The Sun. — London, England, 1834-01-04 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS. When we inserted, on Thursday, the report of the Committee of last Session on Parochial Registration, we felt that its exposure of the inconveniences of the existing system was so plain and conclusive, and its advocacy of an im mediate change so strong and reasonable, that it was almost superfluous to accompany it with either commentary or confirmation. There is scarcely a civilized state is Europe where the local records of births, marriages, and deaths are so irregularly kept, or so ill calculated to answer their professed object, as they are in England ; while there is no country in the world where, from the migratory habits of our people, the extent of our empire, and the amount of our litigated funds (the distribution and ownership, of which depend upon such records), a com plete and accurate registration would be more useful, or is, in fact, more indispensable. In nations which are stationary in their political or commercial condition, where there are com paratively few remarkable chancres of fortune in families, where unexpected windfalls or doubtful successions are rare, owing to the limited sphere of their enterprise, or the confined range of their possessions, parochial or legal registration, however useful in a statistical point of view, cannot be looked upon as so necessary for ascertaining the rights or settling the claims of individuals. On the other hand, no person who considers how rapidly and constantly a large portion of our fellow-citizens are in movement from one part of the empire to another,—how many are engaged in our national or commercial navy, far from their early homes,—how many occupy public offices at a distance from the place of their nativity,—how many proceed to the colonies, where they die possessed of unex pected wealth, beyond the notice of their imme diate relatives,—in short, how many adver tisements we see for the lawful heirs of those who, perhaps, from the want of parish records, could not in their lifetime ascertain the information necessary for the disposal of their property, and how large the sum of unclaimed dividends'at the Bank (most probably to be traced to the same cause), no person, we say, who takes these facts into con sideration, can hesitate for a moment about the indispensable necessity for the settlement of pri vate rights and the protection of domestic inte rests, of establishing a full, and certain, and accurate parish registration. In France, where accurate records are kept by the civil power of births, marriages, and deaths, a great degree of alarm was excited, or at any rate affected, during the reign of the Bourbons, at the proposal of the parish clergy to recover possession of these registers. It was thus imagined by the enemies of the Church that the partipretre, or the Je suits (as they were called) would gain a certain addition to their power, if not to their emolu ments, by managing such annals, and there can be little doubt, that such would have been the result. How short-sighted, then, were some of the clerical witnesses, on the recent inquiry, who hesitated about con curring in a comprehensive plan cf parish registration, because it might increase some of their not laborious duties, or curtail some of their untenable privileges. As Dissenters can not be bound to the Church by being obliged to conform unwillingly to a few of its ceremonies, against which they protest, in order to attain certain civil securities, the necessity of being baptized or of being married within its precincts ought never to have been made the condition of a legal entry on the parish records of births or marriages. But the time has gone by in which the enjoyment of any civil right or immunity can be made to depend upon the profession of a particular religious creed, or the adoption of a certain mode of worship ; and we fully agree with the declared opinion of the Committee that " a national registra tion 9f births, marriages, and deaths, should be established, and that such re gistration ahould equally include all ranks of society and religionists of every class." The details of such a measure will of course require mature deliberation, but its principle and urgency cannot admit of a doubt. The present system, or the existing law—equally imperfect and vexa tious—at once expensive and inefficient—humi liating to the Dissenter, who is obliged, in order to enjoy its securities, to submit to rites which he reckons impious, and obnoxious to the sin cere Churchman, whose conscience must be wounded at administering sacraments to persons who object to his religious communion must— must be altered in the course of the ensuing session. Its injustice and hardship are so gla ring, and its absurdity at the same time is so ridiculous, that we will venture to say not even the most unreasonable Conservatives in the House of Commons, nor the greatest enemies of improvement in the Peers, will venture to cast their shields of defence over its offensive details, or to resist all attempts at a legislative change. —Times. We are glad to perceive that one of the Judges on the rota at the present Old Bailey Sessions has noticed the novel practice of late years of introducing into indictments against prisoners a recital, when such has been the case, D f their convictions for former offences. This, we believe, was one of the improvements of the criminal law introduced by Sir Robert Peel, and his little coterie of legal reformers, who would seint in this case to have been influenced by the sage and equitable maxim of "give a dog an ill name and hang him." Seriously speaking, it is exactly one of those cases in which well meaning, but inconsiderate people act wrongly upon right motives. That the previous conduct of a man can and ought to have to do with the iature and extent of his punishment for subse quent offences we can readily concede. If a man who has been previously tried and convicted of one offence turns out to be an incorrigible offender, whom imprison ment cannot reclaim, such a man be comes a fit object of transportation, or of some other severer punishment than he had previously undergone. But so far from the Jury who have to try him for the subsequent offence being apprised of this, they are exactly the persons from whom all knowledge of that fact ought to be scrupulously withh e ld. Vie talk of persons being entitl e d to a fair trial, and of the most notorious offenders being considered innocent till they are found guilty ; yet in this mode of administering justice the strongest pos sible prejudice is raised against the accused in the minds of his Jury, who, if there is any doubt in his case, instead of giving him the benefit of it, naturally enough do just the reverse, and con demn because he is a person most likely, from his past practices, to be guilty. In short, th e injustice o f the practice is so obvious, that we wonder the Judges have not long since, one and all, remonstrated with those whose duty it is to correct so great an innovation upon the purity of our legal proceedings ; and we only trust that the notice which it has now received will not be of a mere casual nature, but will be followed up by its early abandonment altogether.—Morning Herald. Our Contemporary, the Standard, presumes rather too much on the ignorance of his readers, when availing himself of the return of the churches and chapels, and chapels of ease of the Church of England, and of the number of places of worship not of the Church of England, so far as regards the county of Lancaster, or dered co be printed on the Bth July, 1830 ; he lays it down that the number of members re turned as belonging to the different chapels of Dissenters comprehends the whole of the Dis senters. In a former article we pointed out to our Contemporary the difference between the members of a congregation, and the whole popu lation, young and old, connected with the con gregation ; and if our Contemporary could not understand the matter from what we said, the manner in which the Catholics are distinguished from the other Separatists might have led him to the right conclusion. " The return (says our contemporary), we must observe is incomplete as regards locality—no information having been obtained from parts of the hundreds of Lonsdale, Salford, and West Derby, severally; the population of these parts, according to the tables of 1821 (the tables used throughout), amounting to 98,889. The great manufacturing towns, however, of Manchester, Oldham, Balton, Salford, Preston, and the great commercial town of Liverpool, are all included in the district from which complete information has been obtained. We, therefore, are entitled to reject the unreported district and its 98,889 from calculations on both sides ; the reported portion of the county, and its population of 953,978, are to form the subject of our inquiry. The return, as respects Dissenters, specifies the number of places of worship of the several classes of non-conforming religionists, and the number of each sect attached to each place of worship, in the following order : BAPTISTS. Chapels 6O Members of Sect 9,248 CALVINISTS. Chapels 23 Members of Sect 7,569 ROMAN CATHOLICS. Chapels B3 Members of Sect 144,044 INDEPENDENTS. Chapels Bl _ Members of Sect 24,299 METHODISTS. Chapels Members of Sect PRESBYTERIANS. Chapels l3 Members of Sect QUAKERS. Chapels Members of Sect UNITARIANS. 1,9E9 Chapels Members of Sect 3,099 Al! other non-conforming Religionists, in cluding Moravi,ns, Sw•edenbonrgians, Bible Christians, Johannaites, Jews, &c. Chapels lB Members of Sects 3,946 TOTAL. Chapels 590 Members of Sects 255,411 " This, be it remembered, is the return of the Dissenters themselves, who, if they have had any interest in falsifying it, have certainly been interested in falsifying it on the side of excess. This is the proportion of non-conforming religionists in the most exclusively manufacturing district in England-255,411 out of a population of 953,978, nearer one-fourth than one-third of the whole." In the above statement it will be seen that the Roman Catholics have 83 chapels, and all the other Separatists 507 ; while the members of the Catholic sect are returned 144,244, and the whole of the other Separatists only 111,167. The fact is, that the Catholics always return the whole population, young and old, belonging to them ; while the Dissenters do not even return the whole that form part of their congregations, but only such as are of age, and have formally joined their respective associations. We had imagined that this was a matter notorious as the sun at noon clay. In the case of many of the Calvinist Dissenters, the becoming a member of the association is preceded by rigid examina tion as to qualifications, and the entry into se rious obligations ; and it often happens, espe- cially in towns, that an individual has, from his childhood to age, had a seat in a Dissenting Chapel, and paid for his seat, without being a member. If we were to take the proportion of the Catholics to the 83 chapels belonging to them for our guide, with respect to the other sects, we should have a Dissenting population of 902,860. But this would be beyond the mark ; and the rea son why we must take the proportion between Ca tholics and chapels as a guide for the other Sepa ratists is this, that the Catholics, from poverty, do not possess a number of chapels corresponding to their population. As the Catholics baptise separately, we have the means of ascertaining their numbers from the average ratio of births to population. According to that criterion, it has been ascertained that the Catholics in Liverpool amount, at present, to upwards of 60,000 ; but their chapels are not in proportion. In this metropolis the Catholics have only 23 chapels, but from the returns of births which we have seen, they must exceed in number 160,000. The Catholics are the very lowest class ; the Dissenters include a majority of the middle classes ; and here they have more places of worship, compared to their population, than the Roman Catholics. The only way to obtain an approximation to accuracy, in determining the proportion of Dissenters to Episcopalians, would be to count the families in both, and assuming the whole family to be Episcopalians or Dis senters, to assign an average number of persons to each family. An approximative return of this kind would probably give, in Lancashire, three Dissenters for each Episcopalian. There is another way of arriving at something like accuracy. The Rev. Air. Cock, in his exami nation before a Committee of the House of Commons, made the Presbyterians of Ulster amount to about 700,000. Their congregations, including the Seceders and Cameronians, only amount to about 400. Having ascertained the proportion between members and non-members, in a given number of families, an average was struck, and the total thereby obtained. A Committee of the Town Council of Edinburgh has, since the municipal reform of that city, drawn nu a report on the state of the churches. From that report it appears that, according to the Government census of 1831, the population of the nine parishes of the Old Town was 28,196, and that there were 4,637 seats let in these nine churches. The church-going popu lation is calculated at one-third of the population. This would give to the Established Church in the old town of Edinburgh about one-half of the population, the whole of the attenders of places of worship being 9,398. The Scotsman calculates the whole of the churchgoing people of all Edinburgh at 47,000. If we suppose that the proportion of church-going people in the Scotch towns be fully greater than in England, we should have, out of the 953,970, the population of the parts of Lancashire, horn which returns were obtained, a proportion of churchgoers of 317,990. If we deduct from this sum the Separatists, 255,411, we should have a church-going Episcopalian population of 62,579. But this would evidently be too small, because the 144,244 Roman Catholics are not church-goers merely, b ut young an d o ld ; i n short, the whole Catholic population. The blunder of the Standard, in calculating the whole Dissenting population of the country at two millions, because there are eight thousand chapels, and allowing 250 to a congregation this will give two millions, is so obvious, that we are astonished how our contemporary could suppose any one would swallow it. What pro portion the congregation bears to the whole population connected with it, we will not at tempt to fix. Assuming it at one-third of the population, that would give 750 souls to every congregation of 250, and would make the Dis senters of England six millions. It would be most absurd, however, to suppose the remainder of the population Episcopalian. In England a very large part of the population are utterly neglected, and belong to no religious commu nity whatever. There are various criteria for determining the proportion which the Dis senters bear to the Episcopalians, without hav ing recourse to conjectural estimates of congre gations. In the present day there is a very great desire for education, and the children of Dissenters and Episcopalians are equally dis posed to attend the Sunday Schools of their respective communities. In the borough of Marylebone there is a population of 234,294; 25 Episcopalian churches and chapels and 26 chapels of Dissenters. The children attending Dissenting Sunday Schools are 4,114 ; attend ing Episcopalian schools, 1,353. It is pretty obvious that, if we were to give only four hundred to ea c h o f th e Di ssen ti ng congregations, and to multiply that number by three, to make up the whole Dissenting population, that would be in all only 31,200. But the children at' Episcopalian Sunday schools would indicate that the Episcopalians are only about one-third of 31,000 ; so that, deducting 31,000 from a population of 234,294, we should have about 190,000 without anv religion at all in the lborough of Marylebone. But we merely notice this to show the absurdity of the Standard claiming all the population as Episcopalian beyond 250 for each of 8,000 Dissenting chapels. All that the Standard has stated tends only to bear us out in our assertions. We are satisfied we have been rather under than above the inark.—Morning Chronicle. We beg to refer our readers to the letter of Civis in the Post of this day, in which they will find some straightforward and honest re marks on the quarrel, or pretended quarrel, with Russia. There is a great deal of fire and fury in the Ministerial Journals upon this sub ject, and the understanding , in all quarters undoubtedly is, that our Ministers have placed themselves in a position in which nothing can prevent war but important and humiliating con cessions on the part of Russia, or an utter sacrifice of dignity, honour, and consistency on the part of the British Government. W e do not by any means expect that Russia will sur render substantially any part of the advantages which the imbecile or knavish traffic for popula rity on the part of the Governments of England and France has enabled her to obtain. As Mr. Canning, and those Whigs who, by an equal sacrifice on both sides of honour and princi ple, were confederated with him, thought fit to place Turkey in the power of Russia, for sake of the temporary popularity they ac quired, as the protectors of a horde of pirates and assassins, whose whole claim to favour or support was that they were not merely pirates and assassins, but revolted subjects also —as Mr. Canning and his confederated Whigs thought fit to do this, it is rather too much to expect of Russia now that she will relinquish the advantages thus placed in her hands. Have we not the memory of the glorious battle of Na varin to console us for any disadvantages which may accrue from the ascendancy of Russia in the East? Was not the flag of Russia inter twined with that of Great Britain ? Did not Russian cannon roar in emulation of our own on the day of that splendid achievement ? And if this triumph, and the policy of which it was the consummation, has produced great advantage to Russia and great injury to ourselves, did not every man in England who was neither fool nor traitor clearly foresee and confidently predict that such would be the result ? What quarrel has England with Russia for seizing an opportunity of aggrandizement which any other Government similarly tempted would equally have seized ? The true quarrel of England is with the imbecile, unprincipled, treacherous party of English politicians who presented to Russia the irresistible temptation and facility to aggrandize herself at the expense of the welfare and security of their own country. Neither do we expect, we own, although we believe that Russia will make no material concession, and although we hear from all sides that Lord Palmerston has tried his best to be grave and dignified and peremptory, that there will be any war. A war may be necessary for the honour and interests of the country, or it may not. But this is not the question. Our present Ministers know perfectly well that the commencement of a war with any considerable Power would be the signal for the whole country to tell them in a voice which must be heard that it is time for them to retire. They must be conscious that the country would not trust them to carry on a war of three months' duration. There is the rub. So far as England is concerned, we feel persuaded that the peace of Europe never rested upon a more stable foundation than at the present moment.— Morning Post. We last week called on the Dissenters to dismiss their supineness, and call public meetings for the purpose of bringing their grievances before the next session of Parliament. A t the same time we briefly stated the four heads under which those grievances might he classed :—first, the state of the marriage laws; second, the register of births and deaths ; third, the neces sity of contributing to an alien establishment ; and, fourth, the exclusion from the Universities. Since we wrote, it will appear by the Advertiser of Monday, that a great public meeting took place at Bradford, on the previous Wednesday, for the purpose of presenting a memorial of grievances such as we recommended, and that the speakers on the occasion, who exhibited much ability, successively deprecated the four heads of grievance to which we adverted, and urged the necessity of their immediate remedy. On this occasion the Rev. Mr. Taylor, in a speech of considerable energy and eloquence, expatiated in the following terms on the evils produced by the mischievous State expedient of an Established Church : " With all Protestant Dissenters, I do conscientiously believe, and I can see no reason why we should not honestly and openly avow our belief, that Christianity in this country is enfeebled, and rendered, to a great extent, inoperative and inefficient by state enactments, political interference, and compulsory support ; and that England will never become universally Giristian until Christianity shall be left to itself, and suffered to maintain its ground, and extend its conquests by its own native energies.— (Cheer,) We oppose the system, not the men. Most sincerely do we wish the latter well, and desire their real good, only we are not prepared to sacrifice justice, reli gion, the Church of Christ, and the souls of men—in, order to secure to diem, and such as they, the possession of wealth, distinction, and influence. We find an eccle siastical system which always has introduced worldly minded men into the ministry—of whose regularly autho rised clergy a very large majority have invariably been either heterodox in doctrine, or immoral in practice, or both ; if that system, from its essential principles and constitution, must always create, and sanction, and support such teachers of religion as these, we are prepared to contend that such a system must be essentially wrong, and we do not hesitate to declare that our concern for the honour of God, and the salvation of men, constrains us to seek its overthrow. When the Church is endowed with civil honours and emoluments, the strongest possible temptation to enter it is held out to all who covet distinction and wealth. The only approximation towards the certain assurance of a pious, orthodox, and efficient Ministry, is that which is obtained by the operation of the voluntary principle." With this opinion we in a great degree concur. Our firm impression is, that the ques tion to be considered now is not (as is craftily alleged by the Conservative party) whether the Church of England shall suffer or not by the change required by the spirit of the age ; but whether Christianity itself shall, by an in veterate adhesion to abuses, escape the irre parable injury of a gradual decay or con version into infidelity. No such idea as a Political State Church was contemplated at the origin of Christianity ; as is proved by the only authentic history of its establishment in the " Acts." The fatal result of its political character is, that it produces a discrepancy be tween the doctrine and the practice, too broad and too glaring to escape the common observa tion. This discrepancy might pass in Popish times, when the people were cajoled with false interpretations of Scripture, made from a text book in a foreign language. It might even pass after the Reformation—in times when education had made little progress among the people. But now when the people can (thanks to the schoolmaster) perfectly understand all that con cerns the original faith and practice of the Christian religion, as detailed in the Gospels and the Acts—the discrepancy revealed to them by this simple and unfailing knowledge must be fatal to Christianity itself, if the excrescences of abuse which feudal state mys tery has engendered on its surface be not unsparingly cut away. In the authenticated volume of their faith the people read of a religion of poverty, of self-abasement, and of self-denial. In the doctrines and practice of the modern teachers they perceive nothing but a religion of worldliness, selfishness, prodigality, and idolatry, of gratification and of lucre. Such a practical falsehood cannot be daily exhibited on the part of instructed and professed Chris tians, without tending to make Deists or Atheists —without engendering doubts on uninstructed minds of the truth of Christianity itself. This is the real evil to be feared. Sure we are, that in order to give a popular diffusion to Christianity (and we can only recognize its interests as a moral faith--not as a well-paid corporation) two things are alone wanted : First, the payment of all cure of souls by a voluntary stipend, Proportioned to the labour and public benefit of the cure; second, a re sumption of church property, for national and educational purposes, by the nation, which having first conferred the perverting gift on the Church, and subsequently transferred it from the Catholic clergy to the Protestant, demon strated by both acts its right to resume the trust fund, and employ it in such a way as may be deemed most beneficial for the nation and the real interests of Christianity.—Morning Advertiser. OLD BAILEY, JAN. 3. OLD COURT. William Sao:well, aged 19, was indicted for steal ing a violoncello, value 20e., the property, of Abel Bush. The prosecutor examined by the COURT—Are you a musician ?—Yes, my Lord. Were you amusing yourself on the lath of De cember ?—No, my Lord, I vas amusing the public. I vas a wait, my Lord, it being Christmas time, and the prisoner carried my bass, and ye vent about a-waiting all night. Veil, about five in the mornin I had to take home Ikey Couch, cause he was blind, and couldn't see no more nor a post. Ikey vas our fast fiddle, my Lord, so I told Snoswell to take my bass to the Cambrian coffee-house, in Bishopgate street, but he never corned anear me, nor my bass nither. Cross-examined by Mr. PHILLIPS—How many of you were there in this firm of disturbers of quiet people ?—There vas three on us, me, and Ikey, and another young man vot I don't know ; he warn't my riggler partner. Can the prisoner play ?—Play ! no, I'm blessed if he can. He's only a wamp. A wamp ! what do you mean by a wamp?—Vy, wot we calls wamping is scraping on the key note all the way through, cause then he don't make no disagreeable discords, nor yet spoil no catgut. I got him a situaiion at the Shakspeare Theatre to carry the board about. He didn't hact nothing. I lent him my bass to yarn a shilling, but I niver gev him no vages; howsomdever I gave him a basin of soup. _ _ The father, a respectable-looking man, believed his son had been made a dupe by fiddlers and mountebanks. Several persons gave him a good character. Guilty, but recommended to mercy. SURREY SESSONS, JAN. 3. In a trial for assault, in which a young man was in dicted for assaulting a married woman, by striking her a severe blow on the eye, considerable alterca tion ensued between the Chairman and Mr. Dunbar, who was counsel for the defence. In the course of Mr. Dunbar's cross-examination of the prosecu trix the Chairman interrupted him, and condemned him for endeavouring, by his questions, to insinuate that a criminal intercourse had taken place between the pro,ecutrix, who was a married woman, and the defendant at the bar. Mr. DUNBAR said that all he wanted was to elicit the truth, adding, that he had adopted that mode of cross-examination which his instructions in the case justitied. The CtimuntAN said that no instructions justified such vile insinuations as had been attempted in the cross-examination. Another witness, a young man, was then called to prove the assault which was committed on the prosecutrix, and which he distinctly swore to have witnessed. In the course of his cross-examination Mr. DUN BAR put some questions with the view to impeach the credibility of his testimony, upon hearing which The CHAIRMAN rose, and, addressing Mr. Dun. bar, said that during the whole of his experience he never heard a more slanderous or more improper cross-examination in any Court. He (Mr. Dunbar) had, in the first instance, insinuated that the prose cutrix had an illicit intercourse with his client, for which there was not the slightest ground ; and now he wanted to impute to the witness under exami nation that he was tried for some offence at the Old Bailey, which insinuation was equally without foun dation. Mr. DUNBAR denied in strong language that he had resorted to slander in his cross-examination of the parties. The epithet applied to him he flung back from whence it came, and should not be inti midated from pursuing his duty as advocate for the defendant, notwithstanding what had been said. He defied any man tol say that he had ever con ducted him!elf in any way derogatory - to the cha racier of a gentleman, and of that person who said otherwise he should not hesitate in saying that he was a liar. He bad acted upon this occasion agree ably to the instructions put into his hands by a pro fessional man. The CHAIRMAN would venture to say that no man of honour at the Bar would have adopted such a line of cross-examination as that to which he had al luded. Mr. DUNBAR, upon comparison, was not at all afraid but his character would stand the test with that of the Learned Chairman. The CRArRMAN said that the conduct Mr. Dunbar had pursued on this occasion was not at all to be wondered at after the specimen he had given the day before. Mr. DUNBAR—What do you allude to ? The CHAIRMAN had been informed that he (Mr. Dunbar) had followed a prosecutor out of Court the day before, and besought him to recommend a man whom he had defended to the merciful consi deration of the Court. Mr. DUNBAR—I deny that I made any applica tion of the kind to the prosecutor ; in fact, the pro secutor came to me himself upon the subject, and if he is questioned on the point, I am convinced that he will acknowledge-that I made no application of the kind to him. Mr. ELYARD, the Magistrate, said that the pro secutor in the case referred to had distinctly told him that Mr. Dunbar had requested him to recom mend his (Mr. Dunbar's) client to the mercy of the Court. Mr. DUNBAR again declared that there was no truth in the assertion, and was proceeding to renew the altercation, when a Magistrate rose and said that he perfectly coincided with everything that had fallen from the Chairman on the subject of the im proper mode in which the cross-examination of the prosecutor and witness had been conducted on the occasion. Another Magistrate said that it was a disgrace to the profession of the Bar when any member of it descended to throw out insinuations such as had been in the course of this trial for assault. The CHAIRMAN, perceiving a person standing near Mr. Dunbar, asked him if he had furnished the Learned Counsel with his instructions ? The person to whom the question was put an swered in the affirmative. CHAIRMAN—Are you an attorney ? The reply was that be was not at all connected with the law, but that he had drawn up the brief agreeably to the instructions he had received from the defendant. The CHAIRMAN remarked upon this admission, and said that Mr. Dunbar would recollect that he had stated that he received his brief from a pro fessional man, and it now turned out that the person froM whom he had his instructions was in no way connected with the law. Mr. DUNBAR said that the Counsel practising in that Court were frequently employed by persons who termed themselves law agents. It was done every day, and he imagined that the person from whom he had his instructions was one of that class of men. After some further remarks, the case of assault then proceeded, and the defendant was found Guilty. The CHAIRMAN, in passing sentence, said his offence was aggravated by the mode of defence which was set up. MIDDLESEX SESSION, JAN. 2. EARL MANSFIELD V. THE PARISH OF ST. PANCRAS. This was an appeal on the part of the Noble Earl against an alleged excess of assessment made on him for poor-rate. The parish officers of the parish of St. Pancras had, in obedience to orders in vestry, caused a fresh sur vey last year of Lord Mansfield's house and grounds at Caenwood, the result of which was, that they had increased the rating of the whole estate to 2501, in consequence of which the present appeal was made. Mr. CLARKSON contended that the rating was above the value of the estate, and called Mr. Prichetr, an auctioneer and land-surveyor, who believed the yearly worth of Lord Mansfield's house was 5201., and the grounds 1301. Mr. Rainy, another surveyor, believed that if the parish rated Lord Mansfield at 6001. a year, it would be rated at the full value of the estate. Mr. ADOLPHUS, for the respondents, contended that no exorbitant rating was proved. According to the showing of the noble appellant's witnesses, the estate, if to let, would be worth 6501. a year; but as this was not an estate to be disposed of in that manner, but occupied by the Noble Earl and his family, there was nothing to show that the value which the parish surveyors had fixed it at, vie. 8251. per annum, was not correct. The rate was confirmed. Mr. CLARKSON applied to the Court to allow the case, that it might be brought before the Court of King's Bench. The Court refused it, and ordered the cost to be paid by the appellant. MARKET INTELLIGENCE. LONDON MARKETS. (From the" London New Price Current" of yesterday.) SUGAR.—There has been a steady Sugar Market this week ; the sales are considerable for the season of the year, they amount to 2,200 bin's. and trs. for the week ; the prices are the same as obtained previous to the holy days, except good Sugars, which are getting scarce, and command a small advance. In Refined there is little change ; there are extensive buyers of fine Crashed at 305., but no sellers at that rate; there is also more doing in fine goods for the home con , umption of the country. This af ternoon extensive sales of fine Crashed have been reported at 30s. 6d. ; the Market is now well cleared of these Sugars; there is also more demand for melting goods. MAURITIUS SUGAR.—There are few purchases reported by private contract. This day's public sale attracted con siderable attention, being the first cargo of new Sugars this season, and of fine quality ; it did not go off with the briskness anticipated ; it consisted of 3,908 bags, the good qualities yellow 535. 6d. a 57a., sold higher, the brown and inferior at rather lower rates, good brown 501. a 525. EAST INDIA SUGAR•—The inquiries after East India Sugar continue considerable, but few sales are yet reported. FOREIGN SUGARS.--The only sale reported in Foreign Sugar is 200 barrels mid. to good white Pern ims at 255. COFFEE.—The Coffee Market continues very firm, tl,e sales reported are parcels of Ceylon at 565., Brazils at 59 and good ordinary St. Domingo also at the latter price. Cocoa.—About 1,000 bags Brazil Cocoa have been sold at a stud' advance, the price for fair quality 21s. 6d. a 225. RUM, BRANDY, AND HOLLA NDS. —The rumours of war with Russia have excited some interest in the Rum M irket, but for the present have produced no advance in prices; the Market is, however, Id. per gallonhigher, on account of the great naval preparations , which are now ascertained to be going on on an exten sive scale, and the certainty that Rum will be ar rny wanted to some extent; proof Leewards 25., considerable tbhhue seasonrsf o a r t t ao h f a st t ihmei iprice,ar year; a i n m d jp t ,ir h on e v.ei s i fle a . : e n s td.e a s r c e r Bd p unusually trianona ye continues largefirmly ld steady, and fur the new descriptirms . a small advanc e h as been paid. Geneva is without variation. At a late hour this evening an extensive parcel of fine Jamaica Rum has been sold, the price has not transpired; further sales of proof Leewards are reported 2s. and five over 2s. Id. ,TALLOW. -The settlement of the account, in time bargains in Tallow for all the year took place 31st ult. and produced great fluctuation ; the prices of yellow candle Tallow were 43s , 449., 445. 6d., and 445. 9J. ; when the differences were adjusted the speculators began to sell extensively for distant delivery at 435. 6d. and 43 ,, , the rumours of war with Russia having no effect in daunting the spirit of speculation, and the idea that a considerable fall must take place on the arrival of the expected large supplies to this market. This evening the oifference between Tallow for cash and for time has subsided ; the quotation is 435. 3d. for cash, and for all February 435. TOBACCO. —There are no sales of Tobacco to report. PROVISIONS.—Since our last of Tuesday we cannot notice the least alter,tion in the Butter or Bacon market, nor in the price of any other article under this head. SALTPETRE.—The late reduction in the price of Salt petre has occasioned a renewed inquiry for the home con sumption, and it is expected that the rumours of war will occasion a revival in the demand on speculation. This day's public sale 280 bags Alaaras Saltpetre, refraction 38k, sold at SOs. COCHINEAL AND LAC DYE. —Cochineal has been in good demand, both for export and home consumption ; the prices are rather higher. The letters from Vera Cruz of October 27, state an advance of 10 per cent., on account of the disturbed state of the country where the Cochineal is produced. Of Lac Dye the better descriptions are more inquired after, and are held for higher prices ; the ordinary qualities are nearly unsaleable. SPICES.—There is little variation in Spices; the low qualities of Pepper are inquired after; the demand for Cinnamon continues ; Nutmegs maintain the late advance, good quality 7s. DYES, &c.—Annatto continues scarce, but the demand is very limited. Argols continue in fair demand and prices steady. Cream of Tartar is rather higher in price, but the demand is not quite so brisk as during the previous month. Galls maintain the late quotations, hut the demand is very languid, and to press sales would certainly produce higher rates. Shumac is in more request and prices advancing, but it is not expected to be much higher. Madder and Madder Roots are rather more in request, but there does not appear any disposition to advance prices. Safflower is quo•ed lower, and no disposition to purchase at the re duced rates, as several parcels are expected shortly to ar rive. Turmerick is rather more in request, but prices remain steady. Yellow Berries continue in fair demand, and prices looking up. Valonia has become exceedingly dull of sale, and the quotations difficult to obtain, yet hol ders are unwilling to take less. Brimstone remains steady in price, but the demand rather increases. Dyewoods continue much neglected, as is generally the case at this season of the year; Logwood and Fustic are both lower; Saunders is in rather more request for export ; Barwood and Camwood are scarce ; Nicaragua Wood is rather more in request for export; so is Brazil Wood also; and prices rather on the advance. INDIGO.—The inspection of Indigo of the approaching sale has commenced ; above 2,000 chests have been exa mined; about tivo.thirds consist of good and mid. con suming qualities, which sold at the last East India.house sale at from 4s. 9d. a ss. 6d. per lb. ; there is as yet a very small quantity suitable for exportation; the total quantity, it is expected, will be increased to about 4,000 chests. The Market continues very firm ; the late forced sale, at 3d. under the currency, appears to produce no effect. TEA.-There is no alteration in the prices of Tea, but the market is rather heavy. CorroN.—Tbe demand on speculation early in the week was considerable, and the prices were rather higher; the request since has rather subsided, on account of the heavy market at Liverpool. Th e p urc h ases are 1,300 Surat, bi d . a 78,i. ; Bowed Georgia, Sid. a Sid. ; 30 St. Kncent's, 10d. PRICES OP HOPS.—Jan. 3. New Kent Pockets (per cwt.) 51 Os. 61. Os. to 61. 10a. Choice 71 Os. 81 . Oa to 91 Os • East Kent Choice 81. 103. 01. Os. to 91. Os. New Svesex Pockets 5/. Os. 01. Os. to 51. 103. Superfine Ditto Farnham (fine).,.. Ditto (seconds),.., Rape Oil, brown Linseed 0i1,,,,,,,,.,, 13 0 5 10 03. iii: OS. to _6l. OS Linseed Oil Cake at the Mill, per thousand Rape Cake, per ton 11;: 01. Os to 12/. 12s, .10/ Os. 01. Os to 111. Os. PRICE OF OIL. ..w,..371. 6s• ..,...A. Refined ..,..139 0 PRICE OF POTA'I:OEa—Jan,. Shaws ....,.....,...,. Middling —..—.. Marsh Champions Scotch Red 5,.,.,..,.. Chats ....--,--..... WHITEcHAPEL H, Ray ..--........ 653. Od. to 84s. Od. Straw. .3/. Os:to 31. 10s. per ton. .01. Os. to 21. ss. ditto. Al. Os. to 41. 10s. ditto. ,31.105. to 41. Os. ditto. .01. Os. to 2/. Cs. ditto. MARKET.—Jan. 2. I (lover -70 A Od. to 953. Od. Od. to 28i. Od. LEATHER. Per lb. d. to d. English Horse Hides... 14 19 Spanish Ditto 17 26 Per dozen. Calf Skins.. SO to 40Ib. 14 21 Ditto ........ 40 to 601 b. 17 23 Ditto --. 70 to 901 b. 20 23 Small Seals. Greenland 16 18 Large ditto w . 12 16 PRICES OF Per lb. d. to d. Butts, Eng1i5h........... 14 25 Ditto, F0reign...........,, 13 21 Dressing 11ide5..........., 11 15 Ditto , 14 16 Ditto, light Crop Hides, 1ight,.,..,. 12 14 Ditto 40 to 501 b. 13 161 Ditto .14 14 PEACE OF CANDLES. The price of Store Candles, in the retail shops, is as follows: Candles, per doz. 7s. Od. to Bs. Od. I Moulds, per dozen—Zs. 6d RICE OF RAW FAT, per stone of 81b. Price of Tallow (as stated by the Tallow Melters)«....... 23.11 d. PRICE OF TALLO I O ['own Tallow 48s. Od. Yellow Russia 48s. Od. White —s. Od. Soap Ditto s. Od. Melted 87s. Od. Ditto Rough 21s. Od. ', SOAP, &c. per 1121 b. ---- Yellow Soap.. 625. Od. 1 Mottled White,..,,,,.,. Graves -- Good Dregs '72s. Od. 14s. Od. ss. Od. ET.—Jan. 3. Per Ton. r. d Walls End Heat0n,.......,, 16 6 Walls End Hilda-—.. 16 6 ___ . . Walls EndHowden—...... 17 0 Walls End Newmarch.... 16 0 Walls End Hetton —...... 19 0 W. E. Russell's Hetton— 18 6 Walls End Stewart's...—. 19 0 W. E South Dprham„, 17 0 Walls End Tees —........ 17 6 Hartley.. --- 15 9 Newbal, Main...........,.. 23 0 is t market-day, 90, Ditto Northumberland... lii 3 Walls End Perkin 5.............., 15 6 COAL MARL Per Ton. s. d. Adair's --WNWOMM., 16 0 Chester Main l4 0 Elst Percy l5 0 Hebburn Main 15 6 Holywell Orti's Redhugh 14 6 14 0 16 0 Townley l5 6 West Hartley l5 9 tVylam . - 16 6 Walls End Beivicke & Co. 18 0 Walls End Carr and Co. 15 6 W.E. Clarke and C 0...—. 15 0 Ships arrived since BIRMINGHAM CORN MARKET, Jan. 2.. Wheat, 62 lb. Barley, imperial quarter Do. Grinding, 49 lb. Oats, 391 b 3 0 3 6 Old Beans, 664 lb 15 6 17 0 New ditto l4 6 15 0 New White Boiling Pease, 3 imp. bush 22 0 22 6 Ditto Grey ditto lB 6 20 0 BIRTHS. On the 31st ult., at Headingley, near Leeds, the lady of John Marshall, Esq., jun., M.P., of a son. On the 3d inst., at Brixton hill, the wife of Mr. Hodson, of a son. On the 27th ult., the lady of Robt. Weldon, Esq., of Cooline, Charleville, of a son. In Cavancor, county Donegal, the lady of Captain E. Hum_ fray, of a son. In Grangemore, county Westmeath, the lady of Edward Briscoe, Esq., of a daughter. In Ardemine, county Wexford, the lady of J. Goddard Richards, Esq., of a son. At Susan Villa, county of Dublin, the lady of Thos. Willans, Esq., of a son. At Day Place, Kerry, the lady of Maurice O'Connor, Esq., of a daughter. MARRIED. On the Ist inst., at Hamsey, Sussex, George Hoper, Esq., of Lewes, to Henriette Louisa, third daughter of Sir George Shiff. ner, Bart., of Coombe-place. On the 2d inst., at Tilehurst, near Reading, Harry Footner, Esq., of Andover, Hants, solicitor, to Fanny, eldest daughter of Henry Chase, Esq., of Calcot, Berks. On the 2d inst., at St. Marks, Kennington, the Rev. Charles Miller, M.A., Cheswardine, Salop, to Charlotte King Hilliard, eldest daughter of Mr. Hilliard, of Stockwell, Surrey. On the Ist inst., at Greenwich, Edward Ledger, jun., Esq., of Queen-street-place, Southwark -bridge, to Henrietta, eldest daughter of Mr. H. Potts, of Valentine-terrace, Blackheath. road. On the 21st Nov., at Troy, State of New York, C. Board. man, Esq., of that place, to Miss Frances Cuthbert Guillod, daughter of Mrs. Guillod, Brompton-crescent, London. SamuelD o A d Dodd, to Sarah, fourth daughter of JamesAt Mallow,Tarrant, At Derry, the Rev. George Steen, to Margaret, daughter of Joseph Thompson, Esq. At Wexford, Richard Crowe, Esq., to Isabella, relict of the James Esg. Fox, Esq., late John Parsons, Esq. At Cairncastle, James M'Creery, Esq., to Jane, third daugh. ter, of Daniel Urell, Esq. Es Belfast, g Camberwell, Mrs. Ann Nicholson, ,s_tsE.:rsgea'et't, Westminster. James Heron, Esq., to Margaret, daughter of - DIED. On the 2d inst., at the house of her son-in-law, Charles Cowan,No Erths-qt.errace, aged 81. On the 213th ult., at Pentritch, Peter Black, Esq., French ALP., Anne, wife of Samuel Amory, Esq., Consul at Brighton, to Elizabeth, Tiverton only child of Gabriel Brittain, Esq., of Butterly Park, Derbyshire. at the house of her father, in his 59th year, Richard Daxon, Esq., of Ennis, county of Clare, Ireland. On the 30th ult., in her 38th year, Ruth, the wife of Mt- Edward Hogg, of St. James's -street, Piccadilly. Johnof ( A n t Greatlltil3e' Brighton, t g l I i h c o t :r o g ia i i t e , On the 30th ult., at Totteridge, the Hon. Mrs. Browne, relict of the late Right Hon. Denis Browne. On the 19th ult., at his house in York.place, Chelsea, Mr, Thomas White, aged 94. On the 213th ult., at Everton, near Liverpool, Susan, the wife of Arthur Latham, Esq. On the 27th ult., in her 23d year, Mari ann e , second daugh. ter of the late Mrs. Pierce Mansfield. Esq ., of Foley-place, in h er 83d year. lin Brunswick-square, N a th an i e l Mi lne, E sq .. aged 40 years, Ann C astle, the w i fe of On the 31st tilt., at Ca rshalton, Surre y , Mrs. Ros e , relict of Ge O or n ge th ß e r l o s o t k i s n , st E ., ,q ii: o l fi e i r ,l 7 e 7 ,, t t l: vic y k ea H r , ou A s n e, n ß , e r d e r l o ic r t th o h f ir t e l . ie late the or tooh l inel a t tt, e rti ie J eem o 3ol s sp h tlt . ehi .n ß su o t s i. e : Samuel Castle, of Oxford-street. On the 25th ult., at Raikes-hall, Lancashire, the seat of John Hornby, Esq., John Birley, Esq., in his 59th year. On the 24th Nov., at Jamaica, Charles Vogel Ince, Esq. _....... PRINTED AND . PUBLIAIED BY MU RDO N :SUN °MO', 112, STIUND. 2f4 55,03 r-