The Sun. — London, England, 1844-08-24 00:00:00

COURT CIRCULAIt. WINDSOR, FRlDAY.—Prince Albert walked this morning in the grounds adjacent to the Castle. His Royal Highness rode out on horseback in the after n°oll, attended by Colonel Wylde, Equerry in Waiting. The Royal Family were taken their accustomed airing s in the pleasure-grounds and slopes of the Castle in the forenoon, the Prince of \Vales and the Princess Royal on ponies. Their Royal High ness?s the Prince of `Vale,' and the Princess Alice w ere take n a carriage drive in the afternoon, ac e°panied by the Dowager Lady Lyttelton. Her Yal Highness the Princess Royal was also taken an airing. , Robert Peel arrived at the Castle at three °ek this afternoon and had an audience of Prince Albert. his The Right 'Hon. Baronet afterwards took 4 eparture, r e t urn i ng t o t own by the five o'clock I.rain of the Great IVestern Railway. Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent will dine at the Castle this evening. Their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of ,ualnbridge and the Hereditary Grand Duke and • Ltd ess oiMecklenburgh Strelitz, arrived at Kew on Thursday evening, from Alton Towers. M. Dedel returned to town yesterday afternoon fr om Nuneham Park, where his Excellency had been • vited by t h e A rchbishop of York to meet t h e P r i nce of Prussia. Sir Robert Peel left town yesterday afternoon for W• i ndsor Castl e , t o h ave an au di ence o f his Royal Highness Prince Albert. The Right lion. Baronet returned to his residence in Whitehall .gardens last evening. The Earl of Haddington, the Earl of Aberdeen, an k c ! the Military S ecre t a ry to th e Commander-in Chief, • u.„lef, had int erv i ews w ith Si r R o b er t P ee l y e sterday. 4 . Van d e W eyer , th e B e l g i an Mi n i s t er , transacted business yesterday at the Foreign-of ice. LITERAT EIRE. REVELATIONS OF RUSSIA. 2 Vols. Colburn, London, 1844. an Portion of this work has alreacV made its appear in the a D ees of the New Monthly and United B ernice Mag`az - ines, where it attracted no ordinary _at tention, f rom the circumstantial character of its de tails, as well as from their freedom and boldness. In consequence, no doubt, of this success, the author was i nduced to continue it, and we now have it in its com pleted form. Somemaoyf the " Revelations"—provided that their accuracy be relied on—are not a little Curious and interesting, especially those which relate to the Russian navy, of whose e ffi ciency a very indif ferent o pi n i on is expressed. In the event of a war with England , We wou thing ld o ff elike-r are told that the fleet of Nicholas Ti more e ff ective resistance to any- Chinse J u nks have equal British force, than the f th e have done. Of the public character ‘ ,L cid ,ViliPeror, the author expresses himself in terms d oes euLY u nfavourable, though at the same time he s justice to his sterling qualities as a man ; but Zthbofuthimin his imperial capacity, he tells us :we n e being either better or worse than the g of his predecessors, he bids fair to do more in'Pry to mankind than all of them put together ; and rein that, though during the nineteen years of his ei gn, only seven men have been condemned to death, Zet probably more than in all the preceding reigns have inreality perished by the hands of the executioner. t o eompanies of Polish prisoners have been flogged deathl ; the knout, which tears away in strips the tho usands from the bone, has been inflicted on a n d ' and [thousands for political offences ; tted , on the lowest computation, two hundred fifty thousand unhappy wretches have been th e on their weary journey to Siberia! " Yet tithewho could be guilty of these atrocities - " e same who, but the other day, was eagerly °lifted by our aristocracy, and received as a welcome gUest wit h in the re ga l h a ll s o f Windsor Castle ! how L ea clily the world forgives the most heinous acts when p r P e trated by a crowned head ! Wholesale murder or c rime of so fl agran t a di e w hen committed by dinary humanity —is, it seems, a mere venial trans /Ile3sion if a monarc h he the transgressor ! How true are .the words of Shakspeare !—" That in the Cap but a choleric word, which in the soldier is blasphemy." We close our brief and hasty notice I‘ltb,,,.some statistics respecting the Russian army : oril oi t t b e regular cavalry of the Russian empire consists and Y-eight regiments of the line, twelve of the guards,. bwel ve of the grenadier corps ; one of Caucasian 1 6o a g i ns, and one model regiment, of nine squadrons of Inn -ell each, of which eight take the field : it thus t h e ° Zt' an Paper, to upwards of 94,000 men who take i re and to p 103 inclusive of those in depot— a ity, valr probably, to 85,000 men. The irregular ca ttle YClion,nts to about 135,000 men, and is composed of Ki r •' s acks of the Ural, the Don, and Black Sea,. the cif g u ise, the Tartars , the Bashkirs, and other tribes. Th e r us a,hout 90,000 ;re as well disciplined as the . line. to its i nf ., cavalry of the line is decidedly inferior Idu e compo se d of the natives of Old Russi a. . d abl e P as sive qualities which render the Russian form - b i as au infantry soldier do not so advantageously ap t. Y to th e horseman ; in whom an active and fiery va ur ; and d iscipline. !, as necessary an element of excellence as obedience The Russian peasant is also by habit enu rider • t h oug h horses everywhere abound in his d •s ' but seldom mounts them. It is -rile that he r a portion lle of mounts the Russian regular cavalry is re ed kick from the Ukraine, and othe far it isr population, Cos- Co of Cossack origin • and sogood,s for the t, ask i s brave, warlike, 'hardy, and thoroughly acs car to the horse, which he backs from his ear lies t t yl'"nood. But as this is only partiall y . the case, on the Ie the regular cavalry of the Russian army may be 94113 dared as a very inefficient force ; and such it un ofettt,„i°,nabl proved itself in almost every engagement tat e olish war, when opposed to that of' the Poles. ver y " general the whole army of the line presents a treit wre tched appearance ; the dirty brownish-grey of throats, the usual dusky and shabby habil . amen i t f s ata rv , soldiers, their sallow complexions, their ha - f theh',aleagre frames, and the mean appearance o t t aele, '4 " I N Prs, are far from o ff ering an imposing spec- L it is s ec .„ - ,„ l til the imperial guards the case is different : I ° l * the first time at a review, they strike the seen many almost with awe ; for though he may have hi n -411 Y finer regiments than any which pass before body of in the world can he have seen so large a gaard t k ll ee-looking troops together. The imper ial . ~_sover , :; h has always been the hobby of the Russian elieh o lgas, and is so peculiarly of the present Emperor ier ar C t ' a s and of his brother Michael, consists of 41,000 additf rs r Y and artillery , and of 15,000 cavalry, and, with 41 4 ; 41 of the regiments of the young guard, or grena foree-?rPa, does no t f a ll s h or t of 120,000 men. This Ppi nw l s s tationed i n th e government of St. Petersburgh, entknlPallY in and a b ou t the capital, and is under the 'lf, an d of the G ran d D u ke Michael. il ar e ~e , guards, th e p i c k e d men f rom the whole army, e,ecliu either five feet eleven inches in height, or ex . - str ec t i l g that stature. On the first view an observer is as r o c t ° find them all dark, and bearing to each other Wh e - n al a t vkable a similitude as the sheep of a flock. !let r c , - ;,,t i , 3 eye wanders over thousands of faces, he can urotClll point out one man who might not pass for as i f of the one most dissimilar to him ; they seem to nat ure had m o ulded them all by ukase, according Ofd i g Y e a pattern ; and the precision and uniformity r e fullr attit u d e and equipment, make one man loo k t h e 800 - it io o of the one beside him. This similitude of per t) theaPPearance he afterwards finds to be much owing bl ir general dusky and sallow complexions (proba atinndueed by the excessive warmth of the artificial at e ,Znere in which they live, and the abuse of the tletly , b is a th), as well a s to the black moustache, of ex oriiinr same cut and trim, and which, whatever its arioi t i; l4 colour, receives the same dark gloss by being 4 ok et 7 and plastered with an unctuous compound, 4 Ppli ed l ,ng similar t o our E n glish cart-grease. This is a aoldi e u,Y order. A n " u k ase " a l s o fixes the lengt h of tevr oth r 3 or an o ffi cer ' s h a i r at a fi nger ' s w idth, and de- Lila ;Zs, on which side it must be brushed, and how low •tlie s ;"'skers may be allowed to invade the cheek. ti vete4 r rcl ers are the same for the general as for the 12,0iLed As l , 2 1 1 g as we see th ese so ldi e rs of the guards em ll'ard4 they are very imposing. High of stature—o f t astef ul though rigidly stiff carriage—they are clad in coarse Uniforms, of which the materials, though and have been fashioned with all the skill of art, Qi h Lted to each man individually ; they are worthy 14 rti "in g come from the hands of the late King of "ia, of h s l .orta ne , whom the Emperor Alexander said that uns "ad spoiled an a d m irable master-tailor in giving rklier b .e, r° ,wn• There is one effect, however, strikingly . .elai4"' , in the attempt to improve the figures of both talteh by officers:—their trousers are tightened so h ost l a 4 band at th e waist, that the stomach protrudes e ,florr o ;g r aeefully, particularly in the soldier, who eats vo ex 1 8 quantities of his black bread. When we come " a u ,:!inae the soldier after the review, without his 4 ere it . t in g uP." we are surprised to find how miserab le . nailed r e is ---how meagre, narrow-chested, and Ill aniioat what a want of muscle, sinew, and elasticity to gro wn form° that gr ea t b o d y, wh i ch rem i n d s one o f an over he ash a th letic great body, different from the healthy cheek, I r wh ich ,figure and the symmetrical of our own iftrdal min• There is scarcely in these regiments, °he ar e consid ere d as the pr i de of the i mper i a l arm y, man in ten whose shape is net glaringly defective.' 4 und erstand that the Judges are expected to es s r lile en Monday to consider their opinions in t he toe n , °l t ha een v, O'Conn e ll a nd others. The judg tts-' as has been alread T announced, will be delivered on `` vlSlonday following, September 2. 4.4.18°Ns AN D W IDOWS. BY THE AUTHOR OF tP4'ta PRIOGINS." THREE VoLs.—Those who have a ti d A 7. 13 former publications of the author of " Par sons is s un i i d °ws." mill be prepared for the rich treat w hich f eliS rPI by his present work. The delineations o . 11 dttpeter with which it abounds, and the incidents, eli arty derived from facts— fi ction could not speak to the l e 7 l as these do—render the narratives of the severa l histYaien, w ho are supposed to give the strange eventful ori es gamed. cf their progress through life, replete with Irlterest. They cannot be read without creatinF , 47hir tare f or " the cares, the fears, the pains, the joys, ? Ili . ie are t. experienced by the clergy of the Nati r at s also is Certain downy doctors and rubicund recto . still -°l2 a° in for a fair share of ridicule, and occasionally sages to reproof. There is a sufficiency of love p3s te t ° interest the fair sex; enough of caustic humour grEttify bachelors; and of prudential maxims to please t; '"alts d nen a ri Papas. The " widows" are hit off to perfee ' 4114 atO a re to plegse every one.— Globe. T 1 'SUN, _LONDON, SATURDAY MORNING, AUGUST 24, 1844. .......... MONUMENT TO THE SCOTTISH i form with which these men identified themselves POLITICAL MARTYRS. triumphz,nt. It is not the names or the individuals that we advocate and admire, but it is those prin- ! (From the Caledonian Mercury of Thursday.) ciples :For which they suffered—and it is for the A site for a monument to Thomas Muir, Thomas maintenance of those principles—it is in the cause F. Palmer, William Skirving, Joseph Gerrald, and of liberty, that lam anxious to lay the foundation of Maurice Margarot, who in 1793-94 suffered banish- this monument.—(Cheers.) ment on a charge of "sedition," having, after much Mr. Hu.mn then deposited in a . cvity prepared, for difficulty, been obtained in the Old Calton Burying - the occasion, ablassjacontaanmaimilcdo,splAesimotthe anack n e w spa p e rso of the day—Oliver ground, yesterday was appointed for formally laying _ Tait's Magazine, containing a report of the trial of the foundation of the obelisk, to be erected as a tri- 1 the martyrs—a list of the Scotch subscribers to the monument, and a few coins of the present reign. The covering stone having been deposited, Mr. HUNIE said—Gentlemen, as there is no clergyman present, you will perhaps allow me to officiate, and in doing so, I shall read the following remarkable prayer of Mr. Gerald, which he offered up by permission of the sheriff at the last meeting of the British Con vention in Edinburgh.—(Here Mr. Hume read the prayer, the company uncovering.) Mr. HUME expressed his great satisfaction at having, after the lapse of fifty years, the pleasure of seeing a monument about to be raised, which he hoped, together with the one to be erected in London, would prove a beacon to warn the statesmen of the day against persecution, and encourage men to sup port the cause of liberty. Three hearty cheers were then given, and the com pany left the ground. MEETING ON THE CALTON-HILL. As comparatively few could be accommodated within the burying-ground, it was resolved that a meeting should be got up on the Calton-hill, to hear addresses on the subject of the martyrs, and to enforce the principles for which they suffered. At least 3,000 persons were congregated on the hill ; a platform was erected at the eastern wall of the Observatory, for the Chairman and those who were along with him. Councillor STOTT having been called to the chair, said that, as Scotchmen, they must regard this occa sion with mingled feelings of solemnity and of joy. Could they look back on the sufferings of the honoured men who had stood forward for the defence of the rights of the people, and to whose memory they were that day met to do honour, without feelings bordering on sorrow ? And when they reflected on the manly way in which they had conducted themselves under their heavy trials, and, more especially, on the pro gress of the principles and opinions for which they had been called to suffer, the meeting had rea son to rejoice. In meeting to honour the memory of these men, they only acknowledged the debt of grati tude under which Scotland lay to them—(Cheers)—a debt they never could repay. They might erect a monument to their memory—monuments were the order of the day—but he was sure that if these men were now present, and could give them advice, that advice would be to take up the work for which they suffered—(Cheers) —and thus raise the noblest monu ment to their memory, and pay the highest tribute of admiration to the principles for which they struggled. —(Cheers.) Let them all then devote themselves more decided to the promotion of the great cause of liberty, and never rest satisfied till they had made the representation of the people in Parliament full, fair, and free.—(Cheers.) Rev. P. BREWSTER, of Paisley, on rising to address the meeting, was received with loud cheers. He said he had come to this meeting to show his regard for the incorruptible patriots who had laid the foundations of liberty of opinion and free discussion. He con trasted the present time, when men had full liberty to give expression to their sentiments in all political questions, with the despotism and terror which per vaded men's minds at the end of last century, when the people were cowards and afraid to utter the senti ments of their hearts against the tyrants and oppressors of their country. If ever a lesson had been taught the people of this country by these trials it was this —that slavery was the curse of God upon cowardice. The Government which depended on an aristocracy never could stand. The history of this country abundantly proved that the nobility al ways looked to their personal interests in preference to those of the nation. They had deserted their coun try on all occasions of difficulty and danger—the Go vernment which did not rely on the affection and confidence of the people, and which had not its source in the popular control, could not be safe or permanent. Mr. Brewster concluded by inculcating the sentiment of the chairman, that they should complete the work begun by the early friends of reform, who had been punished for their boldness. That work had yet to be completed, and no monument to the merits of the martyrs of 1794 would deserve the name which did not include the realisation of those just and equitable principles of popular government for which Muir and his associates had endured-the scorn and obloquy of a prejudiced age ; and this was only to he done by each section of reformers waiving their little differences, and uniting for the great common objects which they had in view. The Chairman intimated that several of the rela tions of William Skirving, one of the martyrs, were present on the platform. After a few admonitory observations by Mr. Dunlop, of Brockloch, the meeting separated. THE DINNER. The Edinburgh Committee of Management, and the subscribers to the monument, entertained Mr. Hume to dinner in Gibb's Royal Hotel, Prince's street. Sir James Gibson Craig, Bart., of Riccarton, occupied the chair, supported on the right by the Honourable Guest, Bailie Gray, Councillor Mac farlan, Mr. Philip Leith, Mr. Duncan M'Laren, &c. ; on the left, by the Right Hon. the Lord Provost, J. M. Bell, Esq., Advocate, Mr. Andrew Millar, Mr. Veitch, of Woodside, &c. Mr. Tait, publisher, dis chargedr the duties of croupier. The cloth having been removed, and the customary loyal toasts given from the chair, Sir J. G. CRAIG, the Chairman, said, I had many reasons for wishing to decline the honour of presid ing at this meeting ; but although with great re• luctance, I have been induced to undertake it at the request of many person s f or w h om I have a very high respect, who have assured me that you will kindly forgive the very imperfect manner in which, I cannot doubt, I shall conduct myself.—(Hear, hear.) One inducement to undertake the duty has been my desire to place before you the grounds on which many persons subscribed to the monument ; for great pains have been taken to hold us up as th e friends of annual parliaments and universal suf frage, and that the monument is to be consecrated to these principles. Now, I think it due to the me mory of Lord Holland and to the Duke of Norfolk, the Duke of Bedford, and many other subscribers, to say, that we never entertained them—we have always disclaimed them — having been convinced that the Constitution could not survive many months after their adoption.—(Hear.) No one who was not personally engaged in the occur rences which gave rise to the trials of Muir and the other martyrs, can form the most distant conception of the state of the country at that fearful crisis. The French Revolution had convulsed the civilised world, and had excited the most lively interest throughout Great Britain. On the one hand, the most enthusiast ic hopes were entertained that it would be productive of the greatest blessings, and secure the greatest pos sible liberty to mankind ; and notwithstanding the horrors which accompanied that revolution, these hopes have been in a great degree realised—and on the other hand, there was the utmost alarm, that it would be productive of the most dreadful consequences—that it would overthrow the Constitution, and produce every misery to which man can be subject. The who le kingdom was distracted into parties, who acted with the most determined opposition to each other. Society was, in a great degree, dissolved — the dearest friend ships severed—the nearest relations separated—the most bitter hostility prevailed, and every one acted as if those who entertained opposite opinions were his deadliest enemies. —(Hear.) All that then passed has now become almost matter of history, and I, recollecting and calmly reviewing the occurrences of that eventful period, have in a great degree ceased to wonder at many of the acts then done, which at the time we most severely condemned, believing that the alarms which prevailed had deprived the actors of them of the power of sober judgment, and that they were committed under the conviction that they were struggling for their lives, their liberties, and all that was dear to them. Thus, that they were led to act on what was termed by their advocates a " wholesome vigour beyond the law."—(llear, hear.) Under the unhappy circumstances I have men tioned, the trials of Muir and the other martyrs took place,. and sentences pronounced upon them. The injustice of all these sentences is, I believe, univer sally acknowledged. But I particularly allude to the case of Muir ; and I would put into the hands of any man, be his principles what they may, the report of this trial, and defy him to point out any crime he had committed which could justify the punishment in flicted on him.—(Hear, hear.) One crime lie com mitted against himself. He conducted his own de fence instead of availing himself of the splendid ta lents of Henry Erskine, who, at the solicitation of some friends of Muir, cheerfully agreed to be his counsel. Had he trusted to Mr. Erskine, the sentence which was passed on him never could have been pro nounced. I know, that one at least of the jury, vin dicated the verdict, not on the charge made against him, but on the speech he made in his defence. For offences, for which, if they had been committed in England only a few weeks or months' im prisonment could have been inflicted, the martyrs, who had been guilty of no outrage or violence, who were men in most respectable stations in life, one an advocate, one a clergyman, and one a favourite pupil of Dr. Parr, and a friend of the celebrated Sir Wil liam Jones, and who were all of irreproachable pri vate character, were sent to the hulks, doomed to confinement with the greatest miscreants—to pains and tortures worse than death, and were transported to Botany Bay. All but one perished miserably in foreign lands.—(Hear, hear.) The sentence against Skirving was pronounced within a few days of the Court of Justiciary sentencing two men found guilty bute to their memory and sympathy for their fate. Joseph Hume, Esq., the Member for Montrose, and the originator of the movement for erecting monre ments to the political sufferers of their period, both in London and in Edinburgh, having agreed to be pre sent at the ceremony, every exertion was made by sub scribers and others professing liberal opinions to render the occasion as imposing as possible. The Complete Suffrage Association, to the number of about four hundred, assembled in the Meadow-walk at three o'clock in the afternoon, for the most part dressed in black clothes, and marched in procession down the High-street, through Parliament-square, passing the courts of justice, to the Waterloo Hotel, where they were met by Mr. Hume, several members of town council, and many respectable citizens. Among those present on the ground, we observed, beside the Hon. Member for Montrose, a son of one of the martyrs, Mr. Skirving, who, we understand, is a manufacturer in Kirkaldy, and Mr. William Moffat, who acted as agent for Mr. Muir at his trial, and in both of whom the proceedings of yesterday seemed to awake the most lively interest. When the company had all assembled, Mr. HUME addressed them as follows :—Gentle men, I am happy at meeting with you here to-day, ready to perform an act of justice, and of respect to the memory of those who were the pioneers of the cause in which we are all engaged.—(Cheers.) I have been long anxious to see this day, having from a very early period of my life formed opinions highly condemnatory of those proceedings which took place towards the close of last century.—(Cheers.) I am one of those who, in 1792, 1793, while attend ing the University of this city, was witness to the proceedings which then took place, and though I have had occasion to be in different parts of the world, I never failed to recollect the enormities of that time. It has been a happy—a very happy— reflection to me, that I have been instrumental in making amends, in some degree at least, for the sacrifices those men made. You are all aware how disgraceful to Scotland those proceedings were—how the judges demeaned themselves by becoming instru ments in the hands of, I will not say the Ministers of the day, but of' the man who, but a few years before, professed the same principles which afterwards he persecuted.—(Cries of " Hear, hear.") Many may not perhaps be aware that the thing for which these unfortunate individuals were tried was for advocating the same cause, and contending for the same object which, in 1782, Mr. Pitt and the Duke of Richmond supported.—(Hear.) When in 1784 Mr. Pitt suc ceeded to office, he immediately became a persecutor of those very doctrines by the profession of which he obtained office, and, like many others who desert from their party, be showed an increased zeal in persecuting individuals who continued to maintain those prin ciples. The French Revolution alarmed those who held the reins of Government, and they wielded their power on the principles of despotism. I have said des potism, for I consider that wherever the people are not fully represented, despotism is almost sure to exist. Whatever privileges the Crown may have, and the aristocracy, I am ready and willing to concede all that is due, but still the people have their right and title to share in the Government. Mr. Pitt and the Duke of Richmond at one time introduced a Bill into l'arliament, to obtain universal suffrage and annual parliaments, and they laboured gloriously to procure those benefits to the country, but soon after wards they deserted those principles and became zealous persecutors of what they had formerly pro fessed. Those men whom we are now met to com memorate saw that those who then possessed office had no right to appropriate the country funds—to fatten at the public expense—raised the alarm and brought upon themselves the persecution which we so deeply deplore.—(Cheers.) It is to the disgrace of Scotland, that it was through the labour and per severance of Mr. Dundas that those persons were con demned. Their condemnation was contrary to all law— a mockery of justice, and sufficient in itself to dis grace any country.—(Hear, hear.) I am one of those who deeply regret and sympathise with the manner in which the people were then treated, and the insults which they received, and I cannot but think that we, who profess to be advocates of reform, have been very backward in not having, many years ago, raised a monument to men who have - done so much for our common cause. We see in our streets monuments erected to the memory of the persecutors of those men—to those who had no right, on the part of the people, to receive that respect. You are per fectly aware that great and repeated attempts have been made to calumniate those men as having been desirous to promote disturbances in the country— as having been men whose sole object was to create dissension and commotion. Nothing can be more false or inconsistent with their life and character. They were men of respectable station in life—in nowise desirous to excite any disturbance or popular commotion whatever, and therefore we ought to use every means in our power to confute those calumnies which have been raised against them.—(Hear, hear.) I look upon them as individuals sacrificed to the great cause of reform, and it becomes us as supporters of reform to erect a monument to those who have led the way in the path of justice and right, in order that in after times those who advocate the same cause may be encouraged, and that those in power may learn to beware of trampling upon the rights and privileges of the people.—(Cheers.) I trust this monument will prove a precursor of that which we all so ardently desire, for I am confident, as we are claiming what is right and just, that sooner or later— it may be in my day and may not—the people of this land will have a fair and full representation in the Commons House of Parliament.—(Loud cheers.) Without that it is impossible that this country can go on and maintain that position in the world which its wealth, influence, and character entitle it to hold, and which we all desire to see it maintain. Many of you are better acquainted with the history of the times I have alluded to than I am. I have myself been an attentive observer in the cause of reform, and I would just recommend to every. Reformer to read the history of those times of per secution. I find a very concise and correct history of these men has been published by Mr. Tait, which I would recommend to all who wish to be informed of what they suffered in the cause of reform. If there is anything about which I am more anxious than another, it is to relieve the characters of these men from the charges made against them of being desirous to excite dissension and commotion among the people, and with that view I shall read one single paragraph from the speech of M Muir himself t, the jury, which shows the real motives by which lie and his compatriots were actuated.—(Mr. Hume here read extracts from Mr. Muir's speech to the jury, and to the Court after receiving sentence, in the lat ter of which he said—" I have engaged in a good, a just, and a glorious cause—a cause which, sooner or later, must and will prevail, and by timely reform, save this country from destruction.") And (conti nued the Hon. Gentleman) so say I—(Hear, hear) —for it is only time that is required to secure the reform which we so much require. I entirely con cur in the sentiments of Mr. Muir which I have read. I am sure when it is known to any one that a person has been sacrificed for the principles which he holds, the fate of that person will stir him up to sym pathise with his misfortune. And in such a spirit will he regard those five men who were treated as felons, compelled to work as such, and who, though every effort was made in the House of Com mons, received no redress, but were shipped off to a fo reign land to associate with criminals, and to be sub jected to the most ignominious punishment. After spending eighteen months in banishment, an Ameri can vessel succeeded in rescuing Mr. Muir from ba nishment, but unfortunately, in consequence of hav ing touched at Nootka Sound, he was exposed to great peril and hardships. Mr. Hume here related some of the particulars connected with Mr. Muir's arrival at Cadiz, when it was supposed he was killed in the action with the English frigate in the harbour at the dine, and also as to his death at Paris, eighteen months thereafter. He (Mr. Hume) had been anxious to obtain possession of any papers which Mr. Muir had left, and had sent a person to the Conti nent with that view, but unfortunately none bad been found. Such was the fate of one of the victims of Mr. Pitt's apostacy.—(Hear, hear.) Mr. Palmer was punished on account of an article, written not by himself, but by another man, and like Mr. Muir he was subjected to similar atrocious procedure. The others were all arrested in December 1793. Let any man read the trials, and he will rise from the perusal with feelings of the most intense shame that they should ever have taken place.--(Hear, bear.) I may state that I appear here in consequence of a public meeting held in London in February last, in the Crown and Anchor Tavern, and which was one of the largest I ever saw in that place. At that meeting it was resolved to join together the two funds raised in London and in Edinburgh, for the purpose of erecting monuments to the martyrs in these two cities, and in the terms of the other resolutions then agreed to, I shall, with your permission, proceed to deposit such documents as have been prepared, and which, though of no value in themselves, yet,,Zorrn part of the ceremony observed on such occasions. Allow me to hope, that we shall live to see that re- of defrauding the revenue by forging stamps—a most fraudulent felony—and yet these men ware only condemned to banish themselves from Scot land, and in a short time received a free pardon. The sentence pronounced on Muir so astor;shed the jury, that they met immediately after leaving the court, and unanimously resolved to state to the judges their opinion, that it was greatly beyond the crime of which they had found him guilty; but some hot headed zealot having sent a letter to Mr. Gilbert Innes, the chancellor of the jury, threatening him with assassination for having concurred in the verdict, it was impossible for the jury to proceed further. Of this I was informed at the time by a near relation, who was one of the jury, and a man of the most per fect truthfulness and character.—(Hear, hear.) The extreme severity of the sentences made the deepest im pression on the public mind—induced a scrutiny into the forms, proceedings, and powers of the Court of Justiciary, and established a deep-rooted con viction of the necessity of genuine reform ; and this has been attended with the happiest effects. — (Cheers.) At the time of these trials every jury was packed. The sheriff returned what persons he thought proper as jurymen. The presiding judge selected at his pleasure those who were to try the case. No peremptory challenge of jurymen was permitted. The Court of Justiciary had the power to sentence every person, convicted of sedition, to any punish ment short of death. The Legislature has now done away these vices of the system, under which the martyrs were tried. Juries cannot cannot now be packed. The presiding judge cannot select the jurymen who are to try the case. Peremptory challenge of jurymen is permitted. The Court of Justiciary cannot inflict a heavier punishment for ssdition than six months' imprisonment. And the Legislature has determined that reforin ' to the strenuous advocacy of w hi c h th e mar ty rs f e ll victims, is the law of the land.—(Cheers.) It is thus esta blished, that no such trials as those in which our friends suffered, can take place. Acts of similar character, but greatly more offensive than those they committed, are every day committed with impunity. The liberty and rights of the subject are now secured on a basis in finitely stronger than before, and every thing that has since taken place, proves the general conviction that the sentences pronounced against them were unjust, and the punishment inflicted most cruel and indefensible.—(Great cheering.) We have now determined to erect a monument in this city, which shall proclaim to the world our conviction of these truths—that we entertain profound respect for the memories of the martyrs—and gratitude for the benefits their patriotic zeal and sufferings have secured to the country; and particularly shall proclaim our anxious desire to impress upon all judges and . jury men,ac t ifthatthey if they wish regard their wo beoraetshpes respected, d t , h a o u r d c h thea people to be satisfied with it, they will never allow themselves to be swayed by fanciful theories of ex pediency, or of a supposed necessity of acting on a " wholesome vigour beyond the law," but that in the exercise of the sacred duties committed to them, they will be guided by the law, and by nothing but the law.—(Great cheering.) The CHAIRMAN next gave " The Memory of Charles James Fox." Every one who knew the services that illustrious statesman had given to the liberties of the people—all he did was for their interest. He (Sir J. Craig) did not, however, propose his health on account of his general exertions, but because of his kind and strenuous exertions in support of those martyrs which they were met, to commemorate. The CHAIRMAN said—l have now to propose to you the health of our guest, Mr. Hume.—(Great cheering.) All men know the public service he has rendered to the country during a long parliamentary career—that he, while others waste the valuable time of the House of Commons with declamatory harangues, spoken to no purpose, exerted himself most laboriously, and at a time when no man would have undertaken it—in the system of finance. No man who knows anything of the state of the country in those days can be ignorant of the great and important services which he rendered, and which far exceeded those of any other Member of the House of Commons. —(Cheers.) I cannot doubt but he has been the saviour of millions to this country, and that had his exertions been countenanced as they ought, it would have greatly increased the number of those millions. I do not on the present occasion confine his services to what he did in that respect; it is particularly on account of his having been the instigator of the monuments which are in the course of being erected here and in London.—(Cheers.) And in acknow ledgment of which, I think, one cannot do better than now pass a resolution similar to what we passed at the first meeting for the erection of the monument— " Thanks to the originator of the movement for erecting monuments to the martyrs in the cause of parliamentary reform."—(Loud cheers.) Mr. Hume, on rising to return thanks, was re ceived with loud cheers. He said—l can assure you that I feel strongly the compliment you have now paid me, but I feel it the more in as far as it marks a union with that opinion which I have all along en tertained. When I see so many men with whom I have had little or no intercourse concurring in an opinion which I singly and at first entertained and ventured to express, I cannot but feel myself flat tered at having that opinion, isolated and uncon nected with party as it originally was, reciprocated by t p h le o t s e e present, and d n tha ( t c the efforts sy which I so early made should at this tim e o f d ay mee t w ith your co stated well the case of th ese un f ortuna t e men , and stated facts which bring tog e th er certa i n li n k s which ap peared to have been l os t. It is with peculiar pleasure that I have the h onour of onyour ou i r ny C ita h t a i l o r nman h this occasion. occasion. It will b e recollectedof the inhabitants that, of more this thany t we nty years ago, I was favoured with t h e opi nion of a large majority in favour of the efforts I had made in the public cause.—(Cheers.) It is with great satisfaction that I look back to the period that intervened since that time, and challenge any one to say where I for a moment in my life did anything which showed a retrograde move ment.—(Cheers.) The zeal with which I was influenced may have perhaps overborne prudence on some occasions, but never in all my attempts have I had any other object in view save the general doubt are the prudence,eeowuhntorybl.—asi3onlecountry.—(Great t c w ere not acquainted with the extent n of tm theey opinions daily came before Ille•—(Cheers.) No man who has not had the opportuniti es wh i ch I have h a d, an d w h o h a s availed him se lf thereof, can form an esti mate of the misery and wretchedness which is pro duced by misgovernm ent. It is upon these principles aloof I have stood ; and independent of party, yet in strict accordance with selfish motives —sett' aside• principle—putting down all mg all party spirit—and looking alone to those great principles which lead to the happiness of the whole people —(Cheers.) Your Chairman has allud e d to and pence, is the' th a e - ra m m - ti o t u te . n r t of finance. finaonrce. those T in The gre at evil of government is finance. Pounds, shil lings,office— p it is the whole source of misgovernment and us a i bs peoplete h , e t he obje ct thatba basest oe has tasofrendered c iobtainingti citizens.—(Hear, e n sb. y —the taxes ( imaea the u eh other wiseear pro perty e. softi hte lt is by minute attenti on ' to t h e mot i ves o f individuals, this harsh though it we are induced t o form opinion, a e it may be to the persons themselves. It is the result of experience, and I have no hesitation in saying, that could I place those h w ose character I have often impugned in a situation where they would not be so influenced, I can have no doubt their opinions would have been in accordance with my own. But it is pounds, shillings, and pence, which induces them to obtain the power of taxing the people,:and which constitutes the evil and great mis chief existing at the present day. If that is the fundamental error of the present day, you need not wonder though the reformers of earlier times resolved to strike at the root of the evil. These are the • prin ciples which induced me to attack the stronghold of Toryism—the stronghold of corruption—and to en deavour to turn off the streams from the pockets of those who were solely taken up about what they could obtain, regardless of the evils which they entailed. I concur with Lord Brougham, that we are driven to a course of action by conscientious motives which we cannot control, and happy is the man who in his exer tions looks straightforward to one great object— that wl i;11 hills to the maintenance of the rights of the people. If I have a merit, it is of having, whether under Whig or Tory ruler, taken that course which I thought likely to result in those beneficial objects which I always advocated and desired. This may be all very selfish, and so it is. I have no hesitation in saying, that in acting thus I pleased myself.—(Great laughter.) All calumny has been fruitless in attempting to divert me from my aim, though I have been frequently set up as the target which all par ties assailed. Notwithstanding, I did all in my power to stop those rills which flowed into the pockets of the sinecurists ; and es I meddled with a nest of hornets, I could not but expect they would assail me about the ears; and I may add, that, whether in the civil service, or the Church, or both, I always found ample field for reform.— (Cheers.) But m y opponents did not hate me as Joseph Hume, but as a reformer.—(Hear.) I shall ' say nothing more of finance except mention the fact, that seven millions of the public money is to this day detained by the heads of several departments to pay themselves, bending over the balance to Govern ment instead of detailing the various payments by which that balance is made out. The Hon. Gentle man, after some further remarks, concluded by giving, " Peace with France, America, and all the World." Mr. MONTGO MER Y BELL gave " The present Judges of our Supreme Courts." The Caoupieu proposed the health of the Chair man, which was briefly acknowledged by Sir James Gibson Craig. Among the other toasts which followed, were the " Health of Earl Grey," by Mr. Muir--" The Lord Provost and Magistrates," by Mr. John Richardson, W.S.—and " The City Members," by Mr. Macfarlan. The company broke up shortly after eight o'clock. TBE BANQUET. The banquet in the evening tOa place in the large Waterloo-room, which was by eight o'clock com pletely fille3. Mr. Hume did not arrive till after the proceedings were begun, having been detained at the dinner. Mr. Dunlop, of Brockloch, wes, on the motion of Dr. Purdie, called to the chair. The' CHAIRMAN referred to the proceedings of the day, and congratulated the meeting, that in this city of palaces and monuments, they had now laid the foundation of one monument, on whose pedestal would be inscribed the motto of liberty, to mark the progress which the principles of freedom were acquiring as time went on. The act of justice which had been that day done to the memory of these early reformers -showed unequivocally the determination of the present race of re formers not to allow the expression of their politi cal opinions to be put down by legal flaws and forms, and to maintain and enforce with boldness the principles held by the martyrs of the last century. — (Cheers.) The Chairman went over some of the more marked and expressive sentiments and prophetic enunciations of the political martyrs—sentiments which, so far from being the evidence of a criminal disobedience to the law, were now believed in almost universally by the people of this country. Posterity, in fact, had given its verdict in favour of these princi ples, and they would maintain and defend these prin ciples even if another Braxfield should arise; although he felt assured that Scotland would never again be subject to the dictation of such a character.—(Cheers.) The Rev. W. MARSHALL proposed the first senti ment—" The people, the sole element of national greatness, and the only legitimate source of political power." The CHAIRMAN then introduced Mr. Hume, as the long-tried and persevering champion of economy and popular rights. Mr. HOME was received with loud and continued expressions of applause, and after briefly addressing the meeting, proposed, as a sentiment, Honour to the memory of Muir, Palmer, Gerrald, Skirving, Margarot, &c., and their compatriots. Mr. SKIRVING, Of Kirkaldy, (the son of one of the martyrs) then addressed the meeting, whom he thanked for the interest they had shown in the cause of the reform struggle of 1793 and 1794, and for their kind expressions towards those who had suffered in connexion with it. Upwards of fifty years have now elapsed since the reformers in this country associated under the name of the " Friends of the People"—and if we examine attentively the principles of these early reformers, and take into view the history of reform since these societies were suppressed by an arbitrary power, we shall find that these associations, claiming as the citizens of a free country individually—a voice in the choice of their representatives—and the annual exercise of that right showed that they formed just ideas of representations, as that alone by which their country could enjoy that political regeneration of which they found her so much in need. And what is the reason that we at this day, notwithstanding the strength of the reformers' ranks, appear so far from obtaining a free and full representation simply be cause as a body we have no fixed principle respecting the extent to which the principle of representation ought to be applied in order to secure effectually the liberty of the subject on this point. At the period of which I am now speaking I was a young man, indeed a mere boy, but I have a distinct recollection of many of those who distinguished themselves in the cause of reform. And it has often struck me, in taking a view of the characters of the leaders of that move ment, that perhaps on no occasion was there ever such a number of men eminent alike for their moral and religious worth, united for the attain ment of a popular right, all of them, with few exoep tions, being men who enjoyed the confidence of their fel low-citizens, being selected by them to manage their affairs both of a religious and civil description. And with regard to those whom you have this day pro nounced worthy to have their deeds commemorated by a public monument, I would just remark, that their political career affords the most incontestible proofs of the purity of their motives, disinterested patriotism, and unfeigned love of liberty. May the generous ef forts of the reformers of the present day to perpetuate their sense of their worth, prove a stimulus to the pa triot, and a terror to the oppressor.—(Cheers.) The Rev. Dr. RITCHIE spoke at some length to the next sentiment, " Success to the principles for which the martyrs suffered," and was followed by Mr. Somers and Mr. C. G. Scott. The Rev. P. BREWSTER, in a long speech, moved a vote of thanks to Mr. Hume, and the other projectors and contributors to the monument. A vote of thanks having been moved to the Chair man, the meeting separated at half-past eleven o'clock. SLAVERY. The proceedings of the Glasgow Emancipation Society, which held its annual meeting on the Ist of August, bring out one or two points of considerable interest. We notice with some surprise that, after the strong measure taken by this Society in relation to the re ception by the deputation of the Free Church in the United States of slaveholder's money, the Committee should have selected one of this very deputation, whose conduct they so justly (as we think) disap proved (the Rev. Dr. Burns, of Paisley), to move the adoption of their report. They pave the way for his acceptance of this post, however, by a modification of their report on the one hand, and by giving him free dom of speech on the other ; so that we have at length a public defence, by a member of the deputation, of the course which was pursued. That portion of Dr. Burns's address which related to this subject we have given entire, and our readers will be able to estimate its worth. For ourselves, we remark principally the Doctor's acknowledgment that neither himself nor his companion, Dr. Cunninghame, was prepared for so complete an identification of the churches with slavery as in some instances they found ; and that, if the Free Church were to send another deputation, they might find it necessary to pursue a different course. It ap pears that a letter has been written by the Rev. Henry, as Moderator of the Assembly of the Free Church, intimating that the matter had been found surrounded with difficulties, and that it had been referred to a Committee. We trust that the Committee will act a wise and salutary part. At the same meeting the fact transpired to the pub lic that, on board one of the vessels of the British and North American Mail Steam Packet Company, in July last, a gentleman of colour was excluded from the use of the saloon during the voyage, having paid the full fare. It is certainly no enviable notoriety that the Acadia and Captain Judkins have obtained for themselves, by being the first to introduce into English ships this piece of American insolence and inhumanity. We are glad to find that a remon strance, signed by twenty-one saloon passengers on board the Acadia, has been sent to the Directors of the Company ; and we trust they will have good sense and good feeling enough to put an immediate step to so un-English, un-christian, and revolting a practice. _ - A third point of much interest in the meeting we are referring to, was the reference made by Mr. George Thompson to the law for the abolition of slavery in British India. He said he was not aware that any slaves had actually acquired their freedom under that law, and that measures ought to be taken by abolition societies to induce the Government to adopt measures for making it more fully known. We entirely sympathise with Mr. Thompson's feelings on this subject. The Committee of the British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society, in their deep anxiety in rela tion to it, have, on two occasions, sent out letters of inquiry to their correspondents in India, soliciting information ; and, from intelligence they have re ceived, they have reason to fear that the fact is, as Mr. Thompson states it. It is clearly the duty of ' the Goverment, to cause this important law to be translated into the vernacular languages of India, and to be widely diffused among the population. And, if some measures of this kind be not promptly and effectually taken, it will be the duty of Anti slavery Societies to make representations by which attention may be drawn to the subject. The British people can never be satisfied that a law which they hailed with so much delight should remain a dead letter.—Anti-slavery Reporter. THE CURE OF DISEASES THE ONLY REMEDY for QUACKERY. Let doctors treat diseases as they ought to be treated, they will then cure their patients, and thus put an end to all quackery. Medicine is a simple science, which should, and can, .be understood by all persons. If Nature's laws are opposed (which it is submitted they are, under the organic theory of the faculty) all the learning and research in the world will not enable doctors to cure diseases. So long as poisons * are used as medicines, and useless visits made upon the sick, the science of medicine will not cease from being (what it ought never to have de scended to), viz., a trade! ! ! Issued by the British College of Heath, New-road, London, for and on behalf of the body of Hygeists. * Poisons have been introduced as medicines, in order that the public should not attempt to cure their owu diseases. We are enabled to state that Messrs. Cobden, Bright, and other members of the Anti-Corn-law League intend visiting Plymouth in the course of a few vveeke. —Plymouth Journal. GORDON CASTLE.—The Duke and Duchess of Richmond are at present entertaining a larg e circle of friends at this magni fi cent seat, where his Grace has just arrived from his shooting quarters. The following are among those who are partaking of his Grace's hos pitality. The Earl of Uxbridge and the Ladies Con stance and Eleonora Paget, the Earl of March, Lord and Lady Templemore, Colonel Rotton, Mr. Cox, Mr. Roby. Mr. Russell, Mr. Ricardo, &c. The family circle includes the Ladies Caroline, Augusta, and Cecelia Gordon Lennox, and Lords George, henry, and Alex ander Lennox. ALLEGED MURDER OF CAPTAIN IIALSEY. The prisoner, John Kent, who has been in custody at Liverpool since the 14th inst., fur the alleged murder of his captain, was discharged on Wednesday, a verdict of justifiable homicide being returned by the coroner's jury ; but as the American Consul had made a claim to have the prisoner sent for trial to America, the informations taken before Mr. Rushton, were for warded to Sir James Graham, with a view of as certaining from the law officers of the Crown whether the prisoner ought to be liberated, or whether, if sent for trial, he should be tried in this country or in America. An answer to the latter question was deemed of essential importance, as the American Consul here had formally demanded that he should be sent for trial to the United States, upon the ground that the vessel was sailing under the American flag and upon the high seas at the time of the occurrence. Yesterday morning a reply was received from Sir James Graham, inclosing the opinion of the law officers ; and shortly after it had reached the hands of Mr. Rushton, that gen tleman had an interview with the Lord Chief Baron on the bench of the Crown Court, to whom he announced the result. Neither the communication itself, nor the opinion of the law officers, has been made public ; but the purport of both may be gathered pretty cor rectly from what transpired after their receipt. In the first place the grand jury would have been discharged on Tuesday, but that the Lord Chief Baron in timated to them that the opinion of the law officers was expected yesterday morning, and that they might then be required to take the bills against Kent into considera tion. Bills for manslaughter had in the meantime been prepared, in order that, if the opinion should be to the effect that the prisoner might be tried in this country, there should be no delay in putting him on his trial. At eleven o'clock yesterday, however, after the receipt of Sir James Graham's letter, the bills were abandoned, and the grand jury discharged ; and at half-past twelve o'clock the prisoner Kent was brought up at the police court. Mr. Rushton thereupon asked whether the Ame rican Consul (who was not in attendance) had been in formed that prisoner would be brought up that day ? Mr. Ellis, the senior clerk, replied in the affirmative; lie had told the consul that he should be brought up at half past twelve o'clock. Mr. Rushton then addressed the prisoner in the fol lowing terms :—" When the depositions in your case were taken before me, I told you that I should submit the evidence to high official authorities. I have done so, and it is now my duty to discharge you. From the fact of the body of the deceased, Captain Halsey, having been brought within the jurisdiction of the coroner of the bo rough, it became necessary to institute a solemn inquiry into the cause of his death, and since the evidence was taken by me that inquiry has terminated. The jury were men of great respectability, and it must be consolatory to you to know that their verdict was one of 'justifiable homicide.'" The prisoner was then discharged, and left the court, accompanied by a crowd of spectators. It is said that Captain Varnum has been appointed to the command of the Thomas Bennett, in place of the deceased captain—that a new crew will he shipped on board the vessel, and that she will . shortly p rocee d acr: l "-, on her voyage to Charleston. INSPECTION OF DEPTFORD DOCKYARD BY TILE LORDS OF THE ADMIRALTY.—The ancient dockyard at Deptford, which is the oldest in the kingdom, and which lay for nearly thirty years in an almost desolate state, is about to be restored to its original state of activity and importance. Thursday several of the Lords of the Ad miralty went over the whole of the departments, and having inspected the earpenters and joiner's shops, the foundries, the works of the boiler-makers, the wood sawing pits, and the timber-bending coppers, they viewed the slips, numbered consecutively one, two, and three, lying upon the north-west side of the yard, immediately contiguous to the victualling D e p ar t ment, w hi c h is se parated by a wall from the dockyard. The slips have not been used for many years, and the whole of them are now greatly out of repair ; but we have reason to believe that orders have been received for their immediate restoration. The Noble Lords then proceeded to inspect the works iu the building yard, and the forward state of the vessels now upon the stocks, as well as the excellent character of the work appeared very satisfactory to their Lordships. There are now building in the dockyard at Deptford, the Terrible, which when completed will be the largest steam-frigate in the world ; and the Spitfire, of 800 tons, which was commenced on the 21st of June, in this year, and will be finished in the spring of next. The Phoenix steamer is under repair, but now nearly completed, The following are the dimensions of her Majesty's steam-frigate the Terrible :—Length between the perpendiculars 226 feet, keel for tonnage 196 feet 104 inches, extreme breadth 42 feet, depth of the hold 27 feet, engine room length 75 feet, width 38 feet, depth 27 feet, diameter of the paddle-wheels 34 feet by 13, dia meter of the cylinder 6 feet, power of the engines 800 horse, weight of the engines 500 tons, coal-boxes to hold 800 tons of coals, burthen 1,847 tons, cost of boilers and engines complete 40,2501. It is expected that this noble vessel will be launched about the spring quarter-day (the sth of April, 1815.) A ROYAL RAT-WARREN.—There is a small parcel of enclosed ground, situated in the Green-park, which was at one period a pleasure-ground, annexed to the ranger's premises, but since the ranger's-lodge has been removed, and the site upon which it stood has been thrown open to the public (it forming at present a por tion of the promenade contiguous to Constitution-hill), the inclosed plot of ground under consideration has been quite neglected ; indeed, altogether deserted, and has become of late a notorious nursery for weeds and vermin. Situated in a bottom, nearly in a line with the spot where the old pond used to be, it is exceedingly damp, and the noxious vegetation it gives life to is not a greater evil than another it upholds, viz., that of its affording re • fuge to a dense and rapidly-increasing colony of maraud ing rats, which outlawed animals, finding themselves undisturbed, carouse in this inclosure (a perfect free warren) with the utmost assurance, aware that from the nature of the position they have taken up for their encamping ground, they may rest perfectly secure from the unwelcome interrup tions of dogs and other inimical annoyances. Any person passing up or down Piccadilly on that side of the way, and looking down upon the spot in question, will per ceive an opening to a dead well, and squadrons of rats, moving about in all quarters, entering and egressing from this aperture, which appears to be the central station for their operations. Those which are to be seen emerging from the well are, in almost every instance, furnished with a modicum of food, which circumstance may lead to a conclusion that this well communicates with the mansions on the opposite side of the road, for the domestics affirm that they " are eaten up with rats." The earth around the well is perfectly honeycombed with borrows, into and out of which these vermin are to be seen moving at all hours of the day. How leng this obnoxious colony may continue undisturbed, it is hard to say ; but if they are suffered to remain much longer in quiet possession of their quarters, these expert engineers will not only sap the foundation of Constitution-hill, but will propagate to so alarming an extent by-and-by as to enable them to take forcible possession of the houses and premises opposite their present head-quarters. The Shrewsbury Trienniel Musical Festival, iu aid of the funds of the Salop Infirmary, is to take place on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, the 3d, 4th, and sth of the ensuing month, under the patronage of her Most Gracious Majesty the Queen, the Queen Dowager, the Duke of Sutherland, the Earl of Powis, the Earl of Liverpool, Hon. R. H. Clive, M.P., J. C. Burton Borough, Esq. (High Sheriff of the county), Hon. and Rev. Lord Berwick, Sir E. J. Smythe, Bart., Sir A. Corbet, Bart., &c. Grisi, Favanti, the Misses Williams, Mario, Manvers, Signori Paltoni and F. Lablache, are engaged for the occasion. On the Tuesday a miscella neous concert will be given, and on Wednesday Haydn's Creation and Rossini's Stabat Mater will be performed, and a grand ball will on Thursday terminate the festival The ball, which, from the preparations now in progress, is expected to be exceedingly brilliant, is under the pa tronage of the Duchess of Sutherland, Viscountess Fielding, Viscountess Newport, Lady Harriet Clive, Lady Charlotte Lister, Lady Louisa Cotes, Lady Cor bet, Lady Leighton, Lady Smythe, Lady Worsley, Lady Jenkins, Hon. Mrs. Leighton, and a numerous list of fashionables. Most of the vocalists will, immediately after the termination of the second day, proceed to con tinue their tour in the provinces. . LONDON AND CROYDON RAILWAY.—An extraordi nary meeting of the Directors and Proprietors of the Croydon Railway Company was held yesterday, in the large room over the station at London-bridge, for the purpose of authorising the Directors of the Croydon Company to purchase the Croydon and Epsom Railway, or any shares or interest therein, and to create such an additional number of shares, and to borrow such addi tional capital, by mortgage of the Epsom Railway, or by bond, as might be considered necessary for completing such purchase. W. A. Wilkinson, Esq., took the chair, and stated that for the construction of the line to Epsom, on the atmospheric principle, a sum of 200,000/. will be required. A further sum of 130,0001. would be required to carry the line to London-bridge. Several deficiencies had been discovered in the estimates for the works on the Croydon line, and in order to cover these, and obtain the above additional capital, the Directors proposed to raise 400,000/., by creating new third shares at 91. each, which would bear interest at the rate of 51. per cent, or could be converted into whole shares, at the rate of 27/. per share. These shares were to be granted to the ori ginal shareholders at the rate of one to one. Resolutions were passed, authorising the Directors to carry this pro ject into effect. ACCIDENT FROM THE BURSTING OF A BOILER.— A terrible accident, which no foresight could have pre vented. has just happened, says a Brussels journal, at the coal-works of Ilaut Flenu. One of the six boilers of the engine used in clearing the mine of its waters burst, and killed instantaneously, as if he had been struck by lightning, a mason who was at work on the opp os i te side of the building. The chief engineer, who was walking above the boilers, was thrown to a distance of between six and seven yards against a glass door, but a workman who and caused him some was not even bruised. The steam passed through the wall, not quite disabled, ° broken glass into an adjoining room, threw against lie, however, the w a who severeora and hastened with th engineer to run to the • wa b s ru i i n ses i . t pistons and stop the engine, thus preventing the evil from becoming much greater. They were not yet in 'me 'to save the sto k er , who was completely e ll arbo•11 d ac ross the fields and throw himself _ , but able to run cold water. When taken into a reservoir of out and undressed, the whole of , his skin cume away with his clothes, not a particle being left on his body, a n d his state is considered to be most dangerous. Two other workmen were more or less hurt, but neither of them seriously. DECREASE OP CRIME IN LIVERPOOL.—From offi cial documents it appears that a considerable decrease has lately taken place In the number of prisoners con fined in the borough prison of Liverpool. The average number is now only 540, whilst twelve or eighteen months ago the number was 680. This decrease is mainly to be attributed to the great revival of trade which has taken place in Liverpool. SUMMER ASSIZES. OXFORD ClRCUlT.—Gloucester, Aug. 21. CROWN COURT.—( Before Mr. SQrgeant ATHERLEY.) Philip Turner, a respectable-looking man of adl anced years, was indicted for having, on the 15th of July last, feloniously sent a letter, threatening to kill and murder one William Salmon. Mr. Skinner conducted the prosecution, and Mr. Hud dleston defended the prisoner. It appeared that the prosecutor, being the son-in-law of the unfortunate man charged with this offence, had had frequent disputes and quarrels with him on the sub ject of his wife, to whom he had b een marr i e d f or a period of only 12 months. Much angry feeling being mutually excited, and the prisoner goaded almost to madness by these vexations, and also by the loss of a situation as an exciseman, which he had previously filled, wrote and subsequently sent to his daughter the following strange letter : "My dear Mary Anne,—l have this day purchased a pair of pistols with a determination of shooting your husband, and if he has any affairs to settle with you, be had better do it immediately, as I intend to end my days in Gloucester Gaol anon. I shall make him pay the forfeiture of his life ; I know where to lay wait for him, so tell him not to deceive himself. You will excuse this writing, as I never could write well with a steel pen.-- I remain your affectionate father, " PHILIP TURNER. " I shall allow him only three days from this date. " July 15, 1844." To the policeman who took him into custody he repeated the threat contained in the letter, but in a manner which evidently showed he was under the influence of liquor or strong excitement. At the close of the case on the part of the prosecution, Mr. HUDDLESTON objected that the offence contem plated by the Act 4 George IV., c. 34, a. 3, was not made out, as the sending of the letter must be to the- person threatened ; and that even if the jury should find that the sending to the daughter was with the i n t en ti on that she should hand it to her husband, upo n thi s in dictment such a verdict could not be found, a 5 P . '; ) one or the very numerous counts charged that ,ieletter was r; sent to the prosecutor, but all th averments were that the sending was to the w 3 !.e. He also raised several ob jections on the gr3Und of variance between the original and the letter set out in the indictment. Mr. Sergeant ATCHERLEY, having consulted the Lord Chief Justice, said that their united opinion was, that these being points of very considerable importance, they should be reserved for the opinion of the fifteen judges. his LORDSIIIP at this stage threw out a suggestion that upon the prisoner pleading guilty, the object csi the prosecution and th e j ust i ce of- the case would to met by binding the prisoner in his own recognin-,ices to keep the peace, and come up for judgment if called upon ; which being at one concurred in by the prisoner's cotin of not guilty, an d h aving sel, he withd rew hi s p l ea gone thr oug h th e nece.saary f irms, was dischar ge d, after a suitanlc. admonition from the Learned Judge who presided, Lord C)1.; 11v - .ei* Justice Tindal has been engage d the .e day in the civil court with the tithe issue, which is only in part heard. NORTHERN ClRCUlT.—Liverpool, Aug. 21. CIVIL SlDE.—(Before Mr. Justice CRESS WELL.) GREGORY V. WILLIAMS. This was an action for a libel by the defendant upon the plaintiff. Mr. Knowles and Mr. Crompton appeared for the plaintiff, and Mr. Watson for the defendant. It appeared from the statement of the Learned Coun sel for the plaintiff, and from the evidence, that the de fendant had been in the employ of some parties who were engaged in working some slate quarries, out of which a royalty was payable to a Mr. Wynne. The plaintiff was the agent of that gentleman, who, from time to time, took an account of the quantity of material won upon which the royalty would be payable. In April last a letter was received by Mr. Wynne to the following effect:—" Sir,—Permit me to inform you that I have certain occasion to know that the accounts rendered to your agent, Mr. Hallins, respecting the quarry are far from what they ought to be, and if they were investi gated, it would be found that you have been defrauded of scores, if not hundreds, of pounds. I have not a doubt but that if inquiry was made of Mr. Jones, of Festiniog, such disclosure 3 would be made as will lead to a re oovery of a great part of the money of which you have been defrauded." It then stated, that any letter ad dressed to him upon the subject was to be addressed to Mr. Roberts, at the post-office. In consequence of this, a letter was written and put into the Oswestry post-office, addressed to Mr. Uoberts. The defendant called for the letter. The postmaster, on his saying it was for him, said your name is not Roberts. To which defendant re plied that Roberts was a man in his employ. It was then given to him. A clue being thus obtained, it was discovered that the defendant was the writer of the li- bellous letter. The gentleman to whom it was addressed deposed that he had caused examination to be made, and he had no reason to believe that any fraud had been practised. Mr. WATSON addressed the jury for the defendant, and the case having been briefly summed up, the jury, after a short consultation, returned a verdict for the plaintiff —Damages, 150/. Mr. KNOWLES rose and said that the plaintiff was a moderate man, and had only claimed 100/. in his decla ration. The verdict was accordingly taken for that sum. DRESSER, PUBLIC OFFICER, V. CLARK AND ANOTHER. This was an action to recover the sum of 1301. for money paid to the defendants' order. Mr. Baines and Mr. Addison appeared for the plaintiff, and Mr. Martin and Mr. Tomlinson for ono of the de fendants, a lady named Whiteside, the other defendants having suffered judgment to go I>y default. The plaintiff is the public registered officer of the Yorkshire District Banking Company. The defendants were members of a committee who, in 1839, undertook to superintend the building of a church, near Wetherby, in Yorkshire. The parties who had contracted to erect the building had so little capital as not to be able to pay the workmen from their own resources, and it was ac cordingly arranged that the subscriptions for the build ings should be paid into the above-named bank, and that the defendants should each be security to the bank for the repayment of the money to a certain amount. The money was drawn out by cheques signed by the different defendants, and one at least purported to be signed by the lady who now resisted the action. The matter had been allowed to stand over till last spring, when the action was brought. The proof was long and tedious, and Mr. Baines, amongst other witnesses, called Clarke, one of the co-defendants in the action, who had allowed judgment to go by default. Some argument took place on this point ; but, on the authority of two cases—one in the Queen's Bench, and the other in the Common Pleas—Mr. Justice Cresswell admitted the evidence, and Mr. Martin tendered a bill of exceptions to it. Mr. MARTIN addressed the jury, and called several witnesses to show that the cheque was not, in fact, signed by the defendant, and that she was not liable. Mr. BAINES replied, and His LORDSHIP, telling the jury it was one of the plain est cases he had seen this assizes, they returned a verdict for the plaintiff—Damag es, 1301. and interest. Mr. BAINES applied for speedy execution, but His LORDSHIP said he doubted if he could give it pending the bill of exceptions, but he would consider it. CROWN Sll)E.—(Before the LORD CHIEF BARON.) Thomas Hurst was indicted for shooting at George Taylor, with intent to do him some grievous bodily harm. Mr. Hulton conducted the prosecution, and Mr. Brandt the defence. It appeared that the prosecutor lives in the town of Duckinfield, in Cheshire, but works in the county of Lancaster. A small bridge of planks was laid over the river Tame, which it was necessary for him to cross. The bridge is a temporary erection by a railway com pany now forming a railway at that part. A witness, named John Runs, stated that on the evening of the Bth of August he saw the prisoner, who is a lad of about seventeen years of age, standing near the end of this bridge. He had a gun in his hand, and twelve or four teen boys were about him. He left them, and went on the bridge, where he remained for a short time, and then walked about twenty yards on the other side. There was then a great shout from the boys, upon which he turned round, and levelling the gun, pulled the trig ger. It did not go oft: He presented it again. It again missed tire. He then presented it a third time at the boys, who stooped as if to avoid the shot. The witness perceived that on their doing so, he lowered the gun, so as again to cover them. On the third attempt the gun went oil; and the prosecutor and Joseph Chadwick both had received several shots about the head and great regret ; he said, gun in shoulders. On seeing they were wounded, the prisoner the e s absent, little nexpressed d u e c r h hurt,and someas th es split peas.con- t c h a e rr m i . e a d n however,s ta ee in in e e d d n a t ta h lri i me n y g e dc b o u ua t lnd a d The prisoner had been employed to assist a watchman who occasionusually but left the prisoner in charge. 1\ hat directions he had qabuocusttiotnh.e Novonrkths,ean.d pre sent received did not appear. At this stage of the case his LORDSHIP put it to the Learned Counsel for the prosecutio n , w h ether he could sustain the felonious intent laid in the indictment? The leaving such an instrument in the hands of such a lad was highly reprehensible, but he thought could it amount to more than a comm on assault ! not Mr. Brandt acceding to this view of the The jury returned a verdict ac d . cor ingly.—Sentene e deferred. CENTRAL CRIMINAL COURT. OLD COURT. (Before MT. Baron G URNEY and Mr. Justice WIGIITMAN.) POST -OFFICE ROBBERY.—Patrick Larkins, a letter collector in the Post-office, was indicted with stealing, on the 12th of August, two letters containing several bills of exchange and orders for money to the amount of 750 i. the property of her Majesty's Postmaster-General. Mr. Shepherd and Mr. Adolphus conducted the pro secution, and Mr. Ballantyne appeared for the prisoner. Our readers will recollect that the letters in question were sent from the Central Bank at Perth to Messrs. Glynn, Halifax, Mills, and Co., in Lombard-street, that they never arrived, and that the prisoner was detected in destroying them, when he discovered that their con tents were of no value to him. The case has been so recently before the public that it is tetally unnecessary to enter out againstnterintoitiie prisoner.ntdletaa il.The c ase was most clearly The jury found him Guilty, and The COURT sentenced hind to transportation for life. MunDEn.--James Carroll, a labourer, was indicted e instreet. with the wilful murder of E lizabeth llobbs, on the 2 d of March last. p ß r s r o o n u ex a i t id a l pp i e l a a r m ed k , et r i e t s h id in ed gs i n a b n o u i r t d ctahge ll e a On the day in questio n a q uarrel took p lace between The the the prisoner and deceased, who resided in the same house. when the prisoner struck the deceased on the head net face several times with his fists and the poker, of which blows she died. Mr. Ballantyne defended the prisoner Mr. Justice IVIGILINAIi summed up. .~