The Sun. — London, England, 1827-07-23 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOUR 'AL S. We insert to-day another letter from Lisbon: W e h a ve reason to believe, that the opinion men tioned by our correspondent to be entertained in Portugal—that the Infant Miguel will be allowed to return to his country without previous arrange ments and guarantees, and the acquiescence of the principal Powers of Europe—is altogether erroneous. It is, indeed, industriously circu lated by the rebel party, that such will be the fict ; and they pretend the authority of Miguel for the assertion : but there is not the least foundation for the rumour, nor for the pretended communication from the .Infant.— Times. It is impossible not to feel indignation at the unjustifiable course pursued by some of our co temporaries. They 'put forth an impudent fa brication, and when it is flatly contradicted, they have the extraordinary effrontery to exclaim— ., We made the assertion in order to obtain a contradiction," or " Our timely animadversion has prevented a disgraceful job." Thus it was positively stated that Mr. Sturges Bourne had received a pension for the short period of his service as Home Secretary. There was not a shadow of foundation for the assertion ; but when the parties who made are compelled to re tract it, they pretend that they had prevented what was never fora moment contemplated. They boasted, in the same manner, that they had stopped the appointments of Messrs. G. Tierney and Mr. James Brougham to be Com missioners of Customs. There never was the slightest ground for this most absurd declaration. The only vacancy in the Customs was that filled up by Lord Graves : and as to the two gentle men whose names have been so unwarrantably brought before the public, neither themselves nor their friends ever heard a syllable on the subject. It was altogether one of the most gra tuitous and shameless calumnies ever broached even by the present Opposition or their tools.— We perceive from the account of the Salford Midsummer Sessions in the Manchester Gazette of Saturday last, that it was stated by Mr. Nor ris, the Chairman, that the number of persons now confined in the prison of Manchester for trial, on charges of felony, is 133, scarcely one half of that committed for trial at the last Quar ter Sessions, and considerably lower than has been known at these Sessions for many years past. Mr. Norris says, " If there is any cause. to which more than another it ought to be attri buted, he has no doubt that cause is the improve ment which has recently taken place in the trade of that neighbourhood, by which the condition of the labouring classes has been greatly ame liorated." So far there is cause for congratula tion. But Mr. Norris proceeds to remark," One fact, however, I am extremely sorry to observe, namely, that no less than 45. prisoners out of 133, have been previously,convicted of felony This is a fact which deserves our most serious consideration. The Magistrates of the Di visiOn are resolved to enforce and observe the strictest discipline within'the walls of this prison ; and I do hope . that their perseverance in this course, will in time work great good, and that we shall not find prisoners who have been convicted coming again so frequeutly as has hitherto been the case. Persons who have been convicted of offences must not expect to find themselves as comfortable within the walls as honest and in dustrious labourers are able to make themselves out of prison ; and I do s ho . pe that we shall find the number of offences . diminished by a strict en forcement of, .He ,adds,. that he s se-, lie; Much - sif t the, ei.itorcenent of an Act passed. last Session, providing, that persons convicted a second time of felony, may be transported for life.—We have heard, this lamentation repeated almost totidenz verbis at every Sessions through out the country for many years, as also the ex pression of a confident hope that a change for the better would soon take place. One charge to a Grand Jury might, in this respect, serve for all succeeding charges. We are reminded of the famous passage in " The Vicar of Wake field" about Cosmogony. The Magistrate, like a mill horse, goes his constant round, lamenting and hoping, because, if he makes a plausible well-rounded speech he has discharged all that is expected from him. It is stated in praise of Burke 's ingenuity, by Jeremy Bentham, that before his famous Bill the salaries of most of the servants of the State were greatly in ar xear ; but that he remedied an evil against which ail the sermons in the world have been fruitlessly directed, by the simple expedient of ordering the smallest salaries to be first discharged, and pro hibiting any Minister from touching a farthing of his sales): till all the subordinate functionaries had been paid. When it became the interest of great men that the State should be a punctual paymaster, punctuality followed as a matter of course. If, in like manner, it were the interest of men connected with the administration ofjus tice that there should be few criminals returned to prison, their invention would soon be tasked to effect this object. Unfortunately almost all the best-informed men on these subjects . have a direct interest in the multiplication of criminals, rather than their reduction, and thus we have fine speeches instead of those skilful adaptations of means to ends, which are observed in com mon life. We have little faith in that reform in the character of a criminal which can be effected in a prison, by sneans of its discipline ; and it is always to be borne in mind, that if punishment be severe, prosecutors will often hang back, and Juries fail to convict. It IS, no doubt, a well known fact that, in this country, a man who Ilea once been within the walls of a prison, almost always returns to it. We have a Society, in this Netropolis, formed for the avowed purpose of suss srling one great cause o f t hi s ev il, na mely, thart of persons eaving the impossibilitY pr i so n of finding em e plo p yment. . l Who would employ a ma n who had once been in prison ? The Society had for object the finding employ» meat for persons in this situation ; but if, as weal stated by an intelligent Magistrate of 'Surr e y, 3,000 individuals passed throu g h the pri sons of that county alone in one year-, the finding employment for some half a dozen of individuals,to which their means were at most equal, leaves the evil exactly where it was., Magis trates can know very little of the character and habits of criminals ; for they hardly ever see them off their guard, and acquire their knowledge of them at second hand. Gaolers and turnkeys, who listen to their conversation, possess often the requisite knowledge, but they seldom know how to communicate it. The surgeons a con vict ships have excellent opportunities of knowing the habits and ways of thinking of' criminals, and we believe more useful information could be obtained from them than any other persons whatever. It would be strange indeed, if in a passage of many months, an intelligent gentleman should not be able to form a tolerably correct estimate of the individuals placed under his charge. Mr. CunninOiatn, who has Cour times conveyed convicts to Australia, has just pub lished two volumes, under the title of " Two Years in New South Wales," in which, amidst much valuable information respecting the Colony, he gives us a great deal of curious insight in the character of criminals. Mr. Cunningham adverts to the subject so feelingly fomented by Mr. Norris, namely, the return of offenders to prison, and satisfactorily proves, we think, that the indi vidual who has ever been in confinement, is placed under the necessity of being a criminal for life : " The great imperfection of our prison arrangements (say-s Mr. C.), is that prisoners for variety of offence, are so mingled as to make a gaol more a place of convivial enjoyment than of punishment ; which, instead of the prin ciples of the prisoners undergoing reformation, they become more and more corrupted, from the recital of larcenous ad- Ventures and exchange of larcenous opinions. After leaving prison too, the individual who had been sent there for some petty offence, is recognised as a fellow-sufferer by the de praved characters he may have been associated with, whose company he is consequently inveigled into, and his morals thoroughly polluted. If, therefore, a gaol could be so con structed that none of the inmates could exchange a word with each other, or even to see each other's faces, and con sequently never able to know who were immured along with them, the above evils would be avoided." Mr. Cunningham thinks he has discovered a means of securing prisoners from this evil ; and without deciding as to the practicability or effi ciency of his plan, we shall lay it before our readers : " Let a series of cells, of strong oak, be constructed, nine feet by four and a half, and seven high, hooped round with iron bars, and covered with plates of the same, to prevent being cut through; having a strong iron grating at top, or a sliding or folding cover, with a bull's eye in it, which the prisoner could open and shut, and small port holes and slides at the bottom, for admission of air.— A hammock slung between two rings might serve for a bed, setting the bed. clothes out to air daily ; the cells being all placed under a common open shed, having a warm air-pipe passing up between them, and communicating by a stop-cock with each cell, to admit the prisoner warm ing it in cold weather, or whenever requisite. These cells being placed on trucks could be moved out into the open air, to give the prisoners the benefit of a sunning in fine weather, while the nine-foot-length of each would afford quite sufficient space to take exercise in when its in mate became accustomed to that limitation, as any one who has been at sea can amply testify. A narrow gallery overhead, extending the whole-length of the shed, would serve as a place for the watchman or patrol, to prevent conversation, and guard against escape. The prisoners would not be enabled to see or speak to each other in the cells ; while on their being placed at the mill, or allowed to walk out upon occasion, they should be dressed in loose flannel frocks, having the number of their cell painted thereupon, and have tin masks on, so roomy as to admit of wiping their faces, without taking them off, du► ing labour. " A gaol of this description would thus consist but of a high wall inclosing rows of open sheds, with a few neces sary buildings for the officers, &c. and could not possibly cost one-third of what gaols commonly do; while as this solitary confinement would be one-third worse than the mode of imprisonment now followed, the period of incar ceration might be relatively reduced, and the expences to the country reduced in the same ratio, while the prisoner, by obtaining his liberty earlier, would also be a gainer. In large towns, where ground is valuable, arched galleries might rise in successive stories above each other, partition ed off into cells, admitting a free ventilation through them, the archways having doors on account of the great ex posure from height. The galleries :night thus form a square, with the other requisite buildings in the centre. But the greatest advantage of all is, that the prisoners would never ie able to know who tlyAr gaol-mates Were, or recognise each other on liberation, so that the man who was s , •nt to prison, would come out of it at least no worse than when he went in. Prisoners ought also to be carried masked to and from the Court-houses and Police-offices to the gaols, by which means the degrading exposure of hand cuffed individuals through the streets would be avoided." Before concluding this article, we shall lay another extract, from this instructive, and at the same time amusing work, before our readers, in order to show how little reliance is to be placed on those pretended transformations in person, of which so many well-meaning persons are con stantly the dupes : Having read much of the great reforms wrought among the convicts in the hulks, and in New South Wales, by infusing a sense of religion into their minds, I set about exhorting them on my appointment to my first ship, to amend their lives, seeing they were hound to a place where former misconduct would be no longer thought of, if they pursued a different course ; and stating that I should take great pleasure in reporting the behaviour of those to the Government who had changed for the better, and made a good use of the religious books placed in their hands. It was not long before my advice was, in all appearance, strictly attended to—a very considerable number becoming grave and decent, whom I had before noticed as among the worst in the ship, while scripture readers and readers of religious tracts multiplied around me on all heeds, and I soon saw a party formed for the reading and expounding of the scriptures, and closing the conference with prayer and singing of hymns and psalms. An old fence (receiver of stolen goods) was at the head of this devote party, who had served a seven years' term in the hulks, and who, I was pleased to observe thus setting a good example to his juniors, although I could not but think at the time, that the congregation might have pitched upon some other place for their devotions than the birth contiguous to the hos pital, where I had in a manner to rub my shoulders against them in every sick visit I made. Still however, I deemed that their fixing upon this conspicuous place, as well as their invariably meeting at the morning and even ing hours, when I visited the sick, might arise from their anziety to demonstrate that my advice had not been thrown away. " This meeting had continued about a fortnight, when a complaint was made by one of the leaders, that a knot of blackguards' (as he termed them) had been lately in the habit of whistling, coughing, and pelting them with bis cuit, whenever they began their religious exercises ; so I forthwith sent for the chief captain of the deck' to point out those guilty of such conduct, and to know why he had not put a stop to it before. This was a shrewd, clever Yorkehireman, who knew especially well the ways of those over whom he was now presiding ; and, on hearing the complaint, be answered, with a knowing smile, It .is out of no disrespect to you, sir, that the praying party , has been pelted and laughed at, but because they want to hum bug the others below as well as yourself. They care not a straw about religion, hut expect you to do something for th land ; now if you will just walk into the hospital when b; the}' theeo other door, you will. see how quickly they will drop away—for, indeed, some are tired of it already.' " I was certainly mortified at what I heard, but resolved to take his advice; and, true enough the party did drop off one by one, till none remained but the old fence, who con tinued Bible-reading to the end of the voyage, drawling out the words of Scripture with deep sectarian drone, and casting at me ever and anon that sort of significant glance which seemed to whisper ' Don't you see how religious I am?' " After this circumstance, there was a gradual falling off among all the devotionally iuclined, till the whole became reduced to some seven or eight, and in few of these did I place much faith. There were, for instance, two very pious persons from the west of England, where, as I had ascertained, they, under the pretence of prayer-meetings, had held confederacies for planning robberies. Another, one Thomas Jenkins, had formerly joined to hie avowed profession of travelling Methodist Preacher, the more gainful one of sheep stealing !----but still there remained William Jones and John George, against whom the breath of suspicion had not, as vet, been levelled ; for being the only-two individuals from a Welch gaol, nobody of course, knew anything about their history. Jones was, in fact, quite enthusiastic in Scripture-reading, and I never passed his birth without observing him earnestly toiling away with a pair of huge spectacles arched over his nose, or else the Bible lying close to his hip, ready to be snatched up on the instant. Indeed, so earnest was he in his religious exercises, that he could net even attend muster on Sunday without the Bible in his hand, and his fore-finger stuck be tween the leaves, to mark the passage he had been read ing. Just previous, however, to this godly person's dis missal from the hospital (where he had been placed on ac count of a fit of illness) my assistant lost a sum of money ; and it ultimately came out on the evidence of Jones's bro ther saint, John George, that the former was the culprit. Honest John, indeed, had a finger in the pie, but was in duced to 'peach on account of Jones (whom he denounced as being the greatest ruffian in all Wales) having attempted to bilk him out of his due share." Mr. Cunningham very jus;,ly observes, when these people are crowded thus knave upon knave, those who may be seriously disposed are jeered Out of it by the rest, and the reformation you bring about is a mere barn meant to be turned to gainful account by making a dupe of you. He deserves great credit for the honest and manly way in which he has opposed himself to the de lusion.—Morning Chronicle. When men choose to intrude their private concerns upon the public, the statements, such as they are, become public property, and fit subjects of public animadversion ; and no man, be his rank and situation, or his own opinion of himself, or of his case, what it may, has any right to complain of the freest judgment, where judg ment is so manifestly courted and called for. Unless it be that the grossness, in every point of view, being without parallel, is on that account less likely to produce one, we know of no do mestic scenes which have come before the world so calculated to injure public and private morals, as that which is known to the present age, as it unfortunately will be to posterity, under the name of the " Wellesley Case." We wish we could discover one redeeming quality about it ; but it has unfortunately none ; unless it he, that the principal actor may be charitably supposed to be labouring under a degree of mental delusion— an idea, however, hardly reconcilable with the share of worldy -minded understanding (if we may so ex press ourselves) which he has shown through out. When the Chancery proceedings terminated in the sound and righteous judgment delivered by Lord Eldon, Mr. Wellesley had as a prudent man, no reasonable course to take but to submit to that decision. He has chosen, however, as he had a right to do, to act otherwise ; but why, because he has appealed to the House of Lords, he should therefore appeal to the public, and drag before a tribunal, which can have no useful cognizance of the matter, the mass of private do cuments which his recent pamphlet contains, we are totally at a loss to discover. He gives as his reason, to be sure, that he is compelled to do so, because he is driven to prosecute his appeal before the Lords, " without receiving that coun tenance and support from the different members of his family, which he had a right to expect, and has so anxiously laboured to obtain." A more egregious fallacy than this can hardly be con ceived. By support, we suppose Mr. Wellesley means the votes of his father and uncles, upon the hearing of the appeal ; to bespeak which on the one hand, or to give them on the other, would be an act the most indelicate, not to say unwise and unconstitutional, that could well be ima gined. If members of a powerful family could, as Peers of the realm, act in the way here sug gested, would it not be poisoning justice in her highest seat, and rendering the House of Lords a Court of Appeal, not to wisdom and expe rience, but to prejudice and private interests? Nor were it otherwise, could Mr. Wellesley, we imagine, have the smallest ground, much less " right to expect" this support from persons, who it is part of his complaint, and of his show. ing, have been uniformly opposed to all his pro ceedings ; and who, it must be manifest to every one but Mr. Wellesley, even were their feelings and opinions otherwise, would naturally abstain from taking any judicial or legislative part whatever on a question on which they cannot be said to be impartial judges ? Mr. Wellesley is therefore in our estimation, without a shadow of excuse for thus dragging before the world persons and circumstances with which the world have nothing to do ; and is only inflicting a sting which will recoil with redoubled force upon himself when the hour of reflection, as it must do, arrives. As he appeals to the judgment of the public, we would, as part of that public, with perfect good will, advise him to abstain from such modes of forcing himself and his con-' cerns into notice. We do not wish to inflict an unnecessary wound, when we say that he owes, both to his family and to his country, years of penitence for years of mischief ; and that if his anxiety is to stand right with the world for the time to come, it can only be by rendering the future in all respects the very reverse of the past. —Morning Herald. The British Catholic Association held an open meeting on Saturday, to consider the ex pediency of petitioning Parliament for a repeal of the Corporation and Test Acts. Our opi nions on that question are already recorded, and we repeat them. If it can be shown that . the Church, as established by law, is entitled to no peculiarity of privilege, it may, by precisely the same line of argument, be shown that it is entitled to no peculiarity of protection. . The only reason that can be assigned for the establishment of a national Church is, that its doctrines and its forme of government are best adapted to the civil Con stitution with which it is connected. If, by the repeal of the Test and Corporation Acts, it be virtually and practically conceded that any doc trines and any form of church discipline are as well suited to the welfare of the State as those of the Episcopal Church, why, in the name of com mon sense, should the State extend its favours to that Church alone, from which it receives no more return than from others ? We do not say, nor have we ever said, that the downfall of the Established Church would follow immediately , or soon, from the repeal of these Acts. We may not see it ; but it seems to us to follow as a necessag consequence, and as a consequence which will be admitted by every one who rea sons fairly and impartially on the subject. To return to the meeting : Lord Stourton was in the Chair. The principal speakers were Mr. Blount, the Secretary, Mr. Rosson, and Mr. Eneas M'Donnell. We have given their speeches atlength, because we are anxious to do justice to a highly respectable portion of the community, the English Catholics, whose conduct has, at all times, contrasted most favourably with their brethren in Ireland ; and because we think the best way to judge of the value of the cause they advocate, is to put the public fairly in possession of all they have to say for it. The speeches of Mr. Blount and Mr. Rosson bear pretty directly on ik t a h id, e popotend: sub jectneii of is t a he sp m ec e i e m ti e n n g o ; f t htahteoofrdMiiria. ordinary Eneas mode by great orators of his country, of speaking at the question, rather than to it. After some al lusions to Lord Farnham, who is, Mr. Ikl‘Don nell mys, fond of making exhibitions (the best reason tinder Heaven, to long as the idenz velle forms a bond of friendship, why his Lordship and Mr. Eneas should admire each ,other), and Captain Gordon, and others, IVlr.pl‘Donnell proceeded to decide as umpire a bp.ef dispute which took place, some time agq,. between the Courier and the Dublin Eve*ng Post, on the comparative state of crime in Ireland and England. The way in which the umpire decides leaves the question pretty much in the same state in which lie foundlt. The c ommittals in England and Wales, according to him, in 1812, were 6,576,—in ISO they amounted to 14,437. In 1812 the ale So ciety began—in 1825 it was is its highest, pros perity. Who does not envy Mr. IVDDonnell the felicity of his deduction ?—cc So much for the operations of such men as Capt. Gordon !" Ao u i n in the seven years preceding 1612, the capital punishments were 4,120—in the seven years preceding 1825 they were 8,240, notwith standing all the labours of " Gordon and his gang." This, says Mr. M'D., is a subject on which one cannot be jocose. We fully agree with him ; hanging is no joking matter. But we would just whisper, that, by possibility, the increase of crimes, about which, assuredly, we can not be jocose, might be accounted for without the agency of the Bible Society. Might not the prosperity of the one period alluded to, com pared with the other, in some degree influence the number of crimes in each ? And might not the number of lawless characters, whom the peace sent abroad into the community, also in fluence it ? The argument, however, is a silly one. It is not the number of committals or condemna tions that indicate the character ofthelower classes in any country ; these merely indicate the state of its laws and police ; and it is pretty notorious in England, that the former are severe, and the latter vigilant. A murder, such as that committed by Thu?tell, no more marks the character of the English people, than any of the black spots on the Sun marks the nature of its substance. 1 Where is there in the modern history of England such a murder As of the Sheas ? 'Where is there such a murder as that of i\lr. Chadwick, to take a more recent instance ? Will Mr. point out a case where a fellow creature has been deliberately shot in the sight of a number of his own tenants, and labourers, or in the sight of strangers, without an attempt to save him or to seize his assassin ? Is there any thing in Ireland of that horror of blood, which is felt by the common people in England ? But we must quit a subject, most painful in itself, and where no dis putant can gain honour by victory. England and Ireland are one in their laws, one in their Constitution, one in their King. They can gain nothing from the degradation of each other. Mr. M'D. has another quarrel with the Courier, which we shall leave it to manage ;—we mean its sentiments respecting Mr. O'Connell. Mr. M'D. is anxious, we see, that our contemporary should again take up that subject. He says he has visited Peel's every day to see if it had. We hope our contemporary will consider of this, and not allow him again to visit Peel's (a most ominous name by-the-bye for a Roman Catholic place of resort) without satisfying him on that point.—New Times. POLICE INTELLIGENCE. BOW-STREET.—An application was made at this office on Saturday to Mr. HALLS, the sitting Magistrate, for a warrant against a young gentleman named Swetton ham, who resides at Wood-end, Derbyshire, for having sent a letter tending to excite a breach of the peace to Mr. Gosling. The application was made on the part of Mr. Gosling by his solicitor, Mr. Wharton, whose information being taken upon oath, the magistrate despatched an officer to execute the warrant, and at seven o'clock in the evening Mr. Swettenham, accompanied by several friends, appeared to answer the charge. Having waited for the appearance of the complainant until near eight o'clock, Mr. HALLS ob served, that if the other party did not arrive by that hour, he would take Mr. Swettenham's word to appear before him on Monday morning to meet the accusation. Mr. Wharton arrived soon after, unaccompanied by the com plainant. He told the magistrate that he was the profes sional adviser of Me. Gosling, and had recommended the present proceeding, in consequence of two letters which his client had received from the defendant. The letters were then Lauded to the magistrate, hut before we give their contents it, will be requisite to state the circumstances with which they are connected. It appears that a young lady, named Thornhill, had been living for some time under the protection of Mr. Gosling, at his villa in the Regent's-park, until by some accident she met with the defendant, Mr. Swettenbam, to whom she suddenly transferred her affections; -and leaving the pro tection of her former admirer, she took refuge under the roof of the defendant. This conduct, on the part of the lady, excited naturally feelings of resentment in the breast of the complainant, and the consequence was, that a corre spondence of no very pacific nature took place between the rivals in person and their respective friends in their behalf. The affair, it would appear, was submitted to arbitration, but with no prospect of a friendly settlement, as the fol lowing letter, addressed by Mr. Swettenham to Mr. Gos ling's friend, Mr. Wharton, will plainly indicate : Grecian Coffee-house, Temple, July 11, Sir,—The friendly office of adviser, which Mr. Morti mer undertook for me in this affair, has at length termi nated in the avowal of conduct on the part of Mr. Gosling, which he either is, or ought to be, willing to approve in person. Mr. C., , in direct contradiction to the assurances given me at our interview, " that from the then period he should cease all supplies and acquaintance with Mrs, Thorn hill (except paying her debts up to that time)," has thought proper to disregard his word mid honour, by breaking both, and now declaring, most unequivocally, that he will cont►nue his allowance as usual (which, from Mrs. T.'s ac count, is the sumnium tonum of what he ever did,) as long as she chooses, thereby inviting her to intrigue with any body who would not object to his supplying the means. With this feeling, I now assure you (if Mr. G. does not afford me the means of satisfaction), I will most assuredly avail myself of the very many oppor tunities and methods to lampoon, ridicule, and deride him; and I can assure you Mrs. T. takes care to furnish her ac quaintance with most ample funds for this purpose. J. 0. S. The second letter written by Mr. Swettenham to Mr. Wharton, who appears to have acted in the double capacity of legal and personal friend of the complainant, is still more explicit and imperative : Sir,—l wrote my sentiments several days ago, relative to the conduct of Mr. Gosling, in tolerably plain terms, and have subsequently given, through my adviser, Mr. Hortimer, a reference to my friend Mr. Hine, Russell Hotel, C. G., as the only alternative. In consequence, however, of a subsequent communication from Mr. Morti_ mer, I called upon him on Thursday, when he showed to me extracts of a correspondence between Mrs. T. and Mr. Gosling, in the language and writing of the latter. I ob serve a direct charge of fabrication against myself. Con ceiving it unnecessary to notice other Jess definite though equally objectionable matter on the part of Mr. Gosling, I now beg to apprise him, through your medium, that lam aware this letter must reach you to day; and if he continues to delay a reference to the gentleman whose name and address I have already given, I shall most certainly notice this application and his silence in the de cisive and public manner expressed in my last. I have the honour to be, Sir, your most humble servant, July 21. J. 0. S. _ _ _ Mr.' HALLS haying attentively perused these letters, called upon the defendant to explain his motives in writing them. Mr. Swettenham acknowledged himself to be the writer of the letters, but said that Mr. Gosling having fabricated a false and calumniating statement, he (Mr. Swettenham) had merely called upon him to retract it. Mr. HALLS--.l have nothing to do with the cause of your difference, and I now ask you upon your honour, whether in sending those letters to Mr. Gosling, you did not intend to provoke him to fight a duel ? Mr. Swettenham said he was referred by Mr. Gosling to Mr. Wharton, as his " personal " friend ; and considering him in that capacity merely, he did not conceive that the course adopted would have been pursued. With respect to the letters, however, be did not think they could fairly be construed into any attempt to provoke the complainant to commit a breach of the peace. Mr. HALLS—There certainly is 'a threat in this letter, and no man can mistake its import. I must again ask you, Sir, upon your honour as a gentleman, was it not your in tention to provoke Mr. Gosling to fight a duel with you? Mr. Swettenham—l will not deny that it was my in tention to adopt such a course as would have compelled that gentleman, at any hazard, to retract his false assertions. Mr. HALLS-_Then it is my duty, Sir, to order you to find sureties to keep the peace. Mr. Swettenham soon after gave bail, himself in 2001., and two sureties in 100/. each, to keep the peace towards Mr. Gosling and the rest of'his Majesty's subjects for six months to come. MARYLEBONE.—John Lacy, the driver of Young's Paddington stage, was charged with furious driving in York-street on Sunday the 15th inst. The fact was proved by Win. Williams, a Marylebone beadle, and Mr. Young, the proprietor ? in his males defence, it It's a new pair of horses, your Warship, and one on em's a gib : it's impossible to pull him up." " You make the matter worse," replied Mr. Hosititis, " by puttipg your man behind such horses." Young.—l gave money enough for 'em, your Worship —they cost 501. • Mr. Hosents.—That is no answer to the charge. I shall convict the driver in the penalty of 51. ; and you ought to pay it for giving him such a horse. Young.—Suppose you had such a horse,' what— Mr. frosiciNs.—l shan't answer the question : you must have an answer ready in your own mind. Not being able to pay the penalty, Lacy was committed to the House of Correction for three months. UNION-HALL...—On Saturday, John IVaHower, a Waterman, was summoned before the Sitting Magistrate, J. T. norm, Esq. charged by a gentleman named Thomp son, with demanding more than his fare, and with abusive language. The complainant stated that on the preceding evening he hired the defendant at Queenhithe-stairs, to take him and two ladies to Vauxhall. On landing at the latter place, 2s. were tendered to the defendant, which he refused to take, saying that his fare was 3s. 6d. Upon the com plainant's refusal to comply with the demand, the defendant abused him in the most scurrilous manner, and actually fol lowed him and the two ladies to the entrance of Vauxhall gardens, using the most obscene and vnlgar language to wards the party the whole of the way, notwithstanding Mr. Thompson offered his card in the event of his not hay ing tendered the legal fare. It was represented to the Ma gistrate, that the defendant was known to he one of the most insolent and abusive fellows that plied on the river, and, as a caution to the fraternity to which he belonged, he was fined 13s. and costs. FIELD of TALAVERA after the BATTLE. Having dispatched this dainty meal, I rode off to overtake my comrades in their progress to the Alberche. The field of battle presented a spectacle truly dreadful ! A space extending several leagues was almost literally covered with the slit ! On the fatal height which had been so gallantly disputed, our courageous fellows lay as if they had been entire battalions taking their natural rest—painfully conspicuous from the red uniform ; whilst, within fifty paces, clad in blue and grey, were heaped in dense masses the bodies of the assailants ! Amongst the latter, many, who were wounded only, called out to us for succour, which we were completely unable to extend. All the brushwood, trees, cottages, &c. in the vicinity, were reduced to ashes, and the earth itself looked black and blasted :—whilst, added to this universal desolation, the scorching rays of the sun contributed their influence to increase the torments of the unfortunate wounded wretches. Amidst the many thousand dead bodies, brute animals, likewise, were mingled. Arms, broken carriages, powder-waggons, chests,—in short, a heterogeneous medley, comprising all manner of articles, were scattered about, to complete this picture of destruction and woe. The very bushes, half-burnt, were in many instances clogged with dead bodies, both human and brute—unhappy creatures who had crawled thither, wounded, from the scene of strife, and been finished by the fiery masses, wherefrom their exhaustion pre vented escape. Thus the devastating principle of fire lent aid to the great work of slaughter ; nor was the ministry of the demons of hunger and thirst wanting :—on approaching the Alberche, some poor wretches were discovered by our men who had lain there since the 27th instant, and whose parched lips had not, they said, been blessed with a drop of water during the two days' interval. We bivouacked under some oak-trees which had remained unscathed, and a neighbouring corn-field also did us much service. A medicine-chest that had been aban doned by the enemy was brought in, and sup plied us with many articles whereof we stood in great need. Our videttes were posted on one aide the river, and those of the enemy on the other. On the following day, the wounded (both friends and foes) were conveyed slowly, upon carts drawn by oxen, to the hospital, and several battalions were ordered to accom plish the interment of the dead. A number of our wounded, who had unluckily fallen into the hands of the enemy, and had suffered much maltreatment, now arrived (on being discarded to shift for themselves) at our bivouac. An English officer, who was among them, exhibited a picture of the utmost human misery ! A ragged Spanish peasant led the faint and panting horse whereupon this unfortunate soldier rather hung than sat : he was wounded in the head an d foot, and his wounds were well nigh bare, and bleeding fast. His uniform, owing to the gold lace haying been torn away, was thoroughly de faced, and he was destitute at once of hat, shoes, and stockings—the only coverings for his legs being a pair of large worn-out Spanish boots.— Upon his countenance sat despair, and the cravings of hunger and thirst were likewise de picted in its lines. With a sensation of deep interest did we behold the transient smile which spread over his wan features on once more be holding his companions in arms—who, however, were unable to afford him any other refreshment than their consolation and a drink of fresh water„—Journal of an qfficer. PETER PINDAR.--He was a more pleasant m companion than a poet, and could take a joke as well as one, as he well knew that " they who play at bowls must lay their account with rubbers ;" or, as the Bretons say, " a sharp tongue should have a dull ear." One day, dining at an eminent printer's, he rallied, though with good nature, a North Briton on his country. The latter coolly said, " Pray Doctor, from what quarter of the com pass are you I am from the west."_ ,, I thought as much; for all the wise men came from the east."—New London Literary Gazette. A CRUEL DISAPPOINTMENT.—On Sunday last, a young couple, accompanied by their fi lends, set out from this town to a neighbouring Parish Church, for the purpose of being made one flesh. Having called at nearly every public-house 13n the road, they (especially the happy youth) became more " merry than wise," and when within a mile of the Church, the fickle swain darted from the arm of the lovely fair one and ran towards home.— After the wonder and consternation produced by such con duct had somewhat subsided, the party pursued, being led in gallant style by the almost petrified maiden, who, keeping the faithless apostate in view, during a chase of nearly two miles, so severely pressed upon him, that he fell breath less and exhausted, unable to proceed further. Here he received what he well deserved —..a sound thrashing, from the indignant heroine ; after which he was suffered to re turn home, amidst the hisses and execrations of all the wed ding party. Stockport Advertiser. MA DI ERA NT,INTS.—APRIL B.—Spent an hour in the parlour of the Santa Clara convent. It is rather an odd scene: the nuns are separated from us by a thick double gra ti ng , th r ough which we peep and talk. as well as we can. The ladies appeared by no means impa tient of our gaze, or to take ill the little fleurettes, which those more voluble in the language of Portuguese gallantry offered them. Of course, the pretty M— C— was there : we remarked another belle, Donna H—, more in the Por tuguese fashion of beauty, of which indeed she was one of the best specimens we have seen—she has all the national embonpoint, which, when within the limits of proportion, is desirable enough ; a rather full face; small features ; clear skin ; and the finest large dark eyes, a r orientate, one can fancy. They tell me that there is a regular system of flirtation going on between these ladies and certain favou rites of theirs, commonly officers of the regiments without, and that much amusement may be extracted from watching the little signs of intelligence, which are given from the grating in the chapel, and on other occasions, when the fair recluses are conscious of their admirers. All this, I sup pose, can end in nothing more than flirtation ; and one is rather glad that they are still allowed this resource against the terrible ennui of their situation,"..—p. 123-4. .R ant ble7 in Madeira, WI tSTIVIINSTER SESSIONS, Ails 21. Willi, am Netvon, coachman to Henry Brougham, Esq., si ',ood indicted for assaulting Ballard, one of the offic era of Marlborough -street, while in the due executio aof his duty. A second count charged him with a e( )nmon assault. The C 111 AIRMAN read over the whole of the evi dence, an d then left the question in the hands of the Jury, wk( ), after deliberating for three quarters of an hour, four td the defendant Guilty. The CI lAIRMAN sentenced him to pay a fine cf 10/. to th( t King. CO? YIMERCIAL INTELLIGENCE. LlvaaPol or. JULY 21.-There has been a lively demand for British Plantation Sugar, and upwards of 700 hhds. have been s old, with a further improvement of Is. a Is. 6d. per cwt. ; IWO bags of fine white Bengal Sugar sold at 775. per en rt.-About 100 'midis. of Demerara . Molasses sold at 30s. a 311. per cwt.-Barbadoes Ginger has been in request, and some sold at 455. a 48s, per cwt.-60 punchs. of common Leeward Island Rum sold at 2s. 2d. a 2s. 3d. pe) c gal. -A public sale yesterday of 150 tierces of Ja-' maica Coff te went steadily for the ordinary qualities, but upon. the finer I:inds an advance of filly 2s, per cwt. has been obtained. Fifty bags of fine ordinary Havannah Coffee sold at 52 s. per cwt.-Pimento is in request, but none offers without a further advance...:--The excessive business done in Ashes lasts week has not been followed up, but the market is quite stationary, with only 100 barrels of Montreal Pot sold at 245. 6d. a 275. for brand 1825 and 1826, 600 barrels of States Pot at 245. for stained, and 275. for good, with 15 barrels of Pearl at 275. per cwt.-About 100 tons of Campeachy Logwood sold at 71. 10s. a 71. 155., 25 tons of Jamaica at 61. os. a 61. 10s. ; ten tons of solid Nicaragua wood at 171., five tons of small at 91., with 50 tone of Garnwood at 111. a 141. per ton.-500 hhde. of American Flax-seed have been disposed of at 38s. per hhd. _ln Hides, 5,300 dry Valparaiso sold at 7id. a 9ird 1,200 salted New York at 4id. per lb. and 2,400 Horse at 6s. Sd. each.-Seventy tierces of Carolina Rice at 20e. a 20s. 6d. and 260 bags of Bengal at 17s. 3d. a, 17s. 6d. per cwt.-700 bags of Saltpetre at 245. a 25i. 3d. -40 bags of Verona Shuniac at 7s. 3d. a 7s. 9d., and 40 bags of Malaga at 151. per cwt.-In Tar, S5O barrels of American sold on board at 151.9 d. perbarrel, and 100 barrels of Tur pentine at 12s. 6d. per cwt. _ - The demand for baton has continued steady this week. and the prices remain as last quoted, excepting Sea island Cotton, of which 600 bags sold yesterday by auction, at about 4d. per lb. advance ; the general market, however, has closed rather heavily. Of 105 stained Sea Island at auction, 68 sold at 6d. a 9id., and 210 out of 230 Deme rara at 7P. a 91d. The other business of the week has consisted of about 5,300 bagi of Upland Georgia at 6d. a 7d. ; 1,500 NVW Orleans at 6d a SP., and 100 at 84d. a Std. ; 3,000 Alabama at SP. a 61d. ; '703 Sea Island at 11d. a 18d. ; 130 stained Sea Island at SP. a 9d. ; 1,000 Pernambuco at 9d. a 9d., and 18 at Sid. ; 900 Bahia at Sd. a Sid., and 40 at 71d. ; 60 Maranham at Sid. a 9d., and 10 at 9d. ; 30 Para at 7d. ; 50 Deme rara at 84d. a 9d. ; 1,200 Egyptian at 6P. a Bd., and 20 at Bd. ; 40 Barbadoes at lid. ; 20 Cumana at 6d.; 350 Surat at 4d. a SP. ; and 20 Bengal at 4id. ; making a total of about 15,200 bags; of which about 1,000 American have been taken on speculation, and 300 Brazil for exportation. The importation of Cotton this 'week amounts to 25,778 bales. COUNTRY CORN MARKETS DURING LAST VIEEI. 1 Wheat. Barley. Oats. Bean, Per Quarter. Andover Carlisle Hexbam Morpeth ••••••••••••••••••••" Newcastle Romsey Sheffield •••••••••••••••••• Winchester Per Bushel. Coventry Newcastle (StaW) Northallcrton Penrith Stafford Warwick Worcester—,—. Per poll. Barmaleastle Darlington Durham Stan hope Stockton Wolsingliam s. to s. 54 59 69 72 60 68 58 62 56 67 48 • 56 62 68 s. to s. 34 40 44 45 40 47 39 41 23 a 39 32 34 36 46 I. to s. 30 34 29 37 3.5 45 28 i 26 38 22 27 26 36 's.d. s. d. 70 44 76 80 100 106 79 D 3 940 84 00 79 80 7 8 9 0 s. d. s. d. 59 56 50 34 00 00 00 00 00 30 ,0 76 50 56 60 63 130 176 150 17 6 15 0 17 6 126 139 14 3 16 3 15 0 18 0 0 0 10 6 110 00 106 00 00 100 00 00 110 00 s.d. s.d. 39 43 44 52 50 52 39 40 51 00 00 00 46 53 40 30 73 106 60 80 79 96 70 00 '74 86 86 106 A. to B. 69 48 N 50 52 50 55 GO 64 74 SO 74 80 90 10 . 0 70 76 00 00 86 100 76 •80 78.8.4 0 15 0 100 131 10 0 126 00 00 00 00 00 00 CORNWALL Al A.R.X.ETS. TRUllo.—Wheat (average) --a. Ura.—Oati, 14a ($4 Hot... iv—Wheat, 255. 6d.—'Barley, 16s. Od. ST. AUSTIILL—Wheat, 235. to 27..—Barley, 14s. to 158.—Oats. 13s. to 15e. BooNllN—Wheat (average) 28.. Od.—Barley, 16s.—Oats, 14e. 6d. LAUNCESToN—Wheat (average) 21a. Od..:43arley, 16s. Od.—Oats, I Os. Od.—Beef, 7d.—Mutton, 6d. Lisimaao—Wheat, 244.8 d. to 25s.—Barley, 15s. 9d.—Oats, —l. to 13s. Od. _ _ --- i476;lume—Wheat, 26g. to lis.—Barley, Us. to 148.—Beef. and Mutton, 5%d. to 7d.—Veal and Lamb, Od. to Od. PENZANCE—Wheat, 225. to 25t.—Barley, 151. to 16s.—Oats, 14s. to I6s. Od.—Beef and Mutton, sd. to 7d.—Pork, 4d. to Ckl.— Butter, 11d. per lb. SCOTCH MARKETS. HADDINGTON CORN MARKET.—JuIy 20. , A good supply of Wheat, but sales very dull; the price has declined Is. on the top, and ls. 2-12ths on the average. The Barley market very small—only 13 quarters sold, in three dlffe. rent parcels, all at 40s , which is 31d. above last average. A. middling supply of Oats, current prices nearly the same as last day; average up sd. Pease are down, and Beans up, on the last average. Wheat. Barley. Oats. Pease. First 63s Od 40s Od 40s Od 503 Od Second 598 Od —s Od 36s Od 49e Od Third Ms Od —s Od 29* Od —s Od There were 359 qrs. of Wheat in market, 26 ...at 63s. Pd.' 20 ...at...... 59*. Od 1.) 22 61 47 Beans.' MN Oct 48s Od Od were Eold. . s6a. (kt, 550 54 0 .35 ...at— I A , 10 —.4 t rey 11, and sold DALKEITH CORN 3 IARKET.—JuIy 11 The quantity of Grain at.this day's market was snna nearly at last week's prices. Wheat. Barley. Oats. .Pease. Beans. First ....,. Ms Od 35s Od 32s Od 50s Ott 30s Od Second... 62s Od 33s Od 30s Od 48s Od 48s Od Third .... 58s Od 30s Od 2;s Od 42s Od 42. Od MINING INTELLIGENCE. Tons. Cwt, Quantity of Copper Ore sold at Redruth last Thursday 2,400 0 Average Produce 74 0 Quantity of fine Copper lBB 17 - Amount of Sale, 15,1331.9 e. Bd.—Average Standard, 1161. ss. Od. PORTUGUESE BELLES AT MADEIRA.--• The traits that first strike a stranger in a Portuguese belle, are the tendency to embonpoint in the figure, and to dark ness-1 had almost said swarthiness, in complexion. This last character, however, is not particularly obvious by candle-light; and it is always relieved by the most raven, hair, and eyes such as one seldom sees elsewhere--so large and black—if their fire were softened by a longer lash, and their expression less fixed, there would be no resisting them. I fancy, too, that their effect would he rath e r greater ict, a tete-a-tete, than in a circle like this, where, looking round, one sees on all sides the same eyes—and which all (it is every where the reproach of black eyes) say always the same thing. Their dress was perfectly in the English fashion; and. in general, there was something not un- English in their mise and tournure.—Rambles in Aradei, as BIRTHS. On the 19th inst., at Littleton, Dorsetshire, the lady of Wm. Donaldson, Esq., of a daughter. On the 22d instant, at Woolwich, the lady of Captain Saunders of the Royal Horse Artillery, of a son. On the 20th inst., the wife of Charles Ormerod, Esq., Devonshire-street, Portland place, of a daughter. MARRIED. On the 23d instant, at St. Mary's Church, Marylebone, by the Rev. Dr. Dibdin, Mr. Richard Buckman, to Miss . Meek of the Edgeware Road. On the 21st inst., at Hammersmith Church, William. Poultney, Esq., of Ryder-street, St. James's, to Charlotte, only daughter of Mr. Davis, of Brunswick-place, Shep herd's Bush. On the 21st inst., at St. Bride's, Fleet-street, Mr. Ed win Midge, of Camberwell, to Ann, eldest daughter of William Moore, Esq., of Maidstone. On the 21st inst., at Bishopsgate Church, by the Rev. Richard Harvey, M.A., John Davies, Esq., of Devon shire-place, to Miss Lamb, of Brabant-court, Fenchurch street. DIED. On the 20th inst., at Bath, Mrs. Anstruther, relict of the Hon. David Anstruther. On the 18th inst., at Pimlico, Alfred Vick, Esq., youngest son of the late Nathaniel Vick, Esq., in h►s 224 year. On the 20th inst., Frances Rose, youngest daughter of J. 13. Heath, Esq., of Bloomsbury-place. On the 19th inst., at Dagenham, Essex, Mary, the in fant daughter of the Rev. T. L. Fanshaw. On the 21st inst., Emily Mary, youngest daughter of Air. George Macirone, of Bishopsgate-street-withont. On the 20th inst., after five days' illness, John Lukin, Esq., of Mecklenburgh-square and Gray's Inn. PAINTED and INIBLINICED by N. YOUNG, at the Sim-01110i Pig. 114,04844 r