The Sun. — London, England, 1831-02-18 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS. Lord Howick will, on Tuesday next, ask for leave to bring in a Bill " for facilitating settlements in his Majesty'3 foreign possessions." We are in formed that, under this humble title, a measure of great importance will be proposed. Why the word " Emigration" was excludetlifrom Lord Howic k ' s notice of motion it is, perhips, easy to divine; con sidering how unpopular that word has been made with the public. The fact, however, is, if we are not mistaken, that the Government look to systema tic colonization, of which emigration is only one in gredient, as a powerful means of improving the con dition and removing the discontent of the agricultu ral population. We have before noticed the excel lent regulations for the disposal of waste land which Lord Howick has bestowed upon New South Wales; and we trust that his Lordship may, on Tuesday, intimate that Government proposes to extend those regulations to the Cape of Good Hope and the Ca- Dodos. 'I he American Government obtains every year, by the sale of new land, above 1,500,000 dol lars ; but this large sum does not include the pro ceeds of sales of land by the separate States, each of which has an exclusive property in all the waste land within the State. We have heard the whole amouut of sales of new land in the United States estimated at a million and a half sterling. How useful would such a fund be to this country for the purposes of emigration' It is satisfactory to us to be able to remind our readers, that the universal sale of waste land at a fixed minimum price, together with the em ployment of the fund so obtained in conducting emi gration, and thereby constantly increasing the Emi gration Fund, was originally suggested in this Jour nal, in a series of letters, which were afterwards pub lished by Mr. Robert Gouger, under the title of " A Letter from Sydney."—Morning Chronicle. The notorious bribery and corruption of the borough of Evesham has excited such indignant feel ings in the Marquis of Chandos and Sir Robe! t Peel, that they are anxious a single day should not be lost in visiting that spot with condign punish ment. The Marquis of Chandos could not think of waiting for the disclosure of the Ministerial measure of Reform. " He was anxious (he said) to show the country that whenever an instance of gross corruption and bribery came before them, the House of Commons would .do their duty." We suppose lie is anxious to show the country that a House of Commons, so ready to do its duty in punishing bribery whenever it is proved, is suffici ently adapted for its purpose; because we are not to infer corruption where it cannot be proved, on the good old English maxim, that every man is pre sumed innocent till he is found guilty ; and by dis franchising without proof of guilt we can have no certainty that we do not punish the innocent. The late Member for Westbury (Sir Robert Peel) found himself in conscience obliged, we sup pose, to second the Noble Marquis, from the experience he himself had that appearances are often deceitful ; as he had found in the instance of the constituency of Westbury, that a pocket borough may be far beyond the reach ofimproper influence. Moliere was agreeably surprised when he found honesty had taken refuge with a beggar; and Sir Robert was, no doubt, equally surprised to find that purity, under the fostering care of Sir Menasseh Lopez, had at tained such perfection in Westbury. The nation is to be gratified with an investigation into the de linquency of the borough of Evesham, the result of which will no doubt satisfy it that bribery never exists where it is not notorious, and that the patrons of pocket boroughs put themselves to a great expense in maintaining their interests in these boroughs, merely from the high principle of serving their country, and without any view to Indemnification. Jonathan Wild used to exert himself to bring to justice those clumsy thieves who brought discredit on the profession. We believe that Ikey Solomons, and other capitalists in the same line, have not availed themselves lately of the example. The affair of the borough of Evesham is certainly a leaf out of Jonathan Wild. Sir Robert Peel had another little reason of his own for the proceeding. Sir Robert has perfect confidence in Parliament as at present constituted, but a Reformed Parliament might be more indifferent to corruption, and there fore he is anxious to avail himself of the opportu nity, while Parliament is what it ought to be, of setting an example which a Reformed Parliament cannot well av rid followinir. " The House ought," he raid, " in his opinion, to act without any reference to the intended motion of the Noble AL-Inner for Tuvistock, and visit any delinquent borough with punishnwnt. This ought to be done were it only to prove to any fUture constituent body—if the existing constituent body were to be changed—that they would be vi,itcd with punishment, if at any future perioil they were found to be jubtly chargeable with corruption." Without such proof, the constituency under a Reformed Parliament might be in danger of sup posing there was no harm in the indulgence of the pleasant sin of corruption. Sir Robert is too wise a roan to trust to any other guarantee for purity than the strength from above to resist temptation, and the penal sanction; he knows that it is all de lusion to suppose that the extension of the franchise to a constituency so numerous as to be identified in interest with the community, can be any security against corruption; that a people may bribe them selves; in short, that without the bribery oath and penalties, rather than not bribe, a man would make his right hand bribe his left. Sir Charles Forbes illustrated the nature of the morality of the House of Commons, by a reference to China— " If in China a native saw one of his countrymen steal anything, especially from an European, without being found out, he allowed him to pass on without notice ; but, if the offender was detected and caught, then the Lord have mercy upon him !" Sir Charles Wetherell, who is not so good a Chinese as Sir Robert Peel, whatever his inclination may be, from constitutional impetuosity, disclosed without re serve, the object of the proceeding in the case of Evesham—" The House, he said, would abandon its duty if it relinquished this distinct and intelligible motion fur any scheme of fanciful Reform which might be brought forward by the Noble Lord. It did not follow, because the Noble Paymaster was disgusted, that the people of England were dis gusted also." Oh, no—the people of England are delighted with the present state of the repre sentation. Nothirig is wanted to make it absolute perfection but the punishment of such places as Evesham, tihich bring a disgrace on the Constitu tion. It is publicity which constitutes the evil. If we see, year after year, superannuation& inrrrease in amount--if we see 1060 persons under Government, enjoying among them 2,066,574/. we are not to place this to the account of rotten boroughs, but to the desire of Government to dispense aes.e. means at its command with a liberal spirit, and a desire to reward merit as extensively as possible. Hidden vices are no vices. The approved principle was laid down by the Presbyterian clergyman, who, on rebuking Charles the Second for having displayed too much sensibility to beauty, told him he ought to have closed his windoi,v-ehutters. Every man who, like the Marquis of Chandoe, Sir Robert Peel, and Sir Charles Wetherell, are unable to contain their indignation against Evesham, ought to call out loudly for a general fast.—Jiornin i g Chronicle. It must delight every lover of civil freedom and national independence to hear of the noble spirit with which Poland is preparing to meet the storm, which is ready to burst upon her on the side of Russia. Ever since the Emperor refused to listen to her complaints, and resolved to apply the scourge while lie reimposed the yoke, he population appear to a man to have devoted themselves to their country, and are now making sacrifices amid esertions which have rarely been exhibited in the history of nations. Every object of common business h as ceased to interest the tipper cia,2ses of society, and their life, arid soul, and labour, are engrossed by their country. The peasants, who have nothing but their personal toils to contribute, come forth with their landlords as volunteers in the national cause. All the inhabitants of towns or country who can bear arms are joining the patriotic standard, and acquiring military discipline. The hatred of ate Rus sians and of Russian domination, which is the great cause of this universal movement, has already sent to th - e frontiers an army which, from the spirit by which it is animated, may be expected to be suffi cient to check the first advance of the invader. We have seen a series of private letters from Warsaw to the 14t instant, which hold out the most cheering nrospActs of ultimate success, even against the gigan tic power of Russia, by communicating authentic descriptions of the enthusiasm of the people in the national cause—of their union in plans of defence— of the increasing numbers and improving discipline of the new levies—of the amazing extent of their preparations in arms and munitions of war—of the skill, zeal, and ability of their leaders—and of their magnanimous resolution rather to perish than to yield. In these letters, which were never intended for publication,and which therefore exaggerate nothing for the effect which the exaggeration may produce, we find a confirmation of the most favourable statements in the foreign journals, and some strik ing facts which these journals have omitted. Te remove the doubts which have been started in some quarters respecting the unanimous resolution of the upper classes to assert their independence at the hazard of a struggle so unequal with Russia, we need only state one or two circumstances contained in the letters before us. In the sitting of the Diet, at which the de position of the King was pronounced, the members showed no sign of hesitation—no desire to try the ef fect of further negotiation. The resolution was carried by acclamation, and those members who were unable to attend the previous discussion from illness insisted on being carried to the Chamber to sign the de cree. Not a single dissentient voice was raised either in the Senate or the Chamber of Nuncios. The army already amounts to 100,000 men, be• sides the national guards of the towns, and nume rous bodies of armed peasantry. Great numbers of officers who had formerly served in the army, but who had retired to civil life, have come forward to offer their services. Instances have occurred in Warsaw, of shopkeepers who have closed their maga zines, left their business anti their familie., and marched off to the defence of the frontiers The students of the University, who are all under arms, already go through their exercise like regular troops, arid prepared for the duties and hardships of a cam paign like veteran soldiers. As the Treasury is not very rich, and the nobility are powerful, the latter evince their patriotism by voluntary contributions of money, or by the levy and equipment of troops at their own expense. Nor do they court the honours of commanding the corps or companies which they themselves bring to the national standard. Some of the highest nobility, the Princes or the sons of Princes, offer to serve in the ranks with their own vassals, and allow themselves to be commanded by experienced officers of plebeian extraction. Nume rous instances are mentioned in which ladies of rank and property rival the male nobility in the magnifi cence of the offerings which they lay on the altar of their country. During the erection of the batteries at Warsaw, ladies of the highest fashion, along with the members of the Government and of the Legis lature, attended the work and encouraged the la bourers by sharing their toils. Instances have oc culted in which the nobility have made sacrifices more in character with the heroic times or states ofl antiquity than assimilated to modern examples. The Minister of War, General Hawke, it will be remem bered, fell by the hands of the insurgents, on the first night of the revolution, because he was attached to Russian interests. His son, educated among the Polish youth and partaking all their en thusiasm, after paying a decent respect to the memory of his father, entered the Polish ranks, and has sworn to conquer or die for the independence of his adopted country. Prince Lubominski, whose father is detained, and whose property has been con fiscated in Russia, is a subaltern in the artillery, and adheres with unabated resolution to the cause of independence. Whole regiments, on their beaded knees, have sworn to use no gunpowder against the enemy ; but to break through the Russian fire, and use only the bayonet, as the quickest, though most hazardous, method of deciding the contest. This resolution arises from no want of ammunition, for the Russians, in retreating, left them no less than 7,000,000 of ball cartridges. Such are a few interesting facts, the tendency of which cannot be gainsaid, and of which we can guarantee the accu racy. The Poles do not disguise from themselves the power of their enemy, with whom they have often measured their swords, and yet its magnitude does not create despair. They are confident of gaining a battle on the frontiers, and one victory would rally all their brethren of the provinces incorporated with Russia round their flag of inde pendence.—Tinies. PARLIAMENTARY REFORM. MEETING AT DEVONPORT. (Abridged from the Plymouth Journal of Thursday.) Pursuant to public advertisement, a meeting of the inhabitants of Devonport and parish of stoke Damerel was held on Monday last at the Town hall, for the purpose of presenting petitions to Parliament on the important subjects of Reform in Church and State, and the representation of this town in Parliament. JOHN CLOUTER, Esq. was called to the chair. T. HUSBAND, jun. Esq. banker, rose and spoke to the following effect :—" Mr. Chairman, I am par ticularly induced to bring the subject before you at the !present moment, in consequence of a motion, made some time ago by Lord Althorp, for the pro duction of the census of 18:?1, in which all cities, towns, and places,: including 10,000 inhabitants or more are included. On reference to that census, I find that Devonport is not noticed in it, but " Ply mouth and its environs" are mentioned as contain ing a population of 64,000 inhabitants. At that time, Devonport, it is true, was known by the name of Plymouth-dock, but even then its population amounted to 34,000. I am therefore of opinion, that, if in the contemplated measures of Reform the Legislature be only guided by the census of 1821, it is very likely we shall escape their notice, and it is consequently incumbent on us to take direct mea sures for laying our importance before them. On further reference to the census, I perceive that there are twenty-one boroughs in Cornwall, which send forty-two Members to Parliament, and yet the united population of these bat oighs does not equal that of Devonport. The county of Devon contains (if I rightly recollect) eleven boroughs besides the city of Exeter, and, if from these you exclude Exeter and Plymouth, the population of Devonport alone is eqt;4l to that of all the other places put together. I further perceive on reference to the census, that I Devonport contains the largest population of any town from the Land's End to Bristol—,one half the distance through the island, and yet we are unreprc- 1 sented. I also see by the census, that there are only four towns equal to ourselves in population which are, besides us, unrepresented; these are Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield, and Birmingham.— Now, I contend, that independent of the con sideration of population, we are entitled to re presentation in Parliament, in consequence.of the Naval and Military importance of this town. Its large Naval Arsenal, and its depots—more exten sive tl:an those of any town in or out of the kingdom, and thei.:onsequences which they confer on the town, would be sufriciezt to establish our right, were we not otherwise entitled to it by population. There ;5 another reason, which although rather mis stated oil a former occasion, is nevertheless of suffi cient importance to be brought forward at the sent moment in support of our t laitns. In 182 7 , nn reference to the petition they agreed to, I stated that Devonport paid 8001. per year county rates, anti that Plymouth only paid 401. In this I was in error, for Plymouth paid more than the sum I quoted ; but I will now assert without fear of con tradiction, that we pay siw times the amount of county rates paid by Plymouth. And why does this disparity exist? Because Plymouth is a represented town ; because by means of this representation, it li;is obtained the privilege of ?M s a local court, to try prisoners'ivithin the limits of the borough. Had we been so situated —had we enjoyed the same privilege, we should have been able to effect the same economy, and to save the enormous expense for which we so heavily contribute. I now come to a point, Sir, which 1 approach with considerable delicacy, and with which I feel I must deal tenderly ; but I considerit nevertheless my duty to bring it before you—l allude to the jealousy of the sister town. There has scarcely ever been any improvement contemplated by Devonport, but what has been set at nought by Plymouth and its borough interest, if there has been any possibility of doing so. It is a fact not to be concealed that the growing strength of this town has excited considerable jealousy in that ancient borough, who use their utmost endeavours to keep us down whenever we attempt to rise. I hope I have said enough to impress on the meeting the im portance of our claims, and I trust that the inha bitants of this town will, one and all, come forward and sign ft petition to send Members to Parliament ; so that it shall not be sent up with thousands of sig natures attached to it, but if possible with tens of thousands; and I hope that in twelve months hence I shall have the pleasure of standing in this very hall with those I see before me, drinking the health of the new Members we have chosen.—(Applause.) Having said thus much on the subject of representa tion, I shall proceed to make a few observations on that of Reform. On this question, I think it scarcely necessary to occupy your attention, for few are the individuals to be found who will dissent from the position that Reform we must have; the misma nagement of Government has been such that the ne cessity of Reform comes home to every man's bosom.—(Cheers.) Devon, of all the counties in England, took the lead of late on the question of the necessity of Reform, and was the first to convene a county meeting for the purpose of urging the sub ject on the Legislature; and I glory to think that I now stand in her largest town an advocate of the same cause. It is a pleasure to read the public papers in the present day. The daily press to whom we are under such high obligations for the information it diffuses amongst us on the subject of public meetings, putting us in full possession of facts, and giving us the pro and con, the majorities and mi norities on all public questions—the daily press, I say, teems with reports of Reform meetings, not of those dead-alive meetings of some time past, when one solitary speaker rose to propose a petition, to which, as a matter of course, all set their names, and which, when it arrived at its destination was first laid on the table and then laid under it—but of public meetings, characterised by intellectual energy and vigour. I alluded to the advantages conferred on the community by the public press—this is but one of the extraordinary advantages which we enjoy at the present moment. Never did we meet on any subject under such auspicious circumstances. We are blessed with a Reforming Administration— backed by a King the glory of England—(Cheers)— the first King who ever avowed himself a Reformer, and who is determined to give protection to his people and Reform to the country. But the very circumstance of our possessing a Reforming Admi nistration requires that we should support them with our united strength, for three Ministers have before now brought forward this measure before Parlia ment and have failed in the *tempt, merely because they were not supported by the people. The ques tion of Parliamentary Reform has also been brought forward 25 times within the last 50 years. It was brought forward by Mr. Pitt in 1782, and negatived by 20 votes; in 1783 by the same statesman, and again negatived by 144; in 1793 by the pre sesent Earl Grey (then Mr. Grey,) and lost by 241 votes; in 1809, 1817, and 1819, it was brought forward by Sir Francis Burdett, and successively negatived by 59, 188, and 95 votes; in 1821 by Mr. Lambton (now Lord Durham) and lost by 12; in the same year it was again brought forward by Lord John Russell—now selected by the present Ministry to fight the battle for them,—than whom no fitter man could be found for the purpose, for I have ever known him to be a stern, unflinching ad vocate for the people—and negatived by 31; and, to conclude the list, it was last year brought for ward by the celebrated Mr. O'Connell—(A laugh) —when it was lost by a majority of 306. Flowerer, notwithstanding the favourable circumstances under which we are placed, I am of opinion that the ques tion cannot be carried unless it be by the extraordi nary efforts of the people in supporting the Ministry. That such is the opinion of Earl Grey himself may be concluded from his assertion, that the present Ministry place their whole confidence in the people, and in the people alone ; thereby showing that he thinks the power lies in them. If, then, the people respond to the call of Ministers, I may fearlessly say they are sure of success, and I am glad to find that this certainty of success will not be foiled by any want of union among Ministers themselves, for it has been declared by Lord Lansdowne and others, that the greatest unanimity reigns in the Cabinet on the subject of the contemplated measures. I also see by the public papers (to whom we owe all our information,) that it is repotted, when the question is brought before the House of Commons, Sir Robert Peel intends to move counter-resolutions for moderate Reform, in order, if possible, to place the Ministry in a false position with regard to the people. Now, I contend, that had we no other reason for giving our support to the Ministry, the circumstance alone of Sir Robert Peel's opposition should act as a powerful incentive for exerting the utmost influence we, as a portion of the nation, po sess, and for cheering Ministers on their way. So much for Reform ; and if you will allow me I shall now make a few observations on the subject of vote by ballot.—(Loud cheering and clapping of hands.) Gentlemen, I rightly construe your ap plause, and the certainty that it proceeds from your attachment to the vote by ballot, gives me by far more pleasure than if it were produced by yGur ap proval of any observations of mine; for, ge ntlemen, I own myself the uncompromising advocate of the rote by ballot in popular elections ; arid I would rather accept the ballot without Reform, than Re form without the ballot : for I am of opinion that Reform must be the necessary consequence of the adoption of the ballot.—(Loud cheering.) To what does regenerate France owe the victory over her late despotic King, and the imbecile Polignac Mi nistry ? To what, to the vote by ballot. When the question of excluding Charles X. was first dis cussed in the French Chambers, and open votes were taken, only seven Deputies were found to oppose him; recourse was then had to the vote by ballot, and the number was increased to 27. The system of the ballot has been adopted in France, America, and the Netherlands, and before twelve months have elapsed I hope to see the system working amongst us. I have felt a pleasure in advocating the vote by ballot upon general principles on every occasion, but at the present moment I am actuated by a more than ordinary sense of its importance, in consequence of a circumstance which lately took place within the limits of this parish, when, had the vote by ballot been adopted, a certain party would have been de feated in spite of all their manoeuvres.—(Loud cries of " No, no !" drowned by those of " Yes, yes !" "Bravo !" " Question, public question !") But although (continued Mr. Husband) I am an advo• cate for vote by ballot in the election of Members for Parliament, I am decidedly averse to its intro duction in the divisions of the Houses of Parlia ment, more particularly in that of the Commons. It is highly important that those by whom they are there sent should know how they vote, and this would be evaded by the vote by ballot. Under this system, also, no reliance could be placed in the pledges made by a Member, because we should have no means of ascertaining whether• he had fulfilled hit, - promises. This distinction can be defended on abstract principles, for, as relates to the people, they are their own representatives, and responsible to none but themselves fur the use they make of their elective privi:eges; whereas Members in Parliament are the representatives of the people, u; - id a 5 such responsible to them for their public proceedings. Some persons, to whom I have com municated my opinions on the vote by ballot, have been, as it were, staggered when I mentioned the word, and have exclaimed " that the ballot is an un- English way of proceeding, and that no Englishman should be ashamed of giving his vote openly in the face of day." All this sounds very well, but if minutely scrutinized will not bear the test of inves tigation. You may indeed talk of Englishmen voting fairly, but look at Liverpool, where almost every vote was obtained by influence, threats, or bribery, and where hundreds marched to the hustings prostituting their votes like crouching slaves, to the dictates of others. Were the vote by ballot in force. people would soon find out that threats would be attended with as much effect as bribes, for in the latter case those who accepted them would often vote in direct contradiction to their previous pledge. Again, I say, give me vote by ballot, and Re form will follow as a matter of course.—(Cheers.) —Mr. Husband concluded by moving, that a peti tion be presented to both Houses of Parliament praying for the extension of the elective franchise to the town of Devonport, and concurring in the ne cessity of Parliamentary Reform. This proposition was received with applause, accompanied by cries of " with the vote by ballot," upon which Mr. H. stated that the adoption of the ballot would, as a matter of course, be recommended in the petition to which he alluded. Mr. R. CONDY then addressed the meeting to the following effect :—" It is with great pleasure 1 rise to second the motion, being, as I am, of opinion, that no thinking mind in the kingdom can reflect 014 the extraordinary circumstances in which we are at present placed, without being impressed with the idea that this is, above all others, a period the most propitious that could be conceived for the ac complishment of our wishes. We possess indeed a King of whom England may boast—a King the known enemy of corruption and the avowed advo cate of Reform—one who has best declared his sen timents by the choice of a Ministry comprising the first intellect of the nation ; and we possess a Ministry pledged to Reform, and who, that they may be enabled to redeem their pledge, have called on the people to strengthen their hands. Thus ap pealed to, 1 hope that every individual will come forward, and prove his readiness to answer the call by signing a petition praying for the removal of the source of all evils—the actual system of misrepresen tation. Yet, although I fully approve of the general tenor of the previous speaker's proposition, and go all the length to which he has gone on the subject of the vote by ballot, still I beg to mark my dissent on one single point, namely, the propriety of point ing out at the present moment the adoption of that mode of voting.—(Slight disapprobation, immedi ately suppressed.)—l am of opinion that this point had better be left to the combined strength of the Legislature, and, when I consider the two parties now engaged in the contest, I entertain very little apprehension as to the result. On one side we have the King, the Ministry, and the vox populi ; on the other side are arrayed against us the borough mongers and those who bask in the sunshine of cor ruption. IThee no remedy but in a full and effectual Reform,—which I am well aware cannot exist without the vote by ballot. All the meetings held of late in the kingdom have come to this resolution —that it is the duty of every man to come forward and support the Ministry in their measures to pre vent revolution ; and I, for one, would sooner that the people should have the redress they de mand granted them than that they should be driven to the alternative of forcibly doing justice to them selves.—(Cheering.) W.IioDGE, Esq. banker:—Mr. Chairman, there is but one opinion entertained by the intelligent and thinking portion of the community throughout the kingdom on the subject of the necessity of Reform, and we, who are situated in the very arena of cor ruption—in the centre of a condensed district of boroughs enjoying the marrow of all good things— ' cannot but join the general cry: With respect to the vote by ballot, I am of opinion that there is no place where it would be more desirable than in Plymouth Dock—(Devonport from a few voices near the speaker)—upon which Mr. }lodge replied " I beg your pardon, gentlemen; Devonport 1 am proud to call it, but being an old Docker—(Loud applause)—l habitually use the primitive name of the town." On the subject of the general dissatis faction which reigns throughout the country, I beg to say that to my knowledge discontent always did, and to all probability always will exist. Reform in Parliament, however, will set all things to rights. —(Applause.) Mr. ,J. L. IttocaßD fully agreed in the utility of vote by ballot in Devonport, inn which, as before stated, there was scarcely a matt unconnected with Government. Devonport had abundant reasons to cry out for a general Reform. Had that been carried into execution they would not have had to see so many vagabonds in the Dock-yard doing the work of honest men, nor would they have been burdened by so many lazy sinecurists. He had there fore supported the petition for granting represen tation to the town, with the condition of a re formed Parliament. He was of the opinion of Mr. Hunt, the blacking manufacturer, that if they could not have all they wished, they should take all they could get.—(Applause and laughter.) Mr, It. BURNET adduced several instances, in which the results of open voting proved the utility of the ballot. The term English, used with refer ence to the ballot, was already a hackneyed one, To whom should they look for honesty in giving a conscientious vote—to that class out of which 18,000 are committed to gaol per annum—or to the class which claims such men as the Duke of New castle ? It was absurd to talk of conscientious vot ing without the ballot. With respect to Parlia mentary Reform, Mr. B. pointed out the facts that 13 persons returned, in 1794, 32 Members to Par liament, and that out of 658 Members, who now composed the House of Commons, leaving out of the calculation the influence of the Lords in county elections, only 219 were returned by the people. Such a violation of the true principles of representa tion was diametrically contrary to the spirit of Magna Charta. He concluded by supporting the mover of the resolution. Mr. J. SYmoNs was of opinion that the details of Reform should be left to Ministers. He considered that representation without the ballot would be a curse to Devonport. Dr. BUCIIAN moved the first resolution, which was received with loud applause. Mr. R. BURNET seconded the motion, and Mr. T. HUSBAND having stated that the mode he had adopted was merely for the sake of gaining time, and to enable them to avail themselves of the opportunity of so large an assembly to obtain a greater H umber of signatures, withdrew his motion. A series of resolutions was then proposed and carried; and a petition was submitted to the meet ing and accepted. The meeting broke up with three cheers for Re form, and three cheers for the vote by ballot. THE LATE REV. DR. ANDREW THOMSON. —We scarcely recollect of any event which has excited such general interest as the death of this lamented indivi dual. We are authorised to say, in answer to various applications which have been made, both by societies and individuals, for permission to attend the funeral, and to pa y this last mark of respect, that the Kirk Session, who have taken charge of this matter, have resolved that not on ly the members of the congregation (to whom, through inadvertence, invitations may not have been sent) will have a n opportunity of joining the funeral, but that the same opportunity will also be given to the other friends above a lluded to. The funeral will proceed from his house in M e lville -street to the burying ground adjacent to St. Cuthbert's Church, this day, at two o'clock. We hear that the Rev. Dr. CHALMERS has u ndertaken to preach the funeral sermon on the forenoon of Sunday the BOth current, and that the Kirk Session, to prevent all incon venience, have resolved to issue tickets for the admission of the congregation. These tickets will be delivered to the regular sitters, at the vestry of St. George's, on Thurs day and Friday, from one till three o'clock, either by apply ing personally, or sending written orders for them.—Edi o . burgle Advertiser. ACCIDENTS ARISING FROM THE LATE STORMS OF SNOW AND FLOOD. A friend who was shut up for a week at Old Cutnnock, reports the following calamitous acci dents :—An old man who went about the country with a white pony collecting eggs, was found frozen to death, and his frail dumb companion stretched beside him. By some it is said that the poor old man was found seated on the steed which age had disabled nearly as much as himself, long after it had become cold and stiff; but we believe the above statement may be regarded as the more correct of the two. This accident, we believe, occurred on the Tuesday, and on the Thursday following four men started from Hamilton to attend the meeting of a Gardener's Society in Cutnnock. They tra velled by way of Muirkirk, a district proverbial for bleakness and sterility, and had passed the Halls Toll on Strathaven Muir, when one of their number became,faint and unable to proceed. His compa nions gave him a little bread and whisky, and shared sparingly of the same refreshments; and thus revived, the whole struggled forward till they reached a place called Lisburn. Here two of the travellers felt greatly exhausted, and after a short pause the whole lay down in an old quarry hole, near Greenock Water-bridge. The hour, as is supposed, was about eight at night, and when the strongest of the party awoke at twelve, he found one of his compa nions dead, and another so weak that he was unable to rise. Dreadfully distressed, the survivors knew not what to do ; but at this moment one of them obtain. ed a glimpse of a house through the fog, hurried forward, and procured assistance; and though his absence was short, another of his companions, whom he left standing on the public road, had sunk upon theyound and yielded up the ghost. The third was-conveyed to Unborn, where every attention was paid to his situation ; but when the last accounts I . reached us he was still far from convalescent, his mind being in as feeble a state as his body. The two men who perished were brothers of the name of Soldier!, and one of them has left a wife and child to deplore his loss. It was strongly reported in the same neighbourhood that a poor woman had been lost in the snow, and that in her extremity she had stuck her umbrella through the wreath in which she was entombed, and that by means of this signal the body was discovered, though not until life had be come extinct. It is proper, however, to add, that this story requires confirmation. Between Kilmar nock and Cumnock a highly respectable friend of our own had well nigh fallen a victim to the fury of the elements. On the fatal Tuesday he left the former place about two hours later than the heavy coach, and after travelling in his gig with great difficulty to within about a mile of the village of Auchenleck, he came upon a truly formidable wreath, which the above vehicle had found it impossible to clear. The appearance of the coach, deserted and thickly covered with drift, was not a little curious; the guard's great coat, which alonepossessed motion, kept flapping like a rent sail behind, and the scene altogether re minded him strongly of an ill-starred bark stranded on some bleak and inhospitable shore. Here •he found it impossible to proceed a step farther, but on observing that the neighbouring fields were much passable, he unyoked his horse, and scrambled to the top of the hedge bounding the road, in the hope that he would be able to make his way to the nearest farm-house. But at this moment, missing his foot ing, he plunged into a ditch on the farther side, filled, as lie judged from his own stature, with snow to the depth of five feet, and had as near as may be pulled his horse after him. A position so novel na turally enough excited a feeling of alarm ; and never before, as he says himself, had he the slightest idea of the utter helplessness of a human being, when beleagured by a wreath of snow. Every effort he made to effect his escape was counteracted by an element which yielded to the slightest pressure ; and as often as he tried to mount the snow crum bled beneath his touch and tread, 'and in 'slice of mending matters, rather made them worse. Being in good health, and but little exhausted, he thought it a pity to die such an inglorious death, and after a little reflection, hit upon an expedient, which, with God's blessing, enabled him to stand once more on the solid land. Having heard of a snow shoe, he conceived that his hat might be turned to such a purpose; and by pressing his hand against the lin ing, succeeded, though not without great labour, in saddening a sort of platform, that enabled him to leap to the opposite bank. Still he had other dif ficulties to contend with, when luckily he observed the guard approaching, accompanied by a number of people from Auchenleck, to see what could be done in raising the embargo laid on the coach. Having spoken to some of the villagers, they suc ceeded in lifting his gig across the hedge and ditch, and had scarcely done so when a hearse came up, followed by a considerable train of mourners. The hug e impediment in the way of the living, ob structed equally the passage to the tomb; but as there was help at hand, the hearse, like the gig, was lifted " bodily" into the open field. And as these experiments had prospered so well, a similar attempt was made in the case of the coach, which, after great exertion, succeeded : and then the parties went on their way as they best could—our friend, the guard, the coach, and passengers to Old Corn nock, anti the mourners and hearse to some parish church, amidst dangers and difficulties that actually periled the safety of the living, while paying the last ditties to the dead. And here our friend learnt an interesting circumstance from the guard. Before the coach stuck fast, as it proceeded from Mauch line, he observed a poor woman tottering along, thinly clad, and with little shelter front the fury of the blast, save an Ayrshire plaid, thrown round her head, as is the fashion of the country. Having invited her to " come up," he learnt from her own lips, that her bodily sufferings were the least poignant. Her husband, who is a shoemaker, had left Auchenleck the day before to deliver some work to a person in' Mauchline, and as he had not returned, his despair. ing wife had ventured out in quest of him filled with apprehensions that lie had perished in the snow. On arriving at Mauchline, she was told that he had left that place the day before on his way home. This painful intelligence increased the woman's fears, and she was retracing her steps, weeping and ex hausted, when she became theobject of the guard's humane attentions. When the coach was arrested, e t t htttTodrt h h hahiali ida e eeeedeilerta; mfbi p di.alahoeil a fnrael, umem s ltidrsint s i ,s e eahboGfa i rl orual around uoithso rbtatidou%l r hi radi affectionatearlseei conveys uriotd, r ci. i e faoliNvvi3erivvs p iaii aeesa a saif i r ,hidsdgal e vulenh d traei :shttfe. vnaereaeer t dadpsci o eali to,leevray a eraiverlsdatrird fa rri vhue r dimebeot m os yidiajni - house, fymeti u tunehoß s anites e thisli eetdrhitn humanity t i ptina i ,ariy d ootm, rda. rsf;ma t trt l e,y‘ti among a e Hh nanoaort intelligence erigstiee.lfil watched for hours until he partially recovered. guard of the Independent. ' Tuesday at mid-day, totally exhausted. ' Nearer home we have to record two fatal acci dents. On Wednesday the river Dee was swollen ' to a great height, and the embankment having ' burst at old Greenlaw, the low lands were corn pletely inundated. m Several young horses were thus his i placed i n d anger, an d i n en d eavou ring to rescue them, Sam ue l G or d on was swe pt from his horse in crossing a gu ll et , an d un f or tunately drowned, al thoughasmt master, , at g minutes reat p e e l r a s p o s n e a d l risk , dragged thefol him out before . , lowin g ( l ay H ug h Th omso n, servant at Gelston, a • lad of fifteen, who had been despatched on horseback to the post-office, Castle Douglas, was lost, we r grieve t o say , at a part of the road called Cuil moss, which returned wa home a The h o rsen(i apparently having u bridle, ) distressed, the family bec ame alarmed, and on . reaching the spot above alluded to, found their . worst fears confirmed. These melancholy accidents s d e ee w p i l t y hou flood e d. t d i e le d. . have excited a deep feeling of regret in the Stewartry.—Dionfries Courier. POLICE INTELLIGENCE• 11011'-STREET. The extensive robbery, committed on the night of Sr; turday last, at the auction-rooms of Messrs. M a chia, Die benhani, and Storr, of King-street, Covent.garden, be re , been already reported in The Sun, and it now only mains to state the circumstances under which the offenct. was committed, which have transpired owing to the coin; fessinn of a lad in the employment of the prosecutors, WI whose means the robbery was effected. name is Richard Flanagan, had so far gained the confidence °, , uars Messrs. Machin' and Co., that he was placed a ss n This lad, who is only 19 years of age, and w hoe iD on the property in the sale-rooms; and on the nigh t question he slept in one of th e rooms, and, du ringe t" whole time that the thi eves were o n the p rern a gas-light was burning, whi c h hung ise over the bed where the lad slept. This fact, writ others of a still more suspicious nature, induced la- Thomas, the superintendent of police, to believe that F. the rob f, nagan must have had a guilty knowledge of bary, and he pia as 'd upon Mr. Machin the necessitY taking him at once into custody ; but Mr. Machin felt 0 confident of his innocence that he refused his assent. fr o T traospire, circumstances, however, which subsequently the lad was closely questioned by Mr. Thomas, and dener, an officer of this establishment ; the result of wh lc . was, t .at he made a full confession of his participation la the robbery, and disclosed the names of his accomplice'; one of whom is now in custody. The substance of t : ha : c mfession was, we understand, taken down in wr , ib ,?' and we have • reason to believe that the facts disclose d follow stated, that in the course of last SaturdaY9 man named John White, who formerly lived as ri le ' . a the service of the prosecutors, came to him and prop!ishct the robbery, suggesting that in the course of that nig 0 he should open the front door, and admit bad men named Spragg and Kearsley, of whom he a some previous knowledge, having met them at to public-house in White Hart-yard. As an induce Met his compliance, White told him that he should receive ha.. immediatq the amount of the " swag;" aid baying agreed to thil, r , rangement, he got out of bed at about twelve " o'cloc"i;e Saturday night, and, on a p rev i ous s i gna l b e ing 0 61 ; , o cautiously unbarred the o u t er d oor , an d a d m itted th e " men already named, an d too k t h em roun d t h e sale-rooms, pointing out the desks in whi c h t h e money a nd ,jesv ell i l were deposited. Having rifl e d th ese d es ks, Whic h t3 l; e d ' wrenched open by means of a scr e w-d r iver, one of t he fellows put on a new body coat, and over that an c° ,, " d exit, while the other helped himself also to a new 7: 1 1 a pair of boots , leaving his old ones behind him. 1",i0 then forced open a cupboard, from which they t° °, /c t he gold and silver watches, and 48 watches from behinu i ry counter ; the whole of which, together with the jecve',:'„, and a quantity of plate, they "stowed away" in their pa t he and hats, and after remaining upwards of two hen" on 311 premises, they went away. White remained outsidea this time, ready to give notice in case th e y should be le turbed. He (Flanagan) then went t o b e d, leaving te.. ' door open, and when the robb e ry was di sco vered, h e ? r, e tended to be fast asleep. He h a d seen White on ce 'l e P rty the robbery, who told him th a t th ey h a d so ld the Pr °l % e d for 621. He declared, that a lth oug h h e was Pc°llllsir half the amount of the booty, all he received 'X° 4e d pence. Having made this discovery, the lad e%Pr e :;l i e great contrition for his crime, and while in custody a` o f station he was seiz e d with fit s , th e e ff ec t of his state mind. a ad Search was immediately made after Spragg, Kearsley, the latter of whom was taken into custooYt together with Flanagan underwent an examination jal), vate at this office, and were rema n d e d un til Tuesday to The other parties ha ve , we un d erstan d , b ee n trac cuo or Brighton, to which place Gardener has proceeded t° prebend them. 500 1 ' The whole amount of the property stolen exceed° EXTRAORDINARY OX.-The OX belO n b' to to his Grace th e D u k e o f D EVONSHIRE , s h o wn 55 e5l. stock at the lat e cattl e s h ow o f th e D er b ys hire -Ag ri- o s tural Society, at Bakewell, has now attained the en orlit ° i t weight of 170 stone, of 141 b. to th e s t one ; it is 5 'll f extraordinary animal, a nd i s a ll owe d, by th e first jade; cattle, to he the finest beast ever seen in this coun tr y to e!: fatness and symmetry of shape ; it was bought as le 3l ;: fr ief in May, 1829, by Mr. SWAFFIELD, of Chatsworth , ' 3. 0 ,1 to his Grace, by whom it has since been fed on l' i Y be 10 0 grass only, till within the last eight weeks. It wil l years old in May next. The manufacture of beet-r oo t suga r in 1-1 31 • I , has advanced so far that it p resen t s i tse lf tricacy and imposing developement of old establish°o, carried on with considerable capital and expen' ive Ht ifil l chinery. At Coulonne, n e ar C a l a i s , th ere is a beas„-.ell steam-engine working the rasping machine, and a o po - , connected system of boilers and condensing and, e ,, r la' rating vessels, all heated by steam.— Quarterly of Agriculture, No. 12. . 0 11 THE ENCHANTED SHIP.—Mr. C O O last New Novel " The Water V itch," has more of u:,) The in its composition even than the " Red Rover• gr• captain and crew of the smuggler, profess to be tl' e c i al e, vants of the Sea Green Lady, who, from time to ~ les, changes the colour of her mantle, and delivers beriaviitch' from her cabalistic book. Thus is the " Wa ter , oa re ' fulled for supernatural power. But whether si' e o,.di this reputation to her marvellous speed, to her e%t e r' leav e nary escapes, or to the skill of her c o m m ander, "' l eg our readers to conjecture. e of AN UNWELCOME VISITOR.—A I ' I3°„ - r oo: ll ludicrous nature took plac e a t G a i ns b oroug k on ~,1 last. A person of the n ame o f J OHN M os es, lanw -r f the Nelson Inn at that pl ace , marr i e d a person ° Tii i bl name of Miss KIRK, about f our t een years ago , au whom he has had iss u e o f s i x c hild ren ; be had o il ,: le the business of a publi can a t G a i ns b orou gh for ti`ey three years, with every s tat e o f pr os p er ity, and lu rtial lr I the bosom of his family, till, beh o ld, that state ° ../ 0 0 1 1 terrupted tranquillity was broke into by the a rrival 00 0 of the Gainsborou g h coac h es , w h en a first w ife i e be Wales, with a so n o f t wen t y - one y ears o f age, n ' 34 lr oi ' appearance. The w oman an d son h a d n amed rb e t . l ", ,. . ness to a person at Li nco l n , ab o ut a n hour b e ' °e 0 0( starting of the coach, and he immediately took l' °" 1,00 rl gig to apprize the husband of what would in a f eW e tc(O o e f take place; he immediately, on receipt of the ,„ intelligence, took his departure, and has not beer! f l ° - since. Some doubts are entertained as to the lit e l o t i 1/'7 f husband, as he was heard to say he should certrocine'o come food for the fishes in the Trent.—CorresP ° 1 the Lincoln Times. ° 0 0 THE ASHTON TURN-O UT .—The t Lit may be considered as virtually at an end ; having almost entirely returned to work at t "„ 0,0 offered by the ma s t ers . Thi s may i n a grea t tn e lj ° e attributed to the parish r e li e f having been wit hbe- of all connected with the fa c t or y h an d s , f rom the tioade,V; masters opening the midi last Thursday week, ire ing all to work who ch ose . Th e p rac tice has P m 0 0 1 1 0 during the turn-out, for such poor people as e ° , ° ;.iii t he accommodated in the workhouse, to go regui3.v,lo ' bt l tittles a day to their meals there; and for some s average amount thus expended in food was upward' feed ' li t e, pounds a day ! This is a fact well ascertaine d. be noticed, as opening wider the book of hor n° tea ll° ,,;l l and showing the influence of property, and the dirria" o d with which men cling to it, that the (two) l3 idge most eager to return to their employ (at StilY l : i r i j O b i t) , Hurst), were men who, front their earnings , sufficient to build a few cottages, added to whic h , ry all` c e ners generally were much disgusted with the pit„,lllCr th e ance from the union ; no one having, went of the turn-out, received more in one we e , nt ls 11 0 0 miserable sum of 4s. 2d. In Stalybridge the "' .. , o o oe t he not been so backward ; those of all the larg e fi r e ot is t he having consented to return to their ernploP-0, a ll it ,„o , masters' prices, the masters engaging to give thespeetl,,it,„ advantage the employment admits of respectinga tt oti o pil and the town is resuming its wonted bustle an o ter l o o The arrangement appears to be hailed by both n .t ioi to operatives with feelings of the greatest sat isfac 'hil 3ritY er e d 11 Stalybridge presents a scene of festivity a n , which it has for some time back been a strangle be to is little doubt that next week all the mills W il work.—Manchester Mercury. or 5 BIRTHS. 04' • de' , o f On the P2th inst. the lady of Noel Norton Car ter ' Charlotte-street, Portland-place, of a son. CoOP ef ' On the 16th inst. at Finehley, Mrs. J• 10 daughter. 4 011: 01 , 41%, 0 1) since the too ,te MARRIED. / 5 10 - - ; ,,, sa A ra t h, Cl e a l i d ,l e m st rn d , a ll a r iit J e o r h o n f Nli ,i c r b . b, E of u F n e il l , i l X ,e - r u l ; c , c o ' f . fen i 6, il Wandsworth-road. CAI O r, DIED. t elt ,jcc.,„pe ~,, .mo er s c,,v On the 1 ith inst. at Devcmshire-place, r.) „ v al 5 j, pl Hammett, late of the East India Company's f!" tom le -, On the 14th inst. at Highbury-place, I sl : l4 .o,rt oe 3 ropf c ol Esq . . in his 80th year. On the 16th inst. in Upper Montagu-stree ,;' s ore c vii p F. W. Saunders, Esq. of Lincoln's-inn, aft er 10 , tracted illness. s i rs c l. Wlof /3 M O r. n A th,e r. l6 F t o h rd it e i r s , t. a a g t ed A tn c . ton-green, 11f .riddslcosue: ', On the 17th inst. in Doughty-street, Nv • den, in his (38th year. PRINTED AND PUBI:ISDED 14V MUII r '' SUN OFFICE, 11:4 sTnAvr, Losvo AT OW NER Ote•etr ee WILL W as tn, %co l only Th, jtbane.ll( etty, tio r, cier, "( „-por tati duti; *.t huut r ttoge • di "a es of ~armal 1! duals , v r vend 2 ' Th; -t h r „ tiy "PO ~ crests by c ' rtarq b ,at t h e I ti oe to J h l4) ,.,"'Pen "ter % to t h e C ° l foreignor h ltlt erest 4 der (1 4 la r kt , en It Was nt', Th e 11 T he ( It a bi * a , n A n t' r i ii t , l ,