The Sun. — London, England, 1827-06-14 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS. We have now to announce to the British nation the overthrow of its favourite measure, the Corn Bill !—that act of discreet and well weighed humanity to the people of this realm, which received the sighing adieu and last appro bation of the expiring mind of Lord Liverpool ! We have to announce its overthrow, too, by a trick—by chicane—by an affected amendment, which was calculated to turn its sweets into bit terness, its honey into gall. Does any one ask us whether we grieve that the Bill has been withdraw, as the public wiL perceive that it was withdrawn last night, by its benevolent authors, rather than that it should have been carried, with a clause curdling its very blood ? We answer (and we are sure that we answer in the name of the British nation), No. It was an act of humanity, congenial with the spirit that first engendered that Bill, to stop its farther pro gress, when it was seen that it must prove a curse to the nation instead of a blessing. By the original Bill, foreign corn was admitted upon paying duty, when the home price was 625. per quarter. By the amendment, the same corn ac tually warehoused in this country, was not suf fered to be sent forth (its exit was prohibited) till the price mounted !;p to 665. Is it credible, that, under every circ !instance of low wages, and of a contracted currensy from the gradual disap pearance of small notes, it should have been pro posed that the labouring classes of this country should not be permitted to eat the grain that was actually among the-n, at a less price than 665. per quarter ? If a inoiple be suffering from scarcity, there being so corn among them, they must so suffer ti,", corn can be imported ; but to allow a population to feel the utmost agony of want (of which - we have had but too many instances), and to guard, almost within the reach of their teeth, by bolts and bayonets, a hoard of corn which they may not touch or taste but at a price which they cannot pay, would exceed in tantalizing cruelty any thing re corded. Why, the pagan nations of antiquity, Rome, and even Carthage with all its barbarity, and the despotic and savage Governments of modern times, Algiers and Morocco, have them selves providentially established deposits of grain in their capitals, in order that in seasons of scarcity corn might be let out from thence, and sold to their suffering subjects at a price propor tioned to their circumstances. But it would have been the effect of the Bill in its deformed state, to render even the stores laid up among us by private and commercial speculation impreg nable to the wants of the people. We should have had granaries than could not be opened for the emission of their contents, but at a price which, during a season of slack employment and low wages, the toiling man who must still eat bread could not pay,—granaries appertaining to private individuals, but converted by the unhappy arts of legislation into the graves of their sacred contents. Not only, therefore, is the people of this country, but even loalanity itself, obliged to the Ministers, for shrinking from all contact with a Bill which had assumed so revolting a nature. And now let the people of England consider who are their friends. It was tha im mediate elrect of the rejection of the Bill—for so it must be called—proposed by hisMajesty - 's Ministers, to raise corn five shillings a quarter upon the Corn Exchange in the course of yesterday ! Was it an act of benevolence or humanity that produced such a result ? Is there any w r iter on political economy who has said that it is a dvantageous to a State that bread should be dear ? Oh, but the landed interest must be upheld--must be main tained in affluence. What is the landed interest ? Will the labourer on the land, whose class is the most numerous, find his wages increased at the end of this week, hi the proportion just stated ? And if corn goes on increasing in price, which is not un lil,ely ;rem the retention of that Bill which was so humane in its provisions and so agreeable to all par. ties, will the money-earningi .of the poor peasant mount up simultaneously ? Will they even follow the enhanced prices, except et a great distance. — For our own parts, we are no friends of the present Ministers, except in so fat as we believe and see them to be the friends of humanity in general, and of z)e people of this nation in particular. They_ are called a Coalition Ministry, and so they are ;—a: co alition between the expert and practised men of of fice, and those who have recently approved of their policy. And what is the Opposition ? A coalition likewise ;—a coalition between the refuse of office and the contemned aspirants to it. And by such an Opposition, with the casual access of some re spe.ctable individuals, indiscreetly pledged on this single question, have the moot benevolent provisions of the Corn Bill been defeated, In future, there fore, the country must look to the tried humanity of the Executive, should any relaxation of the present pro; ! hibitory system be found necessary. But the nation is fully aware, that it has no occasion either to tax its own repi,,ertatives or his Majesty's Ministers with :the want of due consideration of its circumstances: It ;Day, perhaps, be worth the while to recall to the recollection of our readers, that the argument ins sisted on Iv Lords Goderich and Holland against the infecting clause, was one which had occurred tO us previously, viz, that the clause ingrafted " a nes* principle on the Bill, directly subversive of that on which the Bill itself was founded, by the revival of the prohibitory system, which it was avowedly the object of the Bill to abr , lish."—Times. The snore we c osider the Correspondence published by Dr. - lhillpotts, the more it ap pears to U 3 to be a brain-blow to the cause of which that learned and active divine has put hirnself forward as the advocate. In point of law, Lord Ken)on cru , hed to pieces the weak scruples which had or; , ioated in a total mis•s conception of the K ig's Coronation Oath• i ; while, on the constitutional policy of the ques tion, Mr. Pitt, wits st;11 greater force, quelled by a nticipation, in these :tble letters, the factiouS hypocrites of the present nay, who presume to mix with their public homage to his name the bitterest abuse and slander of his principles.---t -" To overthrow any part of the Church Estab r lishment," says Lord Kenyon, " would, as it seems, militate against the Coronation Oath, settled in the Statute of 1 William and Mary and the Act of Union, and contravene an essential anc; fundamental part of the Act of Union."--4- Now, in a preceding paragraph, the Chief Justice says, Ist, that the Coronation Oath enacted in 1 William and Mary requires the King to main tain the Protestani reformed religion, established by law ; and, 2d, 'explains the " religion estab lished by law," to in can " the doctrine, worship, discipline, and government ofthe Church." The Learned Lord subjoins, that " So long as ttip King's supremacy ane. the main fabric of the Act of Uniformity, the doe :rine, discipline,and govern ment of the Church oi'England, are preserved As the national church, ard the provision for its Mi nisters kept as an appropriate fund, it seems th4t any case given to Sectarists would not militatte against the Coronation Oath, or the Act (#' Union." What attack, then, is conveyed or int plied i.' the restoration of their civil rights tP Catholics, against the above defined system of ," religion e. , tablished by law?" If, evert en largement of civil privileges in favour of Catho- lics be a violation of the King's oath, then has the oath been broken at least 12 times since the Revolution, for at least so many different in roads upon the penal statutes against Catholics have received the Royal assent since the year 1689. But was such an absurdity ever before started, as that the Legislature should bind itself irrevocably to reject any change in the laws af fecting Dissenters—no matter what essential al terations might occur in the state of the mo narchy? Lord Kenyon but repeats what com mon sense and obvious necessity had already impressed upon every man who enjoyed the gift of reason, when he lays it down as a fundamen tal maxim, that " the supreme power of a State cannot limit itself." If it could, the very next day it would cease to be a " supreme power." It would assume a new nature, and with the people of England themselves, would be robbed of a right, without which no poliLi ey.! community can exist. What the Le gislature could not do directly,—viz. impose a limitation on its future power,—it could never meditate effecting circuitously, by framing an oath for one of its members, which would enable that member to restrain the whole legislative body. If this could be, we should strip our descendants of the most essential rights of reasonable creatures — that of making laws adapted to the age they live in. If a Protestant oath were to be thus binding for ever, why so might a Catholic oath be indissoluble; and a nation universally embracing the Church of England might thus be compelled to all eternity to obey a Popish system of laws ! But, in fact, there was no such monstrous notion entertained by our ancestors on this important subject. The oath of William and Mary was designed to give Parliament a controul over the King—not the King over Par liament. It was an intended safeguard against the repetition of such conspiracies, for the establishment of civil and religious despotism, as 'had disgraced the last years of the reign of Charles, and the whole of the short reign of James—which had threatened the independence of Parliament, and had cost the latter Prince his crown ; but it was not, and could not have been, intended to restrain the King from co-operating with Parliament in the performance of their common duty of legislation. Lord Kenyon's authority, therefore, delivering the judgment of po litical science and of plain sense, will, we imagine, be found too much for that of the unknown Bishop and of Lord Clare—the secret advisers of his late respected Majesty—though backed by the very en lightened and peremptory declaration of that emi nent statesman, the late Duke of York, who valued the opinions of such men as Mr. Pitt and Lord Ken yon no higher than as arguments against the policy of emancipation.—lbid. We never thought highly of the Duke of Wel lington as a politician ; but the writer of a letter (which want of room prevents us from inserting to-day) goes, in our opinion,a little too far, when he infers from his Grace's being an indifferent States man, that it is probable he owed his successes as a soldier more to fortune than merit. The same inference may be made with regard to Buona parte. No one can have read the records of the conversations of that distinguished individual without perceiving that his ideas out of his own profession betrayed great narrow-minded ness, and that his political principles in general were those of a Charlatan. We have besides a proof in his absurd Continental system, that no practical refutation of his theories, however ob vious, could make any impression on his un derstanding. Yet surely Buonaparte understood the art of war ! But in the political conduct of his Grace, we see difficulties which it would not be easy to solve,, without attributing to him an incapacity in matters demanding mental attention, almost approaching to imbecility. There are many persons, we know, who will attribute his conduct, throughout the discussions on the Corn Bill, to insincerity and dishonesty. We are un- Nulling, however, to adopt this solution. There are not wanting instances of men anxious to be believed knaves, but there are few instances of men desirous of being thought fools. Now it is possible that his Grace really understood the principle of the Resolutions on which the Corn Bill was founded—it is possible that he com prehended the discussions in the Cabinet, which took place while he was present, on the various provi sions of the Bill—it is possible that he read and re read so important a Bill, affecting so many interests in the country, as he was bound in duty to do, care fully considering it as a whole and in its various de tails ; and that from such attentive reading and de liberation, he made himself completely master of the subject; it is possible, we say, that his ignorance was assumed, that his inability to understand the meaning of Mr. Huskisson's very plain note was also assumed; but the stultifying himself to serve the cause of faction, exceeds, we think, the measure of disinterested devotion to be expected from mor tals. If his Grace be prepared to hold himself up as a ninny to serve his new associates, his devotion of himself exceeds in magnanimity that of Curtius. But we have no faith in these refinements. We suspect the Duke, all through, owed more to nature than to policy ; and that Corn Bills, or any other Bills involving matter for deliberation and reflection, may very safely be read and discussed in his presence without any danger of his betraying the secret of the principle of them. The same observation may be applied to Lord Bathurst. 'We really gave his Lordship credit for sincerity when he expressed him self unable to distinguish between the corn at pre sent in bond, and the corn which might be im ported after the passing of the Act.—Morning Chronicle. Our readers will see from our Parliamentary Report, that Ministers have determined to aban don the Corn Bill. In this we think they have acted wisely. The Lords chose to introduce a clause into the Bill, completely at variance with its principle, and that of the Resolutions on which it was founded. By doing so the Noble Lords completely changed the character of the 1 3i11, and, in fact, substituted a bantling of their own for the offspring of Ministers. Let the Lords, then, have all the glory which they can derive from their victory over the King's Go vernment, and over the nation. They no doubt wished to show that all power is vested in them ; and being omnipotent, they also no doubt deem ed it advisable to prove, by this striking exercise of their power, that the duty of a Legislature is not, as has been mistakingly supposed, to de vise the means best calculated to promote the general prosperity, but to devise the means best calculated for deriving from the industry of a nation the greatest possible benefit to the depo sitaries of power. The time was when their Lordships might have shrunk from the glory of such a display, from some secret misgivings as to its policy; but the bold and unhesitating manner in which the great land-holders, as a body, now oppose themselves to the rest of the nation, proves, we should think, their convic tion of their own strength to be more firm and decided. Ministers then have done wisely, as the Lords haire taken the Bill out of their hands, to allow them to retain the possession of it. Let them, in God's name, have the honour of their own act. It is for them to order, and for us to o bey,— ,, I have already (said Lord Goderich, in his usual moderate manner), felt it my duty to state to your Lordships the grounds on which I consider the clause not only objectionable, as being fatal to the principle of the Bill, but also as likely to be unsuccessful in obtaining the object for which it was proposed. As I could not defeat this amendment, I do not think it possible that I can undertake to propose the third reading of the Bill. It is impossible, indeed, that I should do so, and I shall not propose to proceed further with the Bill." So much for the determination of Mi nisters. But the Duke of Wellington means, as the order for the third reading on Friday is not dis charged, to proceed himself with the Bill he has made his own. However, here his Grace's power ends. The amendments must be adopted by the House of Commons, before the Bill be ready for the Royal Assent : and as their pri vileges are attacked in the amendment, they will not, of course, adopt it. Put even though the Bill should linger on till extinguished in this way, the nation will not be misled with regard to the real source of the failure. We wish Earl Grey had continued to maintain the silence he has hitherto preserved during the discussions to which the Bill gave rise. His votes were intel ligible. But with all deference to so able a Statesman, his reasons for supporting the amend ment are hardly intelligible. " I think (said his Lordship) it will correct the dangers and abuses of the bonding system—dangers which are as signed as the reasons for adopting the pre sent measure ; for the amendment will pre vent corn from being stored up to excess, and will prevent corn under bond from being suddenly released, producing a famine at one time and an inundation of corn at another— dangers against which it is the intention of the present Bill to provide." It is very easy to talk of famine and inundations ; but how the ware housing system should contribute to produce in undation and scarcity in the case of corn, more than in the case of other commodities the sub ject of speculation, his Lordship did not attempt to explain. If we have formed to ourselves any thing like a correct idea of the effects of specula tion, these effects are the very reverse of what the Noble Lord states them to be. The speculator, the merchant who stores up grain, either of home or foreign growth, by £0 doing prevents prices from falling so low as they otherwise would do, were the consumers alone in the market. By thus increasing the price, unnecessary waste is prevented, and the crop is less likely to fall short, so that the speculator, when successful, still sells his corn at a lower price than would otherwise be obtained during the period before harvest (when the crop is average) had Corn not been stored up. In former times (we need not go far back) it not unfrequently happened that the price after harvest was ruinously low, and before the new harvest so high asto disturb the public tranquillity. Under a warehousing system, the quantity of corn in the country would be no secret. The speculators never could act in concert; but each merchant would act for himself. Now how, in God's name, would all these speculators, if a decent profit could be made, agree to keep back their corn to produce an inundation, while one of the first effects of such inundation would be the involving the most of them in ruin ? If the new harvest promised to be abun dant, each speculator would be anxious to anticipate the inundation, by ridding himself of his stock in time, and thus diminishing his loss. Really Earl Grey should return to the wisdom of ottr ancestors, and propose laws against forestalling and regrating, for his notions about the evils of warehousing are exactly in accordance with the principle of these once-venerated Statutes. As to what fell from his Lordship, when he stated, " I do not think tha any Noble Lord, who is held worthy of taking part in his Majesty's Councils, can act so unworthily as to abandon the Bill for the purpose of exciting the dis content and ill-feelingof the country," it would seem to imply that it is the particular duty of 116 M a . jesty's Ministers not so much to consult the welfare of the people at large as to screen their Lordships from the effects their acts may produce on the public mind. Earl Grey very naturally thinks very highly of the Peerage; but it does not follow that it is the duty of Ministers to share with that body the con sequences, pleasant or unpleasant, of their acts.— Ibid. The result of the action of Soane v. Knight, must be gratifying to every person who does not wish to see the Press reduced to as abject a state of slavery as was ever effected by a Holy Inqui sition, or a Court of Star-Chamber. Indeed, as it is, the " Freedom of the Press" has almost become an empty tLeory ; and it seems the con stant endeavour and policy of most of those who sit in high places to reduce it to the humble and degraded condition of recording the praises of the great, and giving to every form of vice and folly the adornment of its venal panegyric. As to the history of the day, it has become danger ous to meddle with it ; for there are so many people of tender reputation in the world, that the Press cannot give an account of passing events— which, of course, are more or less connected with human actions, without running the risk of pu nishment by damages, fine, or imprisonment— for an erroneous statement, however innocently repeated, is punishable by civil process ; and a true statement, however laudably published, is punishable by a criminal proceeding. This is the liberty of the Press. There is, how ever, one province of literary discussion hi therto protected from either actions or prose cutions of libel, and that is criticism on lite rary works—the Fine Arts—the Drama, and other subjects of science and taste. But Mr. Soane, the architect, indignant at finding that some critics were audacious enough to entertain an opinion of his works different from his own, and to impugn the supremacy of his genius, levelled againit such pro fane disbelievers the terrors of the law. It is true , _ the critics did not travel out of the record to attack his domestic or moral character. They did not ac cuse him of any breach of any of the ten command ments—no, not even of the second one ; bat they had notwithstanding been guilty of the grievous crime of pointing out what they considered the bad taste and the expensive puerilities of his forensic architecture, and therefore he appealed to the laws, to silence such open sedition against his architec tural dictatorship for ever. The Jury, however, being twelve plain, honest men, who kr.,r,v a great deal less of pedantry than of common sense, could not understand why a man, who had the good for tune to obtain large sums of the public , money, should not be subject to public opinion, or why the fantastic productions of one who chose to prefer gew-gaws to utility, should be protected against that visitation of free criticism from which the great est monuments of human genius have never been ex empt. The Jury, therefore, as in a similar case where the same person was plaintiff, returned a ver dict for the defendant, and the right of criticism, in despite of the efforts of Mr. Soane, is still reckoned among the privileges of Englishmen. —Morning Herald. As we anticipated, the Corn Bill has been lost in consequence of the Duke of Wellington's amendment. Lord Goderich last night an nounced to the House of Lords the intention of his Majesty's Ministers to abandon it, since it seemed the pleasure of the House to insist on alterations which were utterly destructive of the principle of the Bill. The Lords have thus, as was observed by Lord Clifden on Tuesday, the full credit and popularity of having achieved its overthrow. The Session of P ar li a ment is too near to admit o f th e i n t r oduction o f any a close othermeasure on the subject, nor is it likely that any will be propo se d. The rejection of the Bill is a very heavy blow to the hopes of those merchants who hold,corn in bond, and we fear it will be felt severely by the country at large. Wheat, it will he seen from our report of the market of yesterday, has already risen con siderably in consequence. The effect to be an ticipted from the present law depends so entirely on the state of the crops, that it is impossible, except in reference to them, to enter into any cal culations upon the subject. Should the harvest prove abundant, no evil consequences are to be anticipated from the law, though it is probable that the prices may fall to a degree that may prove very embarrassing to the landlord. Should the harvest, on the contrary, prove scanty, and prices rise, as they would be likely to do, above 80s., the whole of the disastrous effects of an overwhelming glut may be anticipated, and the farmer, with little to sell, will obtain a scanty and inadequate price for the little that he has. Earl Grey, in commenting on the abandonment of the Bill, acquitted Ministers of any wish to cast odium on their Lordships by such a resolution ; but de clared his readiness to meet that odium with firm ness, if, notwithstanding, it followed the rejection of the Bill. His Lordship boasting of his firmness is akin to the boast of the strong man after his locks were shorn. The Noble Earl's miserable inconsist ency has shorn him of the only thing that gave him consequence. He may go forth, but it will not be as of old; for, though he be not conscious of it, the public are," that his strength is departed from him." —.Yew Times. LAW INTELLIGENCE. COURT OF CHANCERY, Julin 13. WARD OF THE COURT. ROBINS V. PRIOR. Mr. HEaLn, said, he had a petition to present on behalf of a gentleman of the name of Skinner, a Captain in his Majesty's military service; and it prayed that he might be allowed to marry the plaintiff, Miss Robins, a Award of the Court of Chancery, on making a settlement of 5681, upon her. It appeared. by the statement of the Learned Counsel, that Captain Skinner was about to take his departure for India, and was anxious to obtain the consent of the Co' t before his departure. The fortune of the lady was extremely small, being a sum yielding an income of only 151. ; and it was thought that no objection could be made to the corny , -ion. The father of the present petitioner, Capt. Skinner, was a gentleman of considerable fortune ; but had refused to advance a single farthing, conceiving, (as the Learned Counsel supposed) that as his son was going to India, he might make a much more advantageous match with one of the Eastern Princesses. Captain Skinner, however, thought ve►y differently, and preferred Miss Robins to all Princesses. He was desirous of doing any thing which the Court thought expedient, and all that could be required was, that the lady's small fortune should be settled on her for life ; then to the husband if he survived, and then to the heirs of the lady upon his death. i Mr. Tunsra spoke shortly in support of the petition. Mr. BICKERSTETH appeared on the part of the guar dians of the young lady, and consented to the arrangement. The LORD CHANCELLOR immediately granted the prayer of the petition. A settlement would be immediately pre pared in the terms stated by Mr. Heald. Mr. HEALD said there would be no difficulty in pre paring a proper settlement. A reference to the Master was not here requisite, as the property was so small, and the case of so simple a nature. Several ladies were in Court, listening with great atten tion behind the curtain, on the left of his Lordship, and retired, apparently highly pleased with the result of the application. BILL OF COSTS. Mr. KNIGHT said he had to make a motion of a some what singular nature, and under these circumstances :—A suitor had some time since applied for and obtained an order to tax his Solicitor's bill of costs, and although the order had been drawn up a fortnight ago, the party ob taining it had taken no proceedings whatever upon it.— The Solicitor had also been precluded, by the terms of the order, from taking any steps to compel payment of the sum due upon the bill. The suitor had, he understood, very recent:y obtained a very valuable appointment in a foreign country, and it was stated that he was now about to leave England.. Being placed in this situation, the Solicitor was anxious to obtain from the Court either an order that his client should enter into security for payment of the sum due, or that, notwithstanding the terms of the order, the Solicitor might be at liberty to pursue the ordinary remedy for the recovery of the amount due to him. His Loaosau directed the case to be mentioned on Friday. , IN RE STINGSBY, A BANKRUPT. Mr. Mortukc In prayed that this matter, which was one of a very pressing and peculiar nature, might be advanced on the bankrupt paper, and heard on Saturday. The LORD Csalicet.Loa observed, that he must depend on the discretion of Counsel in making this application. The rule be had adopted for the advantage of the suitors, was,_ not to hear causes out of their turn, and it remained to be seen whether its utility was so great as to counter balance the inconvenience resulting from it to the ordinary business of the Court. If Mr. Montague thought the case an urgent one, it ought of course to take precedence of other matters. Mr. MONTAGUE observed, that if he was not prepared to say that irreparable injury would be done to the alleged bankrupt (who was, in fact, no bankrupt), he should not have made the application. The fact was that a sale of the goods had been threatened, and would inevitably take place unless his Lordship speedily interfered to prevent it, and the consequences of such a sale must be the utter ruin of the bankrupt and his family. His LORDSHIP granted the application. Shortly after Mr. Montague had gone out of Court, Mr. SUGDEN again mentioned the case, and requested that the order which had been obtained by Mr. Montague might be rescinded. He felt satisfied that some rule ought to be laid down for the regulation of matters of this nature, and for hearing cases of a pressing description; but he much doubted whether his Lordship's rule would answer the pur pose intended. The plan adopted by the late Vice-Chan cellor seemed to be- the most advisable, viz, that notice should be given to the other side that such an application for advancement was to be made. The ground upon which he resisted the present advancement was that the affidavits had not been filed until the 10th inst. and suffi cient time had not been allowed to answer them. Mr. MOs racus (who had returned to Court) loudly complained that the case had been mentioned behind his back.. Messrs. Hurd and Johnson, who were the solicitors on the other side, were the sharpest practitioners his Lord ship ever knew ; and if tke facts of the case were permitted to be detailed, there would be little difference of opinion upon that point. The act which had been committed was no more an act of bankruptcy than it was of high treason. After some further conversation, his Lordship allowed Mr. Montague to mention the case on Saturday. The greater part of the day was occupied with hearing Cause Petitions, only four or five of which were disposed of. Hi 3 Lordship rose before three o'clock, and postponed the remainder of the Petitions until Saturday, Friday next being the first.day of Trinity Term. VICE-CHANCELLOR'S COURT, JUTS 19. The Vicx-CitArfort , Lott disposed of all the cause peti tions, fifty-eight in number, which stood in the paper. In the course of the day, the following notice, respecting the arrangement of business, was posted up in tip_ :lourt:-..:. " The Lord Chancellor, considering that, in many cases now set down for exceptions and further directions, it may be of great importance to the suitors to obtain decrees or deeretal orders, in such time as to enable the Registrars tO draw them up, and the Solicitors to proceed to execute the same, before the closing of the offices in Trinity vacation_ and that these objects cannot be attainable if the bearing of such cases should be deferred to the time usually appointed for further directions after Trinity Term, doth think it expedient that the Vice-Chancellor's Court should proceed to hear exceptions and further directions on the second day of next Trinity Term, and continue thereon de die in diem, with the exception of the usual Seal days for motions'. But this, however, is not to preclude the Vice-Chancellor from hearing any cause or matter which, in his judgment, may be required to be brought forward, under special dr urgent circumstances." COURT OF KING'S BENCH, Juwx 13. THE KING AGAINST CLEVERLY AND OTHERS. This was an indictment for a conspiracy. against Charles Cleverly, Alexander Milburne, and Henry Mills. The in• dictment.alleged that Cleverly was in partnership with it person named Hutcheson, and that they were insolvent and about to become bankrupts, and that the defendante; inir tendirrg to defraud the creditors of,Cleverly and Hutcheson, conspired to ether to conceit a fictitious sale of the partneri ship goods to The ATToati,x7GENxx.Ar., for the prosecut i on, stated that gesirs. tleverlyanA' f f-futchesan Were linen drapers ii Chiswell-street. In the beginning of March, last year, they were- unable to take- up their bills, and Were in in solvent circumstances. Mills was friendof Cleverly's, and had accepted bills for Cleverly and Hutcheson, which he was afterwards obliged to pay. To him they resorted in their distress ; he consulted his Solicitor, the other de fendant, Mr. Milburne. A meeting was held between the parties, and Milburne wrote a circular letter to the creditors of Cleverly and Hutcheson, summoning a meeting to " pre vent any undue preference, and that every creditor might have an equal share of the property." Yet at this very meeting it was arranged that Mills should have goods of the insolvent to cover his debt ; and in consequence of the ar rangement, goods to a large amount were clandestinely con veyed to him in the middle of the night. The creditors, suspecting all was not right, had struck a docket against Cleverly and Hutcheson, who were now bankrupts, and the history of the goods had come to light through Hutche son. He would be called and give his evidence, which would be confirmed by the circumstance of the goods being afterwards found in the house of Mills. Mr. Hutcheson examined by Mr. ADOLPHUS—In the beginning of 1826, we had a large stock of goods, but we were greatly indebted, and were in distress for money, Mills had accepted bills for us, which we had paid away We had bills outstanding which fell due on the 4th of March, and more bills were to fall due at the end of that month. On the 3d of March, Cleverly asked me if I could raise money by aay friend. I said I could, but we should want more money, and I asked him if he had a friend. Cleverly said he had, and named Mills. I said we had better go and see him. We did go, and Mills asked how he was to be made safe for the bills he had ac cepted, and appointed us to come the next day. We went, and saw Mr. Milburne, the solicitor, and Cleverly then proposed that Mills should have goods from us. We were asked if we had leases of our houses. We said we had, and Cleverly proposed that the leases should be assigned to Mills. I said he might hold them, but nothing fur ther. Milburne then said, that we should write a circu lar letter to our creditors, and appoint a meeting. W e assented, and he wrote a letter, appointing a meeting at the George and Vulture Tavern, Cornhill, on the 13th of March, "to consider of our affairs, and on the propriety of givinc , us time to meet our engagements, which we were now unable to inset, and were, consequently, fearing legal proceedings would be taken, which was our inducement to call the meeting ; more especially as we were anxious to prevent any undue preference, that every creditor might have an equal share of the property." It was agreed that Mills was to have goods from us. This was on Saturday. The next day, Sunday morning, between eight and nine, a letter came from Milburne, concluding with these words—" whatever you de, destroy this." Cleverly read the letter, and tore it up. It was to inform as, that what was proposed the day before, about the goods, would not be good in law, and appointing us to go to him in Mill man-street. We went accordingly, and Milburn° said he must draw up an agreement as if Mills had lent his accept ances on the goods, and date it back, but I refused to con sent, and went away. Cleverly came after me. I told him I would have nothing to do with the agreement,— Cleverly went home to Chiswell-street, and packed up a considerable quantity of goods, and they were taken at two o'clock in the morning to Mills. They waited till the young men were gone to bed, and observed when the watch men were off the stand. There were more goods taken than were afterwards found at Mills's house. Or. the Monday Mills and Milburne came to Cleverly and me.— Milburne produced a parchment deed, and asked Cleverly to execute it. Cleverly said I ought first to execute it. I asked to see it, thinking it had been an assignment of the houses ; but they would not let me see it, so I refused to execute it. The next day I received a letter from Mr. Milburne, enclosing a bill of costs, and demanding imme diate payment of it, as the behaviour of myself and of my wife entitled me to no favour from Mr. Mills. Joseph Parrington, accomptant, went on the 26th of April to Mills's house, and found the goods. They cor responded with an inventory I had. I brought them away by his wife's permission. The goods I brought away were priced in the inventory at 156/. ; their value is about 100/. Mr. Ashurst produced the commission of bankrupt. It was dated the Bth of April, 1826. The petitioning credit tors were Morrison, Pierson, and Crow, of Vore-street, haberdashers. Witness produced one of the circular letters written by Milburne, convening a meeting of the creditors: At the meeting, Crow was in the Chair. The creditors said, if Cleverly and Hutcheson could not pay 20s in the pound, they would wish them to sign a declaration of solvency. Cleverly refused to sign it, and Crow then said the meeting would accept of no proposition unless they did so ; for if there was any fraud, they could then make them bankrupts and investigate it ; and if there was no fraud, the creditors would not then avail themselves of the decla ration. Cleverly refused to sign it, and Hutcheson con= curred in all that Cleverly did. Cleverly was arrested.— I received in the May following from Milburne, in the presence of Mills, the leases of the two houses- in Chiswell street. Mr. BaoucHAm for Cleverly, and the COMMON-SER GEANT for Mills and Milburne, respectively addressed the Jury, and several witnesses-were called, who gave Mills and Milburne most excellent characters. Lord TENTannim—The law says all the property of men who fail shall be brought forward, and be distributed among their creditors ; any attempt to prevent this is con , trary to law, and a combination for that purpose is a con spiracy. Mills was the friend of Cleverly, and appears to have acted very kindly both to him and to Hutcheson when they 'first entered into business. Hutcheson's evidence ought to be received with caution, but you are to judge whether it is not greatly confirmed by Milburne's bill of costs. The proposal that Mills should have the goods was made at the time when all the parties knew that Cleverly and Hutcheson were insolvent, and mast stop payment ; and the delivery of the goods, and the clandestine manner in which they were taken out of the shop, after the circu lar letter to call a meeting to prevent undue preference, are for your consideration. The goods were afterwards found in Mills's house. The Jury immediately found all the defendants Guilty. POLICE INTELLIGENCE. BOW-STREET.—Mrs. Barker, a forbidding-looking woman, advanced in years, was yesterday brought before Thomas HALLS, Esq., the sitting Magistrate, upon a warrant obtained against her, for not only having meditated the destruction of her husband, and then Ler own, but also for having attempted to carry the first part of her purpose into execution on the night of Saturday last. The husband, a mild inoffensive-looking man, a coach maker by trade, informed his Worship, that to his everlast ing regret, the prisoner at the bar was misfortunately his second wife : he had been married to her about two years, and during all that time had endured such a purgatory of misery that no mortal tongue could describe it. I went to market on Saturday night, as I am accustomed to do, and brought home such provisions as ought to make a poor tradesman's family a bit comfortable o' Sundays. pn my return home, there was my wife disgustingly intossicated ; but that was no new sight, your Wor ship. I begged of her to go to bed, and thinking that I could relish a morsel of bread and cheese, and a drop of beer, I went to the next public-house for a pint, your Worship, and when I came back, there did I find my wife, with not a flitter to cover her but her shift, your Worship, a sitting upon the stairs. I tried to persuade her to come in, but she would not, your Worship ; so thinks I, I'll leave her there to please herself, and so I did, your Worship, and had my bit o' supper, and retired to rest. I bad not been long in bed, however, when my wife came into the room ; she appeared to have something in her band, so I called out to know what it was, your Worship ; and so she said, I've something here to butcher you when you're asleep,' and here's the thing itself, your Worship." Isn't it a pitiful thing, your Worship, that a 12,A-working man can't come home from his work without finding his partner intossicated ? • Mr. Hax.Ls—ludeed it is. Is it gin she drirks ? Mr. Barker—Yes, your Worship. I wish a drop of it was never to be had in this here world. " I wish so. too, said the Worthy Magistrate. Th• press say they do a great deal of good, and I am willing to believe they do ; but they would, in my opinion, do an im mortal service were they to persuade a heavy 'duty to be imposed upon gin." Mr. Barker perfectly agreed to this remark ; and his cara sposa was ordered to be locked up until she should find bail. MARLBOROUGH-STREET.—Under the head of this office there appeared a statement in a morning paper of Tuesday last, describing the distressed situation of a family named Skinner, and holding them forth as objects of much commisseration and charity, that the " husband" was for a long time out of work ; that by this the whole family was reduced to the utmost distress, and the " wife" driven to despair and drunkenness, which led to her clandestinely pawning some property of her landlord's, for which both herself and her " husband" were apprehended aid brought to this o ffi ce, where th e y appe a red at the bar, surrounded by their young children, in the utmost state of misery. In consequence of this statement, pecuniary subscriptionscame pouring in to the Magistrates of this office yesterday, for the use of this family, as if the last spark of expiring virtue were to be saved from extinction. What did the real truth turn ont to be? Certainly, that the man Skinner is a hardworking man at the business of foutidation digging, which is his occupation, but not that he is out of work; • on die contrary, that he is in full employment; * 141:11i , female prisoner, whose name is Hannah Ewing' , ow, his wife at all, but a woman with whom he cohabits, habitual drunkard, and not driven now for the first 4: 1 1 to that vice by despair ; on the contrary, that to "I her desire for gussling gin, she cares not what sacrifice makes of the property of Skinner or others, or of tholes ° of her children. J oY MARYLEBONE-OFFICE.— Yesterday, Mr. sad Davis, an upholsterer, in Greek-street, Soho, Wa l t & moned before Mr. RAWLINSON, by Mrs. Frances I, lotte Trevor, of No. 19, Northumberland-street, Pna r l e j bone, to answer the charge of having sold furniture pi s by that lady in his hands, as security for money lea. io Mrs. Trevor stated, that some months ago she wa s to want of money, and, for the purpose of obtaining it, goods of a cottage, which cost 801., was offered to the; fendant on sale. He was willing to give only 101. chase, and therefore it was agreed that he should lenu A , f , the sum (immediately wanted) of 61. 45., and bold the niture as eeeurity. Since that time she had repaid 41 •1 4 ,e and he (as she said), without authority, had sold goods. Upon being asked for an explanation, Mr. Davis Mr. Rawlinson, " I know nothing of this lady wheo;" your Worship. The furniture was offered to me by slip Davenish, of Upper George-street, and when I prop o 7 give 10/. for it, it was its utmost value." 00 / Mr. Rawuxsox inquired, how • Mr. Davenish bees party in the business? 1, IC " I will explain it," said an elderly gentleman, et-, ° companied Mrs. Trevor. " This lady is wife to Lord Dungarvon, and therefore it was not consisten t she should herself go round among the brokers, and A l ployed Mr. Davenish." 0 Mr. RAWLINSON thought an explanation necese"'4o the part of Mr. Davenish, and remanded the case 1 " . future hearing. INDIAN BARBARITY. (From the Aurora and Franklin Gazette.) Alen 15.—The truth of the account of the savage Ct inflicted by the Indians, upon a man named Gregori others, having been doubted, the Editor of the OS Traveller, in which paper the statement originailp peared, obtained an interview with Gregory, and recei3O statement from his own mouth, although one third 0 , ; tongue had been cut off. The following is an extract ~ " The narrative of the sufferer differs in no 1 4 0. feudal points from our statement heretofore made. 1 1. 1 tered the service as a waiter or musician at eleven Y 740 age.; was in the army of G enera l H u ll, w h en he _Sol dered at Detroit, and with sixty-th ree o th ers was 06'.1 carried away by the Indians. All of thi s numir t lifol seventeen, who were spared on amonnt of their yot, nets, after being taken into the dense wilderness, sfr t beif to the posts and trees, their elates stripped off, and ( et! bodies thickly perforated with pine torches. In 01 : 44 01 dition, the splinters were ligtted, and they were Ii;i0 roasted alive, and then left to linger ou t th e i r painfeloff ence. Fourteen of the others were alive when Gi`v and his companions made their escape. "It was some of his fello , but A G w ho 1.4 .iregory been scalped, as was stated. One was a worthy lieutentol whose name, if we rightly understand the broken ecc el ' our informant, is :\l‘Crea This officer made three sit teul e with the other to liberat.l himself, but th e sa vages weld • severe and horrid in their punishments of scalri n g. d Y mangling him, that he thirst not again take an unfor bi d of i step. He is believed t., he alive with the Flat HO the present time. Though Gregory was n o t act°,4l scalped, a gash was cut in his forehead across his "'sr, nearly to his neck, and another across from ear to The skin was torn back in the region of the neck, 54) ,i that a piece of the rims -le could be dissected, which roasted and eaten by the Indians, or their captives. Pie " The flesh has been cut from hi s thi g h an d other % e el as has been stated, but it, larger quantities than l o ° • A t ei imagined. His arm hangs by his side, a mass of ec t ,frev as well as useless matter. The rod mad e use of t° it was not of wood, but a common ramrod, and WILII f°e Of through the flesh from the shoulder down, the I,o ' o o the arm, called by anatomists the musculo ctlt f° , c lel nerve, was also severed, 'and hence the skin and ri'ffrel on the back of the arm and hand are entirely withou t , of ing, and in a state of violent contraction. Several ' Cl o p bullet wounds are visible on different parts of th e . l d . which in size are much larger than that on the lef t ', e ,te 3 " The remaining particulars are as we before them." THE MARKETS. COAL MARK Aden's « Ms. 9d. Dean's Primrose - 28 6 Eighton 29 6 Heaton 35 0 Holywell 31 9 Killingworth 34 0 Liddell's Main 29 6 Ord's Redhugh 28 8 Pontop Windsor 29 6 Shipcote SO 0 Tanfleld Moor 32 3 31 3 Willington 34 6 Wylain WallsEndßewicke&Co. 38 3 Ditto Bell Robson & Co. 35 3 Ships at Market, 41534-Sh 'ET.—June 13. (3 ‘,, Walls End VewmarY-'• gil Ditto ; Ditto Burraton 0 • 9 Ditto Can and Co , "'"'" . 6 Ditto Hilda Ditto Hotspur.....--- -- 35 Ditto Riddell's 55 6 Ditto Russell's ; Ditto Walker Tanfield ji 0 Lambton small 0 6 Cubn 6 Hartley 96 A Walls i'nd Hett0n,..,..-• 3 6 6 D;tto L Ibton Ditto L, 94. lips sold, COUNTRY CORN MARK: DUR Wheat. Per Quarter. a. to a. Boston 56 Canterbury 50 63 Grantham 58 62 Grimsby GO 62 54 57 Lincoln 56 GO Maidstone M. 53 68 Spilsby 59 CO Stamford.,„,.. 52 60 COTTON WOOL. LIST OF IMPORTS AND EXPORTS. ISIPORTED. Same pe- This 'riot'. last year. year. Bags, &c. Bags, &c. Liverpool 382,055 213,731 London 35,400 39,736 Glasgow 29,760 13,438 Total exported in 1827 3unsoA , rN r 3 823:54060 : t a . o t 343 . :ii). 2 1 :5, 6,10:8' s. to a. 39 45 38 " 42 40 42 40 44 40 44 42 43 40 44 0. ne t io 11 of. i m o Bagt!2tre -1,535 1 28, 254. MEETINGS OF CREDITORS . 10 ( E , LONDON DI ARY...—FRI )AY, the Commissioners, Basiughall.street.) Chappell, T., Strand ... lO Pearson, T., Mitre - s ou Dalton, J.,Leicester lolPilbeam, T. Ar dinell4ol 11 Fox, 11., lackheath Giles, J., Vauxhall 1 road ......................... Gregory, J., Sun-street lO Ross and Co., Strand ...... 1 Ilaldy, F., Craven-street Johnson and Davies, Vaux- 1 road ............ ..... ••! ........ 11 hall Lintott, W., Leadenhall- street . .................. market lO Of °' INSOLVENTS APPLYING TO BE D ISCHAf t . Petitions to be heard a t P or t uga l -street, Lincoln's Ina ;? 'ti Jume 19, AT NINE. Vi 12' I Johnso,n, J. High-stre et, chapel Kendall, J., Shadwell Newell, G., Poplar UlfO Singlehurst, T., Thomson, A. p e ntor l , 6tr oet Wilkins, J., oiri ers'„vi.,,nl Woodroffe, H., Syde' Beswick, A., Bath Birkins, T., Weymonth.mews, Portland.place Boor, IL, Mark.lane Braddock, R. Stockport Draper, D., Enfield Eynon, J., Bath Harris, S., Hammersmith Johnson, J., Birmingham COUNTRY. -- At the Court.] at Ten house, at C a rnarvoth o'clock. I Webster, T.: Thornley, J. Lask i ? Lout's M., Stamford Smith, J., caisson Sharman,Ryl ot , T. At Carmarthen, June 18, at Ten' „ c raili Llewellyn, W.. Carmarthe Preharne, T., At Reading, .Tune 19, at Tell .. tew burs Chappfll, J., Reading Langfield, Rai .1". a , Feldwiek, E. Eton Lea.ch, J. g,rd ' Giles, R., Newbury Low, K., 'ffunr ,ling Inge, C., Chobcy Terrierr, W., ." Boston Sf.me day, at Wakeflele, at Tei:. B Aahworth, J., Kirkbottom Beeerat, F•, ''''im d Aspinall, W. Halifax ,T,,_Shel 0 01 I uckland, T. Askern Bannister, C., MAtham Q i ie ffie. , ‘,l Barber, J., Sheffield Clark, 1., • st ie fio' B B Bt r e o n a:e er s, J i. , , E; he i e ll id ajcl Bastow, D., Wakefield t;happell, .__ --------- MAI - RIED. At Greenwich church, I.y the Rev. J. Dallin,:ilrilcef Legg, of Bermondsey, to Miss C. Edwar ds, of Nor, ,- , 0 Stratford. f "l.' On Monday, at Highworth Wm flitchcockt i vir Goner-street, Eliza,- a.;I, • r j CrOVl L '' ' ' to e,-est uaug"ter o f • of the former place. DIED. On the let inst. at Salford, ne ar Manchester, Mr.o' Leyland, aged 47. . Wif e On the 11th inst., at Westbourne-green, Catherill'obio, of John Mynn, Esq., a Id daughter of the late son, Esq., of Woodford, , , ag e° At Southsea, on the llth inst., aged 14, Ellen , ; e jte tol l, daughter of the late Wiliam Neville Hart, Esq't °. AI iddlesex. . 7( f WO' On the 12th inst., aler a protracted illness, P. ,11. ' 4 01 1 Carter, of Jack's Coffe .-house, Dlark-lane, ill the year of his age. At Hampstead, on the 12th inst., A. Peell , Esq. ....—.---.......---------...... th e Pantsx.o and Pustxsusn .by 141, YOUTIO. a t St r and. Sox-Orizcx, No. 11%