The Sun. — London, England, 1831-06-28 00:00:00

N. ;lock. OF THIS EVENING. HOUSE OF LORDS. ITE to be Cor- LOth Light to be Lieu :ornet M. ":,ornet and m the half thanges re- 'oot, to he , rn the 50th aster of the be Captain, difference, •chase, vice tn, by pur int, by pur- Ensign, by to be Pay- Foot, to be ot, June 28. th Foot, to Le tB. to be Lieu. ie Major in in the field, able-keeper. t, Clerken. AN, Gold welve at the -upon-Tees, yen, at the Marshall, -10 PE, and re, bankers, ;wan Hotel, es, Wells. scriviner, Union Inn, n, London ; • 8, at twelve. in. Holme, , Fareham; arwiekshire, ynes, Learn_ ;wan Hotel, ; Mr. S. W. it-merchant, Angel Inn, me; Baillie, tobacconist, elve, at the ipplegate. 1, 12, at ten, ers. Cruck. ILLSHER, tugust 9, at -lane. ,oxibu --- Cr, July nmissioners. treet. aper, July 8, of Commis,. s, Sheerness. reet, South -1 August 9, ter and Co., , Liverpool, at the Cla ine's Bench- innkeeper, el, Mancnes. n. Conham, Gloucestershire , coal-miners, July 12 , 13, and August 9, at twelve, at Dee' s Royal hotel, Birmingham. Holme, Frampton, 4110 Lottns, New Inn ; Meredith, Birmingham. WILLIAM CLARK, Ilford, Eisex, victualler, July 5, 12, and August 9, at two, at the Court of Commissioners. Wool. ley, Liverpool-street, Broad-street. IMPERIA L PARLIAM ENT The House met at Half past Three o'clock, when Prayers were read by the Bishop of EXETER ; the House then ad journed till Five o'clock, when the LORD CIIANCELI.OR took his seat on the Woolsack. The Marquis of SALISBURY deferred his motion on the Poor Laws till Thursday. The Marquis of DOWNSHIRE presented a petition from the town of Newry in Ireland, praying for the intro duction of Poor Laws into that country. The Noble Lord would favour such introduction if he was of opinion that they would improve the condition of the poor, hut he I thought that finding them employment would be a better Way of giving relief. The Marquis of LONDONDERY gave notice that on Thursday next he would present several petitions against P arliamentary Reform. Lord SKELMERSDALE presented several petitions against the truck system. Th e Marquis of LANSDOWNF. moved the first read -1,4 of a Bill to regulate the appointment of Custos .Rotu "ltor in Ireland. The Marquis of LONDONDERRY enquired whether the Bill would interfere with the office of Lord Lieutenant of Ireland ? Lord MELBOURNE answered no, the office of Custos Rotu/orum was an office entirely civil, and would not at al l interfere with the office of Lord Lieutenant, which was a military one. Lord WHARNCLIFFE laid on their Lordships' table two Bills to abolish the system of paying workmen's Il 'ageß, commonly called the truck system. The Noble Lord said, that his Bills were exactly the same ae a Bill which was introduced in the other 'louse of Parliament in the late Session. He Would defer what he hail to say till the second reading, as be believed their Lordships were well acquainted with the provisions of the Bills. On the motion of Lord MELBOURNE the Bills are to be read a second time on Monday next. The Duke of BUCCLEUGH presented a petition from the Freeholders, Commissioners of Supply, and Justices o f the Peace of the County of Forfar, against Reform ; and praying, that if a future Bill was introduced, that the number of coun•ies in Scotland might not be reduced. Lord DUNCAN denied that this was the petition of the county of Forfar. It had been got up in the most curious manner. Not more than eighty-four persons being Present; and with such an assemblage, the resolu tions embodied in the petition were come to. To those resolutions he (Lord Duncan) moved as an amend. Ment the approval of the whole Bill, and thanks to Ministers for what they had done, and that amendment Was carried by a majority of sixty to twenty-four. Under such circumstances he could not submit to this petition being called the petition of Forfar. He believed it to he the petition. of very respectable individuals but got up under most peculiar circumstances. First, they had attempted to get the sanction of the county , and then th ey came forward with the present petition. He (Lord Duncan) believed that the county of Forfar Mood single in Scotland in having passed a vote to favour of Ministers and the Reform Bill. With re 'Peet to the acts of violence at the election, no one could lament them more than he did ; and he considered the sooner the perpetrators were brought to justice the better. 'tut h e c ould not help thinking that the accounts received of the violence committed were much exaggerated. It had b een said that e xpressions had been used at that election Which could only be equalled by the blood-thirsty expres sions at the French revolution. He trusted that the people of Scotland would use every constitutional means of car tying this great Bill through Parliament—(Hear)—by Which they would obtain for themselves great advantage end immortal honour. The Duke of BUCCLEUGH said it was not pretended that the petition was the petition of the county of Forfar. It was the petition of some forty or fifty proprietors deeply connected with that county. He should not enter into the discussion of the committal of violerices alluded to by the Noble Lord, as he considered that a fitter subject for the Secretary of State than himself. The Earl of HADDINGTON felt hound to say, that the violence committed at the election for Forfar had not b een exaggerated. Improper means had been resorted to for th e purpose of preventing the persons assembled from electing representatives fairly, and those means had only been ° defeated by the courage and firmness of the freeholders. He was not one of those who would object to any lawful means being used to carry a point either for "r against Reform. But he felt extreme regret at the course adopted on this occasion. Lord DUNCAN deprecated as much as any man im- Proper proceedings at elections, but he must repeat that those proceedings had been greatly exaggerated. Lord BELHAVEN also bore testimony to the exag gerated accounts given of this election. The petition was then read, and the House adjourned. HOUSE OF COMMONS. The Lord ADVOCATE called the attention of the House, to an error that had been made in the return of all Hon. Member for Newport. The Hon. Member was tqated in the return to be John Joseph Hope Vere, instead of James Joseph Hope Vere, which was the real name of tte Hon. Gentleman. He, (the Lord Advocate) was Prepared to identify the Gentleman as being the individual returned, and he supposed the error in the return could be Corrected. The SPEAKER said, all that was nece ssar y was the identity of the individual, and as that had been done by the Lord Advocate, the clerk of the Crown Ace who was In attendance could be instructed to amend the return. Mr. Alderman WOOD obtained leave to bring in a Bill to incorporate the General Steam Navigation Company. The Kenneth Navigation Bill was read a second time Ind committed. On the motion of Mr. ATHERLEY, the Southamp ton Pier Bill vas read a second time. Mr..HOBHOUSE brought in a Bill to construct and otintain• a Chapel of Ease in the parish of St. George's, Ranoversiquare, called the Grosvenor Chapel, which was read-a first time. On the motion of an How. MEMBER, leave was given to bring in a Bill to explain• and amend the Acts of the 3d Geo. 11., and the 19th Geo. 111. for the more expedi tious recovery of Small Debts in the Tower Hamlets dis trict. On the motion of Mr. LAWLEY, the Birminglitm Basford Rail-road Bill was read a second time. Mr. STRICKLAND presented five petitions from vari ou s places in favour of the Leeds and Bradford Rail toad Bill.--Referred to the Committee. Lord AIORPETH presented several petitions in favour of the Manchester and Leeds Railway Bill. Also, five Petitions in favour of the Bradford and Leeds Railway Elia, On the motion of the Noble Lord, the Leeds and Bradford Rail-road Bill, and the Leeds and Sheffield Rail toad Bill, were read a second time and committed. Mr. HUNT rose to present a petition from the work log daises, members of a society called the " North-wes tern District of the National Union," stating that the pe titioners experienced great evils from those Acts called the " Castlereagh Acts," particularly that which imposed restrictions on the liberty of the press. The petition was touched in respectful languare of this House, but in rather stron g language of the Nobleman by whom the Acts Were brought in. They believed that when the Act in question was brought in, it was the intention to keep the people in ignorance the better to plunder them. The Hon. Member was one who thought the House would he disgraced if they suffered these Acts to remain on the Statute-book ; they were passed iu times of great danger and excitement, but now that no such causes existed -11,0%v that the country had a liberal Ministry who were then oostile to these Acts, he was surprised they were still un rePealed. He (Mr. Hunt) was for the unbounded liberty of the Press, but not fur its licentiousness; and as far as It confined itself to truth it ought to be upheld, and on the other band it ought to be he ld res p onsible "a" publishing what was false either against the Govern ment or against an individual. Captain GORDON did not rise to object to the recep tion of the petition, but he thought it was irregular, as Coining from a society of persons not known to the law. He wished, before it was read, to put th e House in pos session of some publications which emanated from per sons who bad prompted this petition. The Hon. A lember here read extracts from " The Poor Man's Guardian, and the " Republican," both of which ',pok e very vituperative language of the conduct of Majesty and his Ministers, comparing their conduct to that pursued by the Polignac Ministry, reviling the Royal l'amily of this country, and condemning the whole fra ternity of Kingcraft, Priestcraft, and Lordcraft. Having r ead th ese ex t r acts, the Hon. Member trusted that the Hous e would agree with him in declaring them to be gross libels; he was setry and surprised that, instead o. a trumpery pros 'action by the Stamp-office, the Govern. anent had not prosecuted the parties for sedition and blasphemy—(Hear, hear)—and he respectfully intimated to his Majesty's Govet ntneat that he would take an suarly opportunity of making a motion upon this subject Mr. HUME was happy that this petiticn had beer uresented, as it gave him an opportunity of making some bservations upon the sentiments uttered by the Hon. Member who spoke last, and who had read extracts from papers in the course of his speech, which would have the fleet of making them read instead of by only about 100 or 1.00 persons, by perhaps many thousands. The Hon tletnber had come forword to declaim the Press, and t. •ondemn the Government for not prosecuting. There sas not one of the Honourable Gentleman or the Ministerial Benches but had, when these Bills ire brought in, strongly oppose them ; they were laws instituted to keep the public in ignorance by repress b public discussion, and he was prou d to sa y that the y 'iad for some years been allowed to remain a dead letter. ['he Hon. Member (Capt. Gordon) did not seem to re c died that after the melancholy catastrophe at Manches t •c, during which a score of individuals were cruelly slaughtered, the conduct put sued by his Majesty's Govern. ment was to introduce Six Acts, which were a disgrace to the country, and which he did hoge the present Minis ters would have rep. aled before this tim. The Attorney- General, when he brought in the Bills, admitted that he would not support the Bill relating to publications as an individual measure, but he took the whole as one measure, and as necessory to uphold the liberties of the country. The Hon. Member then adverted to the opinions of several Members of the present Ministry as delivered by them on the occasion of introducing the Bills, and he stated the opposition which the Bills then experienced. He (Mr. Hume) held it to be a primary principle that Englishmen should publish whatever they pleased on their individual responsibility; such measures as these could not be war ranted, and was he now to be told that it was surprising that the Government did not now prosecute under those Acts? He repeated that it was a disgrace they should have been so lung on the statute-book. I , Hon. Members thought by this course they would stifle public discussion, they were much mistaken; the day was gone by when the public voice was to be monied and stifled by such Acts.—(Hear.) What wasthe consequence ? Any of the Hon. Members might publish an octavo volume of blasphemy or sedition, but the poor man was prevented from publishing a sheet or two sheets. He had taken a part in blaming the Duke of Wellington's administration for having attempted to ruin an individual by half a dozen of prosecutions fur what were called libels in Papers, but he felt bound that the Duke of Wellington's Government never disgraced themselves by prosecuting those small publications which his Majesty's present Ministry had adopted the course of doing.—(Hear, hear, and cheers.) These publications were began and continued for six months during the late Government, but there never was a single prosecution instituted by that Government under the six Acts—prosecutions there were for sedition, undoubtedly, which was quite a different thing ; and he was surpriied that the present Ministry had, in this instance, adopted a prosecution through the Stamp-office, which had never been deemed right by the Duke of Wellington's Ministry. He held in his hand publications containing expressions much worse than those which had been read, and which the Hon. Member who had preceded him might see, but which he (Mr. H.) would not be the means of circulating. He was willing to consider the papers in his hand' poison—the rankest poison,—and he was persuaded that every prosecution undertaken would only be the means of spreading that poison more effectually through the country. There were in London no less than 32 publications illegal as the law stood, selling under 6d., some consisting of half a sheet—others consisting of a sheet, and against which persons, by the existence of the Six Acts, had no protection. Some of the publications which he was bound to call illegal, contained information of a most excellent description. There was one put down lately at Manchester which was a publication better calculated to inform the lower classes of society than any publication he had eser read ; and if any thing in the shape of a letter, or any unusual expression got into such a publication as that, he did not see wi y its usefulness was to be disre spected any more than the dignity of the House, in which lie was to be considered, injured by the strange, anomalous, and inconsistent speeches, which some Members thought proper to make within its walls.—( Hear, and laughter.) Again, the Trades Herald of Glasgow, which had been suppressed, had discussed topics of general policy, and par ticularly the truck system, with an ability which be had never before observed. Many other such instances might be brought forward. When the Combination Acts were repealed, and when the present Lord Chief Justice of the Court of Common Pleas was Solicitor-General, in conse quence of an attack made on theFlouse, and himself (Mr. H.) for having recommended the repeal of those lowa, he thought it right, with some other gentlemen, to commence a publication, for the purpose of answering such attacks, and which was to be sold at a penny or twopence. After it was commenced the promoters of it were informed they could not answer the scurrility anal abusive language which had been employed without subjecting themselves to the lash of the law. lle took the opinion of the Solicitor- General upon the question, and he had now that written opinion, saying the Six Acts prevented them. He then made up his mind as he should recommend every other person to do—if persons cannot with safety answer such publications, then let those conducting them go on till they had completely exhausted their vocabulary of abuse. And he would request the Honourable Gentle man to abstain from urging the present Govern- ment either to continue to keep or to put new fetters on the Pres., the result of which could only be to cause ignorance to spread over the country. Instead of recommending such injudicious prosecutions as had been adopted, it would be infinitely more to his credit to come forward and advocate free discussion—free dis • cussion being calculated in the highest degree to elicit truth. For his (Mr. ll.'s) own part, he advocated the removal of every shackle that was at present imposed on the Press. He had more experience of the Press than the Hon. Gentle man who had just spoken, and the Right Hon. Member for Tamworth would recollect, that whilst prosecutions were going on against Carlile for blasphemy under the former Government, he (Mr. Hunt) proved by papers which I.e brought down to that House, that though before the prosecution the Paper to which he alluded, published by Carlile, had only a circulation of 1,000, it immediately after the prosecution °trained a circulation of 20,000, and under which prose cution that individual was imprisoned. Under the judicious conduct, in that respect, of the Right Hon. Member for Tamworth, Carlile was soon allowed to leave prison, and no more prosecutions took place. Carlile was then very soon brought down to a state in which he could scarcely ob tain the means of existence. Since that time two gentlemen very well a cquainted with both parties, prevailed with his Majesty's Government not to persevere with another prosecution against Cat lile ; Carlile thought the prosecution would not be carried on, and he wrote a letter, which he (Mr. H.) had seen, in which he expressed himself as greatly enraged at the idea of the Government not proceeding with the prosecution. His object was notoriety, and unfortunately for the principles of the Government—unfortunately for their principles, Carlile's publication went on. He would say nothing at present of the disgraceful circumstances under which that verdict was I raught in against Carlile—a verdict brought in by starving a Jury in the midst of winter after they had two or three times returned into Court unable to come to an unanimous verdict. He would say nothing about that that disgraceful circumstance; but what was the result with respect to Carlile's publication ? Why it had increased ten-fold, and since that titne an annuity had been settled upon that man for his life of 50/. and a similar an nuitylln the to s n his me wife, way to support n nyof them theseaga against • prosecutions t u h d o s t e prosecutions! werk w mis chief uilsd on ly tenth to inundate them throughout every part of th e coun try, to demoralize the public , chief in every possble way. Ile thought these prosecutions most ill-tithed on the part of his Majesty's Ministers, and equally ill-timed was every effort on the part of any Hon. Member in that House at this late hour of the day, to support any proposition calculated to fetter or to destroy the liberty of the Press. He held in his hand a petition from the National Union of the work ing classes of s ociet y , and which it was his inten tion to bring up when it came to his turn, praying for the repeal of the Six Acts. Ch a rles t he n lst had h pu ht s d o own v hand—the House liberty of tlstee ofP rcesnininsbynnasnnfoErdnignlaanedebywaitver very small majority had put down (for it amounted to that) the liberty of the Press in this country ; therefore, if there *as any credit due to the French people for driving that King from his throne because of that ordinance there would be equal credit due to the people of England ,s N o no," and " Yes, yes," No, for driving the statutes which fettered the P ress off the statute-book here.—(Cries of (Mr. H.) was not The Lord Advocate might think that he the Lord Advocate's voice bei n g uppermost m the nos. e) serious, but he could assure hi m 50d se ver y nous in any thing that House that he was never more se Member in Gentlemen by whom he was surrounde , a d he had ever uttered in that House. It was n very w w h e n ll h f a o d r always endeavoured to curtail the to call out " No ;" but he sincerely truste d the pre• snare on this sent Ministry would not be dran n into a liberty of the . Press, most important subject. If they wished for truth, then 'heir voice would I.e—let there be free discussion tut if they wished to st:tl tie tt Lab, theil let them not , nIY continue the existing shackles, but I4dothers upon .he poor unfortunate press, and which he was persuaded vould add infinitely to the distress which already prevailed hroughout the country. If the editor of the Poor Man's Guardian, should in a little while be thrown into prison, vhich he . (Mr. II.) had very little doubt would be the case, another editor would make his appear ince the very next day, and so it would be . throughout the 365 days of the year; and if Government ttempted to attack the Editors of such Publications in the way that they had already begun, they would find they had , indertaken a hopeless task. Let the Government remove -he Six Acts, and then all those who were aggrieved by "üblicntions would be at liberty to enter the field of defence nd controversy. Mr. RICE TREVOR said, that in no one instance had e evPr opposed the rational freedom of the public Press. But he would ask the Member for Middlesex, and he would ppeal to the House, whether there was no tlifferencebetweett freedom and its licentiousness. The Hon. Member fin liddlesex had attributed to the ignorance of the lowe) lasses all those crimes, and every other species of aim. Anation which disgraced the country. But he would isk, why (:id he make no allowance for those editions and blasphemous publications which, it was 6 veil- known fact, were circulated throughout the king. Sir FRANCIS BURDETT, convinced that tin. .ix Acts of Castlereagh memory had never been mended with beneficial results, recommended Hon Gentlemen, instead or urging his Majesty's Ministers tr commence fresh prosecutions, to bring forward a motion to place the law upon that constitutional footing on which it ',toot' before such innovations had been introduced.— (Hear, hear.) As to the publications in question, he con sidered them below judicial notice. Mr. O'CONNELL would tell the Hon. Member for Dundalk, that prosecutors bad never yet put down opinion. They might succeed in smothering it for a time, but ,it would soon break out, if not on the same spot, with increased strength elsewhere. Opinion should be 'met by counter-opinion ; statement by counter-statement ; .irgument by counter-argument; thus the public good aontemplated by the most honest prosecutors would, with out the slightest mixture of evil, he speedily attained. Mr. C. WYNN said the simple question was, whether every individual was to be at liberty to make public every excitement to crime which he thought proper. It mattered not how that excitement to crime was conveyed, whether in these words, which he had seen prominently in one .of those papers only yesterday—" down with Kings, Lords, Ind Priests, and particularly in England ;" or whe ther it were in the shape of advising the labourers of the counties of Kent and Sussex to set fire to ricks. The question appeared to him to be quite the same. The one and the other were excitements to 'crime, for bidden by the laws of this realM, and forbidden by the laws of every country which had a constitutional existence. The ATTORNEY-GENERAL said it was with a very strong feeling of having the public mind go along with Government in all prosecutions of that sort, before they were instituted against the individual, the opinion of the Grand Jury had been first taken in eve.y instance.— (Hear.) Most undoubtedly no Government in his judg ment could give up the right to proceed in cases of excite. meut to crime. But he always did consider it a matter that required to be dealt with with the greatest circumspec tion. There was one inconvenience he would now state which flowed from these prosecutions,—that was, that a wider diffusion of the mischief was lo be counted on and which probably might have been but for their Institu tions confined to the knowledge of a few. He had, therefore felt it, in the balancing of conveniences and inconveniences, to be infinitely better to leave to the public indignation and feeling of rectitude, all such publications, that they might dwindle into de served insignificance, rather than bring them forward into public notoriety by prosecution.—(Hear, hear.) Mr. ROBERT PEEL was happy to hear from a gen tleman holding the situation of the Hon.. and learned gen tleman, a complete denial of what had been charged to the Government. But he heard it slid that truth was to find its way by free discussion, and that sedition and bla-plretnv were to be left to effect their own cure. He admitted with the Hon. and learned gent: that severe laws ought not to be called into action too lightly, too frequently, nor with out the exercise of the greatest circumspection, and he thought there was great truth in the observation _of the Hon. Member for Middlesex, that prosecutions of this kind often tended to make persons proceeded against to a certain degree popu'ar. He thought the Hon. and Learned Gent. had acted wisely in enforcing those laws which he found on the Statute Book rather than proceeding against the parties for sedition and treason. It was painful to connive at such publications as those which had teemed from the press, but it was said that persons were behind who were the real authors, as it was said that the windows broken by a riotous mob, were in fact broken by the enemies of the Reform Bill, the Hon. Member for Middlesex called himself the great advocate of Constitutinal knowledge; but when the Hon. Member said there wus no difference be tween the acts of the Pulignac Ministry and Six Acts, when in fact that was the sort of knowledge which made the wide distinction, he could not give the Honourable Member the high character he claimed for himself. In times like these the great advocates for knowledge should guard themselves againt such excitement, as such topics were likely to produce. The Honourable Baronet hoped his Majesty's Government, knowing thal the efforts made to undermine the religious state and loyalty of the people, would act upon the experience they had had.—(Hear.) The petition was then read, and Mr. HUNT moved that it be printed, but there was coughing, and cries of " Oh, oh.") Mr. HUNT rose amidst the nase and confusion, but on his repeating " Oh, oh," laughter, and then a deep silence ensued, be had got but a few sentences when the coughing was resumed. lie, however ex pressed his determination to address the House or reply to what had fallen from such Hon. Members, and and he was speaking, amidst much confusion, when our Repot ter left. with latt r would itution rotec ight to so they er they .e well might The ier and Id been in pro-_ in pre he was Gallant ie vote luation rt these of oh,- ,e office place ;te; but that it • if this at steps former They be con- that the it was id often cult of n rnment. when it • ntly ap ippoint- cello!. of Ton the emended ;ive any official as a bad 2,0004 id been money ed to be .dered to idge was next he 'late the msion of Monday Cation of a Bill to le Noble duee the kid upon JSSIA. t of the iddinees ; tt the pit frequent tery fluid e ' pains ; excessive s, and by rse ; eyes I and like limb tinge e lips and spiration. tent ; .the arts ; the scarcely )et horrid ease just generally sometimes !25.) NAVAL INTELLIGENCE. (From the Portsmouth Herald of Sunday.) PORTSMOUTH, JUNE 25.—His Majesty's ship Stag, 46, Captain Sir E. T. Troubridge,. is hourly expected at this port from Plymouth, to join the squadron assembled here. His Majesty's ship Wasp, 18, Commander B. Popham (recently returned from the Mediterranean), was paid off on Monday, on which occasion her crew subscribed the sum of 4/. is. in aid of the funds of the seaman's hospital ship in the river. His Majesty's ship Brisk, 10, Commander E. H. But terfiald, was paid advanced wages yesterday, and is ex pected to sail to-morrow on particular service. It is sup posed she is destined for the coast of Africa, with despatches. His Majesty's, ship Briton, 46, Captain J. D. Mark land, C. 8., it is expected will proc...ed to Lisbon in a few days, with despatzhes fur Mr. Hoppner, his Majesty's Consul-General, and to relieve his Majesty's ship Ariadne, 28, Captain C. Phillips. The periodical inspection of the Portsmouth division of Royal Marines, and Royal Marine Artillery, by Major General Sir James Cockburn, Bart., the Inspector-Gene ral of the corps, commenced on Tuesday morning last, and terminated }esterday. We understand that some beautiful experiments were exhibited at the Marine Artillery Labo ratory, which seemed highly to gratify the Naval as well as Military men present, and on Friday, the Major- Gene ral inspected the Royal Marine Artillery at Fort Cumber land, where some fine practice was exhibited in the throw ing of both live and dead shells, as also in the firing shot at a target placed at a dist,nce, we should think, of from 500 to 800 yards from the batteries. There were also several Shrapnell shells and Congreve rockets thrown with fine effect. A Board of Admiralty, consisting of Rear-Admirals Sir T. Hardy, and the Hon. G. H. L. Duudas, together with Captain Hon. G. Elliot, principal secretary, arrived at this port on Sunday evening from London ; and on the foll o wi ng day, accompanied by Vice-Admiral Sir E. Codrington, G.C.B. (attended by his Secretary and Fla g Lieutenant), Rear-Admiral Parker, and the Hon. Captain Duncan of the Hon. Board of Ordnance. visited his Majesty's ships Caledonia, Prince Regent, Donegal, Ta+ lavera, Wellesley, Revenge, Asia, Barham, Alfred, Pearl, and Brisk. They also paid a visit to the Right Hon. Lord Yarborough in the Falcon yacht, at Spithesd, dining the same day at the Commander•in-Chief's. On Tues day the Board attended the half-yearly inspection of the students at the Ro%al Naval College, and visited his Ma jesty's ship Excellent, Corn. G. Smith, fitted for the pur pose of practical and experimental gunnery. During this visit they witnessed the trial of a plan proposed by Com. Smith, for the purpose of depressing ships' guns on the old carriage, a plan which, we understand, gives considerably more depression than can be obtained by the old carriage without this improvement. A very ingenious pendulous sight was also exhibited, (among a great variety of other inventions) constructed after the plan of Lieut. Browns R.N. formerly of the Excellent. The Board returned to London on Wednesday. Commander Alfred Luckraft is appointed to succeed Commander Bertram in the Revenge, and not Com mander Higgs. PIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS. Ve have now arrived at an impor taut stage in the Belgic to stion—a question' of no moment in. itself, but of iiu m se interest as containing the seeds of peace or war. - W have got a •King elect for Be l giu m. The represen at es of the Belgic people,_ after knocking at the door of - h4alais Royal, and being refused a minor Orleans by his other and guardian, have sent their crown to Mai lborough .ouse, and found a Prince of mature years and adequate .xperience ready to pat it on his bead. The following is he letter, announcing his determination, addis seed to the Belgic Deputation before their departure on Sunday : " GENTLEMEN,—I entertain a deep sense of the wish of which 'he Belgic Congress has made you the interpreters. " This mark of confidence is to me the more flattering, that it was not sought for on my part. " Human destinies do not present a more noble and more use ful task than that of being called to maintain the independence and consolidate the liberties of a nation. A mission of such high importance can alone determine me to abandon an indepen dent position, and to separate myself from a country to which I have been attached by ties and recollections the most sacred, and which has given me so many proofs of its benevolence and sym dathy. " I accept then, Gentlemen, the offer which you make me, it being understood that it will belong to the Congress of the na tional representatives to adopt the measures which can alone constitute the new State, and thus secure for it the recognition of the European Powers. It is thus that the Congress will give fle the power of devoting myself entirely to Belgium, and of con ecrating to its well-being and prosperity the relations which I have formed ifi countries whose friendship is essential to it, and to secure it, as much as depends upon my co-operation, an inde pendent and- happy existence. June 26, 1831." Such is the result of eight or nine months of continued negotiation—of conferences, at which not only the ordi nary Ambassadors of the great POwers now in London assisted, but extraordinary envoys, sent for this special ob• jest_of more protocols than might have reconstructed the political system of all Europe— of discussions in three or four legislative assemblies, and of two national deputations " in search of a Sovereign" to the two first capitals of Europe. With so many . elements of discord to controul —with so many opposing interests to adjust—with almost an anarchy to,manage in Belgium, and an obstinacy as for midable to encounter in Holland—with the Propagandist party raving for war, and 'attempting at every point of contact to provoke hostilities, and with two of the States chiefly interested, in a condition of almost continued in suriection against the settled principles of order, to show that they ha not established the doctrine of popular 1110.• vereignty in vain,—in short, with popular pride, suspi cion, fear, cupidity, and ambition, all at work,—it showed no common wisdom, dexterity; and moderation in the Plenipotentiaries of the Great Powers, to have brought things to their present bearing, and to have avoided a col lision so long. But it may be asked, what probability is there that the present arrangement is a definitive one— that the Belgic Congress will be satisfied with less than their original demands secured without purchase—or that the King of Holland will surrender to his revolted sub jects what the Conferences have already decided in his favour? Prince Leopold, it is apparent from hie letter, accepts the Belgic Crown only on condition that the Congress adopts the measures calculated to consti tute the new state, and to procure it the recognition of Europe. The measures on which the recognition of Europe is made to depend are the acceptance of the protocols ; and against these protocols both the Belgic Congress and Belgic Government have loudly protested. Luxemburg, Limburg, and the left bank of the Scheldt, are included in the territory described in the constitution as Belgium ; and the integrity of this territory the new King must swear to defend before he can ascend the throne. No engagement has, however, been taken against the aseans by which these provinces or districts may be left to the undisputed possession of the new state ; and if what the Belgians already consider their own can be acknow ledged to be theirs by the rest of Europe, without trying their rights by the ordeal of battle, or establishing the validity of their title by conquest, they would act very unreasonably and absurdly in objecting to pay some of the expenses which war would cost in order to prevent a war which would otherwise become inevitable. With the hope of such an arrangement an active negotiation has been going on between the Belgic Government and the London Conference, while the Deputation have been endeavouring to fulfil the ' object of their mission in obtaining the consent of Prince Leopold to become their Sovereign. The Belgic Plenipotentiaries, with out surrendering any of the rights asserted in their constitutional act, have come to a better under standing with the Conference than ever before had been realized or expected, and have left London for Brussels with the prospect that their proceedings will be ratified by the constituent assembly of their nation. The meeting of the Congress, on the 30th inst. or on the let July, will show us how far their expectations are well founded. We need scarcely say that we have our doubts,on the subject. But though the Belgians were satisfied with the peaceable acquisition of the disputed territory by means of a pecu niary indemnity —or, in other words, though they con sented to buy what they already call their own,—another party remains to be reconciled to the new arrangement.— The King of Holland has had two ambassadors in Lon don, to insist before the Conference on the rights of their master. The instructions of these gentlemen have not permitted them to accept of the pecuniary advantages, of which the Dutch are said to be so fond, and of which the Dutch Government now stands in so much need. A memb e r of the Conference, Baron Wessenberg (the Aus trian envoy), was therefore despatched on Sunday to the Hague, to announce to his Dutch Majesty the result of the negotiation, and urge his ratification of the final arrangement. The King of Holland, though an obstinate, is a sensible man, and although he has been deeply wounded by the proceedings of the last ten months. he must be aware that he could neither gain glory nor territory in a war of which his allies disapproved. Besides, the contest between him and the Belgians, about Luxemburg, is one in which the Dutch nation can feel no interest, and for which they therefore incur no expense. To them the pecuniary in. demnity which would lighten . their burdens, would be a far more acceptable offering than an alien province which might endanger their tranquillity by its revolts, but which could never add to their resources by its industry or its wealth. The possession of Luxemburg is a mere family matt e r of the House of Nassau; and as the Hollanders have got rid of the wealthier Belgians, they would not be disposed to fight for the retention of the poorer. The temper of his people may induce King 'William to listen to the Austrian envoy ; and thus, by sanctioning Prince Leopold's elevation to the sovereignty of a territory which he can swear to maintain with the consent of all parties, save the peace of Europe.— Times. The Courier of last night has the following observa tions on an extract in the Chronicle of Monday, on the disposition of the Clergy of the Chorch of England : " It has been much the fashion of late to abuse the Clergy ; and truth to tell, the illiberal or indiscreet conduct of some of its members has put weapons into the hands of their opponents much more powerful t han any which the bitterest enemies of the Church Establishment could have obtained from their own re sources ; but is it fair to anathematize a whole body for the finis, conduct of a few 7—and ought we in our just regret-,indignation if you will—at the display of violence and prejudice which we have witnessed in that few, to inculcate a feeling and hatred for a class of persons with whom we would wish, from . temporal and spiritual considerations, to live in terms of amity and love? Our cont em p o r a ry assumes that the Clergy at large are opposed to the Reform Bill ; but on what does be g round h is assumption ? The declarations of certain leading individuals of that body. And whp are those individuals ? Persons who are either directlY.t will lead interested in resisting the Ref orm Bill, under the impression that! to a church fleform , o n e of the chief features of which would be the equaliza t i on ofchurch revenues, or others, wh o, f rom the monkish seclusion in which they received their education, arrived at once on the spot of their future pastoral duties among persons either wholly uneducated, or so partially informed, as to confirm rather e i l c Vn e r d tne Peace, th a n remove the narrow prejudices of a mere college educatko, Th e system a religion and morality taught in ovr Universities, Pastor, who is but too frequently also the pomp is not sufficient to ren w d o e r r io t i ll y e c C o l n e s r i g d y r n a e ti i on w s ir o e r n t jo o y p g re n i od mre ben th e e _ fices indifferent to mipd for gener_ous sentiments. We consequently find the the declared opponent of liberal doc trines: t, ,t what are these in number compared with the hard- - working Clergy, who have everything to ho . Pram„ • ' an ecniali zation of church revenues, and the Cl....is P y v of large tOwns olio, i n their commerce )vith the . nfen of the world, ' acquire, enlargecl anp liberal ideas ? Two-thirds of the ill paid clergY have had no opportunity of declar* mgtheir . sentiments, and the honourable feelings advocates of Reform in large towns or pomp rural, r s a J 1 a ns, . of the Clerical them quiet, because such men do - not an cities, have h t ave _lc4 politics tgthorreticiova, yet, because the Minoifiahle l anTl 4ll lf l e. veren be an A p of that, whose brOther, une.e, or patron happe ns to ,„ ,iiti7Reformer, makes 'a great outcry against iteform, the q":enick censures in the lump a class of the most 4in i,ole men, taken as a body, that this ' , other or any country contains. This is not fair. There wealt hy and well - beneficed of our Clergy, 'um's; are many,. even among the who are therefore friendly of liberal minds, and to Reform, and among the C'er 4 large there must be from interest ' • • and prinziple, a vast majority favourable to a titan of Reform, winch 'I '' - all human' pro bability, be folloWed by a Reformation"wi 1, in a to the spirit cf the age, but at the of . the Church _ favourable same time just and kind to the Established Clergy, and conducive Christian religion. 'We hate thisto the true interests of the illiberal —it is ill-timed_and in abuse . of the Church. 1i is , the main we aro sire it is un deserved. We really do not understand exactly what our con temporary would be at. We are, however, inclined to . . think that in the main there • is po mighty differewe e tween us. According to him, the m syst of religion and mora lity taught in our V o i se a ties is not such as to render the Clergy indifferent to World! 'd ' • Worldly c . oosi erations, or to pi-epare the mind for generous sentiments, and conse quently the rural, well-fed P isto ' (frequently also the Just i ce of Peace) i s the declared•'r opponent of liberal doc trines ; but these are outnnmbered b y the hard-working Clergy, who have every thing hope to from an equaliza tion of Church Rev enues . T wo-thirds of the ill-paid Clergy have had no n opportunity of declaringtheir senti ments, &C. With respect to the facts of the case, all we k no w is, that in all th e elections as at Dorsetshire, E sse x, Leicestershire, c ' s i . - ' ~ those Clergy who had votes, with kw exceptions, voted • in favour of the Anti- Reform candidates. "It has been matter of surprise and pain to us," says a miter in the Edinburgh Review, •‘ that vi many pastors of a Christian Church should have deemed it decent to crake CUII/1110t1 cause with the rotten •strougha. We lament that the C'ergy and the body of the English people, seem at le 'at in political opinion and feelinz, '0 be separated, b.' such a distance—we had almost said such a chasm." Wherever the opportunity has been afforded, the clergy and people have been op posed to each other. That those of the Clergy who are ill paid, and who have " anything to hope from an equa liz rtion of Church revenues," and a very poor prospect under the system of unequal distribution, would hail an equalizaton is very probable. But it is precisely because the Clergy who possess political influence suspect that an eclesiastical will follow a Parliamentary Reform, that they are so hostile to the latter. Were there an equaliza tion of Church revenues, or anything even approaching to it, the Church of England would not be what it is ; it would not be hostile to the people, and the people would not be hostile to it. It is the circumstances in the state of the establishment that cause its illiberality, to which Reformers are opposed, not the men themselves; under circumstances calculated to indentify the Clergy in interests with the people, they would of course be as well disposed towards the pecple as they are at present ill-disposed. Those Clergy even, who would gain by ecclesiastical reform, are so much controuled by the system, that they dare not give expression to their wishes. They are slaves, who must speak as those who have power over them command. No one blames them for this, any more than he blames any man whose condition deprives him of independence for not displaying independence. The Clergy may or may not be " a class of the most amiable men, taken as a body, that this or any other country contains." This is a point respecting which the experience of different men will lead them to express different opinions. But we are not ca'led on to consider any such matter. Our business is with the esprit de corps which the Clergy possess, and that spirit is unfortunately opposed to the welfare of the people of England. It leagues them necessarily with corrup tion, and renders them the constant enemies of all im provement. We look upon it as an unspeakable calamity that, from the monopoly of education which they possess, they should have so mach power Over the youth of four teen of the country. The Courier has really not contra dieted any thing stated by us. We did not suppose that Clergymen were made of a clay different from that of which other men are made. We merely meant to state that they are subjected to an influence which makes them the enemies of the people; and we have no hesitation in saying, that so long as that influence exists, they will be the staunch opponents of good Government. That there are many individuals among the Clergy friendly to Reform and friendly to improvement we know ; but these are exceptions to the general character. Re form will add to the number of these good men. Re form will enable a Ministry to place in elevated situations such men as the Rev. Sydney Smith, Dr. Whateley, Dr. Maltby, Dr. Arnold of Rugby, and others, who with great talents and learning, possess an ardent love for the good of their fellow-creatures. In time the narrow spirit which for a hundred years past has made the Clergy the abettors of every war, the enemy of civil and religious liberty, and of Parliamentary Reform, may he got under. At present, however, there is no dis guising the fact, that the spirit of the order is upon the whole bad. In a literary point of view their merit is unquestionably low. Their education, according to Dr, Arnold, of Rugby; is not such as to enlarge the mind. " Where," says Mr. Beverly, " are these scholars whom we hypocritically pretend to foster and en courage by a judicious dispensation of ecclesiastical ems uments ? Who are the clerical scholars of your Grace's (York) diocese? I know but two worthy of that name, and one of them has been as com pletely neglected and overlooked as if he bad been a priest of the Antipodes. Here, however, we touch upon a sore subject, at which I shall but glance at pre sent, hoping on a future occasion to pay it more attention. Let me, however, in passing, observe, that though learn ing, as far as bribery can go, is more encouraged in the English Universities than in any country in the world, and though the education of England is exclusively in the hands of the Clergy, yet never was learning at so low an ebb, and never was our state of scholarship so con temptible as at present. Ido not, therefore, merely deny that the Clergy are learned men, but I deny that learning exists anywhere in England at present. We know many a gentleman who is called learned ; many a stripling 'of prodigious talents,' at both the Universities ; but when their erudition is more closely examined, it sinks into in significance compared with the real genuine learning to be found on the Continent, where there are no bribes, no pluralities, no fellowships, no deaneries, and no bishop rics. In England we are dying of plethory : we are crammed up to the throat with good things;_ the morsels meant to reward scholarship are so rich and heavy that they kill, but do not nourish ; and unless the Church is soon bled to syncope, we shall return to estate of middle age darkness and ignorance, merely for want of some vi gorous band to remove superfluities."—Morning Chron, We have abstained from making any remarks upon the dreadful transaction by which so many of the King's sub jects have lost their lives under the fire of the yeomanry; because we found that Government had promptly ordered prejudge the be i a lo r i e d g e u n la b r y in th v e es c ti o g r a o ti n o e n r: i a n nd a , dd n i o t t io w n i t s o hin t g he to in p q r u e j i case upon ex-parte statements, we await the result of such inquiries—only taking the liberty to observe that, as far as the evidence is known, it ascertains one important fact, which is, that the men fired without orders, or without the sanction of a Magistra'e; at least such is tha testimony of Lieu'enant Nunn, of the yeomanry. He says every shot was fired, as far as he could judge, without the knowledge or consent of a Magistrate, or Captain Graham; and this ton within a few minutes after the people whose cattle had been distrained for non-payment of tithe, and the Rev. Mr. M'Clintock, the Rector, bad agreed to leave the matter in dispute, as to an alleged overcharge of tithe, to two arbitrators. If this turns out to be correct, we trust Government will see that, whatever proceeding it may be uecessary to take in Courts of Justice , the yeomanry that fired upon a crowd of men, women, and children, under such cir cumstances, are unfit to bear his Majesty's arms, and should be relieved from the labour of disgracing the uniform of a sol dier. On the Merthyr-Tydvil case we would have equally abstained from comment until a regular inquiry had taken place, if we saw that any was intended, liut, although, in that instance, nearly one hundred persons bad been killed or severely wounded, not only did Government send down no person to institute a special inquiry, but even the ordi nary process of a Coroner's inquest was not beard of 4 nor indeed was any reason given why it wail out held, until we demanded, on the behalf of the public, some regular in vestigation into the cirevonstance of that most calamitous affair. It ryas thei, that the time-serving portion of the Press, whose writers—the Swiss of political morality are only true to the principle that " whatever is, is right," declared that no Coroner's inquest, or o.thez investigation, was necessary. It was also said that, as the bodies had been removed and secretly busi e d by the friends of those who had fallen, no Coroner's inquest could be held. We showed that, even if the bodies could not be discovered, no defect of justice need follow, became a writ might be directed to one or more Magistrates to, Laid an inquest, which the Coroner can only d;.; super risum Since then one the Magistrates has been authorised to hold such an inquest. It has been brought to a tern:. nation, in the case of one of the persona allot, and a verdict of " Justifiable homicide' returned. Thus the inquiry has been ollte t ined which we demanded, and, therefore, we not agitate the question in vain,— A write; who diffuses not light, but " darkness visible," through the sleep and mystical cohmans of the Monmouthshire Merlin, expressed great indignation at our having dared to call 4br an inquiry into this affair, and now espressea as nitwit satisfaction at such an in quiry hating taken j4ace. He calls it a Coroner's in 4ueSt, we presume, oecause it was not held by the Coro. nor ; just as he said before that no inquiry was requisite because he could give no official account of the circum stances which led to the destruction of so many lives. He is now enabled to give an official account, and what• ever satiafacsion he derives from having it in his power to record legal evidence, taken upon oath, instead of vague, uncertain, and unauthenticated rumours, he owes to us, and ought to feel grateful for our exertions in pro curing it for him. But, in writing upon the subject of a " coi•oney's inqoesti" we have been impeached of some knowledge of the law of the land' relativa to the subject on which we wrote—nv. Inge, we . are strongly suspected by the oracular .44114 - 4, of having read a book whereiinch knowledge might be found. We are obliged to lead g oty to both charges. We confess we have nn dun to belong to that class of public writers who feel confident of their qualification to •inatruct others in pro• portion to their own ignorance. Nor have we any claint4 like the liy , ely editor of the Merlin, to that sect a learn ing which comes merely by inspiration. An editor who could gravely tell the public that an inquest could not be held because the Wies of the slain could not be found, may consider it a reproach to he acquainted with the laws of his country, but he considers it no disgrace that ip consequence of that ignorance he should mislead the public. It was far more disgraceful in us, no doubt, to show that, although a "Coroner's inquest" could not be held under such Circumstances, yet an " inquest" by a Justice of the Peace might, We imagine our -Monmouth frieirl know more of " crowner s s quest" law than of ant. thing to be found either in Coke or Blackstone. The sa - - tisfriction which he appears to feel at finding that he has been convicted of gross ignorance reminds us of an aueodote relating to Dr. Johnson, which we shall tell him The Doctor, being in company with a military officer, whO was boasting of his exploits in foreign countries, took the liberty of setting him right on a point of geo graphy. The Bobadil waxed wroth at being interrupted in his narrative by so frivolous a consideration, and, look ing fiercely at the Doctor, exclaimed in a voice of thunder, " Sir, I thank my God I am ignorant of geography, and all such matters." The Doctor, no way daunted, coolly replied, " Let me tell you, Sir, if you thank God for all that you do not know, you have abundant cause to be grateful." To the editor of the Merlin we say " Mutate noniine de le Tabula narrator."—Morning Herald. Perhaps one of the most remarkable features of the impossible Bill is a provision introduced into the clause conferring as foll o wserringtltefra:_nchise on 101. householders. It is lite .. Provided always, That no tenant so occupying such pre mises as aforesaid at a yearly rent of not less than ten pounds, shall by reason thereof acquire a vote in the election for any city or borough, if such rent shall be payable snore frequently than once in every half-year , or if by any agreement or con trivance, or by virtue of any local ta ct of Parliament or other wise, the landlord shall be liable to the payment of the rates for the relief of the poor in respect of such premises : Provided, nevertheless, that where by virtuo of any local Act of Parlia ment the landlord shall be liable to the payment of such rates, it shall be lawful for any such tenant to claim to pay such rates, and upon Isis actually paying the same to acquire the right of voting as it his landlord had not been so liable for such rates." This is altogether a most hopeful provision. What the object may be of the regulation respecting the half-yearly payment of rents it remains for the sages who have intro doced it to explain. Seeing that, with very rare excep tions, all leases provide for the payment of rent quarterly, it appears to us either that the whole clause conferring the household franchise is hereby rendered little better than a nullity, or that a most unconscionable power is vested in proprietors of houses throughout the kingdom. To every petty landlord is thus to be entrusted the ab solute power not only of controlrng but of making or suppressing at pleasure as many votes as be happens to possess houses worth 101. a-year and up wards. Here is indeed an astounding specimen of the " borough influence" held in so much horror by our Reformers, who for a Duke of Newcastle at Newark and a Marquis or Exeter at Stamford would substitute a sys tem of perfect despotism in every borough in the kingdom. And these are the means by which a "full, free, and fair representation" is to be obtained ! The second part of this proviso is scarcely inferior in absurdity to the first. h roofers one right upon the tenant (that of voting), on condition that he divest himself of another right secured to him by Act of Parliament (that of exemption from the payment .of rates). To obtain the elective franchise he must insist upon doing himself a positive wrong, despite the legislative enactment in his favour, which this Bill kindly allows him to disregat d and evade. Such is dame 21 of the Reform scheme.—Morning Post. The claim respecting the 44 LoVAT" peerage has been revived. The claimant of the peerage has peti tioned for a Committee of Privileges to meet thereon on the 30th inst. The Committee are 0 take the application into consideration on the 29th. In the course of former inquiries respecting this peerage, some evidence regarding the manners and language of old Lord LOYAT of so ex traordinary a character was adduced, that its printing was suppressed. MR. PITT'S OPINION OF THE CRIMINA L LAWS.-" So deeply was Mr. PITT convinced of the improper severity of our laws, that, to my knowledge, that distinguished' person had it in contemplation to submit the whole of our penal code to the revision of some able lawyers, for the purpose of digesting a plan to diminish the sanguinary nature of its punishments—so inconsistent with the justice and humanity for which this country is peculiarly distinguished."—Mr. Wilberforce's Speect in the House of Commons, Feb. 9thlSlo. ON DIT.—We understand that a curious cir cumstance connected with the publication of the " Young Duke" occurred recently. A lady of high birth, who sup posed that some of the scenes of the novel pointed in too marked a manner at her, has broken off a matrimonial en gagement with a gentleman to whom she was betrothed on the plea of his having betrayed her confidence, for in no other way can she account for the appearance of certain particulars in the pages of the novel, The weather continues to be of the most genial description; and front ail quarters we are happy t o learn that the crops are making the most rapid progress. The crops in the western glens and braes of Angus never looked better than they do this year ; they have suffered nothing from the late drought; and from the present fine showers a most abundant crop may ba expected. Hay will not be an extra, bdt the present rains will insure a fair crop.— Caledonian Areralory. ANECDOTE OF SHAKSPEARE.--.MI. COL LIER gives the following anecdote of the great dramatist on the authority of an ancient M.S. :—" March 13,1601. Upon a tyme when %MUDGE played Rich. 3, there was a citizen grew so faire in liking with him, that before shee went from the play she appointed him to come that night unto her, by the name of Rich. the 3. SHAK SPEARE, overhearing their conclusion, went before, was entertained, and at his game ere BURSIDGE came. Then, messagQ being brought that Rich. the 3 was at the lore, Si4AWSPEARE caused returne to be made, that William the Conqueror was before Rich. the 3..--SHAKSAEARE'S name WILLm. Mr. TooLY." For thQ last eight days the weather has been all that could be wished, consisting of a delightful sue- cession of sunshine and rain that has nearly effaced the alarming symptoms which many weeks of excessive drought has occasioned on the growing crops. Vegeta tion of every description is now flourishing vigorously and the country generally presents a most cheering aspect. Voles. an adverse change should take place in the state of the atmosphere, there is at present every reason to expect a season of abundance, with an unusually early harvest. —Cumberland Packet. The anecdote of SHAKSPEARE and BUR UAtiIt, which Mr. J. PAYNE COLLIER has published in his " History of Dramatic Poetry and the Stage," from so authentic a source, and which has hitherto been a matter of mere tradition, has bees made the subject of a spirited little one-aot French piece, called Shakspeare Amoureur, which has just been brought out in Paris. Mr. COLLIER discovered the anecdote several years ago, and made no secret of it, particularly mentioning it to some distin guished foreigners, and among them an individual con nected with the Parisian Stage, which may account for its appearance there. The anecdo:es of BEN JOHNSON, JouN AliAtts.lol4, SeENsEn, and others, supplied by Mr.CowEbt, from the same contemporary manuscript in the Museum, are quite new. Those who are able to appreciate the strength of womou's feelings, and the nature of woman's delicacy, and sensitiveness, will be grieved, but not surpri,ed, to learn, that Miss Ftwarttr., the victim of the lust of LUKE DILLON, has been unable to survive the misery of her situatie,o. She died, we understand, last week, at Bangor, to which place she had been conveyed by her fttmily, under the vain hope that change of scene would heal the wounds of a laroken boat t. Those who saw no thing but levity and forwardness in her unsuspecting inno cence, and the tricks of a wanton in her devoted affection, may learn, front such a termination, to do justice to her memory, and to amend their opinions of the sex.— Oto •terve.r. LAUGHABLE CURE FOR FITS.—On Satur day a gross imposter, who is in the habit of exciting public sympathy by failing down in fits, pursued his avo cation in Holborn, when a wag came out and exclaimed, 4, Hang it, the poor devil will catch cold, put him on this straw." The man was laid upon the straw, when he kicked and distorted his countenance in the most violent manner, until the person who provided the bed brought light and set fire to it, the heat of which caused the sudden recovery of the afflicted man, who, as if by magic, jumped up and started off with a rueful eonntenance and all possible speed, amid the laughter of all. PERSONAL VANITY OF QUEEN ELIZA.. avni.—At this date (1584) I.IIaBETH, never engaging, was 51 years old ; but nothing can place her personal vanity in a more ridicalous light than the following extract from the Reg Were of the Privy Council, dated 13th July, 159 Q, witen she was twelve years older, and when ber Ministers, for the er.-cond time, were called upon gravely to interpose their authority to put an end to the distribu tion of unfavourable likenesses of the QUEEN, offensive to her aelf.conceit. 4 ‘ 30 July, 1596.—A warrant to her Maiestiee Sergeant Paynter, and to all publicke officers, to yielde him their assistance touching the .abuse, com mitted by divers unskilful artisans, in unseemly and im properly painting', gravinge, and printinge of her MA 7 JEsuEs person and vysage, to her Masimisis%llfea,t offence, and disgrace of that beautyfull apriqcA nc _ • 0011 MAJESTY wherewith God bath ble,r)l4.S • , q to ui h ri:g all t o h w em ed, to bu c t at:ll a. her " n ij iseinri to b' eanK sh shall first Pave 'W it ted from C , Council Chest."—Extrac Dramatic English Poetr,y. sTuchhe.e .1- ' k.. 1