The Sun. — London, England, 1842-01-11 00:00:00

~~ NCT I S , 17 4 ) In the till half•Pv the Jude t : to Brea lit r he was "`. Vice-C h jl Bruce ards. LII OII D carne 1 ' ~s s, but 17 party t °° , l l ctitioner Mr. Gu n t o )ondent , vits that vas a P i ll xi Mr. 0 " y the PrIl; ITER °II case n the DA Y ' ) enman , , h ii took. tiie: time A Y•) i ~w two 0 Doh Chan ce ssit,)ll• cif ides at nth de WAS Ina I new t ?edinf,r, r Dl9" DA I ' ) J r iced ffe'` , an c . aro il a les , .0 0 ,nd rii a` d °lv se dal s o r, w its]. J o ; 0 ,4 ving 5 • ~nsen4. 0' "( . sa rtl he V" e l 'eti ink 'es df ?fAis iT i ro t,Otipo Isre ,to ~rneh ro r 'he t • P et" Jun rem n in she 01 01 ester e 4(l 111- 09 ii t tb e i .ed f ei 1 - ree el de 41: gg IVcor tiA , 00 , )0 0 ' ' WV' dOR of , t iorP o g lot P e 4o' ."11; hree i f to • - t ,ll 110' a B9#'e 5 .- f e O e :r 1 1 ', ror Cents,, • 01,4" O i eIY r ' s' d I, 0., P f t pop, tro . ' BP- ths t .t,„A 5,11 p; 70" EVENING SUN • tY,i CURES OF DEAFNESS. (From Chambers's Edinburgh Journal.) In the Journal for September 28, 1839 (No. 400), ap . peered a paragraph, quoted from a London paper, respecting some remarkable cures of deafness performed Dy Dr. Turnbull, of Russell-square. Being soon after assured, by authority of the highest kind, that these al leged cures were an unreal mockery, and that the para graph must have been designed as a mere puff, we, in our publication of the ensuing Bth of February, ex pressed our regret for having admitted it, describing it at the same time by the opprobious term which we had heard applied to it. Thus the matter rested till the be ginning of the present winter, when we were somewhat surprised to be assured by a friend that, as far as he ' could judge, we had gone farther wrong in our publica tion of the Bth February than in that of the 28th Sep ' tember, for he, having lately been in Aberdeen, had • seen and conversed with persons who had been cured of congenital deafness by Dr. Turnbull, and had also found that, in consequence of these cures, there was a more than favourable opinion of him amongst some of the principal professors of the northern university. We wer e induced by this information to hold our condemna tion of the original paragraph as liable to review ; and, beink- anxious that no remediable injustice should lie at the doo r o f thi s wor k, we d e t erm i ne d to satisfy ourselves of the character of Dr. Turnbull's practice, in order - to make all possible reparation in the event of our being found in error. This opportunity occurred soon after, On Dr. - Turnbull visiting, or rather revisiting, Edin burgh. We on that occasion went several times to his Surgical room, in order to witness and make all possible investigations into his mode of practice. It soon ap peared that, to arrive at thorough conviction, would re quire cons id era bl y more trou bl e t h an we had antici- Dated,' or could conveniently spare time for ; but the Wish to do what was fair and proper on the occasion, and the interest of the investigation itself, made us cheerfully overlook this difficulty. Amongst other mea sures which seemed necessary for making ,up our mind, we studied the most recent and approved works on 'aural surgery, in order to ascertain in what respects Dr. Turnbull's practice differed from that which is general in the profession. We alsO sought interviews with per sons who were said to have been cured by Dr. Turnbull, with their friends, and with indifferent parties who knew them before as well as since these cures were ef fected. We wrote to various places, to ascertain the present condition of persons who had been cured in the early part of the past year. We carefully inspected written evidence submitted to us. In short, we omitted tie exertion which we thought at all likely to increase our means of forming a judgment for ourselves with re , '..s) gard to the character of this gentleman's practice in s.aural surgery. The conclusion at which we arrived st • w as,. that Dr- Turnbull unquestionably had, in the course .111, 0 1 the year, in Scotland, performed many cures beyond the scope of ordinary medical practice, and particularly 1 ),:,5 6 ercil cures of congenital deafness. It appeared to us, ' - art 4 the same time, that he had failed in several instances .Where he had made the attempt, but that this was no ~, I tiore than what might be reasonably expected from his 1,,,, 0 ta1.?wia professions, which were, that ,his methods were as Yeti-only probationary, and that he could not consequently 1 5Atake sure of succeeding in every case. On these grounds, n'ea'p felt assured that the communications made to us re ,specting the original paragraph were, however uninten tionally, unjust, in as far as a man capable of curing con genital deafness alone (to say nothing of his other cures) was entitled to be respectfully, and not contumeliously, sPolten of. "'lcing of this opinion, we feel it of course incumbent 1 1 1 ° 11 us to lose no time in begging our readers to consi der the not i ce o f th e B t h o f F e b ruar y, 1840, and a repe tition of it on the ensuing 4th of April, as withdrawn and Condemned. So earnestly do we feel on this point, that We have ordered that not one other copy of the numbers e ontaining those notices shall be given out to the public, but that a new edition of the numbers shall be prepared, r it which the notices. in question shall be omitted. ' While thus stating our own convictions, we are aware that , many respectable persons persist in alleging the whole of Dr. Turnbull's practice to be a system of dein '. p°ll. We do not quarrel with them on this ground. It 4a point on which conscientious men may fairly differ. "e do not even ask that any one shall believe as we do °Pon ou r wor d, b ut wou ld recommen d all who feel an in terest in the matter to inquire and judge for themselves. Let the case stand unjudged for anything that we have to say' about it ; but let us also lay efore our readers a brief view of the evidence on which we have formed the • ° Pinion which induces us now to retract what we consider a n injurious statement. Having twice before acted on mere authority, and been led thereby to bandy our ma - gyre backwards and forwards between two opposite con e.lusions, we feel it to b e ne cessary that a third view of case should app ear t o h ave been adopted on a reason ; anl,y large_basis of fact. 1 ua first explain that the deafness of the, class of person s called deaf-mutes has hitherto been quite incura ble. With respect to certain modifications of deafness Produced by cold, there has and other similarly accidental meano, long been a medical practice attended with sonic measure of success : for example, in London there is an institution called the Royal Dispensary fOr Diseases of the Ear, where, since its commencement in 1816, ac cording to a statement by its surgeon, Mr. Curtis,* twelve thousand cases h ave been cured or reieved. But for that Complete deafness which is born with a human being, and P r events the f u t ure acqu i rement o f speec h, t h ere i s ac n i,soiNsledgedly no cure whatever upon the medical books, tit e ioi is fully owned by one of the first writers and'prac iers of the day on aural surger y, 1)r. Wilhelm Kra met, of Berlin, who, in a work on the subject, of which 4 , E translation appeared in d 837, says, "Th e re . c onvincing proof s o f the en ti re f a il ure o f a ll reme di a l attem pts h ti,,‘_enipts hitherto mad e f or th e res t ora ti on o f h ear i ng i n C ii- mutes. ** * * The deaf-dumb, whether condi ..cura he completely deaf, or merely dull of hearing, are tk .+ 111 - emnation thus pronounced will appear a very tin sing one, when it is known that, in civilized corn, ohe person in about every sixteen hundred is a It affords, by the way, a curious additional I , l l. 'ation of what we lately explained under the title of si x :y e Regularity of Irregular Things," that in each of si a. - " t iroPean states—France, Spain, Italy, Austria, Rus ek,' , e , T iel Prussia—the proportion given by statistics is i s , 4l `, l t 7one to every 1,585 of the population. The whole 2% 18 7 in Great Britain alone is 12,394, and in France ,'• We must the more deplore the despair of me science on this subject, when we consider what a tsl l :us drawb ac k d ea f- mu t ene s s mus t i n e v e r y c ase f orm the ~„Pleasures of life, and what an insurmountable ob itse"on it m us t be to nearly every effort of industry 'egitimate ambition. Even the partial deafness I r a „, Y Persons and others is an evil to themselves of a ercittud e of which it cannot be supposed that thoie who " full powers of hearing are able to form an idea. o uni ithout further preface, we shall proceed to give an T ur a° of the evidence on which we conclude that Dr. d e ull cures congenital and other extreme cases of ai rless b e • • Te„.„,, r ns his recent brief residence in Edinburgh, Dr. W a ii e u e l lu effected the entire cure of Miss Catherine fri end of Kelso, a young lady known to various h er w tof our own as having been deaf and dumb during iao, "le life up to that period, and who had accord ' nin t ' es received her education in the Institution for deaf a We .,.. 111 Edinburgh. We saw this young person, first a nd .'' and next time about a month, after her cure, son "Aind that she heard as well as any ordinary per t the ti me w h en we saw h er l ast, s h e was be that , 11 6 to use he r vo i ce t o some li tt l e purpose , i nsomuc h ner friends forbade her to speak to them, on her '.gers, a ll egl • ng that they could understand what she said. lime, a boy of ten years of age, grandson of b' been to M. Brisbane's fisherman at Mackerstoun, a to a great extent deaf from infancy, with a f..,ti rge of matter from his ears and frequent ear-ache. ; 1 „ Caine to Dr. Turnbull on the 10th of November, and t qlt home on the 16th, quite cured. Sir Thomas, in a I;? lll :nnication with wich we have been favoured by at he says, "The day after the boy's . return, I direeted should . be brought to me, in order that I might e i n !, 4 l e In the hall of entry I have a sidereal 41 ‘' ll _it, from which I gradually withdrew him till the dis f,4,tke WAS 24 feet, when he still heard its beats, but not fe ee 7r in fact, I could not well hear it myself at 27 o ost Sir Thomas likewise induced M r . M a i n, t h e Pro 1/4„°t Kelso, an d M r . A rms t rong , t h e county officer of w as %ourgh s hi re , to send the i r sons to Dr. Turnbull, who g, 4i ,u eessful with them both, one being a case of con the& deafness. This eminent person, the President of ttedrYal Society of Edinburgh, has, both in writing si, t r oral communication, expressed t o us hi s f u ll con of the power of. Dr. Turnbull to effect extraordi nal-vQ-11 I: t e ares in this class of diseases. ~( 11 ; u e fathe r- in - la w of one o f th e i n di v id ua l s now ad aissi,sthe public has been deaf in'his , left ear fifty dani,'"brs, in consequence of a cold from sleeping in a T nrin We saw this gentleman sit down in Dr. fire 41ill 8 room with his left' ear utterly deaf, and, in • ties er i b notes, after a process which will be afterwards inepzand.the application of a liquid, we sa-s , him le inan , s sesston of the hearing of that ear. In this gen ' e orapi et case, all the efforts of many other aurists had eIY failed. ti o4 • Charles H who lately retired from the situa , o f Hope by President of the Court of Session, was induced ets, 4 t' lend to resort to Dr. Turnbull last April, on ac of . • s eh- es, paired hearing. To quote a letter to our which the ex-President has placed at our dis bun. Before putting myself under Dr. Turn. had aeandjesa,re, I thought it right to inform him that I entered my 79th year, - on which he at once but t hl t said that he w ou ld n ot undertake to cure me, °emu all Perhap s h e m i ght d o me some goo d, if I did,laluolvhimto examine my ears, which of course I Well, / 4 : told me it was impossible that I could hear Wee, y ear s were as d ry as t h e ma h ogan y t a bl e we ereii, 4 7g at, as th ere was a to t a l wan t of the se `tore wax. That, he said, he certainly could re :Tax be itecordingly, after two or three applications, the 4 )'s b:„ 11 to appear, and at the end of ten or twelve nrabi e . 41 Tio Copious ; and I certainly found very consi- Le_ 4v fa_lnkrovement in my hearing, which was sensible ;:tlti tiue l s ull Y and my colleagues.. 'The secretion of wax ,ulc, subject 1 " and my ears are now in their natural healthy blunts on to the ects oge, which e all the senses. * f * old a * In short, Dr. 4 ° t o 41' did .me all the• good he ever pretended ho could Three dneeafring, and that benefit continues." had been children, from ten to eleven years of been e, who in th e for some years receiving their educe rgh, attended School for the Deaf and Dumb in Edin :aling estra j . d Dr. Turnbull inf April last, and had their °f the lished. Mr. Drysdale, the deaf-mute•mas act school, has given distinct testimony to this riv ? a document which we have perused ; and, at a thdfe e Personal inter v i ew , w h en we asked categorically a l e v i s C,: e e h . ldrenf oreter / y did not hear and now do so, he s awn he emphatically that such really was the case. three children — more than once, and found t i:: The p resent sta,rAL.---iral Surgery, &e. By John Her -711 Curtis, Esq. London ; Churchill, 1841. t: Krame r on the Nature and d-Treatment of Diseases of the ir. translated by R Bennet DI D. London : Longman 14 c o. J. R. D, I them able to hear very slight noises at the distance of several yards, and to pronounce words after any one , speaking to them, these persons, it is important to re mark, being stationed behind their backs. Their pro nunciation, it may be noticed,.was imperfect, and some times the sound uttered by them was very unlike the original ; but there could be no doubt of the existence, in all the three,' of both the power of hearing and of speaking. Dr. Turnbull was in Aberdeen during September and October last, in consequence of an invitation from Dr. Jack, Principal of King's College. He was there successful in a number of very interesting cases. A girl named Mary Moir, from Waterside of Thornton, near Lawrencekirk—born deaf and dumb—was enabled to hear perfectly in a few minutes. Two young per sons, Margaret and Robert Stirling, of Aberdeen, deaf from birth, were also completely cured. Sophia Ro bertson, of the Deaf and Dumb Institution of Aberdeen, and John Scott, from Dufftown (a lad of twenty four), were other cases of complete cure. Dr. Keith, surgeon to the Infirmary, and Mr. George Rainy, surgeon to the Ophthalmic and Auric Institution, both of Aberdeen, certify these cures in documents before us. The former gentleman says, in a letter to Dr. Turn bull, " After repeated examinations of many of the objects of your care previously to anything being done, I satisfied myself that they were both deaf and dumb. I have witnessed the application of your remedy to the ears, and bear testimony to their having, in my own- presence, obtained the sense of hearing ; and by my own tuition in a few minutes after wards, acquired the power of speech." The case of Sophia Robertson is certified by Mr. M. R. Burns, the master of the Deaf and Dumb Institution, an individual of whose moral worth we happen to have personal knowledge. " Sophia," he says, " lost her hearing from a fever. She could hear the clock striking when standing by it. But since she has been under your care she can hear a bell rung three pairs of stairs up, and easily the ringing of the church bells. In my own experience it is not less effectual, though less rapid. I feel my hearing progressing." Dr. Fleming, Professor of Natural Philo sophy, and Dr. William Gregory, Professor of Che mistry, have likewise given favourable testimony, the latter gentleman saying, amongst other things, with re gard to the three Edinburgh children above-mentioned, " The doubts which have been expressed (obviously without experimental grounds) of the permanence of your cures, must be in a great measure dissipated by the . state of these individuals, six months after treatment." Dr. Turnbull was in Glasgow at the beginning of the by-past year, and in public administered to various deaf and dumb persons. Happening to be acquainted with a gentleman who had taken an interest in what was then done, he wrote to him, making particular inquiry into the condition of two young persons whom we understood to have received decided and permanent benefit. These were deaf-mutes, named Jane Wilkie and Margaret Muir, the one being about eight years of age, the other about nineteen. Our friend answered (Dec. 2) as follows :—"I called for both the girls to-day, and bad the good luck to find Wilkie at home. Her mother states freely that she hears quite as well as the other children, and is at a school conducted by a female, who seems• to be bring ing her on very well, if I may judge from a specimen of her reading I . witnessed to-day. Her articulation was very perfect, considering the short time that she has been at - school. They have no occasion now to speak loud to her, as she seems to understand quite well what is said, even when her back is turned. * * * I found Muir's parents at home, but she herself was at work in the cotton-mill. I put many questions to the parents, which they answered very satisfactorily. They stated that the-surprising effects produced by Dr. Turnbull had not abated m the least degree, but, on the contrary, were rather increased. She hears whatever is said to her, though she may be in another room with the door shut." It is a common allegation respecting Dr. Turnbull's cures, that, on the . most favourable construction, they are little more than momentary ; and we are bound to observe that we have heard of persons of impaired hearing relapsing after a time from the improved con dition into which he had brought them. But what is to be said of Mr. Hope, who has continued well for six or seven months ; of the three children of the Edinburgh Day-school for the Deaf and Dumb, who have main tained recovered hearing for an equal time ; and of Jane Wilkie and Margaret Muir, who are• better now than ever, after nearly a twelvemonth ? By these cases, not to speak of others of more recent date, the so-far perma nence of the remedy seems to us fully established. As born deafness was never cured before, it may be worth while to give a few particulars with respect to the sensations of the patients on their first becoming possessed of the heretofore deficient sense. Miss Walker states, in a letter before us, that she at first experienced' considerable annoyance from the noise of vehicles in the street. On attending church, the sing ing gavre - her - new and exquisite pleasure, though she ,previously enjoyed music in the manner peculiar to'Some ^deaf persons, through the effect of vibration on- Abe general frame. Another cnrapatient, who, like Miss Walker, had previously acquired consider able knoiv - Teage of written language, has drawn up a paper to enforce a hypoth es i s which has occurred to his mind, that sound and language are connected. A girl, residing at Glasgow, who was cured in May, has since acquired the sense of smell : when she discovered it, she held out a rose to her mother, and said her nose had spoken. A married woman, residing in Edinburgh, on getting home from the first experiment with reco vered hearing, heard her children crying, but was not for some time aware that the sound had any connection with their suffering. It would be obviously of import ance to have a fair opportunity of observing the effect of the sudden acquirement of the sense of hearing on some person capable of recording his gradual perceptions of the connection of sound with the circumstances causing it. We proceed to report what has been stated to us, and what we have witnessed, respecting the expedients used by Dr. Turnbull for the cure of deafness. In the course of general practice in 1834, he had two patients afflicted with tic doloureux, extending along th e temples and' forehead, and producing partial bli n d ers i n one eye of each patient. By the application of veratria for about four weeks, the tic was removed, and at the same time the sight restored. This latter circumstance struck his mind forcibly, and he thought it might be well to try the effect of some of the new alkaloids upon eye diseases. Obtaining permission to experiment in St. Giles's Workhouse, he found a patient in an old para lytic woman, who wanted seeing and hearing on one side. With a view to the cure of the eye only, the forehead of this woman was rubbed daily for four days with an extract of capsicum, when her vision became completely restored ; and next day—a re sult which had not been,in the faint es t d eg ree, surmised, she also regained her hearing ! He tried many similar experiments, but in no other case met with such very extraordinary results. His attention was now, however, powerfully attracted to ear diseases. Be fore adverting to his further progress in that walk, we may mention that he succeeded in establishing with the profession generally the powerful effects of veratria in the cure of tic-doloureux, rheumatism, gout, and all other forms of neuralgic disease. Experiment in time showed that, in cases of deafness arising from IoW nervous energy, a class to which nearly all the cases of the deaf and dumb belong, the organ may be more or less successfully treated"by applying to it a weak alkaloid. This he rubs gently upon the tym panum by means of an instrument tipped with shamois leather, and generally in ten minutes the effects are manifest. But the greater number of diseases of the ear arise from cold, producing acute and chronic imflammation, and diminishing or altogether obstructing the flow of wax, whereby the tympanum and other parts of the outer ear, from being exposed to the air, are thickened, and so deprived of sensibility. Cold also produces in flammation and consequent accumulation of mucus in the passage called the Eustachian tube, which com municates between the internal ear and the back of the mouth. Finding cured persons relapse in consequence of the defect of wax, Dr. Turnbull was prompted to use his ingenuity in endeavouring to discover a means of sustaining that . secretion. He reflected that the application of the mouth of the child to its mother's breast, by removing the pressure of the at mosphere, causes the milk immediately to flow, and he conceived that a similar result might follow with respect to the wax of the ear, if he could by any means remove the pressure of the atmosphere from the external parts. For this purpose, he at first used a syringe, with an Indian rubber mouth, exactly fitted to the aperture of the ear. The plan was successful ; the blood-vessels resumed a free circulation, and the flow of wax recommenced. It strikes us that we have rarely known a more beautiful instance of a simple natural principle being taken advantage of by human ingenuity, for a humane end. The clearing of the Eustachian tube, for which no means formerly existed but the application of medi cines to the bowels, or the dangerous use of &catheter, was effected by Dr. Turnbull by the same simple means. For producing exhaustion, however, either in this or the above case, he does not use a syringe, but a very elegant application of the air-pump, suggested to him by Sir John Robison of Edinburgh. This he calls a Pneu matic Extractor. A common air-pump operates in ex hausting a tall bell-shaped receiver, in the interior of which is a mercurial guage, to indicate the degree of ex haustion. From the plate of the pump proceeds a flexible air-tight pipe, having a stopcock near its junction. On the farther end of this pipe, the experimenter can fit on either an oval glass cup made to contain the outer ear, and fit close to the head by means of a little soft wax or putty—or a slightly-bent tube of the same material, 3-8 ths of an inch in diameter, with its mouth a little evasated, or turned outwards. On this tube being introduced into the mouth of the patient, and applied to the orifice of the Eustachian passage, communication is opened be tween the previously rarefied air in the receiver and the orifice, from which a discharge of mucus is soon made into the tube, which is then withdrawn. The rarefac tion which effects this best is equal to from five to eight inches of the mercurial column. It may be remarked, that engorgement of the Eustachian tube and the inner cavities of the ear, are conditions which prove a fre quent cause of deafness. The air, it must be observed, is the proper conductor of sound ; and there must be a free passage between the inner ear and the outer air, in order to allow of the tympanum performing the vibrations which give hearing. All that tends, as engorgement does, to impede the free vibrations of the tympanum, must of course produce deafness. We thus clearly see of what importance must be every means by which engorgement can be readily reduced. As we are only anxious on the present occasion to show the grounds we have for an opinion subversive of the injurious notices formerly inserted in this work, we do not propose to say more respecting the various depreciatory remarks which have been made respect ing Dr. Turnbull, apart from his practice, than that we have seen and heard enough to satisfy us that they are, on a liberal construction of circumstances, ill founded. We leave him to pursue his way, freed at least from any obstruction which may be supposed to .have been thrown in it by this Journal. That he has, by patience and ingenuity, obtained a :grasp of certain new medicaments and methods calculated to cure cases of deafness, such as were never cured before, we have no doubt ; and we consequently believe that, if he perse veres in his course, he will speedily be able to come be fore the profession with claims for an unequivocally high place in its annals. The past history of his experiments—for, strictly speaking, he is as yet only experimenting—supplies some curious matter for reflection. Aural surgery pro ceeds for ages with a small measure of success, and, though in a vast proportion of cases no benefit is expe rienced, no one thinks of venting complaint or remon strance on- the subject. Failures numberless are over looked and excused, as only what is to be expected from the defective state of medical science. At length, a man of some originality appears, who apparently de tects the true and direct means of curing deafness in many of its forms, and he is successful in a very consider ruble number of cases. What is the reception he meets with ? The medical profession are instantly in arms against him. The public treats him as one rather pro posing to injure than to benefit it. The keepers of in stitutions for the deaf and dumb, with scarcely an excep tion, present bayonets at his approach. The evidence of his cure is disputed. Cases of failure, though they occur in a small proportion compared with what could be reckoned formerly, are fastened upon, magnified, and made a pretext for doubting cases of proved success. Men are - heard.with one breath denying his cures altogether— with the next alleging that they last only for a few days. Everything that can be heard of to his prejudice is gathered together and flung in his teeth. Every quirk, and quibble, and dexterous evasion that can be devised, are brought to bear on his public exhibitions,so as to ensure his failure, or at least bring discredit on his operations. In short, the whole world seems in somewhat the same mind with the Irishman who laid a bet that his friend would not - carry him to the top of a house in his hod, without letting him fall, and who had great hopes from a trip about the third storey. It seems out of its senses with eagerness to discover that the whole of this attempt to benefit it should prove to be an imposition. Accordingly, the experimenter appears in exactly the same predicament with those who brought bad news to Athens. He stands with a rope about his neck, which the angry public seem every moment about to draw tight—despised, ridiculed, mis called, hustled,, badgered, and reviled. It is scarcely necessary to remark how his fortune prospers during .this pleasant probation. While alleged to be robbing rich and poor, and accumulating an enormous hoard of wealth, he is in reality curing the poor without any kind of charge, and has lost most of even that moderate income which he formerly drew from common practice. " Everything but trodden out of existence" is, in one word, the fate of the individual who has -been the first merely human being to cause the deaf to hear: After such a history, it must be owned that the temptations to leave the quiet chimney-etirner of commonplace and common error, are not great, or, whatever they are, that the warn ings on the other side are such as only a very brave class of minds would disregard. DINNER AT PETERSFIELD TO MESSRS. HECTOR AND LACY. (From the Hampshire Telegraph.) A grand dinner was given on Friday, at. the Dolphin Hotel, Petersfield, by the friends and supporters of Messrs. Hector and Lacy, the late ;respected bankers of that town, to mark their sense of the honourable and very satisfactory manner in which the affairs of their late bank had been wound up. About 150 gentlemen of the town and district, &c., all of great respectability, and of every shade in politics, were present; and it is utterly impossible that a more striking proof of the esteem and respect in which Messrs. Hector and Lacy are universally held for their honour and integrity, could have been afforded than the testimonial thereof given by this assemblage. But one feeling pervaded the Company—admiration of the characters of these gentle men, and the strongest interest in their future welfare: such a manifestation cannot have proved otherwise than most gratifying to them. The pleasure of the evening was much alloyed by the absence of Mr. Hector, who, we are very sorry to state, was prevented by illness from attending. Mr. Lacy, however, was present, and on his entering the room was received with prolonged and enthusiastic . cheers. The table was supplied with an abundance of game, the present of Sir H. Featherstone. The chair was most ably filled by Fielder King, Esq., of Buriton ; on his right were George Henty, Esq., of Chichester ; the much respected son-in-law of Mr. Hector, Hale, Esq., of Hambledon, &c. • and on his left Mr. Lacy, IV. Hawes, Esq., a Director of London and County . Joint Stock Bank Company ; -- Sewell, Esq., the Manager of the same Company at Brighton ; C. Greetham, Esq.; Mr. Kemp, of Chichester, &c. Mr. Bowstead officiated as. Vice-Chairman. The room was tastefully ornamented with laurel, and a band occupied the orchestra. On the removal of the cloth the CHAIRMAN gave— " Her Majesty the Queen," which was drank with three times three, and loud heers. This was followed by " Prince Albert, the Prince of Wales, and the rest of the Boyal Family," and " The Army and Navy," each of which was drank with the same honours. The CHAIRMAN said the next toast he had to propose would be received with the greatest warmth of feeling, and drank in more than a bumper—" The health of Mr. Hector."—(Great and prolonged cheers.) The company sorrowed at the cause of Mr. Hector's absence on this occasion ; all grieved to learn such was the state of his health, that if he had been brought here it would have been his death-blow. He would read a letter received from him as follows : Stodham, Jan. 6, 1842. My dear Sir—Understanding that you have very kindly consented to take the chair of the dinner to be given to myself and Mr. Lacy to-morrow, by the friends and supporters of the late Bank, I beg to express to you my very great regret and disappointment at being unable to attend at such dinner ; my medical man being of opi nion that it would be highly dangerous for me so to do, I will, therefore, thank you to say, on my part, how highly I appreciate the very kind intentions and views of our friends, from whom this mark of respect and attach ment has emanated, and assure them, that although I have upon many previous occasions during my life felt the support of my friends, yet on (to myself) this event- Tul crisis such a voluntary, handsome, and unexpected demonstration by them is to me most highly gratifying — more particularly so, being, as it is, totally unconnected with, and divested ot; any political feeling, and for which I beg you to present my most sincere and grateful thanks, assuring them that such conduct on their part will ever be retained in the memory, not only of my self, but of my children. The very prompt and decisive support which has been given to the London and County Joint Stock Bank has been to me a source of great gratification, and I am glad to find my friend, Mr. Hawes, one of the Directors, has been invited, and will attend the dinner, and I trust will improve the acquaint ance he has already made with you. Wishing you and the company every conviviality, and many happy re turns of the season, believe me to be, my dear Sir, yours very truly, C. J. HECTOR. Fielder King, Esq. The CHAIRMAN said he would also read letters he had received from some of Mr. Hector's sincere and staunch friends who were unavoidably absent on this occasion. The first he would read was from Mr. Steele, which concluded as follows :—" I shall at all times and in all places bear a willing testimony to the meritorious exer tions displayed by your respected guest in bringing to a successful termination negotiations opened with the London and County Joint Stock Company, so plainly advantageous to every body concerned, and so useful to our community. Nor do I forget -the painful days— the anxious nights—inseparable from the situation in which he was placed, pending those negotiations ; and which required no small degree of moral courage to contend against ; but having happily surmounted those difficulties, my sincere wish is that the remainder of his days, spent in the bosom of his family, may be at tended with all the happiness we can reasonably expect amidst the changes and chances of this mortal life." The Chairman then :read letters, written in a similar strain, from Mr. Johii Bonham Carter, Mr. Martineau, Mr. Roberts, and Mr. Charles Osborn ; that of Mr. Osborn concluding as follows :—" I should have rejoiced at the opportunity of publicly expressing my opinion of the very honourable and liberal mode in which Messrs. Hector and Lacy conducted business, and my sense of the repeated acts of kindness and accommodation ren dered to me since my account with Mr. Hector, a period nearly thirty years." The Chairman then gave " The health of Mr. Hector,"—three times three—followed by loud cheers. Tune—" Auld Lang Syne," with renewed cheetirigi G. HENTY, Esq. then rose and was most warmly :ire ceived. He said, as unforeseen events had pre**n tog Mr. Hector from attending to express persoasifistd,s.t thanks for the kind manner in which his health had been proposed and drank, the begged to do so in his name. As a member of the family he (Mr. Henty) could assure the Company that Mr. Hector not only deeply felt their kindness, but that his family were most , grateful for it. In rising to return thanks in= Mr. Hec tor's behalf, he had undertaken a task he was not ade quate to perform—(Loud cheers)—his feelings over powered him. It was only in the hour of trouble such kindness as they had shown, could be appreciated—and in every way Mr. Hector had received kindness at their hands. He assured the Company he felt so unnerved he was not competent to express his sentiments—(Cheers) —but in Mr. Hector's name he begged to return them thanks for the honor they did him in drinking hishealth. The CHAIRMAN then said he would now propose the health of a gentleman whom they all loved and respected —one long known to them, and whom they all appre ciated—" The health of their excellent friend, Mr. Lacy." The toast having been drank with three times three, followed by cheers, Mr. LACY rose and said, he felt tha utmost difficulty in attempting to express his gratitude for the kindness he had experienced from them—a kindness, however, he could not consider shown in consideration of his indi vidual merits, but of those of his partner, who had been amongst them for so m an y years longerlhan he had.— In the hold his partner had upon their affections, he (Mr. Lacy) followed him at a humble distance—(Loud cheers.) Since the hour of difficulty he had sustained an affliction, which would have made his absence on this occasion a natural result, but when he found that his friend was unhappily taken ill from the late event, he (Mr. Lacy) thought it due to him and to the company that he should overcome his private feelings, and be present to express his gratitude for the kindness they had shown them.—(Loud cheers,) The CHAIRMAN then proposed " the health of Mr. Hawes, with success to the London and County Joint Stock Bank Company."—(Three times three.) Mr. HAwEs said, the company having held out the hand of friendship to them, from that hour the Joint Stock Company would have at their hearts the prospe rity of the district.—(Cheers.) The company present were principally engaged in agriculture ; he was en gaged in trade; and if ever there was a moment when agri culture and trade should go hand in hand, that moment was the present.—(Cheers.) The . great claim the Joint `Stock Company would have on their support would be a THE SUN, LONDON, TUESDAY, JANUARY 11 1842 • desire to afford to them the same facilities to which they had been accustomed ; and if they did this with honour and honesty; they would ask for them that countenance which they had given to Mr. Hector.—(Cheers.) He begged to propose " the health of the Chairman." The CHAIRMAN returned thanks, and gave " Sir Harry Featherstone, with thanks for his very handsome present of game."—Three times _three. Tune—" Old English Gentleman." -• Mr. BOWSTEAD said it would be his duty to inform Sir Harry Featherstone of their kindness, which he was sure would gratify him ; but it would afford him more pleasure to know that such a numerous and highly re spectable party had partaken of his game to-night.— (Cheers.) Sir Harry Featherstone never had but one opinion of Messrs. Hector and Lacy—he had always the most perfect confidence in their honour, honesty, and integrity. Although he thought their late difficulty might have caused some inconvenience, he knew that every one would be paid every farthing. Many vague and false reports had been circulated at that time ; and no one could have felt more happy than did Sir Harry, when he found that Messrs. Hector and Lacy had liberated themselves from the fangs of their oppres sors and overcome them.—(Continued cheering.) Mr. G. HENTY proposed ." The health of the Vice- Chairman." Mr. BOWSTEAD returned thanks. The CllimmAN gave " Prosperity to Agriculture." Mr. H. PADWICK, (of Five Heads, near Horndean), . . , responded to this toast, and s a id he felt it as much his duty to be present here to-day to do honour to Messrs. Hector and Lacy, as it was to set out his daily work for the support of his family.— r (Cheers.) It was a duty in cumbent upon him to take this occasion to express his grateful feelings to those gentlemen for the kindness they had shown him. He had attended this market for 25 year's, and was proud to bear testimony to the assist ance readily afforded at all times by Messrs. Hector and Lacy, to the advantage of the buyer as well as seller.—(Cheers.) The CHAIRMAN next gave " Success to Trade." Mr. SPARKES, of Cosham, responded to this toast, and expressed the pleasure he derived at being afforded the present opportunity of acknowledging with gratitude the kindness he had experienced from Messrs: Hector and Lacy. The kindness, indeed which they had shown to all, entitled them to our respect and esteem. He had for 15 years transacted business with them, and he could say throughout the whole of that period, he never- knew what it was to lose one wink - of sleep, under a fear of not being enabled to meet a bill.; for if at. any. time, he thought he should not be prepared for it, he knew Messrs. Hector and Lacy would provide for it, and they had done so.—(Cheers.)--He was happy to be here on this occasion to express his -ratitude to them. Mr. HAvvEs Said, although .'hitherto he had been a stranger in this town, he would assure the company that he now felt considerable interest in its prosperity and welfare. It would be the study of the new establish ment to afford the same assistance which had been ren dered by Messrs. Hector and Lacy, and which had called forth the sentiments expressed by Mr.-Sparkes. lie (Mr. Hawes) could not give them a better guarantee of their intention to act upon this principle, than by giving the superintendence of this Bank to Mr. Lacy, in whose judgment, skill, and discretion they reposed entire con fidence, and which could only be exercised judiciously in the confidence he had in those whom he (Mr. Hawes) was now addressing. He would propose to them, there fore, with as much sincerity as possible—" Prosperity to the town of Petersfield." C. GREETHAm, Esq., as one of the oldest inhabitants of Petersfield, in acknowledging this toast, said he had banked with Messrs. Hector and Lacy for twenty-four years, and if during that time he wanted any assistance, he always had it from them with good will. He could name hundreds upon hundreds of occasions, where their liberality, had been shown, and many instances in which they had saved a man and his family from ruin. He would mention one :—a respectable man had died, owing them a considerable sum of money ; the widow saw Mr. Hector, and expressed her distress at it ; Mr. Hector said to her " Never mind--you'll pay me by and by." —Shortly after her son applied for a farm ; the pro prietor of it, mentioned the application to Mr. Hector, and told him he could not let him (the son) have it— " Why not ?" said Mr. Hector—" Because, replied the proprietor, he cannot stock it." Mr. Hector rejoined " Then I will for him."—(Cheers.) The son took a lease of the farm, and Mr. Hector was as good as his word ; he stocked the farm for him ; that son had since supported his mother, and, thank God, he was doing well in the world ; he (Mr. G.) would not name him, but he was now present, and would no doubt be proud to ac knowledge what had been represented.—(Loud cheers.) Mr. Greetham concluded by eulogising the conduct of Mr. George Young, the clerk of Messrs. Hector and Lacy, who had been in their service eighteen years ; he was a young man of integrity and ability, and was always obliging in the extreme ; he would, therefore, propose the " Health of Mr. George Young"—Three times three. . . Mr. YOUNG returned thanks. The CJIAIRMAN next gave " Prosperity to the Trade of Portsmouth." Mr. BURNE (of Portsmouth) acknowledged the toast, and said he was delighted to have this opportunity of publicly avowing his extreme gratitude for the many kindnesses he had received from the hands of Messrs. Hector and Lacy. He had had the pleasure of doing business with them for twelve years, and during that time he experienced from them extreme liberality and good advice, and he believed not one look of displea sure.—(Cheers.) They took to him, he may say, a stran ger from the eastern part of Sussex, and they had ever since proved kind and dear friends. Finding there was a favourable prospect of doing good abroad, and it being the duty of every pent to do his utmost to benefit his family; he went to Messrs. Hector and Lacy, his bankers, and statekhis views; they replied most cheerfully, " By all means, Burne, you shall have what you want," and the next post• brought him a letter from Mr. Hector that would have enabled him to supply his wants tenfold.— (Cheers.) Did not this kind act corroborate what others had this day stated ? He had not language to express what he felt towards such kind friends as they had proved to him. The late esteemed firm was now taken up' by the London and County Bank, and he heartily wished them every success. Had Messrs. Hector and Lacy resumed business his name would have remained on their books; that not being the case he considered he was at liberty, not for one moment doubting the honour and respectability of the Company, but living at Ports mouth (and every one would admit it more, convenient to bank in the town where they reside) to remove his ac count to Messrs. Grant and Gillman's. He concluded by wishing Messrs. Hector and Lacy every happiness this world could afford them and their families.—(Applause.) Many other toasts succeeded.—The utmost conviviality and cordial feeling reigned throughout the evening, and the party did not separate until a -late hour. I RELAND. CITY ELECTION. DUBLIN, JAN. 9.—Mr. Gregory's address has not yet appeared ; but there seems to be no doubt that he has consented to start on the Tory interest, but under strict limitations. It is only by a most profuse ex penditure that the Tories can hope to retain the seat. This was the cause of all the delay in obtaining a candi date, and of the many refusals to come forward, from Mr. Gregory amongst the rest. In the first instance, that gentleman (who is only just of age) offered 4,0001. After failing in England, the Tory managers gladly ac cepted him, and they are now endeavouring to make up the remainder of the necessary funds. It is said that the sum of 2,000/. is to be obtained through the Castle, from the Carlton Club and some leading members of the Government, and it is expected that 2,0001. more will be made up by a general subscription here. So that you will see the Liberals are threatened with a most for midable opposition, as there are, at least, one thousand of the old freemen accessible to bribery. When everything is arranged—that is to say, when the other 4,0001. shall be guaranteed, Mr. Gregory will lodge that amount as his contribution, and then his ad dress will appear. • The Reformers continue to work with great energy, but certainly they will require assistance from England. A number of patriotic gentlemen, residing in this coun try, have forwarded subscriptions. Amongst those re ceived yesterday are—Mr. Tighe, of Woodstock, 101. ; Mr. Chalenor, agent to Lord Fitzvvilliam; 10/. ; Mr. Caleb rowel, Limerick, 10/. ; Mr. Blackney, D.L., county of Carlow, 5L All the parishes of Dublin are actively organising ; the utmost enthusiasm prevails, and the Liberals are quite sanguine in their expectations of carryiug Lord Morpeth triumphantly. BANQUET AT THE 214A.W" N*Ar o u SE. "Me Lord Mayor has in y,ijemr.",oll, 44,6',azembers or the Town Council to a splendid entertainment, to be given at the Mansion-house on the 18th instant. The invite ' tions' are limited to - the Aldermen and Councillors, pit two exceptions only, namely, the Protestant and Roman Catholic Archbishops of Dublin, Dr. Whateley and Dr. Murray, both of whom have been specially invited. THE MARQUIS OF WATERFORD. The gentry of the county o f Ti pperary, of all creeds and parties, assembled at Clon mel on Mo nday,to express their Chairman mentioned that thousands of the peasantry had assembled at Killough fi poisoning his h oun d s . r i,\Lo3 e far gr orodat e or t enh, : i n pEm d ,as i rq : ..o, t Lgonfaliaaßotriaionrn(ntt,ahhtepetrhHeesiimgd covertehad. lic su i h ou s act of poisoning hi s fT Drangan. Steph en e rhi ire Chairman, M r ), and the oth er speakers, agreed in representing the - .peasantry of th e district as exceedingly attached to Lord Waterford, and in a As acnquitting illustration them of the crime c hill, on Saturday, in order to cheer the Noble Marquis, and to show him, by a true Irish welcome, that they of this,th the would discountenance the perpetration of any act that could, by possibility, give offence to him. DEATH OF A PAUPER NINETY-EIGHT YEARS OF AGE IN ST. PANCRAS Wontut insE.—On Monday an inquisition was taken before Mr. Wakley, M.P., at the Elephant and Castle, King's-road, Camden-town, on the body of William Burke, aged 98, formerly a gentle man of independent fortune, and companion of his Ma jesty George the Fourth, in his early days, when Prince of Wales, but late an inmate of St. Pancras Workhouse. Mary Burke, the deceased's wife, but his junior by some years, and who, from her manners, had seen better days, said that on Sunday week herself and deceased o availed themselves of the privileges of the house and went out to see some friends residin in Bedfordbury, to which place they both walked. Towards evening he complained of an affection at his chest and shortness of breath. In consequence they did not return back to the workhouse until the following Tuesday. He be came worse, and one of the medical attendants wished him to be cupped, but he refused. At his desire he was set upright in a chair with pillows in it, during the night, before the fire, in which position, between two and three. o'clock on .the morning of Wednesday he suddenly breathed his last. Verdict, " Natural Death." It is an extraordinary fact that the deceased's father died at the age of 102 years, his grandfather at the age of 104, and he has now a brother living in the country at the advanced age of 101 years. - - CONTINENTAL SWINDLERS AND FORGERS. PARIS, SUNDAY, JAN. 9.—1 am enabled to transmit you some details of the discovery of a most extraordinary system of forgeries and of swindling carried on by a gang whose' operations were destined to extend over Europe. The banking and mercantile interests of the Continent hate just escaped another great peril which menaced to render all commercial operations of a most precario us and uncertain nature. It appears that Mr. Massey, a money-changer, of 116, Leadenhall-street, was recently defrauded of 1,300/. The particulars were thus given in the following advertisement in yesterday's Galignani, which, fur reasons which will appear below, it is necessary to repeat here : " FIVE - THOUSAND FRANCS REWARD— FRAUD. " Whereas the undermentioned bank-notes were frau dulently obtained from a house in the City on Wednes day, lst December, 1841, by a foreigner, by means of forged checks upon a Belgian bank, known by the title of Societe Generale pour favoriserl'lndustrie Nationale,' supposed to be a Frenchman or Belgian, of gentlemanly address, using the name of Ranyier, Kanyier, or Randin, age from thirty-five to forty, about five feet five or six inches high, stiff made, head bald, reddish hair and whiskers, forehead high and full, face rather marked with the smallpox, or strongly freckled, speaks English with a foreign accent, and sometimes wears a false beard, corresponding in colour with his hair and whiskers, viz.:— " The Irish notes have Massey, London,' stamped on them. 1 for 300/. No. 47,312 dated 31 February, 1841. 6 for 1001. each 79,366 to 79,371 sth February, 1841 5 for 50/. 13,353 to 13,367 6th October, 1841. 2 for 40/. 40,575 & 43,961 7th June, 1841. 5 for 10/. 70,010 to 70,014 10th Sept. 1841. 10 for M. 74,837 to 75,846 10th October, 1841. " Also, the following Irish Bank notes: — No. 67,678, June 2, 1841, Bank of Ireland, Dublin 1 0 38,386, Jan. 1, 1839, ditto do. Dublin and Cork 1 0 X s, 86,870, Sept. 2, 1840, ditto de. do 1 0 71,763, ditto, ditto Dublin and Limerick 1 0 1,581, Dec. 2, 1840, ditto Dublin 30,278, Sept. 2, 1839, Provincial Bk. of Ireland, Cork 1 0 27,747, Feb. 1, 1840, ditto do. Limerick 1 0 83,935, Oct. 7, 1840, Bank of Ireland, Dublin 35,032, April 1,1840, Provincial Bk. of Ireland, Cork 1 0 38,298, Aug. 3, 1841, Bank of Ireland, Dublin 3',299, ditto ditto do. 38,300, ditto ditto do. ..... 1 0 84,889, June 2, 1841, ditto do. A warrant has been issued for the apprehension of the party in England, France, Belgium, and America. The sum of 1,300 francs, part of the above reward, will be paid to any person who shall cause the individual de signated to be apprehended, and the further sum of 1501. will be paid on the conviction of the party and recovery of the notes so obtained, or in proportion to the quantity of property which may be recovered. And the public are particularly cautioned against taking the said notes, or any of them, payment of the same having been stopped. at the Bank of England. All information to be addressed to Mr. T. Bryon, at the little Park of Monceaux, No. 15, Rue du Valois du Roule, Paris." It seems that Mr. Massey spared no expense in tracing the individuals, and employed for that pur pose the able officer of the Mansion-house, Daniel Forester, who repaired to Paris, accompanied by Mr. Rutter, the cashier of Mr. Massey's firm, who changed the notes. At Boulogne, two individuals were traced, one named Ranyiers, and the other named Carolus Danello. The former, upon inquiry, it was found got down at St. Denis, near Paris, but all trace of the latter was lost sight of, although the books of the police at the Prefecture were searched. At length Mr. Bryon, who is an agent here for the protection of the British commercial interests in France against fraud, and who superintended the arrest at Marseilles of Gavin Scott, the Glasgow cashier of the house of Macgregor, in conjunction with John Forester, the Mansion-house officer, having been left here with full authority from Daniel Forester,was examining some days since the pass ports at the Prefecture, when he was struck by the name of Carolus Danello. It should here be mentioned that the persons who defrauded Mr. Massey were a Pole named Romanzow, another Pole named Peressel, and a Madame Danell, also a native of Poland. Mr. Bryon suggested to the authorities that it was possible that the name of Carolus Danello might be really the name of a woman, and that Caroline might be altered to Carolus, and Danell to Danello, as it appeared from the police re gister at Boulogne that the passport of Danello had evi dently been given at the Prefecture on the 28th of March. 'rho books were referred to, and Mr. Bryon's suspicions completely confirmed, for the woman's name was found. A police agent was immediately sent to the address she gave, but at this address she had not been heard of since the month of June last. Mr. Bryon, by the instruc tions of Daniel Forester, had a number of bills printed, a copy of the above advertisement in Galignani. The day following the appearance of these bills (Wednes day last,) Madame Danell went to the Prefecture, ac companied by a man named Peressel, and Romanzow, alias Danello, alias Ranyiers. Madame Danell and Peressel were immediately taken into custody. She has black hair, is sun-burnt, and is of the middle sta ture. She seems to be about thirty-five years of age, very plain, with a gypsy-like expression. Romanzow, who was was waiting in the yard of the Prefecture, finding that his two accomplices did not come out, and fearing that something was wrong, returned to their lodgings, and not having the key, broke the door open, and took away as much property as he could carry, particularly of the plates and Belgian forged notes, be sides Prussian dollar notes and moneys. When the police arrived Romanzow had decamped. The authorities set all the telegraphic lines in France at work, and agents were despatched in every direction. It is not supposed, however, that he has quitted Paris, and his arrest in the course of this day was confidently expected. The Mi nister of the Interior, the Prefect of Police, and the French authorities have made the most indefatigable exertions. M. Allard, Chief of the Police of Surete, has lent every assistance to discover the traces of the extensive forgeries committed by the gang on different Governments of Europe, to the prejudice and injury of every commer cial interest. The woman Danell has a son about eight years of age. She has confessed everything. She states that in London they resided at Mr. Brown's, wine and spirit merchant, Blue Anchor Tavern, St. Mary-hill, Lower Thames-street. It also appears that there is a company existing in Belgium to forge passports, which are to be obtained at 100 francs each, for any country and in any language. A number of Prussian dollar forged bills were found at the lodgings, in an un finished state. The way the water-mark was fabricated is curious. The letters are stamped out of the paper, by a cutter out of the centre of the note, and then pasted, two together, and thus the water-mark becomes visible by holding it up to the light. The following money changers, who have been defrauded by the Prussian dollar notes, have been to the Prefecture to be con fronted with the prisoners :—ln October, 1838, M. Cuche, changer of the Rue Coq, St. Ilonore, to the =fount of 2,663 francs, about 107/. ; Boulanger, of the Rue Castig lione, 1,500 f. (HO ; M. Loire, of 32, Galerie Vivienne, on the 28th of April last, of 5,800 f. (232/.) The greatest sensation has been created by these dis coveries, and the woman is still under examina tion at the moment lam writing. I will send you addi tional information on this subject in my next communica tion. General Lehon, the Belgian Ambassador, has afforded every assistance to Mr. Bryon. There is rea son to believe that the notes of every country in Europe have been forged by this gang. At all events, Russian, Prussian, Austrian, and Belgian forged notes have been, and are certainly, in circulation. I had omitted to state that a memorandum of a Si. Bank of England note, traced to the prisoners, bearing date the 12th of October, 1841, paid in by Mr. Heath, of the Old Jewry, who received it from M. Fould, banker in Paris, on the 25th December last, to the Bank of England, was founds at the lodgings of Romanzow, as the last note paid away by them, writ ten on a scrap of paper.—Morning Post. PORTUGAL. The accompanying despatches were received per Margaret steamer, which arrived at Falmouth on Sun day morning, with the Malta and Peninsular mails. Her dates are from Gibraltar Dec. 30th, Cadiz 31st, Lisbon 3d inst., and from Vigo sth inst. LISBON, JAN. 3.—By the Neptune steamer, which arrived in the Tagus on the morning of the 21st ult., from London in seven days, and in. four from Falmouth, we have received English and French papers, the former up to the 26th ult., and the latter ,to the 24th. The French frigate Belle Poole, commanded by the Prince Joinville, together with the barque Iguale, brig Cassard, and steamer Lavoisier, sailed from this for Toulon on the same date, 31st. His Highness, after ,vigitiog.Cintra and •Mafra, accompanied. by the King, ,was entertained by the Queen on his return at a select dioner given by her expres, and on the day following a grand military parade of the whole force of the capital, commanded by the Duke of Terceira, was given, at which his Royal Highness was present, together with the Queen, King, and all the Court. A dinner at the Duke of Palmella's, and on the same evening a ball at the French Minister's, formed the finale of his welcome to this .city, and the next morning witnessed his depar ture for the Land of the Gaul. Yesterday, the 2d, the Chamber was opened by com mission, and the following is a translation of-the speech delivered by Signor Aguiar, Minister of the Interior. The prorogation extends to the 21st of February:— " Sirs—By virtue of the decree which has just been made known to you, the duty of opening the p re s en t legislative session, by commission from her Majesty, in conformity to the 42d article of the Constitution,devolves upon the Ministry. " During the short interval which has elapsed since the closing of the last Session, order and tranquillity have not been disturbed, nor has the course of public affairs been in any way interfered with. The Govern ment has been occupied in giving effect to the laws passed respecting the different branches of the Adminis tration, and for the completion of some of which the ne cessary proposals will be presented to you. " Among the measures which call loudly for your pa triotism, zeal, and wisdom, her Majesty hopes that you will bestow particular attention upon the interests of our colonies, whose wants claim prompt and effective remedies, as well for the welfare of the inhabitants as for the general property of Portuguese commerce and navigation. "Her Majesty continues to receive from the So vereigns, her allies, the most satisfactory proofs of friendship and good understanding, and the Govern ment never remits its efforts to extend our political and commercial relations for the benefit of the productive industry of the country. - " The Government will furnish an account to the Cortes of the use it has nude of . the authority granted to it, as well as of the transactions it has effected, and measures it has taken to insure tho regular payment to the different classes of public servants, and for the pro vision of other public expenses. " The estimate of receipts and , expenditure will be laid before you, together with the accounts of the diffe rent departments. Her Majesty trusts that the legislative body, duly considering the state of the country, will use its utmost zeal in the discussion of the budget, and in attending to all measures essential for completing the organisation of the public finances. " The session is opened." The Cortes have been adjourned to the 21st of Fe bruary. In the Diario do Governo of the Ist inst. appear also the particulars of an arrangement concluded be tween the Government and a newly-formed association, under the name of " The Company of National Cre dit," whereby the latter have agreed to make an ad vance of money to the former upon the following terms, VIZ. - The nominal amount of the loan to be 7,520 contos (1,600,0001.), at 5 per ceat. annual interest, payable by the Board of Public Credit ; for which amount in scriptions are to be given to the Company. The Company is to deliver to the Government, Contos. In money l,OOO In tickets of arrears due to the civil service, since 1838 1,600 In ditto, ditto, between 1833 and 1838 5OO In ditto of arrears of pensions and half-pay from 1833 to 1841 In bonds of the foreign debt not yet converted 2,000 In unpaid coupons of the foreign debt.... 365 7,465 These two amounts do not tally exactly, but the reason of the difference is that of the arrears of pay tickets ; the most modern in date are to be taken at 20 per cent. above their nominal value, and the others at par, while those for arrears of pensions are to be received at various rates of discount. The whole plan is ex ceedingly complicated ; but one thing clearly to be made out from it is, that the very showy figure of seven thou sand and odd contos will shrink down to a very small amount in hard cash—a diminution of hulk for which the effect produced upon a huge bundle of spinach by the process of boiling, is the best simile I can think of. Thus, while an addition of above a million and a half sterling is made to the funded debt of the coun try, and a further annual charge of 80,0001. is incur red, the immediate and only benefit derived by the Go vernment from this financial operation is a temporary lift to the amount of little more than 200,0001., which will soon go, leaving the country more heavily bur. dened, and therefore in a worse state than before. The conclusion of this arrangement is announced in a de cree, in which it is also provided that the civil servants of the State shall henceforth and for ever be paid with the utmost regularity. This, of course, is to be under stood with the tacit clause, " If there should be money to pay them with ; "and I must confess myself much at a loss to conceive how this one loan is to fill up for ever after the gap resulting every year from the ineffi ciency of the revenue to cover the expenditure. On the contrary, it seems evident that the annual deficit must be rendered still greater by the additional charge incurred for the interest on the new loan. This mea sure is, as you will perceive, the long-canvassed general capitalisation scheme, which I mentioned in my last, as having been insisted upon by the Finance Minister, and opposed by his colleagues, who at last gave way to him ; and the " Company of National Credit " is, in fact, the Bank of Lisbon, the Directors of which have thought it most prudent to engage in this transaction under an assumed firm, as they have reason to fear that if it were known generally that the bank itself, after the very large claims it already has upon the Government, had engaged to make further advances of money to so great as amount, its credit might be greatly shaken, and a general run upon it might be the consequence. The Prince de Joinville sailed from this, in the Belle Poule frigate, on the 31st ult., having only stayed a week instead of a fortnight, as he at first said he would do. He was treated with great distinction during bis short stay here, both by the Court and the principal nobility. The French Minister gave a grand ball in his honour on the eve of his departure. A new Minister has arrived here from the United States. His name is General Barrow. In reference to that part of the Royal Message to the Coites conveying the satisfactory assurance that " order and tranquillity t4ign undisturbed throughout the country," I have to state that, on the 26th instant, a grand fracas took place, at the University of Coimbra, between the students and the Municipal Guard, in which two persons were killed and fifteen wounded. Also that at Ameixoiera, thirty miles from this city, a caravan of passengers was stopped and plundered by a mounted guerilla to the'amount of 5,000 crowns. The notorious Mattos Lobo, who murdered a whole family in this city about six months ago, and is now under sentence of death, attempted suicide, on Friday last, in a very novel manner ; that is, by gnawing both his wrists so as to open the veins, in order to bleed to death during the night. What agonies of remorse must have driven him to so frantic a resolution He did not succeed in his object, however, for the weather being exceedingly cold the blood soon coagulated, and refused to flow. By an order from the Patriarch, public prayers pro felici partu of the Queen, are to be offered up in all the churches on the 9EII, 10th, and 11th of each month, till the event takes place. On the 30th ult„ a grand review of all the troops in this city, about 5,000 in number, took place at the Ta• pada Park, at which the King was present, as also the Prince de Joinville and his officers. Marshal the Duke de Terceira commanded on the occasion. Although the a'solition of the differential duties will begin to have effect on the 18th instant, an additional charge of one-fifth of the amount of duties will continue to be levied upon goods coming in vessels of nations in whose ports additional duties are charged upon cargoes imported in Portuguese vessels. Therefore, as the British Orders in Council imposing extra tonnage dues upon Portuguese ships, and extra duties upon their car goes, have not yet been rescinded, all goods coming in English vessels to this country will be subjected to the payment of the additional one-fifth of the duties, until those Orders in Council shall have been rescinded. It is important to commerce that this should be generally known. SUICIDE AND INQUEST. Last evening a lengthened investigation was gone into before Mr. Payne, City Coroner, and a very re spectable Jury, at the Horse and Cart, Ashantee court, Bouverie•street, Fleet-street, on the body of Mr. James Young, aged 22. James Shome, porter at the Sussex Hotel, Bouverie street, deposed—About half-past ten on Saturday morn ing the servant at Mrs. Stoll's, No. 26, Bouverie-street, where the deceased lodged, came for me to go into de ceased's room. On getting to the room-door I found it fastened on the inside. It was broken opon, and de ceased was found lying on the foot on his right side, in a pool of blood, with a pistol firmly grasped in his left hand. Mr. Charles Day, of Salisbury-square,' surgeon, stated—On Saturday morning I was called to see the deceased, and found him as described by the last witness. There was a wound on the forehead, but, whether caused' by a' bullet or shot I cannot tell as I could not find any 'hard substance in the' brain. I shonld say, he- had been dead four or five hours. I have no doubt deceased put the mouth of the pistol close to his head, and this, in a great measure, prevented the inmates from hearing the report. Mr. Charles Pearson, solicitor to the City of Lon don; deposed—The deceased was a clerk in his office, where ho had been about two years, and acted as Se cretary to the present Lord Mayor, at the Mansion house. He was AdmitteJ a Solicitor in July lastTand was a very talented young man, and his 'knowledge was far beyond his years. The last time I saw him alive was on Friday last, when he appeared much confused in his head. Since death I have examined his papers, but find none to throw any light onithis affair. He was of a morose stubborn disposition, -but attended with the greatest attention to, his office duties. , About three months back, he told me 'tint the Lord Mayor in tended to make him clerk to the Magistrates at the Mansion-house, but he should not 'take office unless it conferred rank. Again, he said Mr. -Clarke (the clerk of the Assizes at the Old Bailey) was to be turned away, and he was to have his place. This evi dently showed that he was labouring under a delusion. About a month back, he told me that be was going to be taken into partnership with one of the most respect able firms in the City. Knowing that a dissolution was about to take place in that firm, I thought it true, but on making inquiries at the Mansion-house, I found it not to be true. He frequently dined at the Mansion house, and was a young man of temperate habits. He had ascertained that he left the Mansion•house on Fri day in a confused state, and had no .doubt he wan dered about the street until that late hour in the morn ing. His mother was in en insane state, and his mother's father also laboured under that affliction. The CORONER said, the Lord Mayor called on him that morning with reference to the case, and his Lord ship told him that deceased was asked to stop , to dinner at the Mansion-house on Friday, but ho-declined,-say ing ha was not comfortable in his head. After some further remarks, the Jury returned a verdict of" Tem porary Insanity." What if you have failed in business ? You still have life and health. Don't sit down and cry about mishaps, for that will never get you out of debt, nor buy your children frocks. Go to work at something, eat sparingly, dress moderately, drink nothing exciting, and, above all, keep a merry heart, and you'll be up in the world.—B. Franklin. IRISH MILESTONES.—A stranger riding along the road, observed that all the milestones were turned in a particular way, not facing the road, but rather averted from it. He called to a countryman, and inquired the reason. " Oh, bless you, sir," replied the man, " the wind is . so strong sometimes in these parts, that if we weren ' t to turn the backs of the milestones to it, the figures would be blown off them, clear and clean." EVENING SUN LITERATURE. OLIVER AND BOYD'S NEFF EDINBURGH ALMANAC, 1842. Simphin, Marshall, and Co., London. The publishers commenced a new series of the Edinburgh Almanac in 1837 ; from year to year they made improvements and additions, which the public, as the extensive sale of the work proves, duly appreciated, and we are glad to find that success has not weakened, but, on the con trary, given additional impulse to their exer tions, as the present number contains more no velty and displays better arrangement than any which has preceded it. This arises partly from circumstances of which they have judiciously taken advantage. The Census of 1841, the New Ministry, and the New Parliament, with all the consequent changes in appointments at home and abroad, the late Promotions in the Ariny and Navy, and the vast and increasing extension of railroads have afforded scope for a publication of this kind which very rarely occurs. An opportu nity has thus been afforded of compiling a valu able Repertory of political, ecclesiastical, legal, commorcial, and statistical knowledge. The in formation respecting almost every subject con nected with Scotland is remarkably copious, per haps more so than the general reception of an Almanac not intended to be local would justify. For instance, the account of the numerous in stitutions, societies, and companies of the city of Edinburgh might, without any incon venience be considerably abridged, and room made for more ample, historical, and personal de tills of the English and Irish peerage. This and other general intelligence would be accept able to many English and Irish readers as well as to great numbers in Scotland who take little in terest in minute particulars, which have reference chiefly to the inhabitants of the northern capital. When so much is given, however, it would be unjust to raise . any serious objection to the plan which the compilers have judged proper; and we have merely thrown out - the hint for their consi deration. The more remarkable features of this number we have already adverted to. The digest of the Census for Scotland, which must have been procured with much labour and expense, de serves especial notice. Besides the official re turns for the English and Welsh counties in 1841, we have the population of the counties, cities, and burghs of Scotland, with the popula tion of every parish given separately, and lists of the clergy of the Established Church, and of Dissenting bodies of every sect. As usual, there is a complete Army and Navy List, with the respec tive stations of the regiments and vessels, accord ing to the latest accounts. The work is printed in a beautiful clear type, and published at a moderate price. SUNDAY TRAVELLING; MEETING IN THE RELIEF CHURCH, AYR. Now that the excitement in the public mind caused by the meeting reported in our last, held in the Relief Church yesterday se'nnight, has in a great degree sub sided, and that time and space afford us opportunity, we feel it our duty temperately and fairly to refer, more particularly than was in our power last week, to the conduct of those who took part in the proceedings. Premising that in regard to the question at issue— the travelling on Railways on Sunday—we were dis posed to agree with those who called the meeting, that the quieter the Sabbath the more moral the people, and that Sunday Mail Trains, with single carriages for cases of necessity, if practicable, might have been an unob jectionable middle course betwixt fanaticism on the one hand and Sabbath desecration on the other,—we say, with these feelings we hope our estimate of the conduct of parties will be admitted to be drawn from no preju diced or partial considerations whatever. We are, therefore, naturally led to speak first of those who called the meeting ; and, in doing so, we shall surely be acquitted of any inclination to take advantage of what in their proceedings gives ground for question when we merely allude to-Ist, their right to refuse to allow the meeting to elect a Chairman, on the ground that it had been previously announced that Sir C. D. Fergusson was to preside, an arrangement which may be a convenient one when unanimity prevails, but which unquestionably, under other circumstances, must fall to the ground : 2dly, the right of the Chair man to promulgate aoy such law to a public meeting, as that only certain previously selected persons should be allowed to speak : adly, their inconsistency in refusing to hear parties, who at least professed to be more rigid than themselves as to Sab b,ith Observance, on the ground that the Meeting was one specially called of those holding their own parti cular views, while the resolutions were announced to the world as adopted not by parties bolding particular views, but by " a numerous and influential meeting of the inhabitants of Ayr and its vicinity ;" 4thly, the inac curacy in the statement on the face of the Memorial that it was adopted by about 1,200 of the inhabitants of Ayr and its vicinity," while we learn froth parties whose evidence will not be questioned, that the Church can only be let for little more than 1,000 sittings, while all who were present must admit that there was at least one-fourth of the church unoccupied. 'We re pelt that we refrain from dwelling on these points, quite aware, however, that had we, either in an editorial or magisterial capacity, exposed ourselves so unguardedly, so rich a text would have been well expounded, and would not have been allowed to close without a pretty warm exhortation.—Ayr Advertiser. BRISTOL SUGAR MA RKITT, JAN. 7.—We have had much activity in our Sugar Market this week. The offices re-opened on Tuesday last after the holidays, but exporters requiring prices which were current previ ously to the recess, and which the buyers are not dis posed to give, the transactions were confined to a few parcels for immediate purposes, and for which full prices have been paid. Rums are still uninquired for.—Bristol Mercury. RUMOURED ACCIDENT AT COMBE DOWN, NEAR BATH.—A letter reached us yesterday morning, bearing the Bath post-mark, a signature apparently real, _and every other mark of authenticity, which stated that on the evening of the preceding day a piece of ground, the' surface of a stone quarry at the above village, had fallen in—that several houses and a church had been destroyed, and that the accident had beea attended by the hiss of many lives. After di ligent inquiry at the terminus of the Great Western Railroad, we do not find that any intelligence' corrobo rative of this statement, which we published . yesterday morning in a second edition, has been received. We cherish the hope, therefore, that the rekountmay prove unfounded.We have sent the original letter to the Mayor of Bath, with a request that he will lend us his assistance to discover the heartless impostor, if it should turn out that an imposition has been practised upon us.—Morning Post. [We had strong doubts of the statements given in the letter addressed to our fashionable Contemporary, be cause the writer described the Post as a " popular journal ; " andlwe could find no such paper as the Warden in anyllist of newspapers. We agree with the Post in reprobating such heartless conduct, and hope the impos tor will be discovered, and be made to climb for at last six months at the tread-mill.—ED. Sun.] THE CANTON RANSOM.—Yesterday a por tion of the ransom paid by the Chinese for the evacuation of Canton, arrived in London, and was transferred to the Royal' Mint, in which establishment it was deposited at two o'clock. The treasure was landed at Portsmouth, from her Majesty's frigate Conway, and thence conveyed to Gosport. A special train was engaged to bring the treasure by the Southampton railway to London, under an escort of the 32d regiment. On the arrival of the train at the Vauxhall terminus the bars of silver, about 100 in number, wore transferred to 13 vans and carts, each drawn by two horses, and guarded by the 32d in command of an officer. The procession at tracted much notice froth the people in the streets through which it passed, and upon its arrival on Tower-hill the mob was so great that the guard on duty at 'the Mint was immediately ordered under arms to clear a way for the vans and carts to advance, which they found some difficulty in effecting. so eager were the people to obtain a sight of the boxes contaimnA the treasure. The great gates having been thrown open, the vans and carts entered amidst loud cheering from the populace, among whom the greatest enthusiasm prevailed. The value of the treasure is 550,000/. sterling, an] consists of small bars and lumps of Sycee silver, the whole of which is to be melted down and refined, pre vious to its being converted into the current coin of the realm. Many years have elapsed since a treasure so valuable entered the metropolis. After the Spanish gal lions were taken, the money they contained was con veyed from Portsmouth to London in waggons, and en tered the metropolis while the guns were firing to an nounce the birth of a Prince of Wales, afterwards George the Fourth. AEDERSGATE DISPENSARY.—Yesterday a general meeting of the governors, donors, and sub scribers, was held in the Board-room of the Institution, Aldersgate-street ; F. B. Herring, Esq., treasurer, in the chair. The Rev. E. D. Leigh, rector, Dr. Sally, Messrs. Grant, Godson, and other supporters of the charity, were present. Mr. W. H. Wood, Honorary Secre tary, read the Report of the Committee, which stated that so increasing were the demands for medical and surgical assistance, that an assistant physician and an additional surgeon were indispensible. They, there fore,_ recommended that a physician and surgeon be a dded to the medical staff. It was unanimously adopted that the recommendation of the Committee should be acted upon. The apothecary laid upon the table the returns of the numbers who received medical and surgical advice, with medicine, during the year. From which it ap peared that 8,000 invalids had, during the year, ob tained gratuitous advice and medicine at the Dispensary, and that 1,500 had been visited at their own houses. In answer to a question, he replied that every person, with out regard to locality, upon applying at the Dispensary, obtained assistance, and that all residing within the City were, if necessary, visited at their houses. The financial report was most satisfactory. Amongst the donors were his Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge. 251. ; the Rev. E. 1). Leigh, 101. ; F. B. Herring, Esq., 151. 15s. ; Sir Peter Laurie, Alderman Gibbs, Alderman Farncombe, Mr. Gochon, an 1 several other gentlemen, 101. each. BIRTH.—On the 10th I: inst.; at Blomfield House, Bishop's-row, Barswattr, the lady of A. B. Wall, Esq., surgeon, of a sea. 111111111111