The Sun. — London, England, 1833-05-30 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS. The debate on the Ministerial plan for the abolition of colonial slavery, which comes on in the House of Commons to-night, will be marked, we hope, by that moderation of temper and lan guage,—by that abstinence from all u nnecessary topics of irritation,—and by those zealous ex pressions of a desire to effect an a micable com promise between contending claims, which the direct and permanent interests of the mother country, of the colonists, of the slaves, and, in short, of all parties, counsel not less imperatively than the obvious dangers of unreasonable oppo sition or obstinate disunion. The West India body ought to see that the Government can have no conceivable interest in plundering the planters to make vagrants of the slave; and the zealous abolitionists ought to admit that if compulsory labour is still to be exacted for several years to come, consistently with the establishment of all the other rights of citizens in the coloured la bourers, it is only because there seems no other way of reconciling the effects of past slavery on the character of the negro with the necessity of securing his future industry, or of providing for the continued cultivation of the colonies, by which the negro race will ultimately profit pro bably as much as their present masters. Nothing is so much to be deprecated as extreme proposi tions or demands on either side, as nothing is fur ther from the reach of abstract principles than the present complicated condition of our colonial society. Had there been merely the serf and his landlord,—the proprietor of the soil and the slave who tills it for a portion of its produce, as in the north of Europe,—the task of emanci pation would have been easy and safe. The master would only have had to resign certain rights, perhaps useless, perhaps noxious—and the chief attack would have been upon his power or his pride. His estate must have been cul tivated by the same hands,—the culture must have been pursued in the same manner, and the same kind of produce must have been brought to market after, as before, the emancipation. The industry of the population would not therefore have been altered in kind, or endangered in amount, by the change of tenure in those who had hitherto reaped its fruits. But the precipi tate West India abolitionists ought to consider that the social apparatus for industry in our colonies is perfectly different,—and that there is not the same security for its efficiency under a change of circumstances. We have transplanted the sugar-cane from the shores of Asia to the West Indies, and have ransacked the coast of Africa for kbourers to prepare the soil for its reception, or to carry on the manufacture of its produce for the European market. Nei ther the African negro nor the sugar-cane would have been in such abundance where we now find them, except by the capital and enterprise of English planters ; and as the labour of our colonies has hitherto been stimu lated by the cart-whip, the colonists ought to find some excuse in the eyes of the abolitionists when they doubt whether the same quantity of labour can be obtained, and the same quantity of pro duce 9f the seine kind prepared, under a system of free industry as under a state of unmitigated slavery. In a climate and on a soil where, as we are told, thirty-five or forty days' exertion in cultivating a plot of ground is sufficient to main tain a family, and where the planters can boast of their liberal treatment of their bondsmen, if they advance them, in European manufactures, pro visions, or medicines, at the rate of 40s. or 50s. a-year, it is easy to see that a manumitted negro 'night be able to gratify all his present wants (if set entirely free before he had acquired habits of providence, or a desire for additional comforts), and to secure all his necessary conveniences without troubling himself by digging cane-holes, or toiling at the boilers in the sugar-house, to the same extent as at present. Hence, the abo litionists ought to reconcile their minds to the idea of some intermediate probation between the degradation of absolute slavery and the enjoy ment of unconditional freedom. It must be per fectly evident to all, that the experiment, thou g h it is inevitable—though it is desirable—and though we hope that it %ill be ultimately successful, is not entirely free from doubt or embarrassment to tome of our colonial interests, as at present under stood. The same quantity of sugar, of rum, or of coffee, might not be prepared fur the European mar ket—the same quantity of European goods might not be consumed in the colonios, or the same quantity of shipping might not be employed in carrying on the trade between them after emancipation, as at present, though a negro free peasantry might grow up in our West India islands happier and more comfortable than the gangs now on our West India plantations. To that amount the abolitionists ought either to concede the right of compensation, or to show that time planters would derive no disadvantage from the change. On the other hand, the West Indians must abandon their usual topics of declamation and excitement, and come to posi tive terms of reasonable compromise. As against the poor slaves whom they have hitherto kept under the lash, more for our benefit, they allege, than for their own, they admit that they have no claim. They therefore must allow that freedom is their natural right, as they now de clare that only the compulsion of the British Government, .or the force of British Acts of Par- liarnent, would have induced them to become fie owners of such " property." Their only recourse, therefore, is to British justice for compensation, should they be able to esta blish the fact of a specific injury from the emancipation, under proper restrictions, of their slaves, or, in their own language, from a legisla lative interference with their rights of " property in their fellow-men." Some of the partisans of the late meeting at the City of London Tavern, we are told, have taken it into their heads that we yesterday denied their right of property in slaves because we did not consider that right to be pre cisely on the same footing as the right of the hindholder to his dividend at the Bank, and be cause we expressed no apprehension that all the titles to land, houses, or funds in this country would be endangered or nullified by a decree restoring to 800,000 of our fellow-creatures a p in of those 'privileges of which it was a mon strous crime to deprive them. They have even sent us a list of the statutes or Acts of Parlia ment recognising negro slavery, or encouraging the slave trade. They need nut have put them selves to that trouble, as w e were perfectly aware of the fact, and hate in all our retnarks steadily kept it in view ; but they ought to recollect that there are different kinds of right, and that the State deals differently with different sorts of pro perty. The slave trade, which was at no remote period encouraged by our laws, i s now d ec l ared by the same laws a capital offence, and property in slaves which is recognised e't of the Atlantic, is totally abrogated on reachiog the shores of England. Nay, in dealing with the relation of master and slave we have i nterfered in a manner totally different from the regulation of any other kind of property. We have ordered registries of slaves to be kept, we have prevented the transportation of slaves from one island to another, we have appointed slave protectors, independent of the planters, or compelled the planters themselves to establish the mockery of rotecting councils, we have directed the time of slave working, the reception of slave evidence, and, in short, have interfered with the rights of this kind of " property" in a way that we never did with the English estates and funds to which Mr. Palmer alluded, and for the apprehended danger of which he evinced such a theatrical horror. Notwithstanding these considerations, and many others to which we cannot at present advert, we are not so unreasonable as to pro pose to satisfy the ju , tice and humanity, or to expiate the guilt, of the nation at the expense of any individual party who, in becoming an accomplice in its crimes, acted under the autho rity of its laws. If, therefore, the West India planters can show that, by co-operating in this great national expiation, they suffer individual loss, no reasonable abolitionist would object to a proper indemnity. All the schemes of eman cipation which we have seen proceed on this idea, though most of them presume, with us, that if the masters would cordially join the Government, instead of opposing it, in the present glorious work, the extent. of loss, and consequently the necessity for compensation, would be reduced within very narrow limits, if it required any consideration at all. We may pursue this subject, and advert to the plan of Lord Howick, publi,hed as an appendix to his speech, to-morrow, if we have room.—Times. it will be seen that a writ of certiorari has been moved for by the Solicitor-General to remove the inquisition on the body of Cully, the police-officer slain at the Calthorpe•street meeting, into the Court of King's Bench. This is, no doubt, in strict accordance with the law of the land, the Court of King's Bench being not only principal Coroner, but also empowered to revise and qmash any proceedings connected with the criminal jurisdiction which have taken place before inferior Courts. The finding of the .Jury was, as we have intimated, a very singular one, contradicting the evidence by its conclu sions. The Solicitor-General, with great respect for the motives of the Jury, sets forth, though briefly, yet strongly, the illegality of the verdict. —Times. Sir John Campbell moved yesterday, in the Court of King's Bench, for a certiorari to bring into that Court the inquisition before the Co roner, on the body of Robert Cully. The in quisition, he contended, was bad in law, and ought to be quashed. The facts in this case, so far from justifying the verdict of justifiable ho micide, made it imperative on the Jury to return a verdict of wilful murder. The writ was granted, so that we shall soon have the question of the legality of the verdict discussed in the Court of King's Bench. We observe that at the dinner of the Westminster electors yester day, Mr. O'Connell defended the verdict of the Coroner's Jury, and declared that he would stake his professional reputation on the point, that it was the only verdict the July could give conscientiously, after the evidence they had heard. We are, we confess, not a little asto nished that Mr. O'Connell should deliver such an opinion. if ever there was a verdict unsup ported by evidence, it was the one in question. To say nothing of the illegality of the meeting, the ground on which the Jury found that the slaughter of Cully was justifiable assumes the fact (of which there wa4 no evidence) that the murderer of Cully killed him in self-defence. For anything the Jury knew, Cully might have been passive, and killed by one who had a pri vate grudge against him, and determined to take that opportunity of executing his purpose in order to escape in the crowd. The Jury dis believed the only witness who spoke to the manner in which Cully came by his death, of which they were in perfect ignorance.—Morning Chronicle. We are glad to perceive that the Grand Jury at the Surrey Sessions are determined to persist in their right to examine the whole interior and management of the county prisons. The Chair man and Magistrates appear to have no reason to give for their refusal, or, at least, like Falstaff', they are determined to give none " upon com pulsion." There is a solemn trifling in all this quite unworthy of a judicial body. The ques tion is not a new one, and surely should not be met by ignorance or eva , ion. Very learned per sons, sometimes taken on the sudden and off their guard, are not always prepared to answer every point which comes before them, and it is common in such cases, in technical language, "to reserve the point." But here is .no such excuse. The Chairman's duty has been to have informed himself upon the subject, at least since the time of the last application, and to say, " Yes" or " No" to the Grand Jury, %ith some valid reasons for the negative or affirmative, whichever he might adopt. To our apprehen sion, the' reasons (as we stated when before ad verting to the subject) are all one way ; and even were there no law, which there is, making it im perative upon Grand Juries to inspect gaols, and present any necessity there may be for their al teration or rebuilding, every one, we think, must be convinced of the policy and good sense of those who have the management of them con cealing nothing from such a body as the Grand Jury, provided there is nothing to conceal. If there is, then the greater the necessity of its being made known and remedied.— Morning Herald. It will be seen, from the report of the pro ceedings in the Court of King's Bench, yester day, that the Solicitor-General moved the Court for the purpose of having the verdict of the jury which sat on the body of Cully, the ' policeman, set aside, and that the Court granted the application. On this extraordinary pro ceeding we have no room to make any other observation at present, than that, if the judges set aside the verdict of the jury, there can be no use, in future, of holding coroners' inquests. —Morning Advertiser. The meeting of the Political Union of New castle on Monday last, some report of which appears in our first page, is but one among many similar evidences of the deep dissatisfac tion felt by that class which was mainly instru mental in bringing the present Ministers into power ; and of the odium naturally attaching to a set of men who, for their own purposes, raised hopes which they well knew they would never he able to fulfil. But these and such like meet ings are far more important in another point of view, They show conclusively, if any demon stration short of actual violence can show it, the hatred borne towards the upper classes by these unions of " Reformers," whose extensive numbers and organization can leave no doubt on any rational mind that, should the present sys tem of Government endure much longer, they will give practi ca l efficiency to the outrageous denunciations they are c on ti nua ll y putting forth. We say that rank and property are in danger, and we call upon the upper classes to consider in time the peril which surrounds them. We ask whether a Government should be suffered to exist which has called forth, and which still encourages by its revolutionary policy, a spirit so threatening and so desperate as that which at present manifests itself ?—Morning Post. :SECOND EDITION. COURT OF KING'S BENCH.-(THIS DAY.) INQUEST on CULL Y, the POLICEMAN. The SOLICITOR-GENERAL said, that he bad a motion to make on the part of the Crown, which was, that the inquisition taken before Mr. Stirling, one of the Coroners fir Middlesex, on the body of Robert Cully, might be splashed. The LORD CIIIE F JUSTICE—What is your objection, Mr. Solicitor ? The SOLICITOR-GENERAL ord, that he objected on the ground that the jury had found a verdict not only con trary to the facts, but totally at variance with the law of the case. They had found a verdict of Justifiable Ho micide, while, upon the very face of the inquisition itself, signed with their own hands, it was evident that the ver dict ought to have been Murder or Manslaughter. The CHI EF JUSTICE—A difficulty that presses upon the Court is upon whom the rule ought to by , served. It might be served upon the Coroner, certainly not upon the Jury. The SOLICITOR- GENERAL—Certainly upon the Coroner. The LORD CHIEF JUSTICE—What is the object of your motion, Mr. Solicitor ? The SOLICITOR. GENERA L—That the Inquisition taken upon the hody of the policeman, which was contrary to law, cou ld be entirely quashed ; the jury, from the best of motives, had come to a wrong conclusion, one unsup ported by any thing which they had stated upon the face of their inquisition, and his motion was for the purpose of quashing it, in order that it might not remain as a re cord in any of his Majesty's Courts. Mr. Justice LITTLEDALE inquired what object the Crown could have in view by the motion ? The SOLICITOR-GENERAL said the Coroner's Inquisi tion was evidence fur various purposes, and he believed it was the prerogative of the Crown to call upon that Court to exercise its undoubted jurisdiction to set aside any thing in an inferior Court that was contrary to law. There were many cave where such proceedings had been quashed, and he apprehended that there was cause enough in the case to show that that Court ought to be called upon to exercise its supreme authority. The LORD CHIEF JUSTICE had ❑ever known any ap plication of that kind, except on the part of some indi vidual. The SOLICITOR- GENERAL said th it the inquisition might be given in evidence at the trial of any persons against whom the Crown might proceed ; but he apprehended th it, even puttiru that aside, if an inquisition was had, either in point of fict or law, it was the duty of the Crown, as the guardian of public justice, to bring it forward for th e consideration of that Court. The Learned Solicitor. General then read the inquisition and verdict, which are already before the public, and said there could be no doubt that the facts were as there stated, that Cully, while in the execution of his duty—while acting as a constable in the discharge of his duty—w‘s by some person, unknown to the Jury, stabbed in the left side of his breast, which caned his death, thereby constituting either a man slaughter or a murder. Mr. Justice LITTLEDALE—It does not appear upon the inquisition that it was either a murder, or i❑ fact any felony at ail. The SOLICITOR-GENERAL—No ; it simply stated the facts he had given ; that the man was acting as a con stable, and in the discharge of his duty when he received the wound which c , u-toi his death. The jury then went on to state why it was they found the verdict of justifiable homicide. It was not because the who was stabbed had Oven any prove ition in the first invance, hut because the Riot Act had not been read, and that the Government had not taken any steps to prevent the meeting, and that the police had acted with brutrity These were the facts upon w ich they sated they tad found their verdict. The CHIEF JUSIICIC—There is not a word in the verdict about the man Cully, or how be came t•y his death. The SOLICITOR GENERAL said there was not a word to show low lie came by his death, but, on the contrary, the jury gave their reasons fir coming to such a con clusion, The LORD CHIEF JUSTICE—They in effect say that one man might be killed, because another bad acted im properly : there is not a single word on the face of the inquisition to show that Cully had in any way given pro vocation for the assault upon him. The SOLICITOR GENERAL said, that he only applit for a rule to show cause, in the first iostance, why the inquisition should not he qu fished. Mr. Justice J. PARKS observed, that upon the pre mises s e t birth in the inquisition, a verdict of Excusable Homicide could not even be maintained. Mr. Justice PATTERSON said there was a case in Strange, where an inquest was quashed, and it did not ap pear that on that occasion any rule to show cause had been applied for. It was made absolute in the first instance. The LORD CHIEF JUSTICE-.--NO ; there never is. It can never be, fur where the Crown applies, as in this case, there is no other party concerned. 1 was not here yester. day when the certiorari was moved, and I think there would be some difficulty in the case without some one was before us ; but, as on the fire of the if quisition, there is no finding, and, acting upon generakprinciple, considering the Crown to have au interest in the general dispensrion of justice, I am of opinion that the inquest is not valid, and ought to be set aside. Mr, Justice LITTLEDALE considered there was no vali dity whatever in the inquisition. On the face of it, it was stated that a person unknown to the Jury wounded the man, of which wound be died, and yet the July had found a verdict of justifiable homicide, because Govern ment had taken no care to prevent the meeting. That did not justify tee verdict. To make it a good finding it must be shown that Cully had first offered provocation. The inquisition, in his opinion, was altogether a nullity, and must be set aside. Mr. Justice J. PARKE was of opinion that the inqui sition was bad, because the Jury had found Justifiable Homicide upon premises which would nor, as it appeared to him, justify a verdict of even Excusable Homicide. Mr. Justice PATTESON wall entirely of the same opi• nion; nothing was shown by the inquisition to justify such a verdict as hail been found. There was nothing to show teat Cully had been guilty of any provocation whatever. The inquest was then ordered to lie quashed. PERIA Li'A LIAMENI THIS EVENING. HOUSE OF LORDS. The Leeds Oil GAR Company Bill was rt al a third time. The Earl of 51ALMESBURY presented a petition for the abolition of the milt duty. Lord DUNDAS presented a petition against the assessed taxes. Lord CLONCURRY presented petitions for the repeal of the punishment of death, in our criminal code. The Duke of RICHMOND brought up the report of the Savings Rinks Annuities 13111, wi , hout amendment. Lord SUFFIELD presented petitions fur the abolition of slavery from places in Ireland. The Duke of WELLINGTON presented a petition from Bristol against the Ministerial plan tor the abolition et slavery. Also a petition from the slave owners and inhabitants of the island of Dominica, praying for protec tion. The whole of the inhabitants stated that they were wilin ; to sell their estates in the island of Dodd nica, so that his Majesty' s G overnment m i g h t try such i expetimen . s in t as th. y should think fit, without injuring the property of others. Lord SUFFIELD had no doubt that a man who had bought a stolen horse would be glad to get the money hack again.—(A I mgb.) Lord BERESFORD said, that the Noble Biron must first prove that the horse was stolen. The Duke of WELLINGTON begged to refer the Noble Lord to the repeated acts and resolutions of Parliament upon the subject, athi he would ere that slaves were acknowledged to be property. No English man could be deprived of his property except by the law of the land, and no Englishman could be deprived of his property, even by Act of Parliament, without proper compensation. Lord SUFFIELD was quite delighted with what bad linen from the Noble Duke. lie had stated that no man could be deprived of his property but by Act of Parlia ment, but he (Lord S.) would say that no mm could be deprived of his natural right, liberty, even by an Act of Par liament; and that he should be prepared to prove when the proposed measure was bet tee their Lordsiiips' House.— (Hear.) lie pledged himself to prove th e i mposs ibil ity of m an having a property i n man. The Noble Lord then pre sented two petitions against slavery. Earl GREY laid upon the table a copy of the treaty or convention entered into between the King of the French, the King of the Netherlands, and his Majesty. The Noble Earl then presented ten peti►tions against slavery. Loral WHARNCLIFFE presented a petition from York against the Local Jurisdiction Bill. The Earl of RODEN presented petitions from several parishes in Cork against the Church Reform (Ireland) Bill. He considered that the measure was nothing but direct spoliation, and would contravene the Coronation oath. The BISHOP of BRISTOL presented a petition from Calk, I imenting the diminution in the number of the Irish Bishops, and depreea ing the Bill altogether. It was one of the most alarming and dangerous measures he (the Right Rev. Prelate) in the course of his long life had ever heard of.—(Hear, heir.) He could not conceive how it cold be thought necessary to reduce the number of the Bishops in Ireland, when there were no Archdeacons and Chapters to assist them, and how how it could be imagined the business could be got through. The Earl of ST. VINCENT presented a petition, praying for the abolition of slavery without compensation. On the motion of Lord AfEtnotyaNt, the House went into Committee upon the Police Offices (London) Conti nuation Bill. Lord MELBOURNF said, that among the alterations the Bill proposed, that constables should have the power of apprehending persons in coffee-houses and beer-shops suspected of intending to commit felony and other offences, the present Act allowing them to be apprehended on suspicion of committing felony. Lord WYNFORD suggested various amendments, some of which were agreed to. Some Private Bills were brought up from the Common, and the House adjourned. HOUSE OF COMMONS. The H. was resumed at five o'clock. Mr. HARLAND presented a petition from c,r►ain Wesleya❑ slethodists of the county of Durham, for the abolition of .lavery. Mr. MACAULAY presented similar petitions from Leeds (signed by 17,000 persons), and from several other places. Colonel HAY postponed to the llth of June his motion for the appointment of a select committee to inquire into the existing excise laws in Scotland, particularly the excise restrictions on the manufacture of malt for private use. Mr. FITZGERALD moved for leave to bring in a Bill for the better transmission of property in cer tain cases in Ireland by enabling persons there, where the assets did not exceed 2001., to take out probate of wills before the assivant barristers of the respective coun'ies in that kingdom. After a few words from Lord ALTHORP, which were inaudible, the motion was agreed to. COLONIAL SLAVERY. Mr. STANLEY moved the order of the day for going into a Committee on Colonial Slavery. Sr ROBERT PEEL asked the Noble Lord (Al thorp) wh , t er, if the debate on that sulij , ct be ad j,oirned to night, it would he resumed to.morrow night, when the subject of the Bank Charter was to be brought forward, or wli-ther it would he adjourned until Monday? Lord ALTEIORP considered it highly important to a fair understanding of the subject of the Bank Charter ti a he should make his statement to-morrow night, when be should propose certain resolutions in the Committee ; be should then propose that the chairman report progress. and that die subject should stand over for a few days previous to the discussion of the resolutions. His statement t e had reason to believe would not take up any great length of time, and therefore if the debate to-night be adjourned, it would take the chance of being resumed after his state ment on the Bank charter to morrow night. To a question from Mr. GOIJLBURN, which wit not heard in the Gail-ry, Lord ALTHORI' said he was anxious to press on the Irish Church Bali on Monchiy. LAW OF IMPRISONMENT FOR DEBT. The SOLICITOR-GENERAL gave notice that on Wednesday nit he would move for leave to bring in a 13111 ti abolish the law of impriounnent for debt, and for the nsore effectually enabling—(Loud cheers, which pre vented the rest of the notice fri.dn being t earl in the gallery.) BELGIUM. Lord PALMERSTON brouAt up a copy of the con vention catered into between his M.jesty the King of France, and his Majesty the King of the Netherlands, wi h an explanatory article thereunto annexed. Sit RICHARD VYVYAN said, before the House went into Committee on the question of colonial slavery, he had to present a petition from a body of his Majesty's subjects, who frit greatly aggrieved by the plan propos e d by the Right Honourable Gentle tnan. It was a petition from the bankers, pl .nters, proprietors, merchants, and others in terested in West prop.rty. The petitioners stated that they saw no darefenee in property held under the still exiting law— ( Hear) which they contended was in favour of their posses.ing of such property as that of which the proposed mea,ure was intend d to deprive them. - - I That much of that property had devolved upon the m under conditions that the grant-r should keep up arid mairrain a 01 - tsin number of slaves. Tf at under certain Acts pass , d in the years 1819 and 1821, Government hal itself sold estates with slaves upon theni. Tura by the resolu tion entered into by that House in 1832, it had recog nizt.d the rinht of prop-rty, and had bound itself to pro_ vi le a fair compensation for the value of the slaves, if the State interfered with them. That the petitioners had heard with great consternation and dismay the propositions of the Right Hon. Gentleman with regard the abolition of sl every, seeing that they amounted to an absolute con. fication of property without an adequate compensation. And that to ;proprietors and owners of unencumbered estates, the proposed plan afforded no compensation what• ever. The Hon. Member begged to say, that he had on no previous occasion gone so much at length into the read ing of a petition, but he thought that the present occa sion was one in which a deviation from his usual rule would be readily conceded ; especially as the petition contained sufficient argument to induce the House to accede to the prayer of the petitioners to be heard by counsel at the bar of that House against the proposed measure. He would not, hewever, go into any further argument, which might provoke discussion, belore the subject was regularly under notice. The l etition was then read. The Hon. Bart. then pre sented another petition from the linen, woollen, hardware, and other merchants, brokers, shipowners, coopers, rope and snit-makers, iron merchants, and other manufacturers connected with the West Indian commerce of the city of Bristol, deprecating the adoption by the House of any tnea•ure of slave emancipation not consistent with the wellbeing of the negroes, the full safety of the colonies, and the equitable consideration of the rights of private property. Mr. GOULBURN presented a petition to the same effect, agreed to at a public meeting held in London, and signed by 1,600 planters, merchants, shipowners, ma nufacturers, traders, mortgagees, annuitants, and others, interested i❑ the preservation Of the West Indian Colonies. He was persuaded that he need nut apprise the House of the respectability of the individuals who attended this meeting, and signed this petition, nor call to its attention the weight that was to be attached to their representatives as to the effects of the projected scheme of negro emancipation, which had been promulgated by the Hun. Secretary. The petitioners were divided into two classes—those who had a direct personal interest in the preservation of the West India colonies and who considered that the effect of the measure would be to reduce them Ind their families to poverty and dis tress ;—( Hear, hear)—and the other party who bad s i gne d the petitions consisted of those who were not directly interested in the colouies—(Hear)— but who addressed the House as persons who felt the benefits which had been derived from our colonial empire, and that its destruction would he fraught with ruin to the commerce, the naval greatness, anti general and financial prosperity of the country. T, e petitioners only repeat the declarations of our enemies, who had al ways held our colonial empire to he the greatest source of our power. He joined in the hope the petitioners ex pressed, that the Howe would do nothing to destroy that poteer.--The petition was then laid upon the table. Mr. FOW ELL BUXTON, in rising to present petitions against slavery, from Inverness, Arbroath, Paisley, and other places, said be would not follow the example of the Right Honourable Gentleman who h a d just sat down, and bake a long speech. hear, hear.) The only observation he should make would be that the petitioners differed entirely from those who hid signed the petition presented by the Hon. Baronet. They did not consider men and women as chattels, to he bought and sold as commodities, to be put up to auction; but as men and women having the same priviieges and entitled to the same consideration as The SOLICITOR-GENERAL presented various peti tions from various parts of Stilfordshire, against slavery. The order of th e day way then read for the H.,use to resolve itself into a Committee on the Colonial Slavery qu estion ; and on the motion that the Speaker du now leave the Chair, Sir R. VY VYAN rose to oppose the motion. Of all the questions brought before the Legisliture, none wis more difficult than that on which the House was about to enter. Strong opinions, partly rrlioous, and partly arising from a philosophical view of the subject were held by many. Many who had pursued the subject for years with no ordi nary zeal, advocated the measures brought forty trd by Ministers ; while others stated that they apprehended inniery for themselves and their posterity, if the Mini sterial plan were adopted.—(Hear.) Never in his opi nion was there a tome or a question brought before the House, requiring so much forbearance. The principle of interference which the plan of Minis ters acknowledged, was any thing but calculated to accomplish the desired object. Rights of remote colonies had been attacked, great changes were to be effected, hut he could not see the good that was to result from teem. The colonies, whether in the West or East Indies, had no direct representation in that House. But they had Members there, he was glad to say, who had th e i r i nterests m i xe d up with their own, and who would sanction no acts of Governmeno that woutd be to their disadvantage. It was true that the Honourable Member for Mid. dlesex, when the Reform Bill was under discussion, had made a motion for the purpose of endeavouring to give direct representation to the colonies. But that, he was sorry to say, formed no part of the present Reform Bill. The inhabitants of Birmingham and Manchester had obtained that right on abstract principles, which was denied to the colonies. No measure was ever more tyran nical than that, and he, for one, should always say that nothing would be done for the colonies after denying them a voice in that House. (LYFT SITTING.) POLICE INTELLIGENCE. I3OW-STREET. William Taverner, William Herbert, and Cathe rine his wife, and Thomas M .- Ward, and Mary his wife, were yesterday charged with having feloniously broken open a Post-office letter-bag► and abstracting therefrom a quantity of General-post letters, con taining 1501. and upwards, in Bank notes. Mr. Benjamin Heath, clerk to Messrs. Cobb and Co., bankers, of Banbury, on the 15th of December last enclosed twelve bank-notes of the Stoney- Stratford Bank, of the value of 101. each, and two notes for Si. each, and forwarded them by post to Messrs. Oliver and York, of Stoney -Stratford. Mr. Mayne, of No. 1, Old Broad -street, on the same day forwarded two 10/. notes of the Batik of England in a letter addressed to Forbes M'Neill, Esq., of Hadleigh, near Barnet. Mr. John Mutlow, a dell( in the General Post office, deposed to his having opened the Banbury letter-bag, on the morning of the 17th of December last. A letter addressed to Stoney-Stratford would have been forwarded in that bag. The hag arrived safe. George Ledbitter, one of the officers of thi s establishment, took the prisoners into custody, wtih the exception of Taverner, at Stoney-Stratford, on the 22d instant. lie brought them to the General Post-office, where he took charge of the later prisoners. The prisoners were cautioned by Mr. Peacock not to say anything that might affect themselves, as it would be used in evidence against them. Having received this caution, the prisoner Catherine Herbert stated that the bag was brought to her house by the prisoner Thomas Millard, on a Tuesday night, and on the following night, Mil lard and his wife, Taverner, and herself, took the letters out of the different bags, and they were all engaged in opening them to look for money. After they had done so, they burned the letters and the bags. She said that they took a quantity of bank notes from some of the letters. Edward Hunt, the constable and gaoler of South ampton, t•-ok Taverner into custody at that place on the 18th instant, from information he had pre viously received. On searching him he found upon is person a small red pocket-book, containing two 10/. notes of the S oney-Stratford Bank. The pri soner said that he had had the notes in his posses sion for about six weeks, and could give a satisrac tory account of them. When brought before a Magistrate at Portsmouth, the prisoner said that he received the notes from a man named Herbert, who told him that he picked them up on the road be tween London and Newport Pagnell. Several of the notea which the prisoner had changed were proved to be the same which had bt en remitted by the witnesses already examined. The prisoners were then tully committed for trial, with the exception of Mrs. Millard, who was ad mi'ted to bail, on condition of her appearing to give evidence at the trial. REFUSAL TO PAY CHURCH RATES. (From the Maidstone Journal of Tuesday.) On Thursday last, a vestry meeting was held in the old church at Chatham for the purpose of passing the chinch. wardens' accounts for the past year, and for making a r,te for tie ensuing. It being known that the Dissenters intended to oppose 11:e making of a rate, an unusual interest was excited, and the vestry was crowded at an early hour. At 12 o'clock, Mr. T. ATKINSON, a member of the Society of Friends, was unanimous!) , called to the Chair. After reading over the bills of the account for the past year, it was requested that the items of one or two of them should be detailed. These excited some rather severe strictures and some merriment. The vestry then pro ceeded to make a new rate. For the two previous years a sixpenny rate had been granted—it wan shown by the eloirchwsrdens that the arrears on these two amounted to '4ool.—that there was a balance in hand of 532.—and that the outstanding debts against them amounted to lOW , this sum being due to Mr. William Hills, on a loan for the payment of a debt incurred by building a wall round the burial ground. Mr. THOMAS WEEK ES, the new churchwarden, then proposed that the vestry should allow him a rate at four pence in the pound, as he was of opinion, from the best calculation he could make, that that sum (2504) would be necessary to enable him to meet the expenses of the coming year, seeing that there were two churches to sup_ plv.—This motion being duly seconded, Mr. R. Bow LES moved, as an amendment to . the church warden's proposition, r That as the exaction of a church ra'e from Dissenters is unjust and vexatious, and as hopes are entertained that the Government contemplate affording relief similar to that proposed for Ireland, the consideration of the making of a church rate be adjourned to this day six months." Mr. Fos en, in seconding the amendment, remarked that be did so most cordially, not only because the senti ments of the amendment were perfectly in unison with those principles which, as a Dissenter, be had for years cherished, but the more so as he knew they were the sentiments of very many by whom he was surrounded on the present occasion. He had herd of a pamphlet circulated in the midland counties, which contained twenty-four reasons why Dissenters should not pay church rates ; he had net been privileged to see that publication, nor was be prepared with four-and-twenty reasons, but he would put his objections to church rates on two g ounds. First, a compulsory payment for the support of religion was an infringement of the right of conscience, and opposed to the principles of religious liberty. The second objection was, that a church-rate was an unjust and oppressive exaction from Dissenters. It extorts from us our money, and we receive no benefit in return. We have our benevolent societies for visiting and relieving the sick poor, and thus are aiding the poor rates----and all these objects supported by voluntary contributions, in addition to our compulsory payment for the support of the church establishment. The flagrant injustice of this odious impost was admitted by many Churchmen themselves. WILLIAM STONE, Eq., should move another amend ment, viz. " That the Churchwardens be requested to prepare an estimate of the expenses for the ensuing year, and that the meeting be adjourned till that estitnatv is prepared to be laid before them, in order that no more might be levied than was nece-sary." Mr. A. ROBERTSON seconded this amendment. Captain KAINs, R.N., late churchwarden, strongly urged the meeting to comply with the churchwardens' request. Mr. R. Dano said, there was an old law long antece dent to Elizabeth, which bad been in force for many cen turies, which pointed to a source abundantly sufficient for all their wawa—he meant the tithes; that ancient law was yet unabrogated; it proved that a tripartite division of the tithes should be made—one prtion appropri ited to the poor, one to the building and repairing of the church, the other for the support of the parson ; let the Wdiden, then, apply to the holders of this rich fund (amounting to between 2,0001. and 3,000/. per annum) and thus re lieve from a burden those who were little able to hear it and those who were opposed to it for conscience' take. Alter some desultory conveisation regarding Mr. Scone's amendment, it was withdrawn, it being considered so nearly identical with the original proposition. The CHAIRMAN then called fors 11110 W of hands in eatfavour of Mr. Bowles' amendment, and the n fora eal. of hands against it. He then declared that the went was carried by a great majority. t whk h Mr. HILLS then produced a written pr"t",! n k e about 23 p e rsons signed.—The vestry then or - irp oor having first passed a unanimous vote to their cbs for his atie and imparti .1 condact in the chair. SUICIDE OF A WEST INDIA INIERI I 41 Yesterday an inquest was held at the B. ° , 0 00 1 Charlotte-strt et, Fr sroy-square, on the bad , ' 0 1 , Browne, Esq., a West India merchant. Mr. 9 . di° who was about fifty years of ate, had recen 1 Y arrl o / England, and en gage d a p ar t men t s on the al rata 011 Mr. Pitman's hous e , 28, Upp e r Charlotte-errs!b by wife, four children, and two servants, were ;vi t . g bt Mr. Browne slept a l one , an d on Tuesday ni °l.°l° l4 ( youngest eon, aged eight, went into his room to ar'il h jiX his pipa did ?' and on receiving no answer, he 0 , 40 1 0 clothes aside, anti found his father bleeding; an 1.- given, and it then appeared that the deceased 1;0 dying state. He had inflicted a deep woun d in i d lO rlt arm, about an inch above the elbow, and the chamber utensil, which contained five lit'• Mr. Ellis, surgeon, of Charlotte-street, W4ll called btt t the deceased, who was unable to speak, died ja 1n after his arrival. .etrf t" Surrey' oft Mr. Peter Cosgrave, surgeon, of 14, Strand, deposed that the deceased was u t.der h e l about four or five years ago, w h en h e came bon' m rr the West Indies in ill health from dropsy ; vi be !, 01 0 ! turned home this last time he sent for wanes" f Trim; he was continually reverting to the seste t ° 0 affairs, and spoke almost incessantly upon the We c f st then he , o gli question (alluding to the measures recently br" ° .' d if or ward by his ALjesty's Ministers), which be sat tier' he the utter ruin of him, as he was a large pr ° P, It will, perhaps, be considered merely conjectural °*-10: part (continued Mr. Cosgrave), but I should I °,loo from his mind being in agitated a state, and bi k . so extensive, he was unable to withstand the 5h0 c ,:•,, ,,- such a letter, as the one found in his (hrk from s pit at Glasgow (Mr. Thotnpson) must have produee")%o him. That letter stated that he (Mr. Thoinr%°' I I stopped the sailing of one of his (deceased's) 91"iiieb11 also contained a refusal to make some remittanc e ' appeared were expe c t e d by t h e d ecease d . 11 11 te By the Jury—l saw th e e ecease d on t h e day " e v i' io , , death, and h e was constant l y d we lli ng on the 1 7 re' lr question, observing. " What will heroine of tl'' Aß " be utter ruin—th e G overnment h ave treate d us bi"';i,a' Mr. Langley—l heard him say in the convert( had with him, th a t lie was a great sufferer from 'rt'. posed measures of Government, on the went Indtl)tlit tion, which he s a id w i r e as muc h a ro rrbetY v ircf P od holders of property i n th at part o f t h e wo rld, a' be if a man were forcibly deprived of his estate country. ten° Mr. Patrick Cruik s h an k, o f N o. 8, Cornwal l - ,t 'e ns' e am a W es t I n di a merchant.--(Th e ip y here produc e d a l e t ter w hi c h b a d b een h an ded to dece ° , ,jJl Hutchings, the beadl e , an d was f ou nd pitc,itet.)—Mr. Cruiksliank having looked a t "This is deceas e d' s h an d wr i t i ng ." e ll/ ' The letter was th e n r ea d b y th e Coaosiza• " b lowintr is a copy " Dear Barclay—•l cannot bear the result of I° J fri My health is very bad. I cannot bear to see re do, neglected, You are one of my best and oldest frienope, made my will before I left the West Indies. Yo usf r e rof , my executors. Pray ac t and d o th e b es t y o u can °- v t flq.', l mily. God bless you. " DUNCAN Bit j u , j The letter was with ou t a superscr i pt i on , an been folded in the usual form. t lets Mr. Cruilishank-111r. Barclay, for whom Oa' / tb was intended, is a merc h ant i n Dublin, and 1 4 :04 ,1 est and mos t st , ilu-d friends of th e d ece ased. I 1 1,4 ,1 "' deceas don Saturd a y l as t, an d h e was per cc) but vr ry low and desponding when he touch India matters. My mercantile house in the the London agents of deceased for four or the mu jeer of the West India questi.m he depressed, appe trim to dr , •ad the effects of measures which Government had brough fact, in consequence of those measures, his cow had sudden'y made dem Inds which hi pared to meet. The evidence terminated here; and the J ing the body, reqirned a verdict— ,, deatroyed himself while in a state of temporar THE MARKETS. :ET.—fay 29. For Walls End Ne , Walls End Perk. tAalls End Ilaidei Bells Primrose, , .. Walls End HettOn Walls End Lyons Walls End 1-41 W. E. Russell' Wall- Eno ".d. , WAR' End Act Walls End Di! W„ Its End t.ol W. E South I , IValis End lees I art ley q uo. New Flocktoi and Co.. Walls End Eljlinr e lsH, 15 Lampton's Prunr sat market-daY. •"" ) 44 an whi c h tb. hnl ° the hi 5. Tha 6Ze'nett 6, T l, 1 qi Ne ' 4 41 f„141:', se a. " .1 rfectlY . ched 1t4 4,‘, 11 1 .: t ie city I°l 0 1 five Yeirg.jlol )1 4 11 °4 e the hoPfay° e- t. a., .it ti l 4 f .'P 4 I4 "E ht s went at 010 1 1 v ' he etas ne t r th:},,: o r• after ' k.• J. le bay, el kiltts„ Jo , • , at the i tt l _ ryderttege`" Cqt l i tn ' it h Ni, r n .' ; 1 ,4 5 13t' n e lc . 15 !....,InOch•-r 11 rkins 14 )5 Njp, Mil I 11 hit,Gen , I,, : uoug etton 14 k Dot y0n5....."': S. ainhtoit 0 9 .I. l "'"eStE l's tiett° n ' 1 3 ..tvart'...o!l.3, V delaide , " r lizon.---" 111 'T ' : s: trc ordon 13 0 t tt 4 NV Durban,' II 0 A P l 'tn in 13 i,,s CIAL MAR s. d. 14 3 East Verc 12 ( • Felling 13 3 Hebhurn Ma n 13 6 4 6 Ord's 2 6 YolltOp Windsor 5 0 Lai:field 6 3 Townley_ 3 3 Wylam 4 6 Walls End liewicke& Co. 5 6 Dittol3,ll, Robson, & Co. 3 0 Walls End Boundary 1 6 W i.n ; 1 6 W lis End I air and C :2 6 Di•to ! larke and 1 ti Walk End Gosforth—.,, 4 6 Walls End Heat0n......... 4 6 Walls bind Hilda --. 2 9 Ditto Killingworth S 3 Ditto Sorthumberland . 2 g Ships arrived since Per To►.. a trioiro, -.0 - ......-. C:)UNTRY CORN MA anEt's Dlloll4-- 1 00> Wheat. ,- Barley. i t'a t 4.......* Per Quarter. s. to s. I s. to s. 1 s• t 0 °' 39 / 3 11 Abingdon 62 62 81 31 43 122 , . 5 Andover * Si) 61 24 28 1-- /Birmingham...—. 56 58 „ --"' 30 40 16 -`"' V: 1 Bridport 56 74 32 36 26 30 ~A "" 5. Cirencester 44 56 21 30 16 "" -•"' •:, 4 baringdon-..--,...... 54 86 36 41) 26 „ 3 ,, •••' 5 Guildford . 45 74 23 32 26 o'' .... r 30 , yi Henley.------ 54 83 30 35 20 Hereford 64 68 32 34 , 22 2 8 .... 5 1 , Highworth --.. 62 80 32 42 28 ," 36 4 ;1 Maidenhead ......- 56 68 34 44 22 ~,''', •••• ,/ Monmouth- ...--.. 64 68 32 36 24 -' 0 6 7 Reading ‘ 9 ,1 1 66 , Salisbury 44 54 Z 27 18 „,'".2 ' Ad Southampton --... 54 58 33 40 28 „ 4 " - '' or ., Stroud 64 78 37 38 22 „,,,"- ."'' Tewkesbury ..-- 65 74 30 42 30 „"'-' .'"_, V A Uxbridge ,_ 2 % 54 4 5 Vantage * 58 80 27 43 17 Warminster —. 44 57 24 31 17 :: .... 4 1.2„,, Windsor Worcester. 50 57 30 32 22 II."' 51 , to i''' 0 MANCHESTER, May 25. 75. 91 ' d 0 Wheat, per 701 b. Bs. 9d. to 9s. Od. Red QI 9 Si J Barley, per 60 th 5 0 5 6 Oats - 5 - 35 0 a 0 Beans, per Imperial quarter 5 0 4 , 0 Pease, White, per Imperial bushel 38 6 Malt, per 6 Imperial bushels Flour, per Sack of 2801 b. 4O IRISH MARKETS. ..„,. o: e rse i DUBLIN MARKET NO l'E.—F el psY "- A' , l'o 0 Frm 566 Wheat, per barrel 20 s t one 240 0 512 0; 0 - 0 8ete.,... ...... l6 stone 0 —A" "o - 4 130 Barley - 9 • 2,159 Oats ----....-...... 12 stone 8 0 1 1 -- .9 r 12,134 Cwt. Flour* 9 stone 6 0 1 , 726 Oatmeal...* 8 stone 8 0 11 0 ,1 6 Sold to bakers only. 0 , 00, :5,722 Cwt. Flout Average price of Wheat and Flour 405. Oa- 1 {,1 01 11 , t A Receipts of I n - l o onr, 1 1 2 1 ; 7 184 831 Thirds, from 6.5 ' t" iii Firsts from f f r r o om m f i ls c • 0 "; j :00; 0,, tr. 1 20 stone . 16 stone 16 stone 12 stone 12,134 Cwt. 9 stone 726 0atmea1,,,,... 8 stone Sold to bakers only. :8,722 Cwt. Flout Average price of Wheat ant Receipts of Flour, 11,783 Firsts,Seconds frol Sales of Do. 12,184 Thirds, fro) PRICE OF BREAD. (I. I Half Qv - • PRICK OF BREAD. „...-•'_____%it", Quartern Loaf- 7.y.id. 1 Half Quartert_l___ rr, et Wheat, Barley. Oats. II" ...... s „ , cy , per barrel per barrel per barrel „. ~, '2O stone. 16 stone. 14 stone. it.„,....• . j,313 0 0 ----- s• d ' 5 G 00 s.d. a s.d. s.d. a s.d. s.d. a s.d is. ( 1 . a 6 6 • , 1 0 0 O A Cork 210 23 61241408A10413 F 9 0 t o 0 6" Limerick !2.3 4 259 94 114 82 VVaterfordel 0 25 010 0 Li 1 7 0 8017 0 ; 7 0 1.,; ~, Clonmel .123 4 25 912 0 13 0 70 8210 0 :., 1 o l ' Carlow —. 25 0 27 010 0 11 0 7 0 8 6 '2O 0 ..pr.„-StP: 7,4 v .1.3 VI iv r 5 .“; ii 0 t i.. ...,„ > ..- t Car10w.,...,, '' ------- 0 27 010 0 11 0! 7 0 ______,.._ ji—oeB___6 20 r. ,tn t • - - --- ---- : 4 _,.... 0 , , Beef, el Mutton,. Pork, Ist. 2 ' id. k t i A l ' p per lb. per cwt. .........„ s. J. s• 4 4 01 w d. a d. d. A d. 8. d. a s. d. s. d. g., d ,' 5 8 0 tr 2 o e d 9, Cork .........-5 6 5 623 6 26 084 0 6 ' 0 52 0 66 (~,,, J o Limerick_, 3i, 41 31 4St 0 35 0174 0 6 0 ,,, 70 , ,/ Waterford 3 6 3 527 0 28 0185 07, i .... I: 50 l' Clonmel ... 3-1 451 6; 32 0 33 079 0 4,-, - 60 0 0c Car10w.......... 4 51 0 00 0 0 01813 3 ''-' i. 2,4 r A,4, KILKENNY.—Butter 745. to per cwt.; vs, h t o eit- ft t r to ty , per barrel ; Flour 20s. to 345. per bag Oats el;ri o rel; Barley 12s, to 13s. ; Beef 4d. to 54. Pe r ',' J r'cw"' to sd. ; Potatoes 24. per stone ; Coals Is. :M. I Pip 28s. to 9.95. Cad. per cwt. On the 27th inst , at Kin H g's Bromley, the H011>,./Mr'• 4, 0 : 4°. BIRT. Lane, of a son. * ci 1 , 01 MARRIED. "Asti 'd ' On the 20th inst., at Paris, the Baron Louis de ' - u hter Vieux Maisons en Champa . gne to Frederica dalitorf* late Captain Frederick Leicester, of the Royal'Stan pl,' ~,,A. , ;01 DIED. On the Ilth inst., suddenly, at Bath, Sir Lewis Are2;SettLc'ii;j, spector- General of Hospitals, Knight of the Guellsa iloootir and lielgic Lion. etl - P l'Ce' On the 27th inst., at his father's house, In Alfr o ,ift, tbrd-square, Francis Bernasconi, jun., Esq., aged 4 ,,.,,b, ~,,i, On the '26th inst., at Brill Parsonage, Bucks, oe,,e, veo the Rev. John Samuel Baron, M.A., of Queen's CO": 1 701' 0 1 On the 29th inst., Win. Wilkinson, Esq., of flig" A ., aged 71. h f wow , e f e On the 2-Ith inst., Mary, wife of Hugh M' Bloomsbury-squar e. Oi l° On the 6th inst., at Naples, Sophia Anne Marl , ° Lieutenant-General John Suliv,in Wool, aged 1 A O ' •rD PUBLisii Li, w M U it 1,0 Y 0 T-15 DuN Orrice, 119,EITRAND, Lows" it Wal G t() ,t 1 8th c The Ri follow