The Sun. — London, England, 1844-12-18 00:00:00

,~.r 1r tbe )t the 5 Who 'ee. 3 ittee' ollie tti° eid ° fi e ct.o (ler"' Der n eo 0( 1 u ° 0 pro the ths,, t y e' WS:, ;heio i e ref I° ,rss e t 4t re ts 41 01 S- , c llO wil ,( :a 0° : , ,ft• jo 00 11 1 0 ' iS; ' rj r Of I 0 )1#" 131 / 1 RIT of the PUBLIC JOURNALS >'s OH THE EVENING PAPERS OF YESTERDAY. G LUBE.—A reference to Lord Stanley's appoint 'Pots will prove his preference for the navy, inter - f l iPteil occasionally ey an infidelity in favour of a istarlet coat—exceptions to the rule more apparent piatnzrro:y in e! perhaps. The nautical finance of Captain New Zealand enjoys a pendant in the e ' t lrseney regulations ai Cape Coast, in Guinea, which lettlernent was this year blessed by being placed under th e i mme di ate contro l o f th e Colonial-office (it I had been f or man y y ea r s previously governed by a ` 4t artrittee of London and local merchants), Lord s It hl , lll ey sending out, as first Governor, Commander Hill, • The currency of Guinea is regulated by a gold st andard—all t ransa ctions of moment being valued in ou nces of go ld an d i n ackies (the 1-16th part of an ou nce)_; the smaller business of life being managed b fifty to a penny sterling. These, however, are corn irnlY moneys of account only—trade being barter, 44 pieces of cotton cloth (romauls) are in general t'roulation ; they were formerly used even to pay the troops. In short, money's worth is given f°r money's worth only, or for what will pro lar d money's worth from the European merchant. dis dain Stanley and his naval Governor view with th e this uncivilised system; and Mr. Gladstone, e Master of she Mint, is ordered to pack up chests f q _ r SilV er pieces worth three-halfpence each, of copper things and half-farthings, which it is proposed to the!ocluce into the monetary system of Africa through p military i nd civil de nferior servants are to be paid in these e -l i r ? I Fancy our sable brother, disgracefully ignorant f Ricardo and Torren.s, and of the incalculable advan els of a metallic currency—who had never received i 3 palm oil, his bunch of plantains, or his day's t: 11 ', anything but a yard of cotton, which he could Is t round his waist, a piece of lead with which to (ink"( his fishing -net, or to be cut into a musket slug , s °nie courie shells, which are the favourite orna titi•lletnt and (th ere f o re) the universal currency of the e ,r,ior•--faucy a man who never had received hi c , 34 "ing not intrinsically useful to himself or 4, p . neighbour, gazing at Captain Hill's copper ' - farthings or three-halfpenny silver — things "unk nown t o and rejected by his neighbours, objectional even as not of that substantial ewt Which constitutes, in a country of clumsy 0 1 e ) g,,,5, and destitute of locks and pockets , one the essential merits of a currency! He would as 4 eas i l y assig nats perceive the value of Captain Fitzroy's T ; as of these atoms, inconvertible to any end. r l ne may lead him to discover that the silver il l e k ° gles are fractional parts of a dollar, but there is st i h ope of his ever taking to the half-farthings. Ly ctirlgns's iron money may have been as inconvenient ° ,ugh our Ashantee or Fantee friend would prefer e ‘ , out that was avowedly issued "as a restraint on ex epn4ivo speculation"—as our solemn Premier would ex cu. it. However, Capt. Hill having a vile corpus, the th' 4l corpi, on which to experiment, and compelling to 4l l to receive pay in this money, they in their turn tn t° Pelled no doubt after " awful sacrifices" and tre ttendous palaver, their creditors to receive it; and e h s e Poured it as legal tender into the coffers of the his e° l l can merchants. After taking the trash to an "venient amount, the merchants bethought ei e loselv es of asking the Governor to receive it a gain for Government bills on England. His Ex tee s "V declined compliance, giving the grati f y in g 1 „. - )on that h e was not yet in want of money — in other bYr 0 rd S, that he had yet stores of the trash in his strong p,rs• On a merchant replying that he must the n II 4 % to tak e any more, Captain Hill retorted, that re fusal to take the " current coin of the realm " Gould expose him to a fine; and t hat if the merchants ref used to take "his " money, he would get Yankees to settle there who " would be glad of the chance !" This was assuredly an old menace from an officer M ir ed to protect British interests and commerce ; but ie„, l ,_ ° 'ence displayed in the remark is more interest s, bringing wi ng i ng us b ac k, as it d o es, to the type of Cap- Hill's half-farthings and Captain Fitzroy's two -4,,,111ing notes, the French assignats, the projectors .4 issuers of all three being evidently assured t h a t no thing but sheer stupidity or deep villainy c ou ld p , ri c nnpt any one t o re fuse their valuable issue. It fin ance to have been to carry out this philosop hic elee that Captain hill broke his promise to Sir ol ur ge Stephen, of returning to England in the first in P i after . his arrival. Sir George's disappointment is 3 n 'which the colony of Cape Coast must deeply 31 TPathise. li e l 'iANDAßD.—The decision of the Board of er :" of Houses and Proctors at Oxford has had the is r " ° ° ll fortune of giving general satisfaction. This e. 1 - easant so far ; but it is rather invidious to com disarl,t Bo emphatically as some of our Whig-Ra of e d n '° ll temporariee compliment the Board—a body and i n -e4t ,ed gentlemen—for acting with good sense We a Just and honourable spirit. For ourselves, neve rtak e — had a doubt of the line the Board would st r ,A a nd therefore perhaps it is that w e are less ha ve with the formal announcement of it. We th e heard o f b u t one o bj e ction whispered against e Itoard's decision, which we will give in the words of th e o bj ec t or :—" Th e most objectionable point in ttProposed proceeding regarding Mr. Ward's book hat with which the case opens—' Whereas it is notoriously reputed and believed throughout this U niversity, that a book, &c., has recently been pub lished in Oxford, by the Rev. W. G. Ward, M.A. It Were a hard thing formally to proceed against a man h o n mere notoriety and general belief. Mr. Ward h 4, indeed, obviated the difficulty in his case by av owing, h under his own hand in a letter to the Vice , ancellor, that the book was written by him, but the acc usation in its present form stands awkwardly for a P i t ,codent, and we should gladly see it amended." t he ease is probably without precedent, because 44: attempted obstruction to justice is without prece t, for we suppose that never before was what we It !I ti : I Y call th e e ff ron t e ry of pettifogging carried so far i, f , (l a man to refuse acknowledging a book adeer toi printed, and published with his name in title-page, and for months publicly "red for sale in the shop of every book seller 14 er in th e t own i n w hich he resided. In the h lse nee however, of precedent, recourse is alway s i to the analo of the law. Now the law pro tel that declarations made in the presence o f a ;, - „, 1 13' accused are to be received as evide nce e al nst him, not as conclusive evidence, but as evi rtrice to go to a jury, illustrated by the circumstances Z ikr ; the culprit's demeanour when the declarations w ere tC a. Now it will not be denied that the advertising, le e printing, the publishing, and the exposing for sale Of his windows openly during menths in the place titl Is residence, of a book with a man's name in the th e e- Page, is a sufficiently distinct declaration made in 10,, man's presence, and as such, according to the ana ' of the law, very proper evidence to be adduc ed againsto him ; he, of course, being free to prove , if h e 86 41 , that h e di sowne d the work, or that sickness, or to me oth e r a d e quate cause prevented his knowing that such a book was imputed to him. Such noto ti''Y as Mr. Ward's book, and Mr. Ward's name in mit t title -p age , had in Oxford, supersedes the neces- N Y of any formal proof. The presumption that a 41 will not allow a book to be advertised, printed, 4 ' l published, and for months sold in his name is s o ii .43l 'g, that strong proof must be adduced to rebut r + and in another analogous case, even the strongest huttin g proof is not allowed to be sufficient. b 11 , 1) Ple Mr. Ward to have but once promenade d -411 'd with a lady whom he permitted to repre , 11t herself as Mrs. Ward, to have visited in com trY with his fair companion the well - supplied ktp ° Ps of Mr. Loder or Mr. Spiers , in the High ieet ; and suppose that his lady had th o ug ht ft s ,to run up a heavy bill with Mr. Loder or Mr. p i ers, in the name of Mr. Ward, the Rev. Gentle m„° must pay every farthing of the bill. It co uld not serve him to prove his obligation of e y as a Fellow of Balliol, nor his more i e nl o vows of celibacy, taken no doubt , the hands of Doctor Pusey and Mr. 6 t wtnan, to demand the lady's marriage certificate, ti r l to give the most satisfactory proof in the world ar at his acquaintance with the fair debtor was the 1 1 0 test possible. He had allowed her, though for a I R lll fic moment, to represent herself as Mrs. Ward, the i - „"Y of the Rev. Mr. Ward, of Balliol ; and the 'kzorable law would compel him to settle her ac b.,litiot. with Messrs. Loder and Spiers, and to pay L ao her other debts, though due to persons who ; 1 , never before heard of his name. Such is the :Olt which the law allows to notoriety in such r attars. But surely if it is just that a man is liable t o e r all the debts of a lady whom he has allowed h bearhis name, for it may be only half an Our, he is justly liable for the contents of a : hi ' which he has suffered to bear his 1 na me for h a lf a year. There is, therefore, neither ardahip nor repugnancy to the principles of „CT ln presuming his authorship of it, from the noto titrpublication of a book with a man's name in the t ie ; arid it is absolutely necessary to do so to dealing with the members of a party who have m oulded th e i r mora lity u pon a system of simulation a t i lo dissim u l a ti on , an d w h o would find it very conve tpent to combine at once all the credit of an Inge- L oons and daring frankness with the security of ela uurate chicane. On Wed nes d ay M orn i ng a fi re occurre d i n the cot tage of John Millbank, at Great Saling, arising from the ~t'ughtless and foolish act of a lodger putting under his it tinder, which it appears had not been properly ex . ,Y 4 r4l*ed. Policeman Sergeant, while on duty at three e 4 th e morning, observed flames in the cottage, t he he gave an alarm, aud . rendered assistance, and for henately the fire was got under without much damage r ,Y°LI destroyin the curtains and furniture of a bed.— erB Rena g .TuX IRON WORKS IN CARMARTHENSHIRR.—It is said that Alderman Thompson is about to take the iron South South \Vales Rail w shall have been perfected, it is M ore than probable that the neighbourhood of Kidwelly an d renabrey will become a second Merthyr.— Welchman. WEATHER TABLES FOR THE YEAR 1845. By P. MURPHY, Esq. Mr. Murphy has restored his weather almanac nearly to the form in which it first appeared, when by some wonderful prognostications he announced the coldest day in the year, and pointed out in the most striking manner several symptoms of the weather fully confirmed by the results. He confines the limits of the work to the calendar, furnishing, of course, the probable state of the weather for each day in the year. Wednesday, the Bth of December, 1845, he marks thus—" Severe frost, probably . ' lowest degree of winter temperature." The following are extracts from his introductory observations : In regard to the present season it has been, as ap pears, predicted by M. Arago, of the French Institute, that ' the pending winter will be the coldest known fir many years.' And those who have taken the trouble to compare our rredictions of the weather for the months of November and December, 1844, as published in our last year's almanac, will perceive from their almost daily verification, that so far back as the autumn of 1843, when that work went to press—that, as regards the com mencement of the present winter, we had anticipated this result so far back as the period alluded to. In re ference to the remainder of the season, however, it will be seen by the subjoined Weather Tables' for the months of January and February, 1845, that they by no means agree with the prediction of M. Arago ; as in the latter months, when the severity of the season is usually experienced in these countries, if our anticipations he well founded, the cold of the present winter, whether for duration or intensity, will in no respect equal that of 1829 ; and as a short time only will decide the relative merits of these views, we are satisfied to abide the re sult ; and own that it is not without pleasure we find ourselves engaged in a pas de deux with a man of the high standing and calibre in the world of science of M. Arago. Knaves and quacks only take refuge in mystification ; as truth and honesty of purpose have no occasion for a subterfuge of the kind. And if parties who set up for knowledge in this department of physics nearer home, would only copy the example set them by M. Arago in this instance, and appear before the public, people would be enabled, by comparison, to form an estimate of their pretensions ; and have only to hope that the precedent will not be lost on them. "More might be added in this way, mais a quoi bon r as things will hold their accustomed course, whatever may be said to the contrary. But as the subject of magnetic agency in nature is daily forcing itself more on the attention of men of science,--and the better to un derstand and arrive at a knowledge of something like general results, and correct ideas in reference to this universal agent, a Magnetic Congress' is announced to be held at Cambridge in the month of June, 1645 ; let us hope, we say, that the correction of the charts, so as to make them available in reference to that hitherto little noticed, though most important subject, the phy siology of the earth's surface, will not be unattended to. " With regard to the indications of the weather in the subjoined Tables, occasional aberrations will, as a matter of course, be found to occur ; simply by reason of the impossibility which exists of its being otherwise. But if, as expected, that these Tables present a correct out line of the nature of the approaching seasons of 1845, combined with general accuracy in details, the author's object in presenting them to the public will have been attained." DARING AND IMPUDENT ROBIIERY.—On Monday night, about seven o'clock, a carter, in the employ of Mr. West, the town carman, brought nine chests of tea to the house of Messrs. Marshall and Co., tea-dealers in the Strand, and whilst in the act of delivering the last chest but one, which did not occupy him more than a minute, two men in a light cart drove up along side of that containing the tea, took the last chest, placed it in their cart, and drove off. The tea was fine gunpowder, value between 21/. and 221. A little girl who was attending a fruit-stall close at hand observed the occurence, ran to the shop, told the carman what she had seen, and pointed out the cart as it drove off. Had the carman raised the cry of alarm, it is almost impossible the thieves could have escaped, but he seemed so bewildered at the moment, that he made very little effort to capture them. Particulars of the robbery have been given at the various police- stations. BUNGAY.—At about half-past five o'clock on Tues day evening last, a fire broke out on the farming pre mises of Mr. Onesimus Edwards, at Kirby, which en tirely consumed three haystacks, an outhouse, and one large pig. Four engines were speedily on the spot, and succeeded in preventing the fire extending itself to the buildings, &c. The premises belong to Lord Berners, who, as well Mr. Edwards, is fully insured. The origin of the fire is at present doubtful, but there is much cause to fear that it is the act of an incendiary. Another fire broke out at Broorae on Wednesday noon, on the premises of Mr. Miller, which entirely destroyed the out-buildings ' &c. The amount of property destroyed is valued at 401. A maid servant, who has lived 17 years in the family, is in custody on suspicion of being the incendiary.—Norwich Mercury. The late General Lord Lynedoch's estate at Lyne doch, near Perth, has been purchased by James Simp son, Esq., of Foxhill Bank, near Manchester, for 135,0001. and his late Lordship's adjacent estate of Balgowan has been purchased by W. Thompson, Esq., of Edinburgh, for 43,0001. SUNDERLAND.—The Lords of the Treasury have granted 7501., part of the Parliamentary grant for public walks, &c., to the corporation of Sunderland, in aid of a plan for providing a place of recreation for the inhabi tants, the only condition of the grant being, that the gro nea u tl n y d w s , ecu h r e e n d p a u s rc a h r a l s a e c d, s eo h f al I and the pm p e e r opl a e - . recreation iae legally for It is intended to purchase and lay out Building-hill. The estimated cost is about 3,0001., the remainder of which will be raised by public subscription. The town council of Sunderland have resolved to apply to Parliament in 1846 for powers to enable them to light the town with gas. This is already done by a Company, but the cor poration expect to be able to do so at a cheaper rate, and at the same time to realize as much profit as will relieve them from the necessity of levying a borough rate. The present charge is 10s. per 1,000 cubic feet. SRA.SONABLE AND MUNIFICENT DONATION.—At the last celebration of the Holy Sacrament at Wands worth Church, a lady placed on the salver at the altar a TOOL note, to be laid out by the worthy vicar in warm clothing and fuel for the poor of the above parish. After communicating with the generous donor, the vicar pur chased, at wholesale prices, a large quantity of blankets, rugs, flannel, sheeting, woollen hose, Guernsey frocks, and coals, which, under the superintendence of the vicar, his curates, and the domestics of his establishment, were distributed according to the desire of the benevolent lady ; and the numerous partakers of this seasonable bounty left the vicarage with hearts gladdened by the mode in which the gifts were dispensed. In this parish there are a great many poor, both inland and along the waterside, and due precaution was taken that no de- cry ing poor person should go away without some participa tion of this really handsome, and, in this inclement weather, most seasonable gift. CHESTERFIELD Houss.—The room in which the body of the late lamented Princess Sophia of Gloucester was laid in state, was originally the billiard-room attached to Chesterfield House. It forms the right wing of that noble edifice, and the following anecdote as to its erec tion may be strictly relied on as authentic. It appears that when the Earl of Chesterfield resided at the above house there was not a billiard-room, or, in fact, any room in the house fitted for such purpose on the premises. In the same unfortunate predicament was Montagu House, the then residence of Lord Montagu, which sub sequently became the residence of the late Queen Caro line. Both Noble Lords being excessively attached to the game of billiards, it was agreed between them that they should play a match at that game, and that the losing party should build at kis expense a billiard-room on the premises of the winner. The Earl of Chester field proved the victor, and accordingly Lord Montagu had built on his noble antagonist's premises the room in question. The house then became very unsightly, and the Earl of Chesterfield was compelled, in order to render his house uniform, to build the other wing. THE IPSWICH Docx. Commtssiox.—The usual monthly meeting of the Dock Commissioners was held at the Town-hall, on Friday last. The minutes passed at the last meeting were read and confirmed. Thomas Warne and William Rands, jun., were appointed to the vacant offices of coal meters. Mr. Ross gave notice, that at the next monthly meeting he should move that the vacancy in the committee, caused by the non-resi dence of Mr. John Churchman, should be filled up. There being no other business to transact, the meeting then adjourned.—We understand the Commissioners have sent a memorial to the Board of Trade, petitioning them to give their assent to the proposed extension of the Eastern Union Line of Railway from Norwich to Ips wich, and we doubt not their application will meet with the approbation of that honourable body.—lpswich Express. AWFULLY SUDDaN DEATH.—It is With feelings of the deepest regret we have to announce the death of the lady of John Leahy, of Silverapring. She retired to rest last evening, apparently in her usual health and spirits, and after having lain down, coughed slightly, turned on her side, and, awful to relate, expired. The death of this truly estimable lad y has thrown a lare circle of relatives and friends into deep affliction.—Co g rk Southern Reporter. HER LATE ROYAL HIGHNESS THE PRINCESS SoFHLIMATILDA OF GLOUCESTER.—A stone has just been affixed to the entrance to the catacomb containing the remains of her late Royal Highness, bearing the fol lowing inscription :—" Princess Sophia Matilda, 1844." His Excellency Aaly Effendi, since three years Am bassador at this Court, has been recalled, it is believed, at his own instance, on account of this climate not agreeing with him. Ho will be accompanied by his Secretary of lgmbassy, Khayr Effendi. The loss of this finished gentleman will be a matter of sincere regret to all his colleagues. His Excellency will be succeeded by his Excellency Sarim Effendi, who will be probably accom panied by his brother, as Secretary ofEmbassy. His Excel lency Sarim Effendi WAS formerly Ambassador here, hav ing succeeded Reshid Pacha. On his return, he was sent to Persia as Ambassador to his Ma jesty the Shah. After his return, he was made Minister of Commerce, land subsequently Minister of Foreign Affairs, succeeding Refaat Pacha. Serbia Effendi will therefore return as an old acquaintance, and may be confidently called one of the best diplomatists of which Turkey boasts. H is Excel leney is expected in about two nienths.—Court Journal. The sudden death of the young ar.d handsome Mar quise de Bethisy, eldest daughter of the Due de Rohan Chabot, has caused the most melancholy sensations in the higher circles of Paris. She had just risen from her confinement, and was, to all appearance, in a perfect state of convalescence, when she suduenly expired, before even her doctor, who bad just left her, could be called back, Water on the heart is said to have been the cause of this awful and distressing catastrophe.-,Court Journal. LITERATURE. THE BOOK OF FASHIONABLE LIFE. Cunningham, London, 1844. The title-page of this little work informs us that the author is a member of the Royal Household, from which his readers are of course to infer that his di rections on the subject of the etiquette to be observed in the drawing-room, the dining-room, and ball .room, which he has laid down with singular minuteness and precision, are such as may be implicitly relied on. How this may be we know not, but certainly some of his directions evince much good taste and sense, while others are clearly superfluous, and become ridiculous by their very circumstantialness and the emphasis with which they are given. Speaking of the art of conversation, which is by no means so easy a one as may be imagined, the writer observes :—" Whatever the subject may be, it should be originated without effort, and descanted upon naturally ; in this respect well-educated women are our best models, for although their powers of reasoning may not be so strong, they have much more of what may be termed harmony of thought, than men, and their English, moreover, is pure." This is justly observed, but then follow some directions respecting dinners, not a few of which are simply absurd. The volume is interspersed with se veral amusing anecdotes of Court and fashionable life, which serve to relieve the monotony, and, we may add, the formal and pedantic nature of the subject. THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. those la ` rho of n o thinl o i Islandsthe ll' p 'e oss a e r s e si n o o n t o a f in t o L g C t h h a e n n n u el mberof a ma tter importance. Mismanaged and misgoverned as they undoubtedly are, they are nevertheless valuable de• pendencies of the Crown, containing a faithful and loyal population of more than 70,000 souls, encom passed on all sides by the sea, and employing a ship ping amounting to more, we believe, than 30,000 tons, according to the latest accounts. But it is not solely at their intrinsic worth that these islands should be rated. A British Minister should consider not only their actual value, but what they have cost, during the progress of the war, to the parent country. In that gigantic contest from which Great Britain came out victorious, it has been com puted that our country was obliged to embody and maintain upwards of 10,000 men, solely for the de fence of the Channel Islands, independent of a squadron of ships of war. The amount of the civil and military establishments maintained in Jersey and Guernsey during that eventful period, has been com puted alone at no less a sum than 284,1631. 16s. sd. annually, in addition to a million of pounds otherwise expended. So immense an outlay as this was only justified by the universal opinion that if these islands were in the hands of the enemy the trade of the Channel would be placed in peril. And so it unquestionably would previous to 1815 ; for the possession of the islands of Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, and Sark, would then have placed in the hands and at the disposition of France that numerous host of priva teering vessels which, in the hands and under the guidance of Britons, inflicted such serious injury on the trade and commerce of our then most implacable enemy. But the introduction and the general use of steam in our navy has since materially diminished the importance of this branch of the question, as we took occasion to show in reviewing the pamphlet of the Prince de Joinville ; though we are not insen sible to the advantage in the event of war (which Heaven avert !) of having a naval station either at Benlay Bay or at Alderney. But, in war, or in peace, it is only fair that dependencies such as these —enjoying not only protection but valuable immu nities, and on the erection of one of whose fortresses, the foundation of which was laid in 1806, no less a sum than 800,0001. was expended by the British nation—should be governed by British laws, British usages, and British customs. It is high time that in the year of our Lord 1844, Jersey and Guernsey should emerge from the barbarous code of feudalism; and, being British in heart and British in feeling, should adopt not only our laws and municipal insti tutions, but our language, as the code and the lan guage of her judicature and her people. The moral and intellectual condition of the people of the Channel Islands, notwithstanding the facilities afforded by railroads and steam, can never be thoroughly im proved till the use of the English language and the adoption of the English laws present a universal medium of communication, and contact, and homo genity with the parent country. These general observations—true at any time, and important as true —derive augmented interest from recent occurrences. For the last week the Court of Privy Council has rung with the echoes of Jersey and Guernsey ; and her Majesty's representative, the gallant and chival rous Lieutenant. Governor of one of those islands, finds himself at issue with the Royal Court. It may so happen, too, that before the close of the next Hilary Term, the Court of Queen's Bench, where her Majesty in person is supposed to preside, may come into legal conflict with the Supreme Court of the Island of Jersey, and these collisions— always unseemly, if not always unseasonable--can only be prevented for the future by rendering St. Helier and St. Aubin as much part and parcel of the realm of England, as St. Albans and St. Neots. It may and will be said by the Jersey and Guernsey people, that their islands are prosperous and flourishing ; but the prosperous and flourishing condition of the islands is due, not to the right of electing their own judges—not in being governed by their own Legislature—not in the in operativeness of certain British writs and certain British laws—not in the exemption from the impress service, under the old system of manning the British i a fi n in d g in to itihoeticeex—istbeuntc,e hearof i s t o y m e e a o n t t e f r r e p e r ivi le traders,gesr too y t who are perpetually declaiming against freedom of commerce—hear that the prosperity of the Channel Islands arises altogether from a system of free trade and low duties ! The late H. D. Inglis, who resided in the islands from 1832 to 1834, and who, during a two years' residence, commanded not only the opportunities to observe, but, what is still better and far rarer, the capacity and discrimination nec essary t o accurate observation, thus speaks of the causes of the pros perity of the Channel Islands in his agreeable work : " The flourishing condition of the island is not, how ever, owing to the privileges which are so much valued by the people, and which may be termed political privi leges, but is owing to its great commercial privileges. When I come to speak of the commerce of the island, these will be enumerated and explained ; meanwhile, I would only observe, that it is these commercial privi eges which have filled its harbour with shipping, and ex tended its commerce over the world—these which confer upon it the advantage it possesses over other spots, in commanding, at a lower price, the luxuries and many of the necessaries of life." We are well aware how very dangerous and impo litic a thing it is to interfere with the laws and the language of a people who have long lived contented and happy under a vicious and barbarous system ; nor should we advise such a course if the people of the Channel Islands alone were concerned. But now that these islands are within a few hours' run to London, and, by the aid of steam, within a few hundred minutes' sail of Granville and St. Malo and the French coast—now that thousands and thousands of British inhabitants resort thither for the purpose of business, pleasure, commerce, or with a view to become perma nent residents—now that the acts of the Lieutenant- Governor are questioned and traversed by the Bailli and Jurats, it becomes more than ever necessary to Le accurately informed of the nature and constitution of those Courts, and the mode of election of those judges with which the inhabitants are so enamoured. Of the constitution and legislature of the islands, Inglis thus speaks : " The constitutions of these islands ought not to he left to the management of their own legislatures. Amend ments are required both in constitution and laws, which will never be male by the authorities in either island. It would be absurd, in these days, to moot the question as to the powers of the British Government, or to discuss the question, whether the right of legislation over these islands is vested in the King as Duke of Normandy, or as King of England. It is a favourite opinion in the islands, that in cases where the general interests of the empire aro in any way connected with the interests of the island—where, in fact, there is a common interest— the British Parliament may interfere; but that in all local matters concerning the interest of the islands solely, legislation lies with the island institutions and the Privy Council. Ido not see the force of this dis tinction: I look upon it to be the duty of the island legislature to legislate for the benefit of the whole em pire ; and if certain changes in the constitution of Jersey or Guernsey would insure greater security to property, more certain or cheaper justice, or would even hare the effect of diminishing feuds, and of advancing civilisation; and if there is no hope that the island legislatures will themselves originate these changes, then there is suffi cient ground for the interference of the British Govern ment, and for the adoption of whatever measure; may be sanctioned by the British Parliament. I n t h ese ob servations I have Jersey more than Guernsey in view, though I am very far from subscribing to a very general opinion in Guernsey, that there no reform is needed." These observations were written ten years ago, and recent occurrences give them a ten-fold force. Sir Robert Peel may smile, look specious and solemn— enunciate some puling plausibilities—or bring forth, with faithful gestation, some admitted truism, only a century and a half old, dressed up for the occasion in his " richest wardrobe" of euphonious and sounding expletives. He may talk, like his Solicitor-General, of the law of expediency, the only law by which he squares his conduct—he may send Sir James Graham to the Privy Council, as the descendant of " John of the bright sword," to interpret the Coutumier de Nor manth!e—or tell the " travelled Thane, Athenian Aberdeen," to shroud himself in More than his usual North British reserve—he may tell his Chancellor to crack ribald jokes; but will he come to a Parliamen tary solution of the question at issue, satisfactory to the Lieutenant-Governor of the Channel Islands, or, most material of all, satisfactory to the British People ? lVe accorded to the British Premier the praise in which he deserved, for recently appointi ng aj ud rnE SUN, LONDON, WEDNESDAY MORNING, DECEMBER 18 1344. Westminster, Mr. Jv.stice Erle, totally irrespective of party feeling. `V :,l he sanction a different system in Jersey ? where ; judges, according to Inglis, are thus appointed : The judg , is borne into the seat of justice on the shoulders of: u party. It is scarcely necessary, I think, for me to enlarge upon the bad effects of this system. The bench, with one or two exceptions, is composed of the most furious partisans ; the court of justice is too often the arena for party feuds ; and it is not impossible, by glancing the eye along the bench, and knowing who are the parties to a suit, to guess with tolerable accuracy what will be the issue. " But this is not the only evil of the system. No qua lification is necessary for being elected to the office of judge. A farmer, a shipowner, a merchant—anybody. may be seated on the bench by the electors. No pre vious acquaintance with law or usage is required ; no preparatory education, no education of any kind requi site. The electors, genera ll y utterly une d ucate d them selves, and influenc e d b y t h e most violent party spirit, cannot be expected t o fi x upon the best qua lifi e d indi vidttals ; and thus th e b enc h i s alike di squa lifi e d by party feeling, and by i gnoravce, from exerc i s i ng t h a t sound and unbiassed judgment which alone gives respect ability to a court of justice." These are the men who have often to decide on British property, amounting to thousands of pounds, and on British liberty and life, infinitely more valu able than British property. The case of Mr. Wilson is so recent as to be fresh in the memory of our readers ; hie . that is by no means the only case. Inglis cites the following instance of oppression which occurred ten years ago : "it is but lately that a girl was imprisoned, charged with some inconsiderabl e offenoe, by the authority of some police-officer. There she remained nine months, at the eud of which time, upon the representation of one of his Majesty's receivers-general (for be it recol lected, that the maintenance of prisoners forms a deduc tion from the King's revenues), the girl was brought up for trial, or rather for accusation. There was no accuser —no charge—the cause even of her imprisonment was unknown, and she was discharged." The English reader will naturally inquire into the constitution and composition of courts which not only refuse obedience to the Queen's writs, but set her military governor at defiance. We are told by one authority, Lecras on the laws of- Jersey, that bailli and jurats are so unacquainted with their duties, " That they suspond their judgments in order to con sult a party on the framing of them, and alter and re voke them after they have been delivered, and that they sometimes prepare these judgments before the trials are heard, as was the case in the prosecution of the Crown at the instance of the late Lieutenant-Governor, Major- General Thornton, v. Le Breton, colonel of 4lilitia, when one of the jurats, after the pleadings were closed, pro duced a judgment already written, which was adopted by the bailiff and jurats, and rendered against the said Lieutenant-Governor." We are also told by the same authority, that per sons are seized without oath and warrant, and that Dissenters, notwithstanding recent statutes in their favour in England, labour under great disabilities in the islands. Mr. Inglis thus shortly describes the constitution of the Court, and the restrictions placed upon the bar : "Attached to the Royal Court are the King's two officers, the Procureur du Roi and the Ki ng ' s Ad voca t e , who are appointed by the King ; several other officers, and six advocates, who are in the nomination of the bailly—an absurd and unjust nomination, both as regards the public service and the manner of appointment. There ought to be no restriction upon the bar, ex cepting that which depends upon competency ; and yet, in this important particular, there is at present no regu lation. No coarse of education is necessary—no exami nation is required ; all is left to the judgment of the bailly, who, possessed of such powers, and presiding over a court comprised of men without legal education, ought to be a man possessed of many acquirements, and distin guished by a sound and discriminating judgment." In another passage he thus speaks " So long as the present mode of constit u ti ng th e bench be maintained, the spirit of faction will continue to exercise its despotism; and ignorance and partiality will impede the course of justice. From the island legis lature nothing is to be hoped; it is in vain to imagine that the twelve judges and the twelve r ec t ors will accede to any proposition for excluding themselves from the legislative body." Surely this is a system which cannot be allowed to continue longer. 'We had intended to have made some observations to-day on the folly of governing these islands, in the nineteenth century, according to the provisions of laws made in the twelfth and fourteenth centuries ; but these observations, together with some others in reference to the same subject, must be reserved for another occasion. MILITARY INTELLIGENCE. (From the Limerick Chronicle, Dec. 14. The effective strength of the army in Ireland does not amount to 26,000 men, as stated in the Dublin papers. The entire force is only 21,000 men, artillery, cavalry, • and infantry, of all arms. This day three parties of the 30th Regiment, from this:garrison, were detached on district duty—two officers and 40 rank and file, to Newpurt (Tip.) ; an officer and 20 rank and file, to Castle Connell ; and an officer and 20 rank and file, to Cappainore—to assist the local ma gistrates and police in checking disturbance. Head-quarters and five companies of the 6th Regiment, with band and colours, under command of Lieutenant- Colonel Michel, landed at Dublin on Thursday, from Liverpool, by the Dee steamer, Lieutenant Driver, R.N., and marched to Richmond barracks. Captain Greathed and Captain Brown's companies of the Bth, from Bolton, have taken up the quarters of the 6th Regiment at Preston. The 67th take up the quarters of the 56th in Dublin. Captain Layard, M.P., has joined the 37th Regiment at Portsmouth. Captain O'llalloran's company, 69th, has joined head quarters at Templemore, from Cashel, having been re lieved by another company of the same regiment. The last division of the 56th, ender Major Palmer, has sailed from Dublin for Liverpool in the Rhadamanthus steamer, Commander Laen, R.N. The soldiers of the 65th Regiment were ordered out of chapel, at Castlebar, last Sunday, when the priest commenced reading Dr. WHale's bull against the Cha ritable Bequests Act. Captain Mostyn's company, 54th. has marched from Shannonbridge, to head-quarters, Mullingar. Captain Palmer, 60:h Rifles, having been this day week arrested at Fermoy, head-quarters of his battalion, by the Sheriff of Cork, under an attachment in " W. Mackinnon, M.P., v. the Executors of the late Lady Palmer," counsel applied to the Master of the Rolls, on Tuesday, for the officer's discharge. It appears the order obtained by plaintiff to invest a large sum in the cause had never been served on defendants or the so- ex route to North Walsham, to be stationed. Major Graham is commanding. 81st Depot, Templemore.—Major Creagh has joined from leave. Captain Denny is or leave of absence till embarkation to join the service companies in Canada. Captain Bowyer is on leave till embarkation. A party of the Ist Royal Dragoons joined head quarters at the Royal Barracks, Dublin, Dec. 9, from Maidstone Cavalry Depot. The 14th depot arrived in Dublin on the - 10th, head quarters, under Brevet Lieutenant Colonel Barlow, on the 11th, and remaining company on the 12th of Dec., to embark for England. Effective strength-1 acting sergeant-major, 15 sergeants, 4 drummers, and 232 rank and file. Recruiting-12 rank and file. Officers present —Brevet Lieutenant Colonel Barlow, Brevet Majors Smith and Wood, Lieutenants Strike, Archdall (Depot Paymaster), Prothero (Depot Adjutant), O'Toole and Trevor,Assistant- Surgeon Telfer. 34th Regiment, Mullingar.—Recruiting-3 sergeants and 8 rank and file. 65th Regiment, Castlel:var.—Captains Young and New enham are stationed with a detachment at Galway ; and Ensign Turner, Lieutenants Wolfe and Marshall, are with a detachment at Ballinrobe. At Westport—Lieut. Bazalgetto and Ensign Meyler. Lieut. Cuthbert is at Loughrea wi h a company. Ensign Bernard is at Oute rard with a detachment. 69th Regiment,Templemore.—Recruiting-3 serjeants and 9 rank and file. Captain O'Halloran, Lieutenants Mundell and Kearney, are stationed with a detachment at Cashel. Captain Tudor and Lieut. Edgar are sta tioned with a company at Roscrea. Captain Walker and Ensign Evans are at Thurles with a company. 95th Depot, Kinsale.—At head-quarters, 3 companies. Effective strength-8 serjeants, 4 drummers, and 156 rank and file. At Charles Fort—One company, consist ing of Captain Hume, Lieut. Holme, and Ensign Vialls, 3 sergeants, and 60 rank and file. Recruiting-2 ser geants and 13 rank and file. Rifle Brigade Depot, Ist Battalion, Athlone—Captain Hooper is in command. Recruiting-3 sergeants and 21 rank and file. The 55th are recruiting at head-quarters, Chichester, under the following sporting hand-bill Wanted, 500 unmarried, handsome, and gay young fellows, from 18 to 25 years of age, for her Majesty's 55th Regiment of Foot. Any gallant young fellow so disposed will apply to Sergeant O'Neill, King's Arms, and who, on entering the service of her Majesty, will be taken care of, and in vited to drink her health in a bumper." THE SCOTCH BANKS. We refer, with much satisfaction, to the highly important meeting of the county of nark, held on Friday at Hamilton, and to the very able resolutions deprecatory of all interference with our present currency and banking system, which were unani mously adopted. The requisition to Lord Belhaven, in compliance with which the meeting was called, contained upwards of two thousand signatures ; a fact which we trust will not be without its influence upon the Government. The whole proceedings were, moreover, characterised by the most cordial unanimity—another fact which ought also to have its effect in the proper quarter. There was not much oratory at the meeting. Those who attended it were men of business, who met to transact business ; and as there was not one among them who had not made up his mind upon and thoroughly understood the question, there was no necessity for any displays of elocution to convince the wavering, or enlighten the ignorant. The resolutions which they passed are the most clear, able, and com plete expositions of the real state of the matter that we have yet seen, and might, with great advantage, be taken as models for all future meetings that may be called to consider this subject. The county of Lanark, the wealthiest and most populous of Scotland, feeling the importance of its unanimous voice upon the question, has set to work in a vigorous manner. We are informed that every parish in Lanarkshire will be called up to sign the petition—and in addition to this, copies of the resolutions and petition are to be for warded to the Convener of every county in Scotland, with a recommendation to get them adopted, and signed in every district. Were this plan carried out, as we trust it will be, an opposition to the inter ference of Government would be raised, as powerful as that of 1826—the old national spirit of Scotland would be awakened, and the Minister would be com pelled to leave us alone in the enjoyment of a prospe rity which his theories might shake, but could never have created.—Glasgow Argus. MIDDLESEX SESSIONS. The second December session for the county of Mid dlesex commenced yesterday at the Court-house, Clerkenwell-green. The calendar contained the names of 49 prisoners, of which 46 were charged with felony, the remaining three being misdemeanants. None of the offences charged to the several prisoners presented any features beyond the ordinary run of cases. THE CASE OF MRS. TYRWIIITT.—After the grand jury had retired to their room, during a conversation which passed between the bench and the bar, several of the Learned Counsel commented in rather forcible terms upon certain strictures which had appeared in some of the daily newspapers, with respect to the charge of the Learned Judge to the jury in summing up the evidence adduced in the case of Mrs. Tyrwhitt, who, it will be in the recollection of our readers, was tried for an al leged robbery at the Soho Bazaar, in Oxford-street, and acquitted of the charge. Mr. PAYNE, in allusion to a series of letters which ap peared in one of the morning journals, said that nothing in his opinion could be more self-evident than that every one of those letters, although with apparently different signatures, were one and all emanations from the same person. The Learned ASSISTANT JUDGE said he felt quite in different as to any remarks which might be made upon him elsewhere. FORTUNE-TELLING.--A repulsive•looking woman, named Keziah Marten, aged 33 years, was indicted for stealing a shawl, the property of Sarah White. This case presented the usual features of gullibility on the one side, and of artful and cunning deception upon the other. The prosecutrix, a remarkable pretty and interesting-looking girl, about 17 years of age, was in the service of a gentleman named Moore, who resided in the neighbourhood of Old Brentford, and on the 2d of the present month the prisoner went to Mr. Moore's house, and was brought by the prosecutrix into the kitchen. The prisoaer, after going through the usual cant and legerdemain with cards, which is one of the principal items of the stock in trade of such imposters, demanded some money. The poor simple girl replied that she had only 2d. about her, which she gave to the prisoner, who then said if the prosecutrix would have half-a-crown for her in five days she would come back at the end of that time and ensure her a most respectable and " likely" young man as a husband, with a large pro perty. At this time the shawl was lying upon a chair in the kitchen, and was missed almost immediately after the departure of the prisoner. Mr. O'BaitEN began a very lengthened address for the defence, by stating his belief that hie humble client would have as much justice done to her as the aristocrat who was decked with diamonds, and he hoped this prin ciple would over pervade British Courts of justice. Two verry respectable-looking persons gave the pri soner an excellent character for honesty and good conduct. The jury, after a short consultation, returned a ver dict of Guilty. The LEARNED Juno"' said he feared the prisoner was one of those artful and thieving imposters who roamed the country, living upon the credulity of young and foolish females. hie should respite judgment until the police made further inquiries as to her means of getting a livelihood, and if his first surmise were right, he should most assuredly inflict a severe punishment upon her. licitor, and Captain Palmer, in total ignorance of the order, was committed to Cork gaol, though in bad health, yet prepared to meet the order. The Master of the Rolls ordered the officer's immediate discharge, and that Mr. Mackinnon, M.P., should pay the costs of at tachment and motion. General Lord Combermere will preside at a grand provincial Freemasons' lodge, at Chester, on the 27th instant, St. John's-day. Captain H. Young, 24th, who recently attended the sick bed of a soldier's wife in Waterford, to afford spi ritual consolation, has entered into controversy with the Rev. E. Dalton, of that city, upon the paramount im portance of pure scriptural instruction, apart from the ceremonies of the Church of Rome. Effective strength o f th e 72d depot, under command of Brevet Li eu t. C o l one l M ac lean, 5 drumm ers an d pip ers , 210 ran at Cork-13 sergeants, rank and file. Recruiting -3 sergeants and 15 ditto. Captain Beauclerk, 7th Fusiliers, has joined at Gib- T UULLIEN'iI GRAND BAL Mlsclux.—The arrange raltar. vents made by M.. Jullien for the masquerade at Covent Lieut. Bourke, 17th, on the recruiting service at Mary- garden on Monday fully bore out the prospectus issued by borough, will succeed to the vacant company by the him in large capitals around the walls of the metropolis. death of Captain Lockhart. The decorations were exceedingly elegant ; a profusion Lieut. Edgar succeeds to a company in the 26th Regi- of flowers encircled, in most graceful gyrations, the ment. pillars ; and white and silver drapery was superadded to A company of the 85th arrived at St. Lucia, on the the already handsome adornments which have been 24th October. added to the interior of Covent garden by the taste of Captain Trevor, R.A., and Mr. White, arrived at Bar- M. Jullien. The orchestra was conveniently arranged badoes in the Tweed, from Southampton, on the 7th of at the upper end of the stage, and at the back an enor- November. mous glass reflected the gay and glittering throng which Lieut. Raines, Royal Artillery, arrived in the Imogene crowded every foot in front of it. An exceedingly ele at Barbadoes on the 4th ult. gent illumination, emblazoning the word " Polka," glit- The son of Lieut. Aggas, Ist West India Regiment, tered over the orchestra. The assemblage was enor was drowned at Jamaica on the Ist ult. mous, so much so as to leave scarce space for dancing in. LATE BRITIIII4 LEGION.—A committee of officers has A large proportion of the gentlemen were in plain clothes; been formed, and is in correspondence, through Sir none, that we saw, of those who had donned costumes de Lacy Evans, with the Secretary of State for Foreign eenled to take mad; trouble to rlstain them. Affairs, respecting the compensation, and his Lordship = DUNJELD.—AFFECTING INCIDENT.—On Friday has shown every attention ; and in his last cummunica- evening se'nnight a very melancholy and affecting cir tion he informs them that he had instructed the British cumstance happened in the little N illage of Cotlea, nearly Minister at Madrid again to urge upon the Spanish opposite Murthly, on the north bank of the Tay. A Government the immediate settlement of it. Mr. Bulvver, wedding party belonging to the neighbourhood were it is said, has obtained a settlement. pass i ng th roug h the village, some of who m , accor di ng An cld soldier of the Lth, discharged in 1784, visited to a most dangerous and foolish practice that still the regiment at Belfast, this week, when the officers and prevails in some parts et the country, had pistols men subscribed twenty guineas for the veteran warrior, along with them, for the purpo3o of ann awing who had so many years ago served in the ancient " Gos- the happy event of a marriage by firing them lings," or " Fighting Fifth." opposite every house they passed. When the report The 1;0th, at Cawnpore, lost a captain and two lieu- of the pistols was heard, several of the villagers tenants within a month. The last death is that of Capt. of Cotlea, with candles in their hands—the even- James, which promotes Lieut. Enoch, son of Capt. Enoch, ing being dark—came to their doors to witness the gay of the 23d, deputy assistant-quartermaster-general at the party. When it arrived, one of those who had a pistol, Horse Guards, to a company. either accidentally, or wishing to blow out a candle The death of Lieut. Considine ' 63d, who was in orders w hi c h a y oung woman was h o ldi ng , di sc h arge d it, w h en for trial by court-martial at Bellary, is announced. the contents—wadding and powder—poured into her There is to be a grand military steeple chase meeting eye, and completely blew it out from the socket. The at Northampton in March, patronised by the officers of sad event has caused a deep gloom over the whole neigh the Horse Guards, Royal Artillery, sth Dragoon Guards, bourhood, and, what renders it, if possible , still more dis 7th Hussars, 13th Light Dragoons, Coldstream Guards, t ress i ng , the young woman was standing beside her and 32d Regiment. sweetheart at the time. They were both intimately ac 16th Regiment, Cork Barracks.—The head quarters quainted with the bride and bridegroom, and were division of four companies, landed from Dublin, consist shortly to have been the principal actors in a similar of the following officers :—Captains Luxmore, Copinger, joyous party themselves. and Hudson; Lieutenants Cassidy, Goldie, Paymas- O ne o f o ur Paris correspondents gives u s th e terk, Kirk, '2l sergeants, 2 drummers, 285 rank and file, following intelligence :—The hotel of the English 46 women, 42 children, with the band, &c. Embassy promises to be the scene of great an3usetnent 32d Regiment—Four companies and head-quarters, this winter. A Sal costume is announced for the middle with their band and colours, marched from Richmond of January ; and private theatricals, by English amateurs, Barracks, Dublin, to Great Ship-street Barracks. They are in preparation, at NN hich it is said those only who are were played all the way by the band of the 73d Regi- learned in that language will be present. This oa dig has ment. Major Hill is commanding the 32d Regiment, spread dismay among those who are not versed in it; and Lieutenant-Colonel Markham being on leave of absence. I English masters have been put into immense requisition, sGth Regiment—Royal Barracks, Dublin, head-quar- I as every member of the elite is determined to found a ters and five companies. Recruiting—four sergeants and claim for admission by acquiring as much English as eight rank and file. Effective strength-43 sergeants, possible within a given time. The language of perfidious 17 drummers, and 780 rank and file. Albion was never so much in vogue; and we look upon 73d Regiment—Richmond Barracks, Dublin. Recruit. this introduction of a novel and patriotic ing-6 sergeants, 1 drummer, and 15 rank and file. the Embassy as a real stroke of diplomacyon the part t 2d Battalion Ist Royal DepOt, Enniskillen—Captain of the distinguished lady of the English Byrne and Ensign Deane are stationed with a company cannot give too much praise 0 the good taste and spirit at Ballyshannon. A recruiting party is ordered to march tic amusementdor; and at mbabsa with which these performances have been adopted and for Dublin, to embark, per steam-vessel for England utiertalion.—COWltkiirnOle LAW INTELLIGENCE. PRIVY COUNCIL, Dec. 16. THE LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR OF GUERNSEY. (Continued from our Afternoon Edition of yesterday.) Mr. ROEBUCK, Q.C. (with whom was Mr. Wadding ton), continued his argument on the part of the Crown, in defence of the Lieutenant-Governor. Ile commenced by referring to the opinion of the Procureur-General of the Island (who formed part, ex officio. of the Royal Court), which had been given as to the legality of the Lieutenant-Governor's conduct in respect to the depor tation of the Frenchman. The LORD CHANCELLOR thought the opinion could not be received as evidence ; but it might be read as part of the Learned Gentleman's argument. Mr. ROEBUCK then read that part which referred to the poiat at issue :—" We give our opinion that the Lieutenant-Governor has the power of sending any in dividual away whose sojourn here appears dangerous to the public peace. We believe many instances might be found of the exercise of this power on his part, though we cannot cite the cases, not having access to the books. But we believe it to be generally the received opinion that the Lieutenant-Governor has the power of sending away any alien from the island ; and that no alien can reside either in Guernsey or Jersey without the assent of the Lieutenant-Governor in each case." The Learned Gentleman then animadverted on the tone in which the Royal Court had asserted what he conceived their illegal and unfounded assumptions of power. They had spoken of the Lieutenant-Governor as having acted "in igno rance of the constitution," " contrary to his oath," and "in violation of the law." They actually asserted that the Crown had only reserved to itself political and mili tary power in the island, and that supreme civil executive power resided in themselves. It had positively been pretended, that registry by the Royal Court was neces sary to give effect and force, not only to writs of pardon, but to Orders in Council—nay, to Acts of Parliament. Mr. S. WORTLEY denied that the petitioners' counsel had ever asserted that Acts of Parliament had no force _ _ COURT OF CHANCERr, flee. 17 . The Lord Chancellor sat in Lincoln's Inn Hull to-day, and heard appeals, none of which were of the slightest importance, unless to the parties concerned. VICE-CHANCELLOR'S COURT, Dec. 17. . _ The Vice-Chancellor of England took causes to-day, bat no case involving any point of public interest came before his Honour. The Court will rise, fur the Christ mas vacation, on Saturday. (Before Sir J. K. BaucE.) URCII V. WALKER. In this case a demurrer was put in by a witness against being examined. The objections made by him were stated at greater length than the Court considered necessary, and his Honour now ordered an affidavit to be prepared, stating specifically what those objections were; the affidavit to be produced in court on Friday next. till so registered, but that it was the regular and legal practice so to register them. Mr. ROBBUCKdeclared, that till the Royal Court dis- tinctly relinquished that pretension he should assert that they pressed it, and he should prove that they did so. Les approbutions des lois (of the time of Elizabeth), rested upon, as conferring on the Royal Court such powers, only gave certain powers of regulating the in ternal affairs of the island ; and her Majesty had dis _ tin COURT OI QUEEN'S BENCH, Dee. 17. :Sittings at Nisi Prius, at the Guildhall, before Lord DENMAN and a London Special Jury.) TOTTIE V. HOLMES AND ALLEN. The plaintiff in this case is a civil engineer, and the defendants are attorneys, carrying on business in Bed ford-row. The action was brought to recover the amount of a bill sent in by the plaintiff to the defendants of 1,8061. 13s. 9d., for engineering, which he alleged he had been employed by the defendants to perform. It appeared that somewhere about the latter end of 1542, the de fendants, who were attorneys, thought it would be ad vantageous to form a railway to be called the Middlesex and Surrey Grand Junction Railway Company, and en tered into communication on the subject with the plaintiff, who was to be the engineer to the proposed company, and with a Mr. Smith, who was to be the secretary. The original plan was for a railway from Southall to Twickenham, with a branch to Richmond. Tottie was at that time about to leave the service of the Eastern Counties Railway, and he undertook to make the survey. He then suggested that it would be advantageous to ex tend the railway so as to make it a junction railway, joining all the railways approaching the metropolis. The proposition was acceded to, and the surveys were made for the formation of a line from Harrow to Reigate, thus connecting the Birmingham, the Great Western, and the Dover lines. These surveys were deposited with the clerk of the peace. During this time the defendants had paid plaintiff 501. a month according to agreement, and he had received from them 6301. in all. The company was formed, and plaintiff was appointed engineer, but the scheme was finally given up in the beginning of the present year, and then the plaintiff had brought this action. The plans were put in, as were various letters which had passed between plaintiff and defendants. A witness, named Burleigh, who had been employed by plaintiff, proved that the work had been done ; and Mr. Braithwaite, the engineer to the Eastern Counties Rail way, deposed that the plans were most carefully exe cuted, and that the charges were such as were usually made. For the defence, it was contended that the 6301. which had been paid to the plaintiff by defendants was all that he was entitled to by agreement, inasmuch as it was proved from his letters that he hacl agreed to take 501. a month, as the amount of his expenses from the de fendants, and that he looked for his profits to the pro posed company. He had undertaken to make the sur veys in the hope of being appointed engineer to the company, in the same manner as the defendants had undertaken the legal portion of the business in the hope of becoming solicitors to the proposed company, and as Mr. Smith had executed his duties in the hops of being appointed secretary ; and therefore he had no etuirn upon defendants beyond the 501. a month, which le had agreed to accept for the expenses incurred, and which they had regularly paid him. the course of his speech, Mr. MARTIN, who ap peared for the defendants, read several documents signed by plaintiff, one of which stated that he should look to the Provisional Board of Directors, as soon as such should be formed, for his remuneration ; and another, that, in consideration of a note of hand from Messrs. Allen and Holmes for 100/, which he had received, he exonerated. them from all liabilities up to that date. At the conclusion of Mr. Martin's address, the ju r y intimated that they were prepared to deliver their ver dict; and a hint was thrown out by Lord Denman as to the possibility of coming to some settlement. A con sultation took place, and it was ultimately arranged that. a juror should be withdrawn. ictly reserved to herself and her successors, as she could not avoid doing, all her regal prerogatives. He should argue, however, that the Queen of England could not divest herself of the prerogative of pardon in any part of her dominions without an Act of Parliament, that the island had been annexed (by conquest) to the realm, and formed part of the dominion of England, and sub jected to the laws of England and the prerogative of the Crown. But he contended that on the true construction of the ancient customs of Normandy, as set forth in the Conmentaries of Terrier (confirmed by the authority of Warburton's Laws of Guernsey), combined with the approbations des lois in the legal operation of the royal letters of pardon, was declared to be, de facto, the libera tion of the prisoner. The words were, " Les lettres de pardon, remission, ou grace, du Prince ou Reine d'Angle terre, sont accept6's ici, et deffait a mettre les criminels en liberte selon la tenour des dites lettres." The LORD CHANCELLOR—What construction do you put on the phrase—" soot accepteii et deffait A mettre des criminels," &c. ? Mr. ROEBUCK—" Are considered, de facto, to set the prisoners at liberty." Mr. S. WORTLEY denied this construction of the phrase " deffait," as a Norman translation of de facto. The LORD CHANCELLOR intimated that something might turn on the import of the word " acceptees," ac cording to the usages of the island. Mr. ROEBUCK proceeded to observe, that though the claims of the Royal Court professed to be founded on the " Constitutions of John," they had adduced no in stances of letters of pardon registered earlier than 1641. Why ? Because their books, which had been searched, presented, no earlier authorities for their claim, though numerous writs of pardon existed on the records of the island before 1641—a pregnant proof this, that their claim was unfounded. The instances which had been cited, however, also proved this claim unfounded. They tended to show, that the prisoners before they had regis tered their pardons" had been discharged;" instead of their registering the pardons in order to be discharged. The writs, too, were addressed to the governors. Now, in the case at issue, a man having been sentenced by the Royal Court to a term of imprisonment had been com mitted to prison. The Royal Court had discharged their junctions, which were judicial. Once in prison, the man was in the custody of the Executive—that is, of the Crown. The prison was her Majesty's. The gaoler was the servant of the Crown. He had been appointed by the Governor—by the last Governor, Sir W. Keppell (since whose time there had been only a Lieutenant - Governor), and had continued in the office since. He gave a security that he would surrender to the Royal Court any prisoners to be tried ; but once tried and sen tenced, he held them for the Crown. The terms of the bond were, "par deliverance en justice"—i.e., to trial. In this case there had been no interference with the course of judicial proceeding. On this point the Learned Counsel cited Warburton. The King's Prevot was to bring the prisoners before the Court, " and to see its sentence executed"—that is, to see them put into prison, or hanged, Ste. Mr. S. WoaTetv—lle is to see the sentence com pleted ; he must be responsible for their custody. Mr. ROEBUCK—No, no. lie cannot so much as enter the prison. The Learned Counsel went on to argue that this claim of the Royal Court, undoubtedly shackling and fettering the exercise of the Queen's prerogative, raised the question whether any Sovereign of England could, without the authority of Parliament, so shackle the prerogative. He contended that this could not be done according to the laws and constitution of England, as laid down by Lords Coke, Hale, &c. Those high au thorities, confirmed by " Berry's History of Guernsey," showed the island to be under the dominion of the Crown, and to form part of the realm of England. The royal prerogative, therefore, must prevail in the island, as in any other part of the country. He also cited " Ryley's Pleadings in Parliament," pages 467-9. " Justices itinerant " had sat in the island under the Royal Commission, as in England. The Barons of the Cinque Ports and of the County Palatine of Chester had made claims akin to those now urged by the Royal Courts of Guernsey and Jersey, and they had been disallowed. The fact wa s, in all these cases the " Royal Charter " had conferred no more than the usual powers and privileges of corporations of such a cha racter. These jurisdictions were under the sovereignty of England, and subject to the prerogatives of the Crown of Englaid, instead of being, as the Royal Court pre tended, part of some foreign sovereignty, under some sort of independent separate powers, and laws and usages. In the 4th Institute, Lord Coke had laid it down that the King could not, without an Act of Par liament, divest himself of any portion of the imperial prerogatives, among which he enumerated the writ of pardon ; and if the Queen was so ill advised as to issue letters patent" (as Coke called them), granting to any body the power of " verifying" her writs of pardon, Scc., and the privilege of not obeying them till so verified, the charter would to that extent he null and void. Sir S. LusurrioToN wa understood to draw a distinc tion between countries conquered, and merely annexed by treaty. Mr. ROEBUCK remarked that the islands of Guernsey and Jersey had been re-conquered by English sovereigns subsequently to the forfeiture of Normandy to France. Mr. BURGE—But he also alleges the King of England's seisin of those islands to be a good seisin (pars pro twito) of the whole duchy. Mr. ROEBUCK considered that a curious principle. He, however, admitted that Coke conceived the islands not part of the realm of England, though subject to the Crown of England; giving as his reason that writs from Chancery ran not out of the jurisdiction of Chancery. But it was enough for this ease that the islands were under the Crown of England, subject to the prerogatives of the Crown. Sir S. LUSHINGTON—Do you contend that the prero gative of pardon is similar to that of declaring peace or war, and is coextensive with it ? Mr. ROKBUCK—Certainly. Lord Coke affirms it to be, " Omni, soli, et server," Sir S. LUSISINGTON-.41113 argument is a most mo mentous one, Let me clearly comprehend your proposi tion. Is it, that whenever the Crown of England be comes possessed (at the close of war, by peace, Ex.) of a foreign country, there the great prerogatives of the Crown instantaneously, and without any qualification, attach ? " Omni, soli, et semper" are large and compre hensive words, certainly. But lot me put a ease. Sup pose we reconquered what we now call " British" Guiana, and that previously the right of pardon had been in some other jurisdiction than the Crown's, would the royal pre rogative of pardon directly prevail ? Mr. ROEBUCK cited Lord Coke, 4th Institute, pages 356 and 357. At the same time, he admitted that Lord Mansfield, in his judgment in the great case of the island of Grenada, had appeared to consider that some of the principles laid down, on the authority of Coke might be worthy of revision. This, however, was dis tinctly laid down, by Coke, that the Sovereign could not grant away by charter any part of the royal prerogatives, and that even by Act of Parliament it could not be done by implication. Now ho affirmed the language of les approbation: des lois, appealed to, as proving a grant of this privilege now claimed for the Royal Court, could only lee conceived as conferring the privilege by way of implication, if at all ; for it was only a general approval of the customs of the island, which, according to the Norman usages and laws, were said to justify the claim. It was of the highest importance for the protection of the liberty of the subject, that, in an island where a peculiar local jurisdiction existed, with no right of appeal save to the Queen in Council, the royal writ of pardon should not he rendered nugatory by a privilege of disregarding it until that local court should choose to register it. Let it be observed, that the claim was made equally as to writs, Orders in Council, and even Acts of Parliament— all were placed in the same category ; yet, from the time of Charles 11. downwards, whenever the Royal Court had presumed, in reference either to Orders in Council or Acts, to claim that its registry was a condition precedent to their validity, the Council had (so lately in one case as the governorship of Sir J. Doyle) peremptorily di rected the Court to regard them as binding on the island, independently altogether of the registry, which was only for convenience. Mr. S. WORTLEY referred to the order of the time of' Charles 11. (set forth in " Duncan's History of Guernsey") as expressing that the Court had only acted under an erroneous impression. Mr. ROEBUCK read the order at length. Tho Argu ment bad been placed on the same foe.ties with respect to acts of Parliament and Re„yai writs. Now, he cone tended that the c•l4im, as admitted to be groundless with respect to Acts of Parliament, and as shown by precedents since Charles IVA time to have been dis regarded and overruled by the Crown in Council with regard to Ordors Council, must be equally groundless as to r9p.l. write of pardon, it being by law as impossible - Mr. Watson conducted the plaintiff's case, and Mr. Martin appeared for the defendants. COURT OF COMMON PLEAS, Dec. 17. (Sittings in London.) MANGNALL V. M'ALPIN. The Court was again occupied the whole morning with this ease; and a great number of witnesses frora Bolton, Glasgow, and other manufacturing towns, were examined for the plaintiff, to establish that, until Brid son's invention (the plaintiff's patent), the diagonal or elastic finish was giveh to muslin goods by hand only- The special jury in the next cause, Gibbs (the Lora Mayor) v. Flight, were directed to attend to-morrow (this) morning. ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE. MIDLAND ClRCUlT.—Nottinyharn, flee, ig. (Before Mr. Justice PATTESON.) TIIE LATE RAILWAY ACCIDENT AXBEESTON. This morning. on his Lordship taking his seat upon, the bench, Robert Lightfoot, station-master at Nottingham, eras arraigned on the coroner's inquisition for that he, on the 21st of November last, in the pariah of St. Mary's, did kill and slay John Dean. The prisoner, in a firm and distinct voice, pleaded Not. Guilty. RoZ.ert Lightfoot and Jonathan Raven, station-ma -Oar at Beeston, were then arraigned on the coroner's inquit sition for manslaughter, the former as causing the death of James Bolestridge, the latter as being present, aiding; and assisting therein. It will be remembered the grand jury F,r the 'mg ignored this bill on Saturday. Both prisoners having pleaded Not Guilty, Mr. WILDMAN, who held the brief for the prosecution, stated that in that case the jury were aware the bill had been thrown out, and under those circumstances it was not usual, unless there were some peculiarities about a case, to proceed with the same inquiry. Cer tainly he (Mr. Wildman) did not find any circum stances in the present case that would justify him in departing from the usual course, as his own opinion was, that if the inquiry was proceeded with he could not reasonably expect, after consuming a great quantity of time, to lay before them such facts as would induce them to come to the conclusion that beyond all reasonable doubt the prisoners had been guilty of gross and culpable negligence, and if there had been nothing more than an error of judgment, it would of course be their duty to find a verdict of acquittal, He (the Learned Counsel), on looking at the evidence, could not but feel that in that case, although the pri soner Lightfoot might have been guilty of an error of judgment, still it was an error of judgment in which hia own life was as much risked as that of any other person, for it appeared that so far from wishing to neglect his duty, he left the place where he might have continued, and exposed his own person in order to prevent the possibility of a disaster occurring, which it was no part of his duty to prevent. Under these circumstances, feeling Mr. Lightfoot might have been, and perhaps was, the cause of the accident under a most unfortu nate error of judgment, still it was impossible for bins (Mr. Wildman) to say on his own private opinion that the prisoner had been guilty of culpable negligence ; therefore, he should not offer any evidence against him, and it would be the duty of the jury to find a verdict of not guilty. Mr. Justice PATTESON observed, there being no evi dence offered, the jury could do none other but return a verdict of acquittal in favour of both parties. The Foreman of the Jury—Not Guilty, my Lord, Mr. MILLER, who, with Mr. Mr. Macaulay, acted as counsel for Mr. Lightfoot, said he had the honour to appear on behalf of Mr. Lightfoot, and he fully believed that had the inquiry proceeded he was in possession of facts which would have shown that in that case, as in all others, he had acted as a faithful servant of the company. and that his conduct was not only not culpable, but highly meritorious. He (Mr. Miller) had an application to make to his Lordship, which application was, that Mr. Lightfoot might be discharged instanter, and restored to liberty, to society, and to his friends. As a member of society, as the father of a family, his character was dear to him—it was dear also to that family and those friend; and he did hope his Lordship, who knew the facts of the case, would be enabled to state publicly that his (th* Learned Counsel's) client left that court without a stain upon his character. Mr. Justice ParrEsolt then addressed Mr. Light foot as follows :—Mr. Robert Lightfoot, you understand the proceeding in this case ; that there was an indict dictment preferred respecting the death of James Bole stridge, to the grand jury of the town of Nottingham., which indictment they ignored. No evidence is oilseed against you with reference to the coroner's inquisitio* which sat on the body of James Bolstridge, and none will be offered, I dare say, in the case of Dean ; indeed, I think it probable no bill will be preferred in !kat ease, but that WAS in the county. Mr, WILDMAN—No, my Lord, no bill Will be pre ferred. Mr. Justice RarrEsoN—Then the Tecognisanees may be discharged, so there is an end to thi s prosecution. -I am very glad this inquiry has taken place. lam quite sure what the Learned Counsel for the prosecution has stated is correct t Itnd judging from the circumstances that have actually occurred —looking at everything that has taken place—it is impossible to say there was sally thing grer.,ter than an error in judgment. Certainly thew is no ground for saying there was that culpable and gross negligence which would autlioriso a eonvi e .. tion fur manslaughter. I thought so when I read titre depositions in the first instance, and I think so atilL. am quite clear that is the law, and the facts warmat us in coming to that conclusion. lam quite sure that the termination of this prosecution is that which law and Justice fully require. I cannot pretend ti *7 them to grant away any part of the royal prerogative as to give the right of dispensing with an Act of Par liament. The Learned Counsel then pr, seeded to argue that in a constitutional, as well as i n a legal„point 'of - lk. view, it was very important that th e judiciarloand :tho.,-. ---, executive powers should be kept separate n'ali:it' inOtt ____?-5--Xs.`44)‘, e When a man had been judicially sentence( ' . ;:is r p..t - ,_0,•;:,,:,A", ment of the sentence was one of the fu . ' siir - A - etr e t - k': executive; therefore, if the Crown office ~ 14 • 4,i6 Governor) had the custody of the prisone . ii A 4 ____—:: ----7 in enforcing his liberation, as he had do t.tial: „. .„ _ __ 4st\ it ru ~.._, authority of the Crown. In conclusion, t __ ~., Gentleman intreated their Lordships—recolle • -,ibes Siktt,-' 4 ) feelings which had been excited in the couriO:lif this' contest—would in their decision N indicate the Lieu tenant-Governor, without giving a triumph to one party or the other. Mr. WADDINGTON followed on the same side. The Learned Counsel's arguments were not concluded when the Council rose. At its rising the Council adjourned till Wednesday.