The Sun. — London, England, 1834-09-25 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS. We have not to learn that to take an independent line either in politics, or on any subject either of tem porary or permanent excitement, is an unpardonable 'offence in the eyes both of the c ontending parties and those of violent or interested partisans. Such is our own case at present in the unfortunate disputes which are still going on between the master-builders and their: workmen. Our repeated assertion (of the truth of which we are every day more and more convinced), that we consider both parties in the wrong, and that we thereto& take part with neither, is met by the ab surd assurance that such an avowal proves us to be the advocates of the workmen, and accordingly in the co lumns of the Morning Post, and of an obscure Even ing Paper, the public are' favoured with a version of our sentiments totally at variance with the truth, and with what our recorded sentiments are known to be. Our Contemporaries, and those whose interests they espouse, are mistaken, if they imagine that they will tempt us, either by taunts or misrepresentation, to swerve from that line of impartiality which we have chalked out to ourselves. The master builders, or the workmen, may assume, if they please, that those who are not with them are against them. We, on the contrary, who know our own mind, will not embark in the contest either way. We deny that we are with or against either party in the spirit of contest ; but are with both in that spirit of conciliation which we wish to lead to and see pre vail between them. We hold it, both as regards the public and the parties themselves, to be a lamentable state of thin g s when union produces disunion to the ex tent which unhappily now prevailing, and when the character of master and servant, which must more or less be that of the great bulk of the community, and is calculated to be productive of mutual benefit, is placed in abeyance, and the habits and profits of labour abandoned to an extent which not only must se riouslfaffect the families of the parties themselves, but the various trades through which wages circulate as blood through the arteries of the body. We have been glad to perceive, in the " Statement" put forth, and so widely circulated by the masters, much of that spirit of kindness and conciliation displayed, which we are our selves desirous to inculcate ; at the same time we con tinue to be persuaded that, in demanding the signa tures of workmen to the declaration which that state ment concludes with, they impose a condition at once at variance with the principles of free agency, by which, in the second resolution of the Bth of July, they profess to be governed, as one which they have no right upon earth to impose ; and which, if signed by every operative in the kingdom, would not be worth in value, or in consequences, the paper which it is written upon. We think, then, that the workmen have a right to have this declaration withdrawn. By withdrawing it the masters would yield nothing worth contending for, while by so doing they would place themselves, so far at least, in the right. This done, we trust, and indeed think, that there is good sense, and, at any rate, a principle of self-interest strong enough among the men to receive such a concession from their employers in a kind, conciliatory spirit ; and that both parties, seeing their mutual dependence upon each other, might meet in amity, burying, as far as possible, in oblivion all that is past. Unhappily the workmen are not, we fear, without advisers who are profiting by this disunion, and who would gladly continue to carry off the oyster, leaving them nothing but the shell. For the defeat of such persons, and such objects, we rely on that spread of intelligence which is evidently making its way among them. We regret and condemn the acts of violence and intimidation which are too frequently occurring. The law, we repeat, is strong enough to deal with such outrages, and it ought to do so. But still we do not wish to speak too harshly of the many for the crimes and errors of the few, feeling persuaded, as we do, that the case is one where mild conciliatory language and conduct, accompanied by justice, are much more likely to be available, than any strain of vituperation or acts of one-sided justice, which the portion of the press we have alludedto appear inclined to deal in.—Morning Herald. From all quarters we hear complaints of the per plexities in the law of the voters' registration, and alarming reports of the decrease of constituencies. There is doubtless much obscurity, much uncertainty, and consequently much trouble and vexation, which should not exist ; and we have reason to believe that many persons, in disgust, take no pains to qualify them selves, because they are apprehensive that their pains inay be taken in vain. A little consideration will show that nothing can be more unwise than this conduct. Admitting that the law requires amendment, what better course for its amendment can they who find fault with it pursue, than to endeavour to enrol themselves in the constituencies which influence the Legislature, and thuS to obtain the necessary alteration through their representatives ? They may not succeed—they may be disappointed, balked by some unforeseen ob jection, defeated through some neglected formality ; but let them try, and if they fail, they will have the satisfaction of knowing that they have done their duty to themselves and society ; and if they suc ceed, they will in the electoral body be in a position to relieve themselves and others from a repetition of the same troubles, by calling upon their representatives to exert themselves for the improvement of the system. A petulent abandonment of an object because diffi culties and annoyances are thrown around it which should not be thrown around it, is not in the English character. Nelson never would listen to the plea of impossibility ; his answer was, " How do you know it is impossible till you have tried ?" The maxim should be applied to very at tempt in which a duty is concerned. The constitution is to be manned, and let every man who believes him self qualified, make his claim, and if rejected, the fault is not his. Every man dissatisfied with the condition of registration should feel that as an elector his com plaints will have an influence which they would not have if he were to remain a non-elector ; and each should act as if all depended on himself, for so it is that the strong pull and the pull altogether is effected which carries all before it. To stand aloof uttering noisy complaints is worse than idle, when a legitimate power is within reach, by a proper use of which the causes of complaint may be removed ; it is true that the legiti mate power may not always be possessed by those who give themselves some trouble to obtain it, but we hold that no man is privileged to indulge in complaints till he has made the attempt. A , traveller having remarked a poor Englishman day after day walking up and down the parade of a continental town in great distress of mind, asked him the cause of his trouble ; the man answered that he was some hundred miles from home, and unable to get a conveyance thither, upon which the traveller answered, " My friend, if you had walked resolutely and steadily in the direct road to Calais, the distance you have daily walked up and down this parade, lamenting and complaining, you would have been within reach of home long ago." This is the lesson we would teach the persons who walk up and down complaining of the Reform Bill, and the defects in the registration system. Let them but employ the same activity and astuteness in endea vouring to qualify themselves which they exercise in finding fault and reasons for their disgust and omis sions, and they would soon arrive at the goal which they allege to be unjustly placed out of their reach. We have so far addressed our remarks to persons who may refuse to take the trouble of securing their franchise, because they may apprehend the denial or defeat of their claims ; but much less excusable is another large class of people, who, from sheer negli gence, fail to perform the most easy conditions of qualification. If surprised by a general election, in which the great interests of the country might be at stake, these persons would bitterly reproach them selves with their inability to serve the just cause. Every indolent man making excuses for his own omissions is apt to say " What matters it whether I have a vote or not ? What is my single vote ?" But he should ask himself what would be the effect of thousands reason ing in the same manner, and the answer will admonish him. that each should act as for each and for all. The man is a bad thinker or a bad moralist who ne giects his own public duty in the reliance that others will be better citizens than himself, and do for him what he has failed to do for them. The divine rule, "'do as= you would be done by," serves in this as in all other cases to prescribe what is just and useful. We observe that in the Tower Hamlets the right of lodgers to vote has been discussed. The claim was dismissed upon a point of form, but the objection of Mr. Ware, the vestry-clerk, that if it were admitted the population of the parish would be enfranchised, cannot be of any legal validity. Such a result may be extremely incon venient, but the question was not of the convenience or political fitness, but of the dry right according to the letter of the law.—Tines. We have had handed to us a pamphlet, entitled " Statement of the Master-builders of the Metropo lis, in Explanation of the Differences between them and the Workmen respecting the Trades' Unions." We know not whether this " Statement" be the saline which appeared, some weeks ago, as an advertise ment in some of the daily papers ; but whether it be or be not, we notice it for the purpose of protesting against being included in the sweeping condemnation which is passed by the master-builders upon that portion of the press which " is devoted to the in terests of the Trades' Unions." We have unques tionably leaned more to the side of the men than to that of the masters, and for the simple reason, that we conceive the former to have been harshly dealt with, and the latter to have arrogated to them selves a power to which they have no legal or moral right ; but we deny that "we have been active and violent in using towards the master-builders all possi ble epithets of abuse and contumely, and every species of misrepresentation." On the contrary, our language has been that of mildness and moderation—our object, the defence of the weak against the strong—our de sire, to conciliate, not to produce irritation, or to pro long strife. Again, say the master-builders, "it has been perseveringly stated that the masters have re quired the men to sign a declaration that they do not, and will not, belong to any trades' union ; and when, in answer to this, the real declaration is republished, it is asserted, to countenance the former deceit, that the clause binding the men pros ' pectively, has been abandoned.' That this is false may be at once proved by a reference to any of the public papers in which the resolutions were adver tised three weeks before the 16th of August." This statement, we beg leave to say, is a fallacy, if not a misrepresentation and intended deception ; for what can it possibly signify to the poor workman whether he be called upon to sign a document declaratory of his not belonging to any Trades' Union, or to sign one to the additional effect that he will not at any future time belong to one, when it is the determina tion of the masters not to employ him in either case ? We should like, at least, to be shewn the difference. —Morning Advertiser. POLICE INTELLIGENCE. MANSION-HOUSE. Sarah M'Cann, a pauper of the Middlesex part of Ald gate parish, was brought before the LORD MAYOR, charged with a robbery. Mrs. Sarah Loftus, a shopkeeper in the city, stated that the prisoner walked into her shop on the preceding day, and asked her whether she knew of any place vacant for a ser vant ? Witness replied in the negative, and the prisoner, without asking for charity or saying another word, took up about six lbs. of bacon, and walked off with it. A police man, however, having been called in for advice, soon took the prisoner into custody. The prisoner was driven to the extremity by the cries of her infant child for sustenance. She had been sent to a farmhouse at Islington, together with her child, who was just weaned, and the food given to her was by no means fit for an infant. The consequence was she was often obliged to sell her own dinner to procure the necessary nou rishment for her child, and there were four days in the week on which she received not a morsel of meat. The LORD MAYOR—To whom do you sell your dinner ? The Prisoner—To the person who serves it to us. It is the rule of the place. You have either your dinner or three halfpence, and I have preferred the three halfpence to buy something for the infant. Mrs. Loftus—She never begged of me, not told me a word about her wants ; if she had I would have relieved her, and I hope your Lordship won't send her to prison. The LORD . MAYOR—She must know that what she says is no justification of the offence she has committed, but I cannot think of detaining her under such circumstances. The Prisoner—Whai am I to do ? The LORD MAYOR-1 shall send an officer to the Ma gistrate at Lambeth-street, who, I have no ;doubt, will at once make inquiry into the fact. The Prisoner—l now and then got a little salt meat, but that is not the thing for a child just weaned. The LORD MA YOR—Does not the father provide for his child? The Prisoner—Not now. He is gone off to France, and left me without a farthing. The LORD MAYOR—Does not the matron of the work house visit the children ? The Prisoner—No. Her servant maid now and then goes round the workhouse. The LORD MAYOR.—Ay, the deputy's deputy-deputy. If some of these appendages were removed, there would be more to divide amongst the poor. His Lordship then sent an officer with the woman to the Magistrates of Lambeth-street. A man of respectable appearance and good address, who refused to let his name be known, was brought up, charged with having stolen a coat, or rather, according to the thieves' vocabulary, exchanged another for it. Cope, porter to Mr. Johnston, of Gracechurch-street, salesman, stated that the warehouse contained a considera ble quantity of unredeemed pledges which were for sale. Persons were in the habit of &ting on coats, and some times a thief slipped off, leaving an old coat in the place of a new one, and Mr. Johnston was determined to prosecute the first " exchanger" he should discover. The prisoner upon entering the room pulled off his coat, which was worth about 10s., and slipped on a very handsome coat with silk lining, worth about 405., which was hung up for sale ticket ed. The customer then walked out, and was just in Lom bard-street, when witness followed and tookhim into custody. Prisoner.—l assure you, my Lord, that I had not the most remote idea of taking away the coat. This man most grossly misrepresents the matter. The fact is, I was just gone to the door to ascertain by the light whether the coat was worth the money, and whether it would fit me—(A laugh.) The LORD MAYOR-But was it necessary to go all the way to Lombard-street to see whether it would fit ? Pri soner—l only just went but into the light to see whether the colour of the cloth was to be depended upon, for people have so many ways of cheating people in this town.—(A laugh.) It may appear very ridiculous, but I assure you I am speaking the truth. Cope—Not at all, my Lord ; he was regularly making off with the coat. He never intended to come back. Prisoner—lt's a falsehood ; I was returning when you met me at the door. I was just going to pull off the coat., The LORD MAyou— Was - that the case, porter 1 Cope—Not at all, my Lord ; he was off, and I over• took him. The prisoner was then remanded. G UILDIIALL. Yesterday a gentleman named Thomas Collins was brought before Mr. Alderman KELLY upon a warrant granted upon a certificate of the Clerk of the Peace, that Mr. Collins was and stands indicted for wilful and corrupt perjury in a certain affidavit in writing made by him before Wadharn Wyndham, one of the signers of the writs of capias, to cause Muno Alvarez Pereira de Mello,. Duke de Cadaval, to be arrested for the sum of 10,0001., at the suit of the said Mr. Collins, to which indictment he had not appeared-or pleaded. The Clerk stated that it was not necessary to enter into any particulars of the case, as the Grand Jury had found an indictment, and the duty of the Magistrate was simply to ascertain that the person brought before him was the one referred to in the indictment. The prisoner inquired what amount of bail the Alderman would require. Mr. Alderman KELLY was not empowered to accept bail in such cases. The application must be made to a Judge. The prisoner was then removed to Newgate. William Thompson, one of the workmen in the employ of Messrs. Webb, the builders, in St. John's-lane, attended before Mr. Alderman COWAN, on a summons, for assaulting Robert Masey, who was said to be one of the Builders' Union fraternity. Masey met Thompson in the street, and only called out " Bah" to him, when the defendant said if he did that again he would punch his head. Mr. Alderman COWAN asked what he meant by saying " Bah" to him ? Complainant could not tell, and, resuming his story, stated that he said " Bah" again, and Thompson instantly struck him. Mr. Alderman COWAN said, that by repeating the offen sive word, which he professed not to undorstand, after the warning the defendant gave him, he had invited the assault, and must put up with it: Complaint dismissed. THE SUN, LONDON. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 1834. HATTON-GARDEN. Yesterday John Blemmish, the driver of the cabriolet No. 1,013, was brought before Mr. Rogers and Mr. Ser geant Sellon on a summons, charged by a poor old man, seventy years of age, with having furiously driven over him so as to have endangered his life. The Complainant, whose head was strapped up, and who was supported into the Office, being sworn, made the fol lowing statement : On the 28th of August I was in Plumtree-street, St. Giles's, playing my flute, when a cab drove swiftly round the corner from Broad-street, and, being feeble, before I could get out of its way, I was knocked down, and the the wheels passed over.both of my legs, and I received a severe injury upon my hand. Ever since I have been laid up, and have been obliged to part with my flute, which was the only means I bad to live. Several persons proved his evidence. Mr. ROGERS (with indignation)—Really this sort of nui sance has arrived at such a frightful height that it ought to be checked. It is dreadful that the lives of the public should be placed in such jeopardy by such fellows. Some thing ought to be done, and nothing but the severest punish ment is calculated to stop it. The defendant, who stood at the bar, with a vacant sort of smile, during the investigation, said, " I vasn't the driver on that ere day, and here's my master to prove it." His master stepped forward, and said that he was the driver on the 28th of August. Mr_ . ROGERS.—lndeed! But your man is sworn to. _ . Defendant.—Now the fact is, - your Vurship, I drives vun hour, and my master drives the next hour, so it's impossible to swear which of us it was. Mr. ROGERS.—" So that's the way you do your business. You drive one hour, and your master drives the next. You'll not evade the thing in that way with me. You are sworn to as the driver, and you must suffer." Mr. Rogers consulted the Police Act, which enabled him to render jus tice to the complainant, who had been so seriously injured ; and, instead of inflicting a penalty, which would operate but easily on the defendant, he ordered that 3/. should be paid to the complainant for the injury and losses he had sus tained ; and also convicted the defendant in the penalty of 20s. and costs, which he ultimately paid. MARYLEBONE. Yesterday Jenizma Fuller was placed at the bar before the sitting Magistrates, Messrs. RAWLINSON and Hosiuss, charged with stealing 611. in gold and silver, and a quantity of muslin, lace, &c., the property of her mistress, Madame de Sohwinger, residing at 54, Gloucester-place, Portman suuare.—Committed. MARLBOROUGH-STREET. A young chimney-sweeper, in full costume, presented himself before Mr. CHAMBERS, and complained that his master kept him out of his property. Mr. CHAMBERS—Your property? Sweep—Yes, your WOrship, he won't give me my banker's book. Mr. CHAMBERS—What do you mean—who is your mas ter ? Sweep—Mr. Howard, in Whitcombe-street, your Worship, he won't give me my Savings Bank book, now I am turned sixteen, and out of my time. Mr. CHAMBERS—Why what money have you got is the Savings Bank, my boy ? Sweep—Please, your Worship, its the ha'pence what the customers give me for myself ; it comes to seven and twenty shillings. Mr. CHAMBERS—Seven and twenty shillings! Why, it's a fortune to you ? Yes, your Worship ; and he says I'm not to have it till I comes of age.—(A laugh.) Mr. CHAMBERS—I am afraid it is not your money, my boy ; does not some of it belong to the other boys ? What would you do with it if you had it ? Sweep—Oh yes, it's all my own, none of the other boys would save any ; my name is in my banker's bock. 1 can't read, but I've heard them read it at home. I wants it to take my clothes out of pawn. Mr. CHAMBERS—Oh then, you have been pawning your clothes while you were an apprentice, my boy ? Sweep— Oh no, your Worship, I'm a journeyman now, and has eighteen-pence a week, we never haves no more ; but I can't work now, I've got the rhumatiz all over me. Mr. CHAMBERS—You should wash yourself with cold water every morning, my boy, that's the way to keep off the rheumatism, I know it by experience ; but I'll send an officer with you to your master's, to. know wily he keeps your fortune from you. Sweep—Thank your Worship. THAMES POLICE. A vvaterman named George Warwick, belonging to the Tower-stairs, was brought before the Magistrates for re examination on a charge of stealing and smuggling twelve gallons of brandy out of the London Docks. On Sunday afternoon a Custom-house officer, named Fernaux, went on board an empty barge which the prisoner was hauling out of the London Dock through the Hermi tage-lock entrance, and found between the timbers and the ceiling thirteen skins filled with brandy, which he seized, and took the prisoner into custody. The prisoner said a man named Bolt hired him to take the barge, which be longs to a widow named Hale at Ratcliffe, out of the dock, and that he was to receive half a crown for his trouble. He has given every assistance to the Custom-house officer to find out the really guilty party, but he has kept out of the way. The owner of the barge is not at all implicated in the affair ; but it is now stated that Bolt, who is well known as a notorious thief and smuggler, and has been twice con victed for stealing and smuggling brandy out of the same dock under precisely the same circumstances, has been con cerned in the transaction. —.— On the prisoner being placed at the bar, Mr. Bullock, the clerk to the Solicitor of Customs, said that since the last examination he had received such an excellent charac ter of the prisoner that he was instructed not to offer any evidence against him. The prisoner was then discharged, and the brandy sent to the Custom=house. The barge remains in possession of the Crown. UNION-HALL. Yesterday John Osgood, a servant in the employ of Mr. Murrell, of Ewell, was charged with stealing a quantity of hay, together with several bags of beans, the property of his master ; and John Skelton, at the Greyhound at Ken nington, was charged with receiving the same, knowing them to have been stolen. Both the prisoners were fully committed. Two coal-porters named Hurd were charged with assault ing two men of the same calling for not joining in the strike which took place some time ago amongst a body of the coal-heavers. _ _ The defendants were fined 20s. each, and in default o payment sentenced to fourteen days' imprisonment. INSOLVENT DEBTORS' COURT.-SEPT. 24. William Smith, an elderly man, applied Upon his petition for his discharge. The insolvent was unopposed. Mr. Commissioner BOWEN inquired how long he had been imprisoned ?—The insolvent replied since August, 1833. Mr. Commissioner BOWEN—What ! since August,lB33, for a debt of eleven shillings ?—lnsolvent—Yes, Sir. Mr. Commissioner BOWEN appeared astounded. and said—l see the whole you owe in the world is 9/. ss. 3d., of which Si. 14s. 11d. is for costs.--Insolvent—Yes , that is all. The Learned COMMISSIONER—And you have been in prison since August, 1833, for that sum ? The insolvent was ordered his immediate discharge. George Maddick was opposed by Mr. Woodroffe, on the part of a host of creditors ; he was likewise opposed by Mr. Chadwicke Jones for a Mr. Levy, and was supported by Mr. Cooke. The insolvent took the benefit of the Act in 1823 ; he petitioned again in 1829, but subsequently arranged with his then creditors by paying them 4s. 9d. in the pound. Some time ago he took a house in Lamb's Conduit-street, and opened it as a tobacconist and stationer ; he kept a billiard table, and he employed the opposing creditors to fit up the premises and supply him with goods. lie had during his residence contracted many debts ; be had bor rowed of Mrs. Canham, the proprietors of De Velnoe's vegetable syrup, the sum of 2601. on two warrants of attorney ; she had seized his property, but allowed his wife still to carry on the concern. The Court sentenced him to six months' imprisonment. ESSEX PETTY SESSIONS. THE POOR LAW AMENDMENT BILL - IMPORTANT CASE UNDER ITS PROVISIONS. On Saturday last a case, the decision of which is of the greatest importance to all ports, towns, and parishes in which the fishily , trade is carried on, was brought under the notice of R. W. Hall Dare, Esq., M.P., and a full Bench of Magistrates, assembled in Petty Sessions, at the Angel Inn ,Ilford, Essex. Mr. Griffin, the Vestry Clerk of the parish of Barking, applied to the Bench for its order to remove a young man, named James Wheeler, who had become chargeable to that parish, to the parish of Layton, to which he legally be longed. Mr. Griffin then proceeded t o s t a t e th a t aout six years ago,Wheeler was bound by the parish officers of Lay ton to William Gardener, then a fisherman at Barking, with whom he lived until about eighteen months since, when his master becoming embarrassed was obliged to sell off his smacks, and was at present in the employment of another owner as captain. Wheeler was in consequence thrown on the parish of Barking, and the officers now sought to get rid of his burthen under the 67th clause of the recently passed Poor Law Amendment Act, by sending him back to the parish to which he legally belonged. Mr. Stury, the Magistrates' Clerk, gave it as his opinion that the clause in question only referred to such apprentices as had not gained a settlement previous to the passing of the Act. The pauper had clearly gained a legal settlement under the old hiw by sleeping forty nights in the parish of Barking after he had been bound, and therefore the present Act did not apply to him as it could not supersede his pre viously acquired settlement. The Chairman, in a most pointed manner, directed the attention of the Bench to the case, which, he remarked, was one of very great importance to parishes generally, but more• particularly to that of Barking and other parishes where fishermen resided. When he (the Chairman) had first read the clause referred to, he did not consider that there was the slightest difficulty about the case, and that the magistrates would, as a matter of course, sign the order as requested. After hearing the opinion of Mr. Stury, which he believed to be the proper legal construction to be put on the clause, he confessed he felt of a different opinion. The Chairman and Magistrates retired to a private room, and, after remaining in consultation for some time, returned into Court, when the Chairman observed that the Magistrates, considering all the circumstances, declined to sign the order. They, however, at the some time, recom mended the parish officers to draw up a case, and lay it before some high legal authority for his opinion on the point, as it is of great importance to the parish. The officers said they would take the opinion of the Attorney-General, as there were at present nearly six hundred apprentices in the same situation as the pauper who might hereafter become chargeable to the parish. PLOWING AND PAINTED HAIR. Long hair was the distinguishing characteristic of the Teutonic tribes. It was a mark of the highest rank amongst the Franks, none of whom, but the first nobility and princes of the blood, were permitted to wear it in 'flowing ringlets, an express law commanding the people to cut their hair close round the middle of the forehead. The beard was also held by them in the greatest reverence, and to touch it stood in lieu of a solemn oath. Amongst the Anglo-Saxons the law made no invidious distinctions ; but the clergy preached for centuries against the sinfulness of long hair, which seems most perversely to have grown the faster for the prohibition. In the illuminations it appears not ungracefully worn, being parted on the forehead, and suffered to fall naturally down the shoulders ; the beard is ample, and generally forked, and the character of the face generally designates the age wherein the early portraits of Christ, which have been reverently copied to the present day, were originally fabricated. It is a curious circum stance, that the hair and beard in the majority of Anglo- Saxon MSS. are painted blue. In representations of old men this might be considered only to indicate grey hair ; but even the flowing locks of Eve are painted blue in one MS., and the heads of youth and age exhibit the same cerulean tint. Strutt says, " I have no doubt in my own mind that arts of some kind were practised at this period to adorn the hair, but whether it was done by tinging or dyeing it with liquids prepared for that purpose, according to the ancient eastern custom, or by powders of different hues cast into it, agreeably to the modern practice, I shall not presume to determine." We may add, that, if it were a fashion, we trust there is no chance of its revival, though we will not affirm that a generation whose fathers still wear powder are justified in condemning in their remoter ances tors the use of powder-blue.—Planche's History of British Costume. INEQUALITY OF TAXES IN TRAVELLING We pretend to an entire exemption from restraint on social intercourse, in Great Britain ; and proudly vaunt our power to move from one district or province to an other, unfettered by the continental system of passports. We do not consider that our travelling duties and taxes are fully as effectual checks on social intercourse as any system of passports could'be. When we consider that a young Irish or Scotch clerk or superior artizan, domiciled in London, 400 miles from his birth-place, and in the re ceipt of a salary or wages equal to 1001. a year, must, before be visits his parents and his native soil, be prepared to pay to Government a duty nearly equal to the wages or salary he receives for eight days' hard labour, we must qualify our encomiums on the freedom of British inter course. The whole spare time of the traveller in question may not exceed eight leisure days ; but in order to be able to pay the Government licence to travel, for the purpose of renewing his acquaintance with his country and friends, he must sacrifice the entire wages or salary of other eight days. To numbers of the productive classes similarly situated the tax operates as a sentence of banishment, or a declaration that, once removed, they shall not be permitted to return and revisit their country and their friends. To them the mileage tax alone is equivalent to a month's w ages. It may no doubt be said that these last could not, at any rate, afford the expense of such a journey. Cer tainly they could not, when burthened with such taxes ; but that it has been found they can afford a certain sacri fice of time or money to travel, is proved clearly by the clause which defines a stage coach to be a carriage " carry ing passengers for hire, and moving at a rate equal to three miles an hour." It matters not whether the carriage be a cart or waggon drawn by one horse, covered with coarse canvass, and moving at a speed just beyond an ordinary walking-pace, and carrying the poorest of the poor,—say, hand-loom weavers with the produce of their labour, or in search of materials for further labour, to a neighbouring town or village ; or the most splendid Brighton coach drawn by four as splendid horses, and travelling at a rate of twelve miles an hour, and filled with the richest capitalists of London, or the highest titled of the aristo cracy, bent on nothing but the expenditure of time and money —the tax is the same.—Graham's Internal In tercourse. HARVEST ON THE CONTINENT. A very remarkable circumstance, and which has bad great influence on the harvest of the year, was the extra ordinary heat almost throughout the northern hemisphere. It is believed that this heat and the great storms in the winter are closely connected. Upon the great heat followed in many places a ruinous drought. Looking at the re gister of the thermometer, between the beginning of May and the end of August, there can be no doubt that the average heat this summer has been about six or eight de grees above the average heat of summer. There has been then a complete change of climate, which must have had great influence over the growth of various plants. In the middle of July grapes ripened in Germany, and they are now to be found there of a goodness and size equal to those which are usually obtained three or four degrees further south. We only refer to this to show the probable influ ence of the weather on the harvest. The summer of 1833, owing to a wet July and wet August, did not ripen the winter corn perfectly, and consequently the seed corn was not strong, and it suffered considerably from the snowless winter. It was mild and wet, and the winter corn began to vegetate by the end of February, and recovered much from the defect of the autumn. The great heat began at the end of April, and the corn grew more in one week, as the ground was wet, than in two weeks at other times. In the high lands, however, the corn did not acquire its ac customed weight, and those who supposed it did, found themselves deceived in the harvest. With the increasing heat the drought increased, and those who had not, or could not sow their spring corn in time, suffered great loss. Moreover, the rye, which was not in general good, suffered severely in the end of May and beginning of June, particu larly in low pieces, as in Moravia, Bohemia, Silesia, and Poland, from frosts which fell with the greatest injury upon the best fields. This was in some places so severe that the rye was not worth gathering. Seldom, as the harvest came on, have we known so many contradictory opinions. From some places an abundance was announced, and in the very same neighbourhood people predicted a total failure. All the reports, however, agreed that the sheafs, or in the straw, did not in general exceed above half the usual crop, or, wlicre it was very good, two-thirds. Hilly countries were better off than plains. It is, however, to be remarked, that in many places the corn yields well, where it was not ri pened too soon by the great heat, so that four bushels this year yield more and better flour than five bushels in an or dinary year. '[his is not-universal, for where the soil was ver y sandy and dry, or where no showers fell, the corn was ripened too soon, and gives comparatively little and bad flour. As the showers, which were the only rain, were partial, we can understand why one district rejoices in abundance, while another is afflicted with a dearth. On the whole, throughout Germany are any nothe o h l a d ry st e o s c t ks oisfn n ar ha be d lo: a v an aaveragesione,and if price must be the consequ ence . Th e o th er countriesgretrise in of Europe seem in a similar situation. The har vest is abundant in the northern provinces of Russia, but it is a total failure in those of the south, approachinc , that of last year.—Allgemeine Zeitung. THE " GERMAN PRINCE." The Industrie, a Liege Journal, gives the following s i n gular details of the duel we mentioned a few days a O-0, in which Prince Puckler Muskau was a party few days since, a stranger went to one of our most e minent surgeons, and asked him if he considered himself competent to perform every species of opera tion. On receiving an affirmative answer, he inquired if h e bad a whole day at his disposal. The surgeon a gain replied in the affirmative, and then ventured to inquire into the nature of the services required of him, but received only evasive answers, and a request that he would be ready at a given time the.next morning, w h e n a carriage would call to take him a few leagues from Liege, where his skill would be called into action. At the time appointed the carriage came, and in it was the unknown of the preceding day, and with him an other person of .gentlemanly mien, to whom the un known seemed to pay great respect. The surgeon was haStened into the carriage, which immediately took the road. At first a profound silence prevailed, and then a f e w words passed on indifferent subjects. After a while, however, the principal personage made excuses to the surgeon for the mystery which had been observed, and the manner in which he had been hurried away, but said that the time was come when it was necessary he should know where he was going, and on what occasion. lam not perhaps altogether unknown to you,' said the gen tleman, for some literary productions which have been received with a degree of favour, may have made you acquainted with the name of Prince Puckler Muskau. In one of my romances I made use of the ordinary means of giving interest to the s cen e s of my drama, and represented my hero as giving himself up to vio lent passions, and all those irregularities which are .their inevitable consequences. I gave him a name chosen at venture, for you know in every fiction the principal actor must necessarily be invested with one. By one of those strange perversities of chance which cannot be foreseen, there happened to be in the North a person of great consideration, bearing precisely the same name, and into whose hands my work fell. He took what was a mere production of my imagination for an intended and outrageous personal insult. I was then at Paris. Severe complaints wereinade to the Diplo matic Agents there, which at lengtlireached me. I gave every possible explanation in my power, but they were not sufficient to satisfy the susceptibility of the party offended, and a reparation by way of arms was de manded and granted. For this purpose we are now on our way to A—, where I shall see my adversary for the first and, probably, for the only time in my life.' They soon arrived at the place for changing horses. The Prince proposed breakfast, which they partook of cheerfully, and with good appetite : before resuming his journey, the Prince was desirous of making trial of his powder, and he discharged his pistols in succession, dexterously firing his second ball into the orifice made by the first in a tree fifteen paces off. What think you of that ?' said he turning to the Doctor. Why,' said the latter, I think your adversary must be very dexter ous, if the game should present equal chances.' They continued the journey, and at length arrived at the place Of rendezvous. The adversary was beforehand with them. He was a man of noble carriage, and of a serious but prepossessing exterior. All the conditions of the meet ing had been foreseen and regulated beforehand. The combatants were kept at a distance, and only approached in order to exchange shots. Not a word, not a look established the smallest communication be tween them. At the given signal they advanced to wards each other, and at the instant which had been previously agreed on the two pistols were simultane ously discharged. One of the champions was wounded in the throat—it was the Prince's adversary—he im mediately received the eager attention which his wound required ; fortunately, it was slight. A declaration previously agreed on, and expressing reciprocal satis faction, was immediately exchanged, and the parties separated with the cold and silent ceremonial which had prevailed throughout the meetin g . The noble duellists, each of whom had travelled more than 100 leagues, in conformity with a ridiculous custom which is called a point of honour, returned to their respective homes, one. to Paris, the other to Berlin, doubtless not a little pleased to find themselves alive, after this little trial at mutual destruction." SUGAR. That a nutritive so delightful as sugar should have long remained unknown in its concrete form to our ancestors, is another proof of the comparative modern date of civilization in Europe—l say of Europe— because the process of extracting and crystallizing the juice of the cane has been practised from time imme morial in the East, particularly in China, where, how ever dormant or stationary the human mind may now be, it is certain that at one period it had all the inven tive faculties in full play. According to chemical analysis, sugar is a vegetable oxyde, composed of oxy gen, carbon, and hydrogen ; 100 parts containing (according to Ure), of oxygen, 50.33 ; carbon, 43.38 ; hydrogen, 6.29. It may, however, be described as comprising, in the most concentrated vegetable form, the principle or nutriment of life, azote, a fact which admits of natural demonstration, for not only do tlic inhabitants of every part of the globe delight in sugar, when obtainable, but all animated beings ; the beasts of the field, the fowls of the air, insects, reptiles, and even fish have an exquisite enjoyment in the consump tion of sweets, and a distaste to the contrary ; in fact, sugar is the alimentary ingredient of every vegetable substance, encumbered with a greater or less propor tion of bulky innutritious matter. A small quantity of sugar will sustain life, and enable the animal frame to undergo corporeal (I may add mental, from experience) fatigue better than any other substance ; often have I travelled with the Arab over the burning desert, or with the wild Afric through his romantic country, and when wearied with fatigue and a noontide sun, we have sat ourselves beneath an umbrageous canopy, and I have shared with my companion his travelling pro vender, a few small balls of sugar mixed with spices, and hardened into a paste with flour. Invariably have I found two or three of these balls, and a draught of water, the best possible restorative, and even a stimulus to renewed exertion. During crop time in the West Indies the negroes, although then hard worked, become fat, healthy, and cheerful, and the horses, mules, cattle, &c., on the estate partaking of the refuse of the sugar-house, renew their plumpness and strength. In Cochin China, not only are the horses, buffaloes, elephants, &c., all fat tened with sugar, but the body guard of the King are allowed a sum of money daily with which they must buy sugar-canes, and eat a certain quantity thereof in order to preserve their good looks and embonpoint ; there are about 500 of these household troops, and their handsome appearance does hon Our to their food and to their royal master. Indeed, in Cochin China, rice and sugar is the ordinary breakfast of people of all ages and stations ; and th e p eo pl e no t on ly preserve al their fruits in sugar, but even the greater part of their leguminous vegetables, gourds, cucumbers, ra dishes, artichokes, the grain of the lotus, and the thick fleshy leaves of the aloes. I have eaten in India, after a six months' voyage, mutton killed in Leadenhall market, preserved in a cask of sugar, and as fresh as the day it was placed on the shambles. (In the curing of meat I believe a portion of sugar is mixed with salt and salt-petre.) The Kandyans of Ceylon preserve their venison in earthen pots of honey, and after being thus kept for two or three years its flavour would de light Epicurus himself. In tropical climates the fresh juice of the cane is the most efficient remedy for various diseases, while its healing virtues are felt when applied to ulcers and sores. Sir John Pringle says the plague was never known to visit any country where sugar composes a material part of the diet of the inhabitants. Drs. Rush, Cullen, and other eminent physicians are of opinion that the frequency of malignant fevers of all kinds is lessened by the use of sugar ; in disorders of the breast it forms an excellent demulcient, as also in weaknesses and acrid defluxions in other parts of the body. The cele brated Dr. Franklin found great relief from the sicken ing pain of the stone by drinking half a pint of syrup of coarse brown sugar before bed-time, which he declared gave as much, if not more, relief than a dose of opium. That dreadful malady, once so dreadful on ship-board, scurvy—has been completely and instantaneously stop ped by putting the afflicted on.a sugar diet. The dis eases arising from worms, to which children are sub ject, are prevented by the use of sugar, the love of which seems implanted by nature in them ; as to the unfounded assertion of its injuring the teeth, let those who make it visit the sugar plantations and look at the negroes and their children, whose teeth are daily em ployed in the mastication of sugar, and they will be convinced of the absurdity uf the statement. I might add many other facts relative to this delightful nutri ment. I conclude, however, with observing that I have tamed the most savage and vicious horses with sugar, and have seen the most ferocious animals domesticated by means of feeding them with an article which our baneful fiscal restrictions and erroneous commercial po licy has checked the use of in England, where millions pine, sicken, and perish for want of nutriment. The extended consumption of sugar in England, began with its cultivation in the British West India Islands. In 1466 its use was confined to medicines and feasts, and was thus continued until 1580, when sugar was exported from Brazil to Portugal, and thence to this country. In 1641 sugar canes were trans planted from Brazil to Barbadoes, and thence to our other western possessions ; and in 1643 the English settlers in St. Christophers made very good sugar, an example which was soon followed in the other islands. The moment, however, that its consumption extended in England, that moment the Government stepped in with the tax-gatherer to mar the efforts of human in dustry., and to check human happiness. The progres sive Increasing taxation was as follows 166 1 a Is. 6d. per cwt., in 1669 at 35., in 1 703 at 3s. 4d. t , in 1747 at 4s. 10d., in 1759 at 6s. 4d., in 177 9 a t 6s. 8d.,, in 1781 at lls. Bd.. in 1712 at 12s. 3d., i ll 1787 at 12s. 4d., and in 1791 at 15s. The natural result of this impolitic taxation was to check con sumption ; in 1787 hut 77,355 tons of sugar was re e - tained for home use, while ten years previously th consumption had been Sl,OOO tons ; in 1790 the con sumption decreased to 76,811 tons ; in 1791 it fell to 70,160 'tons ;in 1792 to 68,000 tons. The financier of the day, however, would not take warning, and in 1797 the duty on British Plantation was raised to 17s. Gd. per cwt, and ss. 2d. per cwt. was levied on East India sugar, in addition to a previous ad v alorem duty of 371 . 16s. 3d. per cent. ; the result w as a furi ther reduction of consumption, which in 1797 amottote, c to only 63,000 tons, being a reduction of nearly 20,000 tons in the course of a few years, ow i n g to taxation.—Montgomery Martin. OPENING OF THE LEEDS AND SELBY RAILWAY. to LEEDS, SEPT. 22.—The ceremony, if such it ca n be with propriety called, of opening the railroad from Leeds e.. Selby took place to-day, according to previous anno n s mee tinF meet. This day was fixed by the Directors at a held about six weeks ago, in order to facilitate the transits of visitors to the Hull Musical Festival, which comtneece° on Wednesday. It was, however, notified at the same t'ele.. that the opening would not be characterised by any r a markable ceremonial, a resolution which, though perhaPs, ,„ wise one, considering the density of the population of tn 7 district, can only be accounted for by reverting to the a t l b e; lancholy occurrence which signalised the opening ° livir. Liverpool and Manchester Railway—the death 0' Huskisson ; or by the circumstance that the railwg' o f though sufficiently advanced to admit of the Passagwehole carriages along one of the tram-roads throughout t he line, is not yet fully completed.• nam ed The early hour of six o'clock in the morning was f for starting from Leeds, in order to reach Selby in time •A ° 4 the Hull and Selby packets, which usually leave at in the morning. This, combined w ith the weather, wilsit„ was any thing but favourable, prevented that array ers which might otherwise have been expected. act Only one engine has yet been laun c hed. It is a comp s• and handsome piece of mechanism, manufactured by Mes r a t Featon, Murray, and Jackson, of this town, is estimate t, 18 horses power, and called the Nelson. To this were at, tached three of the'first class carriages and six carriages the second class, the former carrying 18 passenge rs b e en and the latter 24. The requisite preparations havin , , at completed, a start was made, but at a pace an ythin, err satisfactory, owing, it is understood, to the rain havingfrthe dered the iron tram-rails so slippery as to admi t °1 an y wheels of the engine turning round at times without.ies, sensible locomotion. In this way she proceeded twoo anra, which occupied a space of forty minut es ' time in the aec ° et plishment. It was therefore thought advisable to con tha t the drag of the machine as much a s p oss ible, and with Oar% view the passengers who occupied th e s ix second cl ass c l e ft riages were stowed into five of the m , an d the sixth was behind. She, however, proceeded at the same slo wP t a he for some time longer, amidst the jeers and laughter o f at , bystanders, who called to the police- o ffi c ers and oth ers h e r tendant upon her, to put their shoulders to and Pu sh , t along, and to such an extent was this joking carried, tubaitst saw a man get out of one of the carriages, pretend to tirihe her some short distance, and then resume his seat.the first four miles occupied an hour and ten minutes, h et - , aO .. next two miles were done in fourteen minus. The tiler then cleared up, and after stopping somete three Tain u . t ne near the Garforth viaduct, to regulate the steam, th e eng .„i e s shot away with her load, and did th e rem ainin g 14 n il i e in 42 minutes, being at the rate of 20 m iles anhour'l 5, estimated distance between station and station is 2 0 1' din; which was run in two hours and twelve minutes, inelu the stoppages. bled • • • of C rd- - the line .crowds of persons assembled at intervals on A t bel road to witness the novel a nd i n t eres ti ng sight, an d ee ry , testified their approb a tion by l ou d an d reiterated ell for and the waving of hats and handker c hiefs. The re it i c a v pe; upwards of a mile at the Selby end wa s crowded ivit tators, beer-tents, and similar pl a c es o f refreshment 1 i a t been erected along the side of th e ra il wa y. The arn ica Selby was signalised by a salute of carronadcs. r ail' The steamer from Hull having arrived opposite tbe d6 , for way jetty shortly before eleven, preparations were n l3 . o .inai returning to Leeds at that hour, according to the e rl 7 e ots intention. At ten minute s p as t e l even, t h e ar range -„ to o, having been completed, the train set off on its re t hat crowded with passengers, und er a s i m il ar sa lute t o r oo which greeted its arrival. The first seven miles W ere e d 3 in twenty minutes, after which the pace was s laeke ll xt s i little, in consequence of the plane as cen di ng . The " e g , of miles were done in thirty minutes, and, a ft er a stoPP3;led five minutes near the Garforth viaduct, the train pr oc wer e at a rapid pace towards Leeds. The last four mil e % ati done in fourteen minutes, includi ng a s t o ppage Of w „ w ing , nutes when crossing the Halton Di a l em b a nktnent , j o ine it was said, to one of the carriage -wheels having " i e se vo over-heated by friction. The tunnel, w hich requirea 355 ed or eight minutes for the passage i n th e mor ning, Wu' P s, was in a, minute, and the whole journey, incl u ding stoPPag e at sr performed in one hour and sixteen minutes, to tbe g r h e , trip' tisfaction of all who had the pleasu re o f jolning in t and without the slightest accident. 1 toad I should state, that on the ret'arn of the par t y , t ! e he linei was lined by thousands of sPt c t a t ors , s read along esso for at least two miles f2;oni Leeds, all of whom es!' ,tion• r their surprise and admiration at the celerity of the T e first It may also be usef u l t o ment i on that the f are s by the .' 29. class carriages are 3 s . each way, and by the secon d - each person. wate 3. The length o f th e railway, as I have already ?n i t ,' p ule s is about tw en ty m il es and a half. For a b ou t eigni', s the from Selby the road runs nearly upon the same leve ...side" surrounding land. O n th e approach to Milfo rd con )fil' able embankments have been necessary ; but betweeta long ford and Killi ng b ec k there are several very deep 31 a very cuttings. Between Killingbeck and Osmondthorrao al' expensive embankment an d v i a d uc t was necessar): , n , dee p mostimmediately adjoining the Leeds station is a %e tunnel, above half a mile in length. rtes The railway has been mainly constructed bY joie r gr. is Nowell, the contractors, from the designs 0 ' ,„, i ndiog,, Walker, engineer. It runs through a country an:011 r lime, coal, and other minerals, and is likely to bem t r ie sb , r neficial both to the manufacturers of Leeds, an l; ping interest at Selby. Its utility will be still father4vy fr°l - mented by the completion of the projected rat ' by a 0 Selby to Hull, and if connected with Manchest er „otern to way from Leeds, a person may travel from th e - the western shores of England in a very lin ur ells fle ari BIRTHS. On the 22d inst., at Errol Park, Perthshir , the La dy f Edw in ~ Allen, of a daughter. , i , lad) . ° On the '2lst inst., at Chase -cottage, Enfield, -e ..fary ,Ale, Walker, Esq., of a son. On the 22d inst., the 1 1- . St. i" lac 1.- 1 of John Smith, Eglo colli e ' s ' of a son. On the 21st irni,, , l i a jor late of the at Tunbridge Wells, the laciYo' i f GO' € 4 lst Regiment, of a son. ,_, lv 0. the tau., On the 23d inst., at Goldington, Bedfordshi re, Musgrave, Esq., of a daughter. C ta il ' Cl° ' MARRIED. e l d tu e r s t t , O n the 20th inst , at St. James's Church, Pover , ttn aP Chrcl is of Esq., f r il o u f e. _ _ o e, Bengal. k t s h h e aw la -house, G e r t e , en to e, Ch arl ? r-Gcl' er ' . f Queen d. On the 22d inst., Richard Plowman, Esq. , , ?,,„ l a te Re v. , Bloomsbury, to Catherine, youngest daughter ca ,"- fit, of John Hay. A i r . J. M. Af 11 111". f On the 22d inst., at St. James's Church, ----* liter o Frith-street, Soho, to Mar Elizabeth, second daub rsr David Scott, of Marylebone street, Piccadilly. F . 0 Chevalier. ervi On the 24th inst.,_ at Mal lebone Church, th e , Chant') c os, cois Mortara, secod brother Y to the Count Afortara to Jen u to to his Royal Highness the reigning Duke of Lucca, ma ny ) Audit° youngest daughter of the late Josias Jackson, Esq ., ~. 110' M.P. for Southampton. IlenrY W i y . of On the 23d inst., at Christ Church, young son of the late Rev. Wm. Ray . enscl y daughter of the i3 re bend 3r ,,be Rasharkin, in the county of Antrim, to Eliza, 0 _ e . , . ., ers hi ug .., late Rev. Wm. Babington, Rector of Cossington: L o V a ' r ` v, (1 7, At Taney Church, Alichael Lloyd Ferran, E t sq. of Belville, coon' Marylebon!,, ter of William Augustus Howard Minchin,Esq. , rr 1,0 09 Dublin. blin John •• ilt, On the 18th inst., in St. Peter's Church, Du_ s _ , , of s u nc iate Going, Esq., secod son of Thomas Goirg r• q da.ught.er of th° county of Tipperary, to Caroline, yo 117;of IT.:111t Captain Ward, of the Waterford Regimen DIED. f• n o f Air. On the 22d inst., Arthur James, the iin fan . o months. • Ross, of Grove-place, Stamford-hill, aged of Nathaniel Ph illi p s, On the 19th inst., Emma Docia, wife „„ fr' of Portland-place, Clapham-road. . otl , ear, James, s— ° On the 15th inst., at Enfield, in his 1- i ) er. JO' L. Jacox, Esq., of St. Agnes Villa, B?yswat SomersotOire, for P. On the 21st inst., at Halswell Ho use, 1 Tynte, of Co one Kemeys Tynte, second dau g hter flstr Bridgwater. Chas. A. Afoore , ._,, r e, On the 23d inst., at the house of his son, n the Rev. William Ttd, Dursley, Gloucestershire, in his 71st year,and late of Lang' D.D., formerly of Park Hill, in that county, Pearson, „__ . _ Berks. Gla sg ow , O n the 17th inst., la D ra nven-place, iur. 6 ,5 th le af ; wife of Walker Pearson, Esq. Edwe-hill, in his .o i ,th On the 20th inst., at Chatham-p?.ce , p an d o f P 1 John Thompson, Esq., late of the island of Jamaica, , Hall, Liverpool. :- - - - - YOVS G ' i' 11 - d by MURDO London : Printed and Pub is e 112 Strand. at The Sun Of fi ce, No. , the ,4 q Fe • lt su on p, R eg , th e 5. kl, ic. A, 17, v rri z 1\ he, 4 1 1 S o d Ig4 1 11 N of , art, 011 ( te; 131‘1 has of tt o , fr o , 1111