The Sun. — London, England, 1825-12-22 00:00:00

THE LONDON JOURNALS. DAILY Ritraeis from the Morning Papers, Dec. 22, 1825. [TUE TIMES.] ' :the supposed murder of de Emperor Alex ander, which has been described with so much pomp and circumstance in a Morning Paper, nay form a startling and interesting topic ; but by what authority is it supported, whether of reason or of 'evidence ?—lf a vague statement that such a crime was perpetrated by his own subjects on a Sovereign who deserved so mush better from them, be, bolstered up by precedents drawn from the history of his immediate or former predeces sore, all we can say is, that the characters of those Princes who formerly suffered, and the cir cumstances under which they were assassinated, exhibit no analogy, however distant, with those of -the present time. Peter the Third was altti gether incapable of .governing the empire, and had not Catherine got the start of him, it is thought that she would have been his victim instead of his executioner.—Paul was a nuisance, no longer endurable by the courtiers who sur rounded him, or by the nation at large. He Was at once a madman and a malefactor, whom no laws could restrain or punish, inasmuch as he was himself the sole lawgiver of his domi nions. But was Alexander plotting against the life of any great man, or had he. invaded by ca pricious violence the domestic comforts of any class or individuals among his subjects ? Was he conspiring the death of Constantine, to whom his own is so loosely attributed ? - What sentiment of vengeance, personal or public, could be brought in array against him? So much for the primii facie argument on the question ; but what is the testimony for the fact ?—None ; absolutely none. No authority is assigned for it; uo conveyance is described by which such details could be com municated. If those who publish the statement meant to obtain credit for it, they are bound to _say something at least in favour of the grounds on which they assert it : as at present vouched for, we are utterly incredulous of the fact. We know, as was mentioned in our Paris letter in the Times of the 19th of November, that the Em peror had long been in a state of health which excited alarm in all who saw him. [NEW TIMES.] Several circumstances concurred yesterday to throw a doubt on the alleged death of the Em peror Alexander, which, however, seems now to .be pretty fully confirmed. The chief cause of doubt, was the publication of a narrative in a Morning Paper, drawn up very much in the style of the " Fashionable Intelligence" of the same print.—" On his return from the Steppes of the Crimea," says the elegant writer, " and before he quitted Taganrok, a succession of fetes was given." (This smells sadly of the shop.)—" In one of these a water-party was formed on the sea of Azof, which bathes the walls of the town, ?ic." Whether this florid composition was penned by the author of the " Court Circular" at Taganrok, or whether some Lady of the Bed chamber to her Imperial Majesty conveyed the tidings to our contemporary, we pretend not to divine. The tale, however, is well got up, and just in time for the Christmas Pantomimes; only we have to regret that in dates and other official par ticularities, it is rather scanty. In another respect the. narrative we own, a little surprises us. If the Grand Duke Constantine has really ascended the throne of the Czars, -we think he will feel his Imperial dignity a little wounded by the statement, " about five years ago the Grand Duke Constantine conspired against the authority and life of his brother !"—more espe cially as we happen to know that that part of the story is entirely false. The circumstance al luded to was related to us by an eye-witness. It was a mutiny not of " some regiments of Impe rial Guards," but of a single regiment of the line ; it was solely excited by the severe discip- Jim, of a German Adjutant named Muller : it was quelled without difficulty by Count Potemkin, and it occurred at St. Petersburgh while Con staatine was at Warsaw. [MORNING POST.] The intelligence which we published yesterday respecting the violent death of the Emperor Alexander, has produced, as we naturally ex pected, a deep impression far and wide. Of the fact of his assassination few have ventured to ex press a doubt, and on that point the general opi nion coincides with our own. On the correctness of the details none are entitled to decide, except those who know the source from which the in formation was derived ; still less are any justir fled,- is one of our Evening contemporaries has - dope,- in saying that " its inquiries led it to believe that no such intelligence had reached this, country in any authentic shape." The inquiries of that contemporary, if he were really enabled to make any, we are convinced ought .to have led him to a directly opposite con clusion. With his incredulity, however, we do' not quarrel ; for what value can we attach to the opinion of ,one, who after stating one day as facts " upon good authority " things which re presented the Bank of England as unable to pay to any coniiderable amount, either in gold or notes, and reduced, as it were, to the ,last stage, of distress—is compelled the day after, CC not to lose a moment in announcing the fact," that all his assurances were without foundation, and all his " good authority'! an imagination and a name ! But though we permit him cheerfully to turn against us that incredulity which he would have done better to exercise upon his own statements, we have a just respect for the opinion of the public. For its satisfaction, therefore, we 'deem it necessary again positively to state•that the intelligence which we published yesterday was received in thbie high quarters which we described ; that we gave the statements correctly, such as they hadhreen communicated to us, and that whether confirmed by futuie accounts in every particular, or contradicted in some, they were at the time we were . made•acquainted.„with their' nature, the only information in the possession of these who are most ,conversant ,with, and consequently the best judges of, authenti city. That any persons should have ven tured to suppose that with a character like ours to maintain, we should have inserted a statement of such importance without being satisfied as to the quarter from whence it came and the real existence of the information which it conveyed, does not excite in us a feeling of resentment, but one of surprise and compassion at their want of candour and common sense. The statement which we were enabled exclusively to give, we repeat, may or may not prove correct ; but for the fact of its having been received in an highly respectable quarter, we stand pledged to the public. [MORNING HERALD.] It will be seen by our Court Circular that the Ministers are not on a bed of roses. Our Court Circular informant states that the meeting of the Ministers has regard to that which is called Fin ance. Our belief is, that the Ministers are at their wit's end to know what to do—whether to siispend Mr. Peel's Bill, or wait to see if the Bank of England can stein the sovereign demand storm. * Our fear is so far as Mr. Peel's baby is concerned, that the Ministers must give way, and that the baby must be put to sleep at least for the present. Ten millions of sovereigns, to stand against the possible pre sentation of forty millions of Bank of England and country notes, is not enough. To stand against such a possible presentation, twenty mil lions of sovereigns is wanted. Our recommenda tion to the Ministers is, to rescind the Bill, and introduce one and two pound notes, as well as thirty shilling and fifty-shilling notes. This ex periment they might have recourse - to at all events for a trial. We would also recommend them to rescind the Usury Laws, as well as the Law of Arrest for debt, which latter law may be called tc part and parcel of Anti-christ." The Ministers have more to do than they at present ima gine, if they be honest men. Except they re scind Mr. Peel's Bill, and introduce small notes, the Stocks will fall to a low price ; and if our Stocks fall to a low price, what will become of the Paris Stocks, or those of Naples, Vienna, Berlin, Copenhagen, Petersburgh, and South America? Where will the - dividends come from, if our Stocks should fall so low as that the French, Neapolitans, Germans, Danes,. Russians, and South Americans should not be able to raise loans is this country to pay dividends in respect of the loans already contracted ? [THE PUBLIC LEDGER If we can depend upon the Dail; of Tuesday, the report of the regular order of succession to the Russian Throne having been set aside, by a testamentary disposition of the late Emperor, is wholly erroneous. Constantine, the right heir, according to the law of promogeniture, has suc ceeded without apparent opposition, and was to be proclaimed at St. Petersburg on the 15th instant ; for which Capital, too, he appears to have set out on the very day that he was apprized of the death of his predecessor. His brother Michael, who was the bearer of the news, tra velled in such haste, that he was only five days on the road between Petersburgh and - Warsaw, having arrived in the latter City on the Bth—the day on which, we are told, the new Emperor set out for the liussian capital. It is clear, therefore, that he would not forfeit his right for want of di ' ligence, and from this first specimenpf his temper in his Imperial capacity, we have perhaps a clue to the character of his reign. That Michael an ticipated no opposition to the regular order of succession is dear, from the journey he had un dertaken, and particularly from its rapidity.— Had he the slightest doubts on the subject, he would have slackened his pace at least ; and his view of the matter may be taken as a very fair criterion of the manner in which the higher class of Russians see it generally. The complaint of which the late Emperor died was an erysipelas, which had itsorigin in a fall from a ussian carriage, called a drowski, some years previously, and whichAlexander,probably trusting too much to the natural strength of his constitution, could not be prevailed upon to treat with the necessary atten tion. Thus the greatest effects are often produced by the slightest causes ; and a trivial accident, so trivial indeed as to be considered by the per son most interested as wholly unworthy of care, is likely to unhinge the affairs of the whole world. Every circumstance, attending this event, is cal culated to inspire solemn musings ; and the thea trical or rather brutal account of it (its pathos does not do away with its brutality) which ap peared in a Morning Paper of ye•terday, was not at all necessary for the purpose of effect. [BRITISH PRESS.j The French Papers which arrived last night throw no light on the mysterious circumstances attending the sudden death of the Emperor Alex ander. It is presumed that his decease resulted from the erysipelas iu his leg ; but this is a mere conjecture. Constantine, it is stated, was pro claimed Emperor at Warsaw immediately on the arrival of the intelligence. We observe that there is no account of the Grand Duke Nicholas. It is a singular fact that Count Lieven, the Russian Ambassador, has yet received no official information of the demise of his Sovereign. So important an event ought to have been instantly notified to him from his Court, and great surprise has naturally been excited at the silence observed towards him. In the state of entire ignorance in which we are with regard to what has taken place in Russia, it is quite premature to spe culate on the probable consequences of the accession of Constantine. He is known to be a great favourite with the military, and is himself an excellent soldier. His habits have been discip lined by actual service. In a despotic empire like that of Russia the •only great changes are those which occur in the person of its ruler. His charac ter may therefore be said to controul the destiny of his people. Constantine is of an irregular and impetuous disposition, withuat any fixed princi ples, moral or religioubs. What course of policy he may be inclined to pursue, or what influence his policy, whatever it may be, may exercise" over the general politics of Europe,•time 'alone can develope. He is friendly to the Greeks, and It is by no means improbable that h. may be dis posed to signalize the commencement of his reign by crossing the Pruth with the fine army now collected on its banks. The Turks have fur nished him with as good a pretext for war as he can desire, by their refusal to evacuate the Prin cipalities of Wallachia and Moldavia. No mea sure would render him more popular with his subjects, whose feelings in favour of the Greeks were painfully repressed by Alexander. The very name that Constantine bears was given to him by his grandmother, the Empress Catharine, with refer!nce to her project of re-establishing in his person, at Constantinople, the Empire of the West. In his youth a medal was struck, in-I scribed to " Constantine, King of the Greeks."l He has always cherished the hope of accomplish ing this design, and now that he is suddenly in vested with power to gratify his ambition, he , will hardly be induced, from any purely poli tical considerations, to forego the dearest object of his desires. He is too untamed to be yoked to the car of the Holy Alliance. He is far better skilled in the use of the sword than in the study of the law of nations, and will naturally be in clined to settle any difference with regard to the latter by an appeal to the former. EMORNING CHRONICLi.] Yesterday was a holiday at the Bank, but not withstanding that circumstance, the Directors, with great liberality, although contrary, we un derstand, to all former precedent, permitted a transfer to be made by a person engaged for a Country Bank, who was enabled to state a case of such emergency, as to require this indul gence. The price quoted 79!, and sales for this day in the Three per Cents. were effect ed at 79f ; and Three and a half per Cents. at 86+ 87. On the Stock Exchange a good deal of business was done. Consols for Ac count opened at 80-a ; cod in consequence of some heavy purchases, they subsequently ad vanced to 81+, but at a later period of the day fell to 80i. Upon the whole, the Market looked well, and a further advance in prices is expected. ➢Money has evidently become more abundant, and the demands for Stock were numerous. This cir cumstance is ascribed to two causes—first, to the large purchases which have been made of Exchequer Bills, the discount on which has fallen to 15s. and 305., although within the last few days above 80s.; and, secondly, to the fact of the Bankers, who had been oblig ed to sell in order to make provision for ex pected runs during the late unaccountable panic, having again made their appearance, with a view to re-invest their floating capital. In many cases good bills have been discounted in private cir cles at 5 per cent., but in others it was said that this accommodation could not be obtained. We have no doubt, however, that as confidence is hourly increasing, all complaints of this sort will shortly be at an end. In the course of the morning it was stated that accounts had been received of the failure of no less than ten differ ent Country Banks; but this produced no visible effect on the public mind, as they were all consi dered to be of minor importance, although, no doubt, productive of much local inconvenience. Great complaints are made of the avidity with which every little event has been seized end aggravated, with a view to increase the agitation of the country ; but so many mis statements have now been exposed, that people take the trouble of making inquiries, before they give implicit bclief to the singular and impro bable rumours which are industriously circulated, The price of Russian Stock has advanced from 78 to 80, and, upon the whole, may be said to be looking up. The intelligence given us in a Morning Paper, respecting the violent death of the Emperor Alexander, was not believed ; ac counts having been received by mercantile houses, ascribing the event to natural causes. BANKERS' RESOLUTION, &c. 17'97. On the Proclamation for suspending Cash Payments in 1797, the principal Merchants and Bankers are related to have directly afterwards assembled at the Mansion- House, where they drew up and adopted the following Reso lution : " Mansion-House, London, Feb. 27, 1797. " At a Meeting of the Merchants, Bankers, &., held here this day, to consider of the steps hich it may be proper to take to prevent embarrassment to public credit, from the effects of any ill-founded or exaggerated alarms, and to sup port it with the utmost exertions at the present important conjuncture; " The Lord Mayor in the Chair. " Resolved unanimously—That we the undersigned, being highly sensible how necessary the preservation of public credit is at this time, do most readily hereby declare, that we will not refuse to receive Bank notes in payment of any sum of money to be paid to us ; and we will use our utmost endeavours to make all payments in the same manner. (Si'ned) " BROOK WATSON." The signatures of all present were immediately affixed to this Resolution. In the course of a few days it was likewise signed by all the principal merchants, bankers, and traders through out London, and copies of it were immediately circulated in all parts of the kingdom. A similar paper was also signed and published by the principal Lords of the Privy Council. The Resolution was followed by a demi-official paper, as it is termed ihthe accounts of the panic in 1797, intitled " Bank Notes," and setting forth the reasons for issuing them only, and for having confidence in them. Having enumerated the Bank capital, and the character of its dealings, the demi-official pro clamation thus concluded :=-" Under these circumstances, no thing short of a collusion, or confederacy (which is inconceiv. able), between the Government and the Bank can furnish a doubt of the solidity and ultimate security of Bank Notes." 'Whilst the alarm was at its height the Bank was repeatedly crowded, day after day ; but says Anderson's "Annals of Com merce," within a few days (so great is the versatility of the human mind) all transactions of every kind went on as if no thing had happened. TILE MATTAN DIAMOND. — The Rajah of Mat tan, in Borneo, possesses the largest and finest diamond which has hitherto been. discovered. It is said to be of the finest water, and weighs 467 carats, while the celebrated Pitt dia mond weighs only 127. The Mattan diamond is shaped like an egg, with an intented hollow near the smaller end. It was discovered at Laudack, about 90 years ago ; and though the possession of it has occasioned numerous wars, it has been about eighty years in the Mattan family. Many years ago the Go vernor of Batavia sent a Mr. Stewart to ascertain the weight, quality, and value of this diamond, and to endeavour to pur chase it ; and in this mission he was accompanied by the pre sent Sultan of Pohtiana. After examining it, Mr. Stewart of fered a hundred and fifty thousand dollars for the di:tmond;the sum to which he was limited; and, in addition to this sum, two war brigs, - with their guns and ammuition, together with a certain number of great guns, and a quantity, of powder and shot. The Rajah, however, refused to deprive his family of so valuable an hereditary possession, to which the Malays attach the miraculous power of curing all kinds of disease, by means of the water in which it dipped, and with which they ima gine the fortune of the family is connected. • ' ANTI-SLAVERY SOCIETY. Yesterday a General Meeting of the Members of this Society took place at Freemasons' Tavern, for the pur pose of petitioning Parliament to adopt measures for the aboli don of slavery in the British Colonies. The Meeting was very numerously attended by persons of both sexes. Mr. WILBWORCE having taken the Chair, he assured ▪ Meeting that it was with unaffected diffidence he had obey ed the call of many kind friends in presuming to occupy the chair. He felt that having been compelled by indisposition to retire from his more proper scene of labour—he meant Par liament.,—it did not become him to occupy so prominent a situation as that which he filled on the present occasion.— But he also felt that he ought not for a moment to consider any motives of a personal nature when he was called upon to fulfil a great and important duty to God and man.—(Ap plause.)--Believing, therefore, that it might be for the in terest of the cause that he should occupy the chair without furtherparley, he consented to the proposal. They were as sembled for the purpose of petitioning Parliament to urge for ward that reform in the state of the slave population in the British Colonies, which would place that population in a con dition to enjoy and appreciate the blessings of enfranchise ment—a consummation that Parliament had pledged itself to bring about as speedily as possible. Of the necessity and pro. priety of such an application to the Legislature no one could entertain a doubt who recollected the circumstances attending the long contest on a subject similar to that which now occu pied their attention—he meant the abolition of the slave trade. —(Applause.)—lt was in consequence of the people of England taking up that cause that it was at last rendered successffil. It was at the present moment the more necessary .for the friends of humanity to bestir themselves, because a large and active party was formed to oppose them. It was by the union of people of the middle class of society, amongst whom was comprised the greatest portion of virtue and understanding in every free community, that they must hope to r e nd er their cause successful, one step towards which was their assembling on the present occasion. —(Hear !)—He was happy to see se veral gentlemen present who would be able to point out the situation in which the cause at present stood, and what mea sures it was necessary to take thereupon.—(Applause.) Mr. MAcatmEir then read the Report of the Committee of the Society, from which we make the following interesting extracts:— " Since the publication of the Second Report of the Society, read in this place on the 30th of April last, a large mass of most important information, on the subject of Colonial Slavery, has been laid before Parliament. A digest of the most mate rial parts of these Parliamentary documents has been publish ed, under the title of The Slave Colonies of Great Britain ; or a Picture of Negro Slavery, drawn by the Colonists them. selves.' It has happily admitted us to a near view of the in terior of society in one of the Slave Colonies, Berbice, where the Fiscal had been so attentive to his duty as to preserve sonic record, though an imperfect one, of the causes of com plaint, on the part of the slaves, which came before him.— We are not to suppose that the slave system in this Co lony is marked by features of peculiar atrocity. The pre sumption, on the contrary, is rather in favour of th e com parative lenity, because it is one of the few slave colonies in which the population does not diminish. We have unfortu nately no similar disclosures from any of the other colonies.— But when we consider what a mass of suffering is laid open to our view in the account which has reached us from this single colony, containing about 23,000 slaves, being scarcely a fortieth part of the whole slave population, how frightfully would that mass have been augmented, had we received a similar rep or t o f the remaining 800,000 ! Over their sufferings the veil of obli vion has been drawn. Of them no record has been preserved. We may imagine, indeed, what they must have been, from the glimpse which has been afforded is in the returns from Berbice; but the full amount of their horrors can now be known only to Him whose eye makes inquisition for the blood of the innocent, and by whom not one sigh of the oppressed is disregarded. Revolting, in every point of view, as is the delineation contained in these papers, of the state of Bri tish Colonial Slavery, as it exists in law and in practice, there is at least this advantage attending the melancholy de tail, that it serves amply to confirm the view of the nature and effects of that cruel system which has been sanctioned and circulated by this Society, making their statements to ap pear even cold and tame in the comparison. These Parlia mentary documents are particularly valuable, as exemplify. ing the unchanged spirit of Colonial Legislation on the sub. ject of slavery. The local legislatures have refused, without a single exception, to comply even with the moderate requisitions of his Majesty's Ministers, as these arc embodied in the Order in Council for Trinidad ; and the Colonists generally exult in the refusal, encouraging each other to persevere in the same contumacious course. Their tone of secure and triumphant irony is remarkable. 4 'We beg you to observe,' says the Editor of one of their newspapers—and we give the passage only as an illustration of the prevailing spirit—' We beg you to observe, that not one of the unconquered Colonies '(meaning the Colonies having legislatures of their own) h a v e h a d t h e ci vility to comply with Earl Bathurst's wishes, notwithstanding he informed them, in the most earnest and feeling manner, of the serious extent of the disappointment which his Majesty's Government would experience if they rejected his application. We sympathize most sincerely with his Lordship on this unex pected event.' "_ • Sir Jannis libentfetrosie..then. addressed the Meeting at considerable length, founding his charges against the system of Slavery, mainly upon the information furnished by the report of Mr. Wallis, a West' Indian Proprietor. That report, while it furnished the most horrifying details of cruelty, intimated that Negroes were totally insensible to the wretchedness of their state. That on the contrary they were a merry and con tented population, much addicted to frisking and playing.— The Poet, in vindication of a benevolent Providenc e , se t forth the insensibility of the lamb devoted to slaughter as an instance of mercy— " The Lamb thy riot dooms to bleed to-day, Had he thy reason would he frisk and play ? • Pleased to the last, he crops the flow'ry food, And licks the hand just raised to shed his blood." Such was the mitigation now aflbrded to the misery of the slave. —Man must be brutalized' into a disregard of his rights and wrongs, and sunk into bestial apathy, before he can tamely endure oppression. The rational being was thus reduced even below the level of the brute, as being conscious of his degra dation. From what he could collect, the slave's condition had this aggravation, that he was made to " lick the hand just raised to shed his blood:" For any atrocity might be coin mitted with impunity upon an unfortunate Negro, if there were not three witnesses to ,prove the fact. In one instance, a master had the cruelty to inflict upon his slave 150 lashes, and because no white person was present at the time, the criminal escaped unpunished ! This melancholy occurrence it was which induced Chief Justice Pigot to propose a bill to the Legislature for the admissibility of Negro evidence, which, however, was immediately rejected. The pOor Negroes plainly had- no tongues, but those of their wounds, and the question was, whether those tongues could speak loudly enough to reach the feeling of British hearts. The Colonial Legislature was deaf to the voice of complaint, and the sufferers were left without advocates--a prey to the barbarity of their masters.-- He was no enemy to the welfare of British Weet Indians,. and in the present instance he was urging measures, the adoption of which would eventually contribute to their solid advantageeand Ito the interests of the Empire. He was no partizan for the sudden emancipation of the Negroes. He deprecated the con sequences which might flow from so ill-advised a measure.--: He would conceive them to be the second of evils ; • but the first evil of all others in his estimation was perpetual sla• very.—(Great applause.)--Ile then adverted to the Parlia mentary Resolutions of 1013, which pointed out the expe diency of measures calculated to the gradual emancipation of the slaves and recognized them as subjects of, the realm.— This last he deemed an important admission, en 'which-lie would congratulate' the friends 'Of 'humanity. Time Bla'cks being his Majesty's subjects, ought no longer to be in bondage. For this assertion he had a high and powerful authority in the virtuous and lamented Sir S. Romilly, who was the first to use the language he had just employed. He would therefore con fidently maintain that these who were British subjects were un constitutionally, immorally, and cruelly deprived of liberty, their most sacred and inalienable right. An order of the'King in Council directed that a substantial mitigation should take place in the treatment of the slaves ; and it was conditioned that any resistance to the proposed melioration should be founded in reason—not in contumacy. We were now aware of the species of resistance made to those equitable propositions, and we should call Parliament to a sense of its honour in redeeniing the pledge it had given, we should show that the people were ready to support them in forwarding the interests of , justice.— The question submitted to the Legislature of the greatest of the Colonies as to the admissibility of negro witnesses, was indig nantly rejected by a majority of thirty-four to one, that is of the whole house to the mover. Now the competency of the evidence of Blacks was so essential to their security, that it would be folly to propose more after the defiance with which the colony rejected this first essential measure, as if they were independent of the legal authority, and regardless of the feelings of flee British nation. One would imagine that an independent state might have listeeed to the communication with more respect than the colony thought proper to pay to the expressed sense of the mother country. It syas quite clear that the time of contumacious rejection was now come—it was .viii} to expect the adoption of a proper course otherwise than throtigh the interference of Parliament. He proceeded to argue the safety and reasonableness of the proposed change, from the concurrence of all parties in its expediency. ' Both Houses of Parliament, including many West Indian proprie tqrs, his Majesty's Governinent, the people to a man, were all unanimous on the subject. The Hon. Gentleman concluded with moving the first resolution. Mr. BnouGHAM, on rising to second the resolution, was re; ceived with loud and con ti nue d plaudits. Ho claimed but few moments' attention, as th e eloquent argumenterand insPe r ' tant facts adduced by his Hon. Friend, rendered it unnecessal for him to trespass much at length on the time of the IVleetigi He would merely give a brief reply to some objections off I: A by adversaries to emancipation. Be and his party were CC,' enthusiasts, because they felt indignant that moo' of fellow-creatures were subjected to the infliction of the :F-,"; eat cruelties--because their feelings were roused by the t, position of those injuries. They were charged with rasha.r ed and how far did th e y d eserve thi s i mputat i on ? They wai . o f patiently the abolition of West Indian slavery for a quarter a century, and to this d a y th a t a b o liti on , was res i s ted. It was also objected to them that their reasonings and their chargesl; rested upon acco u nt s d er i ve d f rom t h e a d versar ies of tho se whom they accused. But he would not now offer a word frog himself, not a syllable which was not registered under.thehen7l and seals of interested proprietors themselves, and they viro. u te be found to supply matter abundantly sufficient to s ubstantle sp the . charges made. It was an a d m i tte d f act, n that for the vli a i, , ton abuse of a slav e , by whipping, bruising, or otherwise ) , b treating him, which included a large chapter of bodily Po ment, the perpetrator could only be fined a sum not exceenn t 171., hut it might no t amount to 17d. A n d t hi s ena ctment/ se was said, would e nd ear th e b enevo l ence o f th e Legislatf s so ; posterity ! Before 1805, the punishment for murder di". the exceed a fine of 151. A new law increased the mulct, if it crime were perpetrated without provocation. What auge r, be construed as pro v o ca ti on ? P er h aps t h e lifting of nee or any other petty ac t o f di srespect . Th e ma i m i n g of a 8 was punishable by a fine, and that fine without a miribrill o s The white man's g re a t est v i o l ence comm i tte d on a black d, punishable by a fine. The black man, for hearing words !e ls , mg to mutiny, and not disclosing the same, was punish,'" t he with a fine ?-0h ! no—with death ! lie would call for of immediate abolition of the cart-whip, and the admissib7 t he negro evidence ; and would insist that the friend! f, tios e, African slaves were the best friends of the planters. sentiments he most heartily concurred in the wishes ail' s. Ilon Friend. . 00 in Mr. F. BUXTON rose to propose a st r i n g of resole t : the furtherance of the object of die meeting. He depret n the enormous expence at which the nation had to main'," was abominable system n ow un d er cons id erat i on ; his he r ' — as terS particularly excited by the unnatural power whiell, lll had, to divide husband and wife—parent and chilo.,. ;$ he charge, when fi rs t ma d e , was ca ll e d a lib e l ; b ut i u proof ;fee offered an adverti semen t w hi c h b e h a d l ate l y rea d, b) . a o ' 5 , James Bennett, w h o offered for sale a fresh supply of b' o rl f carriages, negroes, boys and girls, recommending 1 ‘, 1 ,1, 0 i, selection to his cus t omers . A M r . P a d more l ost 12,w7 00 to his humanity, in not s e lli ng hi s s l aves w i t h the plat° which they were annexed. he a rs the DEN MAW followed and dilated with great eloque n ho rd the impolicy of West Indi a n ju r i s p ru d ence . He was tea with extreme attention by th e meet i ng , an d exc ited rep s applause. I en' Dr. LUSHINGTON, wh o was prevente d b y pro f e ssion' or gagements from attendin g th e M eet i ng t ill a l a t e hour, P ool e sued a line of argument which h a d already been taken by s e of of the speakers wh o p rece d e d hi m. li e i mp l ore d the v°lool the people in supp or t o f t h e exert i ons o f t h e parlin sl " , their liiends of liberty, as grea t diffi cu l t i es were oppose,' to whit benevolent intentions by some fifty or sixty Members' oil whom private interest was a more persuasive considerati on o o the public good. H e pledged himself never to quit the t feel,' in which he had emb ar k e d, unt il i ts success was comP sea achieved. With an elaborate encomium on the labours eet e past services of th e Hon. G en tl eman , h e move d t h a t tbe,ixorii tion to the House Of L or d s h ou ld b e entruste d to his ° i ota Highness the Duke of Gl oucester , an d t h at to t h e Coot° Mr. F. Buxton. Messrs. J. J. GURNEY (who read and moved the avj l s• e' of the Petition to P a rli amen t) C HAMBERS, an d Cnor!"„,ech verally addressed the M ee ti ng , an d were rece i ve d with '- attention and respect. In putting Dr. Lushington's resolution, The CHAIRMAN bore testimony t o th e di s ti ng uished se r ` e d .ice : done to the cause by hi s R o y a l Hi g h ness. H e pr onoun e Ti o e just eulogiuna upon his active, steady, and persevering 1;g1i. of the measure, from the fir s t moment i n w hi c h hi s RoYsf ness had entered the lists of humanity up to the present.l. t i o set ur Me also paid a high compliment to the character and aho l , co of Mr. Buxton, upon whom he fully relied for the furtherf.`iDee. this great and desirable object ; and when he (Mr. 11 muggy or force) should be no longer a bl e t o atten d to P ar liarnetr". wars other duties, there was no one t o w h om h e cou ld look ecelu ' with more satisfaction, or whom he could more s trongly r mend, than that Hon. Gentleman. Mr. FAYELL then moved a Vote of Thanks to ii r n'`eheir, berforce, Esq. not only for hi s con d uct t hi s d a y in the " o w but for his undeviating principl es , hi s p erse v er ing and e cl ose ampled industry during a l o n g an d l a b or i ous life, in t" jas' of universal benevolence. His name must live as leng e n ot' ace and liberty should b e d ear t o a B r i ton ' s h ear t. He"' ~ fort is ed that the City of London b a d so l ong d e l a y e d to put , seer opinion upon this o ccas i on ; b ut we h a d at l eng th live• to it express its voice- 3 voi ce w hi c h wou ld reac h from s' 4 f the shore, and would penetrat e th roug h out a ll the nation' hea rd universe. He believed it was the wish of all who no_ s to see WI him, that he who laid th e f oun d at i on stone , should ' the edifice completed to his sat, sfaction. ale inl l Mr. GURNEY seconded the motion, eulogizing Fat and character of the venerable Chairman, whose tnee k %rne9 ) Christian humility suffi c i en tly exempte d him (SIC. .ht b e from the eharge of p ersona l fl attery, w hi c h ot h e rwise 111 ti t ioti attributable to him. The Hon. Chairman had a highe r 50' ef d ie than that of human praise ; nevertheless it was the dtitY his e%' Meeting to make these public acknowledgements o f us e.)''' cellence which his grea t mer i ts ca ll e d forth.—(APPB The motion was carried unanimously (all standing). t The venerable CHAIRMAN returned thanks in 3 ' l : n o hie dress. He said it w a s n o t f or hi m t o arrogate to hinisel e o ese , a distinction as that of bein the promoter of this noble if; butt he could name many who bore asgreat a share as hirn s e, e ntles" to banish all affectation, he acknowledged that be t!'" i i the your to do his best. If we lay the foundation of a cause it observance of the laws of God and the just rights ° l ee e m bed must ultimately succeed. The promoters °Odds 00 ,30 0 1 been charged with having p r o cee d e d too ra pidly to e n migb , e• to alter existing things. H ow f ar t h at c h arg e was tr be collected from the e v id e n ce o f t h e N e groes theinsei v t o of" sides, what a different pict u re was presented to theiolf..-' mere looker-on, and to the s l a ve w h o felt the lash i n clud e Forty years, as Mr. Brougham had stated, could not riser be a hasty measure. He tru s t e d suc h a c h a rge cold • new substantiated ; a period of thirty years or thereabouts co ail elapsed since a propo s iti on s i m il ar to t h a t w hich Islr •,`" ece , had brought b e fo re tile House, was recommended, Elirg sn Indian Gentlemen themsel ve s, f or th e p u rpose of F u me/ abe t end to so much human misery. L e t the 'Meeting T eri ' eXer; that they were answerable both to God a nd man for t c tions. The Indians said it was not their interests aw . n 3 o nly' we consulted, but ours also. It was not their busiP e ' to be s bat our duty. Their very enemies acknowledge the n ;/ t he a t : degraded people, and it was therefore our duty E.° Cal t ' le 531 7 tension of Parliament to their condition. , Let not ie , 21 1. 4 0 outcry be raised now which was raised before, but be passed which should give those men the liberties ?: 4 _, w oo!„ to which they were entitled, and then let it be seen o a l_ s s . ` ent I' ve sse . ° be its consequence. Let us do our duty, and do its own, and universal charity and service shall he „ he n di'' to all mankind.—( Loud applause.)—The Meeting persed. _ --- COAI, MARKET," DEc. 21. bbl i tri . Burdon, 35s 6d—Beaumont, 35 s —Beaton, Main, 37s 3d—Holywell,-38s—Kiliingwortli, 37s 11 ` 1 .. --i foO r , e A r gs Windsor, 33s 6d—Tanfield- Moor, 37s Main, 34s—Ord's Redhugh, 33 s 6d—l'ercy East, 3 i s ' ke s ti` —Walls End Bell and Co. 38s 6d—W a lls End Bewlf,, bpd Co. 40s 6d to 40s 9d—Walls End Burraton, 365- - ".,;t t a }lo t ' Green's, 35s—Walls End Hotspur, 36s 3d—Wall s ton, 35s 6d—Walrs End Newmarch, thumberland, 36s 3d—Walls End Riddell's, 39s— sT Russell's, 39s 6d—Walls End Walker, 38s 6d—H eV ° ;;isu" 22s 3d—Lambton Primrose small, 24s—Tantield Trader:wroet —Stone Coal, 52s—Eden Main. 36s 3d—batnbton PT lcs] l ' 36s 6d—Lyon's Main, 38s 6d to 39s—Russell's Hetton s, g e t , End, 42s 6d—Walls End Hetton, 42s 6d—W a lls Er 3 : o rt'sr ton's, 355—Walls End Lambton, 42s 6d—Walls'End S te 42s 6d.—Ships at market, 83i —Ships sold, 56: I faril' BIRTHS „. Yesterday,,at Mr. Bari g's ho use , . in Piccadilly, Pi r phry St. John Illildmay, of a son. • J• 0 ' ' I 1 a r ' On the nth inst., in Gower.street, the lady of • _..--- ham, Esq., of a daughter f ollt. her • MEI). On Wednesday, the 21st inst , aged 20, at the ticw oo- . ri , brother-in-law, :WI-. S. Passey inst., Butts, S us ,, a 61 a .. fifth daughter of the late Rev. W. Bradley, of Colef°r"' cestershire. On the 11th inst., at Avignon, the non. Mrs. Long: gr. T . On Wednesday, the 30th oh., Margaret, w il P cR. 5" Eubanke, secretary to the Vauxhall-bridge Compahisiv-,c 00 On the 17th inst., at her house, Londwater, ne ar f ,fr. worth, Herts, Mrs. Elizabeth Al organ. ber 0 .116 On the 21st inst., Sarah Graham, second datirt t ; , ne , in ' George Graham, of Prospect-place, Southwark, so c "T -40' _..../ 24th year of her age Printed and Published for th e PROPRIETORS, at " t:1 :.4 . OFFICE, No. 112, Strand, by 0445141'..