The Sun. — London, England, 1833-11-28 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF TIIE PUBLIC JOURNALS. We yesterday alluded to an advertised reso lution, passed by a meeting of the friends of political freedom at Brighton, towards promot ing a subscription to indemnify Mr. Cohen, editor of the Brighton Guardian newspaper. for a fine to which he was sentenced by the Court, in consequence of the verdict of " guilty" found against him in a prosecution by a certain magistrate of Sussex, at the last Summer As sizes at Lewes, as likewise to repay him the costs of the said prosecution. On reading over the report of the trial in question, there ap pears matter abundantly sufficient to confirm all our worst impressions of the state of the libel law in this country, as it affects the liberty of speech and writing with regard to political subjects. The Brighton Guardian, in No vember, 1832, inserted a paragraph, wherein, after enumerating some incendiary fires which had occurred about fifteen or twenty miles from Brighton, the writer took occasion to remark the exemption from such fires of those districts in whose neighbourhood certain magistrates resided, while the vicinity of other magistrates had b .en deplorably tormented by them ; more( vsr, that in some places the magistrates had persecuted the people, and would not let them expresstheir opinionsby meetings or unions, but had applied the term " mob" to parties so applying for a redress of grievances, and had transported them ; further, that the oppressed labourers had no way of making their wants known but by burning the stacks of those who were obnoxious to them ; that at Horsham the case was different, for there the middle classes had refused to abet the Magistrates, or to be sworn in special constables, to prevent the la bourers from making known their grievances, and that the consequence was, the labourers considering the middle classes as their friends, that therefore the middle classes, instead of assisting the upper classes to oppress the lower, ought to make common cause with the peasantry for the protection of their property, &c. Against the Brighton Guardian, for the above para graph, bills of indictment were found by a grand jury of magistrates, which bills set forth a great deal about its being the purpose of the journalist to vilify the administration of justice —to cause it to be believed that Justices of the Peace were guilty of persecuting the King's subjects—to excite hatred and ill-will in th e lower classes against the upper—to persuade them that they were despised by the upper classes— to instigate them to set barns, &c., on fire— to deter Magistrates from doing their duty— and to discourage the middle classes from taking on them the office of special constables, and so. forth. Now, all we shall say is, that if such a congregation of enormous offences were neces sarily or rationally to be inferred from the lan guage recited as having been employed by the Brighton Guardian in reference to the conduct of Magistrates and to the incendiary fires, there is, not a journal of any character in the metro polis, or throughout the entire kingdom, which might not, any titne these two years past, have been hooked into a prosecution for libel, nor, in fact, would there be a shadow of security. or protection for the press of England in venturing to utter one syllable about the abuse of power or the wants or sufferings, the errors or offences, of the poor. Who has not thought, who has not a thousand times repeated, that country Magistrates have in many instances oppressed and degraded the labouring classes ? Who has not said a thousand times, that some Magis trates, by their harsh and unfeeling spirit, have rendered themselves obnoxious to the poor, and that the exasperation of the latter has shown itself in every form of crime and mis chief ? Who, again, would not advise the middle classes, as we ourselves do conscientiously and deliberately, to make common cause with the labouring poor, or indeed with any other order of the King's subjects, for the resistance of oppression, whenever oppression is exercised? It will be allowed by every one who read the report of the trial, that a fairer, more creditable, or becoming defence was never made than by Mr. Cohen in reply to the counsel for the prose cuting magistrate ; and that it would be impos sible for any Judge to have summed up with grew er integrity or candour, or to have submitted a case to the Jury with a more anxious desire that the defendant should have ample justice. On a careful perusal of that charge, had we known nothing more of the matter, it would have been our full persuasion that the verdict must hare been in favour of Mr. Cohen ; yet he was not only found guilty by a Sussex Jury, hut, on the 18th inst., when brought up for judgment, although the Judge himself had dis carded from the case all the trash about exciting the lower classes against the upper, and although a crowd of affidavits, attesting the honourable and oseful conduct of the Brighton Guardian at the time of the fires, were laid before the Court, Mr. Cohen was sentenced to pay a fine of 50/., should be imprisoned for six months in the county gaol of Sussex, should give bail for his /food behaviour for three years, himself in 100/. and two sureties in 50/. each, and that he should be further imprisoned until such fine was paid. Now, without insinuating the slightest suspi cion that the Court of King's Bench has not administered the law of this case in the most discreet manner, according to its judicial con science, we beg leave to ask whether the law itself, which so visits with severe fine and pros Jonged imprisonment such an expression of political opinion as that for which Mr. Cohen has been punished, can by possibility, under the reformed Legislature of a free country, be suffered to endur e tor one other ses , ion, nay, for one month of the session now approaching? All the bad qua lities of the libel law have been exhibited in this one instance,—its uncertainty, its occasional cruelty, its revolting subserviency to vindictive purposes. it is, we say once more, impossible that such a state of law should endure, or that under it any thing like freedom of opinion should prosper. 'We may take this opportunity of noticing a gross misrepresentation of our obvious meaning in the article of Tuesday on some late libel pro secutions in the North. We stated that the Tories, who made such an outcry about Lord Dot ham s proceedings against his libellers, had no indignation to vent against the lamentable case of' an unfortunate lady who had been sub jected to imprisonment by the unnecessary rigour of Lord Lonsdale's agent, for a libel with which beyond the ci rcumstance she had nothing to do, of her being part proprietor of the journal in which it appeared. Could any person not blinded by malice or stupidity call this a justifi cation of one prosecution by a reference to an other ? We have expressed and repeat our disapprobation of Lord Durham's proceeding against the press, but we repeat that the prose cution of the Carlisle journalist has been con ducted with a severity of which Lord Durham's nature is wholly incapable.—Times. The Brighton Guardian, the proprietor of which has been lately sentenced to pay a fine of 501. and to be imprisoned six months in Chelms ford gaol, complains of us and some of our contemporaries, for not raising our voice against this very severe punishment. We owe an apo logy to him and to our readers for not having instantly expressed our strong disapprobation of an attempt to revive persecution through the instrumentality of Courts of Law. The short paragraph for which Mr. Cohen has been pu nished, was what may be termed indiscreet. It was a communication from a correspondent, received shortly before the paper went to press. It contained strictures on the conduct of the magistracy, in the administration of the poor laws, amply borne out by abundance of evi dence published by order of the House of Com mons (and in particular we may refer to the evidence of the Poor-Law Commissioners), and some questionable observations, to the pur port, that where the middle classes had supported the magistracy in their proceedings ith regard to the working people, there have been fires ; but that where the middle classes had refused to sup port the magistracy in such proceedings,there had been no fires. The tendency of these last ob servations, it was argued, was to deprive the Magistracy of that support, without which they could not carry the laws into execution ; and, whatever we may think of the conduct of the Magistracy, and, however much we may wish the institutions of the country altered in as far as regards them, we are ready to allow, that if men invested with authority by law are not supported in the exercise of that authority, confusion and anarchy must ensue. The observations were, therefore, indiscreet : but who is always on his guard at all times ? The Bench acquitted Mr. guard of all intention of provoking to incen diarism ; and, indeed, from the whole tenor of the articles in the Brighton Guardian, it was sufficiently evident that Mr. Cohen constantly dissuaded the people from violent and outrageous conduct. The severity of Mr. Cohen's sentence has excited a strong feeling in his behalf in the scene of his labours ; and already a meeting has been held with a view to the payment of his fine by subscription. All, o , course, that can be done by his neighbours, will be done ; but his long term of imprisonment, in a distant gaol, is a punishment which admits of no alle viation. Judges must themselves be tried at the bar of public opinion ; and we have no hesitation in saving, that at that bar the sentence against Mr. Cohen will not be approved of. Of late years the public feeling has set in strongly against severe punishments; and this has very properly led to extensive alte rations in our criminal law. It was felt that punishment, to be efficacious in deterring from crime, should not, by its severity, enlist the public sympathy on the side of the offender. It is the same with offences of the press as with other offences : the punishment will always de feat itself if it exceed what is generally thought the due measure. Mr. Cohen will appear in the eyes of most men a martyr rather than an offender; and we need hardly observe, that whenever the public feeling is with the offender, the tribunal necessarily loses part of the regard in which all men would wish our courts to be held. There is another consideration to be attended to. Mr. Mabbett, the prosecutor,was a Sussex magistrate. The offence had reference to the conduct of Sussex magistrates. Twenty out of the twenty-three persons composing the grand jury who found the bill, were magistrates. Mr. Cohen was tried by a special jury composed of men of the class of the prosecutor. Had he been tried by a common jury, in all probability he would have been acquitted. Had he been tried in the courts of Middlesex, whether by special or common jury, the chances are a hundred to one he would have been acquitted. What sort of law is that ti hich varies continually in this manner ? In one place a man is applauded for what at a distance of ten miles is deemed an offence. How often have we not seen the origi nal publication acquitted, and the publication which copied the alleged libel convicted ? With respect to certain acts, all men are agreed. No man would hesitate a moment to find a verdict of guilty where what is every where deemed a crime or an offence has been proved. But it is otherwise with regard to the expression of opi nions. To punish those of whose opinions we do not approve, is not the best way to obtain regard for what we may deem the truth. The correspondent of Mr. Cohen, who thought that where the middle classes supported Magistrates there were no fires, stated nothing which could not have been easily refuted. It is allowed that the Brighton Guardian did not provoke the labouring classes to recur to incendiarism. Why, then, is Mr. Cohen's error to be deemed such an offence, that nothing less than a fine of 501., and an imprisonment of six months, will expiate it ? The proprietor of the Brighton Guardian does both the Ministers and ourselves injustice when he supposes that on account of the Ministers we could not " be expected to notice such an insignificant thing as a Country Editor, shut up in prison for six months • for not worshipping the " Great Unpaid." The Ministers are dependant on public opinion, and it cannot be serviceable to them that an un fortunate journalist should be so severely dealt with in the way of punishment, as to become an object of general sympathy. The fate of Sir James Scarlett, whose conduct in the pro , secution of the Morning Journal was repro bated by most of the present Ministers, and ' approved of by no liberal public man, with the exception of Sir Francis Burdett, will always operate as a warning to Ministers against pro secutions for libel, calculated to injure them in public opinion. The sentence cannot possibly serve Ministers. In fact, Ministers must be perfectly well convinced of the necessity of allowing, in a country like this, great latitude to opinion. They will assuredly not strengthen themselves by relying on any other ally than reason in enforcing their principles. 0,1 what ever grounds the sentence may be defended, ic cannot certainly be defended on the ground of its benefiting the Administration. We cannot close these observations, without reminding the proprietors of newspapers to reflect that the liberty of the press must always be like a hot house plant in agricultural districts. Freedom of discussion can only take root in large towns. Country gentlemen are very well in their way ; hut we should be very sorry to be tried by a jury of them. Woe to the unhappy wight whose lot it is to publish a Liberal Journal in a district in which squires bear sway ! After the trial of Sir Francis Burdett, at Leicester, for a letter published in London, but put into a post-office in Leicestershir e , juries of squires should constantly be present to the mind of a public writer.—Morning Chronicle. Another candidate has appeared to share the honour of resistance to the-King's - Commission with the Corporation of Leicester and the Mas- ter and Wardens of the Company of Merchant Tailors. We begin to suspect that there must have been something revolutionary in the Reform Bill, when we find the Tories make a merit of resisting the King's Commission. It used not to be so in the good old times. But times are changed. The political wheel has gone round, and the Tories, finding themselves at the bottom instead of the top, cry out against power, because it has passed from their hands into the hands of other people, who, we will allow, know some times how to abuse it—almost as well as them selves. The new candidate, however, for the honour of resistance, is the Corporation of Nor wich, which by its Sheriff's, Messrs. Brown and Steward, has announced to the Commissioners that they must expect no information from that quarter, because they ask for it in the King's name. Without considering whether the pre rogative has or has not been duly exercised in this instance, we only say that this is a new tone for the Tories ; and, as we never heard it from the same party before the passing of the Reform Bill, we suppose it is the revolution with which, during the progress of that measure, they so often threatened us and frightened themselves. Another circumstance, which is rather unfortunate for the resisting Corporations, is the awkward predicament i n which they stand with respect to character. They ask for the allowance of high motives ; but high motives can only be conceded to high character, and it was not exactly fOr the attitude of their pretensions in this respect, but for something very like the reverse, that the Com mons and people of England called out for inquiry—deep, searching, effectual inquiry, which those worthies are so anxious to repel. One of the indications of high motives used to be a disdain of all concealment. " There are no mysteries in honest men." But honest men and honest Corporations are, it seems, different things, and may avail themselves of different, and even contrary, methods of illustrating their respective advantages. One seeks the sun and the other the shade ; but the world has so little sentiment, that we doubt whether it can ever be brought to sympathise very cordially with those modest lovers of darkness who endeavour to bring the light itself into disrepute, under the nick-name of tyranny. Say what they will people cannot help suspecting that the Corpo rations have motives personal to themselves for the course which they are now pursuing. And the reason why people suspect it is because they know that there is ground for it on the very face of the transaction, in which they are committed with the Government and the people at large. But the Sheriffs of Norwich shall speak for themselves : —" Remembering that a Commission issued by virtue of the Royal prerogative alone is a process unknown to the law of England, and eminently hostile to public liberty, we feel ourselves ompelled to avoid the slightest act of recognition of your authority, even by implication. "We decline, therefore, to attend at the proposed in quiry: nor shall we permit our officers to furnish infor— mation relative to the constitution of the Sheriff's Court, the es therein received, or any other matter within their province." The last sentence of this paragraph is a com ment on the first. The refusal to touch upon the delicate subject of fees sheds a light on the motives of those high-minded corporators. Again they say—" It is a firm and loyal attach ment to the political institutions of the country, as settled at the Revolution of 1688," which induces them to resist the Commission—that is, to keep their own secret as long as they can. Well, the Constitution of 1688 wilt stand them in good stead if it enable them to avoid inquiry, and save their own municipal constitution of 1833 from the merciless hand of reform, which already threatens so many comfortable arrange ments which their ancestors made in the dark, and which they themselves would fain preserve under the same benignant auspices.—Morning Herald. The Journal de Smyrne relates that, " on exploring the found•.ation of a holy fountain outside the walls of Constantinople, the remains of a chapel of the Lower Empire have been discovered. There were found several mosaics and some bones, which are said to be those of a Princess in the times of Leon the Is iurian. Thee relics have been deposited in the Patriarchal church, where, it is saal, there are already a great many jewels of value, and also some royal robes; but they are concealed no doubt in order that they may be the more easily di'posed of. This fountain, on the site of which ►hey are about to build a magnificent church, was formerly called the Golden Fountain, though it now bears the name of Baloucti. It has always proved a source of gold to the Greek priests who established themselves there." An affair of a very afflicting nature took place a few days since at Broomsgrove. A man named Robert Lilley, who has been its the army and served several years in India, where he received a wound in the head, for which he underwent the operation of trepanning, has been re siding for some years in Broomsgrove, and recently occu. pied an upper room in the house of Jonathan Wall, a nailor, himself following the trade of a button maker. It seems that Lilley, when under the influence of liquor, i s subject to the most violent and ungovernable passion, This state of mind at such times is supposed to be occa sioned by the wound in his head. On Tuesday the sth inst. Lilley bad been out drinking, and on his return home was assail, d by some boys, who threw squibs at him and pelted him with mud. He reached home in a state of excitement, and called for his supper. Some bread and cheese were placed before him, of which he partook, making use of a pocketknife in cutting it. He almost immediately commenced quarrelling with his wife, threat ening to stab her with the knife he had in his hand, and made an attempt to put his threat into execution. The poor woman defended hers. If with a chair, and she and her two children, who were in the room with her, cried out, " Murder." Some individuals happened to be holding a prayer meeting in one of the lower rooms of the house at the time, and two of the members, named John Till and James Whateman, hearing the cries of murder, ran up stairs. They found the door shut, but it was immedi ately opened by Lilley, who said, " Come on, I am ready far vou," and immediately wounded Till in the thumb, and stabbed Whateman in the thigh. Whateman, finding himself wounded, made his escape down stairs. Till col lared Lilly, and thrust him part of the way down stairs. He then followed him, and as he was rising again knocked him down, and, leaping over him, made his escape also. The wife had in the meantime thrown herself from the top to the bottom of the stairs, and thus eluded the vengeance of her husband. Jonathan Wall, the landlord of the house, who was at work in his shop, a distance of about twenty yards, hearing the disturbance, ran hastily in and went up stairs, and was instantly stabbed by Lille) , in the lower part of the abdomen. He was immediately taken to the residence of Mr. Horton, surg eon , w h o, on examining the wound, declared it mortal. The poor man lived 35 hours after being stabbed, and then expired. Kings, the constable of Broomsgrove, arrived, arid h 'vin' knocked on t body of of NVall, o Manslaughter on wasthe Lilley down with his staff, ru s h e d upon him and secured him. An i.iiioqwigueD, and a v stwasbel doi r returnedSaturd Saturday f i by the Jury. Lilley w as l o d ge d i n the county gaol at Worcester.—Leamington Free Press. POLITICAL GHOSTS.--The friars of the Escuri have got into trouble by th e i r performing a silly farce, which has received the important denomination of sbilyen;evoolefe ttviiii"icehlowisatsersahitrtiobleaeentrfioart which kept crying out th it he was perpetually in hell for the injury done es t oa o :l:'ncn D t:lel o je: n mn:liang C i trele a l:ti r es l yKt o :. : i , in: a gtuuT n rr i nia f b' enePdd t r h i nt ruin and desolation would come upon the country unless the Crown of Sp a i n was imme diately transferred to that Prince. The agents of th , Government found it very difficult at first to discover from whence the voice proceeded; but by some means or other the imposition was at last detected, and the author of it, one of the brotherhood, who was Snugly stowed away in one of the many boles and corners of that immense building, was draeged from his hiding-place, and brought in chains to Madrid.—Madrid Letter. VICE-CHANCERY COURT, Nov. 27. LAWSON V. CUNLIFFE AND OTHERS. (We copy the following from the Morning Post.) A report of the proceedings on an ex parte appli cation for an injunction in this case appeared in our paper of yesterday. It contained statements deeply affecting the moral and mercantile character of the defendants, and of Messrs. Solomonson and Fraser, the bill-brokers, through whom the transaction in question took place. We need scarcely add that such statements, upon authority which was merely ex parte, could only have obtained admission into our columns through inadvertency. We have au thority to say, and we do so with great pleasure. that these statements are entirely unfounded, and that they will be effectually contradicted in a motion about to be submitted to the Court to dissolve the injunction. COURT OF KING'S BENCH, Nor. 27. MAGEE V. THOMPSON. In this case, which was an action brought by the owner of a vessel called the Guardian, to recover 49/. 15s sd. from the defendant, who wasemployed as his broker, and which was not concluded yester day when we went to press, the Jury found a ver dict for the plaintiff—atmaaes 49/. PORTLEsS V. RIDLEY. The plaintiff, who keeps a boarding-school at Kensington, brought this action against the defen• dant, a teacher of music, to recover 80/. The de fendant being upon terms of intimacy in the plain tiff's establishment, money was advanced by Mrs. Portless for his use in providing music in his teach ing. In consequence of some dislike on the part of the plaintiff he left the house, and was soon after arrested for the debt. Sir JAMES SCARLET; on the part of the defen dant, endeavoured to show that the plaintiff, who is a widow, was desirous of marrying with Mr. Rid. ley, and that, in consequence of his refusal to be come Benedict, love was turned to hate. The Jury found a verdict for the plaintiff for 231. FREEMAN V. MOYES. This action was brought by Admiral Freeman, who lately died in the county of Hertford, for the use and occupation of premises by the defendant, a printer, without a lease. The plaintiff clamed more than 231., which had been paid into Court, saying that the rent for the time the defendant occupied depended on whether he continued on sufferance. The premises in Tooke's•court, Castle-street, Hol born, had been leased by the Admiral to the Abbe Rufigny, who sub-let the same to the defendant, a printer. The lease expired at Christmas, 1831, and Mr. Rutlege, who received the rents, entered into an unsuccessful negotiation with the defendant for the renewal of the lease. The defendant then gave notice that be should quit at the end of the quarter. He accordingly sent the key, but Mr. Rutledge would not receive it, on the ground that the defendant had made himself a tenant from year to year, and that the notice was irregular. The Jury found a verdict for the defendant. GODING V. ABBOTT AND OTHERS. This action was brought by Mr. Goding, the ale brewer, as the payee, against the drawer of a pro mi•sory note for 1001. made the 20th of December, 1827, and payable three days after date. Reuben Martin, alias Gad, the pugilist, was de sirous of opening a public-house in Berwick-street Soho, and he appl , ed to the plaintiff for the loan of 1001. The money was advanced upon a note drawn by the defendant; the name of Dignam, an attor ney, was also attached to the instrument. Martin carried on for a time a good trade, and made various payments on account of the note, as %veil as ale re ceived from Goding's Brewery. On one occasion he desired the collecting clerk to return Abbott's note, saying it was paid, and he wished to return it to his friends. The clerk said he should have it when he went to the counting-house. Martin never got the note, and it appeared at this trial that the money paid on it did not exceed 53/. The plain tiff consequently sought to recover the difference of Abbott. Martin had oecome insolvent, and could not pay his account with the plaintiff. The jury found for the defendant. COURT OF EXCHEQUER, Nov. 27. (Before Lord LYNDHURST and a Commo❑ Jury.) WATKINS v. HUGHES. This was au action brought by the plaintiff to re• cover the sum of 31/. due, being the balance of art account. Burling—l am in the service of the plaintiff. In December, 1829, I went along with my master to Romford Maiket, and saw him sell some cows and three calves to the defendant. They after wards went into the Bull Inn, Romford, and I saw the defendant pay to my master the sum of forty pounds. He promised to pay the remainder on the following day‘ Cross-examined by Mr. Sergeant A NDREWS —I am not aware that it is the custom to give four years' credit for cattle. My master never took a bill from the defendant for the money. I do not think ha ever took a bill in his life. Re-examined by Mr. Sergeant WILLIAMS—I heard my master ask the defendant for the money in Smithfield about twelve months ago. He then said he had no money, and he might get it how he could and be --. The Jury found for the plaintiff, costs 40s. COURT OF BANKRUPTCY, Nov. 27. JAMES COCHRANE'S BANKRUPTCY. A mee ing of the creditors under the fiat awarded against James Cochrane, of Waterloo-place, Pall mall, bookseller, was held to-day, for the proof of debts and the declaration of a dividend. Mr. SWEET attended on behalf of Mr. Valpy to prove for about 9001. The claim arose out of a project which had originated with that gentleman for the publication of the Roscoe Novelists. It was agreed between Mr. Cochrane and Mr. Valpy that the former should take all risk, and that the latter should be paid for printing the work and have a share of profits. Captain Chamier was a partner with Mr. Cochrane, and therefore liable to his por tion of the debts ; but the Captain denied that he was a partner, and to obtain a release he offered to pay over 4,5001. to the assignees if the creditors would sign a bond of indemnity. It was the inte rests of the creditors to accept the money, and Mr. Valpy was ready to sign the bond if his proof was first allowed, and thus the creditors would receive a sum of money to increa-e their dividend. Mr. TAYLOR, on behalf of the creditors, sub mitted that Mr. Valpy was a partner with the bank rupt, and therefore could not prove. It was for the creditors to stare if they would accept the offer of Captain Chamier. Mr. Commissioner EVANS said, if he understood the question, the partnership was denied by Captain Chamier ; and, as an offer had been made by him to get rid of all claiins, it was for the creditors to decide if they would accept it. Mr. TAYLOR said the creditors were ready to agree to the indetnni►y, but the official assignee re quired the opinion of the Court. A proof was made on behalf of Sir Charles Morgan. . Mr. John Nicholls, collecting clerk to V'zitelly and Co., printers, appeared to prove for a balance of an account. He had applied for payment, and received a draft on Cockburn and Co., giving Mr. Cochrane 261. 4s. in change; but, on presenting the check, he was informed that the bankers had " no effects." Mr. Johnson, the official assignee, said this was a severe hardship on the clerk. Mr. Cochrane had no doubt the defendant would have been paid, and was anxious by future exertion to indemnity the clerk. _ The COMMISSIONER decided that the proof could not be received, as Mr. Nicholls was acting for his e mployers; they must prove the amount. The Commtsstomm said the meeting could be adjourned, when a final dividend would be made. The adjournment was agreed to, arid the creditors present signed the release to Captain Chalaier. The assets will be small, consisting of books, prints, &e., independently of 4,500/. to be paid by Captain Chamier. MIDDLESEX SESSIONS, Nor. 27. (Before B. ROTCN, Eq., M.P., Chairman.) AFFECTING CASE OF DISTRESS. Mary Ann Gronan, a pretty female, aged 30, pleaded guilty to a charge of stealing a drinking glass from a lodging-house in George-street, Blooms bury, kept by Thos. Sands. The prosecutor said she had lodged in his house only three nights, and lie believed she had been led to the act by extreme destitution. CHAtamAN—What kind of lodging-house do you keep ? The prisoner, who appeared much affected, said, with considerable emphasis, " It is not a bad house, Sir." The CHAIRMAN-4 am clad to see you still re tain a sense of propriety sufficient to feel shame at its being supposed you were living in such a house. The prisoner, with bitter tears, declared that she was a married woman. Her husband was a Ger man, and had three months ago deserted her, leav ing her with three young children, one of which was since dead, and the other two were in St. Anne's workhouse. She had done everything to procure some means of existence in an honest way, and it was through the greatest distress and starvation, that she had committed this her first offence. The CHAIRMAN, commiserating her case, sentenced her to only one week's imprisonment from the com mencement of the sessions, and said he would take a note of the case, and see if something could not be done for her at the expiration of that period, of which he desired the officer to remind him. The prisoner shed abundant tears of gratitude on learning the disposition of the Court in her favour. On the prosecutor's apply►ng for his expenses, the Chairman told him it would have been more to his credit if he had ►iot brought the case there. On inquiry of the policeman, it appearing the house was a well-conducted one of its kind, the expenses were allowed. MEXICO.—His Majesty's brig Plover arrived at Falmouth on Monday night, having on board General Bisadre, Plenipotentiary from the Court of Mexico to the Court of Russia. Just before the packet left, the General received a despatch from the city of Mexico, which contained a printed " Courant," giving an account that General Santa Anna had marched out of Mexico with 10,000 troops, and had obtained a complete victory over the insurgent army, which had been entirely routed and dispersed, and General Santa Anna was in full loo`_ session of the country. The Plover brought home 110,000 dollars. Those mines which had been stopped by the re bels were set to work. The Plover left Tampico on the 4th, Vera Cruz on the 14th, and Havannah on the 27th October. THE PATRIARCH OF COVENTRY.—There is now living at Butcher Row, in Coventry, a man named Cohen, in his 107th year, having the full possession of his mental faculties. His bearing is aff•eted, but his eye-sight comparatively good. He has been confined to his bed for a week; a circumst ince, he says, that never happened before in his life. He has never received parn. chial relief, and is now ch;etly supported by the industry of his offspring. His wife died last Ester, having lived to he more than ninety. He has a daughter now about sixty, and a grandson about forty. For about fifty years this venerable man has occupied the same house, the roof of which fell in last week.—Leicester Chronicle. THE BOBBIN-NET MANUFACTURE.—This is a branch of manufacture nearly new. It began in 1311, and by 1831 it employed in its machinery, and in the various subsidiary processes connected with it, about 211,000 persons, had attracted capital to the extent of 2 310,000/., and produced manufactured goods to the amount of 3,417,700/, out of a raw material costing originally about 150,0001. While it has greatly increased the population of several manufacturing towns, it has spread employment over the country more than any other business of the same absolute extent. Of the 4,500 machints which it employs, about 1,000 belong to persons who work them themselves, and who thus unite the character of jnurneymen with that of :mutter in the same individual. In the two years previous to 1831 wages had fallen consi derably, from the competition in the market, and from the unavoidable transfer of the manufacture to other countries. The same causes have continued to operate to the present time, and Mr. Felkin estimates the capital now employed in the trade to be 1,932.0001., and the number of hands 159,300. Meanwhile, by improved processes, the number of yards of net made in the latter peiind exceeded th ,t mate in the formed by 7,ooo,ooo—being, in 1831, 23,400 00W square yards ; and in 1833, 30,771,000. It would appear that about three-fourths of the goods manu factured are expor ted. France has begun the manufacture for herself, and anybody who has been at Calais must have heard of the number of English workmen employed in that frontier town in this particular branch of business, which employs 600 machines. The machines employed altogether in ihe north of France amount to about 1,600. —ttilisnrhester Chronicle. A SKETCH—About a fortnight ago, an itinerant " shaver," named Cahill, was committed for two months from our bench, for assaulting a younl, woman named Pelling. On Monday morning a spruce, jolly looking dame with a most good humoured face, appeared before their Worships, " like Niobe, all tears," ro beg iheir Worships' most respectful pardon, she was " very sorry, but really, indeed, Mr. Cahill would never do so again, and she hoped their Worships would let him out of prison." Sir D. Scott inquired why ? The good lady hesitated, and hen said he wag an old friend of hers. Sir D. Scott— "Is he any relation to you ?" The applicant took up the corner of her apron confusedly, blushed, looked down, and whispered, " No, not yet, but perhaps he is going to be a very near one." Sir D. Scott—" 0, then he was to be married to you, was he?" " Yes, Sir," said she, quite abashed by the inquisitive eaz~ and uproarious merriment of the assembled court. " Well, well," said Sir David," you must speak to my friend Mr. Milford about it." Mr. Milford asked whether the lady wished him to give her away ?—(Laughter.) Mr. Fuller—" No, she wants a husband."—(lncreased lau4hter.) Sir D. Scott—" She wants you to shorten the term of his imprisonment that she may become a bride." Mr. Milford—" If it is a fair question, may I ask, pray, how old are you ?" Sir D. Scott—" No, no, that won't do."—(Great laughter.) The bride elect laughed and Sir D. Scott then said, " Well, as you don't seem to mind, how old are you ?" " Seventy-six last Good Friday," replied she. The Court was so convulsed with laughter, that we were unable to hear what else the fair bride was saying, till we observed Sir David tell her she had not got much time left and so must make the best use of it. The old lady said she meant to do so, and stated, " I sell cakes in summer, and in winter I goes out washing, but you know they don't drink so much gin in the north country as they do here, and that makes us last a little longer." Sir D. Scott said, if she would get the prosecutrix to intercede for her, the magis trates would attend to the recommendation ; " but," said the Baronet, with a sly look, " Mr. Cahill is rather faith less; he was taking indecent liberties with a young wo man." " Aye," sighed the expectant bride, " but I was not there to see." She then retired. —Brighton Guardian. HORRIBLE SUICIDE.--OR Monday an in quest was held on the body of Mr. Westwood, aged 63, a shopkeeper, tesiding in Mulgrave-place, Woolwich, who committed suicide by shooting himself with a cavalry pistol. Several letters and slips of paper were found near him One of them said,---." Dear wife and children, I bid you farewell. We shall all meet in Heaven. God have mercy on my soul ; I am a miserable sinner. I wish (here follows several names) to be jurymen on the Coroner's inquest."—lt appeared as though the deceased had a full conception of what he was doing, and had de termined on self destruction, for in one he said, " I belong to a burial club held at the Earl of Chatham, in Thomas street," and desired the money received from the club to be expended upon his burial. In another slip he said his age was sixty-three, and that he had been married nineteen years last May to about as good a partner as any man in England had. Another stared, " Gunner Gist of the Horse Artillery, has to pay 2s. for putting in a glass that he broke," and went into a detail of his d bts, and also mentioned that he had lent two books to Miss Lucy, the daughter of the landlord of the Red Lion. The letters were directed to " Harriet Westwood, the lawful wife of Malroyd Westwood." After hearing the evidence, the Foreman of the Jury said there had been sufficient ad duced to prove the insanity of the deceased, and the Jury returned a verdict accordingly. The unfortunate ma❑ had thrice previously attempted to destroy himself—once by hanging, once by drowning, and once by cutting his throat. He had formerly been in the army, but of late years had lived apart from his wife, and car ried on business as a dealer in clothes, and, but for his eccentric mufflers, was considered to be it good neighbour. THE MARKETS. COAL MAR Per TOG. S. d. Adair's 16 6 Beaumont _ 16 0 Chester Main 15 0 Ellison Low Main 15 3 East Percy l6 0 Hebburn Main 17 0 HAlywell Ord's Redhugh .- l5 6 Pontop Windsor—...--. 16 6 . 15 0 1 aitfield Townley l6 0 West Hartley .. 16 0 Wylain —.— 17 6 Walls End Bell & Brown 18 0 W E. Bell, Robson, & Co. 18 0 Walls End Bewicke & Co. 19 0 Walls End 17 3 Ditto ( hirton l5 0 Walls End Carr and Co. 16 3 W.E. Clarke and Co.—. 16 6 Walla End Gostbrth ..--.. 19 3 Walls End Heaton......— 18 6 Walls End Hilda—. 17 9 Walls End Hotspur... 17 6 Walls End Killingworth 18 3 Walls End Newmarett..... 18 0 Ditto , orthinntterland . 17 9 Walls End Perkins—. 18 0 Ships arrived since 1 K ET.—Nov. 27. Per Ton. Walls End Riddell's ..w+** 19$ Walls End Russell's...* f 6 ! Walls End Walker ; 3 !. Lambton's Primrose ! Walls End Braddyll's..... 19 1 Walls End Hetton Walls End Lyons ,! s e Walls End Lamhtnn 0 ! W. E. Russell's Bettor' 2 , Ditto Russell's Lyon's.... , 20 Walla End Stewart's.** 16! Walls End Urpeth o nixon's Butterknowl.---• i g I Walls End Adelaide .••- j i Walls End Butterknowl , 9 Walls End G0rd0n...... 16 W. E. Musgrave-----.* 9 W. E South Durham.. Walls End 'fees Howard's Netherton Malt, IS 6 Hartley ! Halbeath —..--......... ?, Llangennech Cua1.........**;$ Merthyr 1 New flockton, Milne, 0 0 and r;o 4 Gawber Hall, in distress a I to Killingworth Trader...* ' market-day, 214. INGI II 14 INF,/ CoUN'PRY CORN IMAIIKErs nu 11l NC . 1 Hu: W1:2 1 . 1 ‘ Wheat. j Barley. I oats. Re an d .. , Per Quarter. s. to s. S. to s. s. to s. t. Abingdon..--.... 62 81 31 43 22 30 38 Andover--....... 50 61 24 .28 46 Birmingham...—. 56 58 30 40 16 22 Bridport 56 74 32 36 26 30 Cirencester —. 40 56 24 29 18 28 -- 46 Earingdon—....—.. 54 86 36 40 26 31 -- 46 Guildford Henley 54 83 30 35 20 30 46 Hereford 64 68 32 34 22 28 -- 56 Highworth 62 80 32 42 28 34 -- 51 Maidenhead ...... 56 68 34 44 22 30 36 4i , M0nm0uth....—....... 66 68 32 36 24 28 Reading .. Salisbury. 42 54 26 29 120 24 36 5i Southampton .... 54 58 33 40 28 Stroud 64 78 37 Tewkesbury 53 37 30 38 Uxbridge 48 74 26 34 20 26 58 80 27 32 17 23 34 46 Warminster 48 58 25 31 22 26 34 4 9 59 21 22 Worcester 5O 57 30 32 24 32 LEWES MA RKE'T.—Nov. 26. White Wheat (per quarter).--..£2 11 0 to £2 16 Red ditto 2 0 0 2 12 ° Barley LEWES MARKET.--. White Wheat (per quarter).—..X2 Red ditto Barley Oats, New -- Pease Oil Cake, hew CHELTENHAM M • - lov. 26. Ii 0 to £2 16 C 0 0 2 12 8 6 1 10 0 18 0 1 0 18 6 0 0 0 , 0 0 per thousaty Per Bushel. s. d. to s. tl.l Wheat Barley 3 0 4 0 Oats ") 6 3 3 Beans Pease 5 0 7 0 Hay 3l. lOs IA RKET.—Noy. W. cl , Per lb. d. to Beef Bi / Mutton Veal Pork Lamb 0 . to 3!. 15s. Od. per ton RKETS.—Noy. O. 14 e. d. '9 'Butter, l6oz. 0 So ° o Eggi, t~ Beef, per score 9 0 ' y Mutton, per lb 051 11 0 4 Veal 0 4 1 ° Q artern Loaf 0 0 DUMFRIES MA s. d. s. d. Wheat, Imp. Bush 6 0 to 7 0 Barley.... Oats 0 0 2 6 Flour, 141 b. Oatmeal Potatoes, cwt. MEETINGS OF CREDITORS AT THE COURT, BASINGHALL-STREET• (From the London Gazette.) TO.MORROW,29. ti t W. R. W. King, tlale-worker, Hosier.lane C. Gregory, maltster, Luton, Bedfordshire E. Denman, watch-maker, Mark-lane ,,, 0 R. Johnston, victualler, Wapping-street, Wapping DIVIDENDS. 11 1 J. Peachey, ironmonger, Re gen t- s t ree t s I I W. M'Kenzie, tea-dealer, Boshier's.court, Oxfosd-street , ' 0 C. Clildren, hop-merchant, Tonbridge, Kent I G. Robins, surgeon, Titchborne-street.... ..... ......... ........ ..••• LIVERPOOL COTTON MARKET, TueSd i Y ‘ —The sales to-day are es ti ma t e d at 4,000 bags. - advance obtained yesterday has been maintained to-di rr Yl i i 9 The CRAIGLEITH F OSSIL T REE .--"" b e interesting object has b een ene . ose d b y t h e tenant of I t. quarry, and one shilling i s n o . v c h arge d f or a s i g ht of I . : So far from condemning this arrangement , we think ;i will meet the approbation of every friend of science. 00 is a proof of liberality in the tacksman of a quarry, vi . ie has a high rent to pay, to co n cern hi mse lf about . 0 preservation of such an object. And after incurring mr, expense of 20/. by enclosing it, and submitting to a ge t !l tiin olistruction in his operatio n s, we t hi n k he 14 if entitled to be remunerated lor his outlay. We doubt the money drawn will ever 410 more; but we should 1 ' well pleased if it did.—Scotsman. SINGULAR CIRCUMSTANCE.-011 Wet nesday morning last a rather sin g ul ar occurrence 1°°"; place at the George Inn, C a i s to r . A t rave ll er , a b o ut proced on his journey, ordered the Boots to brush 11 ' greatcoat, but forgot to state to him, that he had inOr tiously left a load e d pi s t o l in one o f t h e poc k ets . In t ne eagerness to brush the coat well, aec o rdi n.f to order, tb : pistol exploded, hut providentially the muzzle being Leo wards, the ball only grazed and lacerated that per, t the right hand whi c h h a pp ene d to b e i n contac t. gie ii assistance w as im me di ate l y o b ta i ne d, an d for te ' ri,tely the injury is p ro n ounce d Is likely to prove 0 01 Y a temporary inconvenience.—Boston Herald. PONTIUS PILATE.—In the neighbour , — of Vienne, abou , 20 miles from Lyons, stand the ruin% a tall square Roman tower, called Tour de Masteoxi(lje Toe legends of the country affirm that this was tie o b° ,i of Pontius Pilate, and th at i n a fi t o f d espa i r and e he threw himself fr o m it s w i n d ows i nto the '/ Itbone, 7 -r i o he perished. Thi s paint the good Catholics must oe tb o ol they can with the Swiss, who maintain that he drost • b himself in a little Alpine lake on the mountain sv b re e hears his n tine; and that the 'tonna by which it je f l i is quently agitated are occ a si one d by th e wr i t hi ng' ul perturbed spirit. rr . v l/1 EMIGRATION TO ENGLAND.—The 11 -, 1 00 of the ship C arro ll, o f C arro ll ton , C apta i n Bi r d, New York, within the last two days, with 171 steere, passengers, would stem to indicate that the tide of ern c ilg , ,, r tton is flowing from A mer i ca to , i nstea d o f from, P7O; land ; at any rate so great a number of steerage pavee; 1 in one vess e l is an unusua l c i rcumstance .—Liter' Standard. he HEAT OF ANIMALS.--The heat 0 , to human body will r a i se t h e mercury o f t h e t h ermo meter about 98 degree.. That of other animals varies eer ; widely. A wriner in the " Juvenile Rambler" oboe 50 that the beat of some fi s h es an d rept il es i s b e low' e s l :f while that of some birds is as high as 110. The 5z7 , 6 , comes nearest to man in this respect, his heat being , The dog, cat, bog, s h ee p, an d ox are f rom 100 to I ° the shark, 83 ; the whale, 104 ; the house sparrow a r se the robin sometimes 111, which is the maximum, l a t i as we know. It i s cur i ous to o b serve t h at t h e e 4 f c— f c c wolf has a reasonable advantage of 9 degrees over the v' of our own latitude. BIRTHS. On the 26th inst., in Cork street, Burlington.garden ,, t" lady of Miles Marley, Esq., of a son. On the 25th inst , at Buckland, the lady of Major OWY nilis Halford, of a son and heir. On the 25th inst., at Highbury-park, the lady of J. man, Esq., of a daughter. f,ll On the '27th inst., at Marble Hill, Twickenham, the Alice Peel, of a son. MARRIED. On the 25th inst., at St. Mary's Church, Reading, th e 1 ;1; J. King, M.A., Rector of Bradenham, Bucks, to Mar ia ' I daughter of Thomas Bickford, Esq., of Reading, Berk ! On the 27th inst., at St. John the Baptist, Savoy, th e v e John Downes, 8.A., of Christ College, Cambridge, t° daughter of Joseph Todd, of Lancaster.place, Esq. On the 20th ult., at Manheim, George Makgill, Kembach, N. 8., to Harriet, second daughter of S t ' Esq., late of Binderton-house, Sussex. a Pio On the 27th inst., at Trinity Church, M ar yl e b o ne, Scott, Esq., of Devonshire-place, second son of the la te e l Scott, Esq., of the island of Jamaic a , to Mary Falrell'.oo (laughter of the late George Dchany, Esq., o f th e saro e On the 26th inst., at Barkway, Herts, Mr. Laguian, or of Shetibrd, Beds, to Elizabeth, third dau g ht e r of 2 ' Jackson, Esq., of the former place. c 0 0- On the 27th inst., at St. Mary' s , B r y ans t on-squ are, Gustavus Andrew Burnaby, o f H az l e b eac h_h a ll, Nartl7oo,oo, shire, Chaplain to his Royal Highness the Duke of C 6 o f to Harriett, third daughter of H enr y Vill e b o i s, cester-place and Marham.house, in the county of s°l. DIED. On the 21st inst., at the Priory, near Cupar, the ( if ' j ot Lady M. L. Crawford, of Crawford and Kilbirnie. was the last direct representative of one of the n' o ' nob ) le families o a s t cotland. n the 22d is, at Devonport, aged 27, 0. Carr, of the 66th Regiment, son of Ralph Carr, I'l ,o sO crescent. On the 26th inst., aged 15 months, Henry TholosS' of Mr. Johnendall West Strand. 15 . th e On the 24th inst., at Taplow, Mary, widow O ' r ifo f Purkis, Esq., of Kilburn. On the 9.3 d inst , Mary, w if e o f M r. H arry Elate' rPt-r ' Birchin-lanc, Cornhill. f „ SS"' •litsrod. On the 24th inst., a t W a l wort h , aged 76, 3.^-,..,Hd F;e sen., relict of the l a t e M r. W m. Harper, o f the o w, Had On the 20th in s t . , a t 52 , W est Nile.street, ( Whitlaw, sen , OP *.11"5 UPRINTED AND PUBLIEUED BY MURDO YO-14 Oefivg, 112, STRAW.,' CONT TE 111 111,41 t RITA "i Tat they w Filling Medics B' th e m , tritiab for nor 'ed M their e utmost T I City n i The The its snot --____ sEcc Conta. 10 ,00 , 5 ,000 The E. of t In No. 4 !none ) t hey they f bIST 'theft MALI tent. Or, duly Ha Qu 1,,,,, . Ii -____. °ne d On e d 211 e d One d °ne TM Plate ! ►econ Price utati it:N T Poin port for it K el fc