The Sun. — London, England, 1833-10-02 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS. By the arrival at Liverpool of a vessel from Calcutta, with intelligence to the 25th of May, we hear of no new disasters to the commerce or professional accumulations of our Indian capital. This, at least, is some consolation ; for the mercantile world connected with our Indian pos sessions, and the moneyed portion of our fellow subjects in those possessions, have for several months past been kept in a state of extraordinary embarrassment and alarm, from the great and numerous failures which have there occurred within a short interval. The shock has been principally felt at Calcutta and in London, but it has created distrust and occasioned loss in most other quarters of the empire. Like the lightning, the calamity first struck the highest and most towering establishments, but has not spared the modest treasure and humble compe tency of privacy and retirement. As all the houses which have failed in Calcutta, from 1829 to the present period, were houses of agency and of banking, as well as of general business, and as they all tempted customers by the offer of high interest on the deposits placed in their hands, their creditors consist, in a large propor tion, of a class of persons who in England would have protected themselves against com mercial risks, by investing their money in eligible mortgages, or Government securities. Hence the mite of the widow—the hard earned savings of the military officer—the collected accumulations of the civil servant — the funds of the trading capitalist, and the rea lized treasure of the retiring pensioner on its way from India to Europe, have all been involved in one commcn deterioration or ruin. The general business and extensive speculations of the houses in question, while they ought to have excited the suspicion of the depositors, only attracted more support or confidence by afford ing them an excuse for the payment of higher interest. Besides, as every civil or military servant of the Company, every professional man engaged in it, and every private or trading resi dent who has acquired wealth in India, are desirous of remitting it to Europe, and have no other obvious or easy means of effecting the remittance except through the great houses of agency, considerable sums must always exist in their hands, which are considered in a state of secure passage from the one country to the other. The relatives and families of their In dian customers must thus, in case of their failure, be sufferers to the amount of these unrealized payments. As the government of the Company in India decline to be the medium of private remittances, they thus leave each party to choose his own channel of conveying his treasure to the mother country, and expose him to the hazards of loss or ruin by the selection of a house of doubtful credit. The consigners of merchandise from this country to India—the trading con nexions and customers of the bankrupt esta blishments in the Indian Peninsula,in China, and in Europe, swell the catalogue of the recent suf ferers. The extent of the embarrassment which has thus been occasioned, and of the loss which has been sustained, by these different parties, may he easily imagined when it is recollected that since the beginning of January, 1830, four Calcutta houses have failed for the sum of about 12,000,000/. sterling, one Bombay house for the sum of 250,0001., and two London houses connected with the former for the amount of nearly 3,000,000/. more—making in all 15,000,000/.—an amount of debt which, little more than a century ago, would have shaken the Government of this country with a fear of bankruptcy, and which even now few of the second or third-rate nations could borrow on the mortgage of half their revenues T. The follow ing is the list of failures to which we have alluded—and though, out of the debts marked against each house, a considerable dividend may be realized, the distrust, difficulties, and anxiety, which their bankruptcy has occasioned, together with the other failures which it may afterwards render necessary, will not be much alleviated by a partial recovery of their assets : Jobn Palmer and Co., Calcutta, about £5,000,000 Alexander and Co., ditto Mackintosh and C0., ditto Colvin and C0., ditto Sbotton sad Co., Bombay 250,000 To which if there is added, as the con- 12,250,000 sequence of them, that of— Fairlie and Co., London Rickards and Mackintosh, ditto 950,000 The amount will be 15,000,000 But it is now of more importance to inquire into the cause of these alarming insolvencies and to deduce from their details the moral which they ought to yield, than to emblazon their extent or to describe their pressure. The greatest number of them, we are persuaded, might have been foreseen, as their symptoms were neither hidden nor ambiguous, though the result seems to have taken the public by surprise. There has not, indeed, been any recent war or political convulsion to account for them. India has been well governed and in peace since the Burmese conquest, and if the credit of a great mercantile community has been shaken, we may say, as in Cowper's lines on the loss of the Royal George— " It was not in the battle, No tempest gave the shock." Nor have they been connected with any violence, bad faith, or fraud on the part of our Indian Government, nor with any change in the laws of our eastern empire. They have been occasioned solely by the mode in which the great Calcutta agency-houses have been transacting business for the last 10 or 15 years—by the rage for specu lation or inordinate gains on the part of their directors, and the too eager or confident cupidity of their customers. After the renewal, in 1813, of the Company's charter, which opened Indian commerce to the more active competition of private adventurers, a great number of new trading establishments were erected at Calcutta. These new houses entered into a vigorous competition with houses which had been founded more than half a century before, and the latter, to preserve their relative auperiority, were stimulated to exertions, and led to the practice of arts which they for merly had not attempted nor contemplated. They made large advances to indigo planters, to encourage one of the most hazardous kinds of cultivation. They stimulated likewise the pro duction of sugar, cotton, and other articles, which have not yielded the profits that they anticipated. Their advances to the indigo planters amount ed fre q uently to 2,000,000/. or 1,500,00 0 /. a y ear, while the produce of th e plant was so preca rious and fluctuating that in 1825 it amounted to 10,750,0001 b., and in the following year only to 6,700,0001 b.; and again in 1827, to 11,000,0001 b.; and in 1828 . to only 7,300,00 016 . Latterly , p rices having .fallen in the European market, more than . a third of these advances to the indigo planters is uncalled For and unproductive, while the houses in ques- tion continued to afford the same interest to their customers on deposits which had become unprofitable to themselves. This fact is attested by Mr. Bracken, one of the partners in the house of Alexander and Co. (which has since failed), in his evidence before the Committee of the House of Commons, more than a year and a half ago. That gentleman, in depositions which do credit to his intelligence, knowledge, and experience, distinctly states that the agency house in Calcutta could, on the renewal of the charter, devote that part of their capital to the encouragement of the manufacture of opium which was now not any longer required to be advanced to the manufacturers of indigo. The following description of the commercial system in Calcutta, given by this gentleman, confirms that which we have above given : " Will you state the origin, and the peculiar features of the present cotnmercirl system in Calcutta ?—The com merce of Calcutta was in the hands of a very small number of houses before the opening of the present char ter ; previous to that time the houses were chiefly formed of gentlemen who had been in the civil and military services, who, finding their habits better adapted for commercial pursuits, obtained permission to resign their situations, and engage in agency and mercantile business. They had, of course, a great many friends and acquaint ances in their respective services, and from those gentlemen they received their accumulations. They lent them to ethers, or employed them themselves, for purposes of commerce ; they were, in fact, at first the distributors of capital rather than the possessors of it. They made their profit in the usual course of trade, and by the difference of interest in lending and in borrowing money, and by commission. In the course of time, carrying on a suc cessful commerce, many became possessors of large capital, and returned to this country, leaving most part of it there ; but the persons who succeeded generally came in without capital of their own, the same system being continued, and those houses became the usual depositories of a great portion of the savings and accumulations of the military and civil services in India. " Those savings were, in fact, employed as their capital in trade ?—Yes, that was the origin of the houses in question. When there were very few houses of business, very large fortunes were made by some gentlemen in them. After the opening of the trade other houses were esta blished, connected more particularly with Liverpool and the outports, and that spread the business a great deal. The older houses have not now the same monopoly, if I may so call it, which they had before." If we add to this statement that the Indian Government has, since the renewal of the Char ter in 1813, established a bank of deposit, dis count, and issue in Calcutta, which Mr. Holt Mackenzie pronounces to be well managed, and which has deprived three or four private banking establishments of their business, we shall go far to account for the diminished means of those houses, two or three of which have lately failed. We need scarcely, after this, insist upon the absurdity of those houses giving 6 or 8 per cent. for the deposits of their customers, when Go vernment could borrow money at 4 or 5 per cent., as it could do immediately before the commencement of the Burmese war. Thus over-trading, improvident enterprise, extravagant miscalculation, and excessive expense in living, have, no doubt, been the cause of the recent failures. The victims of these wild schemes are, no doubt, in many instances to be pitied ; but they are not themselves altogether blameless for their own misfortunes. It was the confidence which they inspired by their deposits which tempted the insolvents to proceed in their ruinous career, and the former thus disposed of their capital because they received an extravagant in terest. They ought to have reflected that secu rity and speculation never can go hand in hand j —that great gains never can be made without incurring gambling hazards, and that they risked the principal in proportion as they raised the dividend of their deposits. We have no doubt that the recent failures, however productive of temporary distress, must be salutary in the end. The storm will clear the commercial atmosphere, and all parties will see more clearly their sober, permanent interests. The old houses have been blown down, because their foundations were weak, and their props unstable. A new era of Indian commerce and enterprise is about to commence with the new charter, anti it will be useful to exhibit the example of former losses or misfortunes under the old, as a warning against future extravagance. Merchants, in their mode of living, must reduce their establishments to the level of their profits. They must neither live on their own capital, nor on that of their customers, and their Indian customers must look towards ultimate security more than to present gains in the disposal or transmission of their funds.— Times. `We are much gratified to observe in the provincial journals the respect and obedience everywhere, except in Leicester, shown to the corporation commission. The corporators are evidently impressed with the importance of the inquiry, and well aware the time has arrived when they can no longer maintain the municipal monopoly of the self elect system. The amend ment of the representation was the tocsin of corporate reform ; and the most judicious and creditable atonement for past errors is submis ' sion to consequent investigation. The corpo rators of Leicester, indeed, appear to stand alone, with their Conservative Recorder, Mr. Sergeant Goulburn, in their contumacious op position to the public and searching investiga tion of the commissioners. The Morning Post, notwithstanding its objections to the nature and powers of the King's commission, offers the best advice to the self-elected cor porators : " The corporations can, we know, require no counsel from uR, yet we will not withhold a declaration of the principles and spirit in which we should wish to see them generally act. It would be well that, as far as possible, they should act in unison, avoiding every appearance of a vexatious, harassing, or litigious opposition to any fair and proper inquiries on the part of the commissioners, mani festing, as they have hitherto done, a strong disposition to yield to the Royal authority in every case in which it is not pushed to the extreme of clear and undeni - able usurpation." The corporations have discovered that a dogged opposition to the spirit of the times, and to the coming reform of the municipal institu tions, will not serve their purpose ; and we an ticipate therefore a discernment of their palpable interest and policy which must necessarily, patiently, and advisedly submit themselves to inquiry. The Leicester corporations are left to fight their own battle, and they will probably . do so on the field of a Reformed House of Commons. We do not think that such an arena will be any great gain to them, and time will manifest the result.—Morni n g Chronicle. The Tory Journals of the town and country, having nothing better to present to their readers, are industriously retailing stories against Lord Durham, which, whether true or false, are the subject of their absurd and disingenuous com ments. Whenever the Conservatives attack the personal character or habits of public men, the people may be assured that the object is to depreciate the reputation and political influence of popular and superior public men. If the Earl of Durham hoists the Union Jack of his own country he is calumniated ' ' • his yacht, a returning from Fran ce , sa il s into n English port with the tri-colour, a political and prejudicial influence is twisted out of an immaterial fact. During the protracted discussion of the Reform Bills, Lord Durham was the mark of weekly calumny, because the Tories well knew that he was the main stay of the question in the Cabinet. The Reformers and people of this country esti mate too highly the patriotic fidelity and enlight ened principles of Lord Durham to attach any credit to these Tory calumnies, which indeed only further prove the fear entertained by the Tories of the political influence of his character and opinions. Thus, now that the Tory Jour nals have exchanged their flattery of Lord Brougham for vituperation, the public may be assured that they are hopeless of the Chancellor, and that he is devoted to the public weal.— Morning Chronicle. We have never failed to attribute, as truth and justice required, the greater part of the evils which the people of Ireland labour under to the absence of the great bulk of its landed pro prietors. This is one of the topics which Baron d'Haussez, to whose work we have already made frequent reference, adverts, with undeni able truth and much force of colouring. " The great object of the Irish landlord," says he, 'seems to be to diminish, as much as possible, the cost of labour, and to increase, as much as possible, and by whatever means, his annual income ; thus he neither receives nor deserves the benedictions of his tenantry. In this respect he forms the disreputable exception to the land. lords of more civilised communities ; in quitting the land of his birth, and becoming, as it were, a stranger to it, the Irish gentleman, by his own act, deprives himself of the affection of his tenants. If he return to it his visits are few, far between, and of short duration ; the reception which he meets with on these occasions is gene rally cold, sometimes even hostile. Disgust, a real or supposed fear, caused by their own acts and course of conduct, finally induce Irish proprietors to leave a country in which they seem apprehensive for their safety ; and thus is engendered a reciprocal animosity and hatred, without the least likelihood of their giving way, on either side, to better feelings." This is a severe and caustic, but nevertheless but too true an account of the matter. Fortunately, however, it does nut apply to all Irish landlords, or even to all absentees ; and we hail the ex ceptions, when pointed out, with a satisfaction equal to the regret with which we advert to what unhappily forms the majority of instances. Such an exception seems to be offered in the case of the Marquis of Lansdowne, of whose laudable anxiety to improve his estates and to ameliorate the condition of his tenantry, one of our Irish correspondents, a few days ago, gave us an ac count, which we shall offer no apology to our readers for here reprinting _ _ . "lammicK.---TheMarquis of Lansdowne, during his recent visit to this town, minutely inspected the improve ments which are making upon his estate in the North Liberties. The erection of a magnificent bridge over the Shannon has rendered this part of his Lordship's property exceedingly valuable, by affording an easy communication with the new part of the city. Heretofore it was only to he approached by a circuitous and most disagreeable route through that nest of filth and misery "the English Town ;" but TVellesley-bridge opens an agreeable and airy passage along the banks of this fine river, and at about a third of the former distance. Fields which, up to this period, have been occupied by dairymen, wig be now eagerly sought for the construction of villas, and it is sup posed that the Noble Marquis will be enabled to dispose of most of his estate for that purpose, in parcels of 10 to 20 acres, at more than double the rent he now receives for them. He is laying out a large sum in making the lands suitable for such tenements, intersecting them in all three. tions with beautiful roads, and constructing a quay by the edge of the river, which will be of great benefit, not only to his own property, but to the country for many miles round. Not tae least important or pleasing reflection suggested by a view of those excellent and judicious works, is that occasioned by the sight of so many labourers to whom employment is afforded. Here is an absentee pro prietor I 'Why do not some proprietors who are resident act as wisely for themselves and as beneficially for the countryis ?" It not the least gratifying part of this short narrative, that it puts the matter upon that footing which is most likely to reach the hearts, and therefore to elicit the imitation, of other proprietors, both absent and resident—we mean the footing of self-interest. Landed property, and that of Ireland especially, holds out more tempting inducements to improvement than any species of adventure in which capital can be invested—viz., a certainty of speedy and valu able return ; and there is probably no more ex traordinary circumstance attending the years of neglect which its soil and peasantry have endured than this—the absolute loss to the owners which have attended it. As an instance of this, it would not be at all too much to affirm, that the millions upon millions which England has for years past paid for foreign corn might have been all, or nearly all, expended at home, had Ire land been made that source of production for which nature has so bountifully designed her. That she is a mine of wealth, no one who has visited her soil, or inquired into its resources, can for a moment question ; yet such has been the infa tuation of her rulers and the ignorance of her landowners, that they have preferred seeing her soil sterile, and her population in poverty and rags, rather than have recourse to the obvious means of fertilising the one and humanising the other. We are not without hopes that this long age of darkness, imbecility, and wretched. ness, is passing away ; that Irish landlords, alive to their real interests, will abandon their past errors; that the example of such conduct as that of the Marquis of Lansdowne will not be lost upon those who have similar means of improving their estates ; and that, above all, it will be the earnest and steady endeavour of the Government to render a residence in Ireland both desirable and safe to the many, to whom its past state of insecurity has afforded but too plausible an ex cuse for non-residence and neglect.-31oriting Herald. Our paper of this day records several further meetings in various parts of the metropolis for the avowed purpose of organizing a system of resistance to the assessed taxes. Before a sen tence of condemnation is passed on the persons who i ns ti gate an d w h o h ave engage d i n this combination we ought duly to consider the trickery and deceit that has been practised on them in respect to the taxes in question. Earl Grey, in order t o esta bli s h hi mse lf an d b ro ther Whigs in power, took every opportunity of encouraging the ten-pounders, to whom he mainly looked for support, in their fondly cherished idea that a very considerable reduction of taxation would be effected by his Govern ment, and that the assessed taxes, above all, should be devoted to immediate annihilation. " Reform," indeed, meant little else than this in the acceptation of the great mass of the ten pounders. Having, however, attained the object for which these expectations were held forth, viz., t h e providing for his family and connexions even unto the hundredth degree, Lord Grey has thought fit to kick down the ladder by which he mounted ; and, in concert with his colleagues, laughs to scorn the dupes who trusted him. The Reformed Parliament has proved itself worthy of the Reform Ministry. A decided majority of its Members obtained their places by solmenly pledging themselves to vote for the repeal of the assessed taxes. But, finding themselves comfortably seated, they, in like manner, have thrown their promises to the winds, and have violated their engagements with a degree of effrontery truly edifying. The ten-pounders, however, to whom the Reform Bill professed to give supreme political power, have resolved that they will not be cheated and derided at pleasure by a Whig-Liberal Ministry and a truckling Parliament ; that they will not submit to be the victims of a set of intriguers. They would, as it were, compel their faithless rulers to be honest in spite of themselves; and are attempting to effect by illegal resistance that abolition of taxes which was deliberately promised, and has been as deliberately refused. And who shall venture to blame them ? Not certainly the present Government nor the present Parliament. Tories as sse are, we think that the laws ought to be obeyed, and that, when resistance is offered, respect to the laws ought to be rigorously en forced at all hazards. But such is not the doc trine of such eminent liberals as Earl Fitzwil liam and Mr. W. Brougham, who have clearly laid down the maxim that any person is justified in refusing payment of taxes if the acts of the Legislature do not happen to be in accordance with his private opinions.—Morning Post. POLICE INTELLIGENCE. MANSION-II OUSE. A young man, named Edward Denman, who has very high connections, was brought before the LORD MAYOR, at the instance of several persons, who complained that they could not get their pro perty which they had intrusted to him out of his hands. The prisoner is a watchmaker. The general complaint against him was that it was a matter of extreme difficulty to prevail upon him to restore any watches left in his possession for repair. A Mr. Mitchell having given to him two watches to repair called innumerable times at his shop, but could never obtain restoration. The Lord Mayor, upon hearing of this untradesmanlike con duct sent a summons to the prisoner, and, due at tention not having been paid to the order, issued a warrant on the presumption that the watches had been illegally pawned. The prisoner's attorney stated that the situation of his client was an extremely painful one. The fact was that an execution had been issued against the property of Mr. Denman, and, in order to secure the valuable articles from time to time confided to him, he had found it necessary to remove the watches and jewellery of his customers from his house, which was now liable to invasion from his creditors, to another place. The moment the cus tomers paid the charges for repair, their goods would be handed to them. The LORD MAYOR asked how long the prisoner had detained the watches ? A complainant stated that six months had elapsed since he had left his watch at the shop of the pri soner, who had promised that it should be ready for delivery in a day or two. A second had left: two watches in the hands of Mr. Denman, who had promised that they should be forthcoming in a repaired state in two days, upwards of six months ago, but they had never made their appearance in any state since that time. A third, some months ago, went into Mr. Den man's shop in order to have something done to his watch. The prisoner, upon looking at the watch, said, that a very important part of the machinery was broken, and that the repairs would amount to a considerable sum, and he advised the witness to pur chase a new watch, and give the old one in exchange. This he acceded to, but the witness had never seen either new or old watch since. A fourth stated that the prisoner took away from his house, without his consent, a diamond brooch, and it never had made its appearance. The LORD MAYOR—You have been in some dealings with this man ? Complainant—Oh dear yes, my Lord. He owes me 801. besides. The LORD MAYOR—Ay, you have dealt with him since this robbery of the brooch, as you call it, took place ? Complainant—Yes ; I have, my Lord. The LORD MAYOR—And do you think to make me believe that the man robbed you ? Nonsense. A filth complainant said that the prisoner bought a chaise from him for 171., without, however, pay ing a farthing of the money. Witness asked for a deposit, and the prisoner handed him a ring, which he said was worth 235., but which a pawnbroker would lend no more than 2s. upon. Witness had a watch in his pocket, and said it wanted something. " Let me have i t," said the prisoner, " and I'll set it all to rights in twenty-four hours." This was six weeks ago;and witness had never seen his watch since.—(Laughter.) A sixth complainant said that, seeing that the shop of the prisoner was a respectable one, he went in and handed his watch, which cost him eleven guineas, to the prisoner for repair. The prisoner recommended him to have a new watch, and to exchange the old one. He offered no objection, but he had never seen new or old watch since, although the date of his visit to the shop was the beginning of June.—(Laughter.) The prisoner's solicitor assured the Lord Mayor ►hat his client was a highly-honourable but an em barrassed tradesman, and that riot an atom of the property alluded to had been pawned or made away with in any way. The LORD MAYOR—It is the watches I want, and not a complimentary speech. The prisoner was to have had them here to-day My object is to get for these gentlemen their property, and as the prisoner has no right to it he shall remain in custody until he " renders unto Caesar the things that are CDesar's." _ . The prisoner's solicitor produced the property of all the complainants except two, and The LORD MAYOR told the prisoner that the in stant the watches were restored to the two gentle men, who were still unsatisfied, an order should be sent to the Compter for a discharge. The whole of this investigation gave great satis faction to the crowded room. Eliza Hawkins, an extremely smart and neatly dressed girl, covered all over with ribbons, was put to the bar, charged with having endeavoured to pass a counterfeit five-shilling piece. She made a joke of the case, and seemed perfectly aware that she should escape. A respectable tradesman stated that she called at his shop to buy some trifling article, and put down the counterfeit five-shilling piece to pay for it. It was at once ascertained to be base metal, and the shopprisoner and d w N a y s e n told t t of o another, o t t l h m er ,fa‘cvt. wh er e e r She e s h t e h e o n fi lef the offered dit without the least hesitation, and, no doubt being entertained that she was a smasher, she was appre hended and brought before the Lord Mayor, who remanded her in order that the Solicitor for the Mint might decide whether she could be prosecuted with any chance of conviction. Yesterday the Solicitor for the Mint attended, but he said that he did not know the prisoner, and that, as no other case appeared against her, a prose cution would not avail. The prisoner—l have done nothing wrong, and I hope your Lordship will discharge me from the Compter. The complainant—Two ill-looking fellows terri fied m y wife last night by tapping at the window and threatening her, to deter me from appearing at the Mansion-house to-day. I am sure this girl i s one of a large gang o f smas h ers. The LORD MAYOR—No doubt of it. She is just the thing for them. Prisoner—lt's quite different. I am a respectable woman, and I got this money from a Mr. William son. I hope you won't send me to the Compter again. The LORD MAYOR —It is the fittest place except one for you. Why do you ob;ect to it ? Prisoner— They would have starved me if I hadn't sent for something. Mr. Teague (the Governor of the Compter) said that each prisoner was allowed a pound of bread and half a pound of meat a day. Prisoner—Ay, but my appetite happens to be a very sharp one. That's not half enough for my stomach.—(Laughter.) I'm a very hearty feeder. The LORD MAYOR—I am sorry that I must di charge you, for your gang are no doubt waiting for your services; but if I catch you again you'll never forget me. Prisoner—Let me go and I'll never get into a rumpus again. The LORD MAYOR ---I will, if you tell me who employs you, and who those ruffians are who threatened the wife of this gentleman. Prisoner—l can't tell you anything but what I have told you, except you wish me to tell you a lie. If you fancy one, I'll try.—(Laughter.) The LORD MAYOR said that the lady who had been threatened ought to have called the police and given the fellows into custody. Prisoner—lt couldn't be me that did it, for I am not a man, and many a man knows that.—(Loud laughter.) The Solicitor to the Mint--She is a very dan gerous woman, my Lord, and I have no doubt of seeing her again. Prisoner—l'll have nothing to say to you. I'm talking to your betters. The LORD MAYOR—Go away, and beware of me. Prisoner (curtseying low)—Good morning to you. You are so inhospitable in your large build. ing that I am as empty as an old cask, and I must go and have a good tuck out. MARLBORO UGH-STREET. Henry Robinson, a journeyman jeweller, was yes terday placed at the bar, charged with a gross attack on Mr. Abrahams, one of the inspectors of the C division of police.—Defendant was fined 10s., and left the dock threatening vengeance. MARY LEB ONE. Late on Monday evening, as the Magistrate, Mr. RAWLINSON, was about to leave the Bench, a woman, named Mary Paiseley, the keeper of a marine store shop, No. 26, Park -street, Dorset square, was brought up in custody, charged with cruelly beating a child, about ten yews of age, named Jane Lucas. 11Ir. RAWLINSON, having severely commented on the brutality of the prisoner, who said that the child was her niece, and she had beat her because she was obstinate, ordered her to find good bail to an swer the charge at the sessions. A HARMLESS AREA SNEAK.—Thomas Graham, a man of " dust," ergo, a dustman, with an empty sack thrown over his shoulders, was yesterday placed at the bar before Mr. RAWLINSON, charged by Admiral Sir William Hotham, No. 6, Hinde•street, Manchester-square, as follows : It appeared from the evidence_ of Sir William, that about ten o'clock yesterday morning he was sitting in his library, when he was informed by his housekeeper that there was a man concealed in one of the cellars. He went down stairs, and on en tering the front area, saw the prisoner with cautious looks and strides emerging from the coal cellar. He immediately called to his footman to shut the area gate, that the prisoner might be secured ; but the servant had scarcely obeyed his orders, before the prisoner pushed him (Sir W.) with great force on one side, and, dashing a sack he had with him in his eyes, rushed up the kitchen stairs, and hav ing gained the street took to his heels, pursued by his (Sir W.'s) servant, crying—" Stop thief!" when the prisoner was stopped by an inspector, and taken into custody. He had not lost any property. Inspector Pearce, of the D division took the prisoner into custody, and on first seeing him he was running as fast as his legs would carry him. Mr. RAWLINSON—Why, to be sure ; I suppose he is what is termed a running dustman.—(Laughter.) The prisoner, who said as how he meant no harm whatsomciever, but merely went down the hairy to look for a bit of dust, was ordered to find bail for his future good behaviour. QUEEN-SQUARE. LEEN- S QU ARE. THREATENING LETTERS TO ONE OF HIS MA JESTY'S MINISTERS -Mr. William Shelley, a gen tleman of respectability, residing in the neighbour hood of Russell-square, was brought up on a peace warrant by one of the officers of the establishment, before Messrs. WHITE and GREGORIE, charging him with sending threatening letters to the Right Hon. Mr. Stanley, the Colonial Secretary. Mr. Stanley, Mr. Mayne, the Commissioner of Police, and several other gentlemen, were in at tendance. _ _ _ _ _ Some time ago the defendant had addressed several letters to the Earl of Ripon, to redress cer tain alleged grievances, and that Nobleman had re ferred him to Mr. Mayne, one of the Commissioners of Police. A short time ago he addressed a letter to Mr. Stanley, threatening him with personal violence if proper attention was not paid to his demands for justice. The letter was of such a violent nature that Mr. Stanley applied to the Magistrates for a peace warrant against the defendant, and he was appre hended. _ _ . Mr. Stanley, was sworn, and produced a letter, which he handed to the Magistrates, signed by the defendant, and which he believed to be in his hand writing. The Magistrates read the letter, the contents of which did not transpire ; but we understand that the threats were of a very violent nature. Mr. Stanley, from the letter which he had pro duced, had no hesitation in stating that he appre hended personal violence from the defendant. Mr. Commissioner Mayne had seen the defend ant's letters to Lord Goderich, and knew his hand writing. The letter addressed to Mr. Stanley signed by the defendant was then handed to Mr. Mayne, who examined it carefully. Magistrate—Do you know the hand-writing ? Mr. Mayne—To the best of my belief it is the hand-writing of the defendant. The Magistrates asked the prisoner if lie had any thing to say in answer to the charge ? Mr. Shelley did not deny being the author of the letter produced, and went into a long statement of alleged grievances which he had suffered, for which, although he had tried every means, he could get no redress. All he wanted was a full, fair, and im partial investigation into the merits of his case; he had applied over and over again, but in vain. He said that he had gone out to Sydney on the pro mise by the Government of a grant of land on pay ing down a certain sum of money; he had fulfilled his engagement and went out to the colony; when he got there he unfortunately had some disagree ment with General Darling, the then Governor of the settlement ; the consequence was that he never got the promised grant of land. After remaining at Sydney for some time, and finding that it was totally impossible to gain any redress, he returned to this country most grievously disappointed, and suffering a great pecuniary Joss. He then applied to Lord Goderich, and, last of all, to Mr. Stanley. lie stated his case, but no investigation was offered to his requests. The Magistrates, after consulting together, felt it their duty to order the defendant to find sureties, himself in 2001., and two sureties in 1001. each, to keep the peace towards Mr. Stanley for the next six months. Mr. Shelley had no bail in attendance. The Magistrates said, that being the case, he would be committed to Toth]ll-fields prison. Mr. Shelley—This is the redress I get, to be plundered of my property and then consigned to a dungeon. Mr. Shelley was then removed, complaining bite terly of the harsh treatment to which he was exposed. Mr. Shelley appears to be about 28 years of age, and of very gentlemanly demeanour and address. A female in this town, who has attained her 62d year, has recently cut three new teeth, and is aLout to cut a lourtb.-111411 Advertiser. HURRICANE AT CALCUTTA. (From the Bengal Hurkarv.) Letters from Diamond-harbour state, that tlit whole country as far as can be discovered, both tp and down the river, on both banks, is strewed will corpses of human beings and of the brute race. The carcasses of two or three tigers have bees drifted on Diamond-point, besides many deer an! cattle, and what is more extraordinary, 9uantitios of large fish. Mr. Campb e ll, f rom Mud-point, vvlo had fortunately reached Diamond-harbour, staters that of 4,000 people in th e v i c i n ity h e had qui tted, only 1,000 had escaped dr own i ng , t o die of thirst,thirs t, unless speedy relief was a ff or d e d to them. Water, however, has been promptly d es p a t c h e d and maY' w° trust, be in time to avert thi s d rea df u l c atastror e • viho Mr. Pickering, in charge of th e new tripod, has also reached Diamond-h ar b our , on the west e ! ig j shore, gives a most terrific account o f the galeshi; progress and effects in that quar t er . It is '— enough at Diamond-harbour, h e sa y s , but the co. n sequences of it in the place he left beggar desenr tion. The gale commenced at south-east, and on t A, "e evening of the 20th, increased during the daylight the flagstaff was blown down and his M o d shed unroofed; the gale conti nue d a ll d a y : the 1 1 °. 1 . 1 came on with awful velocity ; th e y t oo k shelter I t the tripod. At eleven at night the water rose n y , e ,_ the bund ; in half an hour a brea c h was made ie 7 f . and it gave way, with a fearf u l rus h, t o the force n' d the flood. The wind shifted to east north-east, an blew with increased fury, and the whole courl was inundated to set en feet hi g h b e f ore o ne o'nin c e in the morning of the 21st. At this time the fo r of the waters burst the flooring of th e t r ipod s w here d Mr. Pickering and his people had taken shelter, an they clung to the joists at the sides of the building, almost up to their necks in water. As the wa ter still rose, the sircar suggested that they should b e deavour to get to the t o p o f t h e building. TihAelf crept through the wind ows; b ut , a l as ! t h e lau"; t, for ascending was not ther e . By some lucky sec'• dent, however, a rope was left hangin g t h ere , whl c-f i had been used to point the mast, and by this means they ascended to their wretched place of refug e ' where they passed the night, expecting every al ment that the tripod would be blown over an overwhelm them in the roaring waters below. Shen the gale abated they got down and waded, or rat he r . swam, to the next station, No. 10, whence they g ot , to Diamond-harbour in a boat sent for there,% Captain Cowles, and saw in the way thither not Je s ' than 700 dead bodies ; and all the communications we have seen are of a similar tenor. . 0 gD EXTRACT OF A LETTER DATED ON BOARD THE AMHERST, HIGH AND DRY ON COWCULLY -5 fA CIIt MAY 22. - sod By the mercy of God, we are all hands safe • , comparatively comfortable, though re gu larly strand e " , being high and dry on Cowcully-beach, within half a mile of the Kedgeree light-house. # 0 A little blow us lies the Hon. Company's lb. Duke of York, blown over from the new anchorag le and apparently settling in the sand. About ini or a mile and a half to the north of us are t hree ship, not one of which are in such good plight a e ourselves, and two of them far worse, for they at almost on their beam ends. „n Sy EXTRACT OF A LETTER DATED SHIKAPORX, SA.-° MAY 22. The gale has made a clean swee p here, en d ' r understand, all ov e r th e isl an d. Forward w ater 1° - the remnant of the people i mme di ate ly, in roo" boats, if possible. All is gone; no b un ds, no tan no people. I think about sixty men , a s many n w ; tr o men, and about twenty children, are left out of souls, but we cannot say yet correctly. As neat D e I can judge, from the height of the bungalow, the: were seven feet water over the land. It broke ill about a quarter before 9 a. m., and did not bel3; e to decrease until 1 p.m. Men, women, and ratt e r are lying dead in all directions ; many drifted of to Mr. Calder's and Mr. M'Phersons, and Were found dead there. Accounts were also received yesterday wool from Mr. Burt, on the estate lately belonging is Messrs. Palmer and Co., stating the loss of liv e and the devastation there to be equal to the ab ove ' Kedgeree letters were, late in the afternoo n v r r e ceived from the pilots of the Lo r d Anthersit t ",,, - General Gascoyne, and Robert. These letters Ol t that most of the cargo of th e A m h ers t ma y be sav e '', the General Gascoyne entir e ly b i l ge d; the Ro le ' may be got off when lightened. All the pilots c on cur in describing the gale as the most terrific they ever- experienced. One of the letters mentions !II; other melancholy loss of life. Mr. Morton, Olt, his wife, at the Kedgeree Light-house, na rrow) ; escaped from the gale which overtook so 03al c r natives ; but their child was buried in the ruing e one of the outhouses, where they had-taken reft, from the storm. Some of the poor natives had bey, received on board the Amherst, and provided *v! tb food. One of the wrecked v es s e l s was laden vilri, rice, which, we should hope, h as been freely albs buted ; but they were perishing for water. to ships, however, would, we trust, have been su"; 10 , supply all who could get to them with a small ti u tity, until relief reaches them, APO' The following particulars, rel a tive to the -- are given in last evening's Couri e r;— ,, Mr. Pl i- ifi g account of the ship Sultan is, that on the ev e n , of the 19th she put back front the Gasper; h o 0 r her last at 10 A.M. of the 21st, at anchor off Ssurvi. Point, with her top-gallant-masts struck. His nion is, that she must inevitably have been lost. 0 to Soldiers, in the Colonies, have been kn ° e purloin ruin by dipping their flannel waistcoats ~ th tho liquid, and wringing them out after their return t° barracks. e °I By the advices from Hamburg the P r ',. c- pri‘ l gold is 437 per mark, which at the English M is ;, of Si. 17s. 1001. per oz. for standard gold, g ig ; sr' exchange of 13.11, and the exchange from flarob tl fT9Y London at short being 13.9, it follows that gold is Q per cent. dearer . at Homburg than in London. pe r The premium on gold at Paris is I ' 9 l oit milk, which at the English Mint price of Si. In s 59 . ,;' per oz. for standard gold, gives an exchange of -- *; .. beil and the exchange from Paris on London at shsie,:fert -25.42i, it follows that gold is 2-3 per cent. s e " Paris than in London. p g vie r° We understand that extensive purchas— her de; made by the Duchess of Cumberland previous t °. 6 - 4 parture at some of the principal marchandes de 0 . s e e the West end, to whom it was intimated that theleot, Highnesses' absence would extend to two years at le tli° During the late illness of Earl tortesc ue r th e Liberals were looking about for a candidate to 0 So t i place of Lord Ebrington in the representation of t",ept oe them division of Devon, as his Lordship, in th e e id bl e e , the death of his Noble and revered parent, 0. ‘?..f00 l been called to the Upper House. They fixed on V: e Ilamlyn Williams, Bart., of Clovelley Court. ~i ' h b ri°6 : servatives named the Hon. George Fortescue, La" id lb U 6 ton's brother, who, it is confidently stated, w °o ' f rolY b e r j started on the "Independent" interest, hacked W e :,„por t . ., the Conservatives. The Hon. Newton Fellowes :i 0 .10" to have said on the occasion, " He is my brot lir o ," it is true, but he shall have my warmest opp_o_g icil BIRTHS. a. 7 ° fllllllll4. On the 30th ult., at Dulwich-common, the Is . ; De s Inglis, Esq., of a son. Do nald C 3°P On the '24th ult., at Inistone, the lady of Do na Esq., of Dunstallnage, of a son. MARRIED. Ito rOY" At Hackney, George Lermitte, Esq., to Ern° l4 daughter of the late Thomas Lermitte, Esq. , to - li ys On the 30th ult., at Croydon, Major Usborne, beth, second daughter of the late William Slennol., of Godstone, Surrey. R e O g enn tthe q au ghtert m , , ) feed Esq., of Tottenham-wood House, Middlesex. )Ir. , er of ulastrei,nstto., Jane, eldest oetlt,cienslttadma4Dhatenriclofl-I.raThrol_na; 100" On the Ist inst., at St. Paul's, Covent.gardeo, „tight Robins, of Tavistock-street, to Sarah Anne, eldest Mr. Smith, of King.street, Long-acre. tls rh ; jaoth DIED. to P e° e r ° Miss Williams, of the General Newspaper-office, odic ch 01,04 fa th On the 11th ult., at Tuam, Ireland, of spasM'.ns, jets stre O e n t, t ß he ri 26 sto tb l, Mann Sim )" Eliza, widow of the Rev. Anthony Man eight children eWhi°llllemosf, big N4Vivelesco _au .eroo PRINTED AND -------------;:r PUBLISHED By MU----RDO Yo o4° ' A II ! Star Wiwi, 112, STRAND: e.;di tcli *hi (ler 'Ali t t'Pa