The Sun. — London, England, 1834-03-17 00:00:00

[ SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS. The Congress now assembled in the Austrian I capital does not seem to us to have engaged the full share of attention to which it is entitled. Had each of the leading military Governments which have for some time been taking part in the conferences of Vienna meditated no objects beyond those comprehended within the domestic interests and administration of their respective countries, there could have been no occasion for these cumbrous and expensive congregations of diplomacy at a distant Court. The resident Ambassadors might have answered all the ends of receiving and transmitting intelligence of an ordinary character, and maintaining the usual relations of chartered espionnage between states calling themselves " friendly." All unaccustomed meetings between Governments, thrbugh extra ordinary organs, such as Cabinet Ministers, &c., betoken an intermeddling of each separate state so represented, with one or more of its neighbours, and oftentimes of neighbours not present in the assembly by which their tranquillity and welfare are to be more or less affected. Every European congress, since the overthrow of Bonaparte (we believe there have been four of them), was the cradle of some attack upon the rights of independent nations. The parent congress of all, that of Vienna in 1814-15, may be quoted as an example, yet unequalled, of shameless hypocrisy and oppres sion ; the herded conquerors, like beasts of prey, dislocating kingdoms and devouring nations, and revelling in the spoils of the fresh-won battle. But the deceitfulness of the measures which were there adopted forms a blot in the reputa tion of the Powers concerned more indelible than their audacious injustice. The people, the brave and good German people, were still in arms, and eager to see converted to their own lasting benefit that universal spirit of national pride and independence which had roused them like one man for the expulsion of Bonaparte from their soil, and that pervading passion for free institutions which had grown up with the other sentiment, and had perhaps been first inspired by witnessing the glori ous and successful struggle of the only free nation in this hemisphere, with him who had for years reduced the several military tyrants of the continent to the same condi tion with their own abject slaves. " The powers" at Vienna, therefore, in the year 1815, durst not all at once disappoint and exasperate the brave people through whose devoted heroism they had recovered their crowns. They told their subjects, " You have done all for us—for you we shall, in return, establish institutions required by the age." To the feeble inha bitants of the smaller states the word of promise was kept with sorre regard to decency. Though promised to. all, that all might for the moment be kept in good humour, it was fulfilled only on behalf of the inferior states, as Bavaria, Wir temberg, Hanover, Hesse-Cassel, Baden ; seeing that in them freedom might be watched and frowned upon with impunity by their formidable neighbours, and if superintendence and dis countenance should not suffice, why, as an ultimate cure, that then the nuisance of liberty might be put down without much risk of failure. It is clear from the history of the last fifteen years, that German freedom in the smaller states has forfeited whatever tolerance it once enjoyed from the mighty Potentates whose business has been to observe its tendencies and movements. The French and Belgic revolutions, and now we may perhaps subjoin the Spanish, have invited the popular sympathies everywhere, and aggravated, in even a superfluous degree, the fears of all who have made the " monarchical principle" their standard. Low murmurs of displeasure have been heard now and then, the forerunners of more awful indications. The Vienna Con- i gress of the present year has met, we have rea son to believe, more specifically for purposes hostile to the free States of Germany than for any other definite end. Their own dominions are, they apprehend, too near the fire, and a spark from it may throw them into general com• bustion. Prussia knows something more than the name of liberty, and her active and spirited population, are preparing quietly to take advantage of events which a very few years must realize. The nobles of Bohemia and Hungary, would be not unwilling to shake off the yoke of a single despot, and to fix their own supremacy on the neck of a multitude as yet by far too ignorant and pros trate to contend for its fair share of political or civil privileges. The north of Italy will soon be ripe for resurrection ; and if the mind of France could now be excited to warlike action for any given cause, it would be for the release of Poland, herself yet burning with the rage of national suffering, and with the unappeasable thirst of revenge. Yet, if we except the solitary case of Poland, there appears to us nothing which ought to raise the jealousy or suspicion of absolute courts upon the Continent, as to the near approach of danger from the spirit of li berty. As for Carbonarism, " the march of democracy," and so forth, the usual phrases put forth by Russia as bughaars to the abso lute German governments, we attach no fur ther importance to them than for the influence they may exercise over the Austrian and Prus• sian cabinets. The designs of Russia are fixed upon the east of Europe, and she wishes to divert Ale attention of neighbouring powers from her own selfish objects, to chimeras in which she takes no real interest. There is nothing which threatens an immediate opening of the long foreseen war of opinion eastward of the Rhine, at least there is nothing of an aggressive nature to be dreaded from the friends of liberty. But the Vienna Congress are not satisfied of this. The Met ternichs, and other dextrous though short sighted courtiers, have prepared, if we mistake not, some blow against the representative go• vernments of Germany. They are not content that the stream should flow placidly and inoffen sively onwards, in the channels too which they had themselves cut out,—they are for damming it up ; and assuredly, if they do, it will over flow its banks and drown them. If anything could now produce the mischief of popular ex citement and universal sympathy by which the " Powers" would persuade political societies that they are about to be destroyed, it would be an ,ttempt to put down by force the enjoyment of their civil rights by the minor German nations. It is a different thing—it is in a different temper that men look forward to an ac quisition they have never yet made, from that WO they suffer the loss of a good in their aectla itr pps session. If, therefore, the congress - • : > ‘ : :,- - sit - oAas,seilly contemplate what they fancy to be a ford.sti4o against the freedom of debate, or - freedoiii" of the press, or any other of the constitutional advantages which have hitherto been enjoyed by the smaller states of Germany— :4-4 ‘.11: 7 the11:: policy . be to determine by experiment how little of the substance of civil freedom can be left in the hands of men acquainted with its exercise, instead of how it can be most benefi cially increased, the attempt, we can predict, will end like one to restore the reign of rotten boroughs in England ; and we warn the so called " statesmen" of the allied monarchies to be cautious what they are about. There is no barrier between France and Prussia but Bel gium ; there is none hetween France and Aus tria but Baden, \Virtemberg, and Bavaria. Let France, therefore, watch the proceedings at Vienna, and see that the commonwealth of Europe suffers no mortal injury.—Times. TRADES' UNIONS. (From the Morning Chronicle.) We hold it to be quite impossible that any sys tem of combination can be effectual in raising wages. Wages and profits are not arbitrary, and as the profits of the master are determined by circumstances over which he has no control, in like manner the wages of the men must be such as the master's pro fits will allow him to give. There may be trades, dependent on particular places, in which wages may be kept up by monopoly. Builders, for instance, in contracting to erect a house, may be obliged to raise the wages of the men, because a house cannot be made in Edinburgh, or Glasgow, to be set up in London, and the workmen, aware of that, may, by way of intimidation, open or secret, deter strangers from taking the work at lower terms. The master, in bargaining with any individual, must just raise or lower his terms according to the power of the men to impose such and such terms on him. He is in no danger of suffering from competition, be cause all builders are, in respect of wages, on the same footing. The check on ►he men is the want of employment, caused by the inab lity of the mas ters to obtain persons disposed to contract with them at such high prices. A., in making clothes, the fashion is much, there will always be a number of gentlemen unwilling to strip pegs, and thus tailors may, in some sort, also establish a mono poly. Shoemakers cannot, however, so easily do this, for ready-made shoes pour into the metropolis from all the towns of the island where labour is cheap, and there is no limit to the taking of ap prentices. With a few exceptions, unions must be inoperative, especially when the masters do not secretly encourage the combinations, when their own warehouses are full and they wish to stop, and do not choose to be undersold by rivals availing them selves of a fall in wages. It may in some cases be politic its employers to contribute something to the support of a strike rather than suffer the loss which the continued supply of a market already full would occasion. But though we are ready to admit that wages cannot be permanently raised, we are equally ready to admit that individuals may be subjected to great inconvenience, and even to loss by strikes. The masters must always beat the men in the long run, and they often gain materially by strikes, which allow consumption to overtake pro duction. A few trials might go far to satisfy the men that they really cannot compel the masters to pay more than their profits will allow them to pay, and that when trade is favourable, the love of gain will induce the masters to outbid each other, to avail themselves of the favourable occasion. But while the workmen are acquiring this experience, the fortunes of individuals are often wrecked. Upon the whole, however, it is better perhaps that com binations should be open than secret, and we doubt much whether interfering with so delicate a matter would not be productive of more evil than good. The instruction of the working classes is all proper. But the effect of instruction is distant. We believe, however, that in all the great manufactures there are leaders, by whom the herd of workmen are guided. At present these men either entertain, or affect to entertain, the wildest notions about profits and labour. The best proof is that Mr. Robert Owen was able to persuade the working classes that by working one half less than they do at present, they might double their wages. We are no friends of Trades' Unions ; but we do not well see how they can he interfered with to any effect. (From the Times.) The question of combinations among journeymen, brought forward on Thursday night by Mr. Hume, is one of great, increasing, and alarming interest. It is curious how little is sometimes gained towards the satisfactory settlement of a practical question by the fullest apparent acquiesence in the same general principles, while the facts on either side remain in dispute. Mr. Hume's motion, above referred to, was for the correspondence which had passed between the Lords of the Admiralty and certain master coopers, touching the combination of the working coopers, and the distress to which their employers had been thereby reduced. We have considerable distrust of commonplaces as rules for determining the right or wrong of particular examples of public or private conduct, and therefore shall not enlarge upon the maxim laid down with such a waste of emphasis by Mr. Joseph Hume, and acquiesced in by Sir J. Graham, viz., that a "journeyman's la bour is his property, and ought not to be interfered with in its free disposal." To be sure it ought not —to be sure such interference amounts to an into lerable tyranny over the poor man's rights. But by what power is such a despotism exercised or at tempted in this country ? Not certainly by the law, which leaves every class of workmen, as a body, undisputed sovereign of its own proceeding=. Not by the masters in any line of business, who have, since the act of 1821.1825, been placed at the mercy of their journeymen. No—the tyrants over the working classesare members of their own body, the ends of whose combinations against their masters for high wages are invariably rendered effectual by extending the conspiracy against all journeymen who are unwilling to combine, and who strive to gain a subsistence for their families by working for what they themselves deem an adequate remunera tion of their own labour, though it be less than the sum for which the confederates stand out. This is the real and substantial grievance which Mr. Hume and other professors of attachment to the liberty of the subject ought,in our opinion, to exclaim against, and which the Legislature if it values the rights of the industrious, will instantly labour to redress. What was the case disclosed to the House of Com mons by the First Lord of the Admiralty last T tiurs day—a case which bore the marks of truth in every part of it, and against which Messrs. Flume, Att wood, O'Connell, and the rest of that worthy partnership, vaguely and unsuccessfully floun dered? It was this,—that when the journey men coopers were receiving as good average wages (viz., 21. Gs. Id. per week) at any time these ten years,—receiving these comfortable wages, moreover, the whole year round—at a time when, and, indeed, because of the very circumstance, a pressing deroand existed for articles of cooperage, for the use of our foreign trade—the men com bined and struck for higher wages—and lio.v did they manage to subdue the masters to their pur poses ? Was it by fair means? Was it by a simple refusal of their own labour, leaving the masters at liberty to suit themselves where they could ? No such thing. They had began by re straining the masters from the employment of any greater number of apprentices than they (the con federates) had prescribed. After a strike of some continuance, they refused to recommence their work but on condition of being previously paid for the whole time during which they had thought proper to be idle. They further demanded that the master should beg pardon of his journeymen ! Ay, they kicked him down, and then punished him for falling. Next, for another of the practices which met the countenance, or at least the sym pathy, of Messrs. Hume and Co. They sent spies upon the master's houses, dogged them whither ' lover they stirred, overawed, embarrassed, bullied, ) and tormented them, by constant though undo • finable intermeddling with all their transactions — set spies moreover upon the new men who had been engaged to supply their own places, forced I them by intimidation to join the conspiracy, and left the masters altogether helpless and in fetters. Well might Sir James Graham apostrophize the spirit of tyranny, and ask if this was not a refine ment of it ? But what was the measure of the Go vernment, the act of " interference." so loudly cri• minated by Messrs. Hume and O'Connell ? It was simply a loan or sale to the shipowners of fifty butts and two hundred hogsheads from the King's stores at Deptford, since the arbitrary conduct of the journeymen had deprived the masters of their own natural supplies. In our judgment, it was a seasonable and praiseworthy protection of the weaker party against their oppressors, and one which it may be regretted that other trades do not furnish the same facilities for affording to masers in similar distress. Talk as Mr. O'Connell did of the law not being violated ! of its being the duty of the law officers of the crown to prosecute ! Why, yes, that person has been a close spectator of transactions wherein, without transgressing the letter of any specific law, and without yielding the slightest tan gible material for prosecution, dexterous and cunning conspirators have managed to accomplish objects the most fatal to the existence of society, all the while enjoining their miserable dupes by no means "to disobey the law." However, it is impossible that such proceedings can be continued without universal ruin. What power can withstand mono polies enforced by a league of numbers backed by fear and fraud, against those who have nothing to sustain them but funds which are rendered useless, and facts which cannot be legally brought home to a jury ? It may be all quite true and unquestiona ble that in the long run the trades' unions injure themselves. But whom do they not injure in the meantime, and what evil do they not inflict on un offending men ?—upon the masters, whom they ruin by forcing them to break their contracts, and on not merely those individuals of the highest skill and merit amongst themselves, who are al ways sure of good wages, and almost invariably anxious for employment, and adverse to combina tion and to turbulence, but on those large bodies of journeymen who would gladly supply the demand of the masters for substitutes in place of the refrac tory but for the fear of outrage and merciless per secution. Why, within these few months, the journeymen builders, coal-whippers, and other trades, have set their masters at defiance, and brought the fortunes of many of them to des.ruc tion. The small capitalist is almost everywhere the slave of his workmen. He cannot hold out against demands, however unreasonable, and can only keep his head above water for a time, by overcharging and cheating his customers,—a system of expedients which can terminate only in one manner. The question, then, is not about the maintenance of rights of industry, on which no man dreams of encroaching—the problem is how to prevent the abuse of those rights from being turned into means of oppressing both property and personal freedom throughout all ranks of the community. Wherein does the crime of putting a master, no less than a body of well-disposed journeymen, in fear of per sonal violence, and under the operation of that terror, depriving the one of all use of his capital. and the whers of his daily bread,—wherein does that offence differ, let us ask, from the guilt of the capital felon, who takes purses by means of a coercion not one whit more inhuman ? The truth is, that the law of 1825 went a great deal too far, that the spirit and power of the combination have every day since been advancing, and that the many-headed despotism which now prevails through out the land must be checked by some more vigo rous and comprehensive legislation, or the country may as well be given up at once to the tender mercies of fierce, and worthless, and pennyless ad venturers, who, being adverse to labour in their own persons, seduce others less crafty than them selves into these rapacious and predatory projects. SECON D EDITION. SUN OFFICE, Seven o'clock. IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT, THIS EVENINu. HOUSE OF COMMONS. The SPEAKER took the Chair at 20 minutes past five. THE OFFICE OF WARD CONSTABLE. Mr. Sheriff WILSON appeared at the bar of the house with a petition from the Court of Common Council, rela• tive to the office of Ward Constable. Referred to a Com mittee. SOUTHAMPTON RAILWAY. Mr. Alderman WOOD presented a petition from the occupiers and owners of land at Battersea, against the Southampton Railway Bill. Referred to the Committee. Sir J. BYNG brought up the report of the committee on the Poole Ship C,nal petition. Mr. PENDAAYES brought up the report of the com mittee on standing orders, relative to several private bills. The hon. member then moved the second reading of the Lanarkshire Road Bill. TITHE COMPOSITION. Mr. W. ELLIS, seeing Lord Althorp in his place, begged to ask when he intended to bring in his bill fur the composition of tithes. Lord ALTHORP said that it was his intention, pro vided the Ordnance e.timates were got through during the present week, to move on Monday next for leave to bring in a bill for the composition of tithes, and on that occasion he should explain as fully as he could the provi sions of the intended bill. POOR LAWS. Sir R. PEEL wished to know from the noble hird if it was the intention of his Majesty's Government to bring in a bill on the subjea of the po it laws, or if it would be c insistent for the noble lord to give any intimation of what the intention was which ministers thought of pursuing with respect to the poor laws. Lord ALTHORP said it was the intention of govern ment to bring forward a bill on that subject, but the right hon. bart. must be aware that a measure of that sort mu:•t embrace so much that it could not be done in haste. Sir ROBERT PEEL asked if it was the intention of govet nment to bring in such a measure during the present session. Lord ALTHORP said it was. Upon Lord ALTHORP'S moving that the house resolve tself into a committee of supply-- Mr. F. BUXTON wished to put a question or two to the right honourable Secretary for the Co lonies. Ile wished to know whether the exp2rinaent that had been made last year to emancipate the negroes from slavery had been, so far as it had gone, considered satisfactory to government. He had been told that the House of Assembly at Antigua had passed an act for the immedi a t e emanc i pat i on w i thout i m posing apprenticeships. He had seen a letter also !loin Jamaica, in which it was stated that the same thing was intended to be done there, had it not been from an apprehension of interfering with what was done in England, which was considered to be, with respect to the apprenticeships, not quire free from reproach on the ground of interest. He had likewise been informed that nothing like an equal quantity of provision to the colonies this year that had been sent out during former years, notwithstanding he hail learnt from another source the difference was very trifling indeed. He hoped the right bun. secretary would be able to give in formation on these points. Mr. STANLEY—Although be was not prepared for so extensive a question, or such a number of questions as had just been propounded. Yet he would take the op portunity of giving an answer to a ll t o t h e utmost in his power, and felt exceedingly obliged to the hog. gentle men for having given to him a pr ev i ous i nt i mat i on or his intention to ask the question. With respect to whether the act of emancipation had given satisfaction so far as it went, be begged to say that in no colony bad the act of Parlia. ment come into operation, therefore, nothing but expec tations could be formed or stated, and he had every reason to say, that as far as Government had ben informed, they felt perfectly justified in entertaining the most sanguine expectations of the success of the measure. With regard to the colony of Antigua, it was true that the legislature there had a bill in progr , si to do away with the system of apprenticeship, and proposing that emancipation should commence on the Ist of August next, and they wished to know from the government if that bill would be at variance with the act of the British Parliament ; he (Mr. S.) bad forwarded a letter stating that they had the power to do away with apprenticeship, if they choose so to do, but that they had no power to establish any other means of coer cion with respect to :the slaves—(Hear, hear, hear.)— that they must eith er t a k e th e a pprenticeship or do away with coercion altogether.—(Hear.) What that legisla ture intended to do ultimately of course he could not tell. In Jamaica he was not sure he could speak with so much confidence; but there an act had been proposed to carry into effect all the principles and details of the Act of Par liament, and to comply with all the claims. As to De merara, the informatiAn was more gratifying. He had recently received two dispatches, dated the 26th and 28th Feb. from the governor, which he would read to the house, but which teferred to enclosures which he bad not with bins ; they would, however, show the scope and tendency of the enclosures.—(Hear, hear.) The governor stated the reports of the three fiscals of the three districts re• specting all the causes of punishment and complaint, in a population of 60,000 slaves. From Demerara itself he regretted he bad not got the report, but in the other dis tricts it apoeared that in the month of December—a pe riod of h o lid ay i n w hi c h some e xcitement might be naturally expected—there were only 13 punishments ( t :ear, hear)—and those not of corporeal punishment, but averagiug from one to three months' imprisonment. — (Hear.) Against the master abe complaints had only been 13 also, and those of the most insignificant and trivial nature. The returns also showed that the quantity of colonial produce gathered and manufactured this year, as compared with the preceding year, established a considerable increase. —(Hear, hear.) That increase was solely attributable to the increasing good will and good feeling that subsisted between the masters and slaves. He had only one more statement to make, and that was not the least gratifying, viz., that the Court of Policy, at Demerara, which was composed of colonial plantess, wholly unconnected with the Government, and who had not been saving on several occasions of expressing their dissent from the gonernment, had unanimously passed a resolution abolishing, from March, 1834, the power 01 masters in inflicting corporal punishment upon the slaves.---(Loud cries of " Hear.") They had thus antici pated one of the principal enactments of the legislature of last session. —(Hear, hear.) They had also constituted courts of pe ty sessions, consisting, f six magistrates, who were to try all cases between the master and the slave. It was with the greatest satisfaction that he (Mr. Stanley) had advised his Majesty to express Lis approbation of the wise, just, anti liberal policy of the colonists of Demerara, which afforded to the government and the country the hest security that the great experiment of the last session would work well.--(Loud cheers.) There had also been a proclamation of toe Governor of Demerara, pointing out to the slaves that for this anticipation they were en tirely indebted to their masters. The opportunity of making this statement gave him (Mr. Stanley) this addi tional satisfaction, that, together with the approbation of his Majesty, he should have to communicate to the people of Demerara the applau-e and sanction of the House of Commons of the wise and liberal course they had adopted. --(Loud cheers.): REPEAL OF THE MALT DUTY. Mr. COBBETT, being called upon, said he rose to offer to the house, with great submission to their better judgment, his motion upon the malt duties. His motion was simply, that from and after the 6th day of October next, the duty upon malt do cease. Before he proceeded to the divers reasons in respect of his mo tion, it was necessary that he should say something rela tive to the numerical proportion which those who would be more immediately benefitted I by the preeal of the Malt Duties bore to the test of the community. It was represented in that house that that the agricul ural part of the community was compa ratively very small—it was an in-ignificant part of the communitycompared with the manufacturing part. The lion member for Middlesex told them they were a nation of manufacturers, and the right hon. member for Manches ter said that they were destined to be the manufacturing shop of the world. The noble lord, the member for the North Riding of Yorkshire had told them that the agri- ' cultural interest bear a small proportion to those who were interested in the repeal of the corn laws.—(Hear.) NJ error was more gross or delusion more fallacious than that, or ever so wide! spread. He would show that the repeal of this tax would be as beneficial to the manufacturers as to the agricultui ists. It bad been said that the number of persons in the agricultural districts was greater than that in the manufacturing districts, and a reference was made to Guildford, in which it was said there were 22 agricultural parishes and only one manufacturing parish. Naw the hon. member for Guildford was the owner of an entire parish, but who would suspect that he owned all the manufacturing part of the county ? On the contrary, that lion. member could tell the house that the manufacturers were living by making plough shares, harness, &c., and were therefore dependent upon the agriculturists for their subsistence. A return had been laid before the house, giving the number of agricultural labourers 1,075,000 under 21 years of age, and those employed in mantuactures appeared to be nearly tour times as m tny ; so that the benefit to the manufac turing portion of thekommunity accruing from the repeal:of ' the malt tax would be four times that the agricultural population would derive. But that, however, was not exactly the question. The bon. member for Marylebone had said that the repeal of the house and window taxes would be the only thing to benefit the people. (LEST SPEAKING.) HOUSE OF LORDS. The house met at a Jew minutes past five o'clock. The Liverpool Gas Light Bill was read a third time and passed. Lord BEXLEY presented a petition from a parish in the county of Derby, fur the protection of the established chuch. Petitions were presented from Dissenters by the the Duke Of NORFOLK from Sheffield and Norfolk, and by Lord DACRE from Cambridge and East-street-Chapel, London. LONDON UNIVERSITY. The Earl of DURHAM ht%lged to inquire of the noble marquis near him (Lansdowne), whether any day had been fixed for the appuntment of a committee to consider the claims of the L , indon t nivereit,y to a charter. The Marquis of LANSDOWNE in reply to his noble friend, begged to It ite that those petitions relating to the subject had been laid before his Majesty in council, and had by his Majesty been referred to a committee of the Privy Council, but that no day had as yet been fixed for the appointment of that committee. He believed that they were only waiting until some petitions which were expected, had been re-carried. The Earl of DURHAM would then take the liberty of asking whether teat committee of the Privy Council was to be an open committee? The Marquis of LANSDOWNE was not sufficiently acquainted with the practice of counsel to answer his noble friend's question, but he believed that it was only on very rare occasions that a committee of the privy council was appointed. Earl GREY presented petitions from the Dissenters of Bath, Boston, Dover, Holyhead, Bow in Middlesex, and various other places, praying for relief of their grievances. The Marquis of LANSDOWNE laid upon the table copies of the orders in council relative to the trade of Canton. HEARING OF APPEALS. Lord ELLENBOROUGH said that before moving the adjournment of the house, he thought it but right that he should call to their Lordship's notice what be thought could hardly have escaped them, the unusual circumstance of the session hiving arrived at this stage without any ap peals having yet been heard. He thought it was neces.ary that some explanation should be offered to their Lordships upon that subject. Almost invariably the house had sat for the hearing of appeals within the first ten days of the commencement of the session ; forty days had now elapsed, and no appeals had been heard. But the number o f a p pea l s now stan ding for hearing , as he was informed, amounted to 140, which was a larger number than had b een b e fore the house, including all that were presented during the session, in any year mince th e year 1830. Under these c i r cumstances, a h i e t thought it rigiu to offer the noble lor d on the woolsack opportunity of explaining under what circumstances it was that such a very unusual breach of duty was to be imputed to him. The LORD • CHANCELLOR coul l assure their lordships that he was extrtmely obliged to the noble baron for giviug him that opportunity of,an explanation of his conduct. What lie had stated was perfectly correct, that there had been no appeals heard this session, and it was equally true that the course of the house had been not to allow so long to elapse without taking up the judicial business. Perhaps the noble baron did not need his as surance to inform him that it was not for any want of disposition on his part to attend to that part of his judicial duty, and perhaps he did not mean to say that it was owing to his being idle during those 40 days that no appeals had yet been heard, becruse, lie believed, that if the noble baron would take the trouble of making inquiry in quarters where there was any knowledge whatever on the subject, and provided he made inquiry in quitters where that knowledge existed, there was a disposition to do justice and lie supposed the noble b Iron had been to both of those quarters, he would find that during the si hole of those forty days, with the exception of the Sundays, he had been employed, he would venture to say for a greater number of hours on every one of those days—(Hear, hear, hear)—than any one of his predecessors, who had ever sat administering justice in the Cou:t of Chancery. Be that predecetsor who he might, he challenged compa rison, and he dem inded inquiry. It was true that he was not possessed of the faculty during those forty days of assisting in two places at the same time.— ( Hear, hear.) He had sat in the Court of Chancery 7, sometimes 8 hours a day, never so little as 6, with the exception, be thought, of 2 days, when he was obliged to attend his Majesty at Court, not with the exception, how ever, of her Majesty's birth-day drawing-room, and he mentioned this to show that he did not throw away time when it was not absolutely necessary, when he might have taken a half holiday, as it was called, on which day some of his predecessors and others, learned judges had not their courts open at all, on that day he certainly ha l sat from ten o'clock till three—and, therefore, not with the exception of that day, but with the excep tion of two other days, one when he was obliged to attend the recorder's report, and another day when he was obliged to attend his Majesty, with those exceptions he bad every one of those forty days, exclusive of Sundays; seldom sat so liitle as six, generally seven, and sometimes eight hours a day in the Court of Chan cery, and never later than ten o'clock in the Court. He therefore thought that their Lordships would see that his conscience would acquit him of any charge upon that head.—(Hear, heir.) He would not state how many hours, at night the business of the Court had en gaged him—but if the noble baron would move for a return of the number of causes dispOsed of, and the number then standing for judgment, lie (Lord B.) would be most happy to second the motion. He believed it would be found that the whole of theilicences but one were those which were heard during the last week. :And if the noble baron would extend his inquiries to those causes which were dispatched and heard, it would be found they amounted to 32 ; then it would be said, " what is that in comparison to tne 900 heard by the Vice-Chancellor, and the many hundreds heard and disposed of by the Alast-r of the Rolls ; but it would also be found that the thirty-two were as many as his pre decessors had heard during a period of ten years. —in fact, he believed they did not amount to so many— when he heard of the number he wondered that it was so large, lie did not expect that they would have been more than six; that was not because he did not sit long enough ; that he did not pay proper attention to the matters there, but because chi hearing of causes was not the business of the Lord Chancellor. Ever since the passing of the bill introduced by Lord Eldon establishing the Vice Chancellor's Court, the Court of Chancery was made a Court of Appeal from the other two courts, and the whole of the time of the Court of Chancery was thus occupied in the hearing of appeals, lunatic petitions, &c., and not in bearing causes. It might just as well be said that house did nothing judicially in its most busy session because it was occupied in hearing appeals, and only disposed of one or two peerage cases. Besides he wes deprived of that assistance that had usually been afforded to his predecessors, for except the valuable assistance given by the noble baron near him (Lord Wynford) he had none, when his immedia'e predecessor bad been assisted for many weeks by other noble lords, and the noble earl who presided for so long a time had Lord Gifford sitting for him fur a whole session. —(Hear, hear, hear.) He trusted be would he thought to have pursued a proper course, for he remembered to have beard it in that house, from great authority, that the just business of the Lord Chancellor was in the Court of Chancery; that advice was given in that house. Fordier chancellors had bad assistance of the Lord Chief Baron for nearly half a stasion, but now the case was much altered, for from the great talents and high character of the presen t Lord Chief tlaron, the bu•ine,s of that Court was not second to the King's Bench, and of cause it was impossible that he could spare any time to his duties in that house—the case was now very different in that court to what it used to be, when, as it was said, they no sooner sat than they were up again like partridges in October. Then, again, he was denied the assistance of the Master of the Rolls, because that court now, much for the benefit of suitors. (LZTT SITTING.) POLICE INTELLIGENCE. HAT T ON-GARDEN. Edward, Wright, the register•office keeper, 91, Hat ton•garden, was finally examined. James Davis, on Saturday, the Bth instant, called upon the prisoner to inquire atter a traveller's situation, in con sequence of having seen an advertisement in the newspa per. He saw Mrs. Wright (the prisoner was then in custody), who, having obtained 2e. 6d. from him, di rected him to Messrs. Talks and Co., Green Arbour.yard, Newgate-street. On arriving there he was told that no traveller was wanted, and that about 100 persons had been sent on the same sleeveless errand. Mr. Virtue, of the firm of Tallis and Co., said upwards of 30 young men called at his warehouse on the Bth inst., about a traveller's situation. The firm had not adver tised for servants of any description. David Marshall, of Wilatead street, Somerstown, a few months ago, in consequence of seeing an advertisement, called on the prisoner, who required a deposit of 301. from him as security for his conduct in the situation which be should procure him. He gave the 301., but he neither obtained the situation nor his money. Committed for trial. INSOLVENT DEBTORS' COURT. " A JOKE" AND " NO JOKE."--. William Young, an itinerant vender of " pies," whose face exhibited a perfect picture of good humour, was opposed by Mr. COOKE, on the part of two creditors, named Weller and Thraell, th e former a tailor and the la tter an ironmonger. He was supported by Mr. WoonitoFFE. Theed was casebefore aff the rd cu d considerable o rton Tuesday, w merriment h e n h e wasthe i o n sor del - ven r t to produce his detaining creditor, a person named Clifford, the keeper of a " Tom and Jerry shop," at " Bog Island," Croydon, in the neighbourhood of which the in solvent and his creditors resided. The insolvent had dealt with Mr. Weller some time. He told him when he obtained his last suit of clothes that he did not wish it known, hut he had five houses and some other property in the country, mentioning the name of a place. He after wards said he wanted a pair of gaiters to go down and sur vey his estate, and, as Mr. Weller believed his story, he let him have them. The insolvent had told the Fame tale to the son of Mr. Thraell. Mr. Commissioner HARRIS inquired of the insolvent where his property was situated? The insolvent— Where ? Why no where. —(A laugh.) Mr. Commissioner HAIRIS—Do you mean to say, man, that you did not tell your creditors you had property ? Insolvent (laughing)—That's another thing; 1 suppose I did. It was all a " joke."—(Laughter.) Mr. Commissioner HARRIS—AII a joke ! I think it no joke. pushed the joke The creditors thought the insolv ent had too far. aI I . IL — n s all. — d t la N u V g l h iy te y n o; see I ann a joking old fellow , t hat ' s Atlr. obtained no t present to give evidence. T h e detaining creditor was not forthcoming when called, a r e the god h s urn oofur hiso us eon tale pbetyer7h but th Peter the ter in was sol en Mr. COOKE said he should pray the dismissal of the in solvent's petition. He had a witness who could pro ve vnd Tliall told a 3 that, when the insolvent was before the Court onTuesdav, his wife was " playing with Clifford, at skittles, or ' knock 'em down,' at Bog Island."—(Roars of laughter.) Mr. WOODROFFE—Paying with his wife don't seem very friendly. Perhaps he wants to keep him in prison. —(Renewed laughter.) Mr. Commissioner HARRIS considered there had been " joking" enough in this case, and ordered the petition to be d.sinissed. STATISTICS OF ODESSA.—The city of Odessa, which has not been founded more than 40 years, has extended its limits with such rapidity on account of the immense commerce of which it, is the centre, that it has become one of the most important cities of the empire. It contains twelve boys schools and six girls' schools, com prising a total of 2,000 pupils; one public library, three subscription libraries for strangers, and one for natives ; a museum ; a club-house ; a commercial assembly room ; two printing-Offices and a lithographic establishment; a charitable society of ladies; an agricultural society; a botanical garden ; and an It khan opera. Ttiere are 6,000 houses, containing a population of 50,000 souls ; 900 shops ; 1,533 cellars ; 40 gardens, planted with tree. to the extent of 13,000 square feet. There are 252 mills, and at the end of 1832 the extent of the vineyards was 3,592,705 square fret, and an immense extent of wave land had been cleared. Two newspapers are published, the one in Rossi in, the other in French ; literary and agricultural information being added as a supplement, as also the transactions of the Agronomique Society. COUNTRY CORN MARKETS LAST vt io. 4 I Wheat. Barley. Oats. '.....;,....• -- ..-----m— ----........ s. Per Quarter. Is.to s. F. to S. s. to 5. 40 ....-.. Catlisle---,. ial 24 17 ~; -- aft Rexham...........7 " .......1 40 52 ;21 27 18 A'r 80 •,- 1k10rpeth„,..—.........1 28 47 25 27 15 10 50 Penrith ..................... , 48 26 9 ,2 ..: Winchester --,—. '43 56 25 29 jlB 22 d . 8. ( 1 . Per Bushel. ;s. d. s. d. s. tl. s. d. fg. d. s• d. tro 0 0 0 Carrnarthen,..,..,..l 5 0 561 2 5 281 1 4 1 ; 9 2 5 6 ° Cowbridge—...--. I 6 6 7 0 2 9 30 1 2 0 9 ", 5 0 ' 0 Newcastle (Staff.) ,8 0 8 9 4 6 501 3 0 3 ' 5 6 6 c i Northallerton —,.....1 7 0 9 3 3 6 461 3 3 4 0 6 0 "a' Stone--....—........... 1 8 0 8 6 4 0 48! 3 0 3 4 0 0 61 1 9 `,4 : 2 ' , 5 6 6 v Warwick -...... iB9 99 30 461 2 0 . 0 Per 8011. 1 1 , 0 7 8 6 I° Barnardcastle.—..l2 0146 8 0 861 4 6 6 3 Ol Durham ....--„.... , 110 0 130 70 80 49 5 4 86 000 Richmond —..---11 0 16 6 8 6 9 0 5 0 6 8 0 8' Stockton —....--......111 0 122 86 9 01(11...............------ WAKEFIELD CORN MARKET. —March 14. „. 3. Foreign, Wheat, Red, Norfolk and Suflblk —s. 445. to 453. fine fo,. -- Lin. and Cam. Yorkshire o a r o k d s I Suffolk e —Barley. Norfolk White -------- White -- Lincolnshire Yorkshire Wold -- Foreign Beans, Old New Oats, Potato Poland Friezland anj Small Mealing Shelling 235. to 265. od. per Malt 3ss. 395. fine 424. per 121: o Rapeseed Red 2 43.9 _ 44 ° 7 -.2s s : : :: i ° 011.• ififi finennn"eeee 31335:35:• ******************** mss'92s" —I II 9 6 tittt t fifififit flee nnnnnnn n eeeeeeee TS. 10TCH MARiCE oatnieak Wheat. Barley Oats. Beans. . ____...... ------ 7 2 4 Aberdeen ........ 40 46 21 23 14 18 o c 2 28 Berwick--. 30 34 16 18 12 14 18 21 •,•••• ~. Coldstream .... 35 42 18 19 13 14 20 2'2 Ctipar —.—... 48 56 26 31 18 22 22 26 Dundee ............... 50 60 30 33 20 25 30 31 ••• E1gin,,...,....,,.... 40 50 24 '26 16 20 23 30 1 Inverness-- 38 44 25 26 15 17 23 26 118 Kelso .....—..... 37 34 16 19 12 14 23 .—. Kirkahly.,,,— 48 61 23 29 16 20 45 48 43 4i Perth --, 50 56 23 26 20 22 22 25 I 4i ir-,,-, The size of the measure varies throughout the countri, MA RKE ,f all kinds :t'.—March of Grain tc 12. p a ,day, a EDINBURGH CORN We had a moderate supply o the sales were not brisk. Wheat. Barley. Oats. Pease. First s Bs Od 31s Od 28s 4d 31s f'd Second scs Od 2.8 s Od 20s Od 29s Od Third 42s Od 25s Od I 16s Od 47s Od PRICES OF PROVISIONS, &C. 04 Beef, per lb. ..., Os. sd. to 08.6 d. Freshßutter,lb.os. 0. 1 . t o 0 9 Mutton. 0 4 0 7 Salt 0 8 0 0 Veal,. 0 8 1 2 Ditto, per cut.7o 0 a 0 Pork-- 0 4 0 6 Eggs, per doe. 0 7 6 Lamb, per qr. 7 0 12 0 OatStraw(kpl.) 7 0 7 6 Fallow, cwt.... 38 0 39 0 Wheat Ditto.. 7 6 6 Quartern Loaf 0 0 07f Barley Ditto 6 0 0. 9 Potatoes, 1711 b. 0 5 0 0 Hay,perst........ 0 i3e3 o „; 31s v" 290 ° a 27s °4 EDINBURGH MEAL There was a middling supply and the sales were dull, at last w Per Sack of 2801 b. Imp. First Oatmeal Second ditto 1 6 0 Barleymeal 1 3 0; Peasenseal 1 3 0 Pot Barley—No. 1, per cwt. 12s Al A !MET:a-March I I. )f Oatmea l at this day's market, eek's prices' Per Stone of 141 b. Imp. First Oatmeal ...... £0 1 Second ditto ............ , Barleymeal ............... v ; Peasemeal ........ 0 i .-2d, A R KET.— March 12. alter lerate, and We note no Wheat, per 2401 b. s. d. s. d. GLASGOW CORN The arrivals of Grain are Inc . Oats, per 2641 b 5. 15 - 0 to tion in prices. d. s 'a . 14 16 0 British, old 26 oto2B 0 Irish ... ............• 1 4 0 new 22 0 25 0 British ............ .. 260 1 b. , 0 Canada, free 2B 0 29 0 Beans, Per .... 0 0 Irish Barley, per 3201 b. Scottish ........... .... i. '6 14 q English — 0 0 Pease, Scottish ::- i';' 0 l ii, Scottish 2O 0 22 0 Oatmeal, per 14010. 40 0 4 Irish 20 0 26 0 English ............. , A 1 1 _ Tautto—Wheat ...____..„ t s Os. to ST. AusvELL—Wheat, —s. to 20s.—Bg rie/ ' Oath 7i. to 7s. 3d. to 3 d...• (average) r N a g W e ) CORNWALL . MARKETS'Bariey :. I" 9s. Od to PENZANCE—Wheat, 19s. to 20s.—Bar le y ' Os. to 7s. 6d.—Beef and Mutton, sd. to DP" - ()Stio Butter, 12d. per 1b.9 Od' . " - s • LA UNLES'CON—Wheat (average)l9s.6. l . —Barley oats, Os. 6d.—Beef, 41.—Mutton, 6d. 9s. Od'''' Lis KEA tto—Wheat, ....8. to 20s. 0(1, —Barley' e.,v , f . 70. Ckt to Os. (id. n . 0a......0a— , Boordm 100 —Wheat (average) 19s. —Barley. ~,,'o ° ' w HELSTON—Wheat, 19s. 6d.—Barley, 9 8 a s . tO - '•" 43e6 Sr. CoLumn—Wheat, 19s. to —s.—Barley and Mutton, 51d. to 6d.—Veal, od.—Lamb , Od• Cri t. ...,..rig. n MINING IN TEL LIG ENCE. age„ 11 Quantity of Copper Ore sold at Red uth last ThurdaY Average Produce O9 H . Quantity of fine Amount of Sale, 18,2471. 2s. Od.—.lverage Standard. MEETINGS OF CREDIT-- nRS ExT AT THE COURT, BASINGHALL-STR (From the London Gazette.) TO-MORROW, MARCO I , i• 71 ',2 a t a T. Smith, hack e nel man, Borrowes-mews, l3l . -Uria"'"d " 2 i F. C L. 'Jilin nurseryman, er, schoolmaster ... , ........................ t. J. Middlemist g T. James, trunk irseryman, Shepne“es-bush ................ _ )1 R. Moore, linen- - Ti a ap k e er r, B il a i tt ° . l . ) . ' . ga . t . e :••• ... street ' ....:.... .............. . 1 II E. Ailmenden and T. C. Baker, h.rickmakers,•Sittinghourn 1 it , .. at II DIVIDENDS . ...... ii J Brown, merchant, Austinfriars ................. : ............ ......... io TT., H. Gooch, linen-draper, Crawford-street, Mar ........ if ' Ingram, fish-factor, Lower Thames-street ................ .. J. Robson, ng hipowt:Lmas2:-1.................; ......... --__—_ c,,,TRA.011; ~ CANIBRIDGESIIIRE HOUNDS.----,"' 1 ha t DINARY DAY'S SPORT.-We have not unfrequen i.: i b l tbe e the pleasure of recording the excellent sport vilu e , but hounds have afforded the two or three last selo ° 'l3ar the sport of Friday last beats them all. ~,,M r' n t oO nett, the owner of the hounds, met at P r 3" - ' le '''' Wood, and shortly found. The hounds r . a n th e direction rfir nearly an hour, when the fox broke .',`' e t he I, of Weybridge; leaving that wood Park;to tfigindia e bent his course towards Hinchinbrook ds bey t° s the open rather too hot he made for the was°° ~„,., in t ° tukeley, but before reaching them in a wheat field, and killed in gallant style' - hosVe ve 'r' sharp run of five-and- thirty minutes. be i a f t te . r ave r !. did The Bret' 9 t ot 0. hi, own country, but still anxious to afford nis.nother c f l o m x usement, proceeded to Coffer-woo d, whe t s ad the was soon found, and having run in th , ro pfoo adjoining covert of Lymage, the fox broke fo rs * ", direr e (where abrace of foxes had already been s_;yiewed their course), and away to Graffham where be ", lion `t but two minutes before the hounds; some col° , _0 moot here took place, and it seemed likely the day's 1 ° a not close at this point. Mr. Barnett still persevered, , 3ri en d at being afriid of his bounds, worked his way on„ . . ou gli four o'clock again got on scent, and away he went tu n ' ~ii Buckden Parks to Buckden Wood, where he goot nouc:de, terms with his fox and viewed tdo" Flci f i ro , t henc e they went at a slapping pace to Diddingt(!th towards Southoe and Little Paxton, skirting ( order') tb e and peremptory .eas.c to enter, in obedience to high not darig latter wood, thence to Midloe, away through the p . l ere u be grounds of Gains Hall, through Gains Woods, wirer was again viewed, and appeared much beaten tes ' rtio r short to the right of Lymage, and in a few min de light was killed by the gallant pack in real style, to th i . lt of the owner and the few who lived out the 0 1 lilt , was nearly half.past five when they left 0 11 ; ! i . foo l Barnett and his bounds were then twenty ile- . 00 kennel. We reckon this the best cl, '8 spa t i t ri meri season, and we trust will be , a to s s ti u m bs u c l r n i s i): oY li t b l3 e o rsa llyget°ol;orj4 who hunt with the hounds their support. De reo'' BIRTHS. uvor On the I,3th inst,, in Bruton-street, Mrs. Bea of a son. d of iid. 0n the 9.3 d of last June, at Mertit,l3cngal, the Bola son, Thomas French, of his Majesty's =6th ltcgit nent, ta ught °, Mrs. Jas. Freshfield, of N el3ank-building, a 3 ( ~,,,, the On the 14th inst., at Latenbur tit'' lady of ~ _ re, y-hill, near Huntingo, . On the 15th inst., in Holies-street, Cavendish., I"' tcl , B or ough, lady of George Blair Hall, Esq., of an. f a dangliia. On the 14th inst., Mrs. Brocksopp, Borough, o _ '• j ot , L On the 15th inst., in Doctors' Comm o ns, AIF gard, of a daughter. ,t ~ i, y oung - to MARBIED• On time llth inst., at Blatherwyche, Ger al l„ l. lsme vi , t : ' , l : a son of the late William Henry Hoare, Esq., a“ - .." of '-- 'r Barham, to Sophia Lilias, youngest datighte%onshire. .1, O'Brien, Esq , of Blatherwyche Park, NorthatimPtier yin l''' 0 On the 15th inst., at St. Margaret's, Wotr°ilr to ; E liz l.i e ii. Quilter, of King's Arms-yard, Coleman-stree --,a Cuthbert, ' Harriet, youngest daughter of the late Th om da oo°' of Parliament-square, has. on lf On the 15th inst., at Lianehouse Clurch, Ciorgaret, le Esq., of the Island of St. Christopher, to 1 1 ,, i e te rrac e, I) at' daughter of Captain Manning, of Warlov° t '" -- v ol, of • house. 13 , Lo op y On the 10th lust., at Hammersmith, l‘fr:lle t call], of Sepulchre, Middlesex, to Mrs. BettY 1131 mersmith. On the 11th i n lh s eo t r . oe , :aivt C.B. n E . - D 1 ° t fg e o of i p eit e o r n e t l^nua uth, gari* Toro' On the 15th inst., in U Stamford-streeL, to , infant son of the Rev. Jan - t i er Lupton, aged 1 1 1-n° „%tre et ' On the 14th inst., Mr. James Paliner, of Cast''' . .0 cester-square, Governor of St. Martin-in-the-Fields... fro fiP ph Gn the 6 1 t 2 h th in in st s . :., at iPssreßstioenkehealli: Midlothian, t e•t• Pen 0111 On th On the 13th inst in her 60th year, r‘l'resi.becl*Tejrils of Mr. Samuel Inkpen, " of Pa.rk.h?;ll, C'laPham. ArOPVI4gi A 4 • PRINTID AND PUBLISHRD BY MURDO - - 3vpi OFFICE, 112, 3TRA2II)!