The Sun. — London, England, 1834-02-07 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS. The consequences of the changes in the Post office arrangements, and of the breaking up of the monopoly of the Post-office clerks in the purchase and transmission of foreign newspapers, which we mentioned on Wednesday, must be of great impor tance to the whole empire, and must be almost im mediately and beneficially felt both at home and abroad. The present practice, in respect both to the transmission of domestic and foreign journals, or, at least, in respect to the arbitrary power exer cised by the Post-office subalterns upon both, has long been pointed out by us as an intolerable grievance, demanding a speedy remedy. If we were disposed to admit (as we have never been back ward to do in similar cases) that the emoluments of the existing clerks were not more than adequate to the extent of their labours, still we were bound strongly to reprobate and condemn that system by which they were paid in a manner calculated to de feat one of the main objects of the institution which they were appointed to administer. The Post office is avowedly made a source of considerable revenue to the State, after paying all the necessary expenses incidental to its management; but even though, on the contrary, it were a positive charge on the public income, its obvious uti lity and general convenience ought to in sure its safety and efficiency. What, then, shall be said of the paltry perquisites of 7,0001. or 8,0001. a-year, whose exaction by the clerks or the subalterns of the establishment have had the effect of controlling or limiting the transmission of intelli gence, and thus of crippling one of the most bene ficial and magnificent institutions of which any country ever could boast ? By the abandonment of the claims, or the abolition of the privileges, of the Post-office clerks, over the introduction of foreign journals, all obstacles are now removed to the ar rangements which foreign post-offices were disposed to form with ours, on the subject of transmitting newspapers to their destination, whether in this country or abroad. In speaking about the negotia tions of the Director-General of the posts in France, who came to London last spring to make a settle ment better adapted to the increasing intimacy and frequency of intercourse between the two countries, we mentioned that one of his objects was to pro cure an equitable exchange of the journals of France and England at a reasonable ra'e of postage. We mentioned at the same time, that his liberal offer, were resisted by the subaltern authority of the Eaglish plenipotentiary on the miserable considera tion that the clerks of the office would thus be deprived of their monopolizing perquisites. The proposition of the French Government evinced then no inconsiderable self-denial, and certainly a great disposition to secure for France such an ac quaintance with English affairs as newspapers can supply. They offered to exchange newspaper for newspaper, at the same rate of transmission, though one of our broad sheets would contain nearly one halt or one-third of all the Paris journals put toge ther. The negotiation on this subject, which was broken off in consequence of influences with which we are certain the Noble Duke at the head of the establishment had nothing to do, may now be re newed with the greatest certainty of success. The arrangement made on this point with France will, no doubt, extend to Belgium, and perhaps to the rest of the Continent ; so that the foreigners or English travellers desirous of reading the discus sions in the English Parliament, or of being made acquainted with the political disputes and domestic interests of our country, will not be obliged to re sort to the meagre details of Galignani, or to the partial extracts of other foreign journals, for their limited information of English affairs. This we reckon in itself an immense advantage. It will tend, so far as it goes, to extend the knowledge of the English language, and, we trust, a respect for English institutions. It will connect an acquaintance with our sentiments and opinions, on great political, commercial, and moral questions, with the agitating events of the day, and thus secure their general diffusion, if not adoption. It will thus enlarge the circle of English influence in the same way as that of France was extended by the spread of her lighter literature, of that of Spain by her theatrical entertainments be fore the bigotry of the Philips had limited the con fines of their sway. At present our own news papers are transmitted to any part of the United kingdom duty free, and there is no reason why they should be charged with any duty on being sent abroad. If such a rule were adopted at home, and if we offered, as we might safely do, to give the same facilities to foreign journals as to our own, on an understanding of reciprocity, we should not only aid in making England known to the Continent, but the Continent known to England. Any objection to such an arrangement, grounded on the hypothesis that by opening wide the English post-bag for the reception of all newspapers from abroad, we might encourage the printing of English newspapers at Calais or Ostend to avoid the British stamp duties, ..... . is perfectly ridiculous. What wiseacre would fix his engine in France or Belgium to work against the English Stamp-office, when by the very distance and delay, the priority of intelligence, which constitutes its only value, would be lost before his tardy journal could reach the market ? Admit ting that our own newspapers may have been ori ginally transmitted duty free in consideration of the amount of impost which they pay to the Stamp office, it would appear to us to be absurd to apply the rules of our Stamp-office to foreign journals. Such a charge would amount in most cases to a prohilltion upon their introduction; and as it would certainly be made the subject of retalia , ion among our neighbours, would defeat all expectation of effec tually circulating English journals on the continent. The stamp duties on French journals are low com pred with ours, and the consequence is, that a Frenchman can read his daily paper for 80f. or 31. *s. ,a year. If we imposed on a French journal the payment of our stamp duties in addition to those pf France, its price would be considerably more than tripled; and if the French retaliated on an E,7lish newspaper, on the other side of the Chan nel it zould be inaccessible except to the wealthiest class. lnstesrd, therefore, of proposing any equiva lent for the stamp duty on the importation of foreign journals, we ought rather to allow a drawback of that duty on c pal English journals as are sent abroad, with an honest understanding that we shall be met with a reciprocal liberality on the part of our neighbours. If we were obliged to ,00k out for a precedent for the liberal transmis sion of foreign newspapers by a friendly M ete —a precedent which ought to guide us 'in &ugh matters—we would go to the United States pf America, where an English journal may be transmitted from New York to the British lines in Canada at the small charge of one halfpenny, or to any other town of the At Union for three farthings. Why indeed any additional charge should be made in England for newspapers destined for foreign use, it has often puzzled us to understand. The only trouble which they occasion, for which any compensation can be demanded, is that of put ting them en board the Government packet by the postmaster of the place whence it sails, and this postmaster is a Government officer. This trouble cannot surely exceed that of their distribution at home among the individuals to whom they are ad dressed, if that distribution took place at the sea port from which they are shipped. So much we have found ourselves bound to state respecting the exchange of our newspapers with foreigner., and their cheap transmission to foreign stations. Though now secure of an administrative reform on these i iv, mportant ppitit , ; we ought not to forget for a me ; 'merit Oat a portion of the same vigilance and active (--, 7 zeal, necessary to bring about the change which we 1 him announced ) will-be required to carry it into 1 coMplefe;_ixe'cutian,:and to insure its permanent `:"." benefits; he cleats of the Post-office must be jea louslr#at heite;pi v ieent them from doing that by 'the insocry entarkinf others which they have habil tl. 'chide Atbblat, disguise, and the pos•mastere of the country towns must be considered as public ser• vants, liable to the same control and bound to the same duties as the agents of the parent establish ment. As perquisites are allowed to be bad in some instances, they ought to be abolished in all. The clerks of the Post-office ought no more to have the transmission of unstamped papers for their own emolument than the monopoly of foreign journals. We allude to Price Curreats,Lloyd's Lists, and other publications of this sort, which, by a singular unfair ness, and even contrary to law, the clerks of the Post-office at present send to their customers un stamped, while their rivals are obliged to pay the stamp-duty. We formerly brought forward the well-grounded complaints of the newsvenders against the unfair competition of the clerks of the Post office and the clerks of the roads, in their useful oc cupation. All the arguments which we then em ployed remain in full force, and have derived addi tional weight from the acknowledgment of their jus tice in the contemplated arrangement. We never despaired of being able to bring on a reform in this respect with a liberal Government, which under stood its duty and its power; and though that reform has been long delayed, we are not the less grateful to the noble Chancellor of the Exchequer, and to his Grace the Pos.master-General, for resolutely overcoming the obstacles to which their predeces sors had yielded, or which they were unable to sur mount.— Times. At a time when the most important interests of this great empire press upon the attention of the "collective wisdom" of the nation, the House of Commons is made an arena for a personal squabble between a Minister of the Crown and a passionate lover of popularity, accused of expressing very dif ferent sentiments outside the House from those which he has proclaimed, in the language of fervid eloquence within the walls. That the charge upon the latter, taken even in the most mitigated sense, greatly concerns the personal honour and claims to political virtue, we are not disposed to deny—but, if attacks upon personal honour or political integrity, which are made outside the walls of Parliament, are to be carried into it for discussion and adjust ment, the collective wisdom of the nation will have enough to do in examining into and deciding upon charges of political inconsistency and tergiversation, made at the various hustings and public meetings throughout the kingdom, against members of its own body, without troubling itself with those grave and weighty matters of State which affect the des tinies of a great people, and which, long before the " age of intellect," our simple ancestors used to consider the proper subject of Parliamentary discussion. Whether Mr. Sheil holds in politics two sets of doctrines, as the Stagyrite did in philosophy—one for the people at large, and another for those who are favoured with the more intimate and genuine outpourings of his heart—is of very little moment, we apprehend, to the British public. His speeches and arguments should be dealt with in the House upon their own merits, and without reference to anything which he privately says out of it. We admit his constitu ents have a deeper interest in his character. If his political honesty be impeached, they have a right, or rather it is their duty, to inquire into it— to examine the evidence of the charge—to support him if they consider him innocent, and to cashier him if they pronounce him guilty. It must be in deed a very simple constituency that places confi dence a second time in a representative once con victed of acting with deliberate treachery to his trust. Before any constituency come to such a de cision, however, they should have clear proofs of guilt—proofs established after the fashion of British justice, by an accuser coming face to face with the accused, and not in the style of the Spanish Inqui sition, resting upon the dark, unproved impeach ment of an anonymous informer, who dare not tirl muffle his cloak of secrecy, and show his forehead to the light of day, while he tramples with coward heel a character to the earth. Of course, if the se cret informant of Lord Althorp should even at this late hour, come forward and substantiate his charge, our observations will not apply to him or the are; but, as the matter stands at present , Mr. Shed is the victim of anonymous accusation, than which a more unsafe guide never was, to direct men who love justice in their decisions upon human life, or upon character, which, to some, is dearer than even life itself. The charge made by Mr. Hill to his constituents at Hull against some Irish Members, relative to their conduct touching the Coercion Bill, was much stronger than what Lord Althorp now states as the substance of the secret accusation against Mr. Shell, and some others. What Ptlr. Hill was reported to have said was, that "an Irish Member, who spoke with great violence against every part, and voted against every clause of the Coercion Bill, went to Ministers and said, ' Do not abate one atom of the Bill, for it is impossible to live in Ireland without it.' " Mr. Hill has qualified this statement, and denied something that was im puted to him respecting the " secret machinery by which votes are obtained." His own version of what he stated is, that " a Member of Parliament, who voted and spoke against the Coercion Bill, had, in private, communicated to Ministers that the Bill was necessary, and ought to pass." What Mr. Hill gives as the corrected account of his state ment, we dare say, is correct, but it is very different from that of which Lord Althorp, on his second authority,accuses Mr. Sheil ; for he only says that he had " good reason to believe that some Irish Members, who voted and spoke with conside rable violence against the Bill, did in private con versation use very different language." Now, though we do not approve of the conduct of any man who, for the sake of either power or popularity, proclaims opinions in the House of Commons the contrary of those which he avows in private conver sation, yet there is not the same degree of moral baseness about such conduct as that of him who, violently opposing a measure in the House which he declares to be subversive of the Constitution of his country, sends a secret communication to Minis ters to proceed with it as a measure of vital-neces sity. We are not admirers of the politics of Mr. Sheil; but can we, without renouncing all claim to the slightest regard for English fair play and love of justice, believe such an accusation against him, or any man, upon anonymous authority ? We con fess we cannot, and therefore we wait for proof. What both Lord Althorp and Mr. Hill state, we believe they heard from others ; and, as to the latter, though he acted without reflection in saying what he did in the first instance, yet, treated as the author of calumny, as he has been, we cannot but give him credit for the long forbearance which he has exercised, and his persevering refusal to give up the name of his author. But what is to be said of the author, if he declines to come forward now, and take his proper responsibility on himself ? The case of Mr. Lushington, whose expressions at the Travellers' Club, relative to the alleged resignation of Ministers, were so grossly per verted in a Morning Paper, upon anonymous autho rity is a recent and remarkable instance of the danger of placing reliance upon the statements of secret accusers or social spies. With regard to Lord Al thorp's conduct in Parliament upon this occasion, his habitual flatterers in the daily press, have, of course spoken of it in terms of extravagant eulogy ; and even some whose principle!, as well as under standings, we thought had been made of " sterner stuff," compliment the " candour" and the ready manliness with Hhich he took the "responsibility" on himself. They should, first, have asked them selves what responsibility he incurred ? Out of Parliament, had the avowal been made beyond the reach of the Speaker's authority, some real respon sibility might have been apprehended ; but, as it was, every man must have foreseen, the moment the avowal passed his lips, the case became one not to be decided according to the ancient laws of chivalry, but according to that Parliamentary code of honour of which the Sergeant-at-Arms is the expounder. . We rejoice that it is so—and in bringing it to this • result Lord Althorp incurred no responsibility what . ever, as that term is understood according to the P false notions of honour which prevail in the world. He first declares thrt he will not give up the name of his author, but will take all the re sponsibility on himself. Mr. Sheil, of course, ac cepts that responsibility as he can get no other. The House very properly, and as was to be ex pected, order both to be taken into custody—and then comes Lord Althorp and divests himself of the responsibility which he had just before as-umed, and declares he will not listen to any vindicatory communication on the part of Mr. Sheil. This was very proper and very prudent, but it was to be expected that the House would insist on such a de claration before it allowed him to be liberated. But was Lord Althorp called upon at all to make the avowal which he did ? He was asked by Mr. O'Connell if any Irish Member ever went to him self or to any other Minister and made the state ment which had been imputed to him ? He answers in the negative. That was quite sufficient. As a Minister of the Crown he has public duties to per form which ought to make him very careful how he gets unnecessarily into personal altercation , and im pedes the business which he is intrusted to transact. In the present instance we say there was no necessity for it whatever ; and if his object was not to injure certain political opponents, there was more of weak ness and idle love of repeating mischievous gossip than either candour or wisdom in saying what be did. He had answered Mr. O'Connell's ques tions fully and distinctly. A wise statesman would have stopped there ; but, like an eager witness in a Court of Justice, he goes beyond the questions asked, and says that he should not act a manly part if he did not declare that be had good reasons to believe what has before been stated, touching the private conversation of certain opponents of the Coercion Bill. The question of Mr. Sheil came naturally upon that ; and hence all the confusion, excitement, and obstruction of public business in the deliberative Council of the nation. Now, if Lord Althorp had chosen to abide by his first declaration of holding himself responsible to the person whose honour was assailed, in the sense in which the world understands the word. what would have be come of his functions as Chancellor of the Ex chequer ? He must have remained in custody and have concocted his budget, if at all, as Raleigh wrote the " History of the World," in his prison hours. A Finance Minister casting up his accounts under the surveillance of a sergeant-at-arms would be a novel spectacle; but he would have to thank himself, for that he, while wearing the robes of a Chancellor of the Exchequer, lost the privileges of a free-born Briton, and was sent to study the politi cal Corker in captivity.—Morning Herald. The Parliament of the Ministers having again assembled, and the producible results of their two first days' proceedings being now before the public, we shall briefly examine those proceedings, with a view to ascertain how far the people are likely to benefit by their senatorial labours. The address of both Houses to the King is nothing more than an artful attempt to soften down those expressions which had been formerly used by the Ministers, and by which the expectations of the people had been raised; to allay the hopes of one party and the fears of another, by deceiving both ; and, by trusting that broken promises will be forgotten, now that private ends have been answered, to reconcile the prolonged sway of those who are ever ready to sa crifice truth to their own interests to those forms of kingly government which it would be open treason to violate and overthrow. This is the juste milieu system. The speech was admirably well observed upon by the Duke of Wellington and Sir R. Peel. Last year a tithe commutation was promised, and the promise gained for the Government the support of a great body of the agriculturists of the United King dom. A Bill was brought in by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, which, if it proved nothing else, awfully proved this, that Lord Althorp was as igno rant of the whOle of the very intricate question which he had undertaken to arrange to the satis faction of the country, as he is ignorant upon the greater number of those subjects, a knowledge of which constitutes an indispensable ingredient in the character of a statesman. But a year has passed, and another King's speech is published, and so far from the Noble Lord exhibiting any proofs of his having acquired that information in which he had shown himself so lamentably deficient, that King's speech contains no intelligible indication of any Ministerial scheme for settling this or any one other of the national matters which, for party pur poses, he and his colleagues have used as instru ments for agitating the minds of the people. Is there a man in England not acquainted with Cabi net secrets who can say now more than he could say at any former period, whether the Government intends to propose a commutation, according to the Devonshire scheme, for a tenth of the rental ; or, according to Lord Althorp's scheme, for a valua tion to be paid in money ; or, according to another scheme, for a portion of the land; or whether, in fact, this anti-tithe professing Cabinet has any scheme at all to propose ? We write without any regard to men or party; and the opinion of the whole country will bear us out in this assertion when we say that, with the exception of the two speeches of the Duke of Wellington and Sir R. Peel, the debate on the address in both Houses was calculated only to mystify what was before in full need of explanation and clearing up. But we have had in the House of Commons a second night's debate. And pain and grief to any reason able man will it be to read the record of that se cond night. A Chancellor of the Exchequer put into confinement that he might not be shot by an Irish Member; and that Irish Member put into confinement because he would not promise not to shoot the Chancellor of the Exchequer ! Have the representatives of the people nothing else to do but to quarrel amongst themselves about the interpreta tion of electioneering speeches made in the vaca tion ? And is all this to be done to protect the honour of men who, after the form of ten minutes' durance had been gone through, were ready to give the assurance, and did give the assurance, which if they had given before, their time and attention might have been devoted to the far different purposes for which their country had sent them to Parliament ! The country will be little edified by such a maintenance of their honour. The country will not stop to construe Lord Pal merston's protocol on " responsibility." The coun try will look upon such squabbles with contempt, and will treat the waste of public time with just indignation. The country is all but calling upon its King to dissolve this Parliament. The mischief which it has done is apparent. The good which it has done exists alone in the laboured compositions of its placemen. Three days ago better hopes were entertained ; they have received a cold and a blighting disappointment. Every where do the people cry to be delivered from their deceivers. They will not be pacified by this ill-omened opening of the new session. They will not be appeased, though the Chancellor of the Exchequer may de clare that incendiarism is tranquillity, and Mr. Stanley may lead the Noble Lord back to the Treasury bench, with his irons knocked off, amidst the cheers of a reformed Parliament.—Morn. Post . The Mughs, or natives of Arracan, are a short muscular race, of a copper colour, with iound, flat features. They possess more activity and natural courage than the Bengalees, but less than their late masters the Burmese. Their food is chiefly fish and rice, but they object not to a dish of stewed rats or boiled snakes, or a fried section of the putrifying carcase of an elephant : nothing, in fact, from a maggot to a mammoth, comes amiss to a voracious Illugh.'—Front Montgomery Mar tin's History of the British Colonies, Vol. I.—Asia. STATE OF RELIGION AND CHRISTIANITY IN INDIA.-The government of British India possesses a feature which has rarely or never been found in any nation or in any age, I allude to its toleration of every mode or form of religion in which different sects may choose to adore the Creator ; to its protection against hos tility, forcible opposition or oppression by one rival sect against another, and to its auxiliary pecuniary aid when solicited by any congregation or community.—Montgo mery Martin's History of the British Colonies, Vol. I.—Asia. VICE-CHANCELLOR'S COURT, Fin. 6. COLBURN V. CARROLL AND ANOTHER. Mr. SHARI. applied to the Court on behalf of the plain tiff, who is the well-known bookseller and publisher, of New Burlington-street, for an injunction to restrain the defendant and another individual, of the name of Haliday, who is a medical man, from selling or disposing of, in this country several copies of a work published in France, and which was a direct piracy of a work which the plaintiff had published here. The plaintiff, some time ago, lead purchased from Sir Jonah Barrington the copyright of his work, entitled " Historical Memoirs of the Irish Union," and which work he had subsequently published. On the 26th of last month the defendant Carroll called upon him, and informed him that he had at his residence in Poland street, 150 copies of a work published in Paris under the title of " The Rise and Fall of the Irish Nation," by Sir J. Barrington, and wished to know if he would purchase them. The plaintiff desired Mr Carroll, who stated him self to be the agent of the other defendant, Dr. Haliday, for the sale of tl.e work so imported, to leave a copy of the work with him for his perusal, which was accordingly done. The plaintiff, upon examining the work, and com paring it with his own, found it to be a literal copy of " The Historical Memoirs of the Irish Union,"as published by himself, with this only slight difference, that there were a few passages here and there which were transposed from their proper station in the original work. His HONOUR immediately granted the order for the in junction to issue forthwith. COURT OF KING'S BENCH, FEB. 6. (Sittings at .Nisi Prius, at Westminster Hall, before Mr. Justice PATI'ESON and Special Juries.) REX V. BURKS, PRATT, AND KEIGHTLEY. This was an indictment against the three defendants for tampering with the witnesses who were to be called to sabstantiate a charge of fraud committed against the Excise. The Jury pronounced the defendants Burks and Pratt Guilty, and the defendant Keightley—Not Guilty. MINISTERIAL PROSECUTIONS. REX V. JOHN REEVE. This was an indictment against the defendant, for selling, at the last election for Westminster, when the Ministerial candidate, Sir J. C. Hobhuuse, was defeated, seditious and inflammatory handbills, calling on the people to resist the payment of taxes, and to violate the law. Three officers of the police arrested the defendant on a charge of selling these handbills, and heard him cry out " A National Convention the proper Remedy—only a halfpenny." One of the handbills was read ; it was signed James Henry Baden Lorimer, and at the bottom was the name of a printer. Verdict—Guilty. THE KING V. GRANT, BELL, AND AGER. (Continued from our Paper of yesterday.) After Mr. KELLY bad addressed the Court, the defen dant Bell also did so, at considerable length, and in a very violent strain. The SOLICITOR-GENERAL then replied ; and on two occasions his remarks were received with hissing from many members of the Unions, who filled the Court. His LORDSHIP ordered the officers to bring any one before him that they could identity as hiving in any way interfered with the proceedings in such an unseemly man ner, and he would at once order him into custody. When the Solicitor. General had concluded, his Lordship summed up at great length, and left it to the Jury to find the defendants guilty if the publications were put forth with an intention to excite the people to form associations for the purpose of resisting the payment of the taxes which was clearly illegal. On the other hand, if they were of opinion that they were published with an inno cent intention,then they must return a verdict of not guilty. The Jury then consulted together for 20 minutes, when the Foreman returned a verdict of Guilty against all the defendants. REX V. JOHN REEVE. At the conclusion of the trial of the case " Rex v. Grant and others," the defendant in this cause was brought up to receive the judgment of the Court for having pub• listed the handbill of which lie was convicted in the morning. The Court sentenced him to be imprisoned in his Ma jesty's gaol of Newgate for the period of six calendar months. Directly the sentence was passed, his wife, who was in the back part of the Court, went into hysterics, and con. tinned screaming for nearly half an hour. The crowd was so great, that when the prisoner was removed, the officers were obliged to fasten the gates leading from the passage to the Court, and by that means were enabled quietly to convey him to gaol by the private passage from the Court. COURT OF COMMON PLEAS, FEB. 6. HARVEY V. FLAKE. This was an action of slander. The parties were friends, the plaintiff being a clerk in the Surveyor Gene ral's office, and the defendant a clerk in the Excise office. The plaintiff had formed an unfortunate connec tion with a young woman in service, and two children, twins, were the fruit of it. One of them was found dead shortly after its birth, when lying with its mother, having died apparently of convulsions ; the other also had convul sions, but recovered by medical aid, and was afterwards adopt ed by Mr. Harvey. The mother returned into service, but was allowed to call every week at Mr. Harvey's house for the purpose of seeing her child. On the occasion of one of these visits some of the friends of the plaintiff were at his house, and expressed surprise that he should allow her to come to the house ; upon which the defendant said that he could not help it—that he was in the hands of the woman, as he had murdered the child (alluding to the one found dead in the mother's bed). It bad been given out that the mother had overlaid it; but that was not likely to happen to a child of t.o tender an age. Besides, what lie had stated the mother bad told him herself. The gentleman to whom this information was given told him that he would have the matter investigated, and agreed to meet him on the following day, at his brother-in-law's lodging. He, however, did not keep his appointment ; and this action was therefore brought. Verdict for the plaintiff—Damages 5/. POLICE INTELLIGENCE. G UILDHALL. Yesterday the stewards of the Amicable Devonshire Society, for the benefit of aged, lunatic, and infirm per sons, held at the Feathers, in High Timber -street, attended before Mr. Alderman Lucas, to show why they refused to allow Mary Ashu• , the wife of an insane member, the sum of ss. a week, according to their rules. The complainant stated that her husband had belonged to this society four years; that he was now an inmate at the County Lunatic Asylum at Hanwell—that his mind was lost at times for six months before it was necessary to restrain him—that she bad a family of six children de pending on her—and that, on applying to the club for the stipulated allowance, they refused to give her anything. Mr. Alderman Lucas asked the stewards what they bad to say to this ? The spokesman said they gave her nothing because her husband had been excluded. Mr. Alderman Lucas for what offence ? The steward answered that it was for applying to obtain work a week before he declared off the box as a sick mem ber, and the exclusion was warranted by au article which he pointed out. The article, however, only declared, that if any person should "do" any manner of work while receiving the sick money he should be excluded. Mr. Alderman LUCAS said that would not do; the case was not within the rule; but if it had been within the rule, any little transgression he might have been guilty of should have been ascribed to his mental affliction. Mad ness did not come upon us at once, and they had beard that the man's mind had been observed to be affected oc• casionally for several months. For the credit of their feelings as men, they should not have dealt harshly with the miserable and destitute wife of their clubniate. He did not belong to our club, added the Alderman, and yet we feel compassion for her, and I shall give her ss. from the poor-box, and ss. more from my pocket. Do you then show her that compassion she is entitled to as the wife of a clubmate. Tell the club we say their deci. sion is wrong. " But," said the stewards, "we object that you have no jurisdiction. All disputes are to be settled by ballot by the club itself." " The Lord Chancellor may have jurisdiction," replied the Clerk, " and if he should happen not to take the same view of the case as the club, the members would find themselves in a very unpleasant predicament." Mr. Alderman Lucas said, if the club would not do. her• justice voluntarily, as became them, he would see whether the City Solicitor could not compel them to do it. The poor woman should attend their next meeting, and he begged the stewards would state his opinion to the club that the exclusion was unwarrantable. The complainant thanked the Alderman for his present of 10s. HATTON- GARDEN. Yesterday two stout fellows, named Flitt and Chamber lain, were brought before the Magistrate., charged with a most desperate attempt to murder police-constable Foot man, 139, G, and robbing him of a watch, two gold seals, a silk handkerchief, and his truncheon. The un fortunate complainant was brought to the office in a coach, and was carried into the magistrates' room by two men, who supported him in a chair, while giving his evidence. His head was bandaged, and be appeared in extreme agony. 111 r . ROGERS, after remarking on the atrocity of the ease, asked Footman if he could identify the ruffians who so ill-treated him? He answered that the rush on him was so sudden that he could not speak to either of them. He, however, believed Chamberlain was one of the gang. Mr. Busain, Inspector of the G division, said complain. ant was so severely hurt that the surgeon attending him be lieved he was ruined for life. Mr. ROGERS inquired whether any remuneration would be made to Footman for the loss of his watch, &e. Mr. Busain replied in the negative. with that his worthy aath colleague o Mr. ROGERS trusted , under all th e c ir cum s tances of the case, the Commissione rs of Police would make him having struck hima mple amends; m complainant ( e A n i d rc s . o ; usl a cei n r d gn , eoato a ts f p t e se r aoki consultingotiooo b served, F t more than once,,or that Chamberlain took any part in the e f r or sl t . w a o n m d o c o o t u h i a m , it ao h d im h , o i ld n the latter to bail. d a affray, of f e s p h a o y t o t o fi t ,netothperfiosormn LONDON CORPORATION COMMISSION INQUIRY, FEB. 6. The Commissioners assembled at ten o'clock, and pro• ceeded to examine the City Solicitor on the subject of the admission of brokers. Mr. Scott (of the Chamberlain's office) was examined upon the subject of the receipts and disbursements of the City. He stated that he had made out an account of the law expenses of the Corporation for the last twenty.five years, v:z , from 1809 to 1833, and the average yearlY expenditure amounted to 6,8121. 4s. Those law expenses had reference to the protection of the City rights and privileges. EIGHT OF THE CITY TO ATTACH GOODS Mr. A. Baring attended at the request of the Commis sioners to give evidence relative to the right of attaching goods in the City of London, and the jurisdiction of the Corporation over sworn broker.. Mr. Baring, in reply to questions from the Commis sioners, had been extensively connected with trade for a great number of years, but for the last ten years he had not been engaged in commercial transactions. He had many opportunities of considering the effects of the right claimed in this City of the attachment of foreign goods, and he hid a decided opinion that it was most injurious to trade and encouraged frauds, and that it was most desir able that it should be removed. During the period when he bad been actively engaged in mercantile pursuits he bad never heard a contrary opinion amongst the merchants of the city. Sir F. PALGRAVE asked whether these objections wete entertained by foreign merchants ? Mr. Baring said that, as the existence of the privilege was known, it operated prejudicially at Amsterdam, at Hamburg, and amongst the American merchants, who had strong objections to it. Mr. Ews asked whether any similar privilege existed in foreign ports ? Mr. Baring thought that such a privilege did exist in some places. It was a practice that was gradually dying away. Mr. ECUs asked in what instances fraud had occurred in the exercise of attachment ? Mr. Baring replied that if a man had a claim on an other he might transfer it to a citizen, who would then be able to exercise the right of attachment. If be were to be asked in what consisted chiefly the abuse of corporate power, he should say that the power given to the Mayor's Court io cases of foreign attachment was most injurious to trade. 'I he subject was one of great importance. Sir F. PAT.-GRAVE asked whether the exercise of bucb a right might not protect foreign trade abroad ? Mr. Baring said that might po,sibly be the case, but an uniform law ought to be adopted. In America at tempts had been made to establish a general and uniform bankrupt law, but all had failed. Some of the States had established the exclusive privilege of the law of attachment. No such law existed in Liverpool. Mr. Commissioner DRINKWATER said that at Bristol a law of the kind existed. Mr. Baring—And Bristol is is a declining state. He would first state that the bankrupt law of America was a grievance felt in London. The law of attachment had this effect :—lt enabled one to sweep off all property before the foreign creditor could reach the place. He thought there was no reason why one law should exist on this side of Temple-bar and another law on the other. Exclusive privileges of this kind always injured trade instead of pro moting it. Sir F. PALO RAVE said that if the law of attachment afforded protection to creditors it ought to be made gene ral. It cou!d not be useful where it gave one creditor ad vantage over another. Mr. D,UNKWATER asked whether Mr. Baring was aware that the appearance of the party in the Mayor's Court whose goods had been attached dissolved the attachment ? Mr. Baring said he was not aware of it. Mr. Ews inquired whether Mr. Baring had turned his attention to the jurisdiction of the City over sworn brokers? Mr. Baring (lid not think that the City had ever exer cised a control over the sworn brokers. He considered it most important to trade that there should be an effi cient control over the brokers, particularly as regarded tho,e trading in the articles for the sale of which they acted as brokers. Mr. Er.t.ts said the Stock Exchange brokers would not give the names of their principals, as tl.ey said such dis closures would put an end to their trade. He wished to know the opinion of Mr. Baring upon the subject. Mr. Baring thought that if names were given the busi ness of the stockbrokers would be injured. Mr. ECUs—That would apply more to the gambling transactions. Mr. Baring thought not ; many parties who made bona fide transactions did not wish their names to be known. Mr. Bilke ( a member of the Stock Exchange) said ►he objection stockbrokers had to sign the bond which persons were called upon to execute when admitted as sworn brokers was, that they were bound by it to declare the names of principals, and they would also he prevented from holding stock in which they dealt themselves. Mr. Baring, in continuation, said that the brokers in Paris, Amsterdam, and Rotterdam were under control. In Paris the brokers were a Corporation, and under strict regulations. Mr. Bilke said that at Paris the admission of brokers on the Stock Exchange was a Government patronage. -.. ___ ___ -• Mr. Baring then withdrew. The inquiry was then adjourned till tomorrow (this day).2 VAST RESOURCES OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE. —Sire,-06r transenarine dominions offer to the agriculturist measureless fields for pasture and tillage ; to the manufacturer an incalculable extension of the home market for the disposal of his wares;—to the merchant and mariner, vast marts for profitable traffic in every pro duct with which nature has bounteously enriched the earth ;—to the capitalist an almost interminable site for the profitable investment of his funds ;—and to the indus trious, skilful, and intelligent emigrant, an area of upwards of two million square miles, where every species of mental ingenuity and manual labour may be developed and our sio A n u o s f tr t a h l e ia c n a , ne;: i gra A in fr ( ie l a v i l l iet p h o e s r s, w es l s i i e o a n t s tured into action, with advantage to the whole family of man. England has no need to manufacture beet-root sugar (as France)—her West and East India possessions yield an A in: i x a li ti a c u , s A til m ile er p ic roLu , barley, oats, maize, or rice) everywhere abounds --he; contain boundless supplies of timber, corn, coal, iron, copper, gold, hemp, wax, tar, tallow, &e. ;—the finest wools are grown in her South Asian regions ;—cot ton, opium, silk, coffee, cocoa, tobacco, saltpetre, spices, wines, and fruits, are procurable of every variety and to any extent in the east and in the west, in the north and in the south of the empire ;—on the icy coast of Labrador as well as at the opposite pole, her adventurous hunters and fishers pursue thei' gigantic game almost within sight of their protecting fl ig ;—and on every soil and under every habitable clime, Britons, desirous of change, or who cannot find occupation at home, may be found implanting or extending the language, laws and liberties of their father land. In fine, Sire, on this wondrous empire the solar orb never eets,—while the hardy woodsman and heroic hunter on the St. Lawrence and Ottawa are shivering beneath a winter solstice, the peaceful, but no less merito rious farmer and shepherd on the Kysna and Hawkeshury, are rejoicing over the golden grain and fleece of the autum nal southern clime, and every breeze that blows.from the Arctic to the Antarctic Circles is wafting over the un • fathomable ocean myriads, " Whose march is on the mountain wave, Whose home is on the deep." —From Montgomery Martin's History of the Briti,ll Colonies, Vol. I.—Asia. THE MARKETS. Barley : 9 71 GENERAL AVERAGE PRICE OF BRITISH CORN, eat For the Week ended Jan. 31, 1834, made up from the Returtt! of the Inspectors in the different Cities and Towns in England and Wales, per Imperial Quarter. Wheat--.. 485. 7d.1 Oats 18s. 0d.18ean5,......... 04. Pease - 13 . 65. „, sd. I%IPERIAL AGGREGATE AVERAGES OF THE SIX WEEKS PRECEDING. 804 d.: Oats ßye 9 7 d 4. 1 1 1s 81 Barley-28s. 011 Rye 31s. '7d Wheat DUTIES ON FOREIGN CORN. 215. 3 d. Barley Sd.l Oats 19s. 04.1 _ rley 19s. 10d.I Rye 9.25. 911 Pea5e,.....4 14s. M. . N. e w F- 6 e , mN.rity coRN MAItKEt'S DURING IH. BOns . to S. to Per Quarter. IS.to s. s. s. 1 Wheat. Blandford --.... • 53 27 7 22 .i 311 Brigg____„. ____ .....1 40 58 36 40 15 20 Cambridge, , —. Ag s 4 :10 Chard ...,....-- 4B 54 04 k 8 17 -t• 33 Huntingdon.,—. 58 63 23 03 14 -(,' , 2 3 ,. 35 Long Sutton—. 56 (14 —.— 17 '2, - ) ., 40 42 Louth .......---.... 48 54 28 32 18 ',;- Si n 2 Lynn 5O 60 22 25 1 6 K,-.; 3 R 7 40 Newark ....---.., 57 80 29 40 16 ,-, 42 Nottingham —........ 46 51 29 33 IS 24 'oct - 35 Peterborough —..,. 38 48 25 29 13 21 ~.... Plymouth ................ 50 64 30 34 '2O ~.,,2 3 43 Pontefract.....--.. 67 43 ' 4 ' 43 Sleafonl ......,....--... 65 70 30 38 22 28 41 A 36 38 11ppingham ............ i 42 47 28 32 22 2- iQn 35 wi5hech.............. 148 62 20 33 14 22 I "____:__.__---' - , Barley. 1 . 2 .... ) ...........ats. 1................„. MARKET:—Feb. 4 . 601 b. GOlb. 153. to 543. a Ishire Vs. to 343. ,e 225. o 235. l b . 35 3 . ; 18s. to Vs. . Eng. 9d. to 10%d. per ~.''' 225. to 253. Per 100. Foreign, —I. to m t. LEEDS CORN Wheat, Norfolk and Suffolk, --- York. and Lincoln. Barley, Norfolk and Si%lk - Yorkshire and Uncoil - Grinding Beans 63 Oats, Potatoe -Healing, For. 12d. to 13d Shelling Rapeseed, English. 2.5/. to 27 Ll VC/WOOL CORN EXCHANGE.—F. 01 eb• 4. a WHEAT, English, White, per 701 b. - 7s. 7 2 t3d . to ~s. 4 --------- Red 7 ---- Scotch, Welch, and Manx ---- Irish, White 7 2 7 6 ----------- Red 6 0 66 A -- Foreign OATS, English, Welsh, and Scotch, per 451 b 22 7 2 :2 1 1 / --- Irish 7 , 7. —Foreign BARLEY, English,"Malting, per Imp. quarter 32 ii 34 0 ----- Scotch and Irish, p 3 39 4 0 Feeding 6 B EA NS, English, per Imperi al q uarter 34 0 41 --- Irish, &c. :34 0 ---- Foreign ...... . .....................................4 40 0 42 0 44 0 2 . 38 PEASE, English, per Imperial q uarter -- Foreign 35 6 FLOUR, l E r n is g h lish, per 280Ib. 43 42 0 OATMEAL, English and Irish, per 2401b 5. INDIAN CORN, per 4401 b. RYE, per Imperial quarter .... HALT, per Imperial quarter ........ ._ 46 0 64 . IMPORT OF GRAIN for the Week ending Feb. 3. Oatmeal Wheat.! I Oats. Barley Flou r. Qrs. Qrs. Qrs. (Foreign, Brls. Irish, tkc. Scics.l 4406 13,113 :14,316 , 4151 .11...• 6,039 Loads. suplnplyou, an this through m throughout, ark etd, w day's --------- miUTHALL MA h RKEL—Feb.od 5. feria buyers, each kind of prime meat met with s t eady, stone In __ o f sorts with a very dull sale, at the following prices per 81b. to sink the oflais : 10 , t 8eef...................... 35.2 d. to 4s. 2d. I Veal. , 4s. Bd, to 5.q. 4 wahsiciatehtlrlib numerously a ni e a r t a t t e e n l . d y e go h o c ; Mutton ........... 4 0 5 0 Pork 3 6 4 The foregoing quotations are Veal 2d. per stone dearer tha: on this day se'nnight; prices of Beef, Mutton, and Pork, '` A tionary. Beasts, 323; Sheep, 1.913; Calves, 45; Pigs, 33 ' small portion of the supply left the market unsold HU 51F0 RD DIA ltKET.—Feb. 5. , L I. d. s. d. to s. d. g. r: 6 ' 4 3 0 4 2 V ea l 310 410 Pork 3 q to 2 1 $ s. to 30s. ; Quarter old Store Pigs, 12 • with their small Calf, 11. to 15 1 . 1 0 s• b at, and trade with prime meat somewhat Beef Mutton Suckling Calves, 12;. , Milch Cows, Supply moderate, but otherwise dull - 1 ARUNDEL MA RKET —Feb. 4. • / 11 ' 8eef,....... ..... 3s. 4d. to 4s. 2d. I Vea1.,......,.... 4s• 6d.to 4 5s 2 Mutton ---.. 4 0 5 0 I P0rk.—....,--- , 8 8 risk, biA Supply moderately good ; trade with .prime m eat b otherwise dull. HAILSHAAI MARKEL—Feb. S. to 4s• 3s. 6d. to 4s. 2d. I 48 . 4 0 Mutt0n—........ 4 6 5 2 Pork Supply moderate, and trade dull. CHICHESTER Al ARK E'F.- - F eb * t 4d. to 5.. 0 4, Beef ss. od. to 45.0 d. I • 6 4 0 Supply of fat Beasts moderately good, Mutton 4 0 540 Pork mited trade rather dull. In lean stock little doing. of fat small stock --...5.....______ YORKSHIRE MARKETS. (From !he Halifax Express.) OS $1 HALIFAX.-There was a brisk deman d for moree :to those of th i e n preceding this market, last Saturday, at prices a little higher si w ej soo # count of the great rise in wool, which compel s the Jo 0 otheri e,,wc descriptions ns but w a t s h the e a rr l u i n ai t i t o e f d , b t o i 0 . O transacted facture rs to ask much higher prices than the Iserebln can afford to give. ioa i° HUDDERSFIELD.—There was no material a ltersti- .. the state of this market last Tuesday ; middling qtolltio 0 of cloths were in most request, and the transactions ' them were much the same as those of Tuesday week' get, BRADFORD.—The advancing state of the wool mar P." 4 without a corr e sponding advance in the price and de ilje- d , for manufactured goods, had a visible effect on this a) - t i; ket last Thursday, and tended to damp the spirits Of I)° ,,e beenmu c h expected,more b business ut t h was p prices s e ge than ne r a w n h y a the manufacturer and the merchant. Towards the cord of the market, however, trade revived considerably, lti, exceed those of the C olour week. Tue sday e eedlor there was full as much business done as "0 the pr . ilia, LEEDS.—In the ed Cloth . Hall, on • 1 market day. In the White Cloth Hall the busile ,, d tha t proving, the demand for low goods having ele— of any preceding week for some time past. tobbtaadi naetd one ti MEETINGS OF CREDITOR S AT THE COURT, BASINGHALL-STREET (From the London Gazette.) it. M TO-MORROW, FEB.B. R. Phillips, jun., auctioneer, Chiswell.street, FinsbulP c at 1 square R. Knights, commission-agent, Cirencester.place, Po rt- 115 land-road sl , DIVIDENDS. t 1 1 a G. Creed, auctioneer, Hemel Hempstead A- h• T. and T. H. Ingram, fish-factors, Lowe r Thames-strE••• MARRIED I On the sth inst., at St. Mary's, Marylebone, J. N. Mira to Esq., of Ware, Herts, to Elizabeth, eldest daughter of th e lg John Field, Esq., of Oxford-street. of On the 4th inst., at St. James's, Clerkenwell, Henry " r man, Esq., of Islington, surgeon, to Mary, only date Thomas Jones, Esq., of Loyd square, Pentonville. e der o On the 4th inst., at St. George's, H a n over . sq uare,elhr Bartle, F.sq., of Sotterley, Suffolk, to Mary Anne Eliza;, eldest daughter of the late Si r J o h n C our tenay 14°".. sßhai On t ei . : t t l o ie L 4 o t u h isa in , s e t l . , , ie J s a t m da e u s g S h t t e e w r aorft,DrE.spq.y,corf, LCul'atpohna,7,.,.Alll:oll‘: • shi On re. , Joh ° the Ist inst., at St. Marylebone New Church, Nr• to Osborn, jun., of Upper Montagu-street, Montaga-squar.:'ciP Miss Caroline Clark, th e y ounges t d a ughter of Mrs. Pr' Clark, High-street, St. M arylebone. Rev' 0 I,ot On the 6th inst., at Richmond, Surrey, the 0 1 Venables, Rector of Whitney, Herefordshire, and eldest 9.doi the Venerable Archdeacon Venables, to Mary Augusta, 1 . or of the late Francis James Adam, Esq., and eldest daughter • P er n his Excellency General Poltoratzky. n f CPr„ On the sth inst., at Albury, J. E. Ladbury, Esq - J og , ' Fitzroy street, Fitzroy-square, to Mary Catherine , eldest . ter of the late Edward Jackson, of Guilford, Surrey. 0° On the4th inst., at Hardwicke Church, Gloucestershire'. Rev. I'. Murray Browne, A.M., to Catherine, daughter C1,.0. J. Lloyd Baker, Esq., of Hardwicke Court, Glouceste I. On the 2d inst., at Serlb DED vicc onrib y Hall, Nottinghamshire, • ' Galway, in his 52d year. On the 26th ult., at Croydon, Catherine Rachel, danghte°. Dr. Chalmers, in her 12th year. On the 31st ult., at Lavender-hill, Wandswort h, Bell, Esq. 0,1 .. On the 30th ult., at Wickam-mills, Essex, Maria '-hvos-, wife of Mr. John Deudney, of Mount-street, Whitechni:sj. and second daughter of the late Benj. Dixon, Esq. , ag toolifr On the 6th inst., Catherine, wife of Mr. Passey, Bea street, Marylebone. l e" On the 4th inst., at Manor-rise, Dulwich, James .u° O Esq., of Stanhope-street, aged 60. 1 1t11 On the 2d inst., at Oxton, near Nottingham, in r for s year, Sarah, relict of the late Samuel Hamer Oates ,a ;1 ,0 " merly of Chapel Allerton, near Leeds, and daughter of t -7, Wm. Coape Sherbrooke, Esq., of Arnold, Not 1 ts. ,01 ,1 .; On the 29th ult., at Hampstead, Master Richard aged 13 months, son of R. Lander, Esq., the celebrated 14 " traveller. Joh ti On the sth inst., at Jaunay's Hotel, Leicester-80 0r ' I Stanley, Esq., of Lisbon. 1 -10 Th Ob On the sth inst., in his 77th ye a r, Mr. Jeremiah St. John-street, and of Stroud-green, Hornsey, , ---- PRINTED AND PUBLTYIIIII3 By MURDO YOua. — ' l vj (1 , r 0° SUN Orrica, 112, STakzila. BIRTHS. On the 4th inst., at the rectory, Ca rlton, the lady o f tbe ge. Charles Eyre, of a son. o f W i* On the Ist of last September, at Calcutta, the lady Frederick On the 3d inst., Fergusson at Old Ford, near Bow, Middlesex, th e lad of Mr. Alderman Scales, of a daughter. et On the sth inst., the wife of Robert Han bur y , Esq., of tOI ' Clapton, of a son. f UPP ee On the 4th inst., the wife of Sampson Goldsmid, °- St a mford-street, of a daughter. A , 0( On the sth inst., in John-street, Bedford - row , the 15'1 Richard Lambert, Esq. of a daughter. A , eg On the 31st ult., at Horton-hall, Staffordshire, the 1 3 -• the Rev. G. G. Harvey, of a son. ___...----""" \