The Sun. — London, England, 1834-08-16 00:00:00

1 G~ ~~~ - 4 r l ,- ,cq ~, ;A"-• 0 • L i-ift-_llr that which is anything but a defence of the immense militarY establishment with which the country is bur dened, and to which an additional force was added after the Whigs came into office—it speaks of the con tinuance of the assurances of their friendly disposition from all foreign Powers. Next comes a statement, the veracity of .which we are sure nobody will dis pute. It is to the effect that the Palmerston proto cols have left the affairs of the Netherlands as unset tled as ever, and that no present prospect exists of the " speedy and final settlement" which the Down ing-street Journals so often announced. Congratulation is expressed with regard to the state of affairs in Portugal, and disappointment in relation to that of Spain. Our sympathy with Don Pedro's suc cess is the more generous, because one of the first results of it was to strike a serious blow at those coin .tuercial relations which had subsisted between England and Portugal for centuries past. The quadruple treaty is alluded to as a happy stroke of policy, though it is in direct contravention of that doctrine of non-inter ference in the quarrels of other nations which the Whigs so often declared to be the true policy of Eng land—which they charged the Duke of Wellington's Administration with departing from in the case of Bel gium and Holland, representing that intermeddling in the internal disputes of other nations as a i political folly, if. not a political crime, whi c h, s i nce th e ir accession to office, they have constantly practised themselves. In a - memorable instance, indeed, where we were bound to interfere by solemn treaty, and also for our own ultimate protection, there was none of it. We allowed heroic Poland to be crushed by Russia, with an exemplary oblivion of the faith of treaties. We must do Lord Palmerston the justice of stating that there has been no interference that could possibly impede the match of Russian aggrandisement in Europe. Turkey has become,in all but the name, a province of Russia in the south, and Poland in.the west. The merits of the Palmerston policy must, therefore, stand high in the eyes of Prince Lieven, and his female partner in poli tical intrigue, whose many inestimable qualities have been emblazoned, and whose departure has been sor rowed for in the pages of the same Evening Journal, that monopolises the appreciation of his Lordship's political talents and the praise of his diplomatic glor:. The Royal Speech further informs us that " the peace of Turkey remains undisturbed." The peace of Turkey is the tranquillity of death. The grandeur and strength of the conquerors of Byzantium is in the grave, where the Russian vulture scents its prey. But, turning from the disheartening and melancholy prospect which our foreign policy presents, we inquire what are the congratulating topics which domestic affairs afford ? We find the first and greatest domestic topic of the Speech, as it was the first and greatest of the legisla tive labours of Ministers, is the Malthusian Poor Law Bill. A measure so opposed to justice and sound po licy—so odious and revolting to moral 6aste and Chris tian feeling, we did not wish to revert to again ; nor should we have done so now, if it had not been osten tatiously thrust into the Royal Speech—if it had not been there praised as a wise and benevolent measure— as it was intended to exhibit his Majesty's kindly dis position doing homage to those sordid, cruel, and un natural principles of the Malthusian sect which the ge nerous characteristics of his Majesty's nature disclaim, and which his practicehas always disavowed. This Bill, which the Ministers thus extol, is the Bill which one of the most able and learned Prelates of the Church, whose doc trines his Majesty so much reveres, thus speaks of in one passage of his just and eloquent protest :—" By imposing the charge of maintaining every illegitimate child on the mother alone, it lays on one of the parents the whole of a burden which, by the most obvious -dic tates of natural justice, and the plainest deduction from the law of God, ought to be borne equally, or in proportion to their several ability, by both." Again . the same distinguished Prelate (the Bishop of Exeter) describes this Bill, now a law, as one that must lead to the appalling consequence of tempting unhappy mo thers to the destruction or abandonment of their wretched infants ; as one, also, which, from men in humble life, will remove one of the most powerful • checks on their licentious appetites which Providence has imposed in the cost and burden consequent on the indulgence of them—thus opposing itself to God's holy institution for the continuance of the species by lawful wedlock. He also declares that it will tend to harden the hearts of men, to pervert and corrupt their moral sensibility—that it proceeds upon the unchristian principle of doing evil that good may come ; and, like every such attempt, will fail of the end proposed, with this unhappy aggravation of the failure, that it will tend to shake the confidence of the people in the justice and righteousness of the laws in general, and to impair their respect for the Legisla ture that has ventured to enact it. Yet it is the Bill thus depicted in its character and consequences by one of the ablest Prelates of our Church which the Whig Ministers have put it into his Majesty's mouth to praise as " a wise and benevolent measure." But his Majesty's life refutes the doctrines embodied in this Bill, which not only commits outrageous violence upon constitutional principles, but proclaims to the world that Christian morals and Christian charity are no longer part and parcel of the law of England. The next topic which the Speech touches upon, and which it does very slightly, are reforms in the law. So little of that has been effected in the present Session, in consequence of the opposition of Ministers themselves, that we only wonder they advised the King to mention the subject at all. We also wonder that some praise was not given to the obsequious House of Commons for refusing to entertain the question of the revision of the Pension List, or the repeal of the Septennial Act, or the abolition of the window tax. As to the Local Courts Bill and the Bill for the abolition of imprison ment for debt, they were, notwithstanding the promises of the Attorney-General, thrown over the Session. But the little that has been done this Session is, as usual, made up by magnificent promises for the next. —Morning Herald. The Session of Parliament of which we yesterday witnessed the termination has not tended to advance the character of the Legislature, or to improve the condition or prospects of the country. It has been a Session, not of action, but of talk. It has been a session of controversy—of idle or mischievous contro versy—in which little has been decided, and the deci sions of which have been of such a character as to give to the prudent and patriotic part of the community reason to regret that the little has not been less. It has been a session of ministerial intrigue, of futile or agitating professions, of promises and preparations for what is to come, of symptoms that a crisis is approach ing, of menaces loud and deep against the institutions of the country. It has been a session during which revolutionary politicians have been engaged in learning where they may take their ground with the greatest prospect of advantage, and mercenary politicians in de termining to which side in the coming conflict it will be most profitable to adhere. It has been a session of the importance of which no criterion is pre sented by its legislative acts, but whose character and tendency are to be collected from discussions apparently abortive, and manifestations cautiously but ineffectually disguised. The Reformed Parliament during the past session has only muttered, but its mutterings have been fearfully distinct. When we reflect that Parliament has been sitting seven months, and for five days of every week during that period has been considering the affairs of the nation, at the rate of at least ten hours per day, it would seem impossible that so little should have been done. The legislative product of the session is the establishment of a Cen tral Court at the Old Bailey for the trial of offenders in the metropolitan counties, and the Poor Law Amendment Act. Of the former of these measures we are not disposed to undervalue the importance. It secures to a very important and populous district conti guous to the metropolis the advantage of that prompt administration of criminal justice which had hitherto been exclusively enjoyed by the county of Middlesex. This is a municipal improvement of unequivocal cha racter. B u t w h en we find it introduced in the King's Speech at the cloge of the session of Parliament as a leading topic of congratulation and panegyric we can not but think that it is overrated by its authors, and that the mention of it in such a document is elusive evidence, had evidence been want ing, that, , ,. the Session has been unusually barren of theme :4n lon which to found th e customary expres ions. of "al felicitation and enco m i um . Th e Poor Law Amendment Act, the second of the two mea sures which constitute the whole Legislative result of this late laborious Session, is a measure of which the Reformed Parliament has little reason to be proud, un less it be a subject of pride to a national Legislature to have given a shock to the general feelings and habits of the people. During the discussion of this measure we have fully expressed our opinion of its character and tendency. We have perceived in its enactments a principle of harshness and rigour towards the unfor tunate and the destitute, alien alike to the general spirit of British law and to the general feelings of the com munity. We have condemned the machinery which it establishes, for the purpose of carrying its severe pro visions into effect, as adverse to that wholesome arrange ment of British society which has hitherto left local in terests to be regulated and guarded by local authorities. 'We have deprecated the establishment of a Central Board for controlling the manner and degree in which parishes shall relieve their poor, because we regarded it as the first step towards that system of centralization which has been found in other countries to confer upon the general Govern ment a power they have been incapable of wielding for the general benefit, and which, wherever it has existed, has degenerated into an instrument of corruption and an impediment to improvement. We have viewed the whole proceedings upon this subject with suspicion and dislike, because they appeared to us to intimate the existence of a settled intention to eradicate by degrees from the social system of England that prin ciple of parochial relief to the poor, to which, in spite of the abuses it has engendered, we believe her to have been mainly indebted for her progressive prosperity and civilization. To these opinions we cannot but adhere, notwithstanding the weight of authority ar rayed against us. We sincerely hope that the result of this perilous experiment may differ from our expec tations, and shall in this case discover with sincere satisfaction, and acknowledge with prompt alacrity, that we have been in error. But our error, if ,it,be- one, is shared by a large proportion of the community ; and in enumerating the Poor Law Bill as part of the scanty harvest of the Session, the warmest advocate of that measure will scarcely venture to claim for it any higher praise than that of a bold and doubtful experiment. It is certain that in passing this measure the Legislature has exercised its proper and legitimate function. It has ventured to pass a most important law without waiting for any impulse from without, or in opposition rather to all external impulse, and we shall deem it a great calamity if it should appear that Parliament has been in error in the only recent in stance in which it can claim the merit of having acted independently. This brief summary of what Parlia ment has performed during the past Session is unfor tunately to be succeeded by a more extensive enumera tion of the subjects which it has agitated, and of the changes which it has threatened. At the commence ment of the Session his Majesty, speaking the lan guage of his Ministers, recommended the Report of the Corporation Commissioners to the attention of Parliament, and spoke of defects and abuses to be cor rected. The state of ecclesiastical revenues and pa tronage in England and Wales, formed the subject of a similar recommendation. The final adjustment of tithes in Ireland « without injury to the rights and property of any class of the King's subjects," was the third topic submitted by the Royal Speech to the deliberation of the Legislature. A fourth injunction contained in the Speech of his Majesty was, that the loyal and well-affected should employ their vigorous and united exertions to put an end to a system of excitement and violence in Ireland destructive to the peace of society, and fatal to the power and safety of the United Kingdom. In addi tion to these other, subjects have been introduced by Ministers, or with their sanction, which, having thus been introduced, must be mentioned as part of the ar rears of the Session, to be again brought forward on the next meeting of Parliament. Of these the Mar riage Bill, the General Registration Bill, and the Uni versities Admission Bill are the most important. These were all difficult and delicate subjects, and certainly nothing has been done during the Session with respect to any of them but what has tended to increase the difficulties and embarrassments by which they were already surrounded. Of the Report of the Corpora tion Commission, little has been heard since the King mentioned it in his Speech at the opening of the Ses sion. The worthy Commissioners, laudably true to their vocation, seem to be nursing their job. In the meanwhile every possible effort is making by Ministers and even the King's Speech has not been deemed an instrument which it was unlawful for them to employ to excite prejudices against Corporations in the public mind. During the Session Ministers have done nothing except what was necessary for the purpose of keeping hostile excitement alive upon any of the questions connected with the rights and endow ments of the Church of England. To propose mea sures and to withdraw them has been their system of judicious policy. We have had a Bill for the commu tation of tithe in one House, and Bills to eradicate the evils of pluralities and non-residence in' the other. Discontent with the church as it exists, enmity to wards a national church in any form, have thus been cunningly supplied with their excitements and their food ; but of rational well-considered attempts to cor rect abuses or remedy defects we have had positively none. The course which Ministers have pursued to wards the Church in England compels us to conclude either that they are of the number of her determined enemies, or that they are incapable of perceiving the most inevitable consequences of their own conduct. The English Tithe Bill, the Pluralities Bill, the Non- Residence Bill, the Dissenters' Marriage Bill, the Ge neral Regulation Bill, introduced by Ministers, or with their express sanction, and subsequently abandoned, are so many proofs of the slight regard, if not of the determined enmity, which the present Administra tion bears towards the Church of England. The Mi nisterial measure for the adjustment of Irish tithe has been so much and so recently discussed, that no more is necessary than merely to mention it in this place. Its history may be summed up in a word. Ministers permitted it to be amended in the House of Commons by Mr. O'Connell, so that it might better suit the pur poses of his faction, and, as might easily have been an ticipated, the House of Lords threw it out. The truckling to Mr. O'Connell to which we have just al luded was the Ministerial method of obeying the ad monition of the King's Speech, calling upon his loyal and well-affected subjects to employ their vigorous and united exertions to put down excitement and violence in Ireland. This method, it must be admitted, is cu rious and novel. It consists simply in making the great leader of excitement and violence in Ireland the Minis terial leader, upon the most important of Irish subjects, of the House of Commons. The Bill for the admis sion of Dissenters to the English Universities is an other of the Ministerial measures which the House of Lords thought it their duty to reject. It was a Bill violating the rights of the Universities, and conferring upon the Dissenters no boon that the conscientious portion of their body could by possibility accept. It was a Bill conceived, not in love to the Dissenters, but in hatred to the Church. It was a Bill offering insult and injury to the most numerous and important division of the community, without even the miserable apology that satisfaction or advantage could result from it to the minority whom it affected to gratify and to serve. Any thing, however, that Parliament has done or omitted during the past Session is very far from constituting the most important part of the trans actions of which it has beet the scene or tlw source. The House of Commons has this year been a theatre of intrigue rather than a hall of legislation. From the intrigues carried on upon this stage, the result has been successive changes in the Ministry, each change combining the Administration more and more closely with the leaders of that excitement and violence in Ireland which at the commencement of the Ses sion his Majesty had been advised to denounce, each change importing greater strength, influence, and audacity to the turbulent and the disaffected in every part of the empire. It is now univer sally felt that a few more changes in the same direction will bring Mr. O'Connell and his adherents en masse into the Council Chamber of the Kin , . These changes are what mark more than any other circum stance the progress of the movement, and ought to i mpress upon all who do not wish to behold a violent revolution in the country, that the time is arrived when THE SUN, LONDON, SATURDAY, AUGUST 16, 1834. they must form themselves into firm and vigorous union for the defence of the national institutions. The great importance of the domestic topics which the prorogation•of Parliament suggests cast into the shade the various subjects of foreign policy' which occasion ally during the session have been the subjects of deli beration. The foreign policy of Ministers has been frequently and forcibly arraigned, and upon such oc casions Ministers have generally excused themselves from the difficult task of reply upon the very vague and trite pretence that their full vindication would re quire such disclosures as could not be made without detriment to the public service. Ministers have in deed been remarkably sparing of disclosures. From them the nation knows nothing of the state in which the Foreign Secretary has thought fit to suspend the negotiations for the settlement of the Nether lands. From them the nation knows nothing of the actua 1 state of our relations with Russia and Turkey, although from other sources it is sufficiently notorious that the diplomacy of Great Britain has been discomfited, her dignity wounded, and her in terests impaired, in the east of Europe. Upon the affairs of the Peninsula alone has any information been communicated, and that inform . ation is essentially incorrect. His Majesty in his Speech of yesterday is made to applaud the Quadripartite Treaty, and to ascribe to it the termination of the civil war in Por tugal. The Treaty is a Treaty of unjust and tyran nical intervention, and it did not put an end to the civil war in Portugal, for, before the Treaty was con cluded, that object had been effected by the unjust and tyrannical intervention of a Spanish army. We wish that the intimation contained in the King's Speech may prove equally erroneous as to the measures likely hereafter to spring out of this iniquitous compact. The serious attention to the affairs of Spain which, " in con cert with France and with the other Powers who are parties to the Treaty of the 22d of April," his Ma jesty promises to give is, we fear, a bad omen for the consistency of our present non-intervention Ministers, and inauspicious, in the same degree,. to the character and interests of this country .—Morn ing Post. We give elsewhere the speech delivered by his Ma jesty yesterday, previous to the prorogation of Parlia ment. Like all other documents of a similar character, it tells nothing of which the public was not previously aware, and makes but few observations which call for any lengthened remark.—The Session just terminated is spoken of as one characterized by extraordinary ex ertions, andthe state of our relations with foreign powers to be of the most friendly character. Regret is next expressed that the disputes between Belgium and Holland have not been brought to a close, and correspondent exultation that the treaty lately entered into between France, Spain, Portugal, and England, has had the happy effect of putting an end to the civil war by which Portugal has been so long distracted. The disappointment of the hopes which had been enter tained of the restoration of Spain to a similar state of tranquillity is mentioned with regret, and it is pointedly added that the serious attention of the four Powers parties to the quadruple treaty, will be given to the events which are takiin place in that country. In other words, everything will be done to put an end to the civil war which is now raging in the northern provinces of that country, and to continue the succession to the throne in the hands in which it was left by the late Sovereign. The state of Turkey is briefly, but em phatically, adverted , to, and a hope sternly expressed that no event will occur in that quarter to interrupt the tranquillity of Europe. Aye, these are the words, and they have been well chosen, for any further attempt upon Turkey, and it is time that Russia should know it, would be the signal for a general war through, out Europe. The domestic concerns of the country are next adverted to, and more especially the act for the better Administration of the Poor Laws. The observa tions on this subject will naturally attract attention, and are evidently intended to allay any fears or apprehension which might be entertained on the subject. The intended ( stablishment of a Central Court for the trial of of fences in the metropolis and its neighbourhood is also spoken of, with much, and we will add with deserved approbation ; but with these exceptions there is nothing said in the Speech which demands any observation. The state of Ireland, though forming a main topic in the King's speech at the beginning of the . Session, is not even adverted to in that which was spoken yester day—and what is still more singular, although " the important subjects of our jurisprudence and municipal corporations" are specially selected as those on which the labours of the ensuing Session will be most appro priately bestowed, not the slightest allusion is made either to tithes or to the Church. On Monday we shall give a brief summary of the labours of the past Session, as well as advert to some not very just re marks of a morning contemporary upon them. — Morning Advertiser. King's speeches in England are remarkable among written compositions for communicating to those for whose supposed use they arc delivered, the least pos sible amount of information upon the subjects to which they professedly relate. That which was spoken yes terday by our gracious Sovereign to Parliament, on proroguing that assembly, we cannot refrain from say ing was rich in the above description of negative know ledge. But we are bound to add, that the framers of the Speech—to wit, the present advisers of his Ma jesty—cannot be considered fairly chargeable, as a body, with yesterday's defective communication from the Throne. A narrative must have facts for its ma terials, and if there be little to narrate, the fault must be looked for somewhere else than in the reciter. The present Prime Minister has come too recently into his office to justify the public in throwing upon him the general fruitlessness of the Session just elapsed, or by consequence the emptiness of that discourse which ought to have formed its history. There has seldom passed a S ess i on o f P ar li amen t hi which heer so little of the national business was done. It was remarked by all the auditors of his Majesty, that no allusion, not the very slightest, dropped from the Royal lips upon those two questions which, above all others, occupy and engage the public mind throughout this country, as they did the harassing though unprofitable attention of Parliament since the 3d of February. His Majesty did inform us that the relations between Holland and Belgium were- not yet settled ; that the civil war in Portugal was at an end ; that his hopes of tranquillity in Spain were disap pointed by events of such importance to Great Bri tain as would require the most serious attention of his Majesty and his allies ; and that he trusted nothing would happen respecting Turkey to interrupt the tran quillity of Europe. But there is nothing particularly satisfactory, as it seems to us, in the greater portion of these statements. In reference to domestic matters, the whole business of the Session, according to his Majesty, has been confined to the P oor L aw Bill , an d to that for the establishment of a Central Court for the trial of offences in the metropolis and its neighbour hood, otherwise for extending the jurisdiction of that useful but most unsavoury Court, the Old Bailey, and that is all. Asto the Poor Bill, we confess, though we are sorry, we are not surprised at the introduction of thiS ill-omened measure into the King's Speech ; for it was almost necessary to pledge the love and esteem which His Majesty holds in the breasts of his subjects, in order to redeem, so far as it admits of redemption, the odious measure of his Government. But in this, the ancient practice of the constitution is reversed, accord ing to which the Crown was the source of mercy and kindness ; and where measures of coercion and severity were necessary, they seemed always to emanate from the Ministry. And what is this Bill wifich His Ma jesty is made to recommend and countenance with his almost personal approbation ? Take the character of it from the Bishop of London, a Privy Councillor, and, as far as the Bill goes, a quasi-Minister. On the 4th instant, his Lordship, when speaking of one of its clauses (that respecting provident societies), said that unfortunately this was the only clause which bore on the face (fit the semblance ofkindness to the poor . 1 " Is this a bill of which the King is to be made the putative fa ther ? Let any one look, also, at the perversion, we had almost said of the course of nature, but certainly the perversion of truth and of the proper application of terms, in the Bill. It professes to be a Bill for the poor—for the sake of the poor—for the relief of the poor ; whereas the Chancellor avowed boldly, per haps indiscreetly, that the Bill was not for the poor, but for the rich. These are his Lordship's wont: on the 2d of July ;—" The question was, whether or nt;:t their Lordships would take the measures necessary for saving their estates, for into that question the matter then before them of necessity resolved itself." It is for the protection of the rich, therefore, and not of the poor, that the measure has been instituted and con summated. And how are the rich to be protected through this Bill ? By the oppression and incarceration of the poor. Yet we apprehend that, even viewed in this light, 'the pretext for the measure is frivolous and futile ; for will any man in his senses believe that had it not been for this Bill the estates of the aristocracy of the country would have been swamped and absorbed, and universal property swallowed up ? The conception is ab surdity itself. But further, if it be a bill for the oppression of the poor, it is also a bill for their demoralization. - Men may talk as long as they please of the admission of Clergymen and Dissenting Ministers into the district houses ; but if there be a truth in ethical philosophy more substantially confirmed than all or any of the rest, it is this—that vice is engendered and the human mind corrupted by the congregating of large bodies, of whatever age, into one place. Cities are proverbially more vicious than the plains. The reformation of our prisons has universally proceeded upon the principle of separation ; but by this Bill we shall have the families and children of manufacturing towns brought toge ther and huddled up with those of agricultural villages and districts. Who will take servants out of such nests of vice ? In our parish workhouses, whoever were their inmates, they could but import the disor ders prevalent in the parish, with which all were or would be acquainted ; there was no foreign infection ; but these large seminaries will spread and communi cate to individuals of one class the vices of every other. Had the Speech, besides its notice of this wretched measure, adverted to the business left undone through out this session, protracted to a period of more than six consecutive months—to the solemn promises left unfulfilled—to the admitted grievances left to this hour unredressed—or to the quantity of unmeaning and unproductive gabble by which the public time and patience were equally and provokingly wasted, it would indeed have proved a voluminous document, though by no means a creditable record of the Legislative prowess of 1834. Again, we wish to guard ourselves from stating that all this has been matter of positive blame to the Government, although it unquestionably affords room for lamenting the incapacity 'for political business of some of its existing members, more especially in the reformed House of Commons. The management of the questions which came before that House has been unexampled for weakness and unskilfulness, in those responsible for it, though generally free from the cen sure of evil design. We do not remember that in any preceding year measures of extensive aim and tendency were ever brought forward in so crude and imperfect a condition, or were consequently made the sport of a levity so capricious and unstatesmanlike. Many of the Bills sent up to the Lords came under the cognizance of that Assembly so stigmatized by the treatment which they had already received in the other House by the almost ludicrous history of their progress there, and by the inconsistent and childish change' wrought in them through hurry, shallowness, and imbecility on the part of their official superinten dents, as to furnish a temptation and constitute an ex cuse for the slighting and cavalier mutilation or rejec tion which they experienced from the adverse majority of the Conservative Peerage, headed, on more than one occasion, by a Learned Member of the Cabinet itself. Such was the want, and such the result of an absence of steady principle and of workmanlike power, in what is called technically the management of the House of Commons, a department of which the obvious clumsi ness and incompetency were, we repeat, without ex ample in the whole Parliamentary career of this or the foregoing generation. The two great subjects of which, as we have said, all mention was omitted in the speech from the throne, were Ireland, and the tempo ralities of the Church Establishment. It is but candid to acknowledge that any reference to the Church ques tion must, under existing circumstances, have involved considerations of extreme delicacy. The subject could scarcely have been touched upon at all with out re-asserting a necessity for those reforms, and promising a renewal of those measures, or similar ones, for the commutation of tithe, and the future settlement of the condition of the Clergy, which have been so lately and so sternly condemned by the Upper House of Parliament. It would therefore have been no strained construction of such a clause in a Royal Speech from the Throne, to consider it a pointed rebuke of a proceeding by the House of Peers, which, let its wisdom or its virtue have been ever so doubtful, did certainly not transgress the legislative privileges of their Lordships, or. violate the rights of any other estate of this realm. Silence, therefore, upon that painful topic, was perhaps the only alterna tive within the reach of Ministers ; and Ireland pre senting at this moment no claim to particular or ine vitable notice but in connexion with the adventures of the Church, it is not to be wondered at if the framers of the speech availed themselves of the opportunity (in its origin so unfortunate) of passing over what has been hitherto for many sessions a prominent theme of dissertation in every Royal discourse—viz., the state and prospects of the sister kingdom. We sincerely hope that nothing may arise between this time and the next meeting of Parliament to obtain for Irish affairs a larger space in the Royal communication to both Houses.— Times. POLICE INTELLIGENCE. MANSION-HO USE. Yesterday a good deal of interest was excited by the details of the following case : A young man, of very genteel appearance, named Thomas Telford Elliot, was brought before the LORD MAYOR under the following circumstances :—Mr. Edward Russell Bell, an alebrewer, stated that the defendant was introduced to the house by a person who represented himself as the commis sion agent to a respectable Scotch alebrewer, and who spoke of the party about to become a customer as a man doing a large business, and qualified to meet any pecuniary demand. The defendant resided in a good house in St. Martin's-lane, opposite to Slaughter's Coffeehouse, and the witness, although not at all disposed to give credit to a stranger, was induced to send stout to him to the value of 301. at three months' credit, the usual period. Witness took a bill for the amount. Three or four weeks afterwards the defendant called to order more stout, blit witness declined to send the article until another reference was given. The person referred to on this occasion stated that he should have no objection to entrust the defendant to the amount of 1001 or 2001., and the witness let more stout to the value of 231. out of his hands. A third time the defendant ap plied for quantity of the same article, and succeeded in ob taining an additional supply. At last witness ascertained that the defendant was an uncertificated bankrupt ;. that he had been twice a bankrupt ; that on the one occasion not a farthing dividend was paid, and on the other a dividend amounting to three farthings had been received by the creditors. Mr. Hobler, jun., for the prosecution, had a variety of cases against Mr. Elliot. Mr. Trower, of the firm of Trower and Co., of St. Ann's hill, wine-merchants, stated that the defendant succeeded in obtaining a very large quantity of wines, brandies, and rums from him by references, and by appearing to be the owner of the house in St. Martin's-lane. Witness ascertained that the wines he had sent to the defendant had been sold im mediately afterwards for a third less than the defendant had engaged to pay for them. He al so f oun d th a t th e h ouse i n St. Martin's-lane was occupied by another person, that a fresh name had been put up, and that the whole matter was a complete illusion. Mr. Hobler, jun., having requested that his Lordship would remand the defendant, The LORD MAYOR remanded him till. Friday next. MARYLEBONE. Yesterday a man of respectable appearance, named John Hewitt, who it was stated is a well-known frequenter of several gambling-houses, was charged with obtaining a quantity of goods from various tradesmen by means of false and fraudulent pretences. George Martin, assistant to Mr. Balls, upholsterer, Ox ford-street, deposed, that, on the 2d of April last, the pri soner, whom he knew something of, came into the shop and ordered a rosewood table and dressing-glass to be sent on hire to the house of Mr. Bulwer, No. 55, Upper Seymour street, Bryanstone-square. Witness, knowing Mr. Bulwer to be an old customer, and that he lived at the place stated, sent them. Witness made no inquiries re specting them till hearingc, the prisoner was in custody , w hen he asked Mr. Bulwer if he had ever ordered or received a table and looking-glass, and was answered in the negative. It appeared that Mr. Bulwer being out of town, the prisoner w as put in to take care of the house till that gentleman's return. James Palmer, shopman to Mr. Nottley, pawnbroker, 8, Portman-street, Oxford-street, produced a table pledged by the prisoner, on the 2d of April, for .5/. Mr. Tomlinson, pawnbroker, Upper George-street, Edge ware-road, produced a glass pledged the same day by the prisoner for 1/. 7s. in the name of George Williams. The first witness here identified the things as belonging to his employer, and the same which he had sent to the residence of Mr. Bulwer. Mr. William Lytton Bulwer (who is brother to the Mem ber of Parliament of that name) denied all knowledge of the prisoner or of his transactions, he having never given him any authority to act in the manner be had done. Mr. Charles Wellstead, upholsterer, 13, Molyneux street, Bryanston-square, deposed that on the 18th March the prisoner entered the shop, and said that he had been requested by Mr. 'Growing to hire for the accommodation of Mr. Bulwer, 55, Seymour-street, from that time to the Ist of August, a pair of rosewood card tables, two large feather beds, two bolsters, four pillows, and two white counter pane, which were sent and taken in by the prisoner. On the Ist August witness called at the house of Mr. Bulwer, where he saw that gentleman's footman, who knew nothing at all about the matter, and conducted witness over the house, who could not discover any of his property. On Saturday last his brother met the prisoner, and gave him in charge. James Palmer, shopman to Mr. Nottley, produced the card tables, and the two beds, bolsters, and pillows, pledged by the prisoner within two days after being obtained from Mr. Wellstead • and Mr. Tomlinso n p ro d uce d t h e coun terpanes pledged on the 20th March by a female in the name of Ann Hewitt. The prisoner, who made no defence, was fully committed for trial. BOW-STREET. CHARGE OF BIGAMY.-A woman of decent exterior, who gave her name Elizabeth Rowe, was yesterday placed at the bar before Mr. Minshull, charged with bigamy. James Slark, parish clerk to the church in the Old Town of Croydon, stated that he recollected the prisoner having been married to Francis Rowe on the 2d of November, 1819. He now produced a copy of the certificate of that marriage. Edward Berry, also residing at Croydon, knew the pri soner's husband, and had seen him on the 2d instant, at Camberwell, in perfect health ; he had repeatedly heard the prisoner say he was her husband. James Brown, a serjeant in the 2d battalion of Cold stream Guards stationed at Knightsbridge, stated that on the 26th of September, in the year 1825, he was married to the prisoner at Brighton Old Church. He now pro duced the certificate he then received, which was a correct copy of the entry made in the parish registry. The prisoner now, in her defence, declared that she had never deceived Brown, who knew perfectly well that she was a married woman at the time he married her. Brown denied that such was the fact, and the prisoner was committed to take her trial, and will be again brought up on Monday next, for the additional evidence of Goddard, the officer of this establishment, who apprehended her at No. 2, Pleasant-row, Stepney, and who is at present out of town. The prisoner is the same person who, it will be recol lected, was charged at this office, twelve months ago, with having destroyed her infant child immediately on its birth, by throwing it down a privy at a baker's-shop in Bear street, Leicester-square. For this offence she was com mitted for trial at the Middlesex Sessions, where, having been pronounced guilty, she was sentenced to twelve months' imprisonment in the House of Correction. The term of that imprisonment having expired, the present charge was made against her by Brown, and she was ap prehended on a warrant by Goddard on Tuesday last, from which day she was remanded until yesterday, for want of the proper evidence to ensure her conviction before a Jury. QUEEN-SQUARE. Yesterday Robert Lambeth, a well-known pick-pocket, was charged before Mr. GREGORIE with picking the pocket of Mr. Josias Stone, in the employ of Messrs. Gordon and Co., iron-merchants, Union-street, Deptford, of a silk pocket handkerchief, at Astley's Theatre. On the officer in waiting handing the Bible to the prose cutor, he objected to taking the oath. Mr. GREGORIE—Why do you object to be sworn ? Mr. Stone—lt is against my conscience to take an oath. Mr. GREGORIE-If you belong to that highly respect able body, the Society of Friends, your solemn affirmation will be sufficient. Mr. Stone—l do not belong to the So ciety of Friends, yet still I have the greatest objection to taking an oah. Mr. GREGORIE again inquired what objection he had? Mr. Stone—ln the very book that is handed to me to swear by, it says, " Swear not at all ; neither by heaven, for it is God's throne ; nor by the earth, for it is his foot stool." That is my reason for objecting to take an oath. • Mr. GREGORIE told him that as he did not belong to the Society of Friends, he must be sworn, or his evidence could not be taken, and a well-known offender would escape the hands of justice and be thrown on the town to continue his depredations on the public. _ _ . . . Mr. Stone, after some hesitation, said that if it could not be dispensed with he supposed he must be sworn. The oath was then administered, and Mr. Stone gave his evidence, which was very conclusive. The prisoner was then fully committed for trial. UNION-HALL. Henry Brown, an apprentice in the service of Mr. Lif ford, a respectable tradesman in Southwark, was charged with robbing his employer, and committed. ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE. WESTERN CIRCUIT.—WELLS, Auousr 13. CROWN COURT.—( Before Lord DENMAN. ) John Norman and Thomas Sampson were indicted for assaulting Thomas Knight on the King's highway, and robbing him of 1201. Thomas Knight, a farmer, went to Honiton on the 21st of June, where he received a check for 1001. and 261. 10s. in cash. He arrived in Taunton, on his return home, about half-past ten o'clock at night. After he had gone a short distance out of Taunton, near the Bath and Poole road, he, being on horseback, received a blow on the side of the head. He looked round, and immediately he received an other blow on the other side, and then a blow on the eye, which brought him down off his horse. He then saw two men, one of whom knelt on his chest, and the other fur ther down. He had the check and bank-notes in one breeches pocket, and some gold and silver in the other. After struggling for some time they got up, #nd one of them said, "We have got it." They ran off, and he found that one of his pockets was cut off and taken away, and the other was emptied. He never saw any of the property since. He was sure that Sampson was one of the men. He did not know the other. The evidence of George Marler, an accomplice, proved the circumstances under which the robbery was planned and executed. The Jury retired for some time. one of them having held out against the rest, but they ultimately found both the prisoners Guilty. Lord DENMAN pronounced sentence of death on Samp son, who cried like a child durinr , his Lordship's address. Sentence of death was recorded only against Norman, to the surprise of many. Lord DENMAN did not put on his black cap, as is usual on such occasions. The great will case, in which Sir J. SCARLETT has ap peared for the Defendant, commenced this morning, and the Plaintiff's case closed at eleven o'clock at night. NORTHERN CIRCUIT.—LANCASTER, Auu. 13. (Before Lord LYNDHURST.) _ _ William JVladdo.r, aged 37, Thomas Lunt, 32, and James Singleton, 28, were indicted for having burglariously broken and entered the dwelling-house of John Gardner, Esq., and stolen 200 sovereigns, 160 half-sovereigns, 50 guineas, 500 shillings, and divers other monies and property. Mr. Gardner, the prosecutor, resides at Gartsang, about forty miles from Liverpool and ten from Preston ; and on Friday, the 7th of March last, he went to bed, first taking the precaution of having all the doors and windows well secured. On Saturday morning he was called by a neigh bour, who was going to market, who informed him that all the doors and windows of his house were open. Mr. Gard ner immediately got up and found them so. On entering his office he perceived that his iron safe had been broken open, and 200 sovereigns and 100 half-sovereigns had been stolen. On a further inspection he found that there had been a further sum of 25 sovereigns, 3 seven-shilling pieces, and 500 shillings abstracted from a drawer in a desk in his office. He immediately offered a reward of 50 guineas for the conviction of the thieves. It appeared by the evidence of a witness of the name Reader that, on the clay previous to the robbery, Singleton and Lunt were on the road from Preston to Garstang. On the day of the robbery, between three and four o'clock, the prisoners were seen between three and four miles of Mr. Gardner's house, and on the very night of the robbery Maddox was soliciting charity at a cottage at the rear of Mr. Gardner's house, and while doing so the witness stated that he observed the house very closely. About four days after the robbery the prisoners Maddox and Lunt went to Chester, and deposited a large number of sovereigns in the hands of a publican. It further appeared that Lunt, in Manchester, exhibited a large quantity of sovereigns, amongst which were several guineas. Some of the property was found on Singleton, but he proved a satisfactory alibi. Verdict, Maddox and Lunt Guilty ; Singleton Acquitted. THE EXPENSES AND RESULTS OF ANOTHER TURN -OUT.—The Glasgow turn-out calico-printers, after a nine months' struggle, have found it their interest at last to yield to their employers, and take work at whatever they can obtain from them. This strike has cost the employed, to support idlers, 12,000!. FIRST STEAM TRIP TO ST. KILDA. I , .i s ( , i sc hut, i of , Pr e is. kA') , TeX; illt o R, J e ;; 1 9, IQ . ' efts 1 , 1 14 . 1 4 , i) • t 4 41 tta u tik k 4-I T,Z i. te lz il V i l °., • t,e4l l ilt 4 ,) ef 4 ,itti , 3 -4,4(!y ! . .4) , t k ef tkt4l:; N ms ot k( of \if qoal 1 1 , 11 1 hc 10, 4 ;': r tar, 4r. " tit, ' .I' l '4l .ary We abridge the following singular narrative from tohie, Glasgow Free Press. The natives of St. Kilda ,.theti ' distant only two or three days' sail from our own shores, are as primitive in their manners, and appear to know a ' little of the civilized world, as if they were residents at Ota heite or Nova Zembla : " The steamer Glenalby n , Daniel Mathicson, commander; lately performed a most extensive, varied, and mag nifiee° voyage. She proceeded from Oban (a sea-port in In ve r - , ness, within a day's sail of Glasgow), on Saturday , the' th about eleven a.m., for the Spa Cave, calling at Tobermery. On her arrival at the Spa Cave, the evening proved pit: titularly propitious, and the passengers had an opportut of visiting it, with preparations by manropes, torches, &e: in, "At day-light next morning she started for Loc h-APP and arrived there about six o'clock, where all t he p asse,' , ers landed, and experienced one of the most spiel a`d _ views imaginable. This romantic lake is celebrated note, by Sir Walter Scott, to his poem of the Lord of fife Isles ;' but notwithstanding his incomparable pow it i n e rs . description, the sublimity of the scenery s urpassed I t o reality. Proceeding to Lochbraccadale, she received s°,„ young geologists, from whence she went to Loc hnam rl and took on board a pilot, about three p. m., under wrof guidance she proceeded through the very intricate Solna en Harris, studded with rocks ; and after gaining the ° P sea, a beautiful expanse of ocean opened itself to the,vl,eho of many, who then, for the first time, had witnessed `1) broad Atlantic without the view of land beyond. Ab9u midnight they arrived off St. Kilda. Owinc, to their behtaiet no person acquainted with the anchorage, Captain es e l to son, advisedly, let off the steam, and hove the vesse d the under her sails. At daylight the steam was set on , an e. vessel very soon approached the bay opposite to where i t v h whole inhabitants of the island reside. At this tim e it : about 4 a.m., and the steamer fired off two of her eann° the report of which aroused the natives, who issued fromas their dwellings like flocks of bees. As the Glenalbyli the first steamer that ever touched at St. Kilda , i ts ,l o .. wonted appearance, and the noise of escaping steam coo' s. rc ag ed, led the natives simultaneously to flee to the steepes t In a short time, however, one of the pa r ty, more cour a e o i, than the others, slowly returned, and approached the Fyn ter's house, when, after remaining for some little time, h e i s went back, and headed them to the beach. St. g°7t is said by the poet to be upon the melancholy main ; b n us the visitors and visited, upon this occasion, it was a W it . scene in the extreme. Many of those who landed ha t d P, , viously provided themselves with quantities of tc' eae- 0 ° ( cotton handkerchiefs of gay patterns, &c. ; the form er t o f which they distributed liberally amongst the male P ar an a the population, and the latter amongst the matrons ;e maids, some of whom, upon discovering themselves to so unexpectedly adorned, actually shed tears of exultatnai, „ " The population consists of 21 families, or 93 ,I y , , viduals, who have never increased for the last ten ear Many of them marry very young, and, of course, with;te relatives, which may partly account for the apparent to be rioration of the race. The clergyman's duties appe ar er ial strictly confined to religious matters.—The tuag ist w ith duties devolve upon the only individual in the islan,`, l( iate the exception of the minister) who speaks the Eng"'"l,und guage, and who is employed by the proprietor as gr ° t he officer to collect the feathers, &c., which are give n "Loa natives in- lieu of rent, and who terms himsel f ` b ' - o id Bailie.' His cast of countenance is rather intellige nt ' e of he appears, from his air, to assume a considerable deg' e t he authority, but in dress and otherwise he appears e Col li ke e ted other natives. The houses, 21 in number, are coand close to each other, with very narrow passages betwe en ,: a form a circle, at one side of which the Baron nai lie t ls , o 4 bench erected, where he holds courts once a w ee '' dispenses justice liberally. t he " A house, remote from the others, has a lock e a to g door (the only one amongst the natives), where raor couples are placed in upon being married, and th e a lso locked upon them for twenty-four hours. There ,; 0 0 several other houses at a distance, where the inhan' out, store their feathers. At this season of the year theY cope the fowls by descending the cliffs, suspended by a I da composed of horse-hair, which two or three Pers afl e s c ood above. The person capturing the birds has a piec e eil d of or branch, similar to a common fishing-rod, to the en,tb, which there is a piece of hair-line, about a foot in le head formed into a running noose, which he places over the titelis of the bird, and by pulling it towards him the noos e tigh s in upon the bird's neck, which he then unfastens, and take the another. There is neither surgeon nor midwife i n t he island ; and when children are born, they are fed fo r , , it first five days upon butter diss o lved in milk, and sh ootTer happen to survive that period, it is then suckled, bu t ° opt wise it of course dies. It is ascertained that only °n leads of ten passes the age of infancy. A natural tran sition 0 ,, us to proceed from the birth to the death,—and °foci'', casion of a funeral, the whole population follow the Lc', the in a direct line, to the place of int ermen t ; but shoal i - ffs\ death be untimely ( more es p ec i a ll y b y a f a ll from thel.ri,ii then what may be termed a Roman, or perhaps ,n ot e , ' howl takes place, and the natives abstain from every a re pation for a period of three days. Th e ir hous es . g hts in general built of loose stones, about fi ve feet in s'c'oot and composed of great masses, usually from Their to six feet in thickness, thatched with straw. i o ter beds, or rather places of repose, are, for the `` i neir and spring months, in a recess within the before' „,,y tioned thick walls, where a quantity of f o g, without lir covering is laid. Before leaving, all the natives w ere the vited on board to view the steamer, which invitatienonovi male part of the population accepted, but declined Novo the females to accompany them. On their being a le into the cabin, its splendour overcame them to such a or; gree, that many of them seemed inclined to knee l a . l ", and ship. They asked if the ship belonged to the 1 4 : 1 , 115 '0 whether or not he had any others, and if so larg er folic upon being informed that his Majesty had vessels S e ` . e the size, they appeared not to credit it ; and s to . ' te cl of them being shown their images in a large mirror, 5 a .f b e with affright, —one in particular ; for on being asklei Dore thought that it was his brother, he became tD alarmed, and said that he never had one in his life' dle " About eight a.m., she sailed from St. Kilda , 911 ,10 1 1 ceeded back through the Sou n d o f H arr i s , and the° ice', the north of Long Island to St ornoway, w here she 1 11 0 about ten o'clock, after exp er i enc i ng a heavy se t , e ,„ Pot ! strong breeze a-head ; she then sa il e d a bout one Tuesday morning, for Oban, and ca ll e d a t Po jro, ' preparations were making for one of the Skye sing kets ; from thence through the inner Sounds, P a , si- ve I, r s and Rum, in the former of which is the celebrated ca to scribed by Sir Walter Scott, in one of his n otes pr poem of the " Lord of the Isles." On arriving at n 0,5 5e5 : the evening proved to be particularly fine, and th e .o r o de gers had every opportunity of exploring its varied "„ i n r ll/ ; and when the company sung " God save the R - i n g,:), tes ti : gal's Cave, the effect was remarkably striking. r '„'", e e t, she proceeded to lona, and it being then about sa : '"rioll s sublimity of the scenery, accompanied with assel o r in t o elevated emotions, caused the visit to be of pee u e to e ll ", rest. Several of the young gentlemen went as il°r ,dte n le joy the night at the inn. At daylight on Wed th e es" 30th, the vessel returned to Oban, and landed l' -e .0 passengers about 11 o'clock, a.m. ship NA 46 We must not omit to men ti on , th a t while the t f o rta ii , at sea on Sunday, the 27th, di v i ne wors hip was , t e e v. SS ' in a very solemn and r es p ec tf u l manner , by the r Liam Hetherington." ° e BIRTHS. Cb al On the 12th inst., at Cheltenham, the lady of :M a) of a daughter. .ett, On the 12th inst., at Brighton, the lady of W. NV- P ":2l_,-- / of a son. .11 04 fi MARRIED. On the 12th inst., at West Teignmouth Church, De, A o- e ; t Thomas Swinnerton Dyer, Esq., to Amelia Helen, el" I,io' ter of Daniel Robertson, Esq. of Dawlish Devonshire. of Di te On the 12th inst., at Edinburgh, James Stewart, fl"f , coin's Inn, Barrister, to Margaret Emil third daug 'l, t e. ° , r thu; Duncan Stewart, Esq., of Glenbueker, Perthshire. l OP ti lde' On the 13th inst., at St. Mark's, Kennington, v; . len' e .e Geary, of Lichfield, New South Wales, to Mary -I daughter of the late Mr. T. Hall, of Kennington. e • St e" P r West fiso On the 31st ult., at St. Margaret's Church, e +, John Clark, Esq., of Park place, South Chelsea, (f i te clo; Green, of the Vauxhall Bridge-road. ' On the 9th inst., at St James's, Westminster, jA-Lr1,.,113r of Regent-street, to Amelia Amee only child of Ric''' . t Esq., of Albion -terrace, Kin 's -road. tenon , 0 0 On the 14th inst., at St. Luke's, Chelsea, Lien. b e • • 0 Jones, R.N., to Mss Charlotte Le Cren, of Greensocra. stol l t ; On the 14th inst., at St. Paul's, Ball's-pond , W „l lia tol 3 f al c , of Charles Stone, Esq.. of' White Lion-street, iif„ of . Mary Anne, second daughter of Thomas MundaY , . 4., l o ot bury-park, Islington. pi le . , at On the 12th inst., at Oxted, Surrey, oftlate Lie Chichester to Mary, youngest daughter the o bs , Colonel Bellis. DIE. ()n the 14th inst., Mr. Jo hnJackson, of Leo ° f ., 0 0 0 r Esq ., aged 69. et ht,- .f On the 13th inst., aged 64, John Harrison, sag grove, near Maidene, erks. eh On the 13th inst., h a a t d Sio ß n-place, Mary Isabella, f°tlrth of the late Lieutenant-Colonel Rind. of ill of On the 3d inst., at Dover, Henry Tulk, DA" to v Surrey, aged 38. of 0' On the 12th inst., aged 84, Mr. Thomas Watt'' na 3e Par, El i yards, Bath. Ber n° Y e e On the 12th inst., in Upper Russell-street , r 4 ist re t. beth Peacock, wife of William Peacock, in be dser st eldest daughter of Mr. Joseph Everett , of Be n ri a e r u b n ara ps tole ! On the Bth inst., in St. James's -place , 5 0 0 rt 4 infant daughter of J. B. Trevanion, Esq., age in-la w, ' of '` On the 14th inst., at the house of his son. 10 6 t y do, of Roberts, Farringdon-street, John Diggens, 14 met Clapton, aged 65. w cbt, A up. On the 13th inst., at Croom's-hill, Greed ganTL, youngest daughter of Mr. Harry Roertson, an e, the late Charles Robertson, Esq., of Kindeac yOv London : and Published,byr Vsretrd. - at The Sun Office, NO. IL,'