The Sun. — London, England, 1841-12-23 00:00:00

EVENING SUN LA GENC.E. "-'ll-11.NCERY COUitT.—(THIS DAY.) tra, v. THE E AST INDIA COMPANY .— JUDGMENT . "mit)) CHANCELL O R gave judgment to-day i n thi s o f ef i atich was argued before the Court on the first day er ik The only question in the case w as , w h e th er ter ta th In doc uments, b e i ng the correspondence b etween th e Cou r t of Directors of the East India Company and th e e Co mmissioners for the Affai r s of India, c o n t a i ne d in th third schedule of the answers of the defendants, b e :eld be produced . It was said that they ought not, l o ause they were part of a confidential correspondence. d ee w that was no answer to the production of deeds or tw„ lltll eate when they were referred to in the an kJ. But then it was said that they were official li nt meats, and that therefore they were privileged, ee official correspondence was not privileged heels under peculiar circumstances. Such being to Chase it became necessary for his Lordship to look 4,'"e Act of the 3d and 4th of William 111. By that tray all the territorial property in the East Indies was Is i, is e f t. _erred from the East India Company to the Crown, by tho itl by the Company in trust, and to be managed 3 thi , i r e for the benefit of the Crown. In addition to th e ( "14 their p ro p er ty an d : es t a t es were transferred to pati i ;'" ° a; 1 3, to be managed by the East India Corn keit'. in trust for the :service of the Govern any ' and they were preeented from carrying on tiiiipninaercial transaction, except for the purpose of t ern I ng up their affairs, or for the purpose of the G?- e e rh elent of India. This was the state of the East India Wil l iP a nY by the passing of the Act of the 3d and 4th of th e 4 11 the Third ; all their affairs were placed under ki s B q e rintendence, direction, and control, of the Corn - 4:teners for the Affairs of India ; and in order that te , : °l might be exercised effectively, it was ne e4o,:',7 that the most unreserved communications 4 8 ‘ t ta take place between the Directors of the V I ndia Company and the Board of Control ; ltr t ;„ ac an s , rdingly there were in the Act of Parliament, ti ee :rarly in the 29th section, and other parts, pron. We l .5Y which th e Di rec t ors o f th e E as t India Company k e - required t o ma k e commun i cat i ons o f a ll th e i r ac t s ^ o its 1 - c)Pr e,aPondence to th e B oa rd of Control. It was ob- It is t hat public poli c y requ ired, and looking to the Act hear th at i ear that that was the result contemplated by it, 111 1 ,,?, a most unr eserve d communications should take 1 Ceti', be tween the East India Directors and the Board of ohy i ' r al, subject to no restraint or limitation ; but it was ' h °43 if at the suit of one individual those communica oeldabould be produced in a Court of Justice, the effect the e , be to restrain the communications and render dip thought cautious. On the whole his Lord- Si t r ° L ught the communications referred to, came : led - ,_ l44 e class of communications that were privi- IN, that they could not be communicated without . khlig l Pg the policy of the Act, or interfering with the kki C :uterest. The order, therefore, that had been 111 1d e 11 1 ) ( 3 n ,the motion by the Vice-Chancellor of Eng-. y'anst be discharged. ~, Nt 1 ,,,, L 44 t - , E MATTER OF STAPLETON, A LUNATIC. „‘4 1 . ( 1'440, RD CHANCELLOR said in this case, which was ' 4 4 'he lead been considering what he should do. 1 hie th eth ninistration of the property of a lunatic Mtp, e , Court was always conducted upon the t he h e , " of c o n s id er i ng , i n th e first instance, o e eefit of the lunatic himself. It was clearly for the t ius e ! of the lunatic to allow his debts to be paid, be tile present; freed him f rom b e i ng arr e s t e d o r harassed. In I L C case it was suggested that the arrangement NC been p ropose d wou ld b e f or th e b ene fit o f th e a - 1 -Cow with respect to that his Lordship wished Nr.' should be clearly ascertained before he gave his h tla jtki gnient. He thought, therefore, that it would be ~,. to , ! cilia is reLer it to the Master to inquire whether it '''Q r " for the benefit of the lunatic to acquiesce in It lei e e N l f rt with reference to the particular debts, or whe urther inquiry should take place. h ll' r_ PRICE V. NORTH. Oat gi l3 ; 4u en rlt'. sHIP stated that in this case in which he Ott t i, Judgment a few days ago, he was of opinion . "4 e Party was not entitled to interest upon his 1 4 T ebt. , Ili H t MATTER OF GUNDRY, A SUPPOSED LUNATIC. ' l ,iB sr , -3 Petition, pea object of which is to obtain a com irl°r4Ctill,nc)f lunacy gainst Mr. Gundry, who figured a ''' 4 e yfr ago at Marlborough-street, in consequence of Ls 1 , o,ent''acts, while in a state of great excitement, 1 lif; °B l tPened till the first day of next term. t,t4lltti,'''°ltDSHlP, after disposing of the whole of the w e Petitions in his paper, and several motions, rose I° l le and two o'clock. 'rra l . ourt will not sit again till the first day of next ho t. , 1 It 7 " 11 4 8 ' COURT.—(THIS DAY.) i vie lit, COCKELL V, BRIDGEMAN. . kith _ *ITER of the ROLLS gave judgment in this case, l 't , i l o ats heard on the Bth inst., and reported in The Z i tk irt day. His Lordship said the bill was filed by ke4ecetser and holder of a lost bill of exchange against k 'tor, for p ayment o f the amount d ue on th e b i ll, t et ti fl proper indemnity. The plaintiffs bill 416, the loss of the bill, and the defendant ad *l4 that he had never paid it. Plaintiff al 1f444.• that when it became due he had re- It ty h payment but that since the 23d of t ht k i heeerlnd ne v er . . been able . to find the bill, and that Nil in t° B !, mislaid, or accidentally destroyed ; .and ,y ra .., t admitted that plaintiff had frequently required 411,,74t i but alleges that he did not know whether the 1111e,:ts", or not. Both parties had gone :into evi : d Plaintiff had given no evidence that he had T h . tq l ,ent search f or t h e bill, or th a t h e w as una bl e 4 1 :s afhar v kle, e it, except by an affidavit of his clerk. 6,,, as il, .II was no evidence that the bill was lost, but h , 4 ilo t a r i ci l ltred for propriety of jurisdiction. Defendant k r) qc,Pitted the loss, and plaintiff alleged that no t 4 st b e ,u be given of the loss. In some cases losses elti , clearly proved, in others they might be inferred h t re ellinstances, but here was no evidence, either "ritip t° P circumstantial. The plaintiff therefore fails, 'lll ,° 4 l want of right, but from defect of evidence. The Ptei i ,',,tist, therefore, be dismissed with costs, without It ii Q 'lee to the right of the plaintiff to file another bill s 'all be so advised. N ,h, , SMITH V. JETES. - 'IASTER of the limas also gave judgment in this - - ---- facts Sys the ". of which were reported in The Sun a few Le: His Lordship said the plaintiff and defendant eYs and solicitors, and on June 1, 1835, en- Rhi ek u.Partnershipfor ten years under . an indenture, se ii 'i s t e vvas provided, among other things, that for 4t l o r t ty au t s n es therein mentioned, either party should determine the partnership - between lio e ti", at an earlier period. Plaintiff had given 16: dissolution on the 21st of August last and 4 4 tslit ue ,a,tlY filed a bill to have it declared that theypart k6lvtt, 'as dissolved, and he now moved to have a re "P,Pointed to collect the debts, and to wind up the . ti ta i t he partnership, and for an injunction to re iti l i4 4 tifisf defendant from interfering therein. The t "as not entitled to such an order, unless he had n t 4 r ight to dissolve under the deed, or had slun ;,° entitle him to a decree for dissolution. 11"5th,;.aai_se alleged was outstanding dbts, .a t n a d . -},S4 tha t defendant had not brought in capi ah°Nrid•hatit alleged that if the laintiff had got in the nu 1 4 . 44 i',lfeb,ts there would have . been sufficient capital, e 84 ip d efendant had retained moneys of the part uch money was less in amount than the . su.bsist tot'at,so4ee :tcleY, t 0 which he would have been entitled if the 14),.al debts had been collected. It did not appear t _ e fi e l n ene s 7 B l _ ll iP that the plaintiff had been guilty of h . th the ), 'Aid to his charge, or that the evidence justi b,r'at th,,k'sgatio the defendant. It appeared to him 'alce e i °ad uet n Of of thedefendant had been such as to 414,fPartinteapossible that the business could be carried on escl ''HIP with mutual benefit. The neglect . of the w:ehualibtl:rthth: t° account for the moneys' he had received on i tiTtnership, h a e nd his refusal to sign cheques th t 4e ti sigued fo u r 2 ;ir i l s eSS to be carried on unless cheques were acts inconsistent with !, 4 tisf llt Y o f a p a rtner o . wn The ' se acts were not disproved or tt h 4 cterii, explained, and being such as if proved at be 4ppea'ag Would have entitled plaintiff to a dissolution, llo e- ": e L d to his Lordship ave that he was entitled to what 'ate lv e s ' a d. The order prayed for must therefore be CLARKE V. CLARKE. It' ,l42 4 n e ,• as e, which was re p o rt e d in The Sun of Tuesday, the mentioned yesterday afternoon. al;:l ,l sTxtt of the ROLLS said that he had considered Nal -t er, and was o f o pinion that the proceedings were 1 / 1 . 0 e at. ' The application that the bill might be taken Ilfesso must be granted. ( er,t-CHANCERY.—(THIS DAY.) 4 —t fore the VICE-CHANCELLOR Of ENGLAND.) 11 °RNEY-GENERAL V. THE GREENWICH R COMPANY. Ntr Alien;: (I °D, on the part of the defendants, made an 4io • I t to the Court to alter the words of its late de 'llstralt th is it ease, as they appeared in the minutes of the 4fl PP red from the statement oMr.Wo t e h d e Wo r A hi s 011 - L ea .l dcertain order , adding 8, I, 11 Ha. ma e Zil prefer n evertheless that the Attorney the•kit i t an indictment" against the Company, a hn2oty ."le Attorney-General . to proceed or not i - "ev —Pemfied, as he might think proper. .The words, t"• ll A PPeared in the minutes of the Registrar as wt,s4kod let the Attorney-General proceed by in diet bllt:tted le lt would compel him to proceed. The Registrar ia ZisLtt, frostt he had copied the words of the decree, 17 1 th e m l'oemor ; and admitted that his Honour had_ e y 4,, w ords " Y on condition nevertheless," although 11. omitted in the minute. , 1 , 1 ) 0i ) ,: n4.1 1 ELL (who appeared for the Attorney-Gene "' th deeted the ma kin g any alteration in the minutes K• is Ite • would establish a very eonv en , gtstrar. Such a course ent precedent. N Le llte ° l ll e °l ql said that he was not inclined to alter the -11 st there was anything wrong, the defendants Ai r ' lx, 4 ve the case re-heard. 414 1 " ° op said that he feared the matter would cer- TIYI c ollie to that. e application( was then dismissed, but without costs. Il• i a it''efore Vice-Chancellor KNIGHT BRUCE.) a C jttl . n: Q , l ' l °Uß was en aged during the whole of the "me p, 1 1 ,,,n1 hearing a continuation of the arguments in [Th e ...H eard case of Cockburn v. Singleton. -"▪ " arguments had not been brought to a conclusion —l4O We went to press.] Meter° Vice-Chancellor WIGRAM.) tj RAINE V. CAIRNES. w B a;' ° Notra gave judgment in this cause. The plain ", orth" t eMor of thearsh of Meldun, in the county of 'OO 441berland. The parish consisted of between eil ltsel iti k l, ° o o acres, the a of which had been pur- I ‘ieh -WI the defendant, Mr. Cookson, from the Greeu- Iva% to - °spital in the year 1832. The object of the suit ay r , "ye it declared that the plaintiff was entitled to the itik t e ti ot of tithe s in kind ; answer to which the defendant a Ppe ar modus of 131 . 6s. Bd. from the year 1637. It Dre ss ek ' as a fact that Mr. Cookson purchased with ex the r ,, ° tice th at i n 1823 the year after the institution of twe;;e,ellt rector ; an au' eement bad been come to be- Of tile foraBr giving Raine and the Hospital, that in consideratiTi up sortie arrears of rent he should in future receive tithes in kind. His Honour then com mented at great length upon the evidence as to the modus, and the inference to be drawn from the receipts, and observed that there was nothing upon the face of the receipts to show that they were in full satisfaction of tithe in kind, whilst the earlier ones, which were the most worthy of the attention of the Court, were quite opposed to the notion of a modus. The word "modus" no where appeared in evidence. His Honour, after referr ing to several cases, gave judgment for the plaintiff with costs. QUEEN'S BENCH.-(THIS DAY.) (Sittings at Nisi Prius at Guildhall, before Lord DEN MAN and a Specirl Jury.) HENNIKER V. WIGGE AND OTHERS. This was an action brought by the plaintiffs, trustees of the East of England Bank, to recover the sum of 1,0001. and interest, being the amount of a bond entered into by the defendants, who are farmers and cattle-deal ers at Saxmundham. The bond was executed in Ja nuary, 1837, and subsequently Lionel Wigge, the party in whose favour the bond was executed, became a bank rupt, and the action was brought against the other de fendants as sureties, to recover the amount with interest, being 1,1931. After evidence had been given on the part of the plain tiffs, it was agreed to refer the accounts as they appeared in the banker's books, to a reference, and a verdict was taken by consent. RAYNER V. NICHOLSON. This was an action to recover wages due to the plain tiff as master of a vessel. The case was to have been tried by a common jury, but there were only ten jurors in attendance, and after some time spent in endeavouring to procure two additional jurors, Mr. Kelly, for the plain tiff, agreed to have the question in dispute referred. Lord DENMAN said it was very disgraceful that there were not more jurors in attendance. Here a party had been obliged, from the absence of jurors, to refer his case, which might be a matter of great importance to him. Some of the absent jurors were fined, and a verdict was then taken by consent. COMMON PLEAS.-(THIS DAY.) GREGORY V. TATE. This action was brought to recover damages for injury done to the horse of the plaintiff, by the cart of the de fendant being driven against him through the negli gence of the driver. It was proved that the horse at the time of the occurrence, was worth 301., and that his value at present, in consequence of the injury, was not more than 101. The plaintiff claimed 201. for the de terioration, and 10/. for loss of labour and veterinary expenses, and the Jury gave a verdict for the whole amount. Several other cases of minor importance were also disposed of, presenting no incident of the least interest. SHERIFFS' COURT.-(THIS DAY.) DI`NANARA V. LISTON. This was an action to recover the sum of 101. 10s., for wages alleged to be due by the defendant to plaintiff. Mr. C. Jones appeared for the plaintiff, and Mr. Thomas for the defendant. The defendant is a gentleman of independent pro perty, and the plaintiff is a labourer. The action was brought to recover the amount named, as wages for work done by the plaintiff, which consisted of his taking care of a house belonging to the defendant in the Finchley road. The house was a new one, and fires were kept in each of the rooms, for the purpose of airing it. It was alleged, on the part of the plaintiff, that a contract had been entered into between him and defendant, by which the defendant agreed to pay the plaintiff 7s. a week. The action was brought for 30 weeks alleged to be in arrear. Mr. THOMAS addressed the Jury, and contended that no such contract was ever made, and that the defen dant and his wife had been very kind to plaintiff's family, and put him into the house and kept them, and afterwards, by the influence of defendant, the plaintiff went into the police force. Mr. Thomas put the follow ing letter in evidence, which caused much laughter, and which we give verbatim et literatim : " Mr. John liston, Esq. " I hope you will ttake id in to consideration, and al low my wife a littl for her labour, for both me and my husband been dutyful servants to, and we never thought you would act so unkind as you have don to us. You know that I took care of your property when you where robed of both money and property from you, so I hope you will consider us for our labour, or if you dont I will wright to his lordship, and tell him you have cheated my wife out of so -much ears, bisid I will show -you up in the Papers, so it wont be wising to you 5 times the sum. I hope yowill answer this letter on this day, or you will have a Counsellor letter to-morro.—(Loud laughter.) lam your obedint servant, " MRS. M'NAMARA. " No. 4, North-place, hatten-st., lisingrove." Mr. THOMAS said the defendant was agent to a certain Noble Lord for property in Marylebone, and this it was to which the letter alluded. The man was put into the house in .question, to live till it was let, when he was to have a gratuity. He lived rent-free, and had coals, &c., supplied him. It appeared, continued Mr. Thomas, that a gentleman, or friend to the defendant, went to look at the house, and upon asking the plaintiff the questions, he said, being an Irishman, " Faith, Sir, the house is damp, and the drains smells dreadful, and the rent is enormous."—(Laughter.) This was a pretty recommen dation for a house that was to be let.—(Laughter.) Upon hearing this the gentleman went to the defendant, and told him what 'll‘Namara had said. He came down to the house, and asked him how he could act so ungratefully, when the plaintiff said he would not go out of the house unless he received three pounds, for he would barricade the house. Mr, THOMAS then called witnesses, who proved this statement ; and one of them deposed that the defendant had made the plaintiff the present of a sovereign on the occasion of his wife's lying. m. It appeared the plaintiff was in the habit of telling peeple who came to look at the house that it was damp, and the drains smelt, by which the house obtained a bad charticter, and was not let to this day. The Learned SHERIFF having summed up the evi dence, the jury at once returned a verdict for the defendant BANKRUPTCY.-(THIS DAY.) IN RE ANTHONY LAFARGUE. A meeting of creditors being appointed for this day to appoint an assignee under the fiat against the bank rupt, who was a foreign merchant carrying on business in Great St. Helens, _ _ Mr. CLARKSON appeared to oppose the debt of Mr. Berger, a foreign broker, on the grounds that an action concerning this claim was now pending in a superior Court. The claim arose from the fact of certain con tracts between him and the bankrupt having been entered into in the transfer of a large quantity of cinnamon and other spices, and as there were similar contracts sought to be proved by other parties, he trusted the Court would reject the claim. Mr. Commissioner MERRIVALE said, under the cir cumstances of these debts being under investigation in a superior Court, he would not admit them yet. Madame Lafargue, a very elderly and feeble lady, said she was a Spaniard by birth, and allowed the bank rupt, who is her son, to sell out a quantity of stock, to the amount of 5,0001., which he applied to his business transactions. After a few questions from Mr. Knight, solicitor to Mr. Berger, the claim was admitted. Mr. CLARKSON said the bankrupt's mother was the largest creditor, and according to the usual course ob served in the Court should be appointed assignee ; how ever, he would suggest the appointment of Mr. Nicholls. Mr. Nicholls was then chosen assignee, and the further consideration of Mr. Berger's' claim postponed to Friday, the 31st December. The accounts of the bankrupt have not been as yet sufficiently arranged to give any statement of the debts and liabilities or the assets. LLOYD'S SHIPPING-(THIS DAY.) LONDON, DEC. 23.—Wind this day at noon N.W. DEAL, DEC. 22.—Arrd from the River, Corsair for Port Philip IHarriet, for Mauritius ; George, Cape of Good Hope ; John and British Monarch, Jamaica ; Atlas, Trieste ; Apame, Algoa Bay. CHATHAM, DEC. 22.- T Arrd William, Rowe, Quebec. LIVERPOOL, DEC. 22.—Wind N.N.W.--A.ri 7 ived the Marion, Campbell, from Tobasco. Sailed the Harriet, Scott, for Bombay ; Olive Branch, for Ceylon •, Co lumbia, Jamaica ; Dennison, Antigua ; Jesse llarri son, Monte Video ; Tiber New Orleans ; Hercules and Princess Victoria, Mobilo ; Garland, Apalachicola ; Oxford, New York ; John Taylor, Africa ; Mermaid, Leghorn. The William Murray, for Gibralter, and Dennison, for Antigua, did not sail as reported yesterday. The Fleurs, Thompson, hence to Porto Rico was wrecked on the Island of Tyrree, 10th inst., crew saved. DOVER, DEC. 22.—S1d. Prince Albert, Buenos Ayres. PLYMOUTH, DEC. 22.—Wind N.E.—Arrd. Cato, Hen derson, Quebec; Theresa, London for Sydney. Sid. her Majesty's ship Belleisle, North Star, Apollo (troop ship), and Sophia (troop ship), China, with the rest of the out ward bound. FALMOUTH, DEc. 21.—Wind N.N.E. to N.—Arrd. Active, Dunble, Newport for London, with loss of jib boom, having been in contact with a schooner last night off the Lizard. . _ ..... .. _ SmAu.s.—The Elizabeth, Allen, from Aux Cayes, which put in here on the 19th inst., with foremast sprung, is discharging her cargo. BRIGHTON AND CROYDON RAILWAY. No trace has yet been obtained of Mr. Wood, the late Secretary to the London and Brighton Railway Com pany, although some old and experienced officers are on the look-out for him. His defalcations to the Com pany are, as already stated, small ; but we regret to say that several individuals, of whom he borrowed money on the very ere of his flight, are among the sufferers by his conduct. The unfavourable state of the weather has retarded greatly the operations of the Croydon Railway Company in clearing the slip at New Crass ; but we are glad to learn that the line will be again open throughout this day. The Brighton Railway shares have experienced a great and rapid rise this week, having advanced no less than 1 per cent. in a single day. After being as low as 35, they were quoted on Saturday at 39 ; and yesterday at half-past one o'clock they were 31. Notwithstanding the delay occasioned by the slip on the Croydon Railway, the Brighton trains now perthrm the whole distance from Brighton to London in two hours and a half.—Brighton Gazette. The mails and stage coaches, which arrived in the metropolis in the course of yesterday morning from all parts of the country, were heavily laden with geese, turkeys, and other Christmas presents. The poor upon the estate of Viscount Comber mere, in Cheshire, are (in addition to the annual dona tions of beef, clothing, &c.) to be regaled with good Cheshire ale, to drink health, long life, and prosperity to the infant Prince (Earl of Chester, &c.), at the villages of Audio), Wrenbury, &rton, Newhall, Burledan3, &c. THE SUN, LONDON, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 23, 1841 CORN-LAW REFORM. This question which has long agitated nearly all classes of the community has at last been taken up by the far mers. At a dinner given to Mr. Christopher, one of the Members for Lincolnshire, last week, he proposed the following plan for the repeal of the present Corn law, and substituting another, evidently with the consent of a large number of his constituents. After describing the evils of the present system he thus proceeds :-- It is a great inducement for persons with a very low rate of duty and a sudden fall in the scale to enter into the trade ; and it is a great inducement for the corn trade to get out of the hands of those regular corn merchants who used to be connected with the trade, and to fall into the hands of gentlemen connected with the Stock Ex change. There is no person who makes a purchase of wheat at from 255. to 30s. per quarter in foreign ports who does not, by} entering into combination with per sons who have the control of the markets, endeavour to arrive at the object of selling this corn at 735. Is it not a very easy and a very tempting thing to raise the averages to the amount of 2s. or 3s. the quarter, when, instead of having to pay a duty of 10s. Bd., they pay a duty of but ls.—(Hear, hear.) This is a very great defect, and I must say, without pledging myself to any specific alteration, that I should be happy to see a more regular scale, should be glad if we possessed a sliding duty, in preference to the present jumping duty. I think it would be a very desirable thing to regulate these duties so as to have a maximum and minimum duty. Whatever that maximum duty might be, it should be levied when the price reaches 50s ; the mini mum should be levied when the price reaches 655. By the present scale we undergo a great deal of obloquy from the superfluous protection which we receive. For instance, when the price falls as low as 505., the duty is 365. Bd. ; at 40s. is 465. Bd. ; and at 36F. is 535. Bd.; being actually more than the price of the corn. —(Hear, hear.) Now, this fact renders us liable to a great deal of obloquy. Here is 150 per cent. levied on the food of the country, without the agriculturist deriv ing any benefit. Now, it appears to me that when prices fall so low in this country as 505., 405., or 305., it arises not from an immense importation of foreign corn, which we, therefore, seek to check by an extrava gant duty, but from the great production that takes place in this country, and in these periods we are com peting with each other instead of with the foreigner.— (Hear, hear, and cheers.) This is the reason why I contend fora maximum duty, whatever it may be, to be reg u l a t e d and fixed from the very best official information we can receive, as to what is the lowest price it can be brought into the port of Hull or any other eastern port.--(Hear, hear.) In confirmation of what I have said, and of my views upon this subject, I have made it my business to ascertain the lowest average prices in any one year which have been returned since the passing of the present Corn-laws, and I have also ascertained in each year the lowest price at which corn could be sold in these ports from whence corn is imported in periods of scarcity. I find that in 1833 the average s. d. In 1835. s. d. In England was 49 oln England Dantzic 26 0 Dantzic 2O 0 Rotterdam 26 0 Rotterdam 26 0 Hamburgh In 1834. In 1836. England Dantzictiotterdam 23 0 Dantzic 2l 10 . 30 0 Rotterdam 29 7 Hamburgh Now, supposing that even the very lowest possible maximum duty was imposed, a duty of say 205., and I merely give this supposing it to be impossible that good corn could be imported under 365., how should we have stood in these years of abundance and low prices? Why, I find that with 20s. duty, and allowing 6s. for freight, in surance, profit, &c., the account would have stood thus:— Allow 20s. duty and 6s. freight. Eng. Dan. Rot: . Ham. a. s. d. s. d. s. d. 1833 ... 49 ... 52 0 ... 52 0 ... 51 0 1834 ... 40 ... 51 0 ... 56 0 ... 47 0 1835 ... 36 ... 46 0 ... 52 9 ... 46 9 1836 ... 36 . . 47 10 ... 55 7 ... 47 1 This table will at once show that we only secure to our selves obloquy by the present extravagant duties levied on low prices. Of c o urse the amount of maximum duty, whether 205., 255., or even 305., could only be fixed after consulting official documents and obtaining the very best information on the subject.—(Cries of " Hear, hear.") These are the reasons which justify me in coming to the conclusion that a certain maximum duty, at a certain point, to be imposed in relative proportion to the price at which good foreign corn can be bought in foreign ports, will afford us ampl e p r ot e cti on , an d at the same time get rid of the useless high duty which is the cause of so much misrepresentation - and calumny. I say that you must take the price at which good corn can be bought in the foreign market, because the cost of con veying corn from Hamburgh, &c., is not much, if any, more than the cost of sending it by canal from one part of our country to the other ; and I say good corn, because, having lived on the Continent, I have seen good corn, but have also seen some that would never be pur chased for food in this conntry. I will now trouble you with a few observations on the descend ing scale of duties. The pivot duty is 11.55. Bd. at 625. For a time the scale slides down gra - dually ; but the great encouragement to gambling and fraud is in the fact that the rise of only 3s. in the returned averages from 71s. to 735. makes a difference in the duty of no less than 10s. Bd.—(Hear, hear, hear.) No N, as I said before, I think, for the permanent and satisfactory settlepent of this question, it should be your desire to make as great a concession as you can, in order ,that we may secure a permanent Corn-law, and rid ourselves of the reckless agitation now so rife. On the question of these laws let us satisfy all saber-minded men, men of rational views, whether they be connected with agriculture, manufactures, or commerce. I know it is impossible to satisfy the Corn-law League, or the members and allies of the late Administration, but I do believe that if we look into this question calmly and dis passionately, and reform whatever is amiss, that we shall satisfy all the rational and sober-minded portion of the community.—(Hear, hear.) Whatever the maximum duty should be will depend upon the result of search ing inquiry, but I think that if there were a minimum duty of ss. when the price rises to 655. it would satisfy all.—(Hear.) This would be a great concession to the con sumer, because I find that the present duty at 665. is 21s. Bd. ; but you must bear in mind that you would have a consi derage advantage in getting rid of the fictitious mode of taking the averages, which now only benefits the Jew speculators of the Continent and of this country, for on the Continent the corn trade is entirely in the hands of the Jews. By grant i ng t h e great concess i on of lowering the scale, you would identify the interest of the consumer with the producer ; and although by this concession you might possibly relinquish a share of your profit, yet you must recollect that there would not be the same temptation to fraud, and the same inducement for people of dishonest character and habits to enter into the trade ; the business would assume a more regular character, there would not be immense masses of corn locked up in bond, to be let loose all at once upon the country upon a rise of prices. Thus, taking all mat ters into consideration, I believe that you would, from the settlement of the question, and the destruction to a great extent of fraud, derive more permanent benefit from a fixed minimum duty of ss. at 655., than you now do with the present scale.—(Hear, hear.) I believe that every man who hears me would be willing to allow the poor consumer to reap the benefit of the great improvements which have taken place in agricul ture.—(Cries of " Hear, hear," and cheers.) When I say that I might be satisfied with a minimum duty of ss. at 655., I mean that it should be the minimum; but if we are to go on, and the scale is to descend to ls. at 705., then I would contend that ss. at 655. is not sufficient.— (Hear, and cheers.) I should rather be disposed to go for 10s. at 655., and then as the price rises to 70s. the duty to fall 2s. for every rise of Is. With respect to the maximum, I cannot, as I have before said, say whether it ought to be 205., 255., or 305., until I have positive and authentic information as to the quantities and the prices at which such quantities could be imported from abroad; but with respect to the minimum, I will say that I had much rather see a duty of ss. levied at 655. than a duty of 10s. at 655. receding to ls. at 70s.—(Hear, hear, and cheers.) These are my views upon this most important subject—this my answer to the unfounded and calumnious imputations which have been thrown upon my character.—(Loud cheers.) I have also en tered into these details because, having derived great benefit and great information from my constituents in consequence of the observations I made at the market ordinary at Barton, I anticipate that I shall have the be nefit of the great practical experience of many of my constituents now present before the meeting of Parlia ment. In conclusion I will only venture to make one remark. So long as I have the honour to remain your representa tive I shall always use my utmost endeavours, consistently with a true consideration for all the leading interests of the country, to stand by the interests and promote the welfare of those I re present, and I shall do so perfectly regardless of the calum nies which are levelled against my public reputation, desi rous only of meriting your good opinion and esteem. And if on any future occasion I shall be induced to depart from those political principles which have been the guide of my conduct through life, or if I shall feel, in the con scientious discharge of my duty, called upon to abandon all those professions and pledges which I have made to you, I shall at once, as an h ones t an d consistent man, re sign my trust into your hands.—(Cheers.) But b e li ev i ng that a most enlightened and intelligent body know and acknowledge that I have discharged my duty, because I feel that I hold as high a place as ever I did in your con fidence and esteem, and have in Parliament with the greatest impartiality discharged . my duty to y ou an d to am encouraged my country to th e b es t of m y to persevere in the course which I am running, careless of the vituperation of my opponents, and seeking only as my richest reward the confidence and esteem of my con stituents. In the Court of Queen's Bench, Guildhall, yes terday, a great disappointment took place, owing to the case of Hopkins v. Hardwicke being settled without hear ing the evidence. It was an action for a breach of pro mise of marriage, brought by a lady of abouL3o years of age, against the defendant, who is upwards of three score. On the case being called, and the Jury being sworn, a consultation took place between C ounsel, when Mr. rle stated that the case was settled, the defendant paying 500 L A verdict was then returned for the plain tiff for the above sum, and thus the affair terminated. An Oxford student joined without invitation a party dining at an inn. After dining, he boasted so much of his abilities, that one of the party said, "you have told us enough of what you can do, tell us some thing you cannot do." " Faith," said he, "I cannot pay my share of the reckoning ! " The town of Sydney was for the first time lighted up with gas on the 25th of May last, it being the first city in Australia, or in fact in the Asiatic world, to which this important invention of modern times has been applied,—Sydney Herald. THE EXCHEQUER BILLS FRAUD. An able pamphlet on this mysterious subject has just been published by A. IL Bailey and Co., of C orn hill, and as it is of great importance to many thousands that a conspiracy which has caused such excitement, and which may be attended with disastrous consequence, should be thoroughly investigated without delay, we shall make no excuse for quoting largely from its columns. The author properly observes at the commencement, " that all which the public know with certainly is, that to private individuals it has caused loss of money, to the nation loss of credit, to the Government loss of character, and to the public loss of confidence." After adverting to the disappointment caused by the unex pected result of Smith's trial, and the escape of Rapallo, he thus proceeds : It was therefore a great object with the Government to quash every proceeding against Rapallo, the fact being, that they had not a shadow of a case against him; they were perfectly aware that Smith's first statement of having given the bills to him unsigned was false; and the result has proved that it was, Smith having pleaded " Guilty" to all the counts of the indictment. But the anxiety of the public is to ascertain who signed the bills. Smith's pleading " Guilty "by no means makes it certain that he signed them ; indeed, every one who has examined the figures, which he admitted to be his, declare that they are not in the same hand-writing as the signatures; and moreover, that the signatures on the bills fraudulently issued are the same as those at tached to every other Exchequer bill in circulation. The Government, however, by Smith having pleaded guilty to the forgery, has effected two objocts. lstly. They have prevented an • exposee of that gross negligence which has been the cause of this fraud being perpetrated on the public. 2ndly. They have placed the holders of the fraudulent Exchequer bills at their mercy, because, were an action brought against the Government, the case would be met by the plea of admitted forgery, which would nonsuit the plaintiffs _ _ He then adds, that the public had no possible means of guarding themselves against the fraud—nay, to the utter disgrace of the officials at the Exchequer-bill (Vice, the Government either would not, or could not, distinguish the .false from the genuine bills. Let us proceed, therefore, to examine the case in a fair and impartial manner. The loss which has fallen on the public has arisen from their having placed implicit confidence in the vigilance of the Government and the in tegrity of its officers. The public implicitly relied on being secured against fraud by the following legal precautions, which are di rected to be observed at the Exchequer, viz. : lstly. That no more paper would be manufactured and printed than was actually required for the bills voted by Parliament for the public service, the more es pecially as it is known that both the paper and the printing are manufactured and executed under the roof of the Exchequer, for the still greater security of the public. 2dly. That the seal with which they are stamped would be kept in the custody of three parties, and never used except in their presence. 3dly. That no Exchequer bills would be signed except at the Exchequer. Is it the fault of the public that these precautions have been neglected ? and could the fraud have taken place if they had been observed ? On the 22d of October last, three distinct parties, at three distinct times, took up various bills to have them examined ; these bills amounted to 25,0001. ; they were all examined by different parties in the Exchequer, were compared with the counterfoils, anti pronounced genuine. 16,0001. of these bills have been siuce received by the Bank of England in payment for scrip, and the other 9,0001. are marked with the initials of an indifferent part, who was present at the examination. It can also be proved that 40,0001. other bills (now the eoncoleurnkcs of pronounced to E e xchg forgeries), euer w bu e t re th n a o t t m on r. l3 r , e er x c a i m va i l n , edb com ing in at the time, was requested to examine the signa tures, and state whether he could reject any as being foreign to his writing ; he turned them all carefully over one by one, and said h could not. These examinations (with one exception), took place, be it remembered, after a slur had been thrown on Ex chequer bills, and they were consequently subjected to the most minute examination. The author thus describes the manner in which Smith was detected, and naturally expresses some anxiety to know what has become of the book containing the coun terfoils with which these bills were compared. On the 25th of October the following disclosures took place : Duplicate numbers of Exchequer bills were brought up to the Exchequer, one set belonging either to the London and Westminster Bank, or to Messrs. Barclay and Co., and the other to one of the brokers who had received them from Rapallo. It was proved that the bills held by the Bank had never been out of its posses sion, yet they were so exactly like the duplicates, both in respect to figures and signature, that it was impossible to distinguish the one from the other ; consequently the Manager of the Bank, who was present, very acutely ob served, that as nobody out of doors could have had the one bill from which to make a copy of the other, the figures of both must have been filled in by one and the same person. On this Mr. Smith became very agitated, and requested to speak to Mr. Maule, the solicitor of the Treasury, in a private room, when he made his confession. It appears that all the bills surreptitiously issued are running numbers, although deposited at various times. Great importance is to be attached to this fact, as it throws a glimmering of light as to the manner in which the signatures of the bills have been obtained. It would therefore be most satisfactory for the public to know in what state the unissued bills are—whether signed or un signed, and whether the counterfoils are witnessed in the same manner as those of every other book ; because, if the bills are signed, and the counterfoils are wiinessed, no other conclusion can be arrived at than that Smith must have abused the confidence of Lord Monteagle and Mr. Percival, by placing a book of Exchequer bills be fore them and that they s i gne d i t i n t h e f u ll r eli a n c e that nothing would be so placed unless it were right and proper. He then contends that the holders of the bills could not by any means distinguish between good and bad bills, and as a proof states that persons of all classes of the greatest experience, from the Directors of the Bank of England to money brokers, advanced money on them for these very good reasons, that the paper, the print ing, the stamp, and the figures were the same as every ether Exchequer bill in circulation. The fraud, it ap pears, commenced in 1836, soon after Sir John Newport became Comptroller, and great losses since that period, he infers, must have occurred. But let not (says he) the public delude themselves with the notion, that be cause the brokers who hav e ra i sed the money have deli vered large quantities of Stock to Solari and Rapallo, that that Stock may riot have been disposed of, and that large losses may not have occurred. Those who are acquainted with the nature of Stock transactions, and who have unfortunately dabbled in shares, can easily imagine that 300,0001. has been sunk during the space of five years ; and from the best information that can be gathered, it seems that every share they dealt in is now utterly without value. Take British Iron shares, for instance, which Smith mentions as having speculated in before the Chancellor's decision : these shares were then between 401. and 501. per share ; they are now worth nothing—and worse than nothing. This one speculation may be but as a sample of the rest ; and when to such speculations is added the loss sustained in interest alone, the manner in which the money is gone ceases to be marvellous. However it may disappoint public curiosity, which is led to believe that there are some powerful delinquents behind the scenes, it may be observed, that utterly de void of truth as Smith's statem en t s are, t h e more especi ally as to issuing the bills unsigned, and to his never having received any part of the moneys raised on them, still from his own statements may be gathered the most reasonable explanation of the whole fraud. Let us now turn to that part of the case by far the most interesting to the public, viz., what is to be the future fate of the unfortunate holders of the bills. It is almost impossible to imagine that the Govern ment, composed as it is of souse of the most honourable and high-minded men in the kingdom, can do otherwise than recommend the payment of the bills when Parlia ment meets. But the manner in which the trial has been conducted, stifling as it has every fact favourable to the holders of the bills, and placing them, so far as legal re dress goes, at the mercy of Government, shakes the con fidence of the public as to their future intentions. It behoves then the holders of the bills to remember that " union is strength." Let them in the first place memorialise the Treasury, and respectfully request to know their decision in regard to the impounded bills. If they are wise they will not be satisfied with any . eva sive answer, for if the battle of "right against might" is to be fought, they must be prepared to take the field before the March bills are called in and the new ones issued. The Bank of England should be foremost in support ing the cause of the holders ; for, it is stated that, on the 21st of October upwards of 57,0001. of the bills said to be forged were redeemed from the Bank, by monies raised from the present holders. The Bank of England can come forward with a pecu liar grace in support of the public, and cite its own con duct under nearly similar circumstances : viz., some Bank clerks once obtained possession of several bank notes, which were perfect in every respect save the signa•• ture ; the signature they forged, and issued the notes to the public. What was the conduct of the Bank on the occasion ? They justly said, how were the public to know that the notes were forgeries, when they are the same in every respect as every other bank note in circu lation, and it is the general appearance of the note, and not the signature, which the public trust.. The Bank, therefore, hanged the delinquents, but they paid the notes. After adding that the East India Company and other moneyed interests should press on Government the pay ment of these bills, the writer thus concludes : The public very justly ask—Who appointed the offi cers of the Exchequer, through whose neglect this fraud has occurred? Who ordered more Exchequer bills to be manufactured and printed * than were necessary for the public service? Who filled in the numbers of the Ex chequer bills? Whd stamped them? Who issued them? Who signed Exchequer bills in other places than at the Exchequer-office, thereby (however unconsciously) giv ing facilities to this fraud being effected? The answer to all these questions is—the Government, or those ap pointed by the Government. The rejoinder of the pub lic then is—that the Government must p a y t h em . The foregoing observations are submitt e d to the con sideration of every candid mind; their object is to prove that the fraud could never have occurred if due caution had been observed on the part of the G overnment; and that from the circumstance of the fraud centering in the individual selected by Government to fill th e i mportant post of Chief Issuing Clerk of the Exch equer, it was mo rally impossible for the public to guard aga i nst, or to detect it. There are upwards of 6,000 persons now re ceiving parochial relief in St. Maryleboune. COURT CIRCULAR. WINDSOR, WEDNESDAY.—The Queen and Prince Albert walked to the ice in the Home Park this morn ing. Her Majesty was upon upon it in the chair after the German method. His Royal Highness skated, as did some of the Gentlemen of the Suite. Her Majesty was attended by the Countess of Sand wich, Lady Caroline Cocks, and the Hon. Miss Caven dish'; and with his Royal Highness were the Duke of Buckingham, Sir Edward Bowater, the Earl of Liver pool, Mr. G. E. Anson, and Dr. Prcetorius. The Duchess of Kent, attended by Lady Fanny Howard, took walking exercise this morning. The Marquis of Exeter, the Earl of Rosslyn, and the Right Hon. Sir James Graham, arrived this afternoon on a visit to her Majesty. Mr. Harcourt, St. Leonard's, will have the honour of joining the Royal Dinner Circle this afternoon. Mr. W. C. Ross, A.R.A., had the honour of attending to-day on her Majesty with the miniatures of th e Ki ng and Queen of the French, which he had painted in Paris by her Majesty's command. Congratulatory addresses were this morning presented to her Majesty by the Dean and Canons of Windsor, and the Mayor and Town Council of the Borough. Her Majesty, who received the parties in the most gracious manner, was attended by Viscount Sydney, Sir Robert Otway, Colonel Arbuthnot, Captain Francis Seymour, and Sir Edward Bowater, the Countess of Sandwich, Lady Caroline Cocks, and the Hon. Miss Cavendish. Her Majesty received the addresses in the Red Draw ing-room. The following is a copy of the Address from the Dean and Canons : " TO HER MOST GRACIOUS MAJESTY THE QUEEN. " May it please your Majesty " We, the Dean and Canons of the Queen's Free Chapel of St. George, within her Castle of Windsor, humbly beg leave to approach your Majesty with our respectful and sincere congratulations on an event which has dif fused a feeling of heartfelt joy throughout your Ma jesty's dominions. That Almighty Power which has more than once preserved your Majesty's sacred life in the hour of peril, has vouchsafed to answer a nation's pray ers on the birth of an Heir to the Throne of these realms. We fervently pray that the same Almighty protection may ever be extended over the Prince of Wales, and that your Majesty and. your Royal Consort may witness the development of every quality that can pro mote your own domestic happiness, and fulfil the fondest hopes of a loyal and affectionate people." Her Majesty returned the following most gracious an- surer :---, • " I accept, with particular pleasure, this Address, which conveys the expression of your gratitude to Al mighty God, for the birth of the Prince, my son. Be assured that it is my intention to educate him in the principles of Christian piety and of moral virtue, and to inculcate on his mind the sacred duty of transmitting to posterity the religious institutions of these realms." An Address of Congratulation from the Dean and Canons was also presented to his Royal Highness Prince Albert. The following is a copy : " TO HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS PRINCE ALBERT. " May it please your Royal Highness, " We, the Dean and Canons of the Queen's Free Chapel. of St. George, within her Majesty's Castle of Windsor, with the strongest feelings of respect and at tachment, beg leave to offer to your Royal Highness our sincere congratulations on the birth of the Prince of Wales. " Your Royal Highness has been placed by the Provi dence of God in a situation which must materially in fluence the welfare of this kingdom, and the nation bails with delight and confidence th e pledge which your Royal Highness has already afforded, that the infant Prince will derive, no less from y ourse lf t h an f rom hi s A ugust Mother, the advantage of all that is wise in precept and pure in example. We pray that the blessing of God may attend'your united efforts, that when your Illustrious Offspring shall be called to fulfil his high destiny he may be enabled to preserve the people committed to his charge in wealth, peace, and godliness, and to maintain throughout the world the lustre of the British Crown." To which Prince Albert made the following gracious reply : " I thank you most sincerely for the Address which has just been presented to me by the Dean and Canons of Windsor upon the birth of the Prince of Wales. I cordially join in the fervent prayer that the blessing of God may attend our arduous and responsible duty in fitting our beloved child for his future destiny, it is most gratifying to receive this first Address at the place en deared to us by so many ties." An Address of Congratulation was also presented to the Duchess of Kent, of which the following is a copy:— " TO HER ROYAL HIGHNESS THE DUCHESS OF RENT. " May it please your Royal Highness, " We, the Dean and Canons of her Majesty's Free Chapel of St. George, within her Castle of Windsor, heartily desire to approach your Royal Highness with our respectful congratulations on the Birth of a Prince of Wales; an event which has awakened a feeling of heartfelt joy through all classes of her Majesty's subjects. " We are very sensible how much this important event must have affected your Royal Highness's feelings, and we are aware that we cannot better testify our own on this occasion than by heartily praying to Almighty God, that, for a long succession of years the Throne of Eng land may afford, in your Roy a l Highness's descendants, an example of all that is great and good, that you may long witness in the persons of your Royal Daughter and her august Consort the model of conjugal and parental happiness." Her Majesty's Royal Bounty was distributed on Mon day and Tuesday last to 900 poor and aged persons, who received five shillings each. The recipients are recom mended by persons of known respectability. The Royal. Gate Alms was also distributed to 168 persons, who received each thirteen shillings. This ancient charity was formerly distributed to the poor at the gate of the Royal Palace to the above number of per sons, who each received sixpence per week ; but the bounty has, within the last century, been consolidated into two payments of thirteen shillings each, at Christmas and Easter: The distributions were made by Joseph Hanby, Esq., Secretary and Yeoman of the Almonry, under the im mediate orders of the Lord Archbishop of York, the Lord High Almoner to her Majesty. Sir Robert Peel left town yesterday afternoon for his seat Drayton Manor, Staffordshire. The Right Hon. Baronet travelled by the London and Birmingham Rail way, and left the terminus in Euston-square by the two o'clock train. Mr. Wood, Chairman of the Excise, had an interview with the Chancellor of the Exchequer yesterday, at his official residence in Downing-street. Sir James Graham left town yesterday on a visit to her Majesty at Windsor Castle. ' NAVAL INTELLIGENCE. (From the Brighton Gazette.) • PORTSMOUTH, DEC. 22.—The brig Snake, 16, Com mander the Hon. W. Devereux, arrived on Sunday, from Chatham, and has been paid the usual advance of wages. Her destination is the Mediterranean, whither she will preceed in a day or two, calling at Plymouth for final orders. The Crocodile, 26, recently returned from the West Indies, is ordered to be again brought forward for com mission. The Hastings, 72, on her arrival at this port, will pro ceed to the eastward to be paid off, and her crew drafted into the ships fitting out. The Pantaloon, 10, Lieut. Lapidge, and Rapid, 10, Lieut. Earle, will proceed shortly to the coast of Africa, for the suppression of the slave trade. The Heroine, 10, Lieut. Stewart, arrived on Sunday from Chatham, and is ordered to Plymouth to await orders. The corvette Dido, Captain the Hon. Henry . Keppel, is at Spithead, on her way to Plymouth to receive final or ders. She has embarked a few hands at this port The Carysfort and Tyne, 26-gun ships, are preparing for commission here ; the former will be commanded by Captain Lord George Paula. The new steam-ship, Geyser, has been commissioned at Sheerness by Commander Edward Carpenter, it isSre ported for the West Indies. The Formidable, 84, Capt. Sir Charles Sullivan, is or dered to be expedited at Chatham to proceed to the Mediterranean, calling at Spithead. The Thalia, 46, Captain Hope, may shortly be ex pected from Leith to complete her equipment, destina tion unknown. The Seringapatam 46, has been undergoing survey to ascertain her fitness for re-commissioning at Sheerness. The brig Ferret, 10, Commander Oake, will soon be ready at Plymouth to proceed to the Coast of Africa. The Conway, 26, Captain Bethune, may be expected from the East Indies about the middle of January, ac cording to private letters. The Resistance, 38, is ordered at Plymouth to be fitted as a troop-ship, and the Owen Glendower, 44, at Chat ham as a convict ship, to proceed to Gibraltar. Capt. Sir Francis Collier, K.C.8., has had the ap pointment conferred on him of Superindendent of Pem broke Dock-yard, vice Jackson, promoted to be Rear. Admiral. At Spithead—Dido, 18, Snake, 16, and Heroine, 10. In Harbour—St. Vincent, Queen, Victory, Warspite, Vindictive, Hazard, Pantaloon, Rapid, Echo, Atholl, Ex cellent, and Royal George yacht. YOUNG MEN'S ANTI-MONOPOLY ASSOCIATION. A meeting of this Society was last night held at Fins bury Chapel, to hear an address from Peter A. Taylor, jun., Esq., upon the subject of the restrictive duties on food. Mr. JOSEPH PRESTON was unanimously called to the Chair, and briefly addressed the meeting on the subject they were assembled to discuss. Mr. P. TAYLOR then addressed the Association with great effect, describing the principal baneful effects of the Corn-laws on our trade, our manufactures, our so cial happiness, and our intellectual improvement. He adverted feelingly to the thoughts and associations the present season was fitted to call forth; but he hoped that amid all the festivities and happiness which all he ad dressed would enjoy, they would not forget the fearful amount of distress existing around them, and that much, if not all, of that distress was traceable to the effects of monopoly. lie trusted that such feelings would nerve them to increasing efforts in the cause of free trade, and consequently the cause of moral and social good. Mr. P. Taylor's address was greeted with loud and repeated marks of approbation. At its conclusion, a v ote of thanks was passed by acclamation to Mr. Taylor, who briefly returned thanks. The next meeting of this Association will take place I on 1- e 3d of January. gi , nbacco monopoly in France was to expire The Tlnuary, 1842, but a law of February, 1840, on the Ist of 'k m until the Ist of January, 1852. prolonged its (Jura.- -lingly come into operation in a few d • The, neways. law In w 1818 the ill 400% ulap4,.. - ' , cture of tobacco produced in 1828, 46,300,000 f.; 0 in 33,900 of.; 1823,. . 41,69Q,00,4, , -(1 0,000f. and in i n 1884, 50,800,.000f. ; 1839, 1840, by reva lua ti on, 70,000,000 L MYSTERIOUS DEATH ofa YOUNG FEMALE at HAMMERSMITH. Yesterday afternoon a lengthened investigation was proceeded with, before Mr. T. Wakley, M.P., Coroner for the Western District of Middlesex, and a respectably Jury, at the Blue Anchor beer-shop, on the Upper Mall, near Hammersmith Suspension-bridge, on view of the body of Drascella Muller, a young female of remarkable prepossessing appearance, 19 years of age, who was, on Saturday last, found dead with marks of violence on her person, in the mud of the creek leading from the Thames into the High -street of Hammersmith. The Jury having been sworn, proceeded to view the body, and on their return the following evidence was adduced. George Rutty, a boy, residing in New-street, Ham mersmith, deposed that on Saturday last, about twelve o'clock, he was standing near the High-bridge, crossing the creek, when he saw something in the water, upon which he hallooed out, and Mr. Parker and other persons came up and went to see what it was. Mr. Thomas Poole Parker, master of the Hammer smith National School, deposed that on being called he jumped over a fence into the water, when he found the body of the deceased. With the assistance of a plank he got the body ashore, and, after having been refused at two public-houses to admit it, brought it to that house. The deceased was respectably dressed, and had on a pair of gloves, in one of which was a patent latch-key, and in the other is. 2d. in halfpence. Mr. William Simpson, surgeon, of Hammersmith Broadway, deposed that he had made kpost mortem ex amination by order of the Coroner, and had found a slight contusion on the forehead of the deceased, but saw no marks of violence on any other part of the body. The injury on the scalp might have been occasioned by a fall from a high place. Should say that the injury was received before death, and that the immediate cause of death had been drowning. Mr. John Fitness deposed that he had a situation in the Treasury, and resided at No. 64, Stafford-place, Pim lico. Deceased had been in his service since the 23d of July, but had been missing since Friday, the 3d inst. On the morning of that day he saw her last alive, between ten and eleven o'clock, in the kitchen, in IN hich she slept. She then appeared in her usual state of health and mind. On the following morning, on coming down, he was surprised at finding the breakfast not ready, and on going into the kitchen could not find the deceased. From that time, although every possible ex ertion was made to discover her, no trace could be ob tained until the finding of the body. All her boxes and clothes were in their usual state. She was always very steady in ,her habits ; and he had every reason to be sa .tisfied with her conduct. She was rather too reserved, and had no male acquaintance to his knowledge. The CORONER said the case was certainly enveloped in considerable mystery, and The Jury returned a verdict of " Found Drowned, but how the deceased came into the water there was no evi dence to show." BRAINTREE CHURCH-RATE. TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN. Slu r —Many of the readers of The Sun will have heard with surprise, and perhaps with alarm also, that Mr. Border's rate has been paid with costs, and that the pro ceedings against him in the Coasistory Court of London to enforce payment of a rate made by the minority of a vestry meeting, have thus terminated by his submission. For Mr. Burder's own sake, and for the good name of Essex Dissenters, it is to be deeply regretted that our late champion has not had moral courage to hold on an honoured course, in unshrinking consistency with his well-known principles of religious freedom, but has been passively consenting to the payment of the rate by the hands of a near relative on his behalf—a tacit arrange ment which in itself but further illustrates that " one thing wanting"—mural courage to suffer, or to act. In his public character as the champion of a principle, and supported in this position; by ,a public fund, Mr. Burder's conduct is amenable to public animadversion, and it is very wholesome that it should be so. By the circumstances of his position, Mr. Burder was a trustee for the public cause, in the struggle for the rights of th e ma j or i ty i n vestry meet i ngs, and in aban doning he has betrayed his trust in this matter. He was, prominently, one of the representatives of dissenting principles and leaders of dissenting action upon the ques tion of Church -rates, and although protected from pecu niary sacrifices by the intervention of the Braintree Com mittee, he has shrunk from the assertion of those prin ciples, and by his bad example greatly discouraged that action. He was one of the depositaries of public confi: dente for the unswerving advocacy of a great public ques tion, supported by the confiding subscriptions of those who had no personal knowledge of Mr. Burder, but whose faith in him was their faith in man, and he has shaken that confidence, and put his associates upon their defence before the country. He has made it necessary to protest to the subscribers and the public, that the Brain tree Committee numbers men " good and true " to the cause they have espoused and the trust they have ac cepted ; and that, as a Committee, they have not aban doned and will not abandon their post, nor fail to dis charge, honestly, and boldly, the duties incident to their position. . _ Immediately after it became known that the late pend ing citation had been quashed by the payment of Mr. Burder's rate, the Committee met, and directed the instant distribution of the following circular " Brain — tree, Nov. 27, 1841. " To the rate-payers of Braintree, opposed to the exac tion of Church-rate by AN ARBITRARY MINORITY, in the name, but against the will, of the parish, in vestry as sembled ! " Mr. Burder's rate having been paid by a near relative on Ms behalf, and the trial of the great question of the power (for in a moral or constitutional sense it were ab surd to talk of the right) of any, even the smallest, mino rity of rate-payers, to tax the whole parish by Church rate, having thus been evaded in this case—the Braintree Anti-Church-rate Committee request that any pa rishior.er against whom proceedings may next be taken, and who may in sincerity and truth determine to resist them, will then forthwith apply to the said Committee, who are prepared, as in Mr. Burder's case, to undertake the conduct of the cause, and to meet the expenses of its defence. " SAMUEL COURTAULD, Chairman." The rate will now be forthwith demanded of other Dissenters ; and as it may be reasonably hoped we are not all blessed with such friends as Mr. Burder, nor equally passive and plastic in their hands, there can be no doubt but that in the name of some honest Noncon formist amongst us, the case will again, and speedily, be put in issue, and the public may still confidently rely upon the Braintree Committee, that to the extent of their funds (and at present they are ample) the question now raised, of the validity of a rate made by a minority in vestry, shall be as vigorously prosecuted, and as fully and conclusively tried, as the question previously depending in the Braintree case has been, viz. that of the validity of a rate made by a minority (the Churchwardens) out of vestry—equally the sequel to the refusal of- a rate by a majority in public meeting. - - SAMUEL COURTAULD. Braintree, Nov. 29, 1841. GREAT NORTH OF ENGLAND RAILWAY. Traffic returns for the week ending Dec. 20, 1841: Passengers £735 11 7 Merchandize 430 7 7 £1,165 19 2 Darlington, Dec. 22. W. O'BRIEN, Secretary. CITY OF LONDON GENERAL PENSION SO.. CIETY.---LIBERALITY OF THE RUSSIAN AMBASSADOR.— Mr. H. F. Richardson, the indefatigable Secretary of this praiseworthy Institution, has had the honour to re ceive from his Excellency Baron Brunow a letter, of which the following is a copy, containing expressions highly honourable to that distinguished man : " Ashburnham House, Dec. 20, 1841. " Baron de Brunow presents his compliments to Mr. 11. F. Richardson, and begs to say that he feels much flattered by the kind attention paid to him by the Trea surer and Directors of the City of London General Pen sion Society. He is particularly pleased to know that his friendly feelings for the suffering poor are appre ciated in this country, but not being certain of the per manence of his sojourn in England, he would hardly venture upon accepting the title of Vice-President, so kindly offered to him. He therefore begs to return his best thanks to the Directors of the Society, and begs to inclose a cheque for 10 guineas as a donation, which he feels much gratified to offer to the Secretary of the City of London General Pension Society. " To H. F. Richardson, Esq., &c., 20, King's Arms-yard, Coleman-street." BREAD IN PARIS . AND LONDON.—The as size, or fixed price of bread of the first quality in Paris, as regulated by the municipal authorities of that city for the second fortnight of the current month of De cember, is 34 centimes for the loaf weighing one kilo.. gramme, which at the present course of Exchange in Paris on London, for bills at one month's date of 25f. gl 35c. " money" per pound sterling, correspond s w i t h five pence three farthings and rather more th an one-third (thirty-nine hundreds) of a farthing, for generally r the English sell ing four-pound loaf ; and the price at which the best, or " full-priced," as it is called, bread, is no in London, being ten-pence for the four -pound loaf, (although in some quarters of the town a higher rate is demanded), shows that bread of the first quality is dearer in London than in Paris by fourpence and sixteenths of a farthing for, or rather on the four-pound loaf, being at the rate of seventy-one per cent., within a very mi nute fraction unworthy of notice ; and that for the same amount of money, namely, ten-pence as above, which can purchase in London no more than four pounds of the best bread, there may be obtained, i n parL., six pounds thirteen ounces, and exceeding seven drachms, English weight, of bread o f th e f i rst quality, both the qua lity and the weight b e i ng .guaranteed by law ; an d this re markable differ ence, it may be observed, ex i sts at a dis tance of less th an t hi rty hours ' journey , by post, from London. itiE LOVE OF MONEY.—That odious Mam mon -worship , w hi ch i s one o f the most distinguishing features of our day, has at last attra cted the attention and en gaged the pen of one of the most brilliant satirists of the present tune—Mrs. Gore ,• and her new work, " The Man of Fortune," is intended to strike at the root of that besetting sin of the English character. Nothing min offer a finer or a more varied scope for the talents of this accomplished writer. The love of money has ever been a recognised passion of the- human heart among civilized nations, but it was never until now of so ab sorbing a nature as (like Aaron's rod) to swallow all the rest. The first instance of newspapers giving prints occurred in 1723, when portraits of liing-George the First, George Prince of Wales, and Prince Frederick were presented to the public in the, first number of the Protestant Intelligences. • The public library at St. Chamond, in the Loire, has .lately suffered from fire. A case, containing a valuable collection of 150 rare works, was destroyed, but the rest of the vauble contents were sued. EVENING SUN FROM THE FRENCH PAPERS, The Berlin papers mention a curious discotery--of4—' yciTitschowskiva quarrel rPotsdam,rel arose b nb y ut robbery and murder, committed 22 years ago. milies, Peters a e hv n iz a lme n no d nt but netowar ds betweena the d l e o d g the two wives, and the woman Titschowski reproached the other with being the wife of a man condemned to the gibbet for murder. This coming to the ears of the magistracy, an inquiry was entered upon, and the houses of the two disputants searched, from which it was proved that Petersen was a name assumed by a man called Gas telberg, who was condemned to death by default in 1819, for several robberies an d murders, and that Titschowski being one of the guards over him when in prison, had suffered him to escape, in consideration of which service Gastelberg had of late paid him a monthly stipend of 8 thalers (28f. 80c.) out of the salary of a place on the Berlin and Potsdam railroad, which he had obtained. Gastelberg fled, but has been taken at Magdeburg, and will be again sent before the criminal tribunal of Bres lau, as his former sentence takes him out of the pro scription, which will act in favour of Titschowski, who cannot at this distant date be t r i e d f or his offence in letting the other escape. Extract of a letter from Oran, 7th inst., in the Con stitutionnel:—"A few days after the return of our grand expedition (that of the 53 days) some of the regular cavalry of Abd-el-Kader, who had been furnished by the great tribe of Angaed, passed through the tribe of Sidi Gazer, where several chiefs of the Tafna were assembled, and gave them an account of the battles which had taken place with the Christians. When they had confessed that the regular corps to which they belonged had been routed, and that the Emir had no more troops upon whom he could rely, the chiefs concerted together and fixed upon a rendezvous to concert the means of defec tion. The opportunity was favourable, for Abd-el-Kader was occupied in the East, near Blidah, where General Changarnier held him in check. The day fixed was the great market-day of the Tana, which is always held at the mouth of that river, on the ground occu pied by our troops in 1836 an d 1837. Never was market more numerously attended, and it was there resolved unanimously to abandon the cause of the Emir. Some of the chiefs offered opposition, for the question was a sucjden determination to throw themselves into the hands of the French, or to act against Abd-el- Kader by a diversion in favour of some influential name. Too weak to act by themselves against the organised force of the Emir, the Shieks resolved on applying to Mus tapha and the Governor-General of Oran. Some agents were therefore despatched during the night to Oran. The tribes who have abandoned the cause of the Emir are eight in number, and, as is always the case, their neigh bours are only waiting to see what becomes of them, to join their standards to those of the Douairs and Smelas. All the horsemen of these tribes have elected as their chief old Ali-Yamani, who was the compet itorofAbd-el- Kader on his accession to power. Bon-Hamedi, the Kalifa of Tlemcen, having become acquainted with the project of our new allies, attacked them at the ravines of the Sasef, about six leagues from Tlemcen. After a long combat Bon-Hamedi was put to flight by Ali-Yamani, and pursued so vigorously that he was not able to take refuge in the town, and the inhabitants of Tlemcen, un doubtedly worn out by the exactions of the officers of the Emir, took advantage of this opportunity to join the victorious party. We learn that all our new allies are encamped at Oued Sinam, where they have joined Gene ral Mustapha, who has now more than 3,000 cavalry un der his command." The Journal d u Ntevre gives the following account of a ferocious contest between two brothers, forest-keepers, on the 2d inst., near Cervol l'Argueilleux, where they had been celebrating the feast of St. Eloi, at the house of a miller, who had given them too much liquor. Re turning home they quarrelled, and, after fighting some time with their hands, fell together, and continued the struggle on the ground for three hours, when one be came exhausted, and the other was probably unable to continue the fight ; at the end of which he, who may be considered the conquerer, had had torn from him by the teeth of his brother, the whole of his under lip, down to the point of the chin, while the other lost half of one of his ears in the same manner. They each had a gun, but neither thought of using it, and the stronger carried both away with him arriving at his home about midnight. Having called up one of his neighbours, he sent him first for a surgeon to dress his own wounds, and then go for the body of his brother, which would, he said, be found dead in the wood. He, however, was not dead, and both are recovering, though frightfully mutilated for life. The Journal de la Vendee says—" In the night of the 26th ult., at La Cocuere, in the commune of Caille sons les Ormeaux, near Bourbon Vendee, a fountain on the slope of a hill suddenly dried up, and to the extent of several hundred yards the soil in which it was placed sunk down to the bare rock. A short distance thence, in a swampy meadow, the same phenomenon occurred at the same time. The soil was entirely stripped from it, and the trees growing upon it were transported to a distance of one hundred yards. The day was rainy, but without any wind. Last year, at the same period, a similar oc currence took place at La Proutiere, in the commune of St. Florent des Bois." We regret to say that there have been several failures in South Lancashire since our last, of various degrees of importance, amongst them that of a Liverpool house to a very serious extent. —Liverpool Times of Tuesday. _ SUDDEN DEATH IN A SURGERY.—Yesterday Mr. Higgs held an inquest at the Sun, Chapel-street, Grosvenor-place, on the body of Thomas Evans, aged 18, late footman toViscount Hereford, of No. 21, Chapel-street. Mr. Frederick Archer, surgeon, residing in the above street, said deceased came to his surgery between nine and ten on Monday morning for medicine for Viscount Hereford's tinnily. Ho was then perfectly well. At hale-past eleven he returned, complaining of severe sickness and pain in the head. Witness took him into the back parlour, and bade him wait there until he prepared some medicine for him. Whilst doing so he heard an unusual noise in the parlour, and enter ing it, he saw deceased lying on the carpet, con vulsively graspieg at the floor, crying out for air, saying he was being suffocated, and requesting that his clothes might be loosened. Witness afforded him the necessary assistance, tried to administer a res torative draught, but deceased could not swallow. An attempt at blood-letting proved of no avail. In a few minutes after the attack deceased ceased to exist, and his death was in all probability caused by aneurism of the heart, that is, the rupture of one of the vessels of that vital organ. Verdict—Natural death. BOAT SUNK.—FOUR LIVES LOST. —On Thursday se'nnight a Garraris yawl was sunk nearly op posite Newtown Head, in a heavy squall of wind and rain. She was returning from Tramore Bay, which is about two miles to the north-east of Garraris. Four men (some say five) sank to rise no more, and none survived to tell the sad tale.— Waterford Mirror. HUNGRY TORIES.—It is understood that the names of upwards of 500 applicants are already on the list for the first vacancy of Sub-Inspector (formerly high constable) of the Police Force.—Dublin Evening CAVANAGH IN A NEW CHARACTER.—The following communication is from a Correspondent, who has daily opportunities of visiting the prison at Reading : —" Your old friend Cavanagh is progressing on the tread-wheel, and eats and drinks the whole of his allowance—meat, bread, potatoes, and oatmeal por ridge, with avidity, every day. He is no Ca tholic, for he keeps no fast-days ; Fridays, and all Saint days, are not remembered by him. He is in good health, and his appetite so keen, that he would devour twice the quantity of food that he is allowed. I think his London friends, especially the Faculty, should sen d h i m either a goose or an alderman in chains, as a sma ll ac knowledgment (at this season of the year) for the dexte rous manner with which he wrought upon their credulity." LONGEVITY.—Some weeks ago, under the head of the census of the county of Kincardine, we alluded to a person residin g in the new town of Stonehaven, n ehaTvehne p , wto rso h h ad re a f r e ri rr v e e d d at to the w a a s dv m an r c . ed Smart, gardener, who was b orn i n the parish of Meth li c k, Aberdeenshire, m November, .1739. In the troubles of 1745 he removes with hi s f ather to the parish of Fyv i e ; from thence to the p ar i s h of Echt ; then to this county, g when he married at t h e Whiteri gs i n 1777, and came to Stonehaven in 17 81 ; when after having numbered his 102 d year, h e , en the 26th O f November, George Smart, 1841, at last " crossed that b ourne from whence no trave ll e r returns. " Until within 24 hours of his dissolution he retained all his faculties. H e had 11 children , 53 grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren—maki ng Montrose R ev i ew. POLICE COURTS.—The a family of 72. Right Hon. the Lord Mayor and Aldermen have given notice that they will sit at the Mansion-house and Guildhall on Christ as morning, from nine o'c lock till e l e ve n o ' cloc k , f or being locked-up in the Compter vent the parties from At Union-hall, Lambeth-street, until Monday morning. the purpose of hearing the night charges, so as to pre- Bo Q w-street, St. Maryle bone,n-square, police offices, Marlboroug h will also sit in the morning from Thames Police, the Magistrates k f h nine till eleven o'cloc , or t e same purpose of disposing Cl !s rk tr e e n e v' t, en a ' n d Q uee n-square, who can afford it. charges, so as not to deprive those of a G Epp's FOLLY.—With the money raised for od by the liberality of the public, and as a John Thorogo for his long and unjust imprisonment, he recompense has built either four or five (I forget which) very pretty houses, an C of h t r l is e tm bi as gh d t in ner and the best joke of all is, that he has named the p l ace after Mr. Gepp, tho celebrated Churchwarden in ins ca se ; and at one end is John's shop, with " Thoro.. g ood," in large letters ; at the other a board , with the designation of the place, thus—" Gepp's Folly?' This is removing the worthy Churchwarden out of the cur se named in Job ; to wit, that "no street shall be called after his name." ST. LEONARD'S.—It is reported that the Queen Dowager, as soon as she is convalescent and able to re move from Sudbury Hall, will take shelter at Hastings frum the bleak winds of the end of winter and th e early spring.—Brighton Gazette. CHRISTMAS PRESENTS.—ChI Tuesday after noon, 13 geese, which had been landed from the City o f Aberdeen steamer on the Aberdeen-wharf, at St. Katha rine's, and were intended as presents to various indivi-. duals in London, were inspected by an excise watermen, named Young, who found them to be unusually heavy and on opening one of them he found it to contain a bottle of over-proof whiskey, which had never beforo passed under the eyes of the customs or excise. This discovery . induced him to cut open the others, and they were all in the same condition—there was a bottle of real Ferintosh in each. Young seized the geese and their contents on behalf of our Sovereign Lady the Queen, and removed his prize to the Excise-office. A numbertheirfi fine Insidesyoung withpigs have been lately seized Scotch whiskey, and on Saturday no less than thirty Dutch turkeys were with f captured in front of the Custom-house, which were stuffed with liollands gin. vay the ieS, n'th