The Sun. — London, England, 1830-02-15 00:00:00

'.: F . crease protecting dutiea,while the officers of Govern ment are not provided with the means of enforcing them, would be users. But Congress cannot re fuse to the far Mer and manufacturer all the benefits which have been solemnly promised. The faith and honour of the Government cannot permit a lasting disappointment. It would be humiliating to a na tional reputation to allow foreign adventurers to amass fortunes by the violation of our laws, while our own citizens, in consequence, were sinking down in bankruptcy and ruin. On this subject there can be DO difference of opinion.—" The alleged evasions of our revenue and protecting laws require an imme diate and thorough investigation. If they are found to exist, the most effectual means should be em ployed to prevent them in future. When this is dune, it is probable all may be satisfied that higher protecting duties should not be required. Until this is done, it is impossible to determine how efficient those duties may be made to operate. The Coin mittee have already proceeded to the consideration of this subject. —Morning Chronicle. We had long ago called the attention of the pub lie and the Legislature to the fees on justice, pay able to the Clerk of the Peace. Mr. Peel has, we perceive, brought in a Bill for the abolition of fees payable by persons on their acquittal, on any crimi nal charge. If any one thing can be more decidedly in the teeth of that excellent clause in the old fashioned end almost forgotten document called Magna Charta, that justice shall not be sold, it is this—that a man shall be made to pay even for the vindication of his innocence. The doing away then with such an anomaly as this is what every one, ex cept the persons beneficially interested in the abuse must approve of, and not without a feeling of wonder that any thing so monstrously absurd and unjust, can have been so long allowed to inflict a stain on the much boasted purity and justice of our Courts. But giving Mr. Peel every credit for this, as a soli tary and isolated act of humanity and justice, it ap pears to us to fall very short of what is really wanting upon the subject, and looks rather too much like the act of an unskilful surgeon, who contents himself with merely cieatrizinga small wound, while the whole body remains a mass of corruption and disease. Would it not, we would ask, be a much wiser course, and one more satisfactory to the country, if the Right Hon. Gentleman, instead of proposing this partial remedy, were to refer the whole subject of the fees payable to Clerks of the Peace (as it was given out some time ago he meant to do) to a Committee, who would doubtless either recommend their abolition altogether, or such a reform of them as would include the abolition of many more than those contemplated by this partial measure, however just arid desirable in itself ? A correspondent has favoured us with a sight of the table of fees payable to the Clerk of the Peace of the county of Middlesex. They are printed in treble columns, upon a sheet two feet 'square, and are no less than 169 in number. Of course, we cannot profess to give tire contents of a sheet as large as one side of our paper; but we defy any man of common sense to run his eye over it and not pronounce it a mass of injustice, riot to say of extortion, which it is a disgrace to any legislature to permit. Among these fees we find the following, which we suppose are some of those which Mr. Peel's Bill is intended to abolish, viz. : I:Wording the conviction and acquittal of every peraoo upon trial of traverse, on every indict :neat of trespass, and for discharging of the recognizance Fur the discharge of every person out of prison 2s. Od. Tlio monstrous injustice of calling upon a man to pay a price for his own innocence and escape from a groundless accusation, can hardly admit of a parallel, we should suppose, in the venal records of a Turkish Cadi ; but there are in this precious list, we can assure our readers (and there are, we dare say, in similar lists in all the counties in England) other extortions even higher in amount, and, if possible, more unjust than these ; and what is still worse, these demands are allowed to exist not only not in return for any service performed, but to swell the istofits of an office which is generally performed by deputy, while the lazy principals revel in what their .substitute can grind out of the needy, the injured, or the innocent. But it is not these persons that a r e to blame, but the system tinder which they act. Surely then this is not a case where such partial re lief as is scow offered is all that is required, but one in which a full inquiry may be followed by such a free and vigorous application of the pruning knife, as will allow every Court of Criminal Jurisdiction in the land to inscribe over its door the immortal words of the Great Charter—" null vendenzus justifiam!"—.2lforning Herald. The distress of the country increases ;—while the " vvistiorn" of Parliament ranges over the globe to find subjects of debate, and topics of political sym pathy and excitement, the industrious population at lame languish under the pressure of calamity that aught to forestall arid engross the attention of our representatives and the anxiety of our rulers. In the mean time accounts of the difficulties and ere learrassments which beset the country pour in upon us from all sides, nor have we space for the insertion of one half of them. We are not exclusionists in charity, but we do not admire that erratic benevo .Sesece which circumnavigates the world to find out materiel for the exercise of the generous feelings of our tragic, while our countrymen perish around us, And cry ;err our protection in vain. There are journals that: have affected the tone of philanthropy by expatiating : Jevons the miseries of Spanish and Portuguese refugees, and at the same time sneer at surd taunt the sufferings of Englishmen. There are Also Senators whose hearts seem to embrace in their exiSensive sympathies the afflicted and oppressed of ever y e !icue and region but their own. It matters not to them how many degrees of latitude the ob jects of their generous care are removed from their immediate inspection—the farther the better; but to misery at borne, however poignant and general, they are cold arid insensible. Sir Robert Wilson exhausts his sympathies on the republicans of Mexico—Mr. Fowell Buxton sighs over the blaex gwptilation of the Wcst one takes the rocks ;And patriots of Terceira under his protection ; Another searches for objects of compassion on the pe,tilential shores of Africa. Alas l all this time the people of England are in a situation to give full employment to ail the benevolence and active hu manity which distinguish the " collective wisdom " of the nation. We should have thought the first and imperative duty of Parliament when they were, after too much delay, called together, was to inquire into, arid relieve, the distresses of the country. No —it could not be; for it was discovered within the wails of Pediment that the distress was only par tial, and confined to some district!, though every boti', - outside those walls imagined that it was .eneral. This is the first great discovery which has resulted from the assembling of the " Great Counea." What others will follow it is not easy to anticipate, Mr. Ilugle and Mr. Hobhonse, with other equally celebrated advocates of the popular cause, have assisted Ministers in making this dise eovery, and, no doubt, tho public will evince their grateful sense of the patriotic sagacity which they have displayed. We presume the hovels of their civil triumphs will not ha the less flourishing for putting forth their spring verdure under the genial influence of Ministerial sunshine, Certainly the Duke of Wellington owes much to the twenty seven " champions of liberty," who, by rallyieg round his banners in the hour of need, hued ;Jim from one of the most sudden and signal de feats which the wilful obstinacy of a Minister ever provoked. Perhaps, however, it would have been both more manly and more dignified in his Grace net to have risked such a crisis at the outset of the Parliamentary campaign, espe cially as it could have been avoided altogether by making the King's Speech time vehicle of truth-- truth as to the distresses of the country and the eef ferings of the people—truth, which is the best sub stitute for eloquence, or its most enduring ornament. But all true English feeling has not perished from the House of Commons. There is vet within its walls, we trust, what will preserve the vitality of its Representation. As an instance refreshing to the --.1 mind amid more titan ordinary complaisance to power and desertion of the people, appears the steady, vi gorous, uncompromising conduct of the Kaye,. of Blandford. He was at his post when a subject more important than the consideration of the vague and illusory statements in the loyal Speech was to bc entered upon. Yes—when the order of the day fot the House going into a Committee of Supply was read on Tuesday night, the Marquis of Blandford was prepared to perform his duty to his country, although the Whig benches were nearly deserted, and the Treasury did not think it necessary to re tain their forces in the field. It was the custom of our ancestors, previously to voting supplies, to de mand a redress of grievances. This custom had be come nearly cbsolete—the courtesy of modern days had superseded the stern virtue of antiquity. It was perhaps the barbarism of our forefathers that made them exercise a jealous vigilance over the pubhe purse, and refuse the voting supplies upon either the solicitations or threats of a Minister until grievances were redressed. In their simplicity - they believed that the power of the purse conferred all other power. and therefore they were rude and unaccommodating enough to refuse to fill the coffers of Government until they vindicated the rights of the people. In modern times this 'vantage ground of the public cause has been generally surrendered without a struggle, in consequence of some courteous " ar rangement" in accordance with the temper of an age of polished innovation. The Marquis of Bland ford, who, as a Member of the House of Commons, appears to be more conversant with the ancient his tory of Parliament than its modern code of manners, remained, as we have stated, at his post, to move an amendment on the House going into a Commit tee of Supply. In doing so, he used the old fashioned but very expressive language, that "he felt himself called upon in duty to oppose in limine the granting of one shilling of supply to his Ma jesty." Why ? His reasons were—" the dis tresses of the country were so great—the cries of the people for relief so loud, and the promises of his Majesty's Ministers so unsatisfactory." This language was certainly more energetic than polite; and, in a spirit equally congenial with the charac• ter of our ancient " gothic" institutions, he moved, as an amendment, " that this House will not vote any supply or estimate until the grievances of the people be talien into consideration, and relief for their distress be granted." A proposition so con trary to modern practice, and built on such obso lete precedents—precedents only to be found in the " old almanack" of history, and not at all admitted among the " rules and regulations" of the refined patriotism of modern days, absolutely astonished the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Ile gave utter ance to that astormislunent by saying" he did not come to the House prepared for any such amendment as the present. The Noble Lord had certainly adopted a novel course towards the House, and one which was not likely to produce a very favourable effect on the public generally." Now, when the Chancel lor of the Exchequer called this a novel course, he must have meant it as such, in the sense in which it has been said that " all novelty is but oblivion"— for it was so ancient, and so long disused, that it had pretty well gone out of Parliamentary remembrance, and, like a revived old fashion in dress, returned upon us with all the freshness and originality of invention. The Chancellor of the Exchequer had, however, a more secure protection than in the " novelty" of the practice against the constitutional rudeness of such a proceeding. What was that ? the paucity of numbers in the House ! • Will it be believed hereafter, that, at such a crisis as this—a crisis of unexampled national suffering and calamity —the desertion of their posts by the Representatives of the people was the best security of the Minister ? The Chancellor of the Exchequer met the amend ment, when argument was wanting—when appeals to polite usages and complaisant customs failed—by declaring that no division could take place, as there were not sufficient Members to constitute a House. Yet there were enough to make a Committee of Supply, and to vote away the money of the people ; and often have millions been voted, and the most important business of the country transacted, by as small a number as were then present. The reply of the Marquis of Blandford to the observations of the Minister of Finance deserves to be remembered, and, at the next general election, it ought to be re called to the particular attention of every Member of Parliament by his constituents. The Chancellor of the Exchequer had alluded to an arrangement respecting an amendment which the Ministers had received notice would be moved in the Committee of Supply on Friday (yesterday). " lam no party," said the Noble Marquis, " to any arrangement of business on Friday. If Hon. Gentlemen are not in their places it is their fault, not mine. Here I am, and here I am determined to remain, and do my duty." This was an answer worthy of the spirit of the best days of the English House of Commons— those days associated with the proudest recollec tions—when stern, unyielding, and intrepid public integrity, laid the foundation of that national gran deur and prosperity which the courteous and sup pliant patriotism of later times had not the virtue to preserve—those days when the dread of being sup posed to " embarrass the measures of Government" did not shake from its firm purpose the honest reso lution of the Representatives of the people.—elloen lag Herald. It must have been satisfactory to the country to find Mr. Peel and the President of the Board of Controul di-claiming on the part of his Majesty's Ministers all predetermination and prepossession of every kind, with regard to the East India question. But it would doubtless have been in no degree less grateful to perceive, in the accompanying acts of the Administration, some indisputable evidence of the sincerity with which such disavowals had been made. Two committees have been appointed,— indeed selected by the King's Government,—for examining into the facts connected with the com mercial monopoly in the east of Asia, and reporting thereon to the Houses of Lords and Commons. We are well enough aware that the reports of these committees will not be binding on the bodies from which they emanate, for that either House may vote directly in the teeth of its own committee. But it is nevertheless desirable that a Committee of In quiry should be so hauled as to produce informa tion and reasonings upon it, of a nature to facilitate the subsequent labours of the House which ap pointed it, and to aid the judgment and satisfy the conscience of the Legislature, by an unbiassed and enlightened use of materials adapted honestly to the illustration of important truths, and to the sugges ' tion of equitable measures. There are the names of many excellent men in the lists of both East India Committees. In some particulars there are none more respectable than those of certain noblemen and gentlemen, who have pledged themselves, or are tied by their position—although the Ministers who appointed them have abstained from such pledges—to one class of opinions, which we need not name, on the subject of the Indian trade and charter. Mr. Astell and other East India Direc tors, gentlemen of unquestioned respectability, have (to our astonishment we confess) been chosen Members of the Committee in the House of Com mons. Instead of saying that such appointments are dipeult to justify, we shall merely hint that it is pot easy to understand them, except by taking for granted that among the improvements meditated for the judicial system of India, there is one, pro viding thet every man shall henceforth be judge in his own cause If it by a virtue in the King's Ministers that they have gprpe to the great ques tion of the charter with minds altogether unpret judiced, it follows that every other Member of Pare liament must be eligible for the same office of in vestigation, just in proportion as he enjoys a similar exemption from bias. In that respect, therefore, we require to be informed what are the aptitudes of a Director of the East India Company, wielding its immense patrotiage, and identified with its inte rests, and n4rsp4 up in the notion that the unimpaired existence of the charter is as necessary to mankind as a law of tha nniverse ? And ought to be no less eternal,--rive beg to know in what respect, or by what exception to all the rules of wisdom and justice,the Directors of the India Company are to exercise,orcontroul,or advise, the proceedings of a parliamentary committee, whose business is to prepare the nation for judging whe ther a monopoly, of great personal benefit to those individual gentlemen, ought or ought not to be re newed ? It is Ahmed that the Directors poisess a knowledge of the subject which could not be Ob tained from any other quarters, and that they may be valuable counsellor to their colleagues. The Directors have knowledge which would undoubt edly render them most valuable witnesses, if called upon by the Committee : so do many subordinate officers of Leadenhall-street possess much solid in formation. All these functionaries, as well as the Directors, are competent to answer questions, when interrogated; but their own interest in the result of the investigation disqualifies them from deciding what sort of questions shall be asked, or in any manner meddling with the form or course of the in quiry. It is somewhat melancholy to reflect how, even as witnesses, the most distinguished men act under the corporation spirit. Let any one take the trouble to compare the real opinions of the late Sir rhomss Monro, as disclosed in his private and confidential correspondence, with the testimony de livered by that able servant of the Company before the Committee of 1813, arid then ask himself whe ther mere knowledge of any subject, apart from the cstisideration of its influence on the passions of an individual is of itself to be regarded as qualifying him to direct the views of others. When Mr. Astell inquired—rather angrily, as it appeared to us —why he was not a fit person to be on the com mittee, he ought to have been told distinctly, be cause you are a party, and cannot therefore be a disinterested judge. The nation is the only party by whose rights, and for whose welfare, this quei don ought to be determined. The India Company, on the expiration of its leasehold interest, is extinct. The question whether the tea sold at Hamburg or in Leadenhall-street is the better and cheaper article, we conceive to he quite foolish and impertinent. A demand for the creation of a fresh monopoly, in 1883, must stand on higher ground than the assumed capacity of an old monopolist to take the British merchant's business out of his hands, thus treating him as one who is utterly incompetent, and the people of England as a nation who are not entitled to purchase their own breakfasts where they please. But, we repeat, the Committees in both Houses must be wholly above suspicion of all preliminary bias, or the professions of those two Ministers who hare spoken on the India question will not have ad ministered their full measure of satisfaction to the publ c.—Tinzes. Lord Holland moved a resolution in the House of Lords on Friday night to the effect following—viz.: " Resolved—That no pacification or settlement of Greece will appear to this House permanently advantageous to the interests of England, or honourable to the British crown, which does not give to that country a territory sufficient for national defence either by land or sea, and does not establish there a Government with full powers to adapt its laws and institutions to the wants and wishes of the people, and to protect its subjects from all interference in their domestic concerns." The noble Lord's motion was prefaced by a speech in which his Lordship went over, with talent awl spirit, a great deal of ground, ingrafting on his solicitude for the greatness and freedom of Greece a narrative interspersed with observations, many of which were striking and entertaining, upon the con duct of the British Government for the last tiro years towards Turkey, Greece itself, and the Allied Powers. Lord Melbourne supported the noble mover, and was answered by the Duke of Welling ton in an able and effective speech, ending with a recommendation to Lord Holland to withdraw his motion, the grounds of which appeared to us, we confess, completely undermined by the reference to facts and dates wherewith they were combatted by Ministers. The fears of the noble mover must have been roused, we take for granted, by circumstances wholly unknown to us, and, so far as might be judged from the debate, not apparent on the face of any authentic docu ments, or he would hardly have pressed forward a motion tending to disparage beforehand those ar rangements of the affairs of Greece, which, in the Speech from the throne, had been announced as then on the eve of their accomplishment, and as almost ready for official disclosure to the public. But it would have been perhaps more regular, had Lord Holland waited until the Royal pledge should be fulfilled, since it would have been equally open to Parliament to condemn the policy of Ministers, after ascertaining what it really was, and thus to avoid the risk of misrepresenting facts, and of fighting with mere chimeras. Lord Aberdeen stated an important fact, that the settlement of the Greek question con tained rrovisions more favourable to the Greek na tion, both as to territory and to independence, than had ever been dreamed of by Mr. Canning himself, with whom the Greek treaty originated ; and in reply to some hypothetical charges of Lords Holland and Melbourne, who had accused the British Go vernment of first encouraging and exciting Turkey to resistance, and then pusillanimously deserting her in the hour of defeat, it was powerfully urged by the Duke of Wellington that the hostle spirit and most outrageous acts of the Grand Seignor had pre ceded the accession of the present Ministers to of fice ;—that Mr. Stratford Canning's departure from Constantinople was not the measure of those Minis ters ;—that the inquiry into the conduct of the British Admiral was the act of their predecessors;—that the famous Hatti Sheriff, which was almost a declaration of war's) , the Porte against Russia, had been delivered before t he Duke of Wellington's Cabinet was formed; —that instead of Catidia being, by the treaty of July, or by the last year's protocol, transferred from Turs key to the hands of Greece, such a transfer was wholly impossible under either, because, to be trans ferred, it must first he conquered from the Turks, — an enterprise which was never once contemplated by the treaty, the protocol, or their authors. The Duke of Wellington went on to assure the House, that so far from encouraging the Turks to resistance, he and his colleagues, foreseeing from the outset what must be the issue of a contest between two such ill-matched powers,—and, indeed, as the Noble Duke declared, his own opinion being that one campaign ought to have finished the war, with out the necessity of a second,—the utmost efforts had been employed, both before hostilities took place and at every stage of their continuance, to prevail on the Turk to give satisfaction to his Im perial Majesty, who had right, undoubtedly, on his side. That as for our policy being " pusillanimous," as described by Lord Holland, the Duke of Wel lington said there were two questions to be resolved by statesmen before we should have been excusable for becoming parties to the war under consideration. First, would the war have been just ?" To which his Grace gave a decided negative, declaring, us we have already mentioned, that it was Russia who had received the injury. Secondly, would the war have been ".politic ?" To this a negative answer was also given, independently even of all the considerations of justice, inasmuch as the influence of Great Britain and France would be equally effective in moderating the views of Russia as any application of force could have proved ; and then everything was gained on the side of peace and humanity. A most gratifying assurance was given by the Duke of Wellington towards the close of this very able and successful speech, that so far from England fearing war, or having reason to avoid it from any motives bat those of conscience and inte grity, there never was a period of our history, even at the most triumphant moment of the last great war, when this country and every other part of rope were in arms, at which the military and naval means of England were se abundant, ell the depart ments of the national force so efficient and complete, or all the public resources of men, and stores, and money if required, so inexhaustible. In truth, a country of such gigantic power may afford to be patient, from generosity and benevolence, but can never truckle from more unworthy motives. We have ourselves but little doubt, that when the 'Greek arrangement shall De made publie l the friends of Greek freedom, and of English honour, will have no reason for either mortification or regret.—lbid. The principal debate in the Commons on Friday was on the subject of reducing salaries. A propo sition was made by Sir James Graham to reduce the pay and salaries of offices under Government to the standard of 1796.1797. The debate ran out to some length ; but Mr. Dawson, the Secretary of the Treasury, inferrned the House, that the salaries had been already reduced to the amount of 30 per cent., and that a considerable saving had been made by a practice of the Duke of Wellington's, of filling up vacant offices by persons who had retired upon pensions, by which this last expense was saved te the country. However, the retrenchments which have already taken place cannot be those which are promised in the King's Speech. The country looks therefore, with interest, but nothing doubting, to the fulfilment of the Royal engagement. In the mean time we would advise those who are obliged to ac commodate themselves to the present situation of affairs and rate of prices, to clamour, without ceas ing, of the public distress; for if they do not keep up the cry as loudly as possible, we shall begin to for get that we are in distress. The winter, which has been extremely severe, brings most likely with it one advantage—that it has concentrated all its rigours ::for though we may still expect some cold weather, spring and vernal occupation are ready to open upon us. The crocus and snowdrop, and even primrose, begin to appear; and the calls for nature will multiply. We should think it might be advantageous, even to the farmers, now to admit barley duty free, for the sake of affording good seed. We will undertake to say, that if Ministers will, as we have no doubt they will) show the same unflinching firmness in the affair of the currency, and in relieving the country from the oppressive burden of a duty on grain, as they evinced last year on the great question of Ca tholic emancipation, Mr. Peel may again and again repeat, with confidence and truth, his declaration of Friday night, that 66 no matter what may be the combinations of party within the doors of Parlia ment, the prevailing good sense and intelligence of the country will sanction and support the course which his Majesty's Ministers are proud of having adopted."—lbid. LAW INTELLIGENCE. COURT OF KING'S BENCH, FIB. 19. PASSENGER V. HUNT. This was an action against Mr. Hunt, the black ing -maker, to recover the value of a quantity of stone bottles sold to him by the plaintiff, a china and earthenware dealer, in Union-street, Southwark. A verdict was taken for the plaintiff for 361. 14s. SPYER V. ARNOLD AND OTHERS. This was an action against Mr. Arnold, the pro prietor of the English Opera-house, Rusher, one of his box-keepers, and Bond, the Bow-street officer, for assaulting and falsely imprisoning the plaintiff.— The defendants pleaded a justification. The ATTORNEY-GENERAL conducted the plain tiff's case. The plaintiff, a young man, about 19, on the evening of the Ist of August last, went, ac companied by an acquaintance named Lewis, to the .pit of the English Opera-house, at the half-price hour, about nine o'clock. Before entering they in quired of the money-taker at the pit-door whether there was room in the pit, and were answered that there was " plenty." On entering, however, they found that there was scarcely standing room. After stand ing in the gangway between the pit and the boxes for about half an hour, and suffering very much from the heat, and the extreme pressure behind, which drove them close up to the orchestra, they got from the pit into an empty private box; a person named Hart, who was in the same situation with them selves, having set them the example. After they had been there a few minutes, Rusher, the box keeper, came up, and told them that they could pot be permitted to remain there unless they paid two guineas, the private box price. They told him that they had been compelled to extricate themselves from the pit on account of the great heat ani pressure, by which they were nearly suffocated; and they offered, as the same time, to pay 3s.each, the half-price to the public boxes. This was at nearly eleven o'clock, when the performances were drawing to a close. Rusher refused to allow them to remain unless they paid the full price of the private box, viz.--two guineas. Some altercation ensued, and Mr. Arnold, who was in the box passage, desired Bond, the officer, who had been sent for, to take all three of them (the plaintiff, Lewis, and Hart) off to the watch-house. This order was immediately acted on, and they were all con- . veyed to Covent-garden watch-house, where the plain tiff and Lewis remained till nearly two o'clock in the morning, when, having procured bail, they were liberated. They afterwards appeared before Sir Richard Birnie at Bow-street, and were bound over to the Sessions, where they were indicted for an as sault on Rusher, and acquitted, the charge of assault being confined to Hart, the person who had got into the private box before they entered, and with whom they had no acquaintance. Mr. BROUGHAM, for the defendants, called, in sup port of the plea of justification, Mr. Peake, the treasurer of the English Opera-house ; James Brown, a box-keeper ; Mr. R. Hawes, and the pit check taker and the door-keeper. Their testimony did not vary the case in any essential particular. Verdict for the plaintiff, damages 40s. COURT OF COMMON PLEAS, Fins. 13. DANCE V. It YATT. This was an action of trover, brought for the purpose of trying the validity of a commission of bankruptcy, issued against a gentleman of the name of Shepperd in 1826. Mr. Shepperd had been for merly a surgeon in the East Indies, but subse quently became engaged in mercantile transaction►, and obtained orders from native East India mer chants for goods to be shipped from England. In consequence, however, of the loss of a cargo at Cal cutta, to the amount of 30,0001., Mr. Shepperd, who was liable for it, was ruined, and he once more had recourse to his professional exertions as a sur geon for the means of subsistence. Having again returned to this country in 1825, he was arrested in 1826, and in July following a commission of bank ruptcy issued against him. In 1825 an Act of Parliament was passed for the purpose of consoli dating and amending the bankrupt laws, which re pealed all the preceding Acts on this subject. In the following year this repealing Act was itself re-' pealed by the Act at present in force, and the pre sent commission having issued in the interval, it was contended that it could net be sustained, be cause there had been no trading during the conti nuance of the Act by virtue of which this commis sion had issued. Mr. Shepperd having taken the benefit of the Insolvent Act, the present action was brought in the name of the provisional assignee of the Insolvent Deb:ors' Court, against the defendant, who is assignee under the commission, to recover a writing-desk and some papers belonging to the in solvent, for the purpose of trying the question. Several points of law were raised in the course of trial, °Which the Learned Judge reserved for the opinion of the Court above ; and, after a somewhat long investigation, the Jury returned a verdict for th e plaintiff, thereby negativing the trading within the period in question. Wheat. I Barley. 1 Oats. Per Quarter. Car1i51e......,...,,, Carmarthen Hezhatn Morpeth Penrith SMettiehl Winchester S. to B. .... 58 1 s. to s. --- 28 - 131 72 1 :33 46 58 28 32 60 i 31 73 48 C,6 24 33 s.d. s.d. s.d. s.d. 70 90 48 54 90 96 46 56 70 93 36 48 90 94 59 62 68 70 44 48 9 0 10 0 4 6 5 0 146 16 ,8 6 90 120 15 0 8 0 90 12 0 16 0 9 0 10 6 ,126 14 6 8 0 90 Per Bushel. Coventry -- Newcastle (Stag:) Northallerton Stafford --. Swansea Warwick Per 8011. Barnardcastle Durham . Richmond Stockton s. to s. 22 29 lb 24 IS 24 s. d. s. d. 36 40 34 40 3 3 4 0 36 40 22 26 3S 40 56 04 49 64 70 H 6 48 76 Oats. I Beans. s. to s. Aberdeen 50 68 23 28 17 22 28 29 Berwick 34 37 18 20 14 17 22 33 36 Coldstream 31 38 18 .20 14 17 20 25 Cupar ............ 44 68 27 98 20 23 24 Dundee 48 56 Si 30 21 24 243 27 Elgin 50 82 20 25 20 23 19 21 I nverness...-. 48 54 21 26 19 21 19 20 40 Kelso 33 38 18 20 15 17 24 27 60 76 33 38 26 22 30 34 Perth 48 70 19 21 19 21 26 32 The size of the measure varies throughout the country. EDI NBC RGII CORN MA RKET.—Feb. 10. We had a full supply of all kinds of Grain to-day, except Barley. Wheat sold readily, and was up 2s. on the top ; Oats also fouticl buyers at higher prices; Barley, Pease, and Beans, remain at last week's quotations. Wheat. Barley. Oats. Pease. Beat's. First 6la Od I 34s 611 25s Cd 33s Od 33e al second Third PRICES OF PROVISIONS, &C. Beef, per lb. Os. 3/d. to Os. 6d Mutton -........ 0 4 0 6 Veal 0 8 0 10 04 0 6 Lamb, per qr. 1 6 2 0 Tallow, cwt.... 30 0 31 3 Quartern Loaf 0 8 0 9 Potatoei„ 1711 b. 0 4 U 0 EDINBURGH MEA , Fresh Butter,lb.s.B,l. to s. 10.1. Salt Ditto...—. 0 7 0 8 Ditto, per c% t. 60 6 66 0 Eggs, per doz. 1 0 0 0 OatStraw(kp.) 6 0 0 0 Wheat Ditto—, 7 0 8 6 Barley Ditto 0 0 6 6 Hay, per 5t....,. 0 5 0 8 L DI A RKET.—Feb. 9. We had a small supply of which sold heavily at last we Per Sack of 2801 b. Imp. First Oatmeal £l 15 0 Second ditto 1 13 0 Barleymeal 1 8 0 Pea.senieml 1 8 0 rot Barley—No. 1, per cwt. 12s GLASGOW CORN MI desniptions of Grain Oatmeal at to—day's market, ek's prices. ..... _ Per Stone of I.llb. Imp. First Oatmeal ..... £0 I 10 Second ditto Barleyineal Peasemeal .-2il, 144.-3,1. I 84.—Paai 1225. M A RKET.—Feb. 10. met a free sa!e at improving prices. Wheat, per 2401 b. s. I. 1. d. Oats, per i*64lb. s. d. s. d. British, old 330 to 340 Irish l6O to 196 new 27 0 30 0 British l7 0 IV 0 Canada, free 32 0 33 0 Beans, per 2601 b. Irish Barley, per 3201 b. Scottish English 25 0 27 0 Pease, Scottish ... 16 0 17 0 Scottish 24 0 16 0 Oatmeal, per 1101 b. 15 0 IS 0 Irish 22 0 25 0 . Flour, per 2801 b.... 48 0 50,0 HADDINGTON CORN M A tIKET.—Feb. 12. Barley is down 2s. on the top, and up 3d. on the average ; 83 quarters sold. Oats stand at last top price, average up 1 ld.-164 quarters sold. Wheat went off readily, at better prices than last week ; average up is. I.ld. Pease are up 6d. and Beans ls. 6d. Wheat. Firgt Ras Od Second s4s Od Third 486 Oct 'Mae were 414 qrs. Barley. 30a Oct 29s Od 25s 0:1 .of Wheat 24 Unsold.. Oats. 26s Od 23s Od 21s Od in market, .-19 Grey. 21. 14,1.1% .N Pease. 29s Od 28s 01 2tSs Od whereoi Beans. 32s Otl 30$ 0.1 11'7s 00 were sold. Average MARKI of Grain r higher th :VII COIL all kinds ices rather DALKEI The supply of ket was good ; pr se'nnight. Wheat. Barley. Oats. First C2g 0,1 32g Od fld Second Od NW Ott 44s Od Third .sos Od 7.5 s Od tOs Od d. 9-12ths. T.—Feb. 11 at this lay's mar )f this day lan those Pence. Ms Od 3Q Od 284 ild CORNWA LI. MARKETS. Beans. 334 ecl :','Os Od 28s Od Tauao.-Wheat (average) 225.9d.-Barley, 111.-Oats, 9s. 9d. HELSTON-Wheat, 245. 6d.-Barley, 12s. Od. ST. Au:cram-Wheat, 20s. to 245.-Barley, 10s. to 124.-Oats, Bs. to 9s. Od. BODMIN-Wheat (average) 225. Od.-Barley, lls.-Oats, Bs. Od. La n NCESTON-AV heat (average) 235. Od.-Barley, 12s. Ott.-Oats, 7s. 0.1.-Beef, &1.-Mutton, M. I'B:us:ice-Wheat, 20s. to 215.-Barley, -s. to 125.-Oats, Os. to Ida. Od.-Beef and Mutton, 4d. to 51d.-Pork, 31d. to 01.- Butter, 11d. per lb. LisacitA an-Wheat, 225. 6d. to 255.-Barley, 13s. &1.-Oats, 104. to I Is. Od. ST. COLUMB-Wheat, 21s. to 235.-Barlev, 11s. to 125.-Beef, and Mutton, sd. to 5111. -Veal and Lamb, Oa to 6d. The interior of' Leicester-square continues, as it has long been, a disgrace to the metropolis, and to those who may have the charge of it ; in addition to which the carriage way on the North side is now made the recep tacle of heaps of rubbish and every kind of filth, giving to this once-favoured residence of our Princes and Nobility fire broke out the a A pbp outear a e m o e f having clock k becomelasta ly night g a ht s t a a 11. in the extensive premises of Mr. LEVEY, upholsterer and r • Mr. SADLER, on Wednesday night, gave furniture-broker, in the New Cut, near the Coburg notice of a motion he intended to make in the House of Theatre; and from the nature of the materials of which Commons, to which, by some strange accident, no part of Mr. LIVEY'S stock was composed, the utmost atarm pre- the press has alluded. It was " For a Return of all the vailed for the array o f th e adj o i n i ng n e i g hb our h oo d. By Ex-officio Informations that have been filed for Libel since the great exertions of the neighbours and firemen, aided by the accession of his present Majesty to the Throne." The so me of the new police constables, the dw e lli ng -h ouse of Mr. day fixed by the ilon. Member for bringing forward the LEvEY was saved fr ont that destruction which attended motion is Thursday, the 25th inst. Under the particular his manufactory and work-shops, although it is much c ircumstances of the times, the debate is expected to lie damaged, and a great part of the furniture destroyed, most interesting. MINING INTELLIGENCE. Tons. Cwt Quantity of Copper Ore sold at Itedruth last Thursday 3,641 0 Average Produce 7% 0 Quantity of line Copper 282 5 Amount of Sale, 20,012/. ls . 6d.—Average Standard, IC6t. I's. Od, POLICE INTELLIGENCE. BOW-STREET. On Saturday Mr. Alley, the barrister, appeared before Mr. HALLS, accompanied by a gentleman, for the purpose of obtaining a warrant against a lady who keeps a lodging-house in the immediate neighbourhood of the Strand, and by whom the gen tleman had been defrauded of 3871. under the fol lowing circumstances : Some time ago, Mr. Alley stated, the gentleman by whom he was accompanied took apartments in the house of the lady. He had not been settled there very long, when she came to him one day, and representing that she had been disappointed of a remittance from India, requested he wou►.d ad vance her 3001., and as security for the amount she produced the lease of the house, which was made out in her own name, she having always represented herself as a widow. The gentleman advanced her the sum she required, and subsequently lent her 871., she giving him her acceptance fur the entire amount. When this bill became due, it was renewed at the request of the lady, who had not funds to meet it, and up to the present time the money had not been paid, the lady having from time to time for some excuse or other obtained further indulgence. Mat ters had remained in this state until a day or two ago, when the gentleman, to his great surprise, was arrested for the amount of his lodging, and the w►it was made out, not in the name of the lady, but of her husband, of whose existence the gentleman was in total ignorance, having always understood from the lady herself that she was a widow. Under these circumstances, he (Mr. Alley) applied for a warrant against the lady, who, by a false representation, had fraudulently possess: I herself of the sum of money in question. The Learned Counsel added, that, for obvious reasons, he should for the present refrain from mentioning publicly the name of the person whom lie charged with the fraud. Mr. HALLS observed, that he was not quite satis fied that in this case a Magistrate could interfere. If, however, the gentleman aggrieved would condense a statement of the facts, and submit it in writing to him (Mr. Halls), he should then be enabled to judge how far the false pretence was made out, upon which ground only a warrant could be granted. Mr. Alley and his client then withdrew, pro• raising to follow the Magistrate's directions. UNION-HALL. On Saturday Richard Hunt, a youth between 14 and 15 years of age, was brought up for final ex amination, charged with embezzling various sums of money, the property of Messrs. Harvey, linen drapers, in the Westminster-road. After the case had been heard at some length, the prisoner was fully committed. COUNTRY CORN MARKETS. DURING LAST WRRIC. Leans. WAKEFIELD CORN MARKET.—Feb. 12 Wheat, Red, Norfolk and Su&lk 525. 565. to 591. tine 61s. New 545. 575. to 61s. tine 64.5. White Old 553. 575. to 645. tine 675. ----- New 504. Foreign, Red dli. to 60s. to 60s. fine 635. fine 645. White Ms. 58s. to 625. Barley, Norfolk and Suffolk Lincolnshire 24s. to 31s. Yorkshire %Vold -- Foreign —6. to —e. Beans, Old New 308. to 335. Oats, t roato 2qs to 255. fine tSfis. fine Sts. fine 334. fine 304. fine --4. fine 38s fine 345. fine Cs. Poland ?Os. 22e. to Us. fine 256. Friesland and Small lBs. 20s. to 225. fine 235. --- Mealing lld. to 12%d. per Stone. Shelling Vs. to 295. Od. per Load. Malt `itis. ,, 3?s, fine :Ili. per Load. Rapeseed 371. Or;. 29/. Os. 301. Os:per Last SCO Wheat. 'CH MARKETS. Barley 'Oatmeal. NAVAL INTELLTGENCE. PORTSMOUTH, FEB. 13.—Letters we have re. , ceived front Smyrna, dated 16th December, men tion that his Majesty's ships Asia, Wellesley, Me teor, Wolfe, Favourite, and Mastiff, were then lying there. Constant interchanges of civility had taken place between the Officers of our squadron and those of the French. Admiral Count de RignY lives in a splendid style, exhibiting at his entertain ments, in which he is most profuse, a superb ser' vice of silver plate (of the latest Parisian fashion), and the most costly Sevre china. The wines lie produces on these occasions are described to be the choicest that France can produce. By an over-land letter of the 28th ult., from Malta, we learn that the Ocean, of 80 guns, a nd Spartiate, of 76 guns, had received orders for tlieir immediate return to England. The Hon. Admiral Fleeming was at Port Royals with eleven ships of his squadron, on the 26th De ember. The Arachno had arrived there from the Havannah and the Spanish Main; the Grasshopper and Speedwell were cruising; the Harlequin, iB, had been sold as unserviceable for the British navy, and had realised 6201. A slight shock of an earth quake was felt at Jamaica on Christmas-day, but no damage had ensued. The Briton frigate, Capt. Hon. W. Gordon, after touching at Madeira, proceeded with a fair wind to Barbadoes, where she arrived on the 4th of Decent ber last. After completing her water, she was to proceed to Belize, to land Colonel Dashwood, the British Consul-General to the Government of Co lombia. She would then call at Vera Cruz and the Havannah, and may be expected home by the m'ddle of March. We regret to hear that Captain Shirreff has been obliged to resign the command of the Warspite, in South America, from ill-health. Commander Bur gess is appointed to the Warspite, vice Shirreff; Lieutenant C. Fitzgerald to command the Alert, vice Burgess ; and Mr. T. Strong to the Forte, vice Fitzgerald. The Wiricheiter, .52, Captain C. J. Austen, with the flag of Vice-Admiral Griffith Colpoys, put back to Spithead on Sunday, owing to the wind having shifted to the S.W. blowing fresh, with ruin. She sailed again to-day for Teneriffe, Bar.. badoes, and Jamaica. The Amphitrite transport, Lieutenant Cooley, Agent, sailed this morning to Cork, to convey the depot of the 73d Regiment to Plymouth. From Plymouth she will afterwards carry to Cork the de pot of the 94th Regiment. The Pandora, 18, Commander Hon.J.T.Gordon, went into Hatnoaze yesterday se'nnight to be paid oil into ordinary. The Speedy cutter, tender to the Semiramis, flag ship at the Cove, arrived at Plymouth yeste►day se'nnight. On - Simday arrived his Majesty's cutter Sparrow, from Plymouth ; on Monday sailed the Onyx trans port, to the Eastward. The Talavera, 74, Captain Pigct, was to leave Sheerness yesterday for her station in the Downs : on her arrival there the Ramifies, 71, will be paid off, and most probably broken up. The Snipe cutter, Lieutenant Purcell (tender to the Victory), yesterday brought in a smuggling boat, of about 25 tons, with forty tubs of spirits and four men, which she seized off Shoreham. Ships in Harbour—Victory, Royal George, Ganges, Galatea, North Star. PROMOTION.-Mr. J. C. Prevost, to be Lieut. of the Grasshopper. APPouvramwrs.--Commanders James Galloway, William Love, and Lieut. R. J. Hibbs, to the out pension Greenwich Hospital. Mr. Win. Henwood is appointed Foreman at Plymouth Dock-yard, vice Lang, appointed Assis tant at Deptford. Two Lieutenants of Marines are ordered to the West Indies—one to join the Shannon, the other to some other frigate on that station. They will t a ke their passage in the North Star. The following Midshipmen passed their examina tion at the Royal Naval College, this week :-- Messrs. Samuel F re d er i c k Sh ort , Vm. Hugh Dob bie, Alex. T. Goldie, Wm. Lilley, H. J. It. Mit. ford, J. A. A. Riddell, J. G. Harrison, R. N. Ha. mond, E. Stopford, Hon. T. R. Keppel, J. R. Tur ner, H. J. Robins, C. H. Hamilton. On Monday passed the Protector, Waugh, from Calcutta, for London ; sailed from Madras the 4th October, Cape of Good Hope the lit, and St. He lena the 12th of December. The. Lady M'Naugh ten, Faith, was to sail from Madras in about a fort night after the Protector, for England. Arrived eta Monday the Louisa Barbara, Lousen, in 84 days from Rio de Janeiro, bound to Antwerp; also the Hudson, Champlin, from New York, in 20 days. Arrived on Tuesday the Gladstanes, Barton, 85 days from Jamaica; on the .sth instant parted com pany with the Bencoolen, Wallace, from Sincapore for London, in latitude 47 N. long. 17 40 W. Ar rived on Wednesday the Kremlin, Hall, from Charleston, for Antwerp, and passed on to Cowes. Arrived on Friday the Josephine, Moldenhaur, from Rio de Janeiro, bound to Antwerp ; also the Sophia, Barclay, from London, for Jamaica.— Hampshire Telegraph. DEVONPORT, FEB. 13.—His Majesty's brig Le veret, 10, Lieutenant Worth, tender to the Kent, 78, returned on Thursday evening, from a cruise for the relief of the homeward bound trade detained at the entrance of the Channel. When about 150 miles to the south of Cape Clear, the Leveret fell in with Ithe merchant sloop Catherine ' Baker master, from Baltimore (Ireland), bound to Falmouth, with a cargo of potatoes in such a state of destitution as to make it necessary to remove her crew. An officer and five men from the Leveret were put on board, and she was with difficulty taken into Cork. The Leveret met with very severe weather during her cruise, and had relieved six of the homeward-bound trade, some of whom were in the greatest distress, from want of provisions and other necessaries. APPOINTMENTS.—Mr. James Rose, to be acting Master of the Arrow cutter ; Mr. J. o.lWWilliam, Assistant-Surgeon to the Sparrow cutter; Mr. George Ritchie, to be supernumerary Assistant-Sur.. geon on board the Victory. The Cephalus sloop, 18, is ordered to be brakett up, being unfit for service. A number :of boys were this week drafted from the Ordinary into the St. Vincent, 120, for sea ser vice on the Coast of Ireland. The St. Vincent was on Wednesday removed to the flag-ship's moorings off Mount Wise. In Hamoaze.—St. Vincent, Kent, Druid, Ariadne, Pandora, Royalist, and Reindeer packet. Island.—Britotnart and Bramble. Sound.-,-Leveret and Isabella, Brazilian.—Devanf port Tekgraph. BIRTHS. On the 11th inst. at the Forhury, Reading, the lady of the Rev. F. Valpy, of a son. On the 12th inst. the lady of %V. R. Robinson, Esq., of Upper Harley-street, of a daughter. On the 12th inst. in Gloucester-place, Portruan.squara. the lady of W. J. Coltman, Esq., of a daughteP. MARRIED. On the l Ith inst. at Bristol, Mr. D. Green, of riAhn street-hill, to Elizabeth, second surviving daughteir pf tlAp late J. Saunders, Esq. of Plymouth. On the I 1 th inst. at Islington, W. God, o f Hit. then, Hertfordshire, to Maly, youngert dunilter of Mr. R. Rood, merchant, London. DIED, On the llth inst. in New Bond-street, W. Lloyd, Esq., M.D., in his 83d year. On the 11th inst. at Clapham, Louisa Elizabeth, wife of Mr. John Walker, late of Northumberland-street, St. Marylehone. On the 11th inst. in Sussex-place, RPgent's.j . altrk, P. Latouche, Esq., of Bellevue, county of Wicklo, and for merly Member of Parliament for the smutty of biltrial, in his .55th year. On the I Ith inst. in Queen Anne-street, avetludi. square, Mrs. Bowen. PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY MURDO YOUNG, AT VIE SUN OFFICE', 54 &RANO, LONDON, 50 52 34 36 42 46 0. tl. s. d. 56 60 59 60 59 66 72 80 00 00 73 76 96 126 96 100 11 0 12 0 09 00 Ti Years Hsi ton-st '~ A' done. 111. 1 Heads the E Third James turei Lady .1 N Re: ten-sti -____ Re ton-st T' C•nt;j triad Thom This Pri. Cadell Weatl &ai m of N o , 5 4 yl *n Ac Realm, tailed Ind di Unit / i'l Al Cycle Pri Thom Thi• Pr Cade' And and '1 of s tb.