The Sun. — London, England, 1839-12-12 00:00:00

E\ , EN LNG EMTION. WORKING OF THE VETO ACT. PRESBYTERY OF STRATHBOGIE. r The Presbytery of Strathbogie met at Huntly, on Wednesday, in the Vestry. Mr. THORBURN rose, and after going briefly over tle history of the ease in so far as Mr. Edwards was concerned, moved that he be now taken on his trials. Mr. ALLARDYCE then rose and addressed the Pres bytery. He said—The various documents in the case of the parishioners of Marnoch had been read in their hearing to-day ; documents containing findings the most complicated and contradictory ; and it would be admitted by all of both parties in the Church, that the members of the Presbytery of Strathbogie were now placed in circumstances the most difficult and em barrassing and painful possible. Whether they took this course or the other they must offend, and offending must suffer. Here was a presentee with a decision of the Civil Court requesting them to take him on trials ; and there was a de cision of the General Assembly, threatening them with the most serious consequences should they proceed to do. If they refused to give effect to the decision of the Church, the Church would doubtless give effect to her threatenings ; and if they refused to take the pre sentee on trials, they would doubtless be taken to the Civil Court, and there answer for their conduct. In these most distressing circumstances, what were they to do—what course should they take ? Perhaps some light-might be thrown on this point—some encourage ment given to go on, if the three brethren who had hi therto opposed them (the minority) would give them an ,nest answer to a question he would now put. No ~nubt they would give a candid one. The question ”is simply this, " Do they really in sincerity wish that the Presbytery should now refuse to take Mr. Edwards on trials ?" Mr. ROBERTSON—That question is a mere figure.— , (A laugh.) Mr. ALLARDYCE—There being no answer to my question, I take it that, in such a case as this, silence is a negation. Mr. ROBERTSON—Take care you are not disap pointed. Mr. AL LARDY CE—I sympathize with you, for I deem the penalty which would fall on you by refusing to take the presentee on trials would be a heavy one ; but 1 will point out a more excellent way . When they were admitted to the Church, they took the oath of allegi ance, and bound themselves to conform to the standards of the Church in all thing s. Now, th e fi rs t d uty o f faithful subje c t s was t o o b y the law. The interpreta tion of the law was committed to the Judges of the laud ; and the standards of the Chureh enjoined them all to be subject to the civil magistrates, and to obey their lawful commands. As had been read today, the Supreme Court had given judgment to the effect, that the statute law of the land binds the Presbytery to re ceive on trials a presentee to the Church ; conse quently, if the Presbytery reject that presentee without assigning any reasons—without trials of his disqualifi cations, they would be acting illegally. ) Mr. ROBERTSON of Gartley said—The doctrines which Mr. Allardyce had just advanced were of a most extraordinary kind. He (Mr. R.) would yield to no man in his respect for, and obedience to the law of the land ; but the law of the land must not be supreme kin everything. It was the duty of all faithful subjects f to obey the law ; but there were other d u ti es w hi c h they had also to discharge—duties in regard to the great head of the Church, which they must not overlook. I Mr. Allardyce's doctrine was like the doctrine of IHobbs, the atheist, who made the law supreme in every thing. Now he (Mr. R.) revered the civil magistrate in his proper place, but he took his stand on the law of God, which was this—Fear God, in the first place, and the civil law in as far as it is consistent with the word of God. They must go to the Bible for every thing. It was the rule by which all would be judged ; 1 and, while they " rendered to Cesar the things that iare Caesar's," they must take care and " render to God the things that are God's." Here h e wou ld d escr ib e a Christian Church. A Christian Church was a divine ) institution, holding its powers and privileges from the ) great head of the Church, and it would be sacrilege and sin to give them up to any human power whatever. Mr. ALLARDYCE—Have you any motion to make on the subject, Mr. Robertson ? Mr. ROBERTSON—Yes ; and I am now prefacing it, and intend to go on a little fa r th er b e f ore I come to i t. ' —(A laugh.) Mr. Robertson then went fully into the 1 standards of the Church, and quoted largely to show that no civil power had a right to interfere with the Church Courts, as Church Courts ; and that the civil magistrates had no civil right to bind the Church 1 Courts, Mr. Robertson then moved for delay till after the meeting of the Commission. Mr. LEITH seconded the motion. Mr. Allardyce's resolution rested on two grounds—conscience and da t mages. With regard to the damages, he could easily see theta they took the presentee on trials, it would not certainly be an effectual wa y o f sav i ng t h emselves from ' damages ; but with respect to conscience, he would con fess that he did not see how Mr. Allardyce could recon cile it with his conscience to violate the law of the Church and obey the law of the land. First—That whereas a presentation to the church (and parish of Marnoch, by the truste es o f th e d ecease d James Earl of Fife, in favour of th e R ev. J o h n Ed. iwards, preacher of the Gospel, was duly laid before the Presbytery, and accompanied by all the necessary certi ficates, and sustained by the Presbytery's deliverance thereon, on the 27th of September, 1839, when the ; Presbytery resolved to p rocee d w i t h M r. Ed war d s ' 3 settlement with all convenient speed. ) Second—That whereas the said Rev. John Edwards, having afterwards been rejected by the Presbytery, on the sole ground of the veto or dissent from his settlement ( as minister of the said church and parish, of the mjor part of the male heads of families, communicants in said parish—the said John Edwards(thereupon instituted a process in the Court of Session against the Presbytery of Strathbogie and others, in which action a decree was, on the 15th January, 1839, pronounced—whereby 1 1 it was declared, That the trustees of th e d ecease d Earl of Fife, by their deed of presentation, dated the I 6th and 12th days of June, 1837, have legally, va lidly, and effectually exercised their ri g ht as p atrons o f 1 the church and parish of Marnoch, by presenting the I said Mr. Edwards to the said church and parish ; and 1 that the Presbytery were bound to have made trial of I the qualifications of the said John Edwards ; and that, in rejecting him as presentee to the said church and i parish, on the sole ground that a majority of the male heads of families, communicants in the said parish had i dissented, without any reason assigned, from his admis sion as minister, the Presbytery have acted to the hurt t and prejudice of the said John Edwards, illegally, and 1 hi siolation of their duty, and contrary to the provisions of certain statutes libelled on ; as the deed of presen tations and relative documents and extract decree of the Court of Session, all lying on the table of the Pres bytery, instruct. Third, That whereas a second presentation having been issued by the patrons of the said church and parish, in favour of the Rev. David Hendrie, and laid on the Presbytery's table, on the 4th of July, 1838, the Rev. John Edwards thereupon applied to and obtained from the Lords of Council and Session, an interdict prohibiting and interdicting the Presbytery from pro eqeding in stay way to carry into effect the presentation i n f av our of the szid Rev. David Hendrie, and from ad.'iitting him minister of the said church and parish of Marnoch, either in respect of the said presentation is sued in his favour; or upon the pretence of any call or invitation to him given, or to be given to him, by the parishioners of the said parish, or any section of them, or on any other ground or pretence whatever, and from doing any act or deed prejudicial to the states, rights, and privileges conferred on the said Rev. John Edwards, by the deed of presentation in his favour, before men tioned ; as the interdict which was duly intimated to the Presbytery in itself bears Fourth, That whereas, on the 13th day of June, 1839, there was pronounced by the Lords of Council and Session, in the action of declarator, at the instance of the said ILev. John Edwards, against the Presbytery and others, a farther decree, decerning, and declaring that the Presbytery are still bound to make trial of the qualifications of the said Rev. John Edwards, as presen tee to the church and parish of Marnoch ; and if, after trial and examination in common form, he is tnund qua lified, to receive and admit him as mini-ter of the said church and parish, according to law—as the notarial copy of said decree, duly served upon the Presbytery, in itself more fully bears. Fifth,—That [for reasons assigned] the Presbytery do resolve and sustai n the call in favour of the Rev. John Edwards, which was subscribed in presence of the Presbytery at their meeting on the 25th October, 1837 : And, farther, the Presbytery resolved, and hereby do reso l ve , to proceed in the settlement of the said John Edwards, as presentee to the church and parish of Marnoch. Mr. Allardyce's motion was carried by a majority of six (instead of seven) to three, Mr. Walker, of Huntly, declining to vote. The Moderator then declared that the Marnoch case wa s over. W OL VERHAMPTON. —Our trade has not im proved, and the distress among st the smaller manufac turers appears to be increasing rather than otherwise. .!, No large orders, and very few small ones, have been A received by the factors._Staford Examiner. ATTEMPT TO FIRE A CHURCH.—On Monday information from the Secretary of State's Office was dist:am:lied throughout the police districts, offering on the pa:t of the Government, a reward of 1001. for the discovery of the wretches who, on the night of Monday, the 25th ult., .attemptcd to set fire to St. Mary's Church, , Sheffield by throwing inflammable balls in at the windows. ) The *hove reward is in addition to a reward of 1001. ..! offered for the same purpose by the churchwardens, ,A Messrs. Walter Gilbee and John Parkin. It is stated t a Iso that the Secretary of State will, in addition to the )reWards, recommend the grant of her Majesty's pardon to goy one, but the actual perpetrator of the outrage, w ho shall give such information as may lead to convic i tion. -.................K_ PENNY P.O6TAG::. TO THE EDITOR ()P . THE SU.N. EDINBURGH, Nov. '29, 1839. SlR,—Having bestowed some labour in dravvio up a communichtion to the Lords of the Treasury ;is to tila new postage arror_eme7; , c... ith the vi,-w cf < tain - ing one or other of the prizes offereu by their LordsLps for the two best plans submitted, and which humbly appears to me to meet and obviate the principal difficul ties stated by the recent writers on the subject—it has occurred that you may possibly not refuse to do me the favour of giving publicity to the same. In taking this step, I do not consider that I am guilty of the impro priety of attempting to influence their Lordships' judg ment, as a month has elapsed since their Lordships commenced to take the whole proposals into considera tion ; and as I observe several of the competitors have given publicity to theirs, as submitted to their Lord ships, in the London newspapers. Their Lordships' determination as to the merits of the various proposals may be expected soon to be announced. In the adoption- of a plan for the operation of the reduced and uniform rate of postage contemplated (as stated to their Lordships), I humbly conceive it ought to be had principally in view—the better to prevent apprehended defalcation in the public revenue : 1 . Public convenience (including free and unrestricted choice of paper for correspondence.) 2. The safe transmission and safe and expeditious delivery of the correspondence of the country, parti cularly in cities, large towns, and populous districts. 3. The least possible expenditure in the conduct or inanag.Tnent of the Post. Office, &c. The stamp being obviously desirable, inasmuch as the present mode of collecting the postage, or pay meat in advance, as at present, the only other plans which could be adopted, would less injure these particulars (vide notes 1 and 2), it falls to be considered in what way it may best be brought into use. Stamped envelopes I humbly conceive to be obj , --c tionable on the following grounds : Because the correspondence of the country thus con ducted would not bear the Post-office stamp, most de sirable in many cases of importance to establish the authenticity of communications. Because the bulk of the mail would be greatly in creased (probably one-third) by an envelope, or waste paper covering on every communication, which, when the correspondence of the country will be enormously increased, would be a great disadvantage ; and, Vide also last objection as to stamped paper. . . Stamped Paper may be objected. to : Because, in the case of double sheet, &c. communications, they would necessarily fall to be enveloped. Because every form of paper would require to be stamped, and a proper assortment kept on sale at every stationer's and post-office in the kingdom ; and great inconvenience might often occur from a dcficientsupply. Because the sale of paper would be diminished from what it otherwise would be ; for it may readily be sup posed, that the public generally, in purchasing paper for correspondence at a penny per sheet, in addition to the common price, would avoid as much as possible any waste of the same. Because, if it were not open to every paper manufac turer to have his paper stamped for correspondence, which would scarcely be practicable, a great injury would be done to the trade. Because, if such could be permitted, a great induce ment to forgery would thus be presented, as a ready market would be found in every part of the country for the sale of such stamped paper to a great extent ; and Because the expense of stamping would be very con siderable. Applicable also to Envelopes. Since my attention has been directed to the subject, and without being aware that the idea had previously occurred to any one, I was led to conceive that " public convenience" would be best consulted, that " the least possible expenditure in the conduct of the Post-office" would be effected (as the expense of the production and circulation of the stamp would be greatly 1 ss than by the adoption of the other methods) by the stamp being prepared on small slips of paper (say two by one and a half inches), to be applied as afterwards to be proposed, thus leaving the public unfettered, as at present, as to their choice of paper, and avoiding all the objections which may be urged against stamped envelopes and stamped paper, which in general, it is apprehended, would impede the full and proper working of the system. These might be kept on sale at every branch of the Post-office in the kingdom, as also by a suitable number of stationers or shopkeepers in the cities and towns, who might he licensed to retail the same. Although I cannot claim this idea as my own ex clusively (stamps to be used separately appearing from their Lordships' minute to have been already suggested), I purpose to devise a plan in connection with this pro posed mode of bringing the stamp into use, to injure as far as practicable " the safe transmission and safe and expeditious delivery of the correspondence of the coun try," and which I am not aware has been suggested or proposed by any one. Great apprehension being enter tained, that when numerous batters, particularly paid letters, do not reach their destination at present (vide note 3), the letter carrier, in particular, will, in charge of great additional correspondence, become more careless about delivery, when the only proof of delivery (viz the postage to be col lected) may be done away with, by prepayment being made compulsory—it ought to be, and will be, I humbly think, considered of great importance, that the best possible evidence may be obtained, consistent with expeditious delivery, that the correspondence of the country is safely and duly delivered. Proposed, that the stamp slip or label suggested shall be inserted in the back fold of every letter at either end, with the wafer or seal, leaving the portion of the slip on which the stamp is impressed loose ; or in order to prevent it being ruffled off in sorting the correspondence, the slip may be introduced loosely into the fold of the letter, and wafered separately. Proposed, that it shall be imperative or strongly urged (directions might be given with the stamp), that a duplicate or abridgment of the address of every letter be written on the said stamp slip, over or under the stamp, with date of transmission and initials of writer, if advisable. Proposed, that the loose part of the stamp slip (bearing address as suggested), shall be pulled out of the fold of the letter, and detached or torn of (scissors might be used), by the letter carrier, or party to whom letter addressed on delivery, and placed by the letter carrier on a file to be ap pended at his breast, for reception of same. This would be the work of a moment. Small wire file (bear ing stamp slips) to have a protection from wet when necessary. Also, that country Postmasters shall be re quired to collect, and return to the Head Offices of their respective districts at stated intervals, the stamps on all correspondence transmitted them for delivery. Proposed, that an officer in the sorting department of the Post-office in cities and towns, shall number the letters taken in charge by each letter carrier for deli very, and on his return to the office, number also the stamps returned in his file, which, addin g number of dead letters, if any, ought to correspond . Al.O, that the number of letters, forwarded to each country post master of the district for delivery, shill be taken, and on the stamps being returned, numbered also, and compared with the number of letters forwarded of the period. Proposed that the files of stamp slips (with addresses) so returned to the Head Post offices of the districts, shall be classified and arranged as much as possible, and preserved for a reasonable time (say fourteen days), to admit of search being made for corresponding stamp ,And address, on any individual complaining that his letter may be lost or mislaid, &c. Thereafter the whole may be destroyed, as the period to be determined on for their preservation shall expire. [A suitable number of files (which would cost but a trifle) being prepared to file the whole stamps for the period, every day a portion of the oldest stamp slips would fall to be destroyed— thus providing empty files for taking up the stamps of the days on delivery of correspondence. A single file would probably be sufficient far each of the great ma jority of country postmasters in taking up the stamps of the correspondence for the period, and the stamps of each day could be separated by a larger blank sl p of paper being placed on the file. The files bearing the stamp slips of 100,000 correspond ence could be arranged in a very small space.] Thus, if complaint were mat's at the head offiee of the district where the delivery ought to have been made, that a letter, even from any part of the kingdom, had been lost or mislaid, &c., these files of stamp slips, bearing addresses Vali the correspondence entrusted for delivery in each district of the period, being arranged, say hung on the walls of any apartment to be in charge of a confidential officer, it would be at once discovered on referring to the files of stamps of the period of trans. mission (which would fall to be given), whether it bad arrived at, passed through, or simply been for town de livery in such office, and would lead to the discovery of the party to blame. Should the stamp slip, with ad dress sought for be not found, and no stamp be or have been missing of the period of transinistion of the letter, the fault would lie at the Post-office from which letter transmitted, and this leads to a further suggestion, that for additional security the address of a letter might be required to be recorded, or receipt given at the office from which transmitted, on the payment of a trifling fee. Thus, also, if forgery of the stamp may be appre hended, a more leisure opportunity may be obtained for the examination of the stamps (on return of the files), than in the hurry of despatching or of sorting the cor respondence for delivery ; while the whole used stamps being returned to the various Post-offices to be destroyed atfer being preserved for a time, would prevent the pos sibility of any being used a second time, which might also be *tempted. Admitted, that the plea suggested, which I have humbly thought is completely practicable for insur ing the safe delivery of correspondence, would not, if adopted, give complete security that all the corre spondence was safely delivered—as the letter carrier, or country postmaster, could not at once be detected of destroying letters, if he brought back or returned all the stamp slips on his file—neither can he at present at once be detected of destroying letters if be account for the postago of unpaid letters of the correspondence entrusted to him for delivery ; but lno would s , :::Arcely venture with Fowl; liberty. even with what he might consider an unimportant commtnii• :. , ttion, when he must ohvintirly either deliver all the letters in his charge, or briug or send hark evidence to lay at the Post-office for which would undoubt, ecily lead to his conviction i n the e vent of complaint " I " , de of a 1:1-Iti7 1.3; - 1 or orl:Xivere , l in !istrict. In tht- case of var.-delivery of letter he complained of, and on examination of the files, the stamp slip (bearing address, &c.) found in the office of the district of delivery, the declaration of the party to whom letter addressed, that no such letter was delivered to him of the period, would establish the guilt of the letter carrier. It is ant conceived that the public would refuse ta undertake the additional trouble of marking a duplicate, or abridgment of the address, on the stamps accompany ing their various correspondence, when the plan for in suring the safe delivery of same was unfolded, for no indi vidual despatches any communication but what he desires shall be delivered. Parties neglecting to do so would not have it in their power to convict the party to blame in the event of their letters being lost or mislaid, &c. The plan suggested, would, in effect, if adopted, compel every individual to register the address of his letter in the Post-office, to be preserved for a time, and would be infinitely superior to another I had in contemplation to submit alone, that individuals anxious about the safety of their communications, might obtain, if required, a re cord of the addresses of same, or a receipt in a book en be kept by themselves for the purpose, on the paymen of a trifling fee. This, it is obvious, could not be gene rally acted upon, and even acted upon, the party to blame in the event of non-delivery could never be dis covered, unless separate instructions were to accompany such letters to the Postmasters of the district of deli very, and receipt also taken on delivery, which would scarcely be practicable. Great additional duty would also result at the Post-office. (Vide note 4.) This branch of the subject. I have humbly thought, ought to be, and will be, considered as very important. S..ould the plan suggested, or a better one (I have heard of no one being proposed), for ensuring the safe delivery of paid correspondence, not be adopted, it is feared that ultimately, in the absence of any check, great liberties will be taken with our correspondence. particularly by letter carriers and country postmasters, not only in the hope of money inclosures, but to avoid trouble of delivery, &c. Such a plan it is not conceived would impede the working of the proposed measure, but the opposite—would give better security than existe at present for the safe delivery of our whole correspond ence, and would be attended also wah the advantages already adverted to, of furnishing a better opportunity for the examination of the stamps, and of effectually preventing same being used more than once. Probably one individual would be sufficient to undertake the duty suggested in every office out of London. A search (which would not be a laborious one, as the files of the date of transmission could only require to be examined) under such a system, holding out almost certain con viction in the event of non-delivery being complained it is not conceived would often occur, and a small fee might be charged for same, if considered advisable. In the event of their Lordships, notwithstanding the objections urged against stamp envelopes and stamped paper, determining upon the adoption of either, they could be prepared and cut in a form to admit of the portion bearing the stamp being detached ; and the plan proposed for insuring the safe delivery of corre spondence could be acted upon with either. In regard to the correspondence of public offices and of individuals adopting the envelope, as at present, which could not be prevented, the slip stamp, it is obvious, could be fitted to same on envelopes being prepared. Having not in the preceding observations touched upon two of the points to which their Lordships have directed attention in minute of 23d August. viz., security from forgery and the expense of the production and circulation of the stamp, I beg humbf) to remark, that the stamp being determined on, the• best security from forgery would probably be in the manufacture of a particular paper for the pur pose (Dickenson's Patent suggested), bearing cer tain marks to be readily distinguished on inspection of the stamp slip or other mode adopted, and by licensing only a limited number of respectable shopkeepers in the cities and towns, in addition to the various Post Offices to retail same. Thus any attempt at forgery, to be successful, would require combination and great outlay, and could not be successful to any extent even with the best imitations, as it might be arranged that the whole stamps should be issued only to the retailers from the Stamp-office, or Head Post-office of the respective dis tricts. It is not to be expected, that any individual would think it an object or incur the hazard and ex pense to attempt a forgery merely to evade his own postage. Their Lordships have not desired any design as to the stamp itself, and probably there could be no stamp determined upon but what might be success fully imitated. The preventive checks proposed, of a licensed and limited number of retailers only being permitted, &c., would, in the absence of any market for the extensive introduction of forged stamps make any attempt at forgery a failure. An additional check in the event of the correspondence passing through the Post-office being numbered as proposed, would be, comparing the number of stamps issued for any giver. period with the number of the correspondence for the period, which could be returned from the various offices, allowing for those on hand.—(Vide note 5.) As to the expense of the production and circulation of the stamp, I am not prepared to give any estimate. It must be obvious, that such would be greatly less with the slip or label stamp than if stamped envelopes or stamped paper may be adopted. Were a dozen or more fac similes prepared (and probably this will be necessary to keep up a sufficient supply), so many could be struck or thrown off on the same sheet of paper at once. (The necessary preliminary outlay which would attend twelve or more stamps being used in produc tion, would be another protection from forgery. And in regard to circulation, in addition to what has been sug ;rested, applicable to towns, mail guards might be licensed as retailers and could carry even in their pockets a supply of the slip stamp sufficient to meet the wants of the country districts. As I infer from their Lord ships' minute, that it is in contemplation, should the stamp be adopted, to make an additional charge for same to meet the cost of production, I humbly sub mit, that it would be desirable to have the stamps retailed at a penny neat, and the cost defrayed from the Post-office revenue. Retailers, however, might be permitted to charge a commission of a halfpenny or penny per dozen. ( N.—Were copperplate designs to he supposed not more liable to attempts at forgery, the expense of the production of these would be com paratively small.) In conclusion, I ventured to remark farther on the subject, that although compulsory pre-payment by stamp would be most desirable, in ordtx that the various Post masters and Clerks being relieved from all pecuniary responsibility, and their duties generally lessened, a reduction of their salaries, &c. may be effected, as well as to avoid the delay to the delivery, which would be consequent on the postage being collected as at present, &c. Yet, as many communications are made, the postage of which ought to fall on parties to whom ad dressed, which might thereby to a certain extent be prevented, it may be important to consider whether pre-payment should be enforced or not. A general postage of twopence on unpaid letters would be per haps sufficient to prevent any great number of such being transmitted. Tillr SUN, LONDON TTITIISDAY, nECEMIIEtI 12*1039. sizratturo rind retain the letter, as to return the stamp file rctlin the I, tter. 5. It nay be co.lAii.l•red simiewit4 in la, out of T. rter's a 4 to pioteetion from forgery, tb-tt., a , As he is informed, no ittb:Anprs hive been minie to forge ,ny of the rtumovous stamps used in the conduct of the Incroantik nod ,ifEkiN of the country ; to iiceountr , d for in no other ivy than that. no 111:0 - LIA: , s to be oltained for their extensive introduction. The inducement to forgery of these presented is certainly greater than will be presented in regard to the stamp proposed for the collection of postage. I am, Sir, your most obedient servant, G. G. THE LATE KING OF DI`NYI kRK. King Frederick VI., the son of King Christian VII., ,r.d Caroline Matilda, Princess of Eegland, was born on the 28th of January, 1768, was declared of age as co-Regent and President of the Council of State on the 14th April, 1784, and succeeded his father, as King, ..n the 13th March, 1808. He was consequently in th e 72d year of his age, had directed affairs tor nearly 56 years, and reigned 32 Seldom has the life of a King been marked by such succession of misfortunes as betel that of Frederick and seldom has there been a King more loved and honoured by his people. The unhappy events which occurred in his youth, the madness of his father, the execution of the unfortunate Struensee, old the banishment of his mother, who died of ..:rief at being separated from her beloved son —all these are known. No less so is the part which he sw-tained in after years in defence of his kingdom, when the battle of Copenhagen was added to the records of modern warfare. But it is chiefly as a •+enefactor to his country that the name of Frederick VI will be remembered ; to him are owing the liberty f the press in Denmark—the emancipation of his sub jects from the last remains of feudal anthority—the abo lition of the slave trade (in which Denmark set the ex imple to the rest of Europe)—the equalisation of law Ind diminution of legal processes—the establishment of , chools for general education—the introduction of popu- I representation—and, finally, the system of order anil ..moray which marked the financial affairs of the kindow. The character of the late King was moreover deserv ieg of the highest eulogy, for mildness, uprightness, sim plicity, and attention to business. The present King, Christian VIII., was born on the 18th of September, 1786, and is therefore in the 54th ear of his age. STATE OF THE COUNTRY. (From th© Anti-Corn-law Circular.) This last fatal Autumn has not only destroyed the lopes of the past but the prospects of the coming year. We are now at the 9th day of December, and we are :tire that we are within the mark when we say that iot one third of the wheat crop is in the ground, and, ,consequently, that the sowing of the winter wheat is mow perfectly impractic a bl e . Over a great part of wheat-growing districts in Great Britain, spring wheat is an impracticable crop, and taking into consideration the chances of a wet spring everywhere, and the cer i duty of it in many places, we do not hesitate to pro ',ounce that man as criminally rash who would act ' , pan the expectation that next season we can possibly iiave more than half a crop of wheat even although the wason should be favourable. We have thus the cer tain prospect of not twelve but twenty-four months scarcity before us, and we have no hesitation in saying that inevitable ruin must be the result of not providing against such a state of the corn trade by an alteration i n the present law. We do not speak of the rapid increase of , auperism and the certainty that such must be doubled in i-ss than twelve months. We do not speak of an increase monetary embarrassments, the certain termination of mother unfavourable harvest. We put out of vi-w the fact that North America owes us vast sums which she can't pay in money, but is quite ready and able to pay by two millions of barrels of flour at half our present price, which the inexorable law of landlords will not per- Tiiit us to accept. We present the bare fact, that by our granaries being emptied by the present diminished crop, and a certain short-coming in the next of half the iiecessary produce, an amount of gaunt misery and fa mine must be the result which has and can have no pa rallel whatever in the history of this kingdom. From the statement of Mr. Bury, in another part of this paper, it appears that 3,000 men in Nottingham are without any employment at all. Out-door relief has becenie necessary, and persons of any substance lave actually to have guards in their houses, night And day, to protect the inmates from the attacks of re cpectable and ingenious workmen. In Paisley, the ar •isans are wandering about the streets in thousands, begging the authorities in vain for some relief. In Dundee, similar appearances present themselves. In Sheffield, two houses alone have had to discharge four hundred men. In Manchester, Bolton, Stockport, Preston, Ashton, and other places, the same fearful fea tures are to be seen, and the prospect of the fnture shows only the uncertainty of an increase not of a di minution of these symptoms. To provide for next year, remedy must be applied just now. The foreign grower must have twelve months' warning in advance that we shall be his customers, else he will raise no inore grain than is necessary to supply the ordinary iemand, and our purchases will thus only be m Ade at a ruinous price, while our only relief is in a small price. WRECK OF THE MEDUSA, OF WHITBY, IN FILEY BAY. During the gale from E.S.E. on Friday week, the above brig, laden with coal, and water-logged, hove in .ight about half-past three p.m. Captain Manby's ap paratus for rescuing shipwrecked seamen was immedi ately got into a state of preparation by Mr. White and his men, of the preventive service, and the life-boat rolled down to the beach, in a state of readiness for the emergency. About half-past four the vessel struck upon the sand, too distant to be reached by Captain Manby's preserver, and it became necessary, therefore, to have recourse to the life-boat. Then it was that one of the most heart-stirring scenes was presented ever witnessed by the writer of this notice. A :•uffi (:ient number of fishermen instantly volunteered for the perilous rescue, " doffed" their jackets, watches, &c., -prung into the boat, with Capt. Ruddock at the helm, and were launched into the terrific breakers. With ex , reme difficulty, and after having been several times over whelmed by the sea, they succeeded in rescuing six of be seven men of whom the crew consisted, and brought them safe to land ; unhappily, the seventh, a fine young man of IS, anxious to secure some articles of clothing, missed the opportunity of throwing himself into the boat, and, although another daring effort was made to save him, he was lost. The stern of the ship was torn away whilst the life-boat was alongside, and in four }:ours from the 'ime of striking she was completely broken up. Seamen ought to know that any article of property, beyond what is on the person, is absolutely nadmissible into a life boat. The men, who in this in stance were rescued, attempted the preservation of their clothes by throwing them into the boat ; but the noble boatmen, aware that the lift.-rreserving principle of the boat forbade any such incumbrance, instantly threw them into the sea. It is to be hoped that. measures will shortly be taken for the formation at this place, con fessedly the most eligible on the whole line of the East Coast, of a Harbour of Refuge. Many —very many of oar fellow-men would be kept from untimely death, and an immense amount of property preserved every year, were the plans of a pier, which are now before Go vernment, carried into effect. The execution of those plans would furnish a harbour for large ships at low water. JOHN THOROGOOD. -- CHICHESTER.— The case of Mr. Thorogood, who Ills for many months, been suffering tor righteousness sake in Chelmsford gaol, be gins at length to excite that attention from the public which the merits of the case demand. It is not ne cessary to go into the particulars of the long imprison. anent endured by that conscientious man, for the readers of the Brighton Guardian have been made ac quainted with them ; but we are happy to state that the inhabitants of this city are about to address h er Majesty on the subject. A public meeting will soon b e called for this purpose, t h e Mayor, W. Newland, Esq., h tying, granted the use of the Council-house.—Brighton Guardian, MANUFACTURING A SSO CIATION FOR THE RELIEF OF THE U NEMPLOY ED.—II is with pleasure we announce th a t a num b e r of our public-spirited mer chants and manufacturers met on Thursday last, and entered into a subscription to obtain a capital stock for the formatio n o f an assoc i at i on under the above title, to give employ ment to t h e wea vers w ithin the burgh who have been thrown idle by the depression of trade and the subscription list, we are gratified to add, now amounts to 3,050/. Reriulations have been adopt e d, a warehouse h as b een ta k en in Christie's-buildings, a foreman has been appointed, and the preparations a re in such a forw ar d state, t h a t webs will, in all likeli hood, be give n out b y t h e b eg i n ning or middle of next week.—Paisk y Ad vert i ser . ARUNDEL. —TRUE LOVE NEVER DID RUN SMOOTH.--One eveninr , last week an apprentice of Mr. John Overineton, plumber, of . this town, rapped at the door i)f his Dulcinea, who is a servant in a respectable family in Maltravera-street, for the pur pose, no doubt, of enjoying a tete a tete during the rest o f th e even i ng , the master an d mistress being b ot h f rom home ; but lo! our police havi ng been apprised of the annoyance expe rienced by several of the inhabitants owing to persons ringing and knockin g at their houses, and then runni a ., away, thought this must be one of the intruders, and ere the young lass could answer the door her swain was in the clutches of our vigilant police and conveyed to the cells of the Town Hall, where he remained till y, when he was taken before the Mayor, n oon next da and his explanation being satisfactory was liheraied. We really think the conduct of the officer was most ar b;trary, and seems to challenge inquiry.—Brietton Guardian. NOTES AND ADDENDA. 1. The present mode of collecting the postage, re commended to be continued by many, may be ob jected to. Because the deliveries in cities and towns could not be accomplished expeditiously but by a large accession to the number of letter carriers, which would increase greatly the expenditure of the Post Office Establish ment, &c. 2. Compulsory payment in advance, as at present recommended by others, objectionable. Because less likely to insure public convenience than by stamp. Because the number of clerks in the various Post ,,ffices would fail to be increased, and to be in at tendance at all hours. The duty of country Postmas ters and at receiving houses in towns would also be in creased. And, Because the safe delivery could not be ascertained. No cheque on the letter carriers, &c. could possibly be devised in connection with this method. 3. The writer has been informed by individuals, whose correspondence too is not great, of the frequent loss or non-delivery of letters, particularly post paid. Very lately he may mention, he himself, in conducting a correspondence with a Member of Parliament, had an important franked communication in reply lost, and all the satisfaction he could obtain was, that if such had been put into the London Office it would certainty have been delivered. Ascertained that it was regularly put into the Office in London, and the presumption is. that being a double letter, it was opened (as in the case of many it is feared even at present) by some one expect ing a money enclosure, and hence destroyed. What then is to be apprehended if pre-payment shall be made compulsory without any cheque on letter carriers, &c., when the correspondence of the country will be enormously increased ? In a late number of the Dublin Warder, I observe it is stated that within the previous three months, three letter carriers had ab sconded in Dublin alone, from complaints being made as to the non-delivery of letters. In a late number of a London paper it is also stated, th it within the previous twelvemonths there had been upwards of fifty defaulters among the letter carriers in London, a number of whom had been tried at the Old Bailey for taking money out of letters!!! It has been suggested to pay the letter carriers better than at pr esent , b ut i t i s f eare d t h at a f ew shillings i n addition to th e i r wee kl y pay wou ld not a dd to the integrity of the body. 4, Have been informed th a t t hi s id ea i s a l rea d y partly acted upon in the case of l e tt ers su pp ose d to c ontain money. But it must be obvious, that it ssould not b e generally acted upon. The receipt taken by the letter carrier for such letter is no better proof would b r e hsimupptioieobtdbay the re in a false t u rn of the stamp slip (with address) on t h e f i le, as pro posed ; f ford eitlivweor y uld th b a e n aseay fos THE M ‘GISTRACY OF C NHDIFF. SUPPRESSION OF OPINION, To THE EDITOR OF THE SLIV. Sut,—Yon ciesenc of the Irientis of liberty in h:tving so 111,110ftlny ;wought forAwd to notice the con of of C I IV; „let ir V»idicalor :s ;;u iinhecoAed print, the iaw gives the proper means of putting it down ; and if Magistrates, who are appointed to enforce the law, violdte it, the people will feel justified in following the example thus placed befor e them. Indeed the assumption of power by these Magi%. trat , s is one of the most flagrant that could be con ceived. They prevent the Chartists (and this licence once sanctioned, it will apply to every class) meeting it, public, they put a padlock upon their mouths, and now they want to prevent the other mode of expression —the quiet, the peaceable, mode. They must be made fools of by fear ; for none but fear-stricken men would adopt a plan which must end in making men adopt secret means of diffusing and enforcing their sen ; means far more dangerous than any expression of public feeling, either by meeting or by the Press. It strikes me, Sir, that the Magistrates know they hate violated the law, and therefore by writing anti sending with their letter the stolen goods to Lord Nor manby they think they have escaped the consequences. I shall be happy to subscribe to bring an action against them for their conduct. A CONSTANT READER. TORYISM AND POPERY. King George 111. lived in a time when there was real and essential danger to our English liberties and our Protestant church, from a Papist Pretender to the Crown and a Tory faction within the kingdom. Under these circumstances George 111. was justified in going out of his way to exalt Protestantism and trample on Popery, in a manner which would be quite absurd now that the Pretender is no more and the Tories are be come so loyal. Even Perceval and Eldon, the two most bigotted and harrow-minded men who ever held power in this king dom, could see that the precedent of George lll.'s speech was not fit to be followed under ordinary circum stances. Since that time many royal marriages have been announced frorr. the throne in speeches which Perceval wrote and Eldon approved, yet not one of then• spe, ches state thai the person with whom the English prince or princess is about to marry is a Protestant. Th. Duchess of Cumberland, the Duchess of Cambridge, the mother of our Queen, were all introduced into our Royal Family without being specially announced a- Protestant —nay, the trebly true-blue Protestant Queen Adelaide herself, condescended to come over to be married without having her Protestantism vouched for beforehand. All modern precedent is against the insertion of any declaration of the Pro testantism of foreign princes or princesses about to b made members of our Royal Family. There would have been no more propriety in the Queen telling her Privy Council that her husband was not a Papist, than in her telling them that her husband was not a duchess or a princess —it is just as impossibl , for her to marry a Papist as it is for her to marry Queen Adelaide. There would have been no more propriety in her telling her Council this well-known fact, that. there would be in her calling out of her carriage, as sh. goes along the street, " Good people I am a Protestant!' Why do not the Tories make her do this—there is a precedent for it. The Tories of Queen Anne's reign mobbed her and stopped her chariot, crying" God bless your Majesty, we hope your are for Dr Sacheve rell and the Church ?" We dare say that for double pa) the Tory sifUeurs who are kept to hiss the Ministry would stop the Royal carriage, and make the Queen hurrah for one of the Sacheverells of our day, " Dr. Pnillpotts and the Church," or " Dr. Russell and Oh' Church." The law has pointed out a much better security. for the Protestantism of the consort of our Queen thaa,tha , which these knavish bigots are bawling for. Befoie the ' marriage, Prince Albert will be naturalized liy Act" of'' Par;iament, and will take the oaths of allegiance - and al , juration, he will publicly receive the sacrament ac cording to the ritual of the Church of England, and he will be married by the Archbishop of Canterbury. We look upon these proofs as something better than a de claration by a second person, who might be deceived But no ; this is only worshipping in the forms of hi own Church. In all this there is no insult to the religion of others. The Tories are not satisfied, and " the Church is in danger." Those who really love the Church should put a stop to this prostitution of her name. This is not the way to attract reverence to her. The man who is per petually sending for the fire engines and calling out the soldiers, because he smells a smell of fire in his house, or because his kitchen flue is burning, is very likely to see his house blaze out some night, and become a ruin, before he can convince a single engine-keeper that it is really on fire. Wo are told that Lord Melbourne especially omitted all allusion to Protestantism in the Queen's address, and that he did so after a debate upon the sub ject. Those who say this cannot possibly know whether he did or not, but if he did, they ought to be very thank ful to him, for he, no doubt, did so for the same reason that Alcibiades cut off his dog's tail—in order to give Ili in some thing to chatter about.—Atlas. The Newark Gazette, of last Tuesday, says that the success of the Solicitor• General is certain. The following dialogue is also given in the same paper. Mr. Tbesiger—l call to solicit your vote. Voter—l shall not vote at all. Mr. Hodgkinson—Not vote you must vote. Voter—l am not compelled to vote. Mr. Handley does not compel me. Mr. Hodgkinson— Nonsense ; you must vote. Voter—Well, if I must, I supiwose I must. Mr. Thesiger—But what am Ito un derstand by that ? Voter—Why, that I must if I must; and this is one of your free-will offerings. The Animal's Friend Society, last week, caused William Sault and Alfred Row, to his fined .ss. each, by Mr. Traill, for great cruelty to a horse. The Society also caused three gentlemen to be fined 365. for having set a dog on a cat, which killed it. MANCHESTER.—Since our last, in which we n tined the operations of the first two days of the four peony postage, it has been found to work pretty much the same results. No minute account has been kept of the number of letters ; but the bags from all the great roads are found to be much more bulky than before, and to contain a much larger quantity of letters We be !!eve this is particularly the case in reference to Ire nd, to London, and to the York mails. But, as else where, it is found that the amount of postage is smaller Than b..fore, the deficiency being largest in the long dis• tances. as London and the south of England, whence there must be three letters now for one under the late system, to make the same amount of postage ; and Ireland, too, letters for many parts of which were sub ject to a postage of Is. 3d. or Is. 4d., so that there should be five letters now for one, in order to raise the same sum in gross postage.—Manchester Guardian. EDUCATION.—The French are fond of reading well as of talking. You may constantly see girls tending An apple-stall in the coldest day in winter, and reading Voltaire or Racine. Such a thing was never known in London as a barrow -woman reading Shak speare. Yet we talk of our wide-spread civilisation a.(l ample provision for the education of the poor.— Hazlitt. The O'Connell tribute was collected throughout Ireland on Sunday last. It is supposed, and the Dub lin returns, as far as .hey have been made out, corrobo rate this belief, that the amount will be greater this year than it was last. The Dublin collection then was 1,4001. ; it is calculated this year at 1,600/. EXTRAORDINARY FOX HUNT.—Wednesday last was the day appointed for the annual hunt dinner given by Mr. Carruthers, of Stanwix, and it had been announced that a bag fox should be turned out on the occasion, in consequence of which a large company assembled at the inn in the morning. They were, how ,•ver, destined to be disappointed. The fnx was being earried to the rendezvous by a boy, who walked about tarty yards bnhind Cowan, the huntsman, and his dogs, but when at Newtown reynard bit his bearer's back, in consequence of which the boy immediately dropped the bag, and the fox made his escape. Cowae immediately aid the dogs on the scent, and followed on foot, accom ini,.d by some other p, d”strians and one or two horse men. After a severe run, with many doubles, the fox taken alive at Parton in a singular manner. Some labourers, at work in a field, hearing the cry of the hounds approaching, looked round and saw the fox stuck fast in a hedge, exhausted and unable to move. They 'Lagged him, and kept the hounds at bay until Cowan came. The fox will be turned out at Stanwix on Tues day next. In the evening a numerous party assembled at Mr. Carruthers, and partook of an excellent dinner and capital wine.—Carlisle Patriot. The deer park at Taymouth Castle contains seven hundred fallow deer, nearly a hundred red deer, some fine specimens of the black deer, and you can move in no direction without starting the light-footed roe ; and in a small paddock to the east of the deer park are to be seen some fine specimens of the moose deer, which are so tame that they will come up and fawn on you. There are also some wild Indian buffaloes, sent to this country a few months ago by Sir W. D. Stewart, Bart., of Murthly Castle and Grant&ly, from the rocky mountains of the New World. SIGNS OF THE TIMES.—It is a melancholy thing to have to state, that, at this moment there are nearly two hundred paupers in the Lancaster parish workhouse, a greater number, by far, than has been in since 1817, just after the conclusion of the war, there were exactly two hundred then within its walls. That period, like the present, was a season of great distress. For the regular labourer there was no employment, whilst the army being disbanded, and the militia disem bodied, made matters still worse, for an increased coat petition ensued, for that for which there was no supply. The workhouse has been enlarged, and will accommo d .re, conveniently, about two hundred and thirty in tes.—Alanchester Guru dian. LA , t INTELLIGF,NCE. NCELLOR' S COURT, DEC 11. Kt I.LY V HOOPI 11 -THE POST-OFEICL DIRECTORY Mr. K. BRUCE ,pplit.d ex-parte at ibe rising of the Court fOr A ittio,-,eti,a, to restr:tio the netendant tro , o tvaler the following cireunts , ane, ( Mr. Koliy) was, by as proprietor of the " Post-cffice Directory," which sold for 9s. and the defendant. was the publisher of a penny publicatiop, entitled the " Post-office Alma neck." Within the last week the plaintiff had disco wred that the defendant in his publication had pirated several parts of the plaintiff's work, and to restrain him trout publishing his almanack with the pirated parts, was the object of the present appleation. His HONOUR granted the injunction. COURT OF EXCHAQ UER, DRc. 11 (Sittings at Nisi Prius before Mr. Baron GURNEY and a London Special Jury.) HUNTER V. PARKER. This was an action of trover for the recovery of a vessel, called the Prussian. Mr. CRESWELL said the plaintiff, on the record, was merely a nominal plaintiff, the real parti ,, s seeking to reco ver the vessel being the underwriters. The vessel sailed in 1836 to New Brunswick ; while in the port of Bathurst, in that country, a violent storm arose, and she was driven on shore. The captain neglecting his duty, or conniving with other parties, sold the ship as a wreck for a mere trifle. In doing so he far exceeded his powers ; and the owner having repudiated the tlimsac nion, it could not stand. The ship was afterwards got off, repaired, and sent to England for sAle. She was purchased by the defendant, as he was instructed, under 4o indemnity, and the present action was brought for her recovery, by the parties who had paid for her as a total wreck. The Learned Gentleman put in long examinations taken in New Brunswick, from which it appeared that some of the witnesses did not think the ship was a total wreck, and they were of opinion that she might have been got off at an expense of 7001. Sir W. FOLLETT said, when the Jury were in pos session of the facts of the case, they would be astonished that the plaintiff ha 3 allowed his name to be mixed up in such an action, under any circumstances—he had lent his name for harassing the defendant under a state of circumstances that were very far from re flecting any credit upon him. The ship having encountered the storm spoken of by his Learned Friend, ind being cast on the shore, the Captain, in the proper discharge of his duty, had a survey held upon it by the Harbour Master, the Captains of all the vessels in the port, &c., they were of opinion that she might be got off, and accordingly preparations were set about for that purpose. Before it could be done, another tempest arose, by which the ship was thrown further on shore, and sustained much damage. The Captain had an other survey held upon her by the same parties as before, arid they were unanimously of opinion that she could not 'me got off except at a ruinous expense. This was in January, 1837. She was then embedded in the ice, .ind suffered more damage. The. Captain wrote to the plaintiff on the occasion of the first damage ; he wrote repeatedly, and by various conveyances, but up to May, during which period he might have had orders from the plaintiff over and over again, he never re eeived a word of advice—in fact, no notice of him was t iken by the plaintiff. The Captain then, acting on his own discretion and bona fide for the good of all concerned, had the ship and materials advertised for sale at that period of the year when there were most ships in the port, and of course when there was most competition. She was sold to Messrs. Cunard and Co. for a su-n of 6051.—a bill .f sale was given, an account was made out, and a ba. lance was struck, leaving 2751 due ; that account was ~ccepted by the plaintiff, who now repudiated the whole t ransaction, and he actually received the 2751. and set tled the accounts of the Captain for the voyage and sale of the ship. At the port of Bathurst there were no slips—no means of repairing a ship, and very little la bour at the command of any stranger ; but Messrs. Cunard employed many hands in the woods in the tim ber trade—they collected them, and after six weeks' la oour they got the hull off, they repaired her, gave her new sails, &c., at an expense of 2,2641. currency, and sent her to Liverpool with a power of at torney to Anderson and Co., to sell her. They put themselves in communication with the plaintiff, who, so fir from repudiating the sale made by the Captain, ac tually entered into a contract to take the vessel, paying the expenses to which Messrs. Cunard had gone. That, however,,was broken,off, and the ship was sold to Mr. Briggs, who again sold it to the defendant. There being ..some difficulty in getting the ship re-registered, the plaintiff went to the Custom-house, and in conse quence of his representations the new register was made out for Mr. Briggs ; yet this was the man who now :tame forward to repudiate the power of the captain to sell the ship, who, having pocketted the price of the hull of the wreck now made the modest demand of the ship with all its repairs. He would prove every statement he had made, and notwithstand ing the eloquence of his Learned Friend, he would confidently rely upon their verdict being for his client. This case was likewise proved principally by docu mentor!' evidence. Mr. CRESSWELL having replied, and his LORDSHIP summed up, the Jury returned a verdict for the defendant. WESTMINSTER COURT OF RE- QUESTS. A VALUABLE INVESTMENT.—The plaintiff and de fendant, in the case of Warner against Morris, were both, by courtesy only, of the fair sex. When they made their respective curtseys to the Commissioners, it was after a preliminary look at each other, which ex pressed all the love and affection a brace of bull-dogs may be presumed to exhibit when just about to try the force and effect of each other's tiger-looking teeth. " Your claim on Mrs. Morris," said the Chairman, "is for W. 16s. Tell the Commissioners how the debt originated." " I sold a snug ready-money business to Mrs. Morris," said the plaintiff, " for five pounds down, a sofa. bedstead, and a new slop•pail. Well, what does she do when she gets possession, but slam the door in my face, and call me a cheating old faggot, and swears she won't pay me no more than the twenty-four shillings I had, money down, for the counter and gas-pipes." Chairman—What was the sum of 51. to cover ? Plaintiff—lt was for the fixtures, the stock in trade —s.tnetiling of everything in the general line—and the Commissioner—Well, that appears to be a very rea sonable sum, if he stock and shop trade were worth anything at all. Gentlemen." said the defendant, " you shall hear ray story, and then you will be able to judge of the kind of bargain I had. This woman had a bib in her shop win dow, stating that the goodwill and stock were to be sold cheap. I went in and asked the price ' You shall have it all for 51.' said she. What ate in the bundles on the shelves?' said I. Oh !' said she, they are all threads and tapes.' And what's in the casks?' said I. One,' says she, is sugar, and the other treacle." And what's in the little drawers ?" They're full of cards of hooks and eyes." Well,' says I, and what are the fixtures?' There's the counter, and drawers, and gas pipes,' said she, which is all right." Now,' says she, with all these things and the goodwill you will have a good pennyworth at 51.' I gave her li its. down, and I moved in the next day. Now, as for the fixtures, here s the co unter,"—holdi ng lip what appeared t-t be a piece of tallow stave—" and here is the stock in trade" —displaying a number of parcels, all of which contained pieces of brick, rags, and other rubiliish. "As for the treacle, there was about half a pound in the cask ; and as for the sugar, the top was certainly sugar, but all the rest was red sand. When I agreed to buy the stock she w.rranted that I should find enough to supply my customers fit a fortnight. That was true enough, for the only customer I had all the week was a little boy for ha'porth of mustard, wnich I was out ot." Commissioner—Well, the stock appears to be no thing but " dummies ;" however, there was the goodwill and the gas. Defendant—As for the goodwill that was not worth a farthing ; the shop had not been opened in the gene. ral line a week before I took it ; and it had been during the last six months a cobbler's stall, a shell-fish shop, a rag and bottle shop, and a potatoe shed. Commissioner—But the gas must have been worth something ? Defendant—There was a gas-pipe, but the gas ha d never been laid on. Plaintiff—l did not tell you it had. Commissioner—You said it was " all right," and of course the defendant understood that the pipe had been laid on the main. Chairman—What do you say to remcving the coun ter and other fixtures? Plaintiff—The counter was not a fixture, no more were the drawers, so I'd a right to take them away, Chairman—But you said your stock in trade consisted of tapes, threads,, and ot her small ware articles, and it appears that all the parc els were " dunor n i e e Pl a i n tiff—l told her I' d sel l everything as it sto o d by way of novelty, were Unanimous 51., in giving their verdict in favour of the defendant. poLICE INTELLIGENCE. BOMSTREET. Yesterday Mr. William Clement, proprietor of the Observer, appeared upon a summons issued under the : - )9 t h of Charles 11., chap. 7, known as the Lord's Day A c t, at the instance of the Rev. Herbert Smith, for having on the Bth inst., being Sunday, exer':,ised his ordinary calli ng , t h e same not he'll!: an act of aPOesaity or charity. Mr. Vinenf, Dowling., the barrister, who appeared For' the det•nilant, submitted that the complainant being the inf ormer, he was incapacitated from proving his own case, as he would he entitled to a third of the penalty, shou!il there be a conviction, and therefore an interested Tile ewap ,lairiant admitted that he was not prepared EVENIYG EPITInN. with a witness, nor was he aware that he required one, as he had on another occasion, been heard at the Justice room, Guildhall. Mr. Dowling had no objection to have the case pro- , ce , 2ded with, as the complain:int was a respectable per son, if it met with the approbation of the Court, but he was prepar,d to in.2et th,, case on legal points, which he would be happy to draw the attenion of the Magis trate to. Mr TWYFORD said that the objection was fatal to the case, and the only means the complainant could adopt were to take out another summons, and come prepared with evidence at a future day. The complainant expressed his determination to fol lovv up the case, and adopt the suggestion of the Court, and, having thanked the Magistrate, the parties with dr,w. CORN AVERAGES. oENELIAL AVERAGE I'RICES OF BRITISH CORN' I' or the Week ended Dee. 6, 1839, made up from the Returns 01 the Inspector, in the different Cities and Towns in Englan 4 and • v,les, per Imperial Quarter. Wheat 6s. 3d. Oats Harley 4O, 3a I Rye .... ... 3Rs ; d. 1 Pease ......... 435. 61 i%IPERIAL AGGREGATE AVERAGES OF THE .7:X WENKS PRECEDING. Wheat......... 675. 5d Oats - Od. Beans. 458. 418 81, Rye DUTIES ON FOREIGN CORN. Wheat ...... 114 s. rZd. O'zts tiarlev ls. 0.1. Rye ...... 14s. I'd. Pease ...... SPORTING INTELLIGENCE• LATEST BETTING AT MANCHESTER. THE DERBY. 100 to 7 agst Muley Ishmael—offered 16 to 1 agst Brother to Euclid 18 to 1 agst Wardan 18 to 1 agst Angelica colt—offers to take 20 18 to 1 agst Launcelot 20 to 1 agst Bokhara—offered 33 to 1 agst Maroon 200 to 5 agst Prince Albert—offered 35 to 1 asst Lady Sarah—offered 800 to 25 agst Lucetta cult—offered 500 to 12 agst Ottoman—offered 300 to 6 agst Janus—offered 40 to 1 agst Velvet 12 to 1 Lord Exeter's lot—offered THE MARKETS. COUNTRY CORN MARKETS. %Wee,. ' Barley. Oats. 1 Beans. . I Feast. ------ Per Quarter s to s. s. to . . s. to s. a. to s. sto S. 43 Boston Braintree 63 73 36 48 28 34 38 44 40 40 B ighton 64 76 44 47 26 29 44 46 -- 40 C...uhruke — 68 45 26 35 -- 42 Chiche,ter 65 72 38 44 28 29 43 44 4 1 Dunmow Granthsm - Grimsby 5B 68 35 39 22 26 42 44 -- 7,7 HaPsham 6O 72 26 32 22 29 —. 46 '''' Hitchin... I tit 70 34 46 24 32 25 30 -- r o Ipswich i 64 72 36 32 24 28 38 40 3 3 " Lewes i6O 72 43 22 29 34 40 -- Lvnn 's9 70 38 46 25 31 38 44 -- .... Maidstone ' 6'4 75 36 39 i 26 32 40 50 --- -- 44 Norwich l'e worth Rom lb rd 'f 2 72 38 48 24 32 34 42 38 42 Sandwich i5B 77 28 32 17 28 40 40 Thetford Wisbech . . ' f'.B 72 196 42 28 30 44 45 '.;-i 46 Witham 63 74 34 47 28 34 38 46 ' A i 44 Yarmouth :62 70 33 35 28 32 39 40 .- CHELTENHAM MARKETS. d. to d, Per Bushel s. d. to s. cli Per lb. S Wheat Barley 4 0 60: Mutton 7 S Oats 7 8 Beans. Pease 5 0 9 0 Lamb 8 ( Hay 2l, 10i. to 71. 04. Od. per ton. CANTERBURY MARKET. Wheat, white 68s. to 755...,.. red.** 60s. to *Ms !As. to -- 6 Barley, Malting 365. to 465. Grinding.. —s. to —O - Beans —e to —s Old 443 * t : 1 2 1 Pease 435. to 455. W 1... G. re y 401' CHELMSFORD til ARKET. Wheat, White Red *************** 42 44 Barley ~ 33 Chevalier ... 37 sy Grinding ll 34 Mazagan .......... aa 3, 25 to 3 4 2 1 f i ; i6 3 to 69 ;5 I O pe a a ts s;: ..... .... ............... i: Li V ERPOOL CORN MARKET.—Dee. 10- 101 to 113. liki . WHEAT. English, White, per 701 b. -- Red YO 6 11 0 6 2 Scotch, Welch, and Manx Irish, White 8 6 9 6 ----- Red Foreign OATS, English, Welsh, anti Scotch, per 451 b 3 8 4 Irish Foreign 0 0 0 0 BARLEY, English, Malting, per Imo. quarter ...... Scotch and Irish, pet 6 1 :4bs. Feeding 4 6 4 9 BEANS, English, per Imperial quarter 4B 0 54 0 Irish, Src Foreign ' , Ease, Englisn, per I mperial quarte r 4B 0 50 v Foreign FLOUR, English, per 280:11.....„.. 5B 0 ra d u Irish OATMEAL, English and Irish, per 2401bs 3B 0 37 ° INDIAN CORN, per 4801 b. .... 44 0 4ei 0 RYE, per Imperal quarter MALT, per Imperial quarter HULL CORN MARKET Wheat, White (per Quarter) lied sos. des• 6 " Foreign Barley, Mal ing —l. --g• —L Grinding los. 3.25, 345. Oats, Briti4l Foreign (in bond) Beans Blue and whit . ••• Pease, Grey Linseed ... . .... R ipeseed (per 10 quart . c . r . s .. ) .... ************** "*".. Flour (per sack) 221. 211. 251. . . . . . 3 1 94 0 ,: s . .. , 60 . 3 6 s : :. 53 4 4 6 573 :: ~.. T HE PRESENT DISTRESS.—It is a f ac t dis graceful to the political and social institutions of this country, that with an abundance of all the elements of wealth, it should be perfodkally laid waste by commer cial sufferings, crises, distractions, and convulsions. It argues something rotten beyond measure, in the founda tions on which society is based, and an utter absence of those sound and stable principles on which trade, corn tnerce, production, and exchanges, should be conducted. During the last twenty years, we have scarcely at any time been free from the results of commercial distress and convulsion. Scarcely has the ruin of one period, by clearing the market of a host of competitors, afforded A glimpse of prosperity, than another monetary crash has followed close at its heels, and again involved in priva tions, distresses, and difficulties, almost our entire indus trious population. It is obvious that such distress does not arise from a want of wealth. So far is this from being the case, that our chief source of suffering, accord ing to the producers themselves, is in not being permitted to get rid of it by exportation to other c ountries. Our markets are glutted with the productions of labour, and it is in their very abundance that the suffering of our merchants and the destitution of our labourers has its origin. This is the monstrous anomaly—that we should be ruined by the very abundance of our wealth—that we should be distressed by our very accumulations of die elements of social enjoyment and happiness. These things certainly deserve the most serious inquiry, with the view of applying to them an efficient remedy Leeds Times.' DIARY OF A NUN.—We have seldom had to speculate on a more piquant title than the one here announced. Whether it be a work of fact or fiction is more than we are enabled to state. Thus much we have heard, however, that the " Diary of a Nun" is a love story of the most exciting description, said to have been fou n d i n an I ta li an convent b y a re cent 'trave ller in that c o u ntr y , a l a d y o f hi g h f as hi on and f o rtune. The peculi ar t urn o f t h e story may i n some sort be vuessed at by the motto whi c h th e f a i r e ditress has af fix< d to its announcement : " Friendship is cons t ant i n a ll ot h er t hings, Save in the office and affairs of love." A French lady, named Veriez, met with her death in a private lunatic asylum at Yolk, by throwing her head back so suddenly as to dislocate the second vertebra of the neck, during an attempt to administer some gruel and wine to her. She had been in a me' lancholy condition for some time, and had -efused to take either food or medicine. An inque , t was held oa the body, and a verdict returned accordingly. Mr. Dawson, the keeper of the asylum, has a high character for the humanity with which he treats the persons placed under his care. The best wrought Fiddle - Pattern COXrsfr oSEnA GV r°acße Silversmith,c S Yli p 'i o r o e n il. 47, P C IL or A nh T ill E ( : S j ev i en : Doors 30 at co:— Spoons st a r n e d es) , F L or n s d B : L a . :. 7s. 2d, per ounce... The following a4rhetetrhsorwheiegahvtsierreactorh; oz. d. £ s. d. L 11 7 12 Table Spoons smaeunLedepirliebeuptetrhocunarticles may be had li g hter 7 15 4 12 Dessert ditto 11 7 11442! Dessert ssGTaaoarluuabt Sauce sypLdosai od:dpntri l o o tk es ol o n .. . g.. s . .. i . . 1 . . . . t. .. .. a a t t 7 7 2 2 ...... 10 7 1 3 5 4 0 .. .. .. 7 1.,t5 : 7 2 . id .. dl l e o pa l t s ter o n ... Clas is do. 10 at 7 2 ... 3 11 • ... 4 v 2." 8 10 at 7 2 ... 311 8... •' S 10 at 7 lii ... 3 1 1 , 1 :...... I 0 4. 0 1 Fish Slice.., 2 10 Q• . . t II 8 .. L• 12 Tea Spoons ... 10 at 7 1 ... il 16 S. ~. 4 8 0 1 Pair S ugar T ongs (strong) 0 15 11... 0 17 0 The Cl ass i c i s a new pattern, much admi:ed for its simp le elega nce. Th e Fiddle Pattern is with the handle the shap e 2 f a fiddle, qu it e p l a i n ; i t has been al,proved., and in request I. r more than thirty years. N. 8.--Pattern Smns can be sent into the countrt...., BIRTHS. H. smith, On the 9th in s t,, a t Islington, the wife of W. Esq., D. C. L., of a son. the lady of On th e 9 c h inst., a t T emp l e DensleY , Herts, Thomas Plumer Hals e y, E sq ., o f a son and heir. , b i yof On the 9th inst., at M unster -h ouse, F u lh am , the -' John Laurie, Esq., of a son. ____—....---0---• MARRIED. On the 7th inst., at St. George-the-Martyr, Queer...square , John Widdows, Esq., of C o pth a ll- court , Throgmor*.on-stree t, to Ellen, the youngest dau g ht er o f th e l a t e John Croft, Est.° of Compton-street, Regent- square . Edmu nd On the 10th inst., at St. Pancras, Mr. Ch ar les &Iron Perceval, of Pesth, Hungary, to Emma, Paird daughter of the late Nicholas Sar dell, Esq., Solicitor, SAse..lar,e. D/E.C. On the sth imf. , at Lower Edmonton "Henry Charles only son of the late Henry Charles Suts;, n n a i„ii, E s q. , of'Wer mouth-street. Portland-place, ab e d 13 mont h s. On the 6th inst., in Devo;ishire_street, Miss Lee, aged 82. On the Bth inst., at Liangattock-place, Breconshire, Fr ances relict of the late Edward Morgan, Esq., aged 65. On the 9th inst., Anne, wife of Edward C. Robinson, Egg' Deputy Commissary-General, of Upper Belgrave-place, age , ' 83. On the 10th inst., Miss Henrietta Clapham, formerly of Watford, Herts, aged 70. -, - - London. Printed and Published by MURDO YOUNG of No. 112, ?strand. at The St," Otlief-, No 112, Strand, in tl e c•ao,ty of 111.141leex.—Thur0.iv. December 12, 1831'4 ~e • • • • • ~G