The Sun. — London, England, 1830-02-04 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS. We begin to hope that the Country-Gentle man-intereit may see• ere long the error of its ways, and adopt such courses as • common sense and reflection will justify it rather in pursuing to the end, than in abandoning as untenable and mischievous. The Magistrates of one county — and that a county placed in peculiar circum stances--are said to have refused an application from the Grand Jury (the Sessions Grand Jury) to appoint a county meeting, where, under the cloak of a petition against the malt -tax, all sorts of grievances might, no doubt, have been pressed into the service, and all manner of nuisances been proposed as nostrums for redress. Hamp shire happens to be th e county of which the Duke of Wellington is Lord-Lieutenant. Had it been any other county in the kingdom, we Should say that, considering Cie present temper of the landed interest, the magistrates had judged wisely in discountenancing what would probably have resulted in a chimerical representation of the state of the country by men who see all things with eyes diseased : but, besides the dis play by the Hampshire Magistrates of conduct which was intrinsically wise, there seems reason to hope that. they. must have -believed that par ticular - application of their wisdom to be one which would - meet . the concurrence and approval of a nobleman, all whose sentiments on questions affecting the internal state of England are ren dered, by his position as well as his character, of more than common. interest to the people, If the Duke of 'Wellington, in short, had heel a partisan or patron of the agricultural distress cla mour—or of the currency-clamours--or of the yell for what is maliciously called " equitable ad justment” —or any other of these mob howling., which have deafened and exasperated all honest • and enlightened men,—and if the Hampshire Magistrate had known or but shrewdly suspected his Grace of favouring such outrageous and re volting absurdities, it is very probable that their worships would not have exhibited so prompt a repugnance to put them forth, under the auspices of a county meeting. It is therefore Comfortable to us to find that the Hampshire authorities have taken this course, from the con Science which it affords us that the Injas , . l , of the Prime Minister is in a sound and wholesome state with reference to ` , ye-mentioned topics. The city of Lin • ' , been resolving ; and, that no time nor ter s , might be lost, the worthy citi zens mena , he economy which th e y recom • so s. a- managed to consolid a t e i n one • Asia i s s pretty an assortment of public k aarevan 'could meet with in a summer's aiay. Ti as some spirit in the declara .tion, that, ',uses of the distress, and the proper inc - tress, are equally apparent ;" toxin is tip imewhat equivocal ? They then enuri ration, tithes, difficulty and expellee Q' justice, and, finally, the want of rn tliament, as items in their catalogue I iThey call for a repeal of the malt a ~ and of the greater part of the assesse. way of a beginning. We certainly i n of Lincoln in wishing ear nestly for f the above taxes and of a great ms pit we have also a preliminary wish, ti Ay be possible to repeal them. The cc' Aianitain considerable establish ments• ai r by sea and land, and for the admitnt ir justice. The country must furthea ie interest of an enormous debt, and d ,e expense of collecting a vast re venue. , the most rigorous and unsparing econori engrafted on the management of all these V plied concerns ; then take off many taxes,' diminish many others, and leave every n ,s much as is politically possible, the master o ,s own industry and fortune. An able cot. ,ondent of ours has some observa tions whittsi arc worth considering on this car dinal point - of redressing the public grievances ; his notions are those of a sober and enlightened mind. Retrenchment—we repeat, " Retrench ment-"' We have no doubt the Duke of Wel lington will bravely cry out " Retrenchment." Other things follow. Free trade in corn—re duced rents—wages high enough to exist upon —St habitations for the peasantry, and no de grading mixture of the British labourer with the pauper. Here, even without touching on taxa tion, there are liberal sources of redress.— Times.- This day the Parliamentary campaign com mences. The out of doors people, to speak in Parliamentary language, have had their day._ It would be hard, indeed, to deprive people wh o feel themselves uncomfortably situated, of the privilege of grumbling. In a Chronological History of England, it is observed, that " the gentlemen of England were greatly distressed at this time (Jan. 1689-90), scarce any of them knowing how to retrench their expenses, though the taxes of all kinds lesSened their revenues so considerably." Retrenchment hat, it would ap pear, been in all times a matter of extreme diffi culty with the gentlemen of England. Wars ate delightful, but taxes and falling rents are the very devil. However, this is all out of doors work. How stands the 'Matter within. We shall briefly lay before our readers such informa tion on this matter as hls reached us, from what we consider authentic 'sources. It may easily be supposed that the Duke of Wellington is too old a tactician to meet Parliament without having a tolerably . Clear conception 'of the state and disposition of parties, and without having applied himelf to strengthen himklf in those points in which he inN conceive himself most open to atiatl. It is pretty well understood that the Premier has had his difficulties in a high quarter. The Kings of the House of Bruns wick have often been puzzled to hnderstand why they, were sent for to this country. It is gene rally supposed that the business of a British King is merely to make and unmake Ministers ; but it has not unfrequently happened that some of the subjects of our Kings would noither consent to be themselves made Ministers, nor allow others to be made. In 1757 the Duke of Newcastle, the head of a confederation of Boroughowners, kept George the Second for seven or eight weeks without any Ministry ; and when Lord Walde grave attempted to move him, his Grace openly told his Lordship, " that with a single word he could cause so many resignations as would give the Court a very empty appearance." Lord Waldegrave informs us, that having been commanded to conceal nothing from his Ma jesty, he told him that it was vain to think of opposing the Duke of Newcastle. " I told him I was clear, in my opinion, that our Administration would be routed at the opening of the next Session of Parliament ; for that the Duke of Newcastle had a considerable majority in the House of Commons. . . . It was, therefore, my very humble advice, that his Ma jesty should give way to the necessity of the imes." • The Duke of Newcastle was as con temptible a creature as ever crawled upot; the earth ; but, in thi s f ree country , h e commanded the King, and commanded the House of Conl• mons. The mother of George the Third never ceased dinning into hitt, " George, be King ;" and he was king ; and th e nat i on gained, bv his being King, the advantage of the Ameritat, war and the war of the French Revolution, which were altogether his work. His Majesty King George the Third was so much of a King that he has very much curtailed the power of his successors. While there ate loans and contracts, and wars in every quarter of the globe, and dis patches reeoentine the gallant deeds of our neva] and military heroes in the Ne*epapers, the King of this country is poWert'ul. But when lo ans cease , and teeete tall' heavy, and the nation calls loudly for retrenchment, the business of a Minister is surrounded with difficulties. Hence, however desirous his present Majesty might be to be a King every inch of him, as his father was, and to command his Ministers, hP Will occasionally find that obedience hits its limits. It is under stood that, about three weeks ago, in conse quence of the opposition which existed, and which we believe still exists ; in the tnind of an exalted Personage to the nomination of Prince Leopold to the Throne of Greece, and in conse quence of some other less tangible and less as signable reasons, which, were it not for Sir James Scarlett, we might, however, hint at, the Gallant Premier, with his characteristic plain ness of speech, reminded his Majesty of the cir cumstances under which he accepted office, and signified his readiness to resign; Matters were, however, made up, and ixn apparently sincere re conciliation followed. Negociations were, it is said, then set on foot to regain Mr. Huskisson ; but they did not lead to a successful issue. A rumour was afloat yesterday, and credit was given to it in a well-informed circle, that these negotietions had been renewed within the last forty-eight hours. But where is the vacant seat in the Cabinet for Mr. Huskisson to fill ? One, indeed, it is observed, would be found, were his Grace to rid his Ministry of a certain Noble Lord, who has recently attracted some what more attention than is perhaps agreeable to his colleagues, by a singular correspondence with a too communicative functionary in the East. But even this opening is not exactly suitable. The Board of Trade or the Colonies is the proper place for Mr. Huskisson, where, from his abilities and experience, he could render the most service ; and the office to which we have alluded, whatever it may be in the way of patronage, is hardly worthy of his ambition. The appointment of Mr. Berries to the Board of Trade will not, it is thought, add much to the strength of the Duke of Wellington in the House of Commons. The Right Hon. Gen tleman is generally allowed to be acute and well informed in matters of finance, and the country is more indebted to him than people are generally aware of, for the share he had in the valuable in quiries set on foot in the various departments of our Revenue. But it remains to be seen whether he is equally able to take large and comprehensive views of affairs, whether his knowledge of general principles is equal to his skill in details. We are not, however, in the least afraid that he will depart (because we know he cannot, even if he would) from the system to which his prede cessor, Mr. Vesey Fitzgerald, stood pledged. His deputy, too, Mr. Courtenay, who bears the reputation of an honest politician and highly honourable man, has become from conviction, in consequence of that inquiry which he announced his intention of making, while his mind was yet as a sheet of white paper, firmly attached to this liberal system. So far all is safe. It is the misfortune of England, as was very well observed by the writer in the Quarterly Review on the internal state of the country, that the House of Commons is a Club—a sporting Club—and that what is done there is of less consequence than what is said. In the talent of talents, big speaking, the 11Iinistry are certainly weak. It has been said that one Attorney in a country town will not do—there must be two, or there will be ro suits. In like manner, a select Mi nistry will make a select opposition. For when a man has it all his own way for some time he tires. The greatest vixen is miserable if her husband is not provoked to an occasional re tort. The power of patient suffering is some times more efficacious than the power of ac tive resistance. Mr. Peel would hardly be rec koned more than a second-rate speaker, but he is almost the only one in the Ministerial ranks. Mr. Herries can supply him with official facts, but can give him little aid as a speaker. Sir George Murray, when he has time, can com pose an elegant: speech, and he has a graceful manner and good delivery, but he is noi. a ready debater. Air. Vesey Fitzgerald was a fluent and ready speaker on all manner of subjects, and his loss will thus be sensibly felt. All the elo quence, as it is called, and ability in debating, will be either neutral, or on the side of Oppo sition. And now for the state of the House of Commons generally. ft may now be said to exhibit a curious appearance. It is divided into five or six distinct parties, either hostile to, or not very friendly to each other :- 1. First we have the regular Supporters of the Ministry. 2. The Old Whig Opposition. 3. The High Tory Opposition. 4. Lord Althorpc s Party, consisting of Liberals and Reformers and Independent Members. .5. Mr. Huskisson's Party. 6. A small number of Members who do not range themselves under any fixed banners. It is probable that the proceedings of this day will bring the different parties out, and enable the public to see the spirit by which they are respectively actuated.—Morning Chronicle. To-day the Parliamentary drama begina— Peers and Representatives of the People the actors—a nation the audience. The old and tiresome Comedy of " Catholic Emancipation," which ran so many seasons to the exclusion of all novelties, has been withdrawn, and the manage ment stands pledged to the production of new performances. Whether the business of the scene w ill so reflect the public feelings and inte rests as to justify the adoption of the trite but expressive motto, Veluti in speculum, at this political theatre, remains to be know n. Public opinion prepares to perform the office of critic, and is bound, in common fairness, neither to censure•nor approve by anticipation. Leaving the dramatic metaphor, we proceed to ask why, if the wisdom of the Great Council of the nation can afford a remedy for the unexampled dis tresses of the country, it was not called into ope ration at an earlier period ? The great and dis tinguishing quality of a true Statesman is fore sight. He belongs not to the class of men gifted by nature to direct the destinies of an empire who does not evince, in difficult times, this characte ristic proof of political sagacity. To foresee con sequences, and, as it were, to forecast events, from the signs of the times, and, by doing so, to be enabled to promote what is good for a country, and to counteract what is mischievous, is the attribute of one born to obtain lasting fame at. the heal of the councils of a nation. Did the • Duke of Wellington anticipate, many months ago, the crisis which has now arriied ?—a crisis which we do not hesitate to say is more alarm , ing and perilous than any in which this country has been involved'since the era of the French Revolution. Even when the conquests of Buo naparte appalled the world and shook the an cient monarchies of Europe to their foundation —when enterprizes of romantic guilt and gran deur seemed too little for his genius, and the subjugation of the ancient thrones of the Con tinent not sufficient to satisfy the vastness of his ambition, England Was not placed in Mich peril ous bircinnsiances as she is at present. Her enemy was then without her borders—her shore was yet sacred from his violation—her laws and liberties— her ancient institutions, and glorious independence, were surrounded by the rampart of a firm, a united, and an undaunted people. The barrier of the seas, of which she never lost the sovereignty, was still interposed be , tween her and tht asaailant Who sought her ruin. now different is the scene now !—No enemy threatens her existence from abroad—a profound peace has for fifteen years given repose to her vic torious arms : within herself is the danger;— self-created is the calamity which oppresses all her interests—cripples her industry—dissolves her wealth, and breaks down the energies of her people. These are not evils from which she can be delivered by such acts of heroism as live in the remembrance of the battle of the Nile or the field of Waterloo. Our own folly, not the malice of others, has brought us into this con dition, and nothing but wisdom united with the moral courage which is not ashamed to retract errors and acknowledge and repair mistakes can extricate us. Great would be the ingratitude of this country if she ever forgot the splendid and successful services hs which the Duke of Wel lington vindicated her superiority in arms ; but greater still would be her infatuation if she did not examine with jealousy and vigilance the measures of a military chief, under whose Go vernment she has reached a point which tries to the utmost her capacity for endurance. Is all this mischief attributable to the Duke of Wel lington ? Certainly not ; but he is deeply re sponsible for al!owing matters to go to the extent to which they have gone, without taking measures to arrest the progress of the evil. We admit that the main source of the adversity of England is the National Debt— that consideration for our military glory which makes it the dearest article that a nation ever purchased. It was the Debt, along with the continued and, we may call it, the criminal pro fusion of Government, that made it necessary to exact the war taxes from the people during suc cessive years of peace until now, in the fifteenth year of " amicable relations" with all the world, when the burdens of the people are in no way alleviated—on the contrary, their pressure is se verely increased by some of the most enormous acts of legislative folly that ever aggravated the embarrassments of an impoverished empire. While the country had to pay the war-taxes in a war-currency they. were raised, not, indeed, without difficulty, but certainly without the dis tressing consequences to the national industry which they now produce. Mr. Peel, fascinated with the visions of the theorists, rushed into one of the wildest experiments of legislation that was ever carried into practice beyond the limits of Swift's "fl)ing island" of philosophers; charmed with the abstract idea of a golden currency, he took not at all into calculation the actual circumstances of the country into which it was to be introduced. If he could, by the same Parliamentary magic that he annihilated the paper medium in which the taxes had been paid, and the expenses of the State defrayed since the Bank Restriction Act, have extinguished the National Debt, or so much of it as had been borrowed in paper money during the last war, then, indeed, might 1 . e with comparative safety have brought back the age of gold. He would in that case have placed the debt and the currency together on a peace establishment. He would not have legislated on the contradictory principle which lest on the people the pressure of the war-taxes, and took away, in a great measure, the means of paying them. What made the Bank Restriction Act necessary ? The pressure of the financial burdens of the war. What could make the repeal of that Act safe or salutary ? A return to the lighter taxation of peace, and nothing else. Mr. Peel, however, disdained to allow his genius for legislation to be controlled by the circumstances in which this country was placed. Cessante ratione cessat lex is a maxim of English law as old as our Anglo- Saxon institutions ; but the maxim of Mr. Peel's legislation was, "let the war taxation continue, and let the war currency cease. Hence high taxa tion and low prices, hence an impoverished country gentry, insolvent farmers, and broken manufac turers—hence enriched and pampered placemen, sinecurists, and jobbi rs in the Funds. Then came Mr. Huskisson with his free trade and re ciprocity system, which rivalled in folly the re volutionary innovation c n the currency. Dearly have the people paid for the infatuated policy of their rulers—" quicquid delirant reges pectun tur Achivi." Theoretic statesmen, altogether overlooking the artificial state in which the na tion was placed by a long and expensive war, and carried away by the vain ambition of ob taining celebrity by some novel performance in legislation, broke down the artificial barriers which gave a nation in such a position its only security. Even supposing that other nations acted upon the principle of reciprocity, of which the advocates of free trade spoke so wildly, yet this country was not in circumstances to enter fairly and with equal advantages into the field of free competition with them. Let the Debt and the taxes be only reduced to the l eve l o f those which our French or Ame rican rivals have to pay, and there can be no doubt that the industry, the skill, and perse verance ,of Englishmen will beat them out of the field. But, with the debt and war -taxes, the system of free-trade puts England in the si tuation of a man with fetters upon his legs at tempting to run a race against another, whose limbs are left free to all the buoyant energy of nature. The great vice of the " philosophy" of Mr. Huskisson and his brother theorists is, that they never look beyond the paper on which their plans are sketched: they never take into account the existing circumstances which ought to controul or modify all the designs of states men, therefore their measures betray that spirit of ignorant innovation which is equally daring and impracticable ; they are, however, effective , in one way—they produce mischief and suffer mg, and bitter distress and national humiliation. But in their affliction the people still look up with some gleams of hope to Parliament, and we trust their expectations of some relief will not be disappointed. If Parliament can, now'. that distress is so aggravated, arrest the progress of the calamity, why were not the representatives of the people called together in November last, when' that distress had not reached the height which it has done at present ? We believe that if the Duke of Wellington had not been misled by • those false oracles of opinion, those parasitical newspapers, which either denied that the people were suffering, or described their adversity as transient, he would not have been so lost to the duties of his station and humanity as not to have assembled Parliament before to interpose its " wisdom" between the living and the dead, that the " plague might be stayed." We believe he means well to the country ;—indeed, it is his own interest to promote its prosperity ;—but, high as is his reputation in arms, he has not yet rivalled the fame of either the ancient or modern Hannibal, by that capacity for the conduct of national affairs which establishes upon a sure and permanent foundation the celebrity of a Minister. We do hope, however, that he has profited by the melancholy experience which, while it has humbled the grandeur of England, has not been without its advantage, if it has crushed the pernicious ambition of our Legis lative theorists, and taught wisdom to our states men.—Morning Herald. Before what we now write is read by one tenth of our readers the parties most interested in the success of this Paper will be standing on the floor of the Court of King's Bench, to re ceive sentence for certain alleged libels, declared by honest jurymen to have a tendency to bring, his Majesty's Government into contempt! Be fore these observations are generally perused he ' who writes them may. be consigned to a dun geon—the martyr of English liberty—the victim of the boasted freedom of the Press—of that freedom which the Whigs extolled in their speeches and immortalized in their toasts—but of that freedom which they have trampled upon and sold for - dirty preferment—of that free. dom which they have abjured the very first moment they discovered it would interfere with their mercenary pretensions, and of which they are now the prominent and most conspicuous enemies. In these times it is ne cessary for men, exposed as a public journalist is, to carry their hearts in their hands. But it cannot, nevertheless, be concealed that this shameful per secution is solely directed against one man. His ruin is the summum bonum of' the public prose cutor. He has been selected as the gaol offering to the offended dignity of the Wellesleys, the Peels, and the other apostates. He is marked out for decimation at the hands of the most un principled set of Ministers who ever misdirected the councils of a great country. He who has ever been loyal is represented as factious and disloyal—he who has been consistent is re presented to be revolutionary—he who was patronised by Lord Londonderry is con sidered an enemy of the improved and revised principles of Mr. Peel—he who has the most illustrious nobles of his country as his patrons, his benefactors, and his friends, is held up as a traitor, whose consistency is rebellion, whose opinions breathe sedition, whose attachment to recorded principles is an offence against morality and political virtue. England must be fallen indeed, if such treat ment is to be considered as the merit or the de merit of a consistent politician. But her history belongs to our sons. This prosecution will be recorded among the acts of the last Ministers of George the Fourth. Replete with calamity as has been the latter reign of our revered Sovereign these proceedings will be immortalized in pages that will mark the era as the most dark and re pulsive of modern history. Care may wear out the sensibilities of a king—but time will render as en durable as the everlasting mountains those deeds which eventually pave the way to far greater events and less equivocal acts of despotism. But, be the sentence what it may, we shall en ter a gaol conscious that our revered Sovereign sympathises as warmly and cordially with the defendant as do the meanest or most exalted of his subjects. We arc as devotedly attached to him as we were in earlier days, and when per. sonal feelings inspired the sympathy and affec tion of his humblest subjects. We deem it our duty to state these facts in order to prepare our readers fir the consequences which may arise from these judicial proceedings. They are full of warning, and they speak to events which, we say with sorrow, are likely to speak in far dif feient langu ige from that which we now use.— Morning Journal. POLICE INTELLIGENCE. MANSION-HOUSE. A case of rather an unusual kind is•as heard be ;ore Sir PETER LAURIE. A Mr. Allen came a few days ago to complain that the new Common Councilman for the ward of Portsoken, Mr. Michael Scales, unlawfully detained a second-hand Common Councilman's gown, which the complainant wished to sell, and which he had, under the impression that Mr. Scales would have no objection to purchase a bargain, entrusted to that gentleman. Although " full of honour.," how ever, Mr. Scales could neither be prevailed upon to pay for the gown nor to return it. The badge of civic dignity had originally cost nine guineas, and after having graced the shoulders and loins of Mr. Gilbertson, a deceased member of the city Legisla ture, for some time, was offered for sale at the very low price of two guineas. Mr. Scales, however, thought even that too large a sum, offe!•ed the , moiety for it, and treated the future applications of the subject with the greatest possible indifference. Sir PETER LAURIE (as Mr. Scales had been just added to the list of city lawgivers), instead of sum moning him to account for this act of contempt, sent his compliments to him to Aldgate, and re quested to see him upon the matter in question. His worship's compliments, however, shared the fate of the gown, and on the following day several Common Councilmen attended, in expectation of having the dignity of the Court vindicated. Mr. Scales did not make his appearance. Mr. Perry gave a brief account of the transaction, at the desire of Sir Peter Laurie. This gentleman had been ousted by Mr. Scales on the last St. Thomas's Day, at the Portsoken election, very much to his surprise, and the lucky candidate called, in order to make inquiry about the gown which had thus become vacant after some service. But Mr. Perry hail no wish to be ousted out of his gown. It happened, however, that Mr. Allen had, as executor to one who could not be re-elected, a gown to `el!, and he accordingly called upon Mr. Perry, and showing him tire gown, asked about a purchaser, and thus Mr. Scales got involved in the negociation. The article was rather short for th e new member, • having been made for a very little man, rand after having tumbled and tossed it about fur some time, Mr. Scales said he would take the opinion of his daughters on the value and respectability of the thing, and was referred to Mr. Allen, from whom he afterwards received it in order to take the judgment of the young ladies upon its worth. Mr. Perry refused to have any thing further to do with the bargain and the complainant, who believing that Mr. Scales's object in detaining the gown was that he might have it copi e d, h a d i n va i n app li e d f or its restoration. Some laughter accompanied this state ment. Sir PETER LAURIE asked whether the Common -Councilman's gown went with the office. It w.,s a common opinion that the Chief Magistrate's gold chain followed the office. This was quite an erro• newts impression. Every Alderman as he reach,.d , he chair had to purchase his own paraphernalia. A Member of the Court of Common Council said, the• city ward representatives were obliged to purchase theirs also. Their paraphernalia consisted of the gown and cocked or opera hat. They were obliged to purchase them, hut those dignities were often transferred to persons of different sizes and shapes.—( Laugh t er.) Mr. Allen said that Mr. Scales complained, upon being requested to act in the usual way in such cases, of the great " bother" there was about the gown. . _ It %vas afterwards signified to Sir Peter Laurie that Mr. Allen had received the gown upon paying Is. to the bearer. EOW-STREET. The following curious application was made yes terday to Mr. HALLS, the sitting Magistrate. Mr. Wakley, the Editor of the well-known medi cal publication called the Lancet, addressing Mr. Hails, requested his advice under the following cir -1 cumstances :—He had, he said, challenged Monsieur Chabert, better known by the name of the Fire- King, to swallow some prussic acid, the deadly nature of which need not be described. Monsieur Chabert had stated in reply, that he was willing to meet him (Mr. Wakley), and give him ocular proof that his offer to swallow prusic acid was not an idle boast, and in order to put the matter beyond dispute, it was his (Mr. Wakley's), intention to attend on the following (this) day, when the " Fire-King" had advertised his benefit, and personally administer to him a portion of prussic acid, which was then pre paring for the purpose by an eminent chymist, the power of which would be of that nature, that by merely dipping a quill into the bottle which con tained it, and holding the end to the nostrils of a rabbit, the animal would instantly drop dead from the mere smell. Now, being aware of the, deadly and instantaneous quality of the poison, and being morally convinced that if but a single drop of it were to be swallowed by any human being, that instant death must follow, the difficulty which he felt was, that if the result of the trial should prove unfortunate, be (Mr. Wakley) might be considered as an accessory to the death of the " Fire-Kin and and be made liable to the consequences--a situation in which be was by no means solicitous to appear. Under these circumstances, he was anxious to know from the Magistrate how far he should be legally respon sible for having furnished to the Fire-King a drug which beyond all doubt would be fatal in its conse quences. Mr. HALLS said, that in his opinion, Mr.Wakley • would stand in the same situation as an apothecary who should vend a deleterious drug, the word " poi son" being written upon the bottle. Mr. Wakley not only proposed to furnish the prussic acid, but intended, in order to prevent the possibility of deception, to administer it himself to the Fire-King. Mr. HALLS would by all means advise Mr.Wakley to do no such thing. If he felt so certain that the poison would have the effect he described, he would certainly incur the risk which he was desirous to prevent. Suppose, for instance, that a juggler should say, •" You may cut off my head, for I pos sess the power of placing it on my shoulders again," would not the party who took him at his %void be guilty of his murder ? Mr. Wakley felt the awkwardness of the situa tion in which he might be placed. He by no means wished to put himself forward in the matter, and had for a considerable time abstained from any in terference in the feats of the Fire-King; but hav ing, in his capacity of editor of the Lancet, received upwards of one hundred letters upon the subject, and being continually annoyed by medical men calls ing upon him to put the assertion of M. Chabert, with respect to prussic acid, to the test, be felt de sirous to do so, in order that the claims of that in dividual to the distinction which he sought might be fairly ascertained; or, if his feats should prove to be founded in juggle o r sleight of hand, that public exposure should follow. Mr. HALLS remarked, it would •be desirable that the matter should be placed, if possible, beyond doubt. It was certainly most extraordinary, if M. Chabert possessed the power of resisting the effects of a poison so deadly in its nature and instantaneous in effects as prussic acid. He (Mr. Halls) had, however, heard medical gentlemen declare, who were present at die Fire King's exhibitions, that he ac tually so allowed prussic acid. Mr. Wakley—All I can say is this, that if he swallon the smallest portion of the prussic acid which I propose to - offer him to-morrow at his be nefit, and if he survive the dose, my incredulity will be completely dissipated. Mr. Haus said that the other feats of M. Cha bert sunk into comparative insignificance when coin pared with the fact of his swallowing prussic acid. Mr. Wakley knew as well as any man, that it wa t s o n su ot,giz the effectstfeattotaokt an eri heatedspoori oftdwoe. of boiling oil, or Mr. Wakley remarked, that such feats were com mon to all jugglers. By retaining a quantity of saliva in the mouth, the effect of a spoonful of boiling oil would be obviated, as the saliva would prevent the oil from reaching the skin. It was quite different, however, with respect to water heated to a certain degree, and M. Chabert lad not, as lie (Mr.Wakley) proposed, said whether or not he was willing to try the latter test. Mr.Wakley, after again repeating his total disbelief of the power to resist deadly poisons, and more especially prussic acid, which the Fire- King claimed, observed, t!.at the whole medical pro fession was deeply interested in the question, and it was felt as a stigma on its members that the means of counteracting die effects of such dreadfully de structive drugs as prussic acid, laudanum, &c., should be limited to one individual, if it were indeed true that the Fire-King possessed die secret of which he boasted. He (Mr. Wakley) was determined if pos sible to put the matter beyond doubt, but at the same time he would act upon Mr. Halls's recom mendation, and hold himself clear from the conse quences which might follow, if he were to administer the poison to the Fire-King. Mr. HALLS wished Mr. Wakley to understand that he must act entirely upon his own responsibility. Mr. Wakley--I certainly mean to do so, and shall not voluntary administer the prussic acid to the Fire- King to-morrow. If, however, he should invi!e me to do so, I suppose I should be justified in meeting his wishes, as it would then be his own act. Mr. MlNsnur,L, as a Magistrate, was bound to caution Mr. Wakley how, by any act of his, he en dangered the life of a fellow-creature. Mr. Wakley, having thanked the Magistrate, re tired, expressing his dete►mination to be present at the Fire King's benefit, and putting his pretensions to the test, as far as the swallowing of prussic acid is concerned. John Hobday was brought in custody, and exa mined in the private room, upo❑ the charge of hav ing stolen a bank-note for 101. from a General Post- Office letter. The prisoner was remanded, to give time for the production of witnesses. NOT BORN TO BE HANGED.—He was, in his younger days an officer in the army; and was nearly burnt, drowned, and hanged, in the course of a few mi• nutes. In time of war be was ordered abroad, with some of his regiment; and when on his way to a foreign coast, in a fleet of trat,spot ts, the little squadron fell in with the enemy ; an engagement ensued.—During the encounter, the ship in which he was sailing caught fire ; he was en veloped in flame, when an explosion took place, which blew him into the sea; unable to swim, he expected to sink immediately, never to rise again :—an accompanying Eng'ish vessel, observing his situation, threw out a rope to him, with a noose in it ; in his hurry to fix it under his arms, it slipped round his neck ; and when a Men:lly sailor tugged at hint, to haul him on board, the endeavour to save his life, almost put an end to it. Luckily, he had not far to go : and he was dragged upon the deck half singed, half-drowned, and half-strangled. This triple PS.. C pc! !nay be considered as quadruple; for he tan the im mediate risk of being shot, in common with others en gaged in the action.— Colman's Random Records. BIRTHS. On the 3d inst. in Lower Berkeley-strea, the lady of E. C. Macnaghten, Esq. On the 2d inst. in Henrietta -street, Brunswick-squaret the lady of T. N. 'I alfourd, Esq. of a son. On the 2d inst. in Tavistock-place, the lady of Thos. Gihbes, Esq. of a son. On the 9 ,1 inst. at Parson's-green, the lady of J. A. Hammett, Esq. of a son. On the 30th ult. at Rose Green, Sussex, the lady of Vir. Brk.o, jun. Esq. of a daughter. POOR DEB FORS A very heavy complaint has been made b y poOr prisoners confined fur deb , , and their families, oU the subject of 10(5, claimed at certain offices con fleeted with the Sheiiffs of London. It should be -understood that before those PO' sons who are imprisoned on London process 0" obtain that liberty to which they are entitled 1 1. law, a certain docu ment must be signed by some' body at each of three different places, that is to 9 3 Y, 0 at the two Sheriffs'-offices and the Secendarie. office It is believed that it is at the two former the ev 1 exist. On Tuesday a considerable sit took place st Whitecro.s-street prison, in consequence of the de; tention of several person s f or t h e nnu -p ayme nt 0 1 fees. Half-a-crown was demanded at each of the Sheriff's-offices, the day being the anniversary of the Purification of the Virgin Mary. One I )°°r man who could have been relieved by means of a. charity, and another who had, been confined 1 2° days for small debts, were both kept in custody bf reason of this demand, and application was made to the Governor, who lamented that it was not in his power to promote the very reasonable wishes 0 1 the applicants. It is understood that Monday was kept as a holi•' day, as the anniversary of the King's accession. It is a subject of great condemnation, that while every facility is afforded on holidays for issuing pro' ceases by which debtors may be sent io prison, such difficulties should be thrown in the way of their re' lease when the law of the land entitles them to irr or when they can be discharged by consent. of t heir, creditors, or by the interference of beneficent indivi°, duals. It is s a id th at a s ol ic i tor -i n t h e c i t y, w ho' has recently distinguished himself in a case o f o r pression, intends to try whether, in .cases of thie f kind,, actions would not lie-against the Sherif f s lo t ; false imprisonment. THE MARKETS. COAT Al ARK ET. —Feb. 3 Charlotte .---36 s 3d. Walls End Newmarch... 395. F‘L • Kenton 'West--. 38 3 Ditto Peareth... Liddell's Main— .-- 32 0 Ditto Perkin s an d C 0... 38 6 Wharnelifre—„— 31 0 Ditto Russell's 40 0 Wylato WallsEndllewicke&Co. 40 0 Eden Main , 0 a • Ditto Bell ltohson & Co. 39 6 L am bt on ' s P r i mrose 39 Walls End 8r0wn'5.,.,.,, 3.3 0 Russell's High 31 0 Ditto Bensham —0... 33 9 Walls End Hebdon...... 34 6 Ditto Clarke and Co. —36 9 Walls Fild Herron 42 Walls End Carr and Co. 36 9 Walls End Latribton...... 41 6 Ditto Cramlington-- 33 6 Walls End 1.y0n5.—..... 40 0 Ditto Heaton---- 40 0 1 Walls End Stewart's 45. 0 0 , Ditto Ida -- 38 3 Cowpett—..—. 34 0 „ Ditto Hotspur---........ 3i 1) I Llangennech Coal 41 0 Ditto Northumlierland 39 0 ships at market, 160—Ships ,o!d, 4N--Unsold, WEEK COUNTRY CORN MARKETS DURING TH Wheat. I Barley. Oats. Beans. Per Quarter. s. to s. s. to s. s. to s. S. t• Abingdon,..--- 55 62 32 38 21 32 Andover 5.3 65 22 31 20 23 Birmingliain-,—.. s'l 66 32 28 28 30 0 ' • Eridport f,13 71 32 39 26 20 .-. Cirencester ...---,-.. 40 70 20 33 20 24 40 Faringdon---- 51 86 36 40 26 38 46 Guildford 49 74 21 35 20 30 4 9 Henley 54 83 no 35 28 30 Hereford 64 84 38 43 36 40 High worth 62 80 32 42 28 34 Maidenhead -- 65 84 21 38 22 30 11 Oakinghatn -- 56 76 30 36 18 32 4Q Reading -- 40 81 19 42 16 32 41 49 60 2t 34 22 32 5 4 ' Southampton .-- 51 '7B 37 40 28 32 4 2 Stroud 64 74 34 '3B 22 32 Tewkesbury —..... 65 79 40 42 30 38 4 . Uxbridge 49 71 21 32 19 32 4 4 Wantage-- 46 73 20 36 10 28 4 , 4 Warminster 9 42 68 23 40 20 30 Windsor.- ... 52 80 25 35 20 30 Worcester--.. 60 63 i 32 36 24 26 CHELTENHAM MA RICET.—Feb. 2. Per Bushel. s. d. to s. d. Pet lb. d. to 11 ; Wheat Barley Oats Beans 4 9 5 6 Laud ) 6 Pease 5 0 8 0 Pork 5 6 Hay 11 10s. to 31. 15s. per ton Iss. per ton. LEWES MARKET.—Feb. 2. White• Wheat (per quarter) XS 4 0 to £3 8 0 Red ditto Barley Oats, New 0 19 0 1 6 0 Beans 1 9 0 1 19 0 Oil - Cake. New l2 10 0 per thousand. HULL MARKET.—Feb. B. The continuance of severe weather prevents all rest, with the interior, and confines the trade to the Mi l " leis for the consumption of the town. The farmers to day have been asking more money, and - in some partial instances a trifle above last week's currency May have been realised on the best runs, while, on all other qualities, last week's prices live been supported. There is morn inquiry a ter fin eign, but we do not hear of any advanc e being obtained. In Oats and Beans no alteration. 133 r" ley for malting supports its value, and is in fair request scarcely any thing doing in oth(r qualities. Rapeseed and Linseed dull sale, and no alteration in value. Wheat, Old sBs. 60s. New —q 57a. 56 5• ----- Foreign Oats, Poland sinallor Feed.... 215 19 zss: —.q —5.: — Ba — rley l : o N re o i r g f t . ' Sc Sul 2 1 8 8 1 2 30 2 1. Foreign • _ s. mss. Beans 28s. 30s. 3qs. Foreign.. —s. 28s. 34 5 %Vold —s. 265. 28 --45 • ign ... - - Pease, White —s. 30 s . 34 5. G rey --s. —.ll. .." 4 ' Taros —s SOs. 265. Foreign --s. 245. 265-• Rapeseed, in bond none. Free, per last —4. 2(1. 291. COTTON WOOL, LIST OF IMPORTS 4. 14 D EXIN IRTS. I3IPOILTED. Same pe- This riod last year. year. ziPOßrtp. Previo• s• IN tiLS y ear. Bags, fic• 1,854 • 942 187 I Bap, & c. !Bags, &c. 22,261 41,763 760 1,093 '2,622 j 990 ted in ' 1929 Liverpool London Glasgow Total expor Same per ion ' Bags, &c. 2,gg. .0 THE ATAIRiIt.--The manor, Or wild 'cotto►t tree, grows in Cuba to a yak size. There is one on ae estate called Salta-Anna, a hundred feet high. Its trunk , , which is 46 feet in circumference at the base, rises to 65 feet, without a single branch or a single knot on its whit* bark. The branches are worthy of the stem, and cover A diameter of 165 feet. This immense tree is in itself * world, and ,helters•and feeds millions of insects. Severa l p►rasitical plants aVach themselves to it. Wild . piae apples grow at the top, and the vine vegetates on th e , boughs, and, letting its branches droop to the earth, fo r " nishes rats, mice, and the oppassum, which would find it . dlieult to climb a smooth bark, a ladder, enabling . the' to reach the pine-cups, which form so many natural re set voirs for the rain-water. The wood-louse founds ex tensive republics in this tree, and establishes its large, and black cities at the juncture of some of the branches, whence it descends to the ground by a covered way, which it con structs of mortar, and of which it even provides two--end to ascend, and the other to descend by. This little ie" , sect is of the size of a flea, is inoffensive, and is a great treat to the inhabitants of the poultry-yard, to whom it id given in its nest. MARRIED. On the let inst. at Tichborne-house, Hants, Julie, the third daughter of Sir H. J. Tichborne, Bart. to Li e ut..- Co!onel Talbot, of the 3d Regiment of Foot Guards, end cousin to the Eat' of Shrewsbury. On the 25th ult. at Salcombe, Devon, the Hon. F. 3 Shore, second son of Lord Teignmouth, to Char - I° oo Mary, second daughter of the late G. Cornish, Esq., Of Salcombe Hid, Devon. On the 2d inst. at Islington, the Rev. R. Milliken, Chichester, to Rebecca, daughter of T. Riehaids, Esq. of Islington. _ _ DIED. On the 31st ult. on Bread-street-hill, John Cotton, Esq. in his 72d year. On the Ist inst. the infant son of R. Blaplen, EN., of Albetnai le-street. On ti , e 2d inst. in Brook•street, Grosvenor-square, the lady of Dr. Holland. On the 28th ult. at Bath, the wife of Mr. T. Grieve, 01 . Covent Garden Theatre. -.- FEINTED .A.ND PUELISHED BY AIIMD.O YOUNG, A% viz SUN OFFIC - E, 112, STRAND, LONDON. IM i HOl At 2 paratio raencec Al opened Lords STILL() ROSSI. The lowing " W 4 You, the Powers 111.aintaii this Co " Hit War be been br " Th main of have In " Hi Lis A final be shall aicate With a course the pro " - Hi trounce tureen t " Hii Sore-es JASTY 9 S ?orCup from th inereas( Station sped t y Hi hie atti "trice. prOYM I Ili bo NI)! thd ex / the Un eery p r , ?rocee ( m :terry sitteetii Iti!cl lay H that t i t yd M Par. if r _ tins il i n n ; prevail elutes I . 11°P°I ten &Nei the ge " It that amity 60 this «H Ottr 1 the to Tho &peel lat t , M /11 1 / 4 )0 1 tiley ! lin g ( In th, Mere Perri 46... - P tlitil