The Sun. — London, England, 1839-03-14 00:00:00

E VII,NING EDITION. GENER AL CONVENTION.- A PUBLIC MEETING will be held at the Crown and Anchor Tavern, Strand, on SATURDAY NEXT, for the purpose of laying before the People of London the reasons which have caused the Delegates to fix the beginning c.f May for the Presentation of the National Petition, and to invoke all true Radicals to render their aid and cordial co-operas ion to wards promoting the objects of the Convention—the People's Charter Chair taken at Eight e' Clock precisely. By Order of the Convention, WILLIAM LOVETT, Secretary. . _ V)1 co o R n K , I I N O, G DA, MEN'S m,,Ru 18, A . S S PUBLIC O C I A p ri l : I ; N O E N R W i 1. be given by the above Association, at White Conduit House. to JOHN FROST, Esq., Delegate to the General Convention for Monmouthshire, as a testimony of their appro bation of his spirited rebuke of the Secretary of State's uncon stitutional interference with the free expression of his political opinions W. CARPENTER, Esq. Delegate for Bolton, in the Chair. Dinner on table at Six o'clock. Tickets, 3s. each, may be obtained of the Stewards; of Mr. Mitchell, Secretary, 67, Red Lion-street, Holborn ; of Mr. Lovett, Secretary of the Association, 6, Upper North-place, Gray's Inn-road; at the Chartist Newspaper Office, 16, Cathe riue-i3treet, Strand; and at White Conduit House. All tickets unsold to be returned to the Association's Rooms by Eleven o'clock on Sunday next. CONTRACT FOR WORKS. REAT WESTERN RAILWAY. BRISTOL. NOTICE is hereby given, that the DIRECTORS will re ceive at their Office in Bristol, on or before FRIDAY, the 26th „lay of April next, at Twelve o'Clock. TENDERS for the exeCation of the foll.)wing CONTRACTS : CONTRACT No. 12, B. The e xcavation and formation of the earthwork, and con struction of bridges, culverts, and other masonry, and the entire completion, excepting the ballasting and laying the per manent rails, of that portion of the Railway commencing at a point in the field No. 4, in the parish of Bathampton, and terminating at a point in the field No. 32, in the same parish, being a distance of about 2,280 yards. CONTRACT No. 13 B. The excavation and formation of the earthwork, and con struction of bridges, culverts, and ether masonry, and the en tire completion, excepting the ballasting and laying the per manent rail, of that portion of the railway commencing at the east side of the prbposed bridge over the river Avon, in the parish of Bathford, arnl terminating at a. point in the field No. 18, in the same parish, being a distance of about 1,156 yard CONTRACT No. 14 B. The excavation and formation•of the earenvrork, including the diversion of roads and construction of bridges, culverts, and other masonry, and the entire completion, excepting the ballasting and laying the permanent rails, of that portion of the railway commencing at the eastern extremity of Contract No. 13 13, and terminating in the field No. 19, in the parish of Box, being a distance of about 2,76 yards. 1 CONTRACT No. 15 B. _ The excavation and formation of the earthwork, in cluding a short tunnel and construction of bridges, culverts, and other masonry, and the entire completion, excepting the bal lasting and laying the permanent rails, of that portion of the Railway, commencing at the Eastern extremity of Contract, No. 14 B, and terminating at the Box Brook, in the parish of Box, being a distance of about 1,006 yards. Drawings and Speculations of the above Works will be ex :iibited at the Company's Office, Corn-street, Bristol ; and printed forms of Tender may be had on application at the same office, on and after Monday, Ist April. Th Directors will not consider themselves bound to accept the lowest Tender, and they expect the several parties to attend at the Office, at One o'Clock, on the 26th of April. CHARLES A. SAUNDERS, / Secretaries. THOMAS OSLER, Offices, 2, Princes-street, Bank, London ; Corn-street, Bristol. MANCHESTER AND BIRMINGHAM EXTENSION RAILWAY. i TO THE WORSHIPFUL THE MAYOR OF THE BOROUGH OF CONGLETON. We, the undersigned Gentry, Clergy, Manufacturers, t Tradesmen, and other inhabitants of the Borough of Congleton 1 and its vicinity, do hereby request your Worship to convene an ; early PUBLIC MEETING of the Inhabitants of this town I and- neighbourhood, to consider the propriety of Petitioning both Houses of Parliament to pass the Manchester and Bir mingham Extension Railway Bill, now before the House of 1 Commons; the success of which measure being of vital impor -1 tanee to the commercial and general interests of this town and neighbourhood, and the country in general, which at present labours under a grievous railway monopoly. Thomas Hall Jno. 0. Chapman Thomas B. Ingham, Minister Thos. Brightmore Ed. Wilson T. Steele William Bull and Sons Thomas Craddock and Son i J. Bullock George Barlow 1 John Jackson Mark Barlow John Pickford Thos. and Arch. Templeton James Broadhurst Thos. Vaudrey Charles Vaudrey Cbas. Barlow and Son Beech and Rideout George Reade John Barber Arthur Reade Richd. Goodwin John Andrew 1 Thos. Goode Richd. Edwards William Clarke I Jno. Brown W. Warrington I Edw. Snelson Joseph Lockett 1 Charles Pedley John Dakin Chris. Moorhouse Thomas Goodall Thos. Read Samuel Woolley Henry Hogg Joseph Twells Thomas Johnson : .ino. Bayley Read, Johnson, and Co. i Thomas Sheldon Jno. Johnson P. _MI' Coy ' i Congleton, March 11th, 1839. • In pursuance of the above requisition, I do do hereby appoint a PUBLIC MEETINfiII of the Inhabitants of this town and \neighbourhood, for the purpose therein mentioned, to be held Til at the Town Hall, in the said borough, on orinalr next, the 18th day of March instant, at Twelve o'Clock at noon. JOHN F. READE, Mayor. ] Congleton, March 12, 1839. Majesty the EMPEROR of AUSTRIA, His Majesty the EMPEROR of RUSSIA, And His Majesty the KING of PRUSSIA. having AUTHORISED and GUARANTEED several Dis. .zriUttanns of Money, which (though they are NO LOT TERIES, offer a great many possibilities of obtaining LARGE FORTUNES, HEINE BROTHERS at HAMBURGH, and HEINE BROTHERS at LUBECK, are NOW SELLING Sii3RES for any of the said DIS TRIBUTIONS of MONEY, a ; various prices. The Dis tributions contain various portions, from NINE POUNDS TO TWENTY THOUSAND POUNDS and upwards. Persons desirous to purchase may receive PRE VIOUS to giving any order, the Prospectus and Particulars, upon addressing, WITHOUT DELAY, a line to HEINE BROTHERS at HAMBURG!". P.S. THE NEXT AUSTRIAN DISTRIBUTION CONTAINS PORTIONS OF 4,0001., 7,5001., and 30,0001. .12,0 THEATRE ROYAL, COVENT GARDEN. THIS EVENING, MARCH 14, Will be performed the New Play, in Five Acts, called RICHELIEU, OR THE CONSPIRACY, Written by Sir E. Lytton Bulwer, Bart. The Characters by Mr. Elton, Diddear, Mr. Macready, Mr. Warde, Mr. An derson, Mr. Vint,. • Mr. Roberts, Mr. Phelps, Mr. G. Ben nett, Mr. Howe, 'Mi.,' E. Phillips, Mr. Tilbury, Mr. Yar. nold, Mr. W. 1,. Payne, Mr. C. J. Smith, Mr. Bender , , Mr. Paulo, Mr. Gough, Mr. 'Thorne, Mr. Brady, Mr. Bur (l,t, Mr. Smith, Mr. Kirke, Mr. nollingsrorth, Mr. Will- Ayliffe, Mr. Andrews, Mr, T. Matthews, 311* Ilcien Faucit, Miss Charles, Mesdames Reed, Corder, Lee, Va:anduke, Mathews, Mew, and Morgan. After which, FRA DIAVOLO. 1 , Marquis San Carlos, Mr. Frazer ; Lorenzo, Mr. Burnett ; Zerlina, Miss Rainforth. To-Morrow there will be no performance. On Saturday, Richelieu, with The Agreeable Surprise. Oil Monday, Richelieu, with The Portrait of Cervantes, and Chad is Come Again. I On TnC4daY, King Lear, with Rob Roy. - sT, • e 4 t. Zhe ann. LONDON : THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 1d39. W e h at ; again last night nothing but Corn, in Parlia ment, and the: l ;h the subject becomes tedious, ; e are scarcely sorry for it. A disease must make itse:f felt before any active rns.'ans will be employed to et re it. The nation will bye-anal,!,ve, out of mere weariness of hearing the Corn-laws conti37.Yally discussed, ca:l out lustily for their repeal. The Lords did not sit. In the Commons several petitions were presented, including one by Mr. O'CONNELL, from a place in Ire bind, promising to hold to the Union with Enc,land, provided Ireland reaped the full benefit of it. The adjourned debate was resumed by Sir WILLIAM M ot. ES WORTY who of course spoke against the Corn-laws. and drew his arguments chiefly from the slow increase or stationary condition of our exports. Sir WILLIAM desired the entire removal of restrictions on trade, and advocated the abolition of the Corn-laws because they were amongst the most onerous restrictions now ex isting. Mr. CHRISTOPHER contended, at considerable length, that the agriculturist labourerd under considerable dis advantages, and had a right to protection. He re pudiated, he said, with indignation and scorn, Sir GEORGE STRICKLAND'S remarks of the preceding even ing, but he and the agrieulturists will not find it so easy to get Sir GEORGE'S words out of their consciences. They will stick there ; they will be rivetted there by the popular voice, and every day be more and more firmly clinched. In his calculations of the expense of growing various crops at present, he made no attempt to estimate the influence of the Corn-laws in raising the cost of everything that is Ebro fight to market. If their influence could be mea sured, we have no doubt that the price at which they enable the farmer to sell his produce does not compen sate him for the additional cost they occasion in raising the crop. The Hon. Gentleman made a hit, as he thought, by referring to the export of corn having been recently forbidden in France, because the mob stopped it at Rochefort : but the exports of food from Ireland have they might th ese th ree years b een s t o pped by the mob, bey might b e aga i n s t o pp e d th ere , just as well as d the mob at Rochefo t Mr. GROT E id showed ' conclusively that the wages of lab "re; s d not rise with the r i se i n th e p r i ce of corn, and bcontrasting withh the c on diti on o f th e l a bourer in the latter part o te fthe l as t century , w h en corn wa s high pri ce d , r condition si nce 1833, w h en cor n was low p r i ced, made it perfectly c l ear th a t C orn -l aws materially concern the requires that labourer, w h ose interest tt that th ey be and relieving the landlords only by laying a burden on other classes. Mr. GROTE was followed by the Earl of DARLING TON, who made a rigmarole speech, but delivered one sentence worthy of being remembered. He would give up the Corn-laws, if the people demanded it, but not while four-fifths of the people were in favour of them. That is a lesson for the people, who must petition strongly, and they will secure the votes of the Earl of DARLINGTON and his friends. Mr. CLAY followed the Earl of DARLINGTON, and made, as he always does on this question, a plain, sen sible speech, full of good matter. Mr WODEUOUSE worked his flail on the side of the landowners. Viscount Howicx followed, and made a very long and useful speech, advocating the principles of free trade and calling on the landowners seriously to consider their situation and the effects which the Corn-laws had bad on their interests. At the close of his Lordship's speech, which was heard with considerable impatience, the debate was again adjourned. The Tories and the Landlords seem determined not to hear arguments against their mischievous career. They are resolved to keep up the system of starvation, and therefore they will not listen to objections lest their firm resolve might be shaken, or some compunctions might make their own conduct less agreeable in their own eyes. The night before last they groaned at Sir G. STRICKLAND for re minding them of their extorting the bread from the poor by law ; and they did what they could to make Mr. POULETT THOMSON, who complained of indisposition, put an end to his speech. Last night they followed a similar course of proceeding, and feeling g alled by the home truths uttered by Lord lowicx, sou„aht to drown his voice by unseemly noises. Several times the SPEAKER had to interfere to preserve order and obtain a hearing for the Noble Lord. At length he was obliged to make an appeal to his opponents, but unfortunately detected one of the gentlemen on the Opposition Benches, who was not, he said, guilty of the unseemly in terruption. The appeal, however, sufficed to procure the Noble Lord a hearing for some time longer, though the impatience of the House frequently broke out into cries of " Adjourn, adjourn," " Oh, oh." At length, when the Noble Lord had begun to make a very important statement as to the effects of abolishing the duty on wool, Sir ROBERT PEEL rose, and walked out of the House. He was immediately followed by Sir G. CLERK, and a considerable number of those who dog at the heels of the great man, and seem to have no other business in Parlia ment than to vote as he bids them, and cheer him when he wants a cheer. We conjecture that about twenty at least of the gentlemen who will to-mor row or next day vote to continue the tax on the people's bread, and vote to continue the bounty on foreign manufactures, and the severe tax on our own, walked away and refused to hear one of the most important arguments against their injustice. We do not complain of the manner in which they treated one of her MAJESTY'S Ministers, though the insult was marked and decided, but we do com plain, and we think all the bread-eaters have a good right to complain, of those gentlemen who persist in a most unjust course, and who are so in love with their own tyranny, and are so arrogant that they will not listen to what can be said against their conduct. As to the little squad of " claqueurs" who followed the lead of Sir ROBERT PEEL, be cause they have no will of their own, and like a parcel of automatons, move as he move s we can scarcely complain of their not listening to arguments they are not born to comprehend ; but it does appear like an insult to all the industrious classes, that such persons should have the power to vote for the public starvation. The retirement in a body has one good effect, it makes the matter known to the public ; and allows us to inform the nation, that the landed Aristocracy and the Tories insult as well as oppress. The full and sated leech drops contented from its prey, the drained and famished reptile bites hard and must be cut in pieces to make it quit its hold. Our landlords cling to the Corn-laws much more like the drained and famished, than like the sated leech, and cannot be easily removed from their prey. Does. the analogy betwixt them hold throughout ? We think it does. We are sure that the landlords have never derived any benefit from the Corn-laws; that instead of being full of opulence to satiety, they are all drained and famished, aid gripe hard now not from having already got any thing, but from being eager to get much. Since the law was passed in 1828, the prices have never been very high tin the present year, and the farmers have never ceased to complain of distress. The average of the ten years has not been quite .555. Now only do the landords forsee the halcyon days of wheat being at 705., and now is their cupidity excited, and their hopes of opulence, and like famished leeches they cannot be shaken off. Their hopes, however, let us inform them, will be disappointed. Though they cannot raise food up to the population, as long as the community submits to their law they can starve the population down to the supply of food. The instrument of effecting the object is high price. High prices, it has been observed in all times, curtail the supply of the necessaries of life. They thin the ranks of the poor by sickness and death, put a partial stop to marriage, and reduce the population, by an almost endless variety of both acute and chronic misery, down to the supply. The high prices of the present season we may be sure will have the accustomed effect of high prices. The population on the one hand will be starved down to the present supply—and on the other, additional production will be stimulated. If our information be not erroneous, next year will see an unusual breadth of land bearing bread corn in England. The supply will be for the time equal to tho e ffective demand of the starved-down and hanc.4-tied population ; and, if not this year, the risen.neet w. year, prices will fall as rapidly as they have We have no doubt whatever, therefore, that the present hopes of the hungry leeches will be completely disappointed, and they will earn for themselves all the additioitgl odium of upholding the Corn-laws, and nothing more, They will add prodigiously to the hatred which is justly borne to them," an idle, an opulent, a well-protected avd hitherto a cherished Mass, for levying a poll-tax on the bread of the poor and the industrious ; and they will not get, we rejoice to believe, the pit' fg which they most degradedly barter the respect and attach ment of society. The declaration of the Autt.Corn-Jaw Delegates (yesterday), that the question with them is not one of price, but of exchange, will have a most favoura ble influence for their cause. " They cared not," said Mr, COBDEN, " what the price was, it would not matter even if the prices rose permanently, all that they wanted was that they should have the privilege of exchanging the manufactures of Shef field, of Derby. of Manchester, of Nottingham, for that which other countries could alone give for them." Ins places their cause fairly before the punc- • In the debate on the Corn-iazr.a the night before last, the chosen leader of the landowners said in reply to Mr. VILLIERS' statement, that the agri cultural labourers had never been more distrsed and more discontented than since the Corn-laws were passed ; that it was the low price of produce which had made the farmer unable to pay and employ their labourers, and that the labourers had become con tented as the farmers had been enabled by the ad vance of prices to employ them. That was the substance of Mr. CAYLEY'S statement; the words of the Report are these : " Now, what had the Hon. Member stated with regard to the insubordination of the labourers in 1830 ? It was notorious that the farmers bad been depressed for a long time after the war, but the farmers had never reduced the wages of the labourers as quickly as they might have done, in proportion as food became dear. The farmers had been for a long period in a state of distress, and at last they were reduced to the condition of being unable to keep their labourers employed. That pressure upon the farmer arose from the low price of corn, and that alone was the cause of the insubordination that had been adverted to." Now, as everybody knows, there sat a Committee of the House of Commons in 1833 to inquire into agricultural distress ; and none can know this better than Mr. CAYLEY, for he was an active, inquiring, cross-questioning Member of the Committee. That Committee reported, and this part of the report ex cited at the time much attention, and has frequently since been commented on, that— " Amidst the numerous difficulties to which the agricul ture in this country is .exposed, and amidst the distress which unhappily exists, it is a consolation to your Com mittee to fin 4 that the general condition of the agricultural labourer in full employment is better now than at any former period, his money wages giving him a gTet4er command over the necessaries of life." The Committee also reported, and this part of the report was in like manner frequently drawn under the notice of the public— " The Committee of 1821 arrived at the conclusion that the returns of farming capital were considerably below the ordinary rate of profit, and no evidence adduced before our Committee of diminished outgoings contrasted with the change of prices in the intervals would warrant at this moment a different conclusion." The Committee added, that " the farmer's savings are gone or greatly diminished, his credit failing, and his sources generally exhausted." In the year 1830, when the agricultural labourers were riotous, the average price of corn was 645. In the year 1833, when they were contented and well off, the average price was 535. ld. Here, then, we have it distinctly proved that the labourers were well off and contented with comparatively low prices, and badly off and riotous with comparatively high prices. Here, also, we have it distinctly stated, by a Committee of which Mr. CAYLEY was a member, that while the farmers were in distress in 1833, the labourers were prosperous, and that the condition of the labourer was improved by those same low prices, which were complained of as injurious to the farmer. Here also we have it proved that the increasing contentment of the labourer was not caused by increasing power in the farmers to employ him by increased prices, for their distress was greater in 1833 than in 1821, and prices were lower in 1833 than 1830. Now, what must we think of a gentleman who, knowing the co existence of these facts—who in 1835 made the continued decay of the farmers a ground of serious lamentation, has the impudence to stand up in the House of Commons and say that the condition of the labourers only became im proved as the farmers got high prices and could give them employment ? And what must we think of the impudence of the surrounding squires who, knowing these facts just as well as Mr. CAYLEY, and just as well as we do, cheered Mr. CAyLEY's statement as an unanswerable truth ? And what must the public think of the cause which its de fenders support by such impudent, off-hand falsifi cations ? This statement concerns facts known, or which may be known, to all the public; they are within the cognizance of daily life ; and what opinion then wilt the rublic form of the numerous statistical facts relating to foreign countries and our own country, many of them, like the future relative prices of corn here and abroad, depending more than half on wild conjectures ? For our part, we judge of the lot by the sample, arid, seeing that they are all brought together with the same for-planned design of deluding the people and bolstering up wrong, we have no hesitation in declaring that the great majority of the statements of the landlords are—like this statement of Mr. CAYLEY we have referred to—wholly devoid of truth. The Ministers, we regret to say, seem to have put themselves in what Sam Slick calls a fix. The Anti-Corn-law Delegates and the Agricultural Association have both passed resolutions expressing want of confidence in the Ministry. Thus they are slighted, if not forsaken, by the two leading , interests of the empire. It may be good in gal lantry, but not in politics, to be " off with the old love before you are on with the new," and it would have been only prudent in the Ministers to have insured themselves the support of the agriculturists before they had cut with the manufacturing and town population. We regret a line of conduct which leaves the Ministers without the support of any great national interest. The merchants, shipowners, and traders of the City of London, have addressed a long and ener getic petition to the House of Commons, complain ing of the injury done to commerce by the French blockade of Mexico, and praying Parliament to take measures for the due protection of the foreign trade of this country. The petitioners represent that several millions of British capital are vested in commercial and mining establishments in the re publics of Mexico and Buenos Ayres ; that in these establishments many British subjects are personally employed ; that the imports of bullion and specie from Mexico to Great Britain and her colonies amount to from eight to ten millions of dollars, while the imports of produce from Buenos Ayres are equal in value to 700,0001. annually ; and as a climax, startling to a com mercial people, " that the whole of this inter course has been violently," and, in the opinion of the petitioners, " unjustly and illegally suspended by blockades declared by the Government of France, occasioning thereby ruinous injury to all parties engaged in traffic with these States." The peti tioners go on to represent, that they would not feel themselves justified in complaining of embarrass ments occasioned to commerce, by the "unavoidable occurrence of hostile collisions," but the matter in dispute between France and iVlexioo, having be come known to every person, by the publication of the documents connected therewith, the petitioners take leave to represent to Parliament, " that these proceedings disclose, on the part of France, a course of dealing towards these States, not only of the most severe and coercive character, but calcu- lated, if acquiesced in by those States, entirely to destroy their independence, in the maintenance of which England has a deep interest." This is cer tainly strong and decided language ; but to justify its employment in a petition to Parliament, the pe titioners direct the attention •f the Legislature to the following unquestionable facts :- 1. That Mexico did offer to submit all differences be tween France and herself to the arbitration of Great Bri tain, or any other independent Power. 2. That Great Britain expressed her readiness to act as mediator. 13. That this proposal was rejected by France, who in sisted, for herself, on the right of being the sole judge of her own claims, and affixing her own valuation thereto. 4. That, at a subsequent period, when, on the arrival o f the French fleet on the Mexican coast, the Mexican Go ternment conceded the whole of the original pecuniary demand of France, a further pecuniary demand was brought forward by the latter Power • which demand, how ever, she offered to relinquish, on condition that the right of carrying on retail trade in Mexico should be conceded to bee. 5. That even this increased pecuniary demand the Mexican Government offered to submit to the decision ,f Great Britain. That this proposal was also rejected by the French Commander, who thereupon proceeded to active hostilities against Mexico. 7. That, in the case of Buenos Ayres, the blockade has been continued after every substantial ground of difflrence had been removed between France and herself, and after the Government of Buenos Ayres had, in like manner with that of Mexico, offered to refer all matters in difference iu Great Britain. A.nd as another ground of complaint equally in contestible That during the maritime wars in which this country hag been engaged, it was distinctly established that the right to declare any port under blockade must be main tained by the presence of a naval force. That Prance, on the contrary, has declared all the ports of Mexico under blockade, when, in the case of some of them, not a single French vessel bas been present to enforce it. That the port of Tampico has been for many weeks to gether without any French ship before it ; while, in the case of the port of Laguna de Terminos, at which many British ships annually load, there has not been a single French ship present from the month of May down to the last advices in December, notwithstanding which, British s ubjects have been compelled to respect this blockade. That it will be evident to your Honourable House that this principle, if• acquesced in by the British Govern. ment, places it in the powe r of an y State to cut of f the c ommercial intercourse of this country with any part o f ,be world, on the mere announcement of a blockade, even without a previous declaration of war. In maintaining in a subsequent paragraph of the Pet iti mi that England, as a great commercial tion, ought not to ,suffer her trade to be stopped or impeded on loose and untenable grounds, the yeti, tioners quote the example of France herself, who, while blockading Mexico in June last, would not admit the right of a Chilian blockading squadron, to interfere with the trade of neutrals in Peru. This is the substance of this very important petition—with the exception of a single paragraph, which will form the subject of a separate article ; and we take this prominent notice of it, rather to make our Gallic Contemporaries acquainted with the real state of public opinion England upon this subject, than to impress the House of Com, mons with the necessity of any immediate resolution upon it. The Cabinet on the eve of appointment in France, is well disposed towards this country, and we have reason to believe will avail itself of the good offices of England to correct the series of blunders committed by the late Adminis tration relative to Mexico. M. THIERS desires nothing more heartily than the maintaining of friendly relations with Great Britain ; and he is quite sensible how impossible this would be Wela tie to persist in inflicting injuries upon our com merce on grounds inconsistent with the principles of international law and the dignity of this pountry, But the necessary time to correct these errors must be allowed him. Something must be conceded to ;.4q9nal vanity in the negociation of measures, which, however delicately proposed, roust necessa- THE SUN, LONDON, THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 1839. rily savour of dictation ; inasmuch as the latent determination to enforce them, is sure to make it self unpleasantly felt. Having, therefore, waited so long before seeking redress, we would recommend to our merchants to wait a little longer—jnost to allow M. TIHERS and his friends to take poss,.s sion of the seals of office. The Paris Journals of Tuesday state that a meeting of the Left Centre and the Left took place at M. ODILLON BARROT'S residence on Monday evening, to discuss the constitution of the New Cabinet. After some deliberation they uu<n agreed that M. BA RROT should stand .as a candidate for the Presidency of the Chamber of Deputies, and that they would support a Cabinet formed as follows : Piesident of the Council and War SOULT ; Foreign Affairs TIIIERS ; Interior ...... Instruction GUIZOT ; Finance DUCIIATEL It does not seem, however, that much progress had been made in the formation of a Ministry. The KING was supposed to have his own reasons for not being in a hurry. There is no other news of interest in the Paris Journals. The arrivals from IVhdrid are of the 4th, but they, too, are unimportant. We were quite right when we stated nearly a month ago that the Belgian Deputies purposely delayed the adoption of the Treaty with Holland in the expectation of the triumph of the Coalition in France, and we were equally right in assuming that the KING of the FRENCH resorted to a dis solution of the Chambers to get rid of the Beloian question, aware that the leaders of the Coali tion could not then with any show of con sistency, approve of the adoption of the Treaty by Belgium. It now appears from the Brussels Journals of Tuesday, just received, that the Opposition in the Belgian Chamber of De puties are doing all in their power to protract the business of that Assembly, with a view to keep the question of the Treaty undecided till they can make another appeal to the revolutionary sym pathies of the French Chamber. They ima gine, now that the Coalition has triumphed, that M. THERS will make the rejection of the Treaty, a sort of Cabinet question. This conduct is likely to place the new French Mi nister in a very ticklish position. M. THIERS denounced the Treaty when he was out:of :office, as he would have done any other Ministerial measure opposed to popular sympathies ; but they sadly mis understood him who supposed that, as a Minister, he would not be the first to ratify it. He voted against it because he expected to be in a minority. Politicians are not the most scrupulous of mankind, and M. THIERS, lively and clever as he is acknowledged by all, is not even the most scrupulous of politicians. Still, upon this question, he overshot the mark. With all his sophistry he can point to no new phases in European politics to justify a change of opinion upon the Belgian -ques tion ; the bulk of the Coalition regard his former pro fessions as convictions ; and what is more embar rassing still, he has no reputation to throw away at the opening of a new Session, and cannot, therefore, turn round directly and vote for the Treaty. Such is the dilemma in which THIERS is placed by the obstinacy of the Belgian Deputies. But Co accelerate the decision of the Belgian Chamber of Deputies, a proposal was made by the Ministers on Monday that the Chamber should in future sit five hours daily, instead of three, which was agreed to after a violent opposition by the opponents of the Treaty. In the course of what might be more properly called an altercation, than a debate the object of the procrastinating system was avowed by the Opposition Deputies. This will lead to increased exertion on the part of Ministers, and, according to the opinion of well-informed per sons on the spot, the Treaty will be adopted, as far Its the Chamber is concerned, in the course of a a few days. Some rioting is anticipated, but no serious disturbance is apprehended. • The triumph of the French coalition appears to have alarmed Holland. The latest advices from Amsterdam apprise us that the Dutch troops are everywhere in course of augmentation. This appears to us a very unnecessary measure, and calculated to produce more evil than good. Holland cannot arm without alarming Belgium, nor Belgium move in sell-de fence without exciting a commotion by no means favourable to the Dutch in France. King Wu, LIAAI'S best policy is to leave the final settlement of the question to the Five Great Powers acting in concert. BOURSE.—Pims, TUESDAY, MARCH 12. HALF.PAST Tzsza.—The French Funds have maintained them. selves, but no list was circulated as being that of is new Ministry. For the Account the Three per Cents. opened at 79f. 50c., declined to 79f. 45c.., rallied to 79f. 60c., fell back to 79f. 55c., and after being nearly 79f. 50c., again recovered to 79f. 60c., last price being Sc. higher than yesterday. The Five per Cents., ex dividend, from 108 f. 60c., declined to 108 f 56c., and, after reaching 10SE 70c., closed at 108 E 60c.. a fall of 10e. For money the Three per Cents. have improved 4c., and the Five per Cents, are unaltered. The Bank of France Shares have not varied. The Laffitte Bank I,ooof shares are 10E, and those of 5,0001. sf. higher. The Spanish Ac tive is better ; from 21 it declined to 20i, and after some trifling oscillations, closes at 21. The Passive has advanced I. But blight variations in Railway Shares. The St. Germains not quoted either for money or for time. _ _ _ First Highest Lowest Last Price. Price. Price. Price. French 5 per Cents(ex. div.) 108 55 ... 108 60 ... 108 50 ... Jer..% 60 4% per Cents lO4 50 .., 104 75 ... 104 50 ... 10 i 75 4 per Cents lOO 75 ... L 0 75 ... 100 75 ... 100 75 3 per Cents 79 45 .„ 7s 55 ... 79 45 ... 79 55 Bank of ti ranee Laflitte Bank I,ooof. Sh 1045 ...10.5 ...10 5 —.1055 5,00ef A.— 5215 ...5215 ...5215 ...5215 Belgian 5 per Cents lO2 ... 102 ... 109 ... i 62 3 per Cents OO 70 ... 69 70 ... 69 70 ... 69 :0 Bank 575 ... 575 ... 575 ... 575 .3 ar.ish Ac ive 2l ... 21 ... 20% ... 21 Passive 5% ... 5 % ••• 5 — 5% Neapolitan 99 $5 ... 99 135 ... 99 85 ... 9., S 5 Roman RAILWAY SHARES. Versailles, It. B 587 58 ... 587 50 ... 587 51! ... 5F,7 56 L. 8.19 i ... 190 ... 167 50 ... 107 50 Rouen 945 ... 915 ... 945 ... 945 Orleans . . 435 ... 435 ... 435 ... 435 Strasburg to Bale 340 ... 3:0 ... 325 ... 32, . Duren FUNDS.-,Assirrnaoam, Marion 12. Money. Bills. actual Debt, 2% per ('Ant Ditto, ditto 5 per cent. A icon :syndic, 4% per cent 9 4 ,., 9484 Date, ditto, fiY a per cent ... 794 790 i Commercial Company, 4 . .. per cent 174% 175% Ditto (132 and 1833) 5 per cent. Ditto 1.437, 5 per cent. Loan 1837, 5 ' •ier cent. Exchange on London, One month ll 95 Two months ..... BELGIAN } UNDS—BRUSSELS, Matzen 12 Actual Debt 2;y per Cent. Rothschild's LGall, 5 per Cant. 9O y o Loan of Thirty Millions, 4 per Cent. 3 per Cent. 69% Loan of City, 11332, 4 per Cc:Pt."—. ...... ~, 87% Society et Commerce, 45i per Cent: ' llO Bank of Belgium, 5 per Coat 57 National Society . —Brussels Papers, March 12. HA IBURC, BORSEN HALLE, Melton 9. _Mills, Money. Austrian Aletpriques, 5 ner cent. Ditto ditto 3 per cent. . — Ditto ditto ‘2,i per cent. Liao bank Shares 4.9.g10-Russiati Loan ..,,. ... , . ~,, 10744 lin!, nussian 5 per cents Metal. Paper Inscription, 6 per cent Russian Inscription, Hope and Co., 3d and 4th Serie:: 4,144,,,,,,,• 99 Plt Ditto, Certificates ,,••s •i • 31 • ..,i, 1. CI- in% Portuguese Urgency boriti nt 5,3 per ce -.. . . . Ditto, 3 per cent...,,,, . Dutch 83e per Cents. — 51 3 / 4 St Ditto 5 per Cents 933( 99 , 4 Polish Bonds, 3 per cents. New Tickets , . ltr..9-•• 157 % IW Ans . flo,Danish Loan 3 pec cents., ~,,... 7`.4' 71% NcovogLto Loan of 1834,1 per cents. ...... ..... 102 Spanish, in piastres, 3 per Cents — Cortes Loan, 5 per Cen' — Greek 4 per cents. 1833, guaranteed by Francs - -Hamburg Paper; March J. . . :S/..ANDEROUS PURLIQATIONS.-014 Tuesday a second meeting of the members of the Society for putting down scurrilous and slanderous publications, and prosecuting the proprietors, editors, and vendors, was held at the Hope Tavern, Drury-lane, Mr. Wiley in the chair. Thp Mee;inif was numerously attended by - humble but respectable individuals, whose characters had been ma. ligned. Several instances were adduced of the domestic happiness of families haring been destroyed, and their prospects blasted by these productions. The Society sites engaged a Solicitor to prosecute, and several contributions pp 9f unoffending in have lleett received towards the legal expenses. The Society intend holding district Meetings, and have been successful, it would appear, in persuading a large number - t o i f el p e u te llis t h e e i r e s je to re re e li r nq h u e is r h t the the sale of all publications c 41.. - . • HORRIBLE SUPERSTITION. and attended --The Indicator, a e d r iv e i d d i b u l a e l , s. semi-o f fic ial did j i o t u n rn o a t l c , o p m u e bli s fromh e d a a n t o G y Gotha, t 11 1 a v : t ing fact which took place there, and would be totally io., r n e e l s a s t , es the foli o Li . , with strong reprobation on the part of that journal :--c` On Febru ary 18t h , immediately after the decapitation of a cri minal condemned to death for murder, several persons, subject to epileptic fits, ascended the scaffold, with per mission of the authorities, and each, Meg a glass with r i lico4u4dg i lz a , , t , - , 1 the blood of the victim, drank it on the spot." RAILWAY BETWEEN GLASGOW AND CAR LISLF,.— was held at Glasgow on Friday last, for the purpose Of A numerous meeting of bankers, merchants, S te , go twined ri Manchester, ptio ithsyn Made trtea e m a f 0 er r a a tiv t e e i adopting measures to establish a railway communication by I\litioz_ Carlisle with Liverpool, Manchester, and London. I t ap _ peered to be the general opinion that a line through o ;ences of the survey dale was preferable to any other. By that line it would require only 1 - 4 hours to travel from Glasgow to ~iverpo 3l e t e h d 1 ie with the objects of the mooting wero agreed to, and ~,,, 1 A. returil - published w es h o i i c ti li i n o e; the importation of foreign grain into France has bet!' present nearly a s muc h i n the mont h o f J anuar y i n the ' year a 4 i n the tvtly e 41 0,-,tha that 0 - receded it. METROPOLITAN POLITICAL SUMHARY. The Times of this morning, in a Jesuitical leading arti cle, whose object is to make it appear that we are no un likely to get into a serious quarrel with Brother Jonathan, says, " Supposing that our apprehensions may be realized, let us ak what preparations have been made by the Mel bourne Ministers, or by their Foreign Secretary ( Palmer ston), to provide for this danger which he at least must have long foreseen ? What answer will be flung in the face of an inquiring Parliament and nation? What, but a repetition of that same preposterous impertinence which could not have been uttered by any other living mar —to wit, that it is beneath the dignity of a great people to make preparations against injuries or insults from others, because it would look as if they suspected that any one would dare to wrong them. With the favour of Heaven, this excuse for imbecillity, if it be not for something worse. shall have a place among our national records." a " When the corn monopolists," observes the Morning Chronicle, in the course of an article suggested by the Corn-law debate last night in the House of Commons, "speak slightingly of the foreign trade, they betray an utter ignorance of the circumstances which give to the British landholder his great advantage over the foreign land. holder. Being exporters of manufactures they are ne cessarily cheaper here than in the countries to which they are exported. The landowner, therefore, buys all that he requires from the manufacturer at a lower price than it can be obtained at elsewhere. On the other hand, corn would not be imported into this country, were it not et a higher price here than elsewhere ; so that even with a free trade in corn the landlord will always receive a much higher price than the price abroad. As we cannot then import corn but when it is higher here than elsewhere, agriculture can never possibly be injured by the impor tation." The Morning Herald, referring to some arguments urged by Mr. Clay in his last night's speech in the Com mons, states as follows :—" The wages of labour are not regulated by the price of food, but by the demand and supply of labour. The capitalist would, in the event of a free trade being established in corn, posFess no power over the labourer--but if the present Corn-laws shall be continued, wages must be reduced, simply because capi talists will not be able much longer to pay wages ac cording to the existing scale, A free trade in corn would increase the demand for English manufactures ; that in creased demand would increase eompntition among Eng - lish capitalists ; and from that increased competition the English labourer would derive higher wages." LLOYD'S SHIPPING.-(THIS DAY.) DEAL, MARCH 13.—Wind, S. E., moderate.—Came down from the River and proceeded the General Kyd, Jones, for Madras and Calcutta; Mary, Winson, Lisbon; Agricola, Milliken, New York; Red Rover, Smith, Sydney. PORTSMOUTH, MARCH 13. --Wind, S. S. E.—Arrived the Jane Erskine, Mitchell, from St. Domingo. Sailed Glenarm, Gruber, London. PLYMOUTH, MARCH 13.—Wind, S. S. E.—Arrived the Magdalene, Mayn. Sailed John Dennison, Barker,Bombay. FALMOUTH, MARCH 12. —Wind, S. E., fresh breezes.— Arrived the Force, Marquis, from Longsound ; Oscar, Skeen, Sheffield; Jardine, Batavia, lost boats, bulwarks, &c. ; Onyx, Staaus, South Seas, 500 barrels; Shannon (steamer), London. Off port, Mary Ann, Wallace, Ter ceira ; Mary and Johanna, Tucker, Cadiz ; Cambrian, Paul, Mauritius ; Agnes, Cumming, Ceylon. LIVERPOOL, MARCH 13.—Wind S.—Arrived Blakely, Holmes, Calcutta ; Wilberforce, Harrison, Maranharn ; Ellen Jenkinson, Walker, Trieste ; Mayflower, Lisbon ; Alfred, Grillan, Charente ; Five Sisters, Havre ; Sylph, Limon ; Angelina, Cornelius, Antwerp ; Hendreke Aren dine, Brende, Bordeaux ; Petersburgh, Rotterdam ; Jonge, Bremen; Egidius, Ostend ; County of Perth, Hamburg. Off port, the Jacob Cooper, from Calcutta; Notion, Leg horn ; Thames, Lisbon. Sailed the Iris, Graham, far Jamaica ; Jarrow, Walker, Laguayra ; Gurgeni, Browe, , New Yerk ; Mischief, Jones, Lisbon; Republic. Williams, New York ; Isaac Newton, Spalding, Philadelphia ; Alexander Edmond. St. John's, New Brunswick; Jason, Rouen ; Johanna, Bakker, Pernambuco ; Julien, Cram, Palermo. MONEY and COMMERCIAL NEWS. CITY, TWELVE O'CLOCK. The arrivals this morning consist of French and Ostend mails, and ship letters from Mauritius, Ceylon Oct. 19, Cape Dec. 29, and Batavia Nov. 1, LIVERPOOL COTTON MARKET, Maser 13.--There has been a good business to-day. The sales are 6,000 bags, at id. advance since yesterday. Since the arrival of the news by the Great Western, there has been an increased disposition to buy, but holders are not inclined to sell. The accounts :received from Manchester this morning state that there was but a moderate demand for yarn yes terday, and the buyers showed little disposition to follow up the recent advance. In cotton the business done was limited. There was nothing doing in the goods market, but prices rather in favour of the buyers. Several of the principal spinners and manufacturers at Staleybridge began to work six hours a day on Monday last, and it is under. stood that their axample will be followed by the whole of the trade there ; some will begin this day (Thursday), and others next week. In consequence of this depression there must be a considerable diminution in the con sumption of cotton. It was stated yesterday, that a very extensive spinner and manufacturer, with out stopping or retarding a single loom or spindle, had diminished his weekly consumption of cotton to the extent of 12i per cent. and the same kind of diminution to a greater eAtent is very general throughout the trade, in consequence. of the high price of cotton rendering heavy fabrics comparatively dear and unprofitable. Her Majesty's and the Honourable Fast India Com pany's special messenger only arrived yesterday in Lon don with dispatches from India, bringing no later dates than those received by Mr. Waghorn on Sa tur(lay morning last. In this it appears that Mr. Wagliorn has again provided Government with India intelligence. A prospectus has been issued, in which it is proposed to form a board of agency for country bankers in London, the object of which is to ensure perfect safety.to the country bankers of all classes in their London agency, conjointly with increased economy in the management of their business. The country private bankers amount to 670 and the country joint stock bankers to 234, making a total of 964 bankers. It is calculated that, by the present agency, they incur an annual expense of 406,8001. ; this the Association proposes to reduce a to 60,0001., and to give them the half brokerage, now received by the London agent. • Dutch Funds to the 11th March are rather lower : File per Cents 54 9-16 ; Three per Cents 101 15-16. Consols opened this morning at the closing prices of 3esterday, 933, for the Account ; g 2 93 for Money — little business doing as yet ; Exchequer Bills, 63 85 ; India Bonds, 65 67 ; Bank Stock shut; India also—for the opening 256 257 ; Bank Stock, 305 206. In the Foreign Market Spanish Active, which closed at 214 is not so good ; at present 204 213; Portuguese 341 35 ; Three per Cents 214 1; Belgian, 1013 102; Brazilian $O3 ; Scrip 3to 1 prem. ; Colombian, 293 30 ; Mexican, 234 24 ; Dutch Two-a n d- a - H a lf per C ents., 55 4 1 - 1 ; Five per Cents., 103 k 1. A meeting of the Proprietors of Bank Stock took place this morning, a report of which is in another column. PRICES OF IRISH STOCKS, DUBLIN, MARCH 11. 3 per Cent. Consols t}s, per Cent. Stock Ditto Reduced - Hibeinian Bank Ditto Nsw, ISSO ...... .. 1011► City of Dublin Steam Comp, ...--- 34 per Cent. Debentures... 9214 National Insurance C om p any Bank Stock .. Grand Canal Stock - Ballast Oflice Debentures, 4 - Royal Canal Stock .. .........1 per cent HALF-PAST ONE. Consols continue steady at 93 i for the Account ; Money, 931, little doing. Exchequer Bill s , 63 65 ; B an k and India Stock, shut ; India Bonds, 64 V,, In the Foreign Market Spanish, 214 ; Portu:uese,ra -34i I 35 ; Three per Cents„ 21i i ; Belgian, IGI 102 ; B zilian, 80i ; Colombian, 29i 30; Mexican, 234 214 ; Dutch Two-and-a- Half per Cents., 454 i; Five per Cents., 1031 I. CLOSING PRICES. BRITISH FUNDS, Bank Stocic, . 3 or Cent. eed 93% , Ditto Bonds Oper Cent. Ccue 93 ; Ditto Old Annuiti es B7 9% per Cent. Red 101% 'Ditto New Annuities . . New .... .. New 5 per Cent 4', per Cent 1..0;,, Ex. Bills, 1,0001 Nd.... 05 pm. ...... ,—, I Ditt o 5001 65 pm Long Annuities to expir t3 I Ditto 500/ fo Jan. 1/31.1 ~, .. . . 'Bank Stock for Op g 199 pin. Oct. IMP. ...., lndia Stock for Opg 2 6 Jan. iSoti ..... — Consols for Act .... 93 , 4 FOREIGN FUNDS !Portuguese Bonds, Spec cent. Ditto, New Ditto Prussian, 5 per cent Russian Bonds, 5 per cent„ — Ditto, Metallic Spanish, 5 per cent 2l ( Ditto, Consolidated French, 5 per cent. 109 f soe. Exchange French, 3 per cent —f, -..., Dutch, 2N, per cent. Ditto, 5 per cent. .............. - - RE& Ashman, 5 per cent Belgian, 5 per cent 102 Brazilian Bonds 80% Buenos Ayr, s, 6 per cent Chiflan, 6 ppr cent Coloinb,an, 6 per cent.— Ditto, 1824 29 ii Danish, 3 per cent 76 Greek Bonds, 1825, 5 per ct — Mexican, 5 per cent — Ditto, 6 per cent : , 1835. — Peruvian, 1835,b per cent — sxA Eastern Counties Railway 9%. Great Western Railway London and Brighton Railway... London and Greenwich Railway 11 LondoLondon 17 n and Southampton Railway London and Cr oydon Railway (Trun~) Manchester and Birmingham Railway Ditto ditto Extension Northern and Eastern Railway South Eastern and Dover The Richmond election has terminated in the return of the Liberal candidate by a majority of $2. The following was the state of the poll at the close : Sir R. Dundas Mr. Stapletau BO Majority I The disputed territory between Lower Canada and the state of Maine, is not a third of the extent of Ire land, and is nearly uninhabited. ELECTION TRICKS IN FRANCE.—On the eas tern frontier, the Ministerial candidates informed the elect_ tors, that England, Prussia, Russia, and Austria, were directing movements against France and Belgium, from the belief that the New Chambers under the guidance of Soult and Thiers, would bring on a general war, and pamphlets were plentifully distributed in the provinces, stating that they were on the point of having a third in vasion, and that in all probability Lorraine, Alsace, and Franche-Comte, would be taken from France. What, adds one of these brochures, could ever French valour do against, perhaps 600,000 foreign bayonets? This beats cur Tory candidates with their hypocritical denunciations of the New Poor Law. We see from the Court Circular, that the Duke of Cambridge had a dinner party yesterday, at which were present the Puchcss of Gloucester, the D"mac of WeWino-- top ales' ; tha Archbishop of Y o rt. -,and others, and that after (M tb.- - , proceeded to the Concert of Ancient Music, his Royal Highness being Director for the evening. Thus, a Royal Duke and a Most Rev. Prelate, may, during one of the sacred days of Lent, attend a concert, while on that day Lord John Russell, with the advice of a Bishop, for. bids the divine music of William Tell, at the English Opera House 1 BANK OF ENGLAND-THIS DAY. The half-yearly meeting of the Board of Directors and Proprietors of the Bank of England, took place this day at 12 o'clock, the Governor, T. A. r -URTIS, Es q ., in the chair. The advertisement calling the meeting, which was for the purpose of declaring a dividend, having been read, The GOVERNOR said it was now his duty to acquaint the Board of Proprietors that the present was one cf the half yearly meetings appointed by the bye-laws of the Cot.- poratton for considering of a dividend, and the Court of Directors having inquired into the state of the Bank ac counts, were of opinion that a dividend might be declared, if the present Court thought fit, of 31 per cent. interest and profits, for the half year ending tne sth April next. It was his duty therefore to move that the Court do oreer a dividend to be declared of 31 per cent. interest and profits for the current half year. Mr. YOUNG had been taken by surprize, and so he w 'a satisfied had many of the Proprietors, by the proposition, now made. He wished to have some further information as to the state of the Bank affairs, before the qu-stioa was put; and whether, in the proposed dividend of 31 per cent., they were encroaching on the Bank fund. He hoped some information would be given by the Governor, which would satisfy them of the propriety of acceding to the present large reduction in their incomes. He trusted the Proprietors would not leave the room, until some informa tion had been obtained on that point. Mr. B. HAMMOND, in opposition to the views of the last Proprietor, was glad to find that the Directors had taken a healthy view of the affairs of the Bank. He begged to ask what was the amount of the rest, for it was impos sible to ascertain it from the averages published in the newspapers. The GOVERNOR said the Hon. Proprietor would under stand that the averages published in the Newspapers were merely matters of account, and bad no reference to the profits or losses of the Bank. They were merely state ments of figures which were required to be published by tke Act of Parliament. Mr. HAMMOND said that time two years he had - obtained an explicit answer from the Directors as the amount of the rest. It differed by the stl,n of 300,0001. from the amount of the rest published in the Newspapers. lie merely wished to have the round numbers stated. The GOVERNOR-The amount of the rest at the pre sent moment, that is if the Court agrees to the recom. mendation of the Directors, will be 2,799,000/.—that is, taking the dividend at 3f per cent. Mr. HAMMOND-Then there would be a deficiency within the last two years in the amount of the rest, if the same dividend was persisted us of 3 or 400,0001. The GOVERNOR-Oh, no. Mr. HAMMOND—The amount of the rest as stated by your predecessor, was 2,817,0001., and now it appears ti dividend is to be 3f per cent- The GOVERNOR-Taking the dividend at 3f per cent,. for the half-year, the increase of the t est for the last half_ year will be about 24,0001. Mr. HAMMOND---I am not going into the last half-year's accounts, but I am looking at the last two years; and I ask, if you persisted in making a dividend of 4 per cent., what would became of the Proprietors at the end of their charter ? Mr. FIELDEN wished to know why the reduction from 4 per cent. to 3i per cent. had taken place in the divi dend ? No doubt the Directors were able to give there the necessary information, and if so, it would save • time and trouble. The GOVERNOR.—The answer he haL to make was necessarily a very short one, because was morally impossi ble for him to go into a detail ;, I accounts at th a t General Court; but he would sl tly State to th em , t h at t h e reasons y:, that had induced thy:, Court of Directors to come to the determination to recommee,d that diminution of the divi dend was, that the pro...is of the Bank had not amounted to what would en't'Le them to declare their former dividend of eighii I;er cent. per ann um . If t h ey h a d recommended the former dividend of four per cent., it would have occa sioned a diminution of 50,000/. on the amount of the rest, whereas, by agreeing to the proposed reduction, they would have an addition of about 24,0001. to the rest> Mr. FreeneN--Am I to understand that if a dividend of four per cent, was declared, there would be a diminution of 50,0001., in the rest, and an increase of 24,0001, if the dividend be only three and a half per cent? The GOVERNOR—Precisely so. Mr. YOUNG—Then this dividend makes a reduction of one-half per cent, on the last half-year. The GOVERNOR—It makes a difference of one her c, nt. per annum on 14,000,0001. Mr. YOUNG—Then it is for tire Court to say whether they will put up with this reduction of their profits because the Directors do not think proper to encroach on the rest, to the amount of 50,000/. I, for one say, that we ought not to consent to it, when the;diminutionof the rest will be comparatively so small. It will be for the Proprietors to say, whether they will accede to such a proposition or not. I am not complaining that the profits have notbeen so large within the last two years as formerly ; but when we have in the vest fund a sum of two millions and eight or nine hundred thousand pounds, I think we should be wrong in allowing our property to be so largely reduced in value ; and I hope the Proprietors will not consent to it. Mr. WEEDING thought if it only required a sum of 50,0001. to be taken from the rest they ought to adhere to their former dividend. The rest was an accumulated capital out of profits, and it ought to be divided among the Pro prietors. He did not see any permanent reason for the course adopted by the Directors. He thought all parties would be much better satisfied if a four per cent, dividend was declared, Mr. Coon wished to know whether the Governor was prepared to state the particular items on which the loss of the Company had been sustained ; what it was that had caused the reduction ? The GOVERNOR thought if the worthy Proprietor would look to the returns made by the Bank, he would find that the securities had decreased, and that as a result of that de crease the dividends must necessarily become smaller. Mr. WieetamsoN wished to know whether the Directors thought that this small dividend was likely to be followed ap by a higher one ? The GOVERNOR was afraid that it would not, looking at the present state of the affairs, Mr. WILLIAMSON thought that under the circumstances in which the Company were placed, considering the large surplus which they had by way of rest, it was impolitic to change the dividend. He wished to know up to what period the liabilities of the concern were carried back, at what date they took their liabilities for their outstanding notes ? The GOVERNOR said that there was a return made to Parliament in 1830, of all the outstanding liabilities of the .nuch concern. Mr. WILLIAMSON said he should propose, by way of amendment, that the Proprietors and Directors should de_. clare a dividend of 4 per cent. Mr. YoUNQ would second that motion, for the question with him was whether they were to have the benefit of the profits now or leave it to those who succeeded them. He hoped that the Court would not submit to the reduction, inasmuch as they had so large a surplus of profit remaining to be divided. Mr. FIELAIN wished to put one question to the Governor. He believed that 25 per cent. of their capital had been sunk, upon receiving an annuity from her Majesty's Go vernment. Now, if he understood rightly, a portion of that annuity went to the profits of the Bank, and the other part of it was set apart to redeem the sunk capital. What he wished to know was, whether that sum had been So set apart ? The GOVERNOR said that it had. Mr. BLACKBURN& was glad that at last the Proprietors of Bank Stock had been emn':iied to enter into the con sideration of a dividen3 He was glad they were obliged to act in the spire of the bye-law, and not pin their faith implicitly Upon the Directors. He prophesied they would be obliged to go further, and have a searching in quiry into their circumstances. They had now come to a healthy state of things, and were no longer to go on as they had done for the last six or seven years, taking their dividends out of the " rest." They were at last be ginning a better system—they were now going to square their dividends by their profits. In his opinion the Court ought to agree at once in the proposition of the Directors. They were about to lose the Governor— they would see his face no more—(Laughter)---but before he went, he (Mr. B.) wished to assure him that the old system of mystification and self-election had lost nothing in his hands. —( A laugh.) That system had all been kept in good re pair, and it had even become stronger in his hands. Sine., they last met they had been deprived of the privilege of transacting their business in the Rotunda, and were com pelled to employ an agent appointed by the Directors. If one of themselves met in the Rotunda for file minutes he was ordered off, and if he refused to go, then there was a fine of 5/. at some quarter Sessions. Again, when the proprietors lent their money to his Majesty they obtained an annuity which could no• . be taken in execution. Many persons bought their mock for that privilege, but the directors, both in ail;Ct out of Parliament, had allowed it to be swept aw",,y ; a few half years ago he passed through the House-, and he was beset by clerks, by bankers, and by attornies, to know what be wanted—he there saw what no one but himself had ever seen.—( A laugh.) He saw many persons call to know when the dividends would be paid, although it was one day past the time they were due. Mr. FEIL.DEN spoke to order. Th e L earned Gentle:malt was travelling very wide of the question. The GOVERNOR was al ';',/ays sorry to interrupt the obser vations of any Progr ; :etor, but Mr. Blackburn was certainly much out of order. Mr. LA C N would then stick to the question. It "'as absolutely necessary that the Proprietors should enquire into the system of self-election and the management of the Bank generally.—( Order.) It was that system of mysti fication which had made the subject such a dry one. Had they been aware of the state of their affairs, the dividend not recommended would not have come upon them by sur prise. Their eyes were more opened, and he trusted they would keep awake and would not decline another dividend until they bad been let into the whole secret of the manage ment. PVF.is_TING F,DTTION. were expected to be of a permanent character, then thought that the proprietor ought to agree to the die - dend of Three-and-a-Half per cent. The proprietor Ii only one of two courses to take, either to exorcise rational and full control 'over the management of tl bank by calling upon the Directors to 1, . before them the whole account of the concert , or, on the other hand, they must put entire and vt , qualified confidence in the Directors. He wsuld gi" nu opinion of the relative merits of the two .courses, bu the Court could exercise no discretion without calling fu that full information which the Directors c )uid not pro bably consistently give. It would lead to inconsistence and absurdity, if they adopted such a course. The evils of such a proceeding in any concern were obvious ; but their's, the peculiar position which they occupied R od greatly aggravate these evils. Let them recollect the pe culiar character of their concert—it had not only its oial pecuniary interests to consider, but it bad been bithertu looked up to as the great beacon of commercial credit i that country.—( Flear, ln-ar.) If it proceeded now t` abstract a sum of 50,000/. from the rest. and declar( a dividend amounting- to that sum above their profits• what an example they would hold out to the punlio and to other parties. It would give encouragemen to the public, who were already itividous of the manage ment of their body. Where would be the stability of their body if an act of the popular portion of it could controut the decision of what might be called the senatorial parr and that they should insist upon a division of profit great.. than the President of the concern had told them the.. could afford. He hoped that they would at one , :, see th impolicy and injustice of such a proceeding, felt he could not retire f rom th a t room without making a. exertion to prevent it. :rid he for on• The GOVERNOR felt it necessary, in consequence of whs. had fallen from his friend Mr. Loyd, t o sta t e w hat were the considerations gnat had led the Cou r t o f Di rec tors t make the re:esent recommendation. When they did sc. they 13;,,i in view the prospective circumstances of tL 1 2;:nk. If the Directors had thought the reduction of th rest would be merely of a temporary nature, they wou. , never have thought of coming down to that Court Sr. asking them to reduce the amount of the dividend. L former instances the Directors had come boldly do.{' to the General Court, and recommended a con tinuation of the dividend, always considering that th circumstances which affected those profits were temporar and that they would be ultimately able to maintain 0 e permanent rate of profits at that amount. At presesl , however, the Directors were of opinion that these pros pective views .did not exist, and they felt that it would K.' only misleading th e pu bli c an d t h e P ropr i etors if they V. out the hope that a dividend of 8 per cent. per arm . . could be declared. —( Hear, hear.) They thought best and wisest course to corny, hoicily before tbsin end tl''; public, and to tell them that, in their opinion, dividend of '8 per cent. could not be mal,:dtained, ale that they thought it advisable to propose, a reduction of per cent. in order that the rest migh' not be further en oached upon..__( Hear, hear.)• pie hoped he had replie to the call of Mr. Loyd, when l ee repeated, that it was UP ° a prospective view of tit', affairs of the Bank, they h' come to the present to put the quest;. :m nclusion. It ,could now be his chit and he believed the amendment shoti,d be first s ub"..;itted to them. Mr. rteetAstsoN would be the last pers on t o throw .• aw• u r.,necessary embarrassment in the way of the Directors He had been given to understand the rest would encreasc but after the very satisfactory explanation of the Govern() he felt that he would be wrong in pressing his amendmen: —( Hear, hear.) He hoped, h owever , t h ey wou ld be I . ' voured with a statement of accounts of the concern in de tail. If Mr. Young, who seconded the amendment, 10 '• no objection, he would now beg to withdraw it. Mr. YOUNG had been also satisfied with the explanatio i given by the Directors, but he felt it right to give the pre prietors an opportunity of discussing that important qoe' tion, and he was glad the explanation had been afford" them. The original resolution was then agreed to, neat. cen• The GOVERNOR announced that the dividend warran t would be ready on the 6th of April, and that a list of Proprietors would be made out on the 26th instant. The meeting, which was very numerously attended, then broke up. RYDE, ISLE OF WIGHT. (FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) MARCH 13. —A daring robbery was committed here, o' the premises of Mrs. Lind, on Saturday night, and ulf wards of 1301., in notes and cash, stolen. Th e robber who a short ti me s i nce was a servant in the house, and , was seen in the neighbourhood about ten o'clock that e,tre r ' . ing, it is supposed effected his entrance into the house b.' breaking a pane of glass in the pantry window, and WI T duced his body through it. A table formerly stood undo, this window, but it had lately been removed, which tl gentleman not being aware of, it is supposed he fell olt head on the floor, seriously bruising and cutting bin's.' and his cloth es . H e wrenc h ed the lock off the pant' door with a carving knife s which he broke ; then proceed up stairs, and secured the door of the room in which tlir men servants slept. His next business was in the Gerar:! in a drawer in which the money was deposited;, this : broke open, with ou t t ouc hi ng any of the others, vibie,„ caused suspicion that th e ro bb er was well acquainted Or the house. William Gough having been seen late in the evening! an ineffectual attempt was made to find out where he slept Parties started in pursuit ; they heard he was seen at Ne 7 port at three in the morning —that he left Cowes f° . Southampton, by t h e n i ne o ' clock steamer, on Sund9 morning and that while there ho showed a great deal money, and exchanged three 5/. notes. Two boats We e dispatched after him to Southampton, but the bird taken before they reached it ; for Terry, who has a ball nack of thief catching, had an eye:upon him, and as could not answer the questions of Terry, to Mr. Terry . satisfaction, b e t oo k hi m to the station-house, and the," took from him his ill-gotten wealth. Having him in 0 '; custody, he proceeded on board the Cowes steamer , , t. make inquiries in the island ; but, when about half via down, he met the rival officers racing up, and told 06 1 they might give themselves no further trouble. GrA' , § formerly lived with Mr. Ayre Cootc, and was head virnit e at the Marine Hotel, West Cowes, during the sumrner 1837. He was brought to Rvde on Tuesday, a n d -u-acie; went an ex am i nat i on b efore C aptain Brigstocke and v Lind, and comm i tted to Newport Gaol, for re-exam.ina:'„..". 'on Saturday. CORN A VEIIAGES. GENERAL AVERAGF, PRICES OF BRITISH C 011 14 ,4 n' i?or th e W eek ended March 8, 1 . 839 made up fr.:in/1,03e Ret4l: o ? - 0 4 the Inspectors in the different Cities and Towns in Englari Wales, per Imperial Quarter. c " Wheat 73s. -ii. 1 Oats ... ...... 24 5. 3d. Be ans .ils. I 0 B arley 3la. I Pd. 1 Rye .... ..... 41s. 2d. Pease ...... ...;i9s. .., . IM PERIAL AGGREGATE AVERAGE S or THE fIX W r X. -5 PRECEDING. 111 Wheat M. fid. I Oats Id. Beans ...... ...381'.. 1 Barley 39s. Id 1 Rye DUTIES OW FOREIGN CORN. Wheat......... ls. Cd. I Oats 4 Barley 3s. 4ct. Rye MARKETS -(T HIS DAY. ). HAY MARKETS. Supplies fair, demand moderate, and prices unaltered. HUNGERFORD MARKET. • fe The market we ll atte7Aled and suppli e d, an d a good b u sl° done ; prices varied, very little from our last quotatim u. i;OLONIAL MARKETS. British Plr.ntatien Sugar sold slowly, but prices • contio u firm ; 2,600 b ags M an i lla sold steadily at 20s. 6d. to 235. ; ~, bags Bengal at els. to 63. ; 200 bags of Bengal Rice, OI d ! is about 14s. ; 70 casks British Plantation Coffee ;sold at preo ° rates ; 600 bags of Saltpetre at 235. SINGULAR OCCURRENCE.—Ort the forenoo' of Wednesday last, the following rare, if not unpreci dented circumstance occurred in the town of N e wtor Stewart, to the t error an d d anger of every beholder. i spirited and stately mare ran away, having tecen frib t from the re mova l o f t h e bli nkers. After proceeding fearful rate for a considerable distance, she plunged chop window cart and all.__Dumfries Courier. THE NEW FLAT GOLD WATCH.t't The price in gold cases, w i t h vert ; .eal movement £7 , Ditto, with well-finished hor',zontal movement, in double-bottomed engine-t,urned cases, jewelled in I four holes, with silver tial T. COX SAVOP.Y, Working Silversmith and J 411 :::fr ' 47, Cornhill, L on d on (Seven doors from Gracechurch--49trec' N. B. the Hor;.zontal Constr uc ti on i s particularly re.p. mended for is superior accuracy. BIRTHS. tk On the 11th inst., a t th e Lodge, in the coin% o y &dor' lady of Edward S a l wa y, E sq ., of a daughter. t he 'new Excellen a nil! At Malta, on the 28th of January last, Duchess Sforza Cesarini, Princess of Sa'„iii , & c. was delivered of a daughter, which, on 4th of Februal Ic e d baptized by his Grace the Archbisk,op of Malta by the n 0 1° „ - of Bianca Maria Father Pietro Par' -`op Principal of the 0 ~r0 e: 01 Capuchins at ' Malta, acting as 'proxy for his Eminence C AP; t s' Micaro, dr:, godfather of th.e infant. There were pr , tie iet, the ceremony his Excellency the Governor, Admiral SS! o' bert Stopford, Lady ar.',l Misses Stopford, arl and Cony z n „„ Sheffield, Earl and countess of Southampton, Earl Ho ete aar y Lady Georgian? Curzon, Earl of Denbigh and Lad I Zi t s, Fielding, the, - Bishop of Larada, the Vicar-General of I ,: i be s- Mrs. and 'Miss Duckworth, Lord and Lady Hamiltos Ch,: c e ter, the Hon. Miss Hudson anal the Hon. Miss I ,, l'Acheil , so d I neral Sir Andrew Barnard, Rear-Admiral Lulu s, Ladf e pt, Miss Louis, Mr. Greig, principal Secretary of :dr,: Goverl y is, and Captain Louis, Captain Fisher, commanding the ship 11s I the Rev. T. R. Wood, Sir David Davies. Captain 414.1.- • Commander Best, A.C., Captain Lockhr.i and others. j,, of On the 10th inst., at Tubursye-hous,:,Conwa C 11 the la "' Francis Hodd, Esq., of a son. Al Oarston, n the 12th inst., in Torrington -"square, th e l a d y o f Th °114.4 Esq., a a daughter. MiIRRIED. M r. On the, hth inst., at St. J o h n ' s Church, Manche ster,sti g r . •!.. Crake, to Miss Jackson, eldest daughter of IVlr s. faker, of Oxford-road, Manchester. ga. of On the 6th i ns t., a t K ens i ngton Church, John Gee, '4 1 40r 1 Friday-street, t o M ary A nn, second daughter of 111 r. 0 of the above place. On the 12th inst., at St. Pancras, Joseph Nichols , Esi:ll.' of f i Glouce,ter, to Ma r y, widow of Smithson Waller, Esq., 11 ' " the Grove, Kentish -town. Mr. SALomarts, senior, did not think that the Prot:-', r _ tars ought to be called upon to reduce the dividr:,,, with out some reason for doing so being laid bet, te th em . Mr. LLOYD was certainly one of f to reduce the dividends, withq;;;;; good reason. The eyes ' , .:sse who did not like of the whole trading community of the country was upon them. He trrated, therefore, that the Proprietors would on, that occasion act w ith d u , caut i on an d deliberation, At the Barony Glebe, Glasgow, on DIED . 26th W o ruarY , 11° not only with regard to their own interests, but also Rev. John Burns, D.D ,in the s 0w46t7 the ear of hi. a ge it nd 7 g t i ll with regard to th e i n t eres t s of the public. It of his ministry. This venerable and y excell . „t man vra s -- e was a matter of surprise to him, that during the Father of the Church of Scotland. surviving child of M. C. Seton, Esq, P . Melt whole of the discussion the real and most important ques- On the 24 inst., at Park-place, tion had not even been alluded to. He apprehended that JoloW u the object of the rest was to enable them as a Company to On the 6th inst., at Taghmon, 'county of Wexford, have something like steadiness in their proceedings, and to Petrie Esq., aged 52. , Fran cis give something On the 10th like an assurance to the public. It would w • inst. , - c ,., ' t B - - - -mont-street, Marylsbone, Fr therefore be sAtiscaotory if the Governor would state whe- right, Esq., 3.7 . :, ci 76, fain . l' On the IP'' • ro f Cap was tLe reduction recommended by the court of Directors P . p aso ~n inst., Oetavia, youngest daughte was founded upon a conviction that the diminished profits 0 „ey, of Teignmouth, Devon. • relict o f the of the Company arose from circumstances which it might , ..i the llth inst., at Tonbridge Wells, Marja,College, 01- ads'lington, Miles's , e• be fairly and reasonably hoped were only temporary. ..kiend of four Asev. Robert Finch, M.A., formerly of Balliol , ....o , ale Direotors bad acted upon such a surso n sit: ce : t i . t . ' ford. thought it would be only fair and reas^ .Ij r ''. -4 " , yciUNG, !'' so much as would make the div;" lO take out London : Printed and Published by MURDO _ and, is of the funds of the Com, ny but per ea ,ti the circumstances the county of hliddlesex.—Thursday, March , No. 112, Strand, at The Sun OfiecNo.l l l 4 2, lBe S tr 9. (