The Sun. — London, England, 1839-12-27 00:00:00

EVENING FIDITION. ' i der how they could ever have so deemed of sounds so 1 unusual and thrilling," This is not prophecy, but a judgment founded upon knowledge of the moral con stitution of mankind ; and we hope the day will yet be seen in England when, under the guidance of the Catho lic Anglicen Church, the combination of rational liberty, with rational submission to authority, will be better un deratood, both in things sacred and in things secular, • than it is at present. (From the Morning Herald.) The speech of the King of the French, on opening the session of the Legislative Chambers, though strongly resembling our own royal speeches of modern times in f .ring drawn up with a view rather to conceal than to i cnmrnunicate information, and to escape from all definite re , ,an.ing in umbragecus generalities, yet contains one or two topics not undeserving of some observation. His '.Majesty says, " the eldest of my sons, in visiting this oar a great part of my kingdom, has observed wher . ,ver he has been a great supply of work, the progress of t :ndustry, respect for institutions, and obedience to the leas." To this passage there is nothing to object on the t ereund of its evincing a disinclination to be conzmunica- The only objection is, that what it does communi eoe appears not to be in accordance with the truth. If , i :t he, then have the accounts of extensive distress, want ,•. of employment, discontent and misery in France, which its % e formed of late a considerable portion of the corm ; : sp, :dense from that country to the London press, no r".,,,i Anion in fact ; nor has there been any truth in what has 'item stated of bread-riots in a country which has , Corn-laws. Then is there no truth in a constant accession of desperate plots to overturn a Government :i.ended upon a revolution only ten years old—to pluck trout the brows of a " Citizen King" a crown placed . thrse by the ha n d o f a " tr i ump h ant peop l e. " Then 16 there no truth in the statements of extraordinary ,:•,- , e sutions taken by the Government to baffle formi ' .e bands of conspirators, incessantly endeavouring to ,: ~g ?are and liberty once more into a revolutionary 1 - dos, in a land where the monuments of the " mar ' tsa red heroes of the glorious days of July" are annually xiecoratcd under royal auspices, and the public peace is guarded by a vast army of centralized police, con ! neeted with the most vigilant system of espionage which tine that of R uss i a, can gay G overnment , not exce pting; iioast. L e t us h ear t h e King again. " Our flag, i n con _ cert with that of Great Britain, faithful to the sprit of that ' , mien so a dvantageous to the interests of the two counerics, has watched over the independence and the 1 i-e.ernediate security of the O ttoman emp i re. " This is di‘isibleinto two propositions—the one, that the French and English flags float in the most harmonious concert together, giving to the world an example of amicable union between two ancient rivals for the sovereignty of the seas,—the one, the beaten , the other, the victorious rival ; quite edifying to behold. We ileet that the friendly alliance between the French and iEnglish flags, like the free trade system which our t political economists opened between the two nations, is 1 founded on the principle of a one-sided reciprocity ; that 1 is, that the French get all the advantages of the alliance, and the English are favoured in return with nothing but insults. The intimate union spoken of in Louis Phlippe's speech is curiously illustrated by the recent t outrage committ e d b y F renc h o ffi cers on that flag at the Mauritius, where they deliberately thrust it below the flag of all tuitions. No wonder it must be offensive to their sight, for it bears on it the glorious recollections of many immortal achievements humiliating to the national vanity of Frenchmen, concluding with the crowning I; Victories of the Nile and Trafalgar. The " meteor ii flag of England," neither when it "burns terrific" amid 1 the tempest of battle, or idly waves on the summer gale of peace, can Frenchmen look upon with anything like satisfaction. Our pusillanimous Government having al- ilowed that once glorious flag to be insulted with impunity by our Francis allies at Podendiek, at Mexico, and '1 at other places, we cannot wonder at the length to ' which French men t h ought themselves safe in going in i flinging contempt on that flag at the Mauritius. More i: enibelderied than ever must French insolence become, i when it is learned that Captain Driver, for resenting !lie insult so wantonly cast upon his country's flag, leis been compelled by the British Governor to apolo gise ; while from the offending Frenchman no atone , merit has been exacted. With regard to the other proposition, that France watches over the independence 'id security of the Ottoman empire, what is to be said, seeing that France has been engaged for upwards or :en years past in the work of dismembering the Otto , , u.en t , empire. Alrwdy the " Napoleon of Peace" has melded the Turkish dependency of Constantine to the I ether Turkish dependencies of Algiers, which the Go , prernent of Charles X. had reduced, and a most ex tensive plan of conquest is prosecuted along the African ::ores of Mediterranean. in II 'grant violation of the so semis promise given by the French Government to our own, not to make any conquests or permanent settle -ants in that part of the world. The allusion which t. •ee speech contains to the affairs of the East is ex ec, dingly vague and general. But on the Eastern ~ .i u rstion we have so lately treated at some length in reference to the new " mystification" of those ?ffiirs, ennoected with the mission of the Baron de Brunow to this country, that we need not say more upon that subject at present. Neither need we dwell upon ' the notice which the speech takes of the situation of Spa;rs„ Neither the finessing of Louis Philippe, nor Inc.; " British legions" of Lord Palmerston, nor the " ltrategi,c talents" of Espartero, had the slightest ;voct in pacifying the northern provinces of that die '. ~. .:ted kingdom, until a INlaroto appeared in the field. New, indeed, that the northern provinces are pacified, opportunity seems to offer for the general pacification of Spain by the intervention, not of the armed forces, but the good offices of other Governments, which, by ; putting a final end to a cruel and demoralising conflict, ii would save much suffering to humanity ; but let us add ' that no plan for the pacification of Spain can be just or t likely to be successful which does not provide for the great natural resources of Spain being made available to the payment of its debts ; for Spain has ample means, if properly and honestly managed, to enable it to retrieve its national faith by satisfying the claims of I its British and other foreign creditors. "In America," says Louis Philippe, " the Mexican Government has fulfilled its engagement of the treaty which I have j terminated with that republic. The blockade of the 1 ports of the Argentine Republic still retains one of our i squadrons. F res h forces hlye been direct e d to t hi s 1 distant point, in order to hasten the satisfaction which is due to us." Thus, again, we see the " Napoleon of Peace" engaged in active hostilities against South American re p u bli can i sm. " I called, " said Canning, i " the new world isto existence to redress the balance of 1 the old." It was at the best but an absurd boast ; but it now becomes perfectly ridiculous, when we see the ) " Citizen-King of France " vanquishing one of those re publican states after another, without disturbing the ' " balance of the old world " at all. As to the home 4 affairs of France, the speech ends as it began, with an ) allusion to them, in which they are painted rose-colour, az a time when plots and rumours of plots are as rife as ever—at a time when the independent expression of public opinion excites a degree of terror in the mind of the " Citizen-King" equal to anything which is wit- I , nessed in the most despotic countries--at a time, too, when the " Napoleon of Peace" cannot proceed to open the Legislative Chambers without the whole garrison of Paris being put under arms, and the Royal procession being guarded by a force of horse, foot, and artillery, which gives to this solemnity more the appearance of a conqueror traversing a vanquished country, than the elected Sovereign of a " free State," proceeding to open :.I peace, among a l oya l an d affectionate people, the temple of national legislation. (From the Times.) The public have been importuned for some weeks Nst by a series of snarling paragraphs in those news v pets which are understood to receive their instruc . 'ons from Downing-street, the avowed purpose of all 'etch bitterness being., to hold up Sir Robert Peel to censure, for not having formally disclaimed a course of political Extravagance, in the shape of either declarations er projects, which it has pleased the Radical and Romish partisans, out of the abundance of their own Chris . roan charity, to impute to that Right lion. Gentleman. 'hr Robert Peel is abused by these persons for ee telling the world what he means to do, and what P means no;; to do, with regard to certain questions t ,hich at the same time have not been raised by him, or even suggested or glanced at with his cognizance or connivance ; and all manner of insulting epithets 6 4 arc bestowed u p on hi m f or the " meanness, " and " du i p , icity," an d " cowar di ce, " and so forth, which deters I ' him from speaking out upon such matters, and letting icil ‘ the wor ld k now al l he thinks. There is only one . 'rin g which we shall insist upon as very certain touch , l'g these writers and their attempts upon the reputa tion of Sir Robert Peel, viz.—that they must think their readers, or be themselves, a set of " enormous" li.ockheads. 'What right can one man pretend to over the tree-agency of another, by virtue of which he can require the latte r to adopt or to disavow any scheme o f proceeding, however absurd or iniquitous, that rnay be made a topic of discussion amongst third p irtiC l , unauthorized by him to whom the requisition • is directed ? One impuilent fellow charges Sir Robert „ p ee l with a desig n to oppress the Irish Roman 4 C a th o lics, to repeal the E mancipation Bill, to let the Orangemen loose upon " the people of Ireland," to Iprovoke . " the people of Ir e l and " to rebellion, and to commit a long list of nameless atrocities, among which , r not. many days ago was specifically mentioned that of 1 "poisoniny the Queen '." Then, because the Right lion Baronet looks calmly down upon such formidable accusations, instead of solemnly denying their veracity, ( whole pailfuls of Billingsgate are launched at his head, land the logical conclusion is come to, that the charges Imust be well founded. Why, at this rate, it is withi n the compass of the most paltry vagabond, the veriest scoundrel of the community, to put the first characters in the land on their trial ; and for what ? Not for things which they have done, or words which they base spoken, or offences of any description to which, ,tireetly or indirectly, they themselves were parties, but - fur the acts or expressions of other men, uttered or attempted in their absence, without their acquies cence or tl eir privity, with which they had no more concern than what daily takes place in Japan ; and .it die statesmen who are objects of such preposterous :z \l '• 4- ! ^t ..i TUE SUN, LONDON, FRIDAY, DECEMBJ4R, 27 1539 accusations fail to enter an appearance, and formally to exculpate themselves from that of which they arc I not only innocent, but entirely ignorant, they are at once brought in guilty by theii• honest accusers, discharging simultaneously the functions of Judges. Thus Mr. 8., or Mr. It., attacks the profligate por tion of a certain Household as injurious to morality, out:agensta to decency, and pernicious to the national wvdrare. This is twisted into an offence against the Queen ; and Sir R. Peel, who has no more to do with it than the Bishop of London, is called upon to disavow Mr. R. or B. on pain of being condemned For a crime little short of high treason. Mr. Emerson Tennent, or M r . M or timer O'Sullivan, or Mr. H. Al‘Neile, delivers a speech expressive of that hieb and earnest Protestant feeling, which has heretofore, under Providence, saved this mighty empire from destruction, and which it now behoves more especially than at any former period, every patriotic Eng lishman to enforce and to promulgate amongst all whose sympathy he can hope to gain ; when, no sooner have the sentiments of these able, honest, and conscientious men been circulated, than they are distorted into a spirit of offensive warfare against Popery —itself the grand, original, and never-ceasing aggressor upon the rights and liberties of all mankind ; and because Sir Robert Peel and the Duke of Wellington do not bolt forward to rebuke and reprobate the strong reli gious spirit of those independent gentlemen, it is with signal modesty assumed by the Papists that one of the first acts of the forthcoming Peel Administration will be to rescind the Act of 1829 for abolishing the Romish disabilities ! Yet Sir Robert Peel is the last man living to deserve this paltry molestation. He has proclaimed aloud, and repeatedly, his determination to stand by the Bill of 1829—t0 stand by the Reform Bill of 1832—t0 administer justice with impartial reverence for the rights secured by law to all individuals and all sects--to maintain inviolate the privileges and posses sions of the Protestant Established Church, the illus trious guardian of our civil and religious freedom. He has not bound himself to pack the bench of justice, to turn every mischievous disturber of the peace into a justice of the peace, or to reward the grand persecutor of the Protestant Church, the inveterate reviler and slanderer of England, the agitator for Popish ascendancy, the repealer of the Union, the cru sader against the Imperial Crown, by making him Chief Baron of her Majesty's Exchequer, which was once already offered, and which, if again, as rumour states it to be offered, will not be a second time refused. We quote two passages from recent speeches of O'Connell, indicating clearly the sort of spirit with which, as repre sented by the agitating Popery of Ireland, not Sir Robert Peel only, but any and every British Government, guided by constitutional principles, will have henceforth to deal. Just listen to the abject sycophant of 1829, and judge how fit a subject he in ten years has proved himself for the bounties lavished on him by England : " The rabid denunciations of the Tories have created a necessity—an inevitable nece , sity—for the most energetic constitutional agitation to oppose their criminal and traitor ous designs ; and O'Connell will infuse into it all the vitality of his spirit." " It is impossible to avoid being disgusted with England. At no former period does the history of that country pre sent features so disgraceful to the character of its inhabi tants.—(Cheers.) Look at the Lords—the incorrigible assembly of dunces and dotards, treating the Commons, who are nominally, if not really, the people's representa tives, with every species of contempt; rejecting every be neficial proposition ; perpetuating and extending injustice and corruption of every kind, especially where Ireland is the party aggrieved.—( Hear.) There appears in the mass of the people of England, at present, no wish or no tion whatever of a proper system of representation. Pas sive slaves seem to preponderate in a fearful proportion. There are the Operative Conservatives' for you, feeling and professing an unextinguishable hatred for this country —and guided by whom? Why, by that very party which England had heretofore thought it necessary to hold in cock and distrust—the aristocracy of the country.—( Hear and loud cheers. )" The people of England are here plainly identified with the Tories, and the Lords, again, with the people of England, of whom, to do Lord Melbourne justice, he pronounced his brother peers to be a favourable speci men. But hear the language of this scurrilous rebel, this eager clutcher of the cha seat in the Exchequer, how he paints all England as " an object of disgust ;" her inhabitants at of a " disgraceful character ;" the mass of her people as " passive slaves." And yet Sir Robert Peel is denounced as an irreconcilable enemy to the " people of Ireland ;" because he may not, and we hope For his own honour will not, be as ready to court and bribe, and promote, the tools and dependents of this disloyal incendiary as the present Ministers have been. If Sir Robert Peel, in the discharge of his duty, shuns to patronize the O'Connell clique, the most brazen impudence cannot allege that it is because they are simply Roman Catholics. If those who are Papists happen also to be traitors and inciters to civil war, Sir Robert Peel, no doubt, will judge, and rightly judge, that their Popery is no defeazance of their treason. He will not encourage or promote such men —but he will reject them, not because they are Roman Catholics ; he will reject them for their disloyalty, not for their religion ; and in doing so he will hardly expose himself to the imputation cf " hating Ireland ." He will act in that respect on the principle which Lord Melbourne has himself assigned in justification of the disgraceful appointments made in so many instances under his authority. "We prefer," says the Noble Viscount and his subordinates, " those who agree with ua in opinion to those from whom we differ." So we trust will Sir Robert Pcel. The Melbourne Ministry promote Papists, Radicals, enemies of the Church, and partisans of rabble tyranny ; Sir Robert Peel, in re versing all this, will not go down to posterity as a foe to Ireland, or a violator of religious freedom. MONEY mIRKET awl CITY NEWS• (THURSDAY EVENING.) TlMES.—There are several matters introduced into the speech of the King of the French which have excited interest in the City. One the whole, the paragraph relating to Spanish affairs may be said to have raised the hopes of the speculators in Spanish stock: but they are much qualified by the wretched financial ad ministration of that country, under any state of things, which seems to make the prospects of the creditors bad, under almost any aspect of political affairs. It has been considered an important omission in the speech not to have alluded in any way to a reduction of the Five per Cents., of which every session of the French Chambers for several years past has uni formerly brought forward some new project. But it may be said for the city capitalists that they have had no expectation of such a measure, conceiving it to be so essentially unpopular in France, that the Government of Louis Philippe, in its present critical situation, could not with safety venture upon it. It is thought that, as a security, French stock has rather gained in character by what is said of the state of the finances, and indeed it is quite clear, that, supposing no political crisis to oc cur, the debt of France can hardly be said to be a burden upon her great natural resources. Commercial men have remarked the very cool and easy manner in which the proceedings in Mexico and South America are referred to, and renew, on this occasion, the com plaints which have been so frequently heard from them, of the utter remissness of their own Government to their interests and protection in that part of the world. The project of a law on the sugar question, which is announced, is looked for with much curiosity by the West Indian interest, who feel the very difficult situa tion in which they are now placed, and the danger they are exposed to, of having our vast means in that trade transferred to foreign nations. That the country should propose to take upon itself the completion of the great lines of railroad which have been commenced in France was luny anticipated, since it is notorious that, as pri vate commercial undertakings, they are threatened, for the most part, with a total loss. Indeed, there are some in this country, notwithstanding our much greater capital and activity of enterprise, which threatens to give way without some interference of that kind. It may be remarked on that subject, as the opinion of well informed men, that the lines of railroad in England will require, in the course of 1840, nearly 10,000,0001. ad ditional capital. Money, without being in any great request, still com mands interest at the rate of 6 per cent. per annum at the Stock Exchange, for short terms, The attendance of the members has been very scanty to-day, and the business done very limited. Console have remained without any variation at 92 to for the account, and Reduced 3 per Cents. at 90i and for money. Exche quer bills, ss. to 3s. discount. In the foreign house there has been a decline in the Dutch Two-and-a-Half per Cents., of which the opening quotation was 513-, and at the end of the day 52.4. Spanish Active closed also a shade lower than it opened, having been 254 and Y, and at the end of the day 25 and per cent., but the tenor of the King of France's speech appears to have had some influence upon its value. Portuguese Five per Cents., 33i to 4 ; the Three per Cents., 231 to 4 ; Brazilian, 71 to 2 ; Mexican, •284 to h ; Colombian, 244 to ; Belgian, 100 i to 1 The railway share market is pretty well sustained. London and Birmingham were 51 to 3 ; the quarter shares, 161 to 17 ; the new shares, 14} to lsi ; Manchester and Leeds, 7 to 9 ; the new shares, 5 to 7 premium ; Great Western, 7 to 6 ; the half shares, 4 to ai ; Brighton, 144 to 4 ; Blackwall, 2 to count ; Southampton, 39} to 40 per share. Great disappointment is felt in the city that the British Queen has not waited for the 'President's message, as Congress was to meet on the '2d, the day the British Queen sailed. It is said that the captain's orders were peremptory not to wait. The next de parture being a sailing vessel, there can be no exact calculat;on as to the time of its reaching England. The interest of this document was never greater than on this occasion, since it involves the fate, probably, of the whole banking system of the United States, with urlich so much British property and enterprise is connected. This arrival does not better the situation of the holder s of " United States" Bank shares ; on the contrary, the condition of that institntion is made Iworse, if possible, than before by the fact, which now clearly appears, that the other banks in Pennsylvania, but for their entanglement with Biddle's bank, would be able, in a very short time, to resume specie pay ments, while of that bank not the least prospect of the kind is said to exist. The weight which keeps it down, and is likely to do still, is the cotton speculations and the large assets in state stocks and local un dertakings, which are utterly unsaleable. The Girard Bank, out of which its founder realised a for tune of 10,000,000 dollars is the only other Pennsyl vania Bank said to be unable to resume specie pay ments. In one calculation made of the prospects of Biddle's Bank, one is, that a loss of 40 per cent. upon 13,000,000 dollars, that is 6,800,000 will be incurred on securities held of the southern banks and states, and this, independently of the losses in cotton, protested bilk and bad debts in New Orleans and elsewhere. The certainty of the continuance of specie payments by the New York Banks is now fully established, but the increased facilities which that is said to have given to the merchants of that city are only comparative, since money is still quoted at from 1 to per cent. per month. The following singular transaction of a loan is re corded in the Sangame Journal, one of the American papers received by the British Queen. It is headed " the Great Loan," authorized, as appears, by the State of Illinois, and managed as follows :—The State agents, Rawlins and Oakley, contracted to transmit to Messrs. Wright and Co., of London, sterling bonds to the value of 4,000,000 dollars, the agents at the time of this con tract being in this city. Upon the deposit of these bonds the house of Wright and Co. agreed to make advances at the rate of 10,0001. per month, until such advances should amount to 50,0001. To recover them selves they were authorized to sell the bonds at the rate of 901. per 1001. bond ; if 95/. could be obtained, they were entitled to take the 51. surplus by way of commis sion ; for all the sales effected above that price the amount was to be credited to the State. The original sums advanced were not to be exceeded, unless the sale of the bonds should succeed, in which event ad vances were to be continued in proportion. The State, therefore acquires the certain possession of 50,0001. against bonds thus hypothecated to the extent of 4,000,000 dollars. or about 800,000/. When a Mr. Tilson, who, it seems, was associated with the two other agents in this business, became acquainted with the facts here stated, he is said to have served upon his colleagues a written protest against their proceedings. Such is the reckless way in which the States of the Union authorize loans and raise money. POST.—There was so very little doing at the Stock Exchange to-day, either in the home or foreign securi ties, that the quotations for the moment must in most cases be considered almost entirely nominal. Dutch tock was lower, owing to the changes which have taken place in the Ministry at the Hague, and the concessions which would appear to have been made to the popular party by the limitation of the sum demanded for the purposes of the executive for the year 1840 to the actual amount required for imme diate appropriation, this being the course taken by the new pro tcrnpore, Minister of Finances. We hava no direct arrival from Holland, but the Antwerp paper, Journal du Commerce, of yesterday's date mentions that in the sitting of the Se con d * Chamber of the States-General on the 22d instant, fifty Members having opposed the Ministerial project for raising fifty six million florins, the King was besought to take the measure into further consideration ; and that during the sitting of the-following day a message was received from his Majesty accompanied by another project of law, proposing the inscription in the great book of the na• tional debt a capital of 15.752,000fi0rins at 5 per cent. interest, the same being presented for the adoption of the Chamber in consequence of the rejection of the above. Letters received this morning from Lancashire men- tion that trade in that part - of the country is very sluggish. Money was easier, and reports were cur rent of a Liverpool capitalist having stated that he should be ready to discount bills at the rate of 5 per cent. interest at the commencement of the new year. Still there was much local distress, and it is feared tha Gazelle may presently afford but too much con firmation of the fact. The anti-Bank of England people are, we are informed, making preparations for a fresh campaign, but it is added that they can not obtain by any means all the support they had calcu lated upon. It is well known that there exists a sort of union, or club, who profess to look after the interests of the joint-stock banks of the whole country, but it is not so well known that this body (the club or union) consists virtually of one single hustling individual in the metropolis who is charged with the management of an establishment of that order. It appears that they have bored some of the country joint-stock banks into be coming subscribers, and they profess to meet occa sionally to deliberate upon circumstances affecting the banks in question ; yet certain it is that the most respect able among the joint-stock bankers are not members, and that, of those who arc so, the more influential never by any accident attend. The business of the association is left entirely to the discretion of a few empty-pated spouters, who are of course under the guidance of the one person alluded to. They have, under the pretence of explaining the law, given publicity to the " quips and quirks" by which dishonest creditors may cheat their bankers, the effect of which is to put such creditors in possession of a knowledge they "right not otherwise be able to acquire without the intervention of an attorney. They are making a dead set at the M.P.'s of their dis tricts, and if the Joint-stock Banks were, or ever could ba, united as one, they would present a formidable front ; but the views of different banks are so various, that disunion necessarily prevails in the camp, and hence the object now is to moot some of the points upon which they are divided, especially as to the issue of notes. The non-issuing banks, except, perhaps, one or two of the London establishments, are unconnected with this association. The manager of a broken-down con cern in Lancashire was very active as a Committeeman in the metropolis, and would be so again but for the serious disclosure of loss in his own shop, which cir cumstance has served to keep his matchless impudence in some degree of subjection. The branch question is a sad bone of contention among the wise heads of the conclave. Some have only one establishment, and prefer that there should be no addition to it. They have, accordingly, no idea of being annoyed by branches from a distar.ce. With regard to capital and other matters, over which Parliament can have but little control, there is a total and irreconcile able diversity of feeling, each being of course ens moured of his own particular system and regulation. '1 he opinion of well-advised persons on the spot is, that nothing will be done next Session in favour of parties whose views and interests have so little in common one with another. Yet there seems to be no doubt • that much will be attempted. The great misfortune is, that bankers who have a good legitimate business to attend to have not the time, even had they the inclination, to be running back wards and forwards on parliamentary committees, so that the whole will be left to the prating blockheads who allow themselves to do the bidding of the one man. Government are aware of the movements of this con• temptible set of bank agitators, and, weak and concili ating as they are, on many questions connected with commerce, we are told they will turn a deaf ear to the representations of their tormentors as long as they pos sibly can. An independent Ministry might, and ought, however, to prefer grappling at once with the enemies of private credit. The interview which the committee of South American bondholders had on Saturday last with Senor Mosquera, in Dorset-place, had no important result. He repeated his opinion, that New Granada, so far as that State is interested in the proposed arrangement, could make no offer of a less objectionable character than that which has already been submitted for the consideration of the bondholders. He said, indeed, that he feared the finances of the coun try would not admit of more being accomplished for many years, and appeared unwilling to undertake any thing that might subject the State to the reproach of any second breach of good faith, a compromise being once effected. This argument is Spanish all over, though the committee did not appear to be struck with the force Ind fairness of it. Colonel Wright, on the part of the Equador, and Senor Fontique, on that of Venezuela, have stated that their instructions are precise and limited, and that they have no power to enter into negotiations without first having recourse to their respective Governments. One of the cor respondents of the Morning Post has very properly remarked upon this point," ‘Vhat is the use of sending us over Commissioners thus bound down hand and foot ?" We fear there will be again great procrastina tion before this matter is put into a satisfactory train of settlement. Two years have now, we believe, elapsed since Senor Rosales brought forward his first notable scheme for the arrangement of the Chilian debt, which, like the rest, has been so scandalously neglected. The plea offered by all these South American States for their trespasses on the foreign bondholder is best answered by the simple observation, " You somehow or other con trive, all of you, to discharge the claims of the borne creditor, and have done so for years past, but for the foreigner, when did he ever receive a farthing ? You have not only withheld front him the interest you so solemnly bound yourselves down to pay punctually, and in full, for fourteen years, but you at length proceed to rob him of almost all title to his capital. Is this the conduct of any but the most dishonest and infamous nations ?" The Committee intend, we hear, to draw up and submit for the adoption of a general meeting of the bondholders certain counter-resolutions to those which have been brought forward. They will, perhaps, be disposed to substitute conditions something like the following interest at the rate of two per cent. per annum to be paid for a specified time, the same to be increased to four per cent., and then to six per cent. per annum, as the resources of the republic may admit of; the arrears of interest to be funded at the end of a given period, the plan agreed upon in the compromise with Mexico being taken as the outline for any arrange ment that may be concluded. CHRONICLE.—By the British Queen steamer, which, without touching at Portsmouth, a rrived yester day at Gravesend, we haveintelligence from New York to the 2d instant being seven days later than the pre vious advices. By this arrival specie to the amount of 500,000 dol lars has been received for the use of the United States Bank. Little change appears to have taken place in the state of the Money Market during the short space which elapsed between the arrival and departure of this steamer ; but money was getting still easier at New York, being quoted at 14 to I per cent. per month ; and the Exchanges had improved, being about 84 to 9+ Many of the banks which had suspended specie pay ments had prepared to resume, and several of them had alroady done so. The city of Washington was full of bustle and animation on the eve of the Session of Con gress. The New York Times of the .28th ult. speaks gloomily of the tranquillity in Mexico, and says that the last advices from that quarter show that a serious conflict would shortly take place, originating in the ex pedition against Matamoras by the Mexican Federalists. Another serious fire at Mobile, which broke out at the corner of Michael and Conception-streets, had de stroyed all the buildings through to St. Francis -street, fronting the city square. The advices brought from the West Indies by her Majesty's packets Mutine and Penguin corroborate the former advices, that the new Governor, Sir Charles Metcalfe, was giving satisfaction to the House of As sembly, and to the inhabitants generally throughout the island, and the crops continued to look well. SUN.—Although the arrivals have been so nume rousyesterday, busin es s i n th e City h as b een d u ll. In fact, c since m l men are genera ll y too muc h engage d, eo m ec commercial at this period of the year, in winding up their accounts. To many, we doubt not, the " Trial B dance" of the year 1839 will exhibit anything but a satisfactory result. The news from America is generally considered more favourable, but, as may be seen on a careful inspection of the voluminous accounts, this judgment is war ranted more on looking to the future than the present. Consols for the Opening left off at 92 to 92e ; Ex chequer Bills at :3s. to bs. dis. ; and Bank Stock at ; there was not the least briskness in the market. The speculators have availed themselves of the season, and the general paucity of the news to play truant for a day or two. Spanish Consols were done at 25-, 1 ,- this afternoon ; Colombian at 24q- ; and Dutch Two-and-half per Cents. at 52 4, being all rather heavier than in the morning. The disposition of the French Cabinet towards Spain is considered favourable. Portuguese Three per Cents. fell to 231. The Railway Shares were without alteration in va lue. The Brighton obtained 14A- dis. ; the Southamp ton _ a prem. ; and the North Midland 10i- dis. THE THEATRES. DRURY-LAN±',. Despite the inclemency of the night this house was tolerably well filled at an early hour ; and by the time that the first piece, " The Hypocrite," was over—that is to say, just at the commencement of half-price, it was crowded i❑ every part. The pantomime was, of course, tho great attraction ; and from the first scene to the last, it was received with great favour by one of the most indulgent audiences we ever remember to have witnessed. Though many of the tricks failed, and some few obstinate cupboards refused to fly wide open, when Harlequin touched them with his magic wand, yet not a murmur of disapprobation was heard, once only we heard something like a hiss, but it was instantly drowned in a loud torrent of applause. The Pantomime is splendid. We may say, unusually so. It is founded on the old story of Jack Sheppard, and follows the popular tale on this subject pretty closely, till the time when the usual transformations commence. From this period all is bustle and vivacity, especially on the part of Miss Frood, the Columbine, who displayed a grace, an ease, and an activity not often witnessed on the stage. This young lady—who, by the by, is a most sylph-like figure— danced with incomparable spirit, and was seldom absent from the audience far two minutes together. She was ably seconded by Howe!, who twirled gaily about in the whirligig character of Harlequin. Mr. Jefferini has a lively idea of the Clown's peculiar idiosyncrasy ; but we scarcely think he exerted himself as much as he might have done. He flagged a little in places, as though he had not a sufficient stock of animal spirits to bear him handsomely through. Mr. Asbury was a passable Pan taloon, though a little more grotesque imbecillity would not have been amiss. The beau ideal of a Pantaloon is a self-sufficient Zany ; but Asbury was a little too kaowing at times. The scenery was magnificent throughout. The moving diora ma in particular, exhibited some effects of light and shade, that even Stansfield has not surpassed. The closing scene, representing the storming of an Indian fortress by the British troops, was received with quite an electrical burst of acclamation. and it deserved this reception. The tricks are nume rous, but they are, for the most part, hacknied. 'l' he most ingenious one is the sudden change of a Gin Palace into a Temple of Charity. The great fault, however, of the majority of the tricks, is that they are not sufficiently obvious. The hits at the follies of the times are not broad and palpable enough. They require the aid of an interpreter. 'lO sum up this hasty notice, we may observe that when the pantomime is curtailed, we think it bids fair to run through the season. ders), who went through their parts with great adroit ness, activity, and skill. Some of the tricks were good, and one of them in particular furnished some amusement, viz. the scene in front of Bentley's shop, where Knowles, Bulwer, and Ainsworth, were seen entering—had their respective plays stolen from them by the pilfering Clown—were tumbled into a grinding mill, and came out, each transformed into the principal character in their respective dramas. But the great attraction of the evening was the panorama painted by Mr. W. Telbin, representing some of the most beautiful scenery in the county of Wicklow: the Wicklow Hills, Newrath Bridge, the Vale of Avoca, and the Bay of Dublin, deserve special commeniation, and do great credit to the taste and skill of the painter. In the course of the panorama some beautiful verses by Moore were sung with appropriate music, which added greatly to the impression made by the splendid and correct scenery. The piece concluded with the " Knight of the Dragon," in other words, the Tourney of Eglintoun, at which the identical armour worn on that great day (according to the play bills) was exhibited on the persons of the mock knights. The pantomime altogether is excellent, and when it is settled down into a reasonable size, will no doubt be one of the most attractive of these Christ mas amusements. COVENT- GARDEN. Agreeably to ancient custom a new grand comic pantomime was produced at this theatre last evening. It is entitled " Harlequin and the Merrie Devil of Ed monton, or the Great Bed of Ware," and the introduc tory matter is founded on the well-known legend of the " Merried Devil of Edmonton," .vho is employed as the agent of Master Peter Fabell, a good magician, to assist the loves of Edwin and Gertrude, afterwards Harlequin and Columbine. The opening scene represents the Monument of Punch, who departed London Life on the Ist January, 1840, and Mother Goose is lamenting his demise ; she calls to her aid Mother Shipton, Num ber Nip, and all the other genii of pantomime, who la ment with her the progress of science and police to the destruction of pantomime and fun. They then determine to have one pantomime at least before the fun is proscribed, and accordingly all adjourn to Edmonton to the smithy of Master Oliver Smug, who is afterwards Clown. In this scene it is announced that King Henry the Eighth's horse has cast his shoe, and the aid of Smug is required in consequence. This announcement is made by the King's Master of the Horse, Master Harrison Saxby, a part performed by Mr. W. H. Payne, with genuine comic humour, which we were glad to see was properly appreciated by the audience. He is a suitor for the hand of Gertrude, and the King determines that he of all her suitors shall win her, who will venture al pass one night in the Great Bed of Ware. Saxby attempts it, and is, of course tormented. The bed and room at Ware are transformed into the throne and court of King Henry Bth, and then the Ilarlequinade begins. It is full of excellent hits at the follies, legislatorial and otherwise, of the past year : dustmen, muffin-men, and all the pro scribed of the New Police Act are seized and lodged in the station-house, which, by a touch of Harlequin's wand, is removed to the other side of the sixteen mile stone, and all the prisoners walk out, to the consterna tion of the police and the amusement of the audi ence. An isolated cottage, which Pantaloon has hired for the sake of retirement, becomes suddenly a house in a street, supported on the one side by the premises of a Paving Company, and on the other by those of a Steam Washing Company, in consequence of the ground in its neighbourhood being let for building. The Emancipation of the Dogs was commemorated by the dogs being drawn in barrows by their masters, and the sign of the " Jolly Dog's -meat Man" is in consequence transformed into the " Jolly Dogs." The Eccaleobion is beat hollow by the Clown, who, by his improved ma chinery, hatches eggs, not into chickens, but into fine roast fowls smoking hot, wth gravy sauce and all the necessary ct-cetera. After this came a grand moving Panorama of the Clyde from Glasgow to Eglintoun, painted by the Messrs. Grieve. This is, as a work of art, surpassingly beautiful—the effects of light and shade are superior to anything of the sort we have ever witnessed ; and one effect, sunset at sea, is a perfect triumph of art. All artists, and those who love the art, should pay a visit to Covent Garden, to sec this Panorama. It is a treat of no ordinary description. The Tournament at Eglintoun followed, and the transformation of a stand of lances into a stand of umbrellas was a very happy hit at this expensive plaything for grown children. The titters run off to their tents, sheltered by their flags, (umbrellas), and the scene changes to the realms of sunshine, when all are rendered happy. Mr. C. J. Mr. T. Ridgway, as Clown, Mr. Morelli , as Pantaloon , , as Harlequin, Miss Fairbrother , as Colurnbitie , a S n a d tif h mr. Gibson as the " Merrie D evil, " did their utmost for th e am u s ement of the audience , and richly earned the applause bestowed upon them. The scenery and dresses were magnificent, and every thing that liberality and good taste, on the part of the management, could do for the pantomime has been done.—The getting-up reflects the highest credit on all concerned. The house was well filled, and the audience more than usually attentive. ADELPILL The pantomime at this theatre was preceded by that notorious drama " Jack Sheppard," which was listened to with great attention, and almost, we regret to write it, with enthusiasm by no small portion of the au dience. The Christmas piece, with all its nonsense and all its caricature of human life, was, however, to anothe r portion —a great relief from the disgusting and immoral scenes with which this singular object of public attraction abounds. It is entitled, " Harlequin Mother Red Cap, or the Merlin and the Fairy Snow drop," and on the whole, what with the scenery, the excellent pantomimic performances, and the good arrangement, was eminently s uccessful. The story of " Mothe r R e d C ap " o f c ourse is loo w n e ( ll m k r. n s ow an n . , it consequently requ i res no d es cription, and was br oug ht forward s o l e ly f or t h e purpose o f introducing th e grea t actors, Harl equ i n (M r . H arve y). Columbine (Mi ss Made), Clow n , (M r . Ki ng ), an d P axi ta SURREY. Davidge, the spirited proprietor of this theatre de termined not to be outdone by any of his contemporaries brought out this evening no less than three new pieces as Christmas novelties, one entitled, " Michael Earle, the Maniac Lover ; or, the Faire Lasso of Lichfield ;" ano ther, " Family Jars Mended ;" and, though last not least, that essential at this season of the year, a pantomime entitled " The Queen Bee, or Harlequin and Little Goody Two-Shoes." The theatre, we congratulate Davidge in saying, was crowded in every part ; but the noise of the gods during the first and second pieces renders it impossible to give any description, or even the plot of them. Suffice it to say, that both pieces were received most enthusiastically, and are likely to have a run on this side of the water. As to the pantomime, we cannot say too much in its favour—it is everything it should be. The changes are excellent, and, in many instances, almost electrifying ; and the diorama, by Phillips, of " Our Native Land," reflects the greatest credit upon the artist, and is calculated to impres son every true lover of his country a desire not to wander in foreign lands for the picturesque and beautiful. ENGLISH OPERA-HO USE. There was a good attendance last uight at this theatre, in despite of the attractions held out by the pantomimes, to enjoy the instrumental performances which go under the name of the Concerts a la Musard. The programme presented no feature of novelty, bur. the selection made was judicious, and gave very ge neral satisfaction. The overtures were " Preciosa," " Ce nerentola," and "La Bayadere." Meyerbeer's iwaltz " Les Hugenots," arranged by Mr. C. Coote, wth an accompaniment of harps by Messrs. John Ireland and Streather, was admirably executed by the orchestra. The same remark will apply to a selection from Meyer beer's opera of " Robert Le Diable," arranged ex pressly for these concerts by Signor Negri, the conduc tor, with solos of harp, corno Inglese, bassoon, and cla rionet. We are glad to see these concerts retain the place which they at once occupied in the public estimation, as they certainly tend to elevate the standard of musical taste in this country. HA YMARKET. The " Sea Captain," and the romance of " O'Flanni gan and the Fairies," were the entertainments here last night. The house, considering the more glittering at tractions of the other theatres, was tolerably well at tended. Power's admirable performance of the abste mious O'Flannigan, kept the audience in one continued roar of laughter till the fall of the curtain. SADLER'S WELLS. The Christmas atttrastions at this theatre were the new melo-dramatic romance, " The Sea Devil, or the Fisherman's Boy," in which Mrs. R. Honner sus tained the principal character ; and a " new grand ec centric, zoological, and comic pantomime," called " Har lequin and Old Father dEsop, or Little Cock Robin and the Children in the Wood." Amongst the most impressive incidents was the introduction of a huge deal box, labelled, " An expensive curiosity just im ported from Germany," out of which the " lath" of Harlequin conjured a military gentleman dressed in the style of a distinguished personage, who has recently left this country for the pur pose of quickly returning to it. The Clowns (for there were two, Mr. Montgomery and Mr. Stilt, who performed the Cock Robin) belaboured the military gentleman sans mercy with a German sausage which they found upon him. Driven to extremity, he made a desperate dash through the windows of the Queen's Arm's Tavern ; and down over the fracture that he had made there fell an inscription informing the public that the foreign gentleman " had just gone into the Queen's Arms." The termination of the pantomime was, of course, the happiest imaginable. The pioce was an nounced by Mr. Montgomery for repetition " every night until further notice." The pantomime ;s over. flowing with action, but the introduction is much tor; lengthy. The parts of Columbine and Harlequin were admirably sustained. VICTORIA. This theatre was re-opened on Thursday night with a new drama, and, as the bill had it, a perfectly original drama, called " Marlette Duval." It certainly was in many respects perfectly original. A wicked young French Marquis endeavours by force and stratagem to seduce Mariette Duval, who is betrothed to another. He fails, and 20 years after the same still wicked Mar quis is found to have seduced the daughter of Mariette. Of course the father is broken-hearted, and proportion ally revengeful. The parties all meet by some unintelli gible means at a secluded cottage, where the father in a fit of somnambulism stabs the Marquis. He is taken to prison, escapes, and, in his escape, preserves the Mar quis from two ruffians. Of course the Marquis has not been quite murdered, and equally of course he be comes penitent, and makes the amende honourable to the daughter, and thus ends the drama. This was suc ceeded by the farce of the " Omnibus," which was played with humour and ability. Next followed the attraction of the night—the pantomime—which was founded on the exploits of the far-famed baron Munchausen. The scenery was, for the most part, very beautifully got up, and we would particularly recommend the scene imme diately preceding the transformation of the characters. The tricks were of the usual description, and were well performed. PRIVATE AND PUBLIC LIFE OF THE COUNT DE PARIS. A Paris print, the Conslitulionnel, which was the main organ of the formidable ultra-Liberal npposition during almost the whole fifteen years of the Restoration, is now glad to substitute for General Foy's speeches, and M. Thiers's political speculations, such important infor mation as is conveyed in the following diary of the pri vate and public proceedings of his Royal Highness the Count de Paris, aged sixteen months : " His Highness rises early. After ablutions nume rous and complete, when the youthful Prince has been washed from head to foot, he is dressed and con ducted to the Duchess of Orleans. Then commences his Court life. " Ten o'Clock.—The Count de Paris beholds the pa rade from one of the Palace windows, and greatly en joys the sight. Madame Gassies makes him re turn the salutes addressed to him, which he does with much courtesy. " Half-past Ten.—First soup ; then a little siesta till noon. " Twelve o'Clock.—The Count de Paris enters his carriage, unless the weather be extremely bad. At Neuilly, or St. Cloud, he alights. " Three o'Clock.—On re-entering the Palace, a se cond soup. A visit to the Queen. His Royal High ness plays with his little cousin, the Prince of Wirtem berg. His Royal Highness the Duke d'Aumale does not disdain amusing the two children, for whom he has a peculiar tenderness. He teaches them the exercise, and beats the drum for them. In consequence thereof the Count de Paris styles him, Mon once ! Plan! Plan!' " From Three to Six o'Clock—The Count de Paris is with his mother, the Duchess of Orleans. Six o'Clock.—The young Prince re-enters his apart ment. Third soup, and play till seven. . . . " Seven o'Clock.—Evening prayer. His Royal High ness gets into bed." Lest the authenticity of these interesting particulars may be questioned, the Constitutionnel informs us that they are extracted from a journal kept by no less a per sonage than a Chef de Bataillon of the National Guard. We may add that the Duke of Orleans having become the ‘. Orleans Napoleon," since his triumphant march through the African Iron Gates, two snow-white sheep are in future to have the honour of drawing the Count de Paris' phaeton, which reminiscence of the late King of Rome's style of travelling may further tend to conci liate those who would revive " L'Empire," and subvert " La Meillure des Republiques." AN HONEST CAB DRIVER.—This morning, at nine o'c'.ock, Mr. Skeef, a stockbroker, residing in George-street, Portma-i-square, hired a street cab, and proceeded into Fleet -street, where he alighted, and dis charged the cab ; the driver proceeded on to the rank, at Temple-bar, when he discovered an elegent gold watch, chain, and appendages, on the seat ; knowing it was his first fare, he immediately drove to Mr. Skeef's res'dence, and delivered his prize to Mrs. S., who re warded the driver for his honesty with three sovereigns. The Magistrates of Lambeth-street police office have received, through the house of Messrs. Garfit and Co., bankers, at Louth, in Lincolnshire, five pounds, to be placed in the poor-box of the Court. This is the second donation of the same benevolent individuals. About this time last year five pounds were received through the same banking house for the same charitable purpose. HIGH TREASON. TO THOMAS ATTWOOD, EsQ. MY DEAR ATTWOOD, I have read with great regret your farewell letter to your constituents in the Birmingham Journal, of the 21st inst., forwarded to me, no doubt, by your kind order. I do not wonder, my friend, since neither the governors nor the governed appeared inclined to listen to your sage counsels, that you should wish to withdraw from Politics, instead of sacri ficing your health, as I know you were doing, in trying to convince those who were inca pable of understanding you, or of justly appre ciating your transcendant merits ; but the thing is impossible. You can no more abstract yourself from politics than my old friend, Sir Astley 'Cooper could abstract himself from practice, and become a gentleman at large. I wish I had ac cepted your kind invitation to Jersey, some months ago; I think I should have prevailed with you to have retained your seat, at least till the general election ; for as true as " God's in Glo'ster," as Sir Pepper Arden used to say, the next Session will exhibit to the world the complete triumph of all your currency predictions and doctrines ; be sides, though you do not seem to be aware of it, you never were so important in the House of Com mons, as you were at the close of the last Session. I am, however, glad to see that our mutual friend, Frederick Muntz, has consented to be put in nomination for your seat. He is able, bold, and active, and above all, honest. Many of the men of Birmingham have miserably disgraced themselves "in running after strange gods ;" but they will now disgrace themselves past all redemption if they do not return Muntz without his asking them for their votes, and without putting him to a single farthing of expense. I believe I have impressed him, as I know I have you, with the great wisdom and beauty of our ancient Constitution, and how little good can ever be expected from the new-fangled, modern, jimcrank affair that is now hurrying the country so rapidly to ruin. Cobbett used to call it " The Thing," and it is the same " Thing " now that it was then. In your last private letter to me you say you " would willingly lay down your life to see the people of England as free from poverty and distress as the people are in the happy island you are in." Why there is no reason under heaven why they should not. They were formerly as happy and as free from poverty, and what makes them otherwise now but bad laws ? You tell me "if I can forget politics and go to Jersey, I shall prolong my life, and that my small income will be more than double for all necessary comforts." Forget politics ! I mist first forget to live. I was early taught by my great master that " They who have well considered that kingdoms rise or fall, and that their inhabitants are happy or miserable— not so much from any local or accidental advantages or disadvantages, but accordingly as they are well or ill governed, may best determine how far a virtuous mind can be neutral in politics." I see as plainly as you do the tempest before us ; I know the ship is sinking ; but, though both the temptations you hold out are most acceptable in my eyes, the seas that surround Guernsey and Jersey are too much charged with blood of mine already, and I am somewhat superstitious on that subject. Besides, I have made up my mind that as long as a plank is left of our old Constitution,on which I can put my foot, I will never cease working at the pumps, till I see we are out of danger, or sink with 0-Id England to her watery grave. High Treason is now the order of the day 1 ! ! What do the boys that govern us know about high treason ? Read the indictment lately pre ferred against Frost and " his bewildered Welch Chartists for their Babyism," as it has been well called by an old Correspondent of mine—as pious a clergyman of our Church as ever walked the earth or preached the Gospel, who signs himself in The Sun of the 7th inst. "H. P." Now, if the Duke of Wellington had been bold enough to have prosecuted you for high treason, when he suc ceeded Lord Grey as Prime Minister, I would have felt myself bound to have put on my wig and gown once more, and have defended you after the following fashion, as I was your adviser upon every point of the great Petition of Rights passed at Newhall Hill, in 1830, though not in that which was called the National Petition, passed at Hol loway,l7lead in 1838. Whoever wrote that paper was a seiolist in our old laws and constitutions, and ignorant of the real meaning of the word RIGHT ; otherwise there would not have been such sins of omission and of commission ; but all sins, as Prince 'Metternich maintains, are not crimes, and there certainly is nothing treasonable or even illegal in that petition—otherwise it never would have passed the ordeal of two Speakers, or have been received by the House of Commons. I hope what I am going to say will injure no man on the awful trials that are approaching ; I would sooner cut off the hand that holds my pen than do so, and I cannot sufficiently praise the Editors of The Sun and of the Standard for the hu mane and true Englishman-like manner in which they have distinguished themselves, in bespeaking a fair trial for our unhappy and deluded fellow subjects. I know that if it is possible to satisfy a jury that their offence has been " Babyism," or anything else than high treason, it will be done by my Learned Friend Sir F. Pollock better than by any man I have lately observed in my old profession. I should, in the first place, have brought forward again my old objection to the challenges of the Crown without cause, which the Whig lawyers have allowed, along with all the other laws the Whigs once so factiously and violently op posed, to remain just where they were in everything that relates to the abrogation of the liberties and securities of the subject—whether they are "Judge made laws," or " Boroughmonger-made laws." However, here goes " Once more upon the waters." Gentlemen of the Jury—When, in an evil hour, Mr. Pitt thought proper to order his Attorney-Ge neral to file against our illustrious countivman John Horne Tooke, what he always called " a Bill in Chancery against his life," so little was the law of high treason understood, that Abbot, the fidus Achates of the Attorney-General, took it, as the Solicitor of the Treasury told me, to his patron, Judge Buller, to settle, as it is called—and when Mr. Tooke, who intended to plead his own cause, till the Whigs solicited the honour of defending him, sent my friend Felix Vaughan to retain Mr. Gibbs to assist on points of practice, this great lawyer (for so he was) declared that he knew nothing of the law of high treason, never having had occasion to study it, and his speech afterwards, which I shall have occasion to quote to you, was the effect of his condescending to be as much as possible with his client, and making himself master of his client's learning and opinions. Gentlemen, I at tended this trial, not as Counsel for Mr. Tooke, for I was then a student at law, but I rose every morning at four o'clock and went to the Old Bailey, and amply was I rewarded ; for my mind was kept in a roar of laughter for a whole week. Mr. Tooke maintained that high treason was a crime of that short, clear, and distinct nature that " it laid in the palm of a man's hand." Now, gentlemen, in like manner, in an evil hour, has Mr. Attorney been ordered by his masters T . bring this ch arge o f hi g h treason aga i nst my Vie What, are th e overt acts c h arge d, f ro m which actoo are to infer th e t reasona bl e m i n d ? If the 17;r from is in itself an i nnocent act , y ou cannot it a treaso na bl e m i n d. If the overt act i infer from is ille gal, but not t reasona bl e , you cannot : it a treason a bl e m i n d—if a man is tried for mur der, you cannot convict proved is st e aling a horse -0r .e a man em p l oys illegal means to get others to joie him in ad vocat i ng that is not itself treason able,or declaring for anything are not overt acts of treason such illegal acts you have no evidence that there was tr eason i n nfaeit reum the mind, for, actus no , t mens sit rea. Before many of you were bo . rn, I was Counsel at the state trials at Maidstone, in 1798, for a young man, charged with high treason. There are many things in those trials known to the public, and some not k n own to the public, though well worthy of your a ttention, and of the attention of every jury engaged in the awful question, whether there has b een any treason in th e m i n d or not. Th e overt ac t laid against O'Connor was his setting off to g o to Fra nce , t h en the enemy of England ; but this, though an illegal act, was not an overt act of treason, and on, of that day, one of the greatest lawyers that any country ever produced—l mean the late Lord El don, tried hard to connect O'Connor with an un doubtedly treasonable paper that was found in the E VI4`,NING EDITION. pocket of one of his companions and fellow-pri soners, the Rev. Mr. O'Quigley, a Roman Catholic priest—in this the Attorney-General corn pletely failed, and the overt acts charged, not being in themselves treason, O'Connor was acquitted. Now, gentlemen, mark well what I am going to tell you, and behold what time brings to light, for you will find that upon this occasion a guilty man was saved, and an innocent man was convicted. In less than two years O'Connor, to get out of an Irish prison and save his life, confessed his treasons in the face of many of the Whig nobility and gentlemen of England, who had come forward and declared upon their oaths their confident belief that O'Connor was incapable of entertaining a treasonable intent. The poor priest, O'Quigley, had no Whig party, or any other party at his back, to swear in his favour. He sat unmoved during the whole trial, and after the disgraceful scene that took place in the Court at midnight, the moment after Mr. Justice Buller had finished passing the then horrible sentence of high treason, O'Quigley sat like a stock through all the confusion, while O'Connor was trying to run . out of Court, till he was knocked down at the door by Judge Buller's coachman. Now, Gentlemen, the whole conduct of this Rev. Gentleman had so occupied my attention, that though he was not Iny client, I was beginning in my address to the Jury to defend him, when I was stopped by his own Counsel and by the Court ; but not many years ago my old friend, the late Lord Commissioner of the Jury Court of Scotland, better known by the name of Willy Adam, who was one of the Counsel for the Crown in these trials, declared to me that he thought O'Quigley had not been properly de fended, and that if I had been allowed to go 00, and had defended him as well as I did m y own client, O'Leary, I should have got him off: 1 could not agree in this high compliment of mY good friend, for though the treasonable paper was not in O'Quigley's hand-writing, and there was no evidence how he came by it, yet it was found in his pocket amongst his most sacred papers--such as his letters of ordination, and I dispaired of induc ing the jury to believe that it had been put there by any body but himself. Now time proved, what was unknown to any body but himself, and which this noble-minde d man kept secret till after his conviction. This paper was all a hoax (of a Dr. Crossfiel d, who had himself been tried for blob treason. He was the author of the song, " Plant, plant the tree," ece• He and O'Quigley had met at a tavern the night before he set off for France, and there Crossfield wrote this invitation to the ccench to invade Eng land, and desired O'Quigley to get it put in Moniteur, and said " it would make Will Pitt -- his breeches." Thus time has shown that a treasonably guilty mind was saved, and an innocent mar; hanged ; for, except this hoax, there has been no eviden ce, that I ever heard of, of the treasonably guilty O'Quigley to this hour. Now, in this case, the overt acts laid are the meeting on Newhall-hill and the Petition of Ri g ht passed there in December 1830. As to the meeting, though the Duke of Wellington called mind of the great county meeting on Penenden Heath, "a county farce," in a sort of a " word-of command" fashion, Lord Holland has declared such meetings to be " as much a part of our Constitution as the meeting of the House of Lords," and so undoubt edly they are, and have been ever since the mickle gemotes of our Saxon ancestors. There is no treason, therefore, in this overt act of attending the meeting. Then as to the other overt act—the Petition of Right. Gentlemen, as an old lawyer, I advised every one of the seven demands there made; and I defy the Judge upon the Bench to tell you that he can not put his finger in the books upon every one of those demands. What then, is it high treason to demand a resto ration of the old laws and Constitution of England ? Away with such nonsense ; but let us see what Sir Vicary Gibbs said upon the trial of Mr. Tooke. " Must it be attributed to Mr. Tooke that he wishes to pull down the nobility because he says they should not shackle the hands of the Sovereign whilst they debase and plunder his subjects not " Gentlemen, Mr. Tooke entertains , I know whether singularly, but I think he reasons admir ably well upon the subject of the different branches of the Legislature—he is of opinion that bolt the King and the people are represented in this Gov era ment by those who are responsible for their acts to those who appoint them to the situation which theY hold, The people are represented by those thef send to Parliament, and the Members of Parliament are responsible to those who send them to Parliament, for their acts: The King is repre sented by those he appoints, namely the great Offi cers of State, they are responsible for him, he can do no wrong ; but they are responsible for their conduct to him who appointed them—that is the opinion of Mr. Tooke. His complaint is, that the defect in the Constitution is this, that the people are not duly represented in the House of Commons by those they send there, and who ought to -be responsible for the House of Commons. He thinks that corruption has found its way into the House of Commons, and that by that means improper persons are sent there, and the effect of that is, that not only the people are improperly represented in the House of Commons, but that it trenches upon the other parts of the Legislature ; for he is of opinion, that by means of them, impro per men are sent into the House of Lords, and by that means the House of Lords is corrupted ; and he thinks that the King is not left to the free choice of his servants, which ought to be left in his breast. Is not the plain tendency of that to sup port the King in that branch of the Constitution to which he is entitled by the laws of the Consti tution ? These are Mr. Took's opinions. Gentlemen, previously to this famous speech, Mr. Tooke had offered to give a paper in evidence that had been signed by Mr. Pitt (vol. 2, p. 59.), when a harp encounter took place between Mr. Tooke and Chief Justice Eyre, upon the nature of evidence to show a treasonable mind, which is well worthy your attention. The paper was objected to. " Lord President EYRE.—As far as it tends to show your mind it is material ; but as far as it tends to show Major Cartwright's, it is perfecly im material. " Mr. TOOKE.—I thought the minds of the people with whom I am connected, were proof against me, supposing my mind to be the same as theirs. " LORD PRESIDENT.—That is with respect to a ccusation what is charged against you ; this makes no part of the charge aga inst you, does it ? "Mr. TOOKE.—No, but it must appear by what means we are entangled, and how it . comes that evidence which would ad not be admissible m any other case, is compelled to be mitted •here ; w here a charge is made agains t a man ignorant of a court of justice, I should have thoug osteriorht myself threvious p r evious in e last man But in r c o a d s u e c e t h declarations of that which is imputed to be crimi nalp prosecutors have driven 1 us to that so rt of ev idence that any man, however used to c ourts of justice, would have blushed to pro duce, namely the overt acts laid, which have com pelled the prosecutor to produce evidence never before produced, and which has com ell d this Cou rt to sit from d a y to day and introduce e that train of evils in which I am , an unfortunate sufferer. Thus' we stand in every s on of charge, except this charge of compassing the death of the King ; the inclina tions of men are taken to be valid until they are proved not to be so. How is the case here ? Yod will find throughout the whole of this case there is an attempt not to punish the bad actions of nla n i but a man's incli na ti ons ; h e re lays the misehioen all the evidence seems to endeavour to prove roan men certain inclinations which are either republican or anti-monarchical ; a man may be a reph es and yet do no act offensive. The law P u ' s an offence if the law supposes an inclination evil ; it is to be restrained by that Pd but here ment which the law sanctions, happens a charge, namely, the intention of com passing the death of the King ; the overt act is the . intention ; here is an intention charged as a cri me) and your Lordship knows the necessity of an o vert act to be laid, because the intention or inclination must be shown. Suppose we had an overt act . charged of an intention to go to, Church ; if it had been stated in the indictment that an intention was had of going to Church for the purpose of compas sing the death of the King , it would be ju st as hail to me as an overt act charged, not of a meeting had, but a desire that certain persons should mee t toge ther, and that at that meeting they should propose something improper to be done, would that be proofo