great man surrounded by po verty, and trammelled by dependence, is like an egg in a nest built among briars ; it must either curdle into bitterness, or, if it take life and mount, struggle through the thorns for ascent. PARTIAL SHOWERS.--A gentleman travelling in the West of England, scarcely had a, fine day during his journey ; one day, when at Davenport, he said to the master of the hotel—" Raining again, I see."—" 0 (re plied mine host) it is only a partial shower."—"Egad (said the traveller), showers seem partictilarly partial to this part of the country." THE DISTRESSED PEOPLE OF SPITALFIELDS, AND OTHER OBJECTS OF PUBLIC CODIMISSERATION. The Lord Mayor stated yesterday at the Mansion house that he received 40 guineas for the Spitalfields subscription, and five guineas for the Mansion-house poor box, from the Lord Bishop of Durham, and a 5/. note for the benefit of the Spitalfields weavers, from Eliza G---." It gave his Lordship peculiar ratification to receive the following communications on subjects gde manding the warmest sympathies of the public:— "My Lord—l regret much to have observed in the papers of a few days since an advertisement inserted in behalf of the " Royal Free Mospital, Greville-street," calling the attenti on o f t h e pu bli c to th e melancholy fact, that from the numerous claims upon its funds, they had become inadequate to the maintenance of its truly Chris tian principle of relief, and that one-half of its beds were solelyfrom this cause kept vacant. " I cannot but think that the noble principle upon which this Institution is founded, viz., that of affording immediate relief and advice to all the destitute sick, with out requiring any other recommendations than those of sickness and destitution, should ensure the most liberal Support, and that if its nature and objects were more ge nerally known, it would soon be restored to its full power of usefulness. " I have for a few years past been an annual sub scriber to its funds, but its present limited means have induced me to come forward with an extra mite 31., which I trust you will excuse ray forwarding through you, in the hope that some notice taken of it by your Lordship, while sitting as Chief Magistrate, may reach the public through the press, and induce others to con tribute to our Hospital so worthy of support. " I have the honour to be, my Lord, " Your Lordship's very obedient servant, December 11, 1841. A FRIEND IN NEED. A gentleman who happened to be present when the Lord Mayor read. the above communication, stated that he was a subscriber to the admirable institution to which it referred, and that he was induced to become a contri butor, even beyond his means, in consequence of having personally witnessed the extraordinary exertions of the medical philanthropists who administered to the deplorable cases, suddenly and unceremoniously intro duced to the hospital ; and to the labours of the Com mittee, for the wider diffusion of its benefits. lle recol lected that these exertions commenced at the time when the cholera and typhus fever so fatally abounded ; and he believed that the good rendered to the destitute and powerless sielc, during the dreadful visitation, by the In stitution, never could be forgotten. The LORD MAYOR said he should most gladly hand over the contribution to the Greville-street Hospital. He was well acquainted with the benevolent peculiarity to which the " Friend in Need " alluded ; and he knew, too, several members of the Committee, who were indefatigable in the cause. One observation he would take the liberty of making on the subject. It had been the intention of the Committee to get up a ball and con cert in the Guildhall for the benefit of : : the charity ; but the ready offer of the Corporation to lend the Hall for that purpose was ultimately declined, from the apprehension that the patronage was not sufli ciently great to insure a profit to correspond with the inevitable expense. Now, he was aware that num 'Deo of benevolent individuals objected to balls and con certs for'' h e drd of this appeal they would not be the easons of their own, and he was convinced that when they last to open the hand of charity, especially when they e was scarcely an object waiting considered that tht:: . upon their compassion Yr - hose condition would not move a heart of flint. T .ord Mayor thought it The other letter to which the s his duty to advert was as follows : "My Lord—l beg leave to forward to sum of ten shillings for the Spitalfields weavers . fund, and humbly solicit that your Lordship will be gra ciously pleased to use your kind interest and influence for having a general fund raised towards the present relief of the most destitute poor in the United King dom. I once contributed a day's pay for the Russians, and one for the relief of my distressed Irish brethren, and if I know anything (after many years' service) of the feelings and dispositions of British soldiers and sailors, I do not hesitate to say, should the appeal be made, that they will be found as ready to contribute their mites towards the relief of their poor fellow-countrymen as they ever hare been to knock down an enemy where necessity called them to do so in defence of their country. There fore permit me most earnestly and humbly to solicit your Lordship in behalf of the many thousand suffering poor (who are at the present time suffering for want of the very common necessaries of life) to take such steps at head quarters, that an effort m a y b e i ns t ant l y made, as I feel confident, if the proper steps were taken, that my fellow soldiers and sailors will set such a glorious example to our country, as may convince the world that Great Britain is not a mere nominal lard of Christianity, but so in practice and reality. "I am, with humble respect, your Lordship's most humble servant, "A BRITISH SOLDIER." •1 the small ' relief CORN-LAWS. CITY, TWELVE o'CLocx.—The plan of the Ministry for the future regulation of the import of foreign corn has at length been suffered to transpire; and as it is supposed to have received the sanction of the leaders of the agricultural party, we may presume it will be adopted by them, when the Parliament assembles. The sliding scale is retained, but under a modified form, the duty fluctuating only to the extent of 145., the maximum being 18s. per quarter, and the minimum 4s. per quarter, rising or falling Is. for every fall or rise of one shilling in the average price of wheat ; the pivot being Ms. per quarter or under, for the highest rate of duty and 685., or over, for the lowest rate. The plan also embraces some wholesome regu lations for taking the weekly averages, with a view to remedy the trickery which is now practised by inter ested parties in making their returns of sales and prices. We need not say that we think a fixed duty would have been preferable to a sliding scale ; but after the violent hostility displayed against this propolal by the dominant party in Parliament we despair of seeing it carried at present. Therefore, we gladly accept this modification of the sliding scale as an instalment of what We claim. It is a very great improvement upon the old system. It will ensure a certain amount of revenue from corn, the average duty being 11s. per quarter, the mean between 4s. and 18s. ; it will reduce the temptation for forestalling, and also for making false returns ; it will ensure a more steady trade for the article, regular sup plies, and less fluctuation in prices.—Globe. FUN ERAL LATE DR. • BIRKBECK. (ADDITIONAL PARTICULARS.) Besides Lord Brougham's carriage, the presence of which we mentioned yesterday, we noticed the carriages of the Turkish Ambassador, Dr. Clutterbuck, Dr. Conquest, Mr. Aston Key (the surgeon), Mr. Bevan (the surgeon), Dr. Babington, Mr. L. Murray, Mr. Saner, and Mr. Page. Besides the members of the London Mechanics' Insti tute, deputations in mourning coaches attended from the Aldersgate and other literary and scientific institutions. The chief mourners were Mr. William and Mr. George Birkbeck (the deceased's sons), Mr. Foster, and Mr. Lloyd. Amongst the friends of the family who attended we noticed Dr. Southwood Smith, Dr. Clutterbuck, Lord Nugent, Mr. Basil Montague, &c., &c. The hearse, notwithstanding the continuance of most unfa vourable weather, was accompanied the long distance to Kensall-green by a considerable number of persons on foot, who are, or have been, members of the Mechanics' Institution. It was there joined by others, and the body was followed to its last resting place by a very numerous cortege. The road up to the chapel within the grounds was lined by people standing in respectful silence, and amongst them we noticed a considerable number ofPoles. On reaching the chapel, which was filled with the mourners, the body was placed on a catafalque in the centre, and the funeral service, according to the Church of England, was impressively read by the officiating clergyman. By a mechanical contrivance, which is terribly hostile to devotional feelings, from making a harsh grating noise, the body was lowered into the vaults beneath, and placed in one of the little cupboards, into which the space is portioned out, and which, small though they be, are quite large enough for him whose fame fur goodness has spread over Europe. The family mourners went first to see their beloved father and friend in his last resting-place ; and then the whole of those who had followed him out of respect and gratitude also descended, and saw where for ever was laid, in soli tary, stillness, that tongue which had poured out instruc tion for them, and that mild countenance which had, in the midst of large assemblies, continually taught amenity and checked disorder—so having attended their friend and teacher to his final home in this world, their duties to him were achieved, and they retired with sorrowful hearts, yet neither ashamed nor despairing, asking one another when they should seeanotherßirkbeck, and who could supply his place at the Mechanics' Institute ? To the MEMORY of DR. BIRKBECK. THE GOOD MAN'S GRAVE. The grave hath closed :--another setting star Bath pass'd adown the dark horizon's shade. The star bath gone : —not so the light w hi c h ma d e Its glory : that, still beaming, live s , an d f ar Above the lordly range where death can mar, Bright'ning one track of earth , when darkness crst osmwar. And Did, brooding, the, dear, dea mind r spread : tt l k i h e h r ee odrpips insidious wing accurst Breaking isdsiu ,d shall linger near That train of light :—their children.by their side, And mourn thee as their truest frie n d an d gu id e, And with their blessings blend tho f a lli ng tear. Oh ! could each waning star bequeath such light, How little might we fear the mind - enthralling, night. LL B. WEST INDIA MAILS.—The following com munication transmissionrespectl :en th e e rall'ost-offi e , cof West Indies will serve for the guid ance o f t h e pu b l i c : ' (Copy.) ,: Dec l . e l tt o e , rs ls t 4 o l t . he Wr "Sirs--In reply to your inquiry, I beg to inform you that the Postmaster-General has authorised ship letter bags to be made up and forwarded by, the steam-vessels about to sail from Southampton for ' the West Indian Islands, prior to the commencement of the new arrange ment for the transmission of the regular mails to the _ West Indies. I am, &c. (Si gn ed) "THOS. LAURENCE, Assistant Secretary. , " Messrs. Fowles, Brot hers and Co., 13 , Austin-friars,' Cod have been kept in salt water ponds in dif ferent parts of Scotland, and found to maintain their con dition unimpaired. Of these ponds there are three—one in Galloway, another in File, and a third in Orkney. That Logan, in Galloway is at the seat of Colonel M'llowall ; it is a basin of 30 feet in depth, 160 in circumference, hewn out from the soli d rock, and communicating w ith the sea by one of those fissures that are common to bold 1 and precipitous coasts. SPANISH MANUFACTURES. MADRID, DEC. 4.—The . long-pr om i se d exh ibi t i on o f national manufactures is now daily open to public view in the Conservatory of Arts, but th e s p ec i mens hitherto forwarded are trifling in number, and by no means cal culated to give a favourable idea of the manufacturing capabilities of Spain at the present day. There is only one specimen of plain Barcelona crockery, an d no cut l ery to be seen ; and the few castings for grates, fenders, 8.7. c. are far from neat. A plough is ther e , w i t h a cast- i ron , mould plate . (a great improvement i n this country) strangely disfigured by a bar of wrought iron rivetted across the surface thereof by way of strengthening it ! A Stanhope printing press appears, but so rude and un polished that it would be unsaleable in England. Glass from Carthagena, of a fine clear material, which in other hands would produce a brilliant article, but the choicest specimens sent hither f or t h e I admiration of Madrid are disfigured with air bubbles, specks, and oily manes. The silk manufacture is by far the best, and it must be owned that Barcelona has produced some exquisite fabrics, but the colours are wretched ! Many specimens of superfine shawls, &c., perhaps intended to show off the delicate tints, strike an English eye as already much faded, and all the ribands are sad lack-lustre concerns. The blonde mantillas of Almagro are truly beautiful, both black and white (not withstanding the misnomer) and the specimens of raw silk perhaps superior to anything, at this side of China. But with the exception of their silks, all their woven fabrics are enormously dear, particularly the calicoes and woollen broad-cloths of Barcelona. These calicoes, plain, are marked from 4i to 51 reels per vara. (The real about 20., and the vara 9-10ths of our yard.) The cotton prints of San Fernando factory, about three leagues from Madrid, are from 51 to 11 reals per vara. Even the coarse hard-spun mantas which serve the muleteer for cloak and blanket and saddle-cloth, and have no pretensions to finish or fine appearance, reach a price to which they could only attain by the rigid exclusion of articles of foreign manufacture which might fairly corn pate with them. An immense benefit will doubtless arise to the Spanish nation whenever any thing approaching to free intercourse shall be attained, not only to the great majority of consumers, but to the individual manufactu rers who now raise such a selfish outcry against competi tion, for they will be forced in self-defence into the path of improvement, and not be permitted, as they now do, to go idly plodding on in old, expensive, and (what Eng lishmen would call) exploded methods. As the case stands between the two countries, your Board of Trade need not be very anxious in the first instance to mould the contemplated commercial treaty to anything like a fair and reasonable level between nation and nation. Let them get their goods into the Spanish markets on any terms not absolutely prohibitory, as at present, and their intrinsic excellence will always insure a sale placed side by side with the unfinished workmanship of Spain. I speak not merely of such ordinary articles as cot tons, woollens, cutlery, leather china, glass, ; but those more expensive ones, whose excellence depends in a still greater degree upon figure and finish, and here the difference is still more perceptible. Thus, these exhi bition-rooms contain a cabriolet and a grand piana-forte, both turned out in such a style that I doubt if any ma nufacturer in London, who valued his character, would affix his name to them. Here, on the contrary, they are " very superior articles," and those who have never been out of Spain cannot believe there is any thing finer in in the world. . As far as Sp an i ar d s h ave h a d an opportu nity of appreciating articles of English manufacture, they manifest their opinion in a very decided way, and in fact, will have them, whether licensed or contraband ; and the Minister of Finance (who is well convinced of this, and is intent on turning the doll ars p a id at present to t h e smug glers into the national Tre asur y) h as on l y to ma k e a good beginning to enlist all the f armers an d peasants of the country in his favour. It is in truth a struggle of a class of perverse manufacturers (who wish to go on in the style of grandfathers, taking littl e t rou bl e an d reap i ng l arge proin ►). against the great m ass o f t h e agricultural ...po pulation, fro want,"ge to send their corn, w ine, and o il t o England in exci for her manufactures, and who are now kept in such a,, to of commercial destitution that . a good boot or shoe ciinno.: had for love or money be (not even in esta t orte of Made.... 4 ); the throughout kingdom tea is only known and tn.:2n as a medicine. The great difficulty and danger is in attemptingto make any extensive or beneficial alteration svps.'edPY!n Spain. The revolution that the conjoint Bourbon tz,.: lll Y failed to effect might be brought about by the enforce ment of a liberal commercial tariff, for which the people were unprepared. It must inevitably be debated and wrangled about in the Cortes for a Session at least ; and during that time the Ministers of State and of Finance will assuredly " suffer for their country." Like the Emperor of China, " in sleeping or eating they will have no rest ;" but their prospective consolation will be, that when the measure is carried, the receipts on British goods imported will fill their Treasury without further trouble, and a market be reciprocally . opened for the productions of their own soil, which will, in its happy operations on the public spirit of industry (a spirit that really exists to an admirable extent in Spain), secure a working majority in their favour that will henceforth set at nought the outcry of the selfish, smuggling, and manu facturing interests. PORTUGAL. At midnight on Sunday the Margaret arrived at Fal mouth from Spain and Portugal, with the usual dates. The following is from a Lisbon correspondent LISBON, DEC. 7.—The departure of the mail, which ought to have gone yesterday, has been delayed nearly 24 hours, owing to the non-arrival of the steamer from the south in time to take it. The Montrose steamer, with the mail from England, only came in this morning, being two days overdue, in consequence of the tremendous gales she had to work against nearly the whole passage. The Austrian Mi nister, Baron Mareschal, arrived by her. The report that the Nuncio, Monsignor Capuccini, had arrived here last week, proved false. lie is not yet here, but is shortly expected. In the recent decree, abolishing the premium of 15 per cent. (differential duties) on the duties upon foreign goods imported in English vessels,. it was stated that the abolition was to take place (as regarded goods proceed ing from ports in Europe) three months after the publi cation of the decree. The term allowed will therefore expire on the 18th of January, 1842 ; and the question now is, whether the premium can continue to be claimed upon goods imported within that period, but not cleared at the Custom-house until after its expiration. In the solution of this question the British merchants especially are much concerned. The Finance Minister, to Whom several of them have applied, has answered in the nega tive; but I understand that, not satisfied with his deci sion, they propose soliciting the intervention of the Bri tish Government in their behalf. On Thursday last the instalment due on the claims of the Duke of Wellington and others, was tendered to the parties acting on behalf of the claimants, for though some of them agreed to receive the money at the rate of exchange current in Lisbon, others, and amongst them the agent of Rothschild, insisted upon getting theirs at the London course of exchange, endorsed upon the pro missory notes by their principal, to whom the Duke and Lord Beresford had negotiated them. The agent per haps acted properly in obeying his instructions ; but not so Messrs. Rothschild, who certainly have no right to compel the Portuguese Government to pay a sum in Lisbon at the exchange current in a foreign city. The practice in regard to bills of exchange drawn in London upon Lisbon has been this—for instance, A in Lisbon owes B in London 1,000 milreis ; B draws for as many pounds sterling as arc equal at the exchange current in London, to a thousand milreis, and A pays it, because as he is not called upon to pay more than the amount in milreis which he owes, it is immaterial to him what the nominal amount in sterling may be. But here the case is widely different. In the first place the business, in London, was not an "exchange" transaction, a term which only applies to transactions in which the coin of one country is given for a bill drawn for the coin of another country. The obligations given by the Portu guese Government were not bills of exchange, but mere promissory notes for sums in sterling payable on a certain day in Lisbon, and the Government is, therefore, only obliged to pay that amount in sterling at its value in mil reis in Lisbon on the day when it becomes due. The pro missory notes negotiated to Messrs. Rothschild, in London, were for so many pounds sterling, and it was pounds sterling they gave for them, and, therefore, it was not an operation of exchange. On the occasion of the preceding instalment the Portuguese Government was silly enough to submit to the imposition, and lost about 3,0001. by it ; but it has become wiser now. Mr. Rothschild may per haps say that he looked to the re-exchange (a difference of 3i per cent.) for his profit on the advance of money he made ; but with that the Portuguese have nothing to do : he must look to the parties from whom he took the notes. I learn that Rothschild's agent has at last consented to receive the money at the Lisbon exchange, but under protest. Her Majesty's brig Espoir sailed from this for Eng land on the sth inst. A boy aged fifteen belonging to the British brig Europa, drowned himself on Friday last in this port. His name was James Walker. ----- - DUTCH MAIL. AMSTEnDAM, DEC. 9.—We have letters from Batavia of August last. One of 21st August says :—Letters from Soerabaya and Bahia bring melancholy news that the Dutch merchantman Overyssel, Capt. G. Blom, bound from Amsterdam to Batavia, was totally lost, having missed the channel, and run on the rocks in the straits of Lomboch. There was a number of passengers on board, who with the crew escaped with difficulty. No part of the cargo is saved, the crew having taken away only some cabin furniture. The ship was plundered, notwithstanding every effort to prevent it. The European inhabitants of Bahia afforded the shipwrecked persons every assistance. Tim HAGUE, DEC. 10.—An account from Assen, of the Bth inst., says, that a market-boat from Pcize to Groningen, which left the former place at half-past four in the morning, on the preceding day, was upset, and sunk about an hour afterwards. Ten persons, not being able to get on deck in time, lost their lives. DUTCH FUNDS.—Asirrattnam, Dac. 10. Money. Bill Actual Dsbt, 2% per Cent Jitto, ditto 5 per ccot. Amert Syndic,•lg per cent 9 ° 91 Ditto, ditto, 3% per cent ............ . • "'"" 73 % 75% Commercial Company, 4% per cent 155 - Ditto (1835 and 1037) 5 per cent. ..... 101 54 0.2 1" Loan 1837, 5 percent. Exchange on Louden, One month ......... " Two months Hamburgh, One m0nth .... ...,,,,, au . Twomontha Dutch Papers, Dec. 11. BELGIAN UNDS—Baustma, DEe. Actual Debt, 2% per Cent. .. R o th6child'a Lean, 5 per Cent. ...... ..... 7 5 4 Loan of Thirty Pdillions, 4 per ..... ya 3per C • t .... ...... lhirty.aeven• (184.0) 71% Loan of City, 1932, 4 per Cent.,, 101 h Society of Commerce, 4% per Cent ...... Bank of Belgium, 5 per Cent . Dee. fl. )fi —Brussels Pape r:, THE FLEETS OF FRANCE AND ENGLAND. The Frerch Journals continue to raise rn awful clamour against M. Guizot for disarming and separating the fleet. On this subject we shall just give a petition from the ship-owners of St. Brieuhe, in Brittany, pub lished by the Presse. It is as follows : " It is an error to suppose that, by increasing the number of armed vessels at so much expense to the country, our maritime force will become greater. In time of peace armaments proportionate to the number of French sailors, to the wants of the commercial ser vice, and to the protection of the national flag would provide great resources ; and a moderate term of ser vice for young sailors would augment, instead of dimi nishing, the maritime inscription. Let foreign nations be taken as examples ; the English Admiralty only employs one-fi'th of the number of English sailors, whilst the French fleet employs half the number of French sailors ; and it is worthy of remark that all the sailors of foreign fleets since the peace had been volunteers. The Americans, who have a much more numerous shipping than the French, have much fewer ships of war for their protection than France ; they know by experience that in care of a war with Eng land they could not fight squadron against squadron, but that their best plan would be to have light vessels and destroy English commerce in detail. The Dutch have much fewer armed vessels than France, in comparison with their commerce ; and, neverthe less, the vessels of these Powers are not more molested for that, nor do quarrels more often occur. Persons who know little of maritime affairs have objected, that if part of the fleet was disarmed, a number of sailors would find no employment, and would be obliged to take to other callings. It is an error, for the men who would be sent away would be certainly employed in the commercial service. And the more sailors commerce employs, the more new expeditions will take place, especially for the whale fishery, which has been paralysed during the last few years by the want of men. In spite of what has been said at the Chamber of Deputies, and what has been written on the subject, it is certain that recently several shipowners have been obliged to give up, be cause they found no sailors ; and that the crews of French merchant ships are generally composed of no vices or of men who are too old, and even foreigners. We could name a vessel which left Marseilles in 1840 for La Plata, having on board six , Genoese and Mo naco sailors. This bad quality of the crews occasions daily misfortunes, and the consequence is that the ves sels already built are left in port, and these that are in course of building are left unfinished. " Therefore we say that if this system is continued longer, the maritime inscription will be ruined, and with it the future strength of our navy. We end as we be gan, by saying, reduce the fleet, if you wish to encou rage maritime commerce, and increase the number of sailors ; you will thereby do immense good to naviga tion and to the country." In order to calm French fears of our naval superio rity in the Mediterranean, we give the following letter, written by Captain Cranford to the Malta Times, and published in its number of Nov. '2O : " THE BRITISH NAVAL FORCE.—In the number of the Revue des Deux Monde: of the 16th of October, there appeared an article on the French fleet—a clever and well-written art;cle, but evidently not the work of a sailor. An exaggerated and most incorrect statement of the active force of the British fleet in line of-battle ships was appended to it, in the shape of a note ; and it appears to me worth while, if only for the sake of truth, to point out the errors to the editor of the review in which they had been published. They amounted to nine ships, carrying 706 guns, some of which had been paid off (dcsarnzes) for more than a year. In the number of the Revue des Deux Monde: which has just appeared, these inaccuracies are acknow ledged, and a correct statement of the force is published, which is as exaggerated as the former one. It includes all the guardships and ordinary ships of our naval ar senals, which are neither prepared nor intended for service at sea, and most of which are old, and totally unfit, to go out of port. " Under these circumstances, I thought it might be well to draw out a statement of the force in line-of battle ships which Great Britain really has at this mo ment, either at sea, or preparing for sea (armes ou en annement), and, as a naval officer, I can vouch for its correctness : "In the Mediterranean :—Howe, 120; Impregnable, 104 ; Rodney, 92 ; Calcutta, 84 ; Ganges, 84 ; Mo narch, 84 ; Powerful, 84 ; Thunderer, 84 ; Vanguard, 80 ; Cambridge, 78 ; Indus, 87; Revenge, 76 ; Ben bow, 72 ; Hastings, 72 ; Implacable, 72. Ships, 15 ; Guns, ],264. "China.—Blenheim, 72 ; Wellesley, 72; Corn wallis, 72. _ _ " Preparing for Sea.—Queen, 110 ; Formidable, 84 ; Malabar, 72 ; Illustrious, 72 ; preparing for the flag of the Admiral lately gone to the North American station. " Tuus the 31 line-of-battle ships, of which the Revue des Deux Jl'londes gives a list, are reduced to a grand total of 22, from which, in all fairness, as having no influence on European policy, may be deducted the three ships in China, and the one on the point of pro ceeding to North America, for the flag of the Admiral on that station. There will then remain in Europe 18 line-of-battle ships, mounting 1,530 guns. The French fleet counts 20 line-of-battle ships-1,854 guns ; and to the credit of the officers belonging to it be it said, I have heard the oldest officers of our Medi terranean squadron express their opinion, that it is in better order, and more efficient, than any fleet the French have had at sea within the last fifty years. " Knowing, from personal experience, the liberality with which you admit statements intended to correct exaggerations that may exercise an improper influence upon public opinion, I have addressed this letter to you, and hope that you will deem the subject of it worthy of notice in your esteemed and widely•circulated Journal. " I remain, &c. " HENRY CRAUFURD, Commander, Royal Navy.' EXTRAORDINARY COURAGE OF A FEMALE. A let ter from Boulogne-sur-Mer gives the followin g extraordicary account of the courage and presence of mind of a female, 75 years of age. This person, who is a widow, named Boulanger, resides in a cottage, which is her sole property, in the hamlet of Le Bcu Marais, in the commune of Saint-Pierre-les-Calais, near. Calais' but her cottage is at a considerable distance from any other habitation. The only means of livelihood of this female are the cultivation of her garden and the sale of the milk from her sow ; but as her habits are very parsimonious, she passes in the country for having saved money. On the 29th ult., at about six in the even ing, two men knocked at the door of her house, and asked her to allow them to light their pipes. She opened the door and admitted them, and as they said they had been acquainted with the former owner of the cottage, and had in their business of smugglers frequently deposited contraband goods there, a conversation ensued, during which they seated them selves before the tire. In the course of the conversa tion, they asked her if she resided alone. Having al ready conceived some suspicions as to her visitors, she replied that she had two sons, who were at the barn thrashing corn, and as she expected them every minute, and they would be very angry at meeting with strangers, she advised them to leave. They immediately rose, wished her good night, and 'left the house. In about an hour these men, who bad probably ascertained that the old woman had deceived them, in stating that she had two sons living with her, returned, and knocking at the door, requested her to admit them, in order that they might take shelter from the storm, which was then raging. She refused to do so , in spite of their repeated entreaties, and they left. The old woman then went to bed quietly. At eleven o'clock, she was awakened and alarmed by repeated blows against the outer door. She jumped out of bed, and went into the kitchen in which is the outer door of the house, and asking who was there, she recognised in the voices which replied to her those of the men who had already twice paid her, a visit. They told her that if sh e did not open the door they would kill her, having with them a good knife for the . lal purpose ; and they imm e di ate l y be ganwith a vie be t passing. suoed oo with this knife to cut a hole in th e door. Th e woman , however, still refused to admit them, and • mediately lighted severa l cand les , probably with t ley could o t o attract notice from without, if any body shoul d entrancefinding knife, began that with their The two ruffians , an e i n eff t ti began throwing large stones against the door, and then rent to the cow-house, from 1' a stable-fork, and thrust it th rough . 16 they brought They had succeeded in tearing rough the door. down sufficient of the door to make an opening fora but Mme. Boulanger had man to pass through, armed piece of firewood, and thre atened hers e lf wi th a large the first of them who reaten e d to crush the head of should attempt to enter. They did not make the atte m pt, but thrust at the old woman with the fork throu gh opening. With the energy of despair she seized the he fork, and, wrestingit from her h assailants, made it he r weapon of defence, whilst t h e ruffians brandished th e ir d knives, and told h her t certain of enterin g , immedia tely. e They DOW endeavour e d would l murde r tiewh e o r lewhichthey had made in the clOor to s e o n a a s rge to ' admit both at once, neither having the courage to enter singly, but Madame Boulanger barricaded the door - way with a heavy kitchen t a bl e , an d con tinued to sustain the siege with undiminished resolution. The assailants now broke the windows, but the cotta,3e being an isolated one, the former owner had put up strong i r o n bars which resisted their efforts. They then went into the garden and began to beat agains t the back door, but this re sisted more firmly tha n the outer door. Their next effort was to enter the house through the stable by digging a holein the clay floor , and they would have succeeded but for a stron g wooden partition deeply sunk in the ground, and a heavy oaken cupboard which wa s set against it. Rendered furious by the obstacles which they had encountered, they now climbed up to the roof, and began to strip off the covering, at the same t i m e tearing away aportion of the chimney, and throw ing it down the opening, not having courage to descend by it lest they should meet with a vigorous reception, and be unable, from their confined position, to resist effectually. Finding that it was not so easy to enter by the roof as they expected, they got down again, and finding an enormnus piece of wood in the yard, they returned to the outher door, and used it as a battering ram. The prospect of effecting an entry was now so clear that they shouted for joy, and told the poor old woman to prepare for death, as she would meet with it in a few minutes. Madame Boulanger saw that all hope of suc cessful resistance was at an end, and prepared for her retreat. Opening the back door quietly, she flew across the fields to a neighbouring farm, nearly naked, and frequently, in crossing ditches, up to her middle in water. On arriving at the faros, the in mates were instantly aroused by her cries, and the farmer, with two of his men, armed with pitchforks, proceeded to the cottage. &fore they reached it, however, the robbers, who had effected an en trance, had made their escape, but they had not had time to break (pen the cupboards, and had fled, car rying with them only some bread, butter, candles, and other objects of little value. The gendarmerie of Ca lais were not informed of the affair until fi vc o'clock in the morning, when a corporal went with his brigade in search of them. They took the road to Gravelines, suspecting that the robbers bad escaped that way, and on arriving there learned from the sentinel at the gate that two men, answering the description, had enterei the town half an hour previously. It appears, how ever, that they passed hastily through the town. They have not since been beard of, and it is thought they have succeeded in reaching Belgium. IRELAND. DUBLIN, DEC. 12.—1 n the Leinster Eapress (a Tory journal) published yesterday, there is a report of an ap plication, made on Monday last, to the Magistrates, at the petty sessions of Mouatmelick. Queen's County. to receive informations for sedition against Mr. William Connor, a respectable landholder, who resides at Inch, in the neighbourhood of Stradbally. A Mr. Browne, from the office of the Crown Solicitor of the Home Circuit, attended by direction of the Attorney-General to prose cute the case. The first witness examined was George Stewart Hill, Sub-Inspector of Police, who read his own information, as follows :—" Recollects Sunday the 14th November last. After divine service on that day saw about one hundred persons assembled in the Market-square of Mountmelick, and saw William Connor addressing them in a violent and exciting tone of language. Heard Con nor say that the Members of Parliament were a lazy, scurvy set of rascals, useless servants, and forgot them selves like other rascals—that tyrant landlords would be murdered, and that it was not to be wondered at, for it was nothing but the reward of tyranny, and the fault lay nowhere but at their own doors. And Connor further added—l tell Sir Robert Peel and the Government, that there sever will be peace in Ireland till these grievances are remedied. Connor was frequently cheered by the people, and witness has no doubt that such language, ad dressed to persons in the rank of life of those assembled, would be calculated to hold up landlords to hatred, and produce public discontent and hostility to the laws of the country." After a lengthened cress-examination of the Sub-In- Spector, Mr. O'Connor was held to bail, himself in SC/., and two sureties in 23/. each, to appear at the next Assises. SECOND EDITION REDUCTION OF THE FRENCH. ARMY. The Moniteur of yesterday, received by Ex traordinary Express, contains a long and most important Report, addressed by Marshal SOULT to King Louis PHILIPPE, recommending a re duction in the Army to the extent of one com pany in every battalion. Annexed to the Re port is a Royal Ordinance approving of the pro posed reduction of the troops, and ordering 15,000 horses to be disposed of The number of the reduced force is 89,000 men—being some thing more than one-fifth of the present stand ing army of France. This will effect a saving to the country of thirty millions of francs, or nearly a million and a quarter sterling. This great saving is at present of the utmost import ance to France, whose pecuniary resources have been exhausted by the fortifications of the capital. To Europe, too, this measure is of considerable moment, as it serves for a guarantee that no attempt will be made on the part of France to disturb the repose of Europe. Moreover, should M. THIERS wriggle himself into office it will be impossible for him again to menace the peace of the world without making such a stir in the recruiting service as to put Europe upon its guard. The French Three per Cents., the 13th De cember, at Cafe de Paris, 78f. 40c. THE FUNDS-(CLOSING PRICES.) BRITISH FUNDS. Bank Stock ... 165 India Stock ..... ....- ... 3 per Cent Red. B9 Ditto Bonds 3 per Cent Cons !Ditto Olt Annuities ... 3i per Cent Red 9Bl 'Ditto New Annuities... New 3fr per Cent 993 , Ex. Bills, 1,0001....2id 12 put New 5 per Cent Long Annuities toexpire i Ditto Small. JO pin Jan 1860 l2 5-16 Bank Stock for Acct... Oct 1859 lndia Stock for Acct.... Jan. 1860. FOREIGN FUNDS. Austrian, 5 per cent Portuguese, 5 per cent. ... Belgian, 5 per cent 100; Ditto, New Ditto 32; Erazihan 80nd5.......... ;Prussian, 5 per cent. Buenos Ayres, 6 per eels Russian, 5 per cent — Chilian, 6 per cent..... IDitto,llletallic — Colombian, 6 per cent.. 1 Spanish, 5 per cent 23; Ditto, 1624. Danish, 3 per cent 79; IFrench, 5 per cent. —f. —e. Greek, 1825, 5 per cent — Exchange...... —l. —c. Mexican, 5 per cent 26 French, 3 percent. —f. —c• Ditto, 6 per cent, 1625 •-- Dutch, 2; per cent. 5l; Peruvian,lB2s, 6 per ct. I Ditto, 5 per cent. SHARES. Cheltenham and Great Western (72; paid) 22; Eastern Counties Railway (23 pai) 8; Great Western Railway( 65 paid) ...... ki4; Ditto New Shares (50 paid) Ditto Fifth (4 paid) London and Brighton (50 paid) 36/1 London and Blackwall Railway (25 paid)... 10 London and Birmingham (90) ..•••• • Ditto New Shares ( 2 paid 25 London and South Western Ditto New Shares ( paid) ......... Manchester and Leeds (70 paid) Ditto Quarter Shares ( 2 paid) ... 34 Manchester and Birmingham (40 paid) ... .. 30 84; .... 23 NMoidrtlahnerdnCoanudntEiewstßeranilw(3l p ( a l i O d ( ) ) paid) North Midland Railway (100) Ditto Thirds (15 paid) York and North Midland Railway ( 50 paid) 89 LITERATURE. LEE'S BOOK OF ALL SEASONS. Cleave, Shoe-lane. which with the wishes of be presented to an ad yClnireilsrtm3as.eargifmt,ay mired female or promising a l A ia s pi a ) pro gress in past studies or the youth for their qualities, this little book is practice of amiable contents of this pleasing choicely adapted. The excel lently calculated .. duodecimo are the judgment of improve" the taste and guide which it is divided children. Tl:e chapters into pleasing and treat upon an infinitude of are devoted to instructive subjects. Many of them animals from zo ology, and contain anecdotes of which children receive especial de light.fairy- boat Illustrated of in one page will be found the of the m the Nautilus, and in another that gatherium, whose relics when first discovered giants. The were supposed to be the . bones of birds in pages also teem like an aviary with wood-cuts. But the most attrac tive part are the tales, narrated in the persons of Mr. and Mrs. Parley. In this way, from " Valentine Vox," " The Pic- Nic Papers," and the " Old Curiosity Shop," Mr. Lee has extracted the most delightful por tions ; as, for instance, the series from the " Cu riosity shop," consist of those which trace out the life of the fragile child " poor little Nell," following her through all her simple and affect.. ing history, t o the painful time of her death. In these beautiful scenes, drawn from M r. Dickens —in the simplicity of his appeals to the heart, an d the pathetic tenderness of his descrip.. tions.—there is that which is calculated, by thi„, b est methods, to purify an d docilise the youth - f u l heart. In conclusio n, we stron g l y recom mendt - this cheap and excellent vo lum e to Ie h e ads of families for Christ mas, holiday, or birth . i day presents. Not only is it a fitting winter's wreath for the Christmas parlour, or new fete, but a keepsake worthy of presentation yea r' s lon to all who deserve such a mark of esteem. -- -- SINGULAR A CClD ENT.—.Yes te r d ay morning a singular accident occurred to a man named Charles Ben -26 years of age, who resides at No. 3. Lambeth walking alon ,, the Whitechapel-road with a pipe in his mouth, j s ia t; n e i e n t, Winteehapel. It appears that he w as when he struck against a post, by v, Inch th e pipe was forced into his throat , and a port io n of it broken broken oif. , where h e remains in He a very condition. fell in ed d ia o t s e v i n y c t o o n t v i li e ls e Lo d n w d i o th n h a fo o s n p y ita . l as It should b e b orne THE dangerous C ONCOCTED ADDRESSE S TO THE TORT address to Earl de L in o m an ind l : l t E h u a T t E i N n A e icj ery o . F in l s a ta E n L e kis e o p e — an Grey, from any part of Ireland, which has yet been pre sented, the parties are the old Orangemen and task master 3 of the people. It is Important to remember this plain fact. EFFECTS OF RAILROADS.--At the toll letting on the Sheffield and Wakefield turnpike-road, a few days ago, there was not a single tender delivered, and the trustees of the roads were therefore compelled to take the tolls themselves. There was a similar scarcity of contractors at the letting of the iron bridge tolls on the Wakefield and Denbydale road.—Leeds Mercury. r EVENING SUN mE SUN, LONDON, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 14, 1841 EVENING SUN