The Sun. — London, England, 1821-04-05 00:00:00

which irere'afterwards carried on in Contempt and defiance of the public opinion, and that the c iniilille - , clasies which formed the sinews of so , ciety, joined ill the general cry for that Reform, ivithont which the country' could not be saved . — lie'reSolved to propose • to Parliament and the country a plan of Reform, which might in its principle rneetyith the concurrence Of the friends of Ifberty• and independence in every part of 'the' country. - Whether his anticipations would' be ftilfilled or_not, he could not tell ; but he confessed he was'inclined. to agree with the - Lord' Mayor that the present meeting afforded the strongest hopes of that Unanimity and con cord among the friends of Reform ; which it had always been the great object df their enemies, - 1176 .corruptionists, to prevent. He was sure they wanlii not call upon him to state particnlarly the • cletaila Ofthe measure which it Was his intention to . peopose—(Ct:ies of " No ! no ;")-Llle would raer.ly state, that he proposed to extend the elective franchise to all who contribUted to that taxation . which supported the expenditure of the country ; and he felt convinced that the effect of . g:v:tg a vote to every housekeeper. would be the complete abolition of the corrupt borough system. By the addition of so large a number of Constituents, everY . attempt on the part of the owners of boroughs; or of Ministers to corrupt them, would be cOtnpletely.defeatea—(Applause.) —lt was his intention also to propose a more fre quent communication between the Representa tive and his Con;titnents by means of Triennial Parliaments. He was aware that. there were other Gentlenien who entertained sincere and toit'scientiousdifferences of opinion, and who ad vOcated the propriety of a more extended change , in the. system 'of representation. He attacked not such opinions, but be 'could not acknowledge their. force. He 'respected the goodness of -in tention by which those who entertained them Were actuated, but he doubted._ whether they could lead to any practical benefit. He wished only for . such a Reform as was founded upon the rights and privilegeS enjoyed by our, ancestors— as was called. for by justice and expediency —as was capable of a safe, efficient and practical ap plication—(Applause.)lre believed the neces kity of Reform became more apparent every day, nay, every hour, to the people of this country. Every day laid bare some - new corruption of the }rouse of Commons, which converted even the ". blind bigotry of their supporters,-by making them feel in their own persons and property the effects of that system, which they were willing to sup port, as long as they themselves were - untouched. The same spirit of inquiry and reformation, which animated the people of this country, was strug ' glimg to break through the dark bonds of slavery on the Continent, though he feared the glorious rays of intelligence were for a time intercepted .bv the gloomy interposition of those Despots of Europe, .who, assuming to themselves the name and _attributes of the Divinity, exercised the - poWers, and Were. endowed with the malignant feelings of the eternal enemy 'of mankind—( Loud applause.) —This baseand odious conspiracy of the Despots of the North might for a moment repress the rising energies of continental intelligence, but ,te,would . appeal to the experience of history, whether that system could be permanently supported in which the living, animated, growing intelligence of ages was attempted to be joined in an unnatural alliance with the putrid and mould ring corpse of legitimate corruption.—(Continued applause.)—Such a state of things could not con tinue ; submission purchased by force or treach ery was never lasting, and they might confident ly expect that the day of triumph would be eventually enjoyed by the friends of liberty on "tbe•Continent. He begged to return his sincere thanks to the meeting for the Very flattering manner in which his name had been Associated with 'those of the best friends of Reform, and to .assure them, before he sat down, that he felt it to 1)e, one of the happiest and proudest moments .of.his life, when he saw himself surrounded by sich respectable, such intelligent, and such en .stic• friends of Refi;rm. The Honourable Gentleman sat down amidst loud and continued "chee'ring. The Ctrayatarax then stated, that he had re ceived aletter from Mr. I3yng; alleging indispo sition as the cause . of his absence, and proposed " The health of S. C. Whitbread, Esq. C. S. Le . fevre; Esq. and the Reformers of the County of ?vliddleses." Mr. S. WHITaR.E.ID returned thanks. The Re forMers, he said, were frequently accused of - wishing to make innovations in the Constitution. `-!So . far, however was this charge from being well foniided; that• it was rather the wish of the Re forMers to correct those • innovations which bad crespriUto the Constitution through the lapse of time. They all knew what the people of Eng land- cotiftrdO. What one branch of the Legista tere cOulchrot dniand another branch of the Le . gislature would not do, the people of England had done — (Applause).; —and he doubted riot that if they used the same exertions in the cause of fleforin, they would be followed by the same results—(Applause). One good effect of the plan proposed by his Hon. Friend the Member fo'r Durham would be, that it would tend ma terially to diminish the expence of. elections.— He trusted he should see the 'time when Mem her's. of ParliaMent might enter the House'of • Commons as the Representatives of the people', and •not the representatives of their own pockets. lie begged leave to return his sincere thanks for the honour which had been conferred 'upon him, - of.-which ,he hoped they would judge . by 'any-- other test than the feeble words hr which 'they ••were conveyed. Mr. LEFEVRE returned thanks for the honour which had been conferred upon him in coupling his name with those of the electors and friends of reform in the County . of - Middlesex. The CHAIRMAN next gave " Mr. Alderman :Wood, Mr. Sheriff Waithman,And net : Leff:inners ofthe City of London." -Mr. Alderman' Woon, .in returning' thanks, stated that he waf labouring. under severe indis:- position, and' that nothing • could h a i e i n d uce d him to leateffiS hoMe but his &sire to meet his -independent fellow'cicizets • and friends on such an'occasion. Mr. Sheriff WAITHMAN assured the meeting that this 'as one of the happiest days in his life; for though he had, let out early in life as 'a friend of Reform, he had never yet witnessed a meeting comprehending so many distinguished indivi duals, all seeming desirous of- burying minute differences of opinion, and directing• their atten tion to the great cause ,of Parliamentary Reform. It had always been the great game of Administra tion to . fornent differences among the Reformers themselves, and he had reason to believe that they sometimes sent emissaries for the purpose of sow ing dissention among them. Such, however, was the torrent of talent which had poured in upon the cause of Pailiamentary Reform, and such was the progress of the human intellect, that it was utterly impossible that the present system of corruption could be continued. We had seen a Govern ment supported entirely by corruption on the one hand,.• and .a standing -army on the other : a Government which, instead of listening to the complaints and redressing the grievances of the people, endeavoured to support its unconstitu tional doinination by holding the sword over the heads of the peoPle.=—(Applause.)—lt was im possible, however, that this state of things could go . on. was true, 'that legitimate Govern ment required support; its arm should be strong, but strong in public opinion ;Fits power should be founded, not in corruption and the sword, but in the opinions and feelings of the. public. After some:other observations, the worthy Sheriff con cluded by returning thanks for the honour which had been conferred upon him. The CHAIRMAN said he was about to propose the name of a Gentleman who had for 40 years been the friend Of Freedom and Reform. lie begged to propose the health of ".Mr: Coke and the Reformers of Norfolk," Mr. COKE rose amidst loud and enthusiastic cheers. As a. steady and zealous friend of Parlia mentary Reform, he had done himself the honour, he said, of attending this most respectable Meet ing. The Lord Mayor had said that he (Mr. C.) had been in Parliament 40 years. He wished he could say that he had not been thire much longer; for he bad, iu fact, been in .Parliainent for up wards of 45 - years--(Applause).—He was in Parliament at the earliest period of the American War, and was then deemed a rebel for voting against it--(Applause, and laughter).—He had continued It reberever since, and many other ap pellations had been applied to him, which, he doubted not, had also been applied to many Gentlemen whom he had now the honour to ad dress. He came into Parliament with a strong impression upon his mind of the necessity of Re form. He had always admired the talents of Mr. Fox, and he believed that great man had never had a more consistent supporter than him self. That he was a zealous advocate for Reform, he believed no man could doubt who looked to his political conduct for the last 45 years ; and, certainly, the company he had kept in Parlia ment; during that time, bad not contributed to alter his opinions—(much laughter, and ap plause).—lf he were in the House of -Commons, instead of being among this respectable company, he might perhaps- indulge himself in stating his opinions somewhat more freely, but he did not like to speak disrespectfully of people in their absence, though he must confess he was a little ashamed of the company he had kept. lie had represented the county of Norfolk fora long time, but, as he had often assurecj his constituents, it was against his own inclinations. He had no other object in life but the liberty of the people, —(Applause.)—and if he could see that county represented by a true Constitutional Whig, he should r2tire with satisfaction to-that private life which was most congenial to his feelings. He had fought many battles in his earlier days for the liberties and independence of the people, and he trusted he was still young enough to fight ano ther.—(Applause.)—Nothing but. Reform could save-the country, for the venality and corruption of the House of Commons had arrived at such a pass, that the fact could no longer be doubted or denied, even -by those who were least willing to admit it. The Hon. Member resumed his seat amidst loud cheering. . The CHAIRMAN said, he rose to propose the health of a known and tried friend of Reform, who would, have been present had it not been for a verdict which had been pronounced against him for writing ti letter to his constituents, in the sentiments of which the great majority of the peo ple cordially conthrred. He had received a letter from Sir.F. Burdett, which, the Secretary would DOW read. The following letter was then read, and re ceived with gr ea t applause, mingled with frequent laughter := . . „ Mr LORD, " King's Bench Priscin Aprd 4, 1821. " You will not, I am s ure , do u b t the sincerity with which I express my regret at being- unavoidably detained from the meeting of this day. My heart is however amongst you, and my mind altogether in the great cause which you are met to promote. That rause has been supported by so,. much ability, acute reasoning and 'profound learning; that it - baffles ingenuity to offer anything importantly new upon the subject. Nor do I now take up my pen with the vain hope of doing any thing more than expressing my respect for the Gentlemen assembled. Indeed, the question is itselt so plain, and has been so elabo rately• set forth and illustrated, that to use the slang of the Honourable House, the people out of doors, the profane vulgar, perfectly 'understand it: For in this enlightened age and coun. try, no one is, I take it, so ignorant as net to know, that to have is to have, which .4 the whole of the subject; that if what accjilirei either by . good fortun e o r th e sweat duly brow, ano ther can take from me without my own consent, it is not .my property, but his; that in that case I am tenant at will; and that if any Man, or set of men, can make laws to imprison my person, to which I have never consented, my person is as inse cure as my property, in other words,_ that Liberty and Pro perty,' the w a t c h- wor d o f our forefathers, are sounds as sense less and empty - as the beating of a drum—as • Soundi • ng brass-or a tinkling cymbal.' •••• • * • • Gentle Men, that Mr. Canning, I mention him as the champion of the party, a part for the whole, should defend to the utmost • a•systarn by,the hocutliocuS tricks by which he and his family • get sainiich public money, can - cause neither me nor any man suspicien or anger. • For 'tis their duty all the learned think, To eSpodse the cause by whi c h t h ey eat and drink.' DO I therefore say the House of Commont it corrupt ? Not indeed, - even though );.should run no risk of being transported— no such thing ; they are true to the interest of those who 'send theM. The ox knoweth his owner, arid the ass his master's crib,7 and th e y a t l east equa l the ox and the ass in kno*ledge and virtue, and are; moreover, superior to the Jews, for they do know their Maker. I will, however, boldly adduce their example,-as proof undeniable, of benefits the people would derive from appointing their own Representatives, seeing that these- Gentlemen are ever true tcrtheir own and patron's' inte rest. This identity , of interest keeps all sthooth, and the public may rest assured that the same cause will ever produce the same effect, and that whenever the public shall-have the appointment of their own House of Commons, the public expenditure will be controlled, the public burdens diminished, the public money applied to public purposes, and the public happiness and pros- # ■ . . perity; in other Words; • " Liberty and.Praperty" secured, and not till then. In the mean time I take this opportunity of ex pressing my satisfaction at the cause being in such good hands, and to add, that th e R e f ormers may `Alwa3 . rs command , such as they are; -my services in - any way : dr situation which they can 'think useful. ... •, " I remain, Gentleinan,:pinr"nrost nEetlient, " I'EANCIS - I3URDETT.I= The CHAiRMAN: gave the • health of " Sir F. Burdett; and' success' tO , hiSMotion for an inquiry into the Manchesfer -, outrage."- The toast was drank. with acclamations Of. applause. The CHAIRMAN then proposed the health of Cf.. C. Hobhouse, Esq." whiCh was drank with loud and ,general applause. - Mr. HouuousE said that he could not think it necessary to echo the general congratulation which had been expressed by the Gentleman who had preceded him as to the object and character of this Meeting.. But there was one topic upon which he could not avoid uttering the language. of congratulation, and that was, with respect to the complete union of. the Reformers which he had the happiness to witness upon. this occasion. That union, marking as it did, a forgetfulness of all minordifferences, and a .. resolution to co-ope rate in the Purfspit of one important object, which could only be . attained by unity of action, must be a source of joy to every man whO sincerely desired 'its ultithate triumph. l'arliamentary .Re form.could only be obtained through the decisive lexpression of public opinion, and therefore all its 'advocates must be anxioni to set that opinion in motion, in order to produce a' due impresSion upon the House of ,Com Mons; With respect to his universally respected andesteeined•Coll eag u e , he wished th a t some one more Venerable in life, Or more known to th e p eo pl e. th an . hi msel f , had stood forward to return thanks for the sense which the 'Meeting had manifested of his merits. He should only say, that he fully . participated in the feelings which the warmest admirers of hiS Hon, friend must enjoy, upon the manner in which his health bad been drank.'; and he would add, that what his Honourable Friend bad done with his very eminent abilities, he . (Mr. Ifobhouse) should endeavour to do to the Utmost of his own.— (Cheers.)—ln pursuit of Reform, he trusted that the people would never relak in their exertions, - or be daunted in their determi nation. The' people might have been deceived at times by the advocates of arbitrary power, but they were very soon undeceived,and God knows, that of late years something had occurred-almost every, day to convince them of the absolute ne cessity of adopting . Reform. He rose under considerable disadvantages after the Gentlemen who had already addressed, the Meeting ; one of those Gentlemen had been 45 years in the House of Commons,. during which he stated, that he, had .been the uniform advocate _of Reform, thus challenging any man to contradict his statement. No one could,.however, .possibly contradict that very respectable Gentleman ; and what an im portant, advantage had any such veteran over young politicians, or aspirants to public con fidenee, who had little more than 'professions and promises .to make, too many of which were not borne out by their subsequent conduct., • For himself, 'however, he had only to express a hope that the professionS which he had made to his Constituents were not unsupported by his votes in the House of Commons. —(Applause.)—He had, indeed, followed the course pursued by the Worthy Baronet with whom he had the ho nour to be associated, and his exertions were mainly directed . to Reform. Of the attainment' of that Reform he always entertained the . most ardent IfdpA ; for he had found that cause, equally triumphant over the hostility of , its pro -fessed enemies, and the treachery - of its professed friends. Indeed, neither the enmity, of Burke, nor the apostacy of Pitt, had been able to put it down.. It was . still cherished in ' the hearts of the people, and the .general; he - might almost Say (excluding the ranks of corruption) the uni versal impression was, that without Reform 'there was no security for the stability of the . throne, or for the liberties of the people. But lest the people should not retain this impression, the Mi nisters themselveS seemed to take, care to con vince them of the necessity of Reform; by put ting them in mind of the subserviency which they determined to maintain in the House of Com mons. A signal instance of the sort 'had occur red within a few days, respeCting the dismissal of a Lord of the Bedchamber, who thought pro per to vote' against the Malt Tax, in conformity with his conscience, and the desires of his . con stituents. He (Mr. Ifobhouse) recollected, that when the Speaker of the House Of Commons, in 1593, applied to the Lord Keeper for the privi lege of speech, the agent of Elizabeth answered " - Yes, Sir, you may have the privilege of "saying aye Or no." But it 'appeared from the case of the Noble Lord to whom he referred, that in the pre sent days Ministers were not disposed to allow even so much of privilege to the Members of the House of Commons. Birta letter of the most extraordinary character had lately been published by the • Duke of Newcastle, in which his 'Grace appeared rather more than a Radical Reformer, for be stated, that if the Bill in favour of Catholic Claims should be carried through both Houses of Parliament,. the King should put his veto upon it, and (referring rather awkwardly to the reign of Charles.l.) should appeal to the sense of the people against the decision of Par liament; the Noble Duke adding, that if both Houses of Parliament should resist the will 'of the King, he would support his Majesty against them. The Hon. Member referred to the Motion of Mr. Pitt in support of Reform, upon 'the 17th of April, 178 i, and shewed the many additional forcible arguments in favour of that measure at the present day, from the -amount of our • Debt, our Taxes, our Standing Army, as well as from the increased restraints upon the Freedom of the Press, and of Public Meetings. Since Mr. Pitt brought forward his motion this nation had been condemned to pay 140 millions a year in taxa tion, which was equal to half a million a day upoPi every working day in the year. Surely' then the Hon. Member for Durham had some what stronger arguments to adduce in favour of Reform, on the 17th instant, than Mr. Pitt could . bring forward in 1785. There was a 'book about' to be . published of Lard I'Valdegrave's Upon the Reign of George the Second, in which the writer states, that his Majesty said to him that the people:of. England were eternally ing .of Constitution, 'Laws, and Liberty'. That as to the Constitution, he defied any one to produce a Single instance in which he - had attempted to invade it—that as to Laws, Par liament passed one hundred laws every "Ses sion merely for the purpose of breaking them— and as to Liberty, it was in itself commendable, hut, that it was singular that the people who de sired that liberty, should chobse roher to be the slaves and dependants ora Duke of Newcastle, or any other Pswr, than to be the friends and counsellors of their Sovetisigns. But he hoped that the people of the present day had .a different feeling, and were ready to become rather the friends and counsellors of their King, than the dependants of any lord ..or lords whatever, espe cially in the present state of Parliament. If they would pursue, this course, aud resolutely go on in Maintaining Reform, notwithstanding all their present distress, he. agreed with Milton, that when the. people engage in the solidest acid sub limest points of controverSy,it betakes us, not de generated, nor drooping to fatal decay, but cast ing offithe, old, wrinkled skin of corruption, to outlive their pangs and grow young again.7--(Ap plausse.) . Upon the health of cc Sir Robert Wilson and the Reformers of Southwark" being drank, Sir RoBEaT tookoccasion, in returning thanks, to express a wish that the opponents of Reform, and the defamers. of public meetings had been present that evening to witness the conduct of the respectable assembly whom he had the honour. to address ; for if any thing could make an im pression upon their callous minds, such a scene could not fail to do so. Adverting to the news from Italy, which had so much surprised and dis appointed the friends of liberty, he bad sufficient intelligencerrom that quarter to assure-him that all that had been stated was by no means true. But if this news were even true to the very letter, that would be no reason with him to indulge despondency as to the ,success of freedom either upon the_ContinentOr atshome.. In consequence of .some rumours. afloat, he thought it, necessary to state that he had offered . his services. to the Neapolitans when he heard that the Austrians were about, to undertake a crusade against their liberties, not as a Commander, as had been stated, but in any capacity that might be assigned to him. As to Reform, he felt it to be essentially necessary, because ; the House of Commons never yielded to the ,opinion or interest of the peo ple. The concession of Ministers, indeed, in the case of the Queen, was not the effect of any apprehension that the Commons would not adopt the Bill, which they carried to the last stage in the Lords, but because it was intimated to them, that if they, pressed that measure, the people were determined to bring the question to issue • between the governors and the governed, and to resort to s that appea 'which, in cases of. extreme oppression,theConstitution warranted.—(Cheers.) Toast_" The formation of representative goyernments where they do not exist, and the reformation of representative govern ment.;• where they do exist but imperfectly."—(Cheers.) The air of " Scots wha hae with. Wallace bled, being played The Loan MAiOst said, this song naturally -led him to a toast which he bad no doubt would be Cordially received. The one was the health of a gallant General, a lover of his country, the next the health of a Gentleman, the faithful watchman of the Constitution. lie should, there fore, propose— " The health of Sir R.-Ferguson, Mr. Hume, and Lord A.. Hamilton.'.' _ Sir R.rFcad u sb N returned thanks, and stated, that nothing but indisposition could have pre vented his_ Noble . Friend (Lord A. Hamilton) from being present. . Mr. Husti, in returning thanks, went at consi derable l e n g th i n t o th e ca u se of Reform, and as sured the Meeting that. in him they would always find a steady supporter of that great question.— (Cheers.) UpOn the . healtbs of " Lord Nugent, Messrs, F. Palmer and. Monck, with - the Reformers of Buckinghamshire and Berkshire," being drank, Lard NIMENT expressed a confident hope of the progress•of Reform in that county with which he bad the honour to be connected, which boasted the birth of Millon—wlich contained the grave of Hampden—and which could never forget the Barons of Runnymede. Against Reform many objectionsswere urged ; but the most singular . was that advanced by the Gentleman who was called the Champion of the Anti-keformers.— That Gentleman said, that •the present system worked well. Yes, truly it worked well for the corruptiouists-_-but it worked very ill for the people; r and therefore he should say to this Champion; in the language of Hamlet's Grave diggers," I like thy wit well--=the gallows works we'll for those who work it works well for thee."-L--(A laugh, and hear !) The Loan MA Yon next proposed the " Hon. Mr. G. Bettnet," wlio had - been so long - known to the conipany as the friend of humanity and of all who were distress.—(Shouts of applause.) With him lie connected• Lord Ossttlston, Sir Charles Monck, Mr. Curwen, Mr. Michael An gelo Taylor, and the Reformers of Cumberland, Northumberland, and Durham. Mr. BEST . NI.T felt very awkward in entering, upon an'eXhansted question, for he found it very difficult. to diScuss without an opponent, and to enter into an argument without a debate. It was his determination to continue . in the same course 'in which, he had acted during the ten years in whicli-he- had:sat in "Parliament, and to support every proposition which had for its object to ameliorate the condition not only of the people of this country, but of the species to which he be longed: For reform, he had given one of the first votes he lead given in Parliament, together with the father of. the friend on his right hand (Mr. Whitbread), whose advice still rung in his ears. From ,the present House of Commons they could expect nothing good; as well might 'they expect' " grapes from thorns, and figs from thistles."— (Applause.) I r. LUSITINGTON ) upon his health being drank, as _it was with the fftmost enthusiasm, addressed the Meeting in a very eloquent speech, in the course orWhich he observed, that no good could be done by any change ofMinisters,•unless a-Par liamentary Reform• were carried. Were 1.46 rd Grey, indeed, who was the great hope of the country, in.poNVer td 7 rrierrow, there would be no alternative for him but to betray his duty or to be immediately ejected from power. ; For jire fOrm, therefore, he was as he had always been, a decided advocate. Without Reform, indeed, no good could. be expected for. the country; for the Corruption of the House of Commons Was notori ous, that corruption being so baneful in its infiu cube as to. ge nera t e co . trept i on even hi the, ad ministration of justice, or a distinguished Reformer would not at that moment be condemned to a prison.—(Loud cheers!). Upon the healths of "Mr. Curwen and the Re formers of Cumberland" being drank, that Gen tleman expressed his opinion that no good could result from any change of Ministers, unless Re form were granted ; but he could not hope for Reform, unless the people spoke loudly and firmly hilts favour; and he was-happy to state that there was to be a Meeting in the County of Cumberland this day, - for the purpose of pro moting this very desirable object. Messrs. F. Palmer, Mona,. Honywood,- C. Hutchinson, P. Moore, and W. Smith, . spoke in. support of Reform in the course of the evepting-. About twelve o'clock Mr. LA.muTo:4 proposed the health of the " Lord Mayor,".who returned thanks, and soon after the Meeting broke up. L.M•1.1.77 DESTRUCTIVE FlRE.—Tuesday evenin, about six o'clock, :the inhabitants of the Hamlet :of Mile-end New Town were thrown into the' greatest alarm and consternation in consequ ence ~ of a most dreadful conflagration which broke ou,t at the sugar-houses of Messrs. Barnell mid Grice, sugar-refiners,. in Church-st ree t , w hi c h t h reaten-. od destruction to the whole neighkourheod. The extensive warehouses of Messrs. Hai-O n:lry and Co.. the brewers, being. adjoining, .great appre hension was entertained for their safety, althouglk protected by a strong party Wall: - About eleven o'clock this wall-fell in upon them, and' did con siderable damage, .but the firemen, who still, kept working the engines with the . greatest alacrity, prevented the flames from cotnmunicat-. ing With Hanbury's premises, and they also suc ceeded in saving the dwelling-house in - which. Mr. Grice's family resided. Several reports aret in circulation,.as;to the cause of the .calainity .but, as we cannot depend upon their accuracy; we abstain from mentioning them. The pro,.. perty destroyed is estimated at 50,0004 ; but We ate infOrMed the stock had been insured. in one office; and the premises in another. The fire *as not completely got under at ten o'clock yes terday..morninv. • Thatcham House, Herts, in the occupation of P. W. Stevenson, Esq. was destroyed by fire on Tuesday, together with great part of the furni ture, the stabling, a n d a va l uable h orse. EXTRAORDINARY aCCUItRENCE.—A few days since a lady, apparently labouring under con, siderable fatigue, called. at a cottage in the d neighbobrho.of Turnham-g reen, '.and applied for refreshment, for which she tendered a bank-note. The: inhabitant; a. female, left the house •for the pUrpose of. procuring . change, and- 'on: : her:return, with great surprisei found the' , Strange:r• gone. On hearing, as• she be lieved; the cry of her infant; she hasten ed to its cradle, but to her - utter dismay, discovered her OWfl had been taken away, and another of a tawny colour placed in its steael.--7 . Cash to the amoun t o f 10 0 1 . was fastened to its breast. It is said the poor woman, influenced by the pecuniary gift, has become reconciled to the .event, and treats the child with maternal fondness. STN 0- CLARFAcT, - . -On Wednesday week, as J. Johnson, peatman, was levelling moss on th e es s ate o f Si r R o b ert G r i er = son,. of Roelchall, about three miles from -Dumfries, he turned up the body of a pretty large adder, which he had fairly decap- , tated befOre he w as aware . Thi s circumstance exciting a suspi cion that there were more adders. near the same spot, he dug a . little deeper, when, at about eight inclieS below the surface, 11e lighted upon a whole encampment of those noxious animals. In -particular, he took out no fewer than. 40 adders, which he plaa. eelin &box, and ex hibit e d as a natural curiosity.. Nincteoy of these app eare d t o b e f u ll grown, and Measured from 1.-1 inches to two feet; but in a short time they all died excepitinfi two, although thes e were sufficiently - viv ac i ous , and plai.,el` themselves in an attitude of defenee the moment they were to‘' lested. Rut what is Still m o r e surprizing, in the s ame Tiol., there were found ten toads,- and an amazing . uundrr of 'man ' brown lizards, of the species we ll known In Scotland by the name of the Ask. This just is quite a novel fact, although its authenticity can be established beyond the possibilityof 4aubt• In this country it is no uncommon thing tadig up adders, even of a larger size than any of these mentioned above : but we never heard of such a number being found in one hole, and 5T2 such -strange company. The adder, the, toad, - and the ask, are all cold-blooded reptiles, which become torpid when . ex posed to a IoW temp era t ure; b ut t h e ir habits in other re- spects are widely. difterent ; and how th6y h appene d to gat her thmiselves to the sante- spot, and otitshep the winter, appa - rently in such good fellowship, i s a p o i nt w hi c h we leave to be „ 4 solved by the proficientsin natural hist or y. I t has been re marked by some of these learned men, that so long as reptilo of this kind are confined to a de g ree of heat inferior t o 40 degrees,they will remain dorthant and healthy for an unlimited tune- :. Spallanzani kept Itoes; lizards, and snakes, in this state in 311 ! ice-house three years and a half, and they readily revived when restored -to a .warm atmosphere. This wonderful peculiaril 3..ay help to explain the anomaly of toads being so often tou t alive in the heart of solid rocks, and of trees which had r A allin 4 v' them in their cavities till every vestige of a crevice had grrisc a up around thetn...-(Dunifries Courier.) i •BIRTHS. On. Monday, at Bath, the Lady of Captain Cavicn Roberts, R. N, of a son. • ' • On lirednesclai last, at North Mewl - House, Siston, 616uces. tershire; the. Lady of F. Trotman,,jun, Esq. of a son and heir- On Tuesday last, in South Author-street, the Lady of,t-ie°' :• - I.riclair, Esq. of 'a daughter. • . , MARRIED. i . . On the 1'.7.: inst. - at St.. Georte's Church, Hanorcr.square, bi the Rev. George •Shiffner, the Rev. Charles Edmund Beene, Fellow of A Soul's College, Oxford, an d Ree ttn ' o f Bucklan : Surrey,..seCond son of Benjamin. Keene, Esq. of Wcstoe ? C i t n n bridgeshire; to Rebecca Frances, second d aug h ter o f Sir ''''''.. Shill - 11er ' M.P. of Combo, i n the Co unty o f SuSsex, Bar t. On the 4th ult. at th e Palaceof Ca;iino, hear Rome (tile re sidence of Lucion Buonap arte) , T. Wyse, ESq. jun; eldebit so' of T. AVyse, Esq. o f the. Menor of St. John, n ea r Waterford , • Ireland, (a ROman Catholic family', of known antiquity, re spectability and property), to Letiti a , d aug h ter parte, Prince of Canino, a young lady of much personal beauty" accomplishments, and considerable fortinie. - of I,..litiona- • - DIED - . -- hi Viscountess sim i:l iii y, relict of. Viscount Pery,. Yesterday, at her house in Park-street, in her' Bth year , Viscotintes.s Northland and the Hon. Mrs. Calvert. Charles Bunbury, Bart. aged 81. 3 •On Saturday last, at Thornton Hall, near Bedale, aged 8 ' Frederick .D.ods*orth, D.D. Senior Canon of Windsor; Rector Pall-mall, on Saturday last,: Sir Thomas of Spenilthorne, and perpetual Curate of Cleasby, in the County of I ork. , - On of the Right Honourable Sir James Alausfield, Knt. at his house, TtieSday last, tidderily, Charlotte, second daughter and mother to . - in so Russell-uare.' i . -- LONDON : Pripted by.T. B. CARSTA IRS. of No. 29,0reat Ormond-street, Queen-square.; end published by W . - 11. ' SCRIPPS ,of No. South Molten-strict, .at 'hit Su g . Orryct, • No. 112, Strand; where Any tni:r tsN3rE 0 RE RS, No. T TEUSi must be.addressea. ~~