The Sun. — London, England, 1830-06-29 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS We yesterday stated, what we again urge to-day, the necessity of the early settlement of the Regency question. If the present possessor of the Crown were to die before a Regency Bill were passed, the young Princess would, in the eye of the law, haves attained her majority, and would, in fact, be Queen.* It is needless to point oat the inconveniences that might and would arise from confiding the Govern ment, without limitation, into the hands of a chik of eleven years of age, and the difficulty that would then necessarily occur in settling a Regency. No Minister, it is presumed, would run the risk of the occurrence of such a state of things; which, how ever, would be done by deferring the consideration of the Regency till the assembling of the new Par liament,—this latter course occasioning as it would a delay of some months. The next point for con sideration is the constitution of the Regency. It i, hardly necessary to remark how essentially and vitally important to every member of the commu nity is the manner in which the Regency shall be formed. It is not only the present good government of the State which depends upon thiF, but the future character of the minor So vereign may also be materially influenced by it.— Upon the counsels, the views, the example, which may now be given to the young Princess who is destined to sway the sceptre of these realms, may, and probably will, depend the colour of her future reign, and the happiness or misery alike of herself and of her subjects. When these things are taken into consideration, it is not too much to hope that the members of the Legislature and of the Govern. merit will consider the subject apart from all the jealousies and littlenPases of party politics, and that they will unite as citizens of a free state—one and all equally anxious to promote that measure which shall appear the most likely to conduce to the pros-i i perity of the state. To expect entire unanimity in' any known assembly would be Utopian; but if the' menthert of the Legislature will come together, de-' termined to act according to the best of their judg ments for the good of their country, the result cannot fail to be satisfactory. Who is there so fit for 1 the office of Regent as the Duchess of Kent, the mother of the future Sovereign ? Her high .-e t ' personal character,—her devotion to the best in-, terests of her child,—and the admirable and most' sensible education she has thus far given her, 1 . prove her to be fully worthy of such a trust. By such ft a choice the office of Regent and of Custos of the future Sovereign would be united in the same per son, which is always desirable. An exact precedent also for this course is to be found in the Regency . Billt of 1751, by which the Princess Dowager of : 1 Wales, who, like the duchess of Kent, was a foreigner and not in the succession to the Crown of '.. England, but who also like her was the mother of : l the future Sovereign, was appointed Regent. A Council of Regency, at least a Council, counter. railing by its powers that of the Regent, and so, in fact, dividing the prerogative of the Crown, is a course to be avoided; the constitutional view of the subject being, that the power of the Crown, whether vested in the person of a King or of a Regent, should be undivided. In 1751, the Council of Regency appointed by the Bill of that year had r` most extensive powers, which tied up the hands of . the Regent, and must have been productive of great inconvenience had the Regency ever been called into action. This was done to torment the Princess `p Dowager, whom George 11. was afraid of, as the head of the party of her late husband, Frederick Prince of Wales; and also to perpetuate the party views and power of the Duke of Newcastle, then Minister, and of the Duke of Cumberland. Let us • now review other measures which may be proposed. The precedent of 1765, by which the King was enabled, by an instrument under his hand, to nomi nate any one person of a certain number named . in the act, Regent, is peculiarly objectionable. The -power of appointing a Regent ought not to be ex ercised by the Legislature. Then, if ever there was a measure likely to lead to confusion and even to disputed succession, it is this. Look at the his , tory of France, and see when the Kings of that • country appointed Regencies by their wills, to what disturbances it led, and reflect that if even Louis XIV. could not ensure obedience to his will upon the subject of a Regency, what chance has ally other Sovereign of doing 90 ? The Duke of Cum berland is presumed to be out of the question, and should be argued to be so from the circumstance of his becoming, by the death of the King (William IV.), a foreign Sovereign--nnmely, King of Hanover. • i But the most unjust of all decisions would be to make the Duchess of Clarence, then Queen- Dowager, Regent; for being, like the Duchess of Kent, a foreigner, she has no 'interest in the future Sovereign, and, in fact, no permanent connexion with this country, having no children, and her hus- • band being dead. It is impossible for any person to do more justice than ourselves to the personal character of the Duchess of Clarence. Her blame less life has been passed in the performance of every religious and moral duty befitting her high station, • and we have no doubt that NOW that she is called to act upon a larger theatre, her conduct will be equally excellent. But while we thus bear testi mony to her unsullied virtues, we must at the same time repeat the remark, in which we think her own good sense must make her concur, that it would - be an unjust decision to place the Regency in her hands to the prejudice of the Duchess of Kent. '. To sum up all, it is evidently most desirable that the Duchess of Kent, who can alone be supposed to have the real interest of her child at heart, should ... be sole Regeor, to prevent—what must otherwise happen—the Princess Victoria being made use of . to forward the intrigues . Rn d interests of others; for • it is presumed that any Prime: or Princess (except the own moth er of th e c hild) w;is? should be se lected as Regent, would very probably C.2nsider the situation more as a means of consolidating thee - own power and greatness, and advancing their creatures • and dependents, than as trust confided to them for • the benefit of the Princess herself, and for the good; of the country. The two Houses of Parliament should proceed, as legislators, to discuss and settle this question practically, and taking the case exactly as it stands, without looking backwards or forwards. It never has occurred before,—that is to say, under l exactly similar circumstances,—and may never again._ If they attempt to make it applicable to the future, 'they will divest it of many advantages for the pre- ; sent. The proper person to be Regent is allowed on I all hands, by those who can give a disinterested • opinion, to be the Duchess of Kent. She is the* only member of the Royal Family who has never" mixed in party politics, or taken any public or private step calculated to divide public opinion; - . while, at the same time, she has lived on open and 'dignified terms with all parties. She has also presented a remarkable and singular instance of the same undeviating line of excellent conduct ever. since she first came to this country,—living in a re tired manner, and confining herself to the education • and care of the Princess Victoria, with the devotion and attachment which usually belong to humbler •.,, stations; taking especial care at the same time, that the education of the Princess should be conducted s ' on the most liberal plan, and which might the most enlarge and enlighten her mind, and render her fit to be the Sovereign of this great and free country. - It should also be mentioned, that the Duchess of . Kent possessed the unbounded confidence of the late King (George IV.), who never interfered with • her, or found fault with her measures. Would it .: not be hard, after all, if, from intrigue, private inte rest, or public jealousies, the Duchess of Kent. should be deprived of her natural reward—the Re- • " Neither can the King in judgment of law, as King, ever be a minor or under age. • • • • It bath been usually thought prudent, when the heir-apparent has been very young, to appoint a protector, guardian, or regent, for a limited time ; but the very necessity of such extra ordinary provision is sufficient to demonstrate the truth of that maxim of the common law, that in the King is no minority, and therefore he has no legal guardian."...._ BlaekstoPie's Commentaries, Book I, c. 7, sect. 2. t See Parliamentary History, vol. xiv. p. 991, &c. 4ency during her own daughter's minority, in case of the demise of the Crown P—Times. As, in referring to our Parliamentary report, it will be seen that a Royal message is to be sent 'down to the two Houses this evening, it may not be uninteresting to revert to the Parliamentary pro ceedings which took place on a similar occasion at the commencement of the late King's reign. Par liament had been convoked for that Session, in No vember, to take into consideration the agitated state of the country, and to discuss those proposed coer-, dive measures which have since acquired such un enviable celebrity, under the name of " The Six Acts." This very importantliart of the business of the Session being accomplished before the Christ mas holidays, the two Houses adjourned, from the end of December, 1819, to the 15th of Fe- bruary, 1820. The demise of the Crown happening ran the 29th of January, the Mouses met on the 30th, though it was a Sunday, and notwithstanding previous adjournment to the middle of next month. Many Members were sworn in on that day, end the same necessary ceremony continued till the 2d of February, when the Houses adjourned till the' 17th, after the Royal funeral. On that day Lord Liverpool brought down to the Lords, and Lord Castlereagh to the other House, the message which will be found in another part of our paper, and which gave rise to a debate, which we likewise transcribe as a probable precedent for the proceed- ings of this evening. We are of course unae. quainted with the nature of the promised naes.sage. It may be of a nature to require no other answer to the Throne but an address of condolence, or it may, like that to which we have alluded, contain a recommendation of important business. If the latter be its object, it will differ from the proceed ing of the late reign, in being sent before, instead of after, the funeral ; but such a departure from pre cedent may be rendered necessary by the urgency of the business to which it will refer. The message of the Liverpool Cabinet was a little exposed to ridicule from its announcement of an approaching dissolution, and its recommendation to Parliament to hasten its own death, or to commit a kind of suicide, by such an expeditious transaction of the public business as would enable the Crown to dis pense with its services. The same object might have been obtained by ministerial hint, and without formally consulting the two Houses about the policy 'of sending them about their business.—Time. We do not believe that any thing is yet known with certainty as to the intention of William IV. respecting the Administration. In the absence of certain information, however, men have recourse to conjecture. It is believed that the Duke of Wel-1 Ilin i ton and Mr. Peel will retain th e i r res p ect i v situations, but that few of the others will retail, their present places. A question was last night put by Mr. Brougham, the answer will throw light on the above subject. Having given notice of motion on the subject of Colonial Slavery, the HOT]. and Learned Gentleman observed, " being on his legs, he begged to ask the Right Hon. Gentleman opposite if the Government had made up their minds as to the course they proposed to pursue with respect to public business ? The country was ver, much interested in that question ; and it was ex tremely desirous to know what time his Majesty's' Government proposed to allow the House for the, despatch of the business before it ?" Sir R. Peel said, " he believed, and indeed he was certain, that his Majesty would, to-morrow (this day), make direct communication to the House on the subject, and the Hon. and Learned Gentleman would, there fore, see at once how much better it would be not to press for an answer on these questions, until that Message was delivered. Any other course would, indeed, tend to embarrass the movements of the Government." The answer, then, implies that the Message to be communicated this day will have re ference to the Ministry. There is, we believe, but one opinion throughout the nation as to the ineffi ciency of the Ministry in its present state. The Scotsman, of Saturday last, sums up the general sentiment in a few pointed sentences " It has long been obvious to us, that there was a ma terial defect in the machinery of the Duke of Wellington'. Ministry. The firmness and decision of the chief is evi dently ill supported by the working power of the subal terns. Resolutions are boldly taken, but feebly defended ; measures once submitted to the House are left for months on the table, to be tugged at and torn to pieces by all sorts of interested parties, or to be modified or mangled by any chance speculator who turns his attention to the subject. Hence frequent vacillation, and palpable ineffi ciency, procrastination within Parliament, and uncertainty, without." We do not believe that the Duke of Wellington and Mr. Peel will hazard their own reputations, by a prolonged attempt to conduct business with their present allies. It is said that when an elephant has failed in an attempt to extricate a gun which has sunk in an Indian swamp, he cannot be brought to renew it without further aid, but that when he receives aid, he willingly recommences his task. We suppose that the reason of the Duke will not serve him worse at this conjuncture than the instinct of the elephant. The quarters to which he must look are the Whigs on the one hand and the Huskisson party on the other. The Whigs have never seemed fond of office, though the contrary has been fool ishly enough repeated ad nauseam. We are in clined to think that the Duke will hare recourse to Mr. Huskisson and that he will not be refused. The Duke is mot the man to allow any considerations of delicacy to prevail with him in retaining a man the ' moment his services are no longer useful to him, or to hesitate to solicit another when he finds he could benefit by his services. When he parted so cava lierly with Mr. Huskisson and his friends, he evi dently thought that their places could more easily be supplied than he has found they could be. En lightened on this point, he will yield to the force of circumstances with the best grace possible.—ilforn lug Chronicle. The public must expect, in the present state of affairs, to be inundated with reports, more than one halt" of which will, probably, have little or no foun dation. Lists of new Administrations, for instance, are handed about, which, in all probability, are the mere inventions of the writers. That great changes must and will take place cannot be doubted; but as yet it is too early to suppose that any preliminaries can have been settled, much less their results defi-. nitively arranged and agreed upon. Among other things, it is confidently asserted in some quarters that Parliament will be dissolved immediately. This we can scarcely credit for two reasons—the one, that it would imply a settlement of the future Ad-: ministration, which, as we have already said, can not by possibility have as yet been effected; and, secondly, because the public business is in such a state a: not to permit its being . done. So much time has been exhausted in. talking, and so little dedicated to doing, that we: are, among other things, credibly informed that there are duties both of Customs and Excise, the right to collect which will expire on the sth of July (that is, in ten days' time), for the continuance of which no Bills have yet been brought in. If this be so, these and other matters must be gone through with by the present Parliament. That a dissolution will take place as soon as it is practicable we enter-- tain no doubt, leaving, we have .7. G little doubt, much of the public business, which the preset 3 House of Commons has entered upon, unfinished Thia vete of things the country mainly owes to official imbe cility, which in one quarter especially, has become so apparent, as to render that department the laugh- ingestock of every merchant's counting-house.--; Whatever other changes may be contemplated, or whatever may be their result, no change in the one.. department we altude to can be for the worse :—a degrading avowal, we admit, for a country which boasts of its schools, its colleges, its uorseries for ,statesmen.—Morning Herald. It will be seen by our Parliamentary Report that I Sir Robert Peel informed the House of Commons he had reason to believe his Majesty would be pleased to deliver a Message to that House, ex-1 pressive of his Royal commands, this day, and that: after the delivery of the Royal Message, he (Sir Robert Peel) would take an opportunity of fully explaining the course it was intended to adopt NI i th respect to the proceedings of the House. This in formation was given in consequence of a question put by Mr. Brougham to the Right lion. Secretary, with the view of ascertaining in the present state of things, what Parliamentary arrangements Ministers contemplated. Mr. Brougham afterwards took oc casion to allude to what had fallen from him on Saturday relative to the Lord Steward. He said he had deprecated the conduct of that individual for what he then considered to be an act of great dis respect to the Members of the :House. He had since understood that the circumstances complained of had not occurred intentionally, nor could be con sidered in arty way indicative of disrespect for the House, but had arisen from unavoidable circum stances. For our own part we should like to know what those unavoidable circumstances Were which prevented the Lord Steward from exe cuting with the requisite carefulness and promp titude, so essential a part of his duty as attending the House of Commons on the occasion of swear ing the Members in time to prevent any delay of public business. Mr. Brougham said that it was at all times necessary, but more especially highly im portant at the commencement of a new reign, that the officers of the Government should be reminded of the dignity of the House, and brought to a pro per sense of the respect due to it. So it is, and Mr. Brougham only did his duty in strongly ani madverting, as he did, on the apparent neglect of an officer of the Household, whose conduct, while unexplained, appeared exceedingly reprehensible. And what is the explanation given ? Sir R. Peel stated that the Lord Steward was in personal atten dance on his late Majesty at the time of his demise, at a little after three o'clock in the morning; and his duties, as Constable of the Castle, required his attendance at four o'clock the same morning. What - does this prove ? The impropriety of multiplying offices incompatible with each other in the same - hands. Why is the same person Lord Steward and Constable of Windsor Castle, if in the former ca-' it is necessary that he should wait upon the House of Commons, whets in the latter he must be in attendance at Windsor ? If the double duties !are inconsistent, why should he enjoy the double • salary ? Does the House of Commons maintain its dignity, and assert its privileges, by allowing such an excuse as this ? Very properly did Mr. Wynn, even after this explanation was given, complain of the great inconvenience experienced by Members, in being obliged to await the arrival of a subordinate officer of the Crown before they could proceed to business. He stated that he had, about 18 or 19 years ago, brought in a Bill to dispense with the form of taking oaths be fore the Lord Steward; but the Bill had been re jected in another place. He, however, took the present opportunity of giving notice, that he would very shortly submit a motion for dispensing with this form. We agree with him that it is time to 'get rid of this form, when the Lord Steward, in his passion for plurality of office, takes an appoint ment which detains him at Windsor when he should be at Westminster, and thus converts that form into a serious obstacle to business. The form then serves neither the purpose of ornament nor use as connected with the proceedings of the House, and ought to be dispensed with; or else the House ought to address the Crown to require that the Lord Steward should not be eligible to the office of Constable of Windsor. A humble individual would find it a very serious thing to get into a construc tive contempt of the House of Commons—and if, after a humble apology, he escaped with only a re primand at the bar, would have reason to think himself very leniently treated.—Morning Herald. The public grief at the loss of one of the best and most populist Monarchs that ever swayed the Sceptre of Britain, continues to be manifested in a manner that does honour not only to our national character but to the best feelings of our nature. Every one seems to contemplate the event that has deprived us of so good and excellent a King at once as a public bereavement and a private affliction.— Time, the infallible corrector of all vulgar prejudices, has long since rendered due justice to a once moat infamously calumniated Prince, whose wisdom and goodness have shone forth with a lustre unparalleled perhaps in the annals of the country. All, there fore, in the purest feelings of human nature, view in the calamitous occurrence now so deeply deplored not only the loss of a good King, but of a careful parent, a friendly brother—an invaluable member, and a splendid ornament of society—one of whom it may with truth and justice be said, that he was— " By all who knew his worth revered, " By all who knew his heart beloved." To the successor of this truly illustrious and la mented Sovereign we cannot, we are persuaded, pay a more grateful tribute than by observing that his just admiration of his beloved predecessor, and his avowed resolution to follow his glorious example, renders him every way worthy of his proud inherit ance. In his magnanimous and becoming declara tion (as officially given in our Paper of yesterday), on his being proclaimed the lawful successor to the Throne, William the Fourth affords the nation the following gratifying assurance : " I am convinced (says the new Monarch) that you will fully participate in the affliction which I am suffering on account of the loss of a Sovereign, under whose auspices, as Regent and as King, this country has maintained' during war its ancient reputation and glory—has en 'oyed a long period of happiness and internal peace— and has possessed the friendship, respect, and confidence of Foreign Powers. After having passed ray life in the service of my country, and having, I trust, uniformly acted as the moat faithful subject and servant of the King, I am now called upon, under the dispensation of Almighty God, to administer the Government of this great Empire. am fully sensible of the difficulties which I have to en counter ; but I possess the advantage of having witnessed the conduct of my revered father, and lamented ands, beloved brother; and I rely with confidence upon the advice and assistance of Parliament, and upon its zealous co-operation in my anxious endeavours, under the blessing; of Divine Providence, to maintain the Reformed Reli gion established by law, to protect the rights and liber ties, and to promote the prosperity and happiness, of all classes of my people." The - first two days after the decease of our late lamented Sovereign, and the transfer of the Crown to his illustrious brother and successor, might with great propriety and advantage have been devoted to ether subjects of contemplation than the intrigues of party, or the vain speculations, the inipatient curiosity, or the morbid excitement, on the part of the community to which they naturally give rise. Upon the eager expectations of ambitious states-, men, or the indecent haste with which they are displayed upon this melancholy occasion, we fee], however, compelled to say a few words. This task, at the present moment, has no attractions for us, and we will endeavour to perform it as briefly as we can. Those expectations are de stined, we have little doubt, to a steady and well-merited disappointment —to a disappointment the severity of which will be enhanced in pro portion to the indecent alacrity and vehemence with which the public has been called upon to witness them in their full-blown but premature exhibition. We have, indeed, the strongest rea son to believe that the idea of any important change, either in the policy of the State or in the persons by whose assistance the Government has been conducted during the latter years of his late Majesty's reign, has never for a single moment been in the contemplations of the present Sovereign. Nor, apart from any more distinct and authoritative in formation, are there wanting symptoms in the con duct and language of the illustrious Dispenser of political power, or in those of the impetuous and illjudging aspirants to his Royal favour, sufficient to impress upon the public mind th e same c h eer i ng and salutary conviction. The language of bis Ma jesty King William the Fourth, in the gracious de- . claration made by him to his .Privy Councl, is plainly and wholly irreconcileablewith the . supposition th a t the King has ever entertained the intention of call ing to his Councils a party to whose assistance or advice his revered Father never resorted without the utmost repugnance, and never resorted at all without the country having deep and early cause to lament that he had done so ; and it is equally irreconcileable with the supposition that, his Majesty intends, almost in the very set of ascending the throne, to dismiss the Councillors upon whom his beloved and lamented brother re posed his Royal confidence to the last moment of the very close of his happy and glorious reign. This, !indication of the prospects of the eager aspirants to power proceeds from the highest source. Let us now direct our view to another almost as clear, but proceeding from what we are almost justified in pro nouncing the lowest. Mr. Brougham on Saturday heaps reproaches the most indecent and unmea sured upon the Lord Steward of the Household, a personal friend of the late King. On Monday the same Mr. Brougham admits that those reproaches were wholly undeserved, upon information which he says he did not possess on Saturday, but which was as much within his reach on Saturday, when he uttered the abuse, as on Monday when he offered the atonement. How far this conduct is compatible with manly or honourable feeling, it is evidently needless to inquire. What is plain, however, is, that no man who saw the road to official dignity and power open to him would have adopted a line of conduct which, to describe it by the mildest epithet, was rash, indiscreet, and undignified. If the Whigs had a chance of obtaining poli tical power, Mr. Brougham would have felt in advance some of the responsibility of great ness ; and as he is not deficient in pene tration or sagacity (whatever may . be his deficiencies in other respects), we may fairly infer from his conduct in tlsis instance that they have none.' The question however will, in all probabi lity, soon be set at rest. Mr. Peel intimated last night in the House of Commons that he should this day have a Message to communicate from the Sove reign to his Parliament, and, upon the express ground of this expected communication from the Throne, declined to enter upon any political discus :sion. Whatever may be the subject of this Mes- I sage, it is next to impossible that it should not di rectly or indirectly convey a pretty accurate notion of the degree in which the present Ministers enjoy the favour and confidence of their Royal Master.— In the Extraordinary Gazette published last night (which is given in another part of our Paper) we think we discover some new features in the . orders respecting the general mourning—we mean as far as they regard the Army and Navy—which as affording an additional tribute on the part of his present Majesty to the memory of the deceased Monarch, are alike creditable to his taste and ho nourable to his heart.—Morning Post. We announced, some time ago, that as soon as his present Majesty should be placed on the throne of these realms, a change of men, if not also a change of measures, would speedily ensue ; and we intimated yesterday that one Noble Peer had been requested to take office. We now repeat our asser tion in that respect with much more confidence than we announced it yesterday. There will be a change of politics—at least of foreign politics—to some extent ; and also, we are assured, from a quarter on which we can rely, a considerable change of men. Until the funeral of the late King is over no change will, of course, take place; but that, ceremony will have no sooner taken place, than the parties whose names we mentioned yesterday will have to retire from situations which they have so inadequately filled. Nothing, indeed, was ever known so pitiful, so weak, so inefficient, and, in some respects, so mischievous, as the present Mi nistry in the House of Commons—it is in every respect—we beg pardon of Sir James Scarlett— truly contemptible—and there is nothing more ardently desired, on the part of the British public, than, along with a new King, all expulsion, with few exceptions, of the whole existing Ministry, and their re-placement by men of sounder views, and more honest principles.—alforning Advertiser. We give to-day what we consider the best account of the Proclamation of his Gracious Majesty William the Fourth, as King of these realms ; and every reader of our Paper, we are confident, re joices with us that a British seaman now presides over the destinies of the country. His Majesty has always been popular, but never more so that when he was Lord High Admiral; and we hare every reason to believe if he will now only follow the bent of his own natural inclination—that if he will pay that attention to the restoration of the Navy which he manifested on a late occasion, and that wish to render himself accessible and agreeable which has always characterised him—there will not, in the whole line of his predecessors, be a more popular Monarch. Of the intrigues which are going on to sap and undermine his regal station we know something, and have heard much snore; but Nve trust that there is not an unprejudiced Englishman in the kingdom who would not look narrowly into any attempt of the kind. His present Majesty is in every respect fitted to govern the kingdom, except, perhaps, that he is not inclined to be equally sub servient with his predecessors to the powers that be; but the English public will the more readily support him that he takes an anxious an ,active interest in its welfare. The idea of a Regency is, in fact, wholly out of the question it his case ; and should it be mentioned by any of the ambitious or place-hunting men of the day, wi trust it will meet with the indignation which it EA amply deserves.—Morning Advertiser. POLICE INTELLIGENCE. GUILDHALL Sarah Smith, a young woman, who stated herself to be th• wife of a labouring man, was charged with an assault of a distressing nature on Restall, a watch man of Cripplegate, on Sunday morning. The watchman, it appeared, found her convers ing with a prostitute, in a loud tone, under the win dows at Mr. Sugget's, the overseer, in Barbican, and desired them to " move on," at the same time walking away himself, in the hope that, without any wrangling or noise, they would go as soon a, he had left them. This was between three and four o'clock in the morning. Returning a few mi nutes after, the watchman found them still on the same spot, and as noisy as before; and, upon being again spoken to, the prisoner insisted upon remain- 1 ing, as she was waiting for her husband. The watchman then laid hold of her arm to force her along, when she suddenly forced one of her fingers into his left eye, and tore open the flesh of the un-' der lid down to the bone. The wound bled pro. fusely, but as it was dressed and sewed up imme- 1 diately Q t the hospital, it is now doing well. The prisoner was not known to any of the officers,' although her companion was_ She seemed not at all to regret the injury she had done, and again claimed the right to wait in the street as long as she 'pleased for her husband. Mr. Alderman FIREBROTHER called in the aid Of Mr. Alderman ANSLEY, and, under Mr. Peel's Act, they committed her to Bridewell for one month, in default of paying a fine of 40s. BONV-STREET. Three Irishmen, named Dennis Reardon, Daniel Norman, and Henry Lee were yesterday charged before Sir K. BIRNIE with having violently assaulted and beaten William Wiscomb, a constable of letter F. division of police; and TVilliam Super Exley 'was also charged with having assaulted Serjeant M'Sweeney, of the same division. The assaults having been distinctly sworn to, the Magistrates fined each of the defendants in the sum of 5/., and upon declaring their inability to pay the pena lty, they were sentenced to two months' con finement and hard labour in the House of Cot reation. LAMBETILSTREET. A journeyman hatter, named Thomas Day, was brought up in custody of Norris, the officer, bvl virtue of a Bench warrant, and held to bail for an' assault upon a Mrs. Turner, residing► in Cooper street, City-road, under the following circum- 'stances : On the 13th of May last a young girl, named Eliza Salter, a relative of Mrs. Turner, was com-1 mitted from Bow-street police-office, on a charge of robbing her master, Mr. Bennis, of Holborn, of some trifling articles not worth a shilling. It was then stated that a party of policemen, eight in num ber, under the direction of Serjeant M'Sweeney, went to Mrs. Turner's house at midnight, without any authority but that which they assumed, under pretence of searching the premises for the stolen goods. They entered by means of a key, and rushed into Mrs. Turner's bed-room, and without explaining the nature of their outrageous intrusion, some of them proceeded to rummage every part of the house, and while they were thus engaged, the others stood over Mrs. Turner, and would not allow her to dress herself, but kept her standing in her night-clothes. The Magistrates (Sir R. I3irnie, and Messrs. Halls and Mallard) expressed their indignation at such abominable and illegal proceedings, and recommended Mrs. Turner to in dict the offenders for the assault. She accordingly acted on that advice, and selected those who were the most culpable, among whom were the Serjeant M'Sweeney and the prisoner Day. The latter was not a policeman, but (to use his own expression) " he only accompanied the others for a lark." QUEEN-SQUARE Two respectably dressed men, who gate their names Frederick Maddox and James Walsh, were charged before Mr. MARRIOTT with assaulting Mrs. Maria Norris, of No. 4, Ely-place, West-square, Lambeth. The defendants were sentenced to pay the sum of 31. each, or be imprisoned for 14 days. The fine was immediately paid. lIATTO>.7.GARDEN. On Sunday evening last, between seven and eight o'clock, a serious affray between two hostile parties of English and Irishmen, which had very nearly been' attended with fatal consequences, took place at the' Castle public-house, in Cowcross-street, Smithfield. It appeared that the parties were drinking in the tap-room of the above house, when some difference of an unexplained nature arose between them, and the latter immediately commenced a desperate assault upon the former, with pewter pots, with which they were constantly supplied, it seems, by the maid-servant. Two brothers of the name of Gill, and a man named Goss, were knocked down like bullocks, and then jumped upon by their opponents, till they lay help less and almost insensible. Some severe wounds were inflicted on their heads, and had it not been for the timely interference of the police, who with considerable difficulty and great personal danger suc ceeded in rescuing them, they must, it was apparent, have fallen victims to the savage ferocity of their assailants. Four Irishmen, and the female above al- Juded to, were secured and charged with the assault 'at this office, yesterday, before the sitting Magis trate, Mr. LAING. Each of the men was fined in the penalty of 51., and in default of payment com mitted to the House of Correction for two months. The woman was fined 31., and in default of payment committed for six weeks. A man of the name of Andrew Glynn was finally examined on a charge of having been concerned with a man of the name of Miller, in stealing 681. in gold and silver, from Mr. Cubitt, the builder. It appeared that about a fortnight ago Miller, who was in Mr. Cubitt's employ, and a confidential man, was intrusted with the above sum by the principal clerk, to be paid away, but the instant he got pos session of the money he absconded, and no clue to his detection could lie since found, although every possible exertion had been made for that purpose, and even a messenger sent down to Liverpool to make inquiries after him. The messenger searched every vessel bound for America, and had even fol lowed some that had sailed fifteen or twenty miles to sea, but to no purpose. The fugitive effected his escape. It was well known that a close intimacy subsisted between Miller and the prisoner, which coupled with other circumstances of a very suspi cious nature, caused him to be apprehended two days after Miller had absconded, as he was preparing to leave London, arid had a seat taken in one of the Liverpool coaches, at the Angel-irin, Islington, with the intention, he said himself, of going to America. In his box was found 321. in sovereigns and silver, and yet it was a notorious fact, that lie was for years, a very poor man, arid in the most needy circum stances. There being no other evidence against the prisoner, and Mr. LAING judging that the above was not conclusive of guilt, lie discharged him. LAMBETH-STREET. IKEY SOLOMONs.—Yesterday a letter, of which the following is a copy, was received at this office, Addressed to John Ilardwicke, Esq., the Magistrate, who had committed They Solomons for trial on the 15th of May, 1827, and before whom he had pre riously undergone various examinations : " Old Bailey, June 28, 1830. " SIR,—I beg to inform you that Isaac Solomons, who . escaped from my turnkeys, was last night brought into my custody by the high-constable of Hobart); Town, Vas! Diemen's Land.—l am, Sir, your most obedient servant, "To John Hardwicke, Esq., "JOHN WONTNER. Lambeth-street, Office." Solomons stands indicted on no less than seven capital charges, for having in his possession stolen property of various descriptions, of which the loss to the original owners exceeded 2,000/.; but, from the shortness of the time which intervenes between this and the commencement of the Old Bailey Ses sions (on Thursday week), arid the great difficulty there will be in getting together the necessary wit nesses, some of them residing at Liverpool and other places, there is same doubt as to whether he will be put on his trial at the ensuing Commission. Mr. WYATT, who, in the absence of Mr. Hard-1 wicke, read Mr. Wontner's communication, gave di rections to Lea, the officer who apprehended Ikeyl previous to his escape, and who had considerable trouble in getting up the cases against him, to take 11r. Hard wicke's directions as soon as possible, as to how, under the circumstances, he was to act. UNION.HALL. About three months ago, an account appeared this Paper, stating some circumstances relative to the voluntary confession of a murder, made by a private of the 46th regiment, then in Cork gaol. He stated that he was formerly a butcher at Wal worth, and having quarrelled with a young woman with whom he was acquainted, he murdered her by forcing a nail in her left eye, and buried her be side a pond at Walworth. The clothes, he said, he buried about three feet from the body. About three years ago, a skeleton was found in the place de scribed by the soldier, and with a nail in the eye. No notice was taken of the circumstance at the time; but, in consequence of the man's confession, a strict inquiry was made, and the clothes were searched for, but could not be found. The soldier was certainly employed as a butcher at Walworth, at the time of which he spoke; but, from the moul dering state of the bones, it is evident they had been in the ground upwards of half a century ; and, it is supposed, that they are the remains of some one who was drowned. It is supposed that the soldier trumped up the story for the purpose of 'procuring his discharge from the army. DREADFUL SUICIDE. The inhabitants of the Vauxhall-road and its cinity have been thrown into the utmost state of excitation and alarm, in consequence of the follow ing tragical event, which took place on Saturday ,last :—A Mr. Ambrose Proctor, a gentleman well known in the sporting world, and who held a respon sible situation in the service of the East India Com . parry, came, about a fortnight since, to reside at No. 74, in the Vauxhall-road. Mr. Proctor was, it is said, much addicted to the vice of gambling, and was a constant frequenter of the sporting houses in the metropolis, where he cut a gay and conspicuous figure ; but latterly, it is said, he had become divested of his usual gaiety of disposition, in conse quence of having lost large sums of money in betting and other gambling transactions. Ott Thursday night he made his appearance at a well-known sport ling house in Bond-street, kept by James Burn, when [termed good deal of what, in the language of the fancy, is [termed " chaffing," took place upon the subject of his recent unfortunate speculations : this seemed to cut him to the quick, and he went home exceedingly mortified and dejected. The following day his con duct was observed to be very strange and wild by his neighbours ; but still no one supposed that he meditated self-destruction, and he retired to rest at his usual hour on Friday night. About nine o'clock on Saturday morning, Mr. Dennison, the landlord of the Lot d High Admiral public-house, next door but one to the house occupied by Mr. Proctor, hap pened to be standing at his door, when, to his horror and amazement, he beheld that gentleman rush out into the street, with a carving knife in his hand, which, after brandishing about for a short time, he drew twice across his throat, and inflicted a severe wound. Mr. Dennison, seeing the blood rush from the unfortunate man's throat, ran up to him for the purpose of wrenching the destructive weapon from his grasp ; the wretched man, however, defended himself in such a resolute and determined manner, that Mr. D. deemed it prudent to desist. The alarm becoming general, several police constables were at tracted to the spot, who drew their staves and at tempted to disarm the unhappy man, who made several cuts at them ; but, finding himself closely pursued, he retreated into the house and ran up stairs, followed by the constables, when a most despe rate scuffle ensued, in the course of which several large looking-glasses were shivered to pieces and most of the furniture in the room sprinkled with blood, or destroyed; it is impossible, indeed to give a descrip tion of t he sanguinary scene, and it was not until the un happy man was quite exhausted, from loss of blood, that the officers succeeded in overpowering and disarming him. A surgeon was then immediately sent for, and, in a short time, Mr. Hastings, of the Vauxhall-road, ar rived, who sewed up the wound, and the unfortu nate patient was then put to bed. Having recovered himself a little (the wound not being mortal), he inquired of one of the constables if it was true that his Majesty was no more ? The constable replying in the affirmative, the wretched sufferer exclaimed, " Then I am determined not to survive him Upon his appearing more tranquil and composed, the attendants withdrew, having previously searched the room and taken every thing away which they considered dangerous. On going to his chamber again, between four and fire o'clock, to see how he was, nothing could equal the surprise and astonish ment which prevailed on beholding the unhappy man stretched on the bed, with his head nearly se vered from his body, and quite dead. A bloody razor was found by his side, which he had concealed in some part of the room, and with which it appears he completed the sanguinary deed. MEXICAN AND GERMAN PAPERS. MEXICO, APRIL 20.—1 t seems that the hostile attitude which the State of San Luis had assumed towards the supreme Government had ceased, and that that interesting part of the republic has returned to the Constitutional order, desisting from its pretensions. Oar conjectures respecting Yucatan begin to be realised ; according to what we have learned the Junta, or Assembly, of Bical has already given clear intimations of its project to effect an absolute separation from Mexico. AralL 22.—Our ancient province of Texas, which is now a part of the state of Coahuela, begins to be occupied by families from the United States of North America, and this will go on increasing, unless speedy and efficacious measures are taken to prevent it. If the MexiCan re public were to suffer no farther loss than that of the ter ritory already occupied, this would be a mater of so little importance as not to be worthy the attention of the Supreme Government ; but this is not the case, for the families now settled will advance further into the country by degrees, while they do not find any opposition on the frontier, and a barrier sufficiently strong to check them. This barrier can be no other than settled establishments, whose interest will be directly opposed to the emigration of the inhabitants of the other side of the frontier line into our territory. It is madness to say that our army can prevent such incursions even if we had money to pay it, and if it could be sent across numerous and dreary deserts without the loss of a man, we should gain nothing. It would soon be in want of necessaries of every kind ; the least loss would be irreparable ; the army in a foreign climate destitute of every thing, and without means of subsistence, would not preserve order or dis cipline, and would dissolve of itself. It is, therefore, necessary to think serioisly of colonising Texas, and of forming along the frontiers a line of considerable settle ments, composed of men whose character, habits, and principles may qualify them to check the torrent which threatens us. Last night there was observed to be an alarm in dif ferent quarters, and the Palace was surrounded by troops. It was said that a conspiracy was apprehended, which was to be declared during the night. It was reported that some sergeants of the 7th Regiment of Foot had been reduced, especially the sergeant corporal of the Imperial Guard. These and others were arrested. It seems that some of the persons arrested have been set at liberty to-day, and that others still remain in prison. We do not know what truth there may be in these reports, but we know, that public tranquillity has not been in the least interrupted. Colonel Don Francisco Victoria was brought in last night as a prisoner, and placed in the ex inquisition. Arun. 2G.—The report of a new Spanish invasion is more and more confirmed, and unhappily the policy of England does not seem to be so impartial as it has usually been, and as we have had a right to expect; when we were able to drive our irreconciliable enemies to the other side of the Atlantic for ever it hindered us, and now that we are threatened every year with a hostile visit, it professes a neutrality which it did not observe when Cuba was threatened by our forces. APRIL 27.—We have received to-day letters by the English packet, and in one, dated February 20, written by a person of credit, it is affirmed that when the Spanish ex pedition against Mexico was nearly ready, the English Government seemed to have changed its sentiments, and was negociating with Spain to hinder the expedition, pro testing that it would oppose any hostile armament sent from Cuba against Mexico. It is added that the Spanish Government not only agreed to suspend the expedition, but was negociating with England for the recognition of the lindependence of the new Republic by Spain. CONSTANTINOPLR, MAY 25.—Field Marshal Count 'Diebitscb, with the head quarters, left Burgos on the 6th instant. General Roth remained with 6,000 men, but eras to march away on the 20th. In Bulgaria 30,000 men remain till the second instalment of the military con tribution shall be paid. It is said that the plague rages with great violence at Galacz and Trebisond. ii' 'os 1 "~ ,'~.~ .~ ,~~ r 3 ~~ , lII~S } . 1 1 A t BIRTHS. On the 21st inst. at Micklegate House, York, the wife of William Garforth, Esq. of a daughter. On the 28th inst. in Woburn-place, Russell-square, the lady of G. Hanson, Esq., of a son. On the 28th inst. at her father'', J. Fuller, Big., of Dunmow, the lady of W. N. Woodhatn, of Shepreth-hall, Cambridgeshire, of a son and heir. . . On the 26th inst. the lady of J. Green, Esq., Soho vinare, of a eon. On the 27th inst. at Twickenham park, Middlesex, the lady of T. Todd, Esq., of a daughter. On the 27th inst. in Gloucester-place, the lady of 11. Browning, Eeq., of A daughter, still-born. On the 26th inst. in Clarges-street, the lady of the Rev. If. N. Simpson, Vicar of Horsham, Sussex, of 4 Bi] and daughter. On the 24th inst. in Devonshire, the 1. dy of A. Gran ville Stapleton, Eeq., of a son, still-born. MARRIED. On the 17th inst. at the house of the British Embassy at Florence, the Hon. F. J. Stapleton, youngest son of the Right Hon. Lord Le Despencer, to Margaret, eldest daughter of Lieut.-Gen. Sir G. Airey, On the 24th inst. at Amsterdam, J. Melvil, Esq. to Maria Arnoldida, youngest (laughter of Aarnoud D. \l'll link Van Bennebroeir, Esq., both of said place, On the 26th inst. at Hammersmith, W. J. Mountain, Esq., to Mary, third daughter of G. Smith, Esq. DIED. On the 28th last. Mr. Edward Colson, of South Lam beth, Surrey. On the 28th inst. at Salter's-huildlngs, Waltharnstow, Ann, wife of G. Wilson, Esq. On the 26th inst. suddenly, at Great Marlow, Bucks, Anne, relict of the late Rev. J. Hammond, many years Rector of Pensburst, Kent. On the 24th inst. at Boston, Line°lns'aire, G. Yarn ham, Esq. of Knightsbridge. On the 24th inst. Miss Ware, of Southwood-lane, , Highgate. On the 25th inst. at Ely, aged 21, Susan Harriet, the daughter of Mr. H. B. Evans. 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