The Sun. — London, England, 1839-11-18 00:00:00

EVENING EDITION. PUBLIC DIN NISR AND PRES•6II - OF A SERVICE OF PLATE TO ROBERT STEPHENSON, ESQ. On Saturday evening, Mr. R. Stephenson was enter tained at a public dinner at the Albion Tavern, Alders ' gate-street, when a very magnificent s4r vice of plate, valued at upwards of 1,250 guineas, was presented to that gentleman. The plate had been subscribed for by Railway contractors (the subscription being limited to that class, and the amount to 51. from each person), in token of their respect and esteem for Mr. Stephenson's private and professional character and conduct, in bringing to completion the London and Birmingham Railway. The dinner was attended by about two hundred gen tlemen, including several eminent engineers, architects, railway contractors, iron masters, and gentlemen con nected with railway undertakings. So great was the influx of visitors from Lancashire and the other manu facturing districts who were anxious to be present on this interesting occasion, that the great room of the Albion was crowded in every corner, and a numerous party of gentlemen were provided with dinner in an ad joining room. Weippert's band, and several professional singers, in cluding Messrs. Fitzwilliam, Hobbs, &c., &c., were present, and contributed much to the enjoyments of the evening, Among the gentlemen present were J. Dodd, Esc. , Engineer of the Sheffield and Rotherham Railway' Lee, London and Birmingham Railway ; J. Ben nett, Engineer, Aylesbury Railway, 0. York, G. H. Phipps, J. Leather, J. Bramah, Alderman Johnson, D. Gandall, Messrs. Maudesley and Field, W. Hoof, J. Jackson, John Stephenson, M. Gordon, E. F. Star buck, —Songridge,— Birkinstraw, A.Young,--Badden, Mr. Monteal LegreWhite,President of the Architectural Society, R. W. Jones, W. Williams, T. Braithwaite, J. Johnston, J. E. Sanderson, H. Parker, Robert Bid dulph, Esq., late Member for Hereford, &c. &c. The Chair was taken by William Routh, Esq. sup ported on his right and left by Messrs. Robert and George Stephenson, son and father. After the cloth had been removed, and the usual loyal and patriotic toasts of " Her Majesty the Queen, " The Queen Dowager, and the Rest of the Royal Family," " The Army and Navy," had been given from the chair, and drank with due honours, The CitAirotAN rose and said—Gentlemen, I row rise for the purpose of proposing a toast which is im mediately connected with the objects of the present meeting—(Cheers)---and you will readily anticipate that it is the health of our friend and visitor Mr. Robert Stephenson.—(Tremendous cheering for several minutes.) Gentlemen, connected as we all are, more or less, with railways, it is quite impossible that we could assemble here on any occasion without wishing to pay the testi mony of our respect and regard to the individual whose master mind has been productive of so many benefits to the public, in bringing the railway system to per fection, and who has himself brought into operation the most important link in the railroad communica tion throughout the kingdom—the London and Bir mingham Railroad.—(Cheers.) Whether we look at the stupendous and gigantic character of the works, or the difficulties attending their execution, I am sure I shall not be wrong in stating as your opinion, and that of every man conversant with such undertakings, that they are of a character which reflects the highest credit and honour upon the engineer, upon the pro fession to which he belongs, arid the age in which he lives.-(Vehement cheering.) But, gentlemen, willing and anxious as we should be to pay our homage to the talents and genius of the engineer, we are met here this evening for nobler purposes—we are met to testify our friendship and esteem for the man.—(lmmense ap plause.) Gentlemen, when I look around me and see the component parts of the company by whom I am surrounded, I cannot be surprised at the enthusiasm with which you have received the toast I have just proposed to you.—(Cheers.) I see here a large body of the contractors of this country, perhaps among the most intelligent and certainly the most enterprizing class which this kingdom produces.—(Hear. hear.) I see around me many gentlemen who have constructed works under the care and superintendence of Mr. Stephenson—among them some of the difficult and arduous works of which I have already spoken, and I know the feeling of all is, that Mr. Stephenson has been in every instance a kind friend, a ready adviser ; that he has always endeavoured to enliven your prosperity and sympathise with you under ,difficulties and disappointments.—(Great applause.) He has been at all times ready, so far as his duty to his employers would permit him, to relieve those difficulties and mitigate those disappointments.—( Hear, hear.) Gentlemen, I see also at this table a great many gen tlemen connected with Mr. Stephenson in his own pro fession—some of you have looked up to him when en tering upon your career, for your advancement in life, and you are all ready to testify to his kindness of heart, and his readiness to communicate information and forward your worldly prospects.—(Much cheer ing.) With regard to the next class—that class to which many gentlemen present, including myself, belong —I mean the manufacturers and traders of the country —I am sure that all of us in our respective depart ments feel indebted to Mr. Stephenson, and acknowledge his anxiety to do justice to our fair claims on all occasions on which we have come in contact with him ; I may add, further that all of us in our respective departments have been surprised at the judgment and knowledge he dis played upon matters of which we supposed ourselves to be the best. judges.—(Hear, and cheers.) Gentlemen, I have endeavoured briefly to recapitulate the feelings of the different classes around this table, and their sen timents with regard to Mr. Stephenson, and I shall now merely say of them collectively, that they admire the engineer, and respect and esteem the man.—( Loud and continued cheering.) Gentlemen, it now only remains for me to request that you will join me in drinking a bumper to the health and prosperity of Mr. Stephenson ; but before Ido so, I beg to say to you Mr. Stephen son, that I have the great gratification, in the name of the assembled company, and in that of their absent brethren, to request your acceptance of the service of 1 plate which now stands before you, and I trust you will ac cept it as a token of our friendship,of our love and esteem, for you individually—of our admiration of your genius and talents—of our estimation of your moral worth, and of our conviction of the integrity and independence of your professional character. [During the delivery of this Address, Mr. Stephenson appeared to be deeply affected, while the motion of his father, who sat upon the Chairman's left hand, was al most overpowering. The venerable gentleman shed tears of pride and joy at the distinguished compliment paid to his son—a compliment not less honourable to those by whom it was bestowed than to the individual upon whom it was conferred. It is needless to say that the toast was drank with the utmost enthusiasm by the company.] The servic e of plate was executed by Mr. Benjamin Smith, of Duke -street, Lincoln's Inn-fields, and com prizes a candelabrum, ice vases, and a complete suite of dishes, covers, &c. for the table. T he candelabrum being the principal ornament, is designed so as . to describe emblematically the object of the presentation. A large group of figures, placed upon a triangular base, represents Wisdo m and Geniusex hibiting to Philosophy the triumph of Art —a ' Locomo tive Steam-engine. From the centr e of this group . a stem bearing nine branches, and a baskoecteufoprieflaow:velistrehss. Upon the pedestal, groups . of . boys are plans of the steam-engine in its different stages of pro gress. In the pannels are the inscription--Alr. Ste phenson's arms—and a representation of the W o l ver. ton Viaduct. The other articles have medallions with subjects cor responding, and most of them are surmounted by Air. Stephenson's crest. Mr. R. STEPHENSON then rose and was received with renewed cheering. He said—Gentlemen, the kind ness which has suggested the present meeting I must rely upon, on the present occasion, to excuse my inability to express the sentiments which 1 must fail in giving utterance to. I feel that I am surrounded by Warm friends and many familiar acquaintances which ought to give me confidence to express what I feel, but You are all aware that. this is an occasion when the dictates of the heart are not likely to be responded to by the tongue.—(Aluch cheering.) My acquaintance with Many of you began with the London and Birmingham Railway —indeed, at the commencement of that under taking I was a stranger to nearly all of you ; but the 1 gigantic nature of that work, the formidable difficulties that were t o b e overcome , an d t h e e ff e cts which that work, linked with others of a similar character, was calculated to produce upon the feelings and habits of the entire community, a ll nstrirl l l‘• r•ontributc , l to 7:-,ri der my connexion with you, gentlemen, of a peculiar ous l l a t Ps" P art°' trio' ie a t # : soe' - ,e fair, rOribik Sl l * --- cop" :c1 that em et?t , aS C ll5- tanie , bus h, i)c). -- THE SUN, LONDON, MONDAY, ‘OVEMBEEI, 18 1839. and marked character. When that undertaking com menced the Directors did me the honor of elect- ing me their engineer, and many of you were competitors for the execution of these works which brought me daily, almost hourly in com munication with you. It might appear as if the in- terests of the numerous contractors were adverse to mine as the engineer of the Company more especially, and from the additional situation which I held in a legal point of view, as sole arbitrator between many of you, and the Company. At first I was little aware of the responsibility which the situation imposed upon me, but many questions naturally arose in which your interests as well as that of the Company were deeply involved. From the nature, of these contracts, I found myself fre quently placed in • situations of extreme difficulty and embarrassment, and it was owing to the kind and cordial manner in which I was uniformly met, that I was ena bled to discharge that duty to your satisfaction.— (Cheers.) In the course of our connexion, various points arose for discussion, involving questions of considerable difficulty to me in my capacity of sole arbitrator. After much serious reflection, I resolved, in deciding points between you and the company, to sink my character as their engineer for the time being, as the only way by which I could draw line which would be at all an equitable one.—(Lou d and general cheering.) I take it for granted that after much anxiety and deliberation that this meeting is a testimony on your part that I have exercised, in your behalf, at least honest intentions.—(Renewed cheering.) On many important points I may have been mistaken. I have differred with many, nay, almost all of you, on questions in which your interests were involved, but in the main I may believe that my decisions, and as I have already said, I take this meeting as a proof of it, have nset with your approval.—(Loud cheers.) There is a circumstance, however, connected with the Lon don and Birmingham Railway, which is gratifying to to me as it is honourable to the Directors of that Com pany. I allude to the circumstance of some of you un dertaking works which in the end involved difficulties of so formidable a character that it was impossible for any private purse to meet them, and these cases un fortunately have neither been " few nor far between." —(Hear, hear.) Under these circumstances where the welfare of individuals was concerned, and when there was no blame to be attached to them, I held it to be my imperative duty to represent to the Directors all the circumstances—to enable them to weigh all the minutiae, and to recommend that they should submit not to. a legal adjustment, but to an equitable one— (Much cheering)—and it affords me the greatest satisfaction to know that I never represented a case to the Directors of the London and Birmingham Railway, without receiving their attentive consideration. —(Hear, hear.) The Tring cutting, the Blisworth cutting, and the Kilsby Tunnel involved difficulties that individuals alone could not meet ; but these diffi culties were cheerfully removed from the responsibility of individuals to the responsibility of a great Company. The proceedings adopted at that time were somewhat questioned by certain parties, but I have now the sa tisfaction of saying, and a great satisfaction it is, that I am sure the Directors, by adopting the course they did, which was free from anyth;ng like harshness, not only accelerated the progress of the works but bene fited the proprietors most materially.—(Cheers.) In alluding to these great and formidable works, I am naturally led to a subject of a rather delicate nature, engineer's estimates. I allude to that subject because you are the most competent judges of the contingencies to which an engineer's estimates are subject ; and hav ing experienced them yourselves, and having had to meet them by your own resources, not one of them can have escaped your notice. Many have indulged in sarcastic remarks, and even irony has been brought into play for the purpose of reducing the standard of the profession. It has been said that intentional mistakes have been made, and that these great works have ori ginated with Directors, Lawyers, Eegineers, and other adventurers.—(Laughter.) I am willing to believe such remarks have originated from ignorance—(Hear, hear) —but similar observations have been made by those from whom we might have expected better things. Let individuals, however, who made such observations look not at the commencement of the works, but at the close ; let them recollect that these great works now spreading orer the country are exciting commercial enterprise, augmenting the national wealth, increasing our social comforts, and raising the nation in the esteem of the civilised world.—(Cheers.) It is the end, therefore, that ought to be looked at, and not the beginning, and you have all contributed your mite as well as myself to produce those glorious effects I have mentioned. I now approach the most difficult part of my duty, and I assure you I feel utterly incapa ble of discharging it. I feel that I cannot do justice to my feelings, nor express myself in suitable terms f o r your munificent gift. My feelings have quite over powered me—your sympathy I know will furnish an excuse for that imperfection, and I shall therefore con clude by offering you my sincere and heartfelt thanks for your kindness and superb liberality.—( Mr. Stephens son sat down evidently very greatly affected, amidst the most hearty cheering.) The CHAIRMAN said that their worthy friend and guest had so eloquently described the national and so cial benefits likely to accrue from the establishment of railroads, that he would not impair the effect that hid been produced by saying anything further in proposing the next toast—" Success to railroad interests." Drank with three times three. Mr. Fitz william sang with great eclat, " Steam , steam, steam." The CHAIRMAN—We have done honour to the son, and I now propose that we do honour to the father.— (Loud and long-continued cheers.) 1 ought perhaps :o tell you that you were very near missing this treat, for he most particularly begged I would not propose his health ; but I was satisfied that if I did not you would be offended.—(Cheers.) His shrewdness of judgment, his sterling integrity, and the excellence of his character, are sufficient recommendations for the toast.—(Cheers.) Independently of those eminent qualities, he is the father of the man we have assembled to honour, and one of the brightest gems in his character is, that with humble means be gave to that son an education of which any man need be proud.—(Cheers.) Need I say more. Many of us know him as a kind friend. We all know him as a man of talent and of sound integrity, and I therefore take the liberty of proposing that we drink his health in a bumper.--(Loud cheers.) Mr. STEPHENSON then presented himself to the meeting, and was received with renewed cheering. He said—ln rising to acknowledge the honour you have just conferred on me, I feel quite incompetent to the task, and however ill calculated I may be to fill my pre sent position, I may with truth say that few men have ever been placed in a prouder situation than I feel my self in to-night.—(Cheers.) Gentlemen, when I see that young man—l call him a young man, for he still appears but a lad to me—(Laughter and cheering),— when I look at the proud position in which you have placed him ; when I see the large and respectable as semblage that has been brought together to confer upon him so magnificent a token of your approval and friend ship, I cannot find words to express my feelings.— (Hear, hear.) Perhaps I may be justified on an occa sion like the present, in referring to my earlier days, and many of you are aware that I commenced my engineer inc, career with limited means. Industry and persever ance was all th at I had to rel y u p o n , and I endeavoured to give this young man as good an edu ca ti on as I could with my scanty means. Gentlemen, every man who has a son thinks him more talented than any other— (Hear, hear, and laughter)—and that was a failing attri buted to me by my neighbours. However , I p ersevered iln feelgiving j him u s t t the pride best that educatwithinion my power, an d disappointed pectation s .—/ ( Loud cheering.) Gentleman, I trust you will pa r d on these few remarks,and my ex . permit me, in con clusion, to return you my warmest thanks for the honour you have done me.—( Cheers.) Mr. BIDDULPH said he had been requested to pro pose the next toast, an d h e should not h av e so readily obeyed it, had he not felt that the name of the indivi• dual would be in itself a sufficient guarantee that his observations would b e cordially received by the meet i ng. He was about to pr opose to them the hea l th of their re spected Chairman, Mr. Routh.—(Loud cheers.) The manner in which they had received it fully justified his anticipations ; but before they proceeded tl do justice to the toast, he would take the liberty of saying a few words on th e occasion which had brought them together. He could well conceive the ' gratification that gentleman mu s t h ave felt in presiding over an assembly who had met up on an occasion as in teresting as any that could happen in that country. Although he was not yet a very old m an , and had ni; wish to make himself older than he was, he could well recollect the time when railroada, and indeed all plans i f. r , peo - 1:- cnn-arunicatiou, were treated as chimeric:3l, 1 and he recollected a conversation he had had with Mr. !George Stephenson, which, although perhaps that gen tleman had forgotten, he (Mr. Biddulph) had not. Mr. Stephenson, on that - occasion, observed—" What ' ever may be said of horses and dogs racing, what com parison can there be between that and seeing an engine flying across the country, with a hundred people in its train, and at a far greater speed than either horses or dogs could go."—(Hear, hear.) That had made a deep impression upon his (Mr. Biddulph's) mind, and lie con fessed he did not think he should have ever lived to see such important results as had been attained in railway travelling, which had now become so common as scarce to excite observation.—(Hear, hear, hear.) He had been on many Committees before which Mr. Stephenson had been examined, and had very generally opposed these projects to the extent to which their promoters were inclined to go ; but he had no hesitation in saying that he had since then read his recantation.—(Cheers.) He had been always im pressed with the utility of these undertakings, but he had no idea of the important influence they were destined to exercise over the destinies of that country. Now, however, lie was prepared to go beyond the speculators of those days, and to believe that they were only yet in the infancy of railways, which would be hereafter car ried to an extent and perfection of which no idea could be formed. He (Mr. B.) lived about forty miles west of Birmingham—he little thought at the time that in his journeys to and from town he would require to pass through or near Birmingham. Before the introduction cf railways it requi e ! 17 or 18 hours to make the journey, but now, even by going 40 miles further he could reach his house in eight hours.—(Loud cheers.) With these few remarks upon the practical advantages of railways he would give them, with all the honours, the health of " The Chairman, Win. Routh, Esq." The CHAIRMAN returned thanks. He stood before them under circumstances which must be Es excuse for any inability to discharge his duty with effect. It was originally intended that his (Mr. Routh's) partner should have taken the chair, but a severe domestic ca lamity had totally incapacitated him, for although most anxious to undertake the office, when he called to mind the loss of an eldest son, and the position in which he should be placed with reference to his friends on his right and left he found himself quite inadequate to the task.—(Hear, hear.) Under such circumstances he (Mr. Routh) had taken the chair, and he trusted it would excuse his inefficiency. He feared he had been guilty of many omissions, and among the rest he had omitted to remind the company that his esteemed friend on his left was the father of the locomotive engine.— (Cheers.) He begged to thank the company for the ho nour they had done him, and to assure them that no thing could afford him more sincere pleasure than the being in any manner instrumental in doing honour to Mr. Stephenson.---( Hear and cheers.) The CHAIRMAN said he was now about to give them the health of an ind;viduai of a class, to whom railroad interests were more indebted (with the exception of en gineers) than any other. He would give them the health of George Carr Glynn, Esq., Chairman of the Board of Directors of the London and Birmingham North Mid land Railway Company.—(Cheers.) Knowing as all of them did the devoted attention that gentleman had paid to railroads—the assistance he had rendered in forward ing their interests, and the kindness with which he had arranged matters in dispute, it was unnecessary for him to put forward any other claims on his behalf to their favour. He held in his hand a letter written that day lay Mr. Glynn, apologizing for his absenc - lon account of the melancholy circumstance of the death of an inti mate friend. Mr. Glynn in his letter stated that "he had much pleasure in bearing his testimony founded on the experience of some years, and under very trying circumstances, to the talent and integrity, the judgment and honourable conduct of Mr. Robert Stephenson, and he could only add that professional intercourse had ripened into: private, friendship."—(Enthusiastic cheer ing.) These sentiments did honour to the writer, and his conduct of railroad interests entitled him to their esteem and respect. The toast was drank with great erthtLiasm. Mr. PARKER briefly returned thanks on behalf of Mr. Glynn. The CHAIRMAN next proposed the health of Mr. Horne, and the contractors present. When he re minded them that the cause of their meeting originated with the Contractors, he was sure they would feel they could not be sufficiently thanked for the suggestion. In an early part of the evening he had alluded to the general character of the body, and he would now say that in point of integrity, diligence, enterprise, and skill, they were second to no class'in this country.—(Cheers.) They had surmounted difficulties which twenty years ago it would have been considered impossible for any man to overcome. If any further proof of the Con tractors being entitled to their good wishes was want ing, it was supplied by the gratitude and good feeling they had shown on the present occasion, and especially towards Mr. Robert Stephenson,—(Cheers.) The toast was drank with three times three. Mr. HORN had been deputed by his brother contractors to return thanks for the honour conferred cn them. He wished that duty had devolved on some one present more capable of performing it. However, he felt that if on this occasion the contractors should be mute, the very railway blocks they have laid would be eloquent, and that every bridge built on the railway would cry Shame !"—(Loud cheers.) He had been very much struck by the remark of their honoured guest, as to • the sarcasm and irony with which engineers had been visited, on account of the excess of expenditure over the estimates ; and he could not help wishing that every one who made such objections was placed in a deep clay cutting—(Laughter)—with incessant wet weather —(Renewed laughter)—a long lead and no ballast, an illiberal engineer, and a parsimonious Com pany.—(G reat laughter and cheers.) Placed in a situation:of that kind, he was sure the most ca p t i ous o bj ector would at once be satisfied—(Laughter) —and would say that there was abundant reason and j ust ifi cat i on f or every engineer's expenditure exceeding his estimate.— (Laughter and cheers.) The contractors felt proud to have men like Mr. Robert Stephenson and his father, and were delighted to think they had had some little hand in procuring that splendid service of plate to which he was so justl) entitled.—(Hear, hear.) These gentlemen, of all others, acknowledged the assistance they derived from effective contractors. When c they looked contractors inctor s railwaysaftot proud ud i n a an d ri f view, the con sidered that railways would effect. a mightier revolu tion in this country than had been effected by the greatest statesmen this country had produced ; and that by a speedy and rapid communication between man and man, the cause of civilization would be more effectually advanced than by any measures which the most enlightened statesmen ever proposed. When they looked on themselves as the humble instruments of such a mighty change, might they not, he would ask, on an occasion of that kind, feel some little exultation —( Hear, hear.) His opinion was, and he believed his brother contractors entertained the same opinion, that Mr. George Stephenson and his son Robert were two of the greatest revolutionists of the present age— (Great laughter) —and that their great minds were about to effect a mightier revolution than Jack Cade ever contemplated.—(Continued laughter.) Therefore, when they looked at the effects they were about to produce, not only on this country but civilization ge nerally, they might well be proud at having under taken such a work as they had been engaged in.— ( Hear, hear.) He begged to take that opportunity of expressing their gratitude for the kindness that had been always shown to the contractors by the Company. That meeting was composed of men who had come from all parts of the kingdom ; it was not a London meeting, but a national meeting, for the purpose of doing honour to great talent and supassing integrity.-- (Loud cheering.) " White Bait," by Mr. Fitzwilliam, in capital style, and which elicited peals of applause. The CHAIRMAN then rose and said, that as they were within the city of London he was certain every one present would deem it his duty to pay a mark of respect to the Magistrates of th e city—on e or whom was present that evening, Mr. Alderman Johnson.— (Cheers.) Independently of being a Magistrate, Mr. Alderman Johnson bad other claims on their attention, for he was very nearly one of themselves ; for if not a contractor, he was a tradesman connected with public works, and had distinguished himself with honour in the, city of London. Ho had great pleasure, therefore, in proposing the health of Mr. Alderman Johnson and the other Magistrates of the city of London.—(Drank with great applause.) Mr. Alderman JoHNsorr in returning thanks observed that it afforded him very great pleasure to ba among the friends of his true and worthy acquaintance, Mr. R. Stephenson, on so auspicious an occasion. He would observe that he had been a contractor for a great num ber of years, and it was in consequence of the vast be nefits he had derived from that business that be had been enabled to attain the situation he then held.— (Hear, hear.) He attributed the emoluments be had derived from his business to the kindness he had re ceived from a variety of persons he had been engaged with ; and he was sure, judging from the kind feelings they had expressed towards Mr. R. Stephenson, many of the contractors under his kind auspices would arrive at the same position he (Mr. Alderman Johnson) then filled —(Cheers.) The CHAIRMAN said there was another very im portant class whose talents and exertions had been pro. ductive of most beneficial results to railway undertak ings. He alluded to manufacturing engineers, who might be considered as represented at that meeting by Messrs. Maudesley and Field.—(Cheers.) One of these gentlemen was the President of the extremely useful and important association—that of Civil En gineers. He would give them, therefore, " Mr. Field, and success to the Institution of Civil Engineers." Mr. FIELD returned thanks, and referred at some length to the progress of the institution of which he had the honour to be a Vice-President. Its present flourishing state was a proof of the high estimation in which it was held, and of the beneficial results that had flowed from what we re ori g inall y very humble efforts. y e ar, ago Mr. Pala e• brought. t o m et h r!r a r age to f:;: _l] vLi 41:A11.111,4On . . fvr the promotion of mutual improvement. That infant institution had laboured hard for several years, till Mr. Telford was requested to take upon himself the office of President. During his life he had devoted much attention to it, and at his death lie left sub stantial proofs of his op;nion of the value of the in stitution. He begged to thank them for the compli ment they had conferred -upon the institution. The CHAIRMAN then gave " Mr. 'Fite and the As sociation of Architects of the City of London." Mr. TITE returned thanks. Nothing could be more agreeable or flattering to him than to find that art of which he was an humble professor linked as a sister art with that of engineering, and as there could be no rivalry between them, he laved they would be always found cc-operating for the benefit of the country to which they both belonged. It had always been his study to promote the progress of improvement in the science of architecture, and he begged to acknowledge the compliment they had paid it through him.—(Cheers.) The health of the stewards was then drank, and Mr. GRISSELL returned thanks. The CHAIRMAN next proposed the health of Mr. Barry, who had taken exceeding pains with reference to the meeting, and he trusted had given satisfaction to every one.—(Loud cries of '' Hear, hear.") He be lieved that but for the great trouble Mr. Barry had taken in all the arrangements connected with the meet ing the labour that would have devolved on the mem bers of the Committee would have been excessive.— (Hear, hear.) He therefore proposed that they would drink Mr. Barry's health in a bumper.—(Cheers.) Mr. BARRY, in returning thanks, observed that the subscriptions towards the plate were limited in amount, otherwise he had no hesitation in saying twenty times the amount would have been contributed. The kind and friendly feelings expressed towards Mr. Stephen .son by those who knew him only by name were most omtifying. He had in his possession a letter, signed " A foreigner,' which be (Mr. B.) considend as a most valuable document, inasmuch as it was an additional testimonial of the esteem and respect which their worthy and talented guest was regarded by foreign nations.— (Cheers.) If the present to Mr. Stephenson had been of the value of 10,0001., he (Mr. Barry) would have had no difficulty in raising the money.—(Cheers.) The following is the letter alluded to by Mr. Barry : Sia—\Vhcndistress or pain call on the sympathies of our nature, many, whose advice or assistance are sought, will readily respot d t.) that call ; but when we find associated with great practical end scientific knowledge, those blind, and attractive personal qualities, which shall invite rather than discourage approach for council and information on a subject novel, important, and difficult—find that advice given in the midst of perforn:ance of arduous duties, cheer fully, unostentatiously, and gratuitously—a high sense of respect and admiration cannot fail to animate those who have experienced those favours and advantages, and they cannot help pronouncing it, a rare felicitous union in the character of a man. Such a man is Robert Stephenson, Esq , the constructor of that gigantic European work, the London and Birmingham Railway, at once a high autho rity in, and an ornament to, his profession and to society, of whom any country might justly be proud. The restriction proscribed by your subscription list hav ing for its object a testimonium to that gentleman, excludes me from the honour of appearing on that list; and I have no doubt that there are other foreigners, who sharing with me the same sentiments, would, were the entrance to that subscription extended, gladly embrace such an opportunity to add their tribute of respect for Robert Stephenson, Esq., the eminent English civil engineer and gentleman. I myself subscribe here, with feelings of becoming re spect and gratitude to him, whom your testimony is to honour, and respectfully to yourself, as, Sir, your obedient servant, A FOREIGNER. To J. D. Barry, Esq., Manchester. Mr. HORN bore testimony to the :value of Mr. Barry's services, which had been entirely gratuitous. He believed Mr. Barry had had more trouble in refusing contributions, than in receiving them.—(Hear, hear.) He thought it ought to be known that none but con tractors and furnishers of materials had been permitted to subscribe, and that no one was allowed to subscribe more than 51.—(Hear, hear.) Mr. STEPHENSON, son., begged to propose a toast to a body of gentlemen whose dealings be admitted were carried on a good deal in the dark, he meant the iron masters.—(Hear, hear, and laughter. He (Mr. Ste phenson) professed to be a miner, and he knew pretty well the difficulties they had to contend with. The exertions of the ironmasters in England, deserved the greatest credit They had not only contributed great benefits to their own country, but to the world, for the productions of their mines were sent to ever♦ part of the known world.—( Hear, hear.) He believed there was one very successful ironmaster present, and that great credit was due to him, for manufacturing good iron, and he therefore would give " Mr. Walter Williams and the ironmasters." Mr. WILLIAMS returned thanks. Railways had certainly been of great advantage to the iron trade, and he would mention what, perhaps, was not very generally known, that his father, if not the projector of railways, was at least the first man who brought railways feasibly before the public—but he might say, more in joke than in earnest ; for it was thought that so gigantic an under taking could scarcely be accomplished. The oppression felt by the heavy tolls levied en iron ore by canal com panies, had suggested to his father the idea of establish ing a railway, a means of communication that was now being general throughout the kingdom.—(Hear, hear.) He felt most grateful for the kindness they had shown in drinking his health. The Chairman, accompanied by Messrs. Stephenson, then retired, amidst the most rapturous applause, and the company separated. MONEY MARKET and CITY NEWS (SATURDAY EVENING.) POST.—The monthly return of the weekly liabilities and assets of the Bank of England, for the quarter ended the 12th inst., was published in last night's Gazette. The variations of the present averages com pared with those of last month, are, on the quarter, as follow :—The circulation is now 17,235,000/., against 17,612,000/., showing a diminution of 377,000/. The deposits are 6,132,000/., against 6,734,0001., showing a decrease of 602,000/., and making the total of the lia bilities 23,367,0(101. The securities, on the other hand, reductionar nov 23(73,0001, 1,066,000!. againstTThe stock 2 4,93 0 9 f , t O u o l o l i / o . , n i showing greatera by 20,0001, the difference between 2,545,000/. and 2,525,000/. The total of assets is 26,418,000/. The "rest" is less by 67,0001., the difference between 3,051,000/. and 3,118,000/. The most important va riation is to be found in the securities. The reduction effected in this item proves that the Directors have acted somewhat unsparingly on the circulation in order to bring up their amount of bullion to a point more in proportion with it. In this, however, it is, we believe, admitted on all hands they have been perfectly justified by circumstances. HERALD.—We have to notice a greater number of important arrivals in one day than have occurred for some time, and it may readily be imagined that they have created an unusual degree of interest with all parties connected with the two hemispheres. Letters and papers have been received from Calcutta, through Mr. Waghorn's agency, by express, from India via Bombay, in the extremely short time from that pre sidency of thirty days. The Zenobia sailed from Bombay, bringing dates from Calcutta to the 26th of September ; Madras, to the 28th of that month ; and from China, to the 19th of July. The papers and letters from India do not much add to the political information which has already appeared - in this journal. A letter from a gentleman at Calcutta, of the highest character, states that there could be no doubt but that the fall of Ghuznee would have a political and moral influence over some of the native princes who lately have exhibited much restlessness udder the supreme Government, and that it would have the effect of keep ing the Nepaulese and Burmese quiet. The commercial accounts from Calcutta mention that the markets for British produce and manufactures were more active, though without any improvement in the quotations. The reports from the factories of the amount of the Indigo crop had not much varied from !hose previously received ; but the making of the crop in the lower pro .. .. ........ ......... .. ...... 5 2 0 6: 2 83 73 5 vinces had almost been completed. To the 25th of September the exports were ......................... 12,415 __To Great re places a. Britain .c.e.s. .. Factory Aids ............ 80,523 Considerable purchases of Silk had been made for European account at the late quotations ; in other pro duce little was doing, Exchange on England was 25.2 d. to 2s. Id., but bills were not in demand. Freights were 21. 15s. to 41. 10s. per to n. The private letters still the dawk or motblfiat the bearers ay. The let tleeeotrmtsepirll have e seriouslyto carrying b e from divided h o l e ienot i t n ot e a ffi p ta c er i e c n etl e s y o, or runners may be able to carry them through the almost impassable and unhealthy jungles from Cal cutta to Nagpore, from thenc e to Bo mbay they are car ried on horseback, but the ex p ens e of the dawk from Calcutta to Nagpore, back wards and forwards, is nearly one lac of rupees p e r annum. Th e Z eno bi a l e f t Bombay on the Ist of August with the mail of that au 5,000 of the il uenee of the in mc o a n l e t o b t , t a b e u o t v e e r a s v ling ood behind papers, m i o e r o e n s t e h q arrived to-clay. e f fi c ie Whenn e i y t ofs considered s i d d a e w r e k d ; that j t the g s a e l eo h s e a an y no e mo d noloy nothing of the Bengal mittances are constantly forwarded thi s way , to sa y stheiramount of re- danger, it is almost incredible that the Company will not yield to the wishes of the Government, and support a steam com munication throughout. The private advises from Canton are not favourable, nor does it appear that any progress ha-1 been made to wards the settlement of the disputes between the Eng lish and the Chinese authorities. The trade continued stopped, and the Commissioner Lin had addressed a letter ts to deal in opium, a in very discour ttoeotohse t Q e r u m e s e , n o , f i nw hi which she permitting she heris a s e o c b u j e s e e d but the langurge was so violent that Capt. Elliot refused to forward it. In its details it insists upon her Ma p,„•,,iinti„g a 1 her subj.c . ..s horn dealing in, or making opium. The Americans still remained at Can ton, and had entered into very severe securities with the hangs for permission to trade, and, in consequence, they had the complete monopoly of it. They were dealing in teas and silks. Gunpowder teas were 34 a 40 tads, and imperials 31 a 37 taels per picul. They had taken 1,500 chests of Twankay at 18 a 21 taels per picul, and the hongs were demanding 19 a 21 for low congoes. Nankeen silk was firm at from X 305 a 450 tads per picul. Exchange on England was G pm. Bii!s were 4s. 10d. to 4s. lid, per dollar. Captain Elliot had taken up the Cambridge mer chantman as a guard-ship. This will cost nearly 5,000/., but thsre was no British ship of war in the Chinese waters to protect the trade. An affray had taken place at Hong Kong, a village, on the 7th of Octo ber, between some English sailors and the Chinese, when a Chinaman was killed. Captain Elliot com promised the affray with the relations of the deceased for 19,000 dollars ; but the fact being reported to Governer Lin by the mandarins, he commanded the money to be restored, and the man who caused the death to be delivered up, as the Chinese laws require life for life. Hence here has arisen a new cause for strife with the Chinese. Yu, the acting collector of customs at Canton, has issued a very lengthy edict, giving fresh instructions for the regulations of that port, Commercial letters from Bombay complain that trade was dull. Shipments of cotton had nearly ceased. Opium was 320 rupees per chest, and there was no de mand for the quantity on band, amounting to from 11,000 to 12,000 chests. Exchange on England was lower, and quoted at Is. 110. a 2s. 0- 4 1 d. per rupee. Freights were scarce at 40s. a 50s. per ton. Letters from Singapore to the 16th of Angust state that sonic opium had arrived from Bengal, which was quoted ❑o ininally at 279 to 280 dollars per chest. TO THE MEN BE OF TICE TRADES' POLITICAL UNION, Darrynane Abbey, Nor. 12. Fellow-countrymen—As the only legal political asso ciation existing now in Ireland, I address you.. The times are arduous and extraordinary, and require all the attention and all the energy of determined pa triotism. Treason is abroad, and exhibits itself in open violence by one set of traitors ; and in unmanly, and malignant calumny by another set of traitors. _ It is difficult to say which is the worse of the two. They have one point of unity and connexion—namely, evenomed hatred to the person and the political virtue of our youthful Sovereign. For the first time in the annals of British history has the cnce-unstained glory cf the English military uniform been tarnished and disgraced. British officers—oh I scandal ous !—have allowed the ruffian Bradshaw, and the no less miscreant Ruby, to traduce, vilify, and basely as well as falsely vituperate in their presence and hearing, a young and exalted lady, and that lady their Sovereign I Why it would not—nay, it could not be believed, without the astounding evidence of these facts, that there could be found amongst British officers any such recreants to honour, as well as to every sense of duty, as to sit silent if not applausive bearers of the calumniators of female youth and innocence—of royal youth, adorned with here ditary power and personal virtue 1 It could scarcely be believed of the inmates of the lowest receptacles of vice that beings should be found so daring as to be guilty of the turpitude and atrocity of uttering these calumnies on their Queen, if officers serving under that very Queen were not proveably guilty of the greater baseness of allowing suelt calumnies to be uttered in their presence with impunity. There is another awful feature in these treasonable pro ceedings—it is, that amongst the most prominent ap provers of these crimes were many of the dignified clergy of that Church of which the lady thus outraged is the temporal head. This, as far as treason is concerned, is the epitome of the facts. 1. The foulest language was applied to the illustrious Lady who reigns over these realms—language ahnost unfit for the stews and certainly unfit for any other locality. 2. To such vile language were added distinct threats of assailing the Throne, and expelling the Sovereign—that is, in other words, of committing high treason. 3. This traitorous conduct was displayed by men in the rank, though without the manners, of gentlemen ; was supported and applauded by many beneficed clergymen of the Established Church ; was listened to with approbation by officers of the Queen's army, of variuus grades ; was cheered to the echo by baronets, and knights, and country squires in a mass, or rather in a mob. 4. This exhibition is the act of a great party. It is not an isolated fact. It is a fact of a family. The creed and conduct of the Tory party is thus announced. Here they are "in flagrante delicto." That which the press of that odious faction has been for some time past covertly insi nuating is now publicly disclosed. Tory treason stands forth in all its atrocious deformity. 5. For the conduct of that party the Duke of Wel lington and Sir Robert Peel are individually responsible. Out of this position they cannot escape. It is the very faction of which they are the open and avowed leaders which has committed, in the regular course of party pro. eeeedings, the traitorous conduct I have thus feebly, but truly, described. 6. The connexion, especially of Sir Robert Peel, with this conduct cannot be denied until he has publicly dis claimed making use of the support of such men. He cannot, by any dexterity of hypocrisy, avoid the opprobrium attached to their conduct, without doing that which he certainly will not do, namely, giving up the benefit of the assistance of this traitorous crew in enabling him to regain power. I❑ short, lie cannot have the advantage of Tory aid without being stained and tarnished with Tory de linquency. For my part, I have no hesitation in saying that the conduct of the misguided Chartists is not more criminal (and it is less disgraceful) than that of the Tory traitors. There was an open manliness in the guilt and crime of the rebellious Chartists. They abided the brunt of battle, such as it was, and were not, at all events, culpable of de ceit, and trick, and mean dexterity. Can so much be said of the leaders of the Tory traitors? We may be told that with the affray at Newport the Chartist treason is at an end. I do not believe that prudent men will think so. It broke out suddenly and unexpect edly in Wales. Who can say where or how it may break out elsewhere? Deep discontent pervades many of the working classes ; and there is this especial dagger in that discontent--that to a certain extent it is well founded. They have reason to be grievously dissatisfied with the very limited nature of the elective franchise, and with the refusal of the protection of the Ballot. In short, they really are a slave.class in England, deprived of all legal and constitutional means of procuring protection for themselves. It is this, and this alone, which renders the Chartist spirit dangerous to the existing institutions of the country. If the Tories were in office for six months the danger from Chartist discontent would be multiplied one thousand fold. _ The Tories, who now encourage the Chartists, would, if in rower, be their bitterest enemies. New penal laws —local partiality and oppression—the stifling of the voice of just complaint—bigotry, exclusiveness, increased bur dens—all the crimes which Toryism is heir to, in adlltion to the existing grievances, would drive the working cl,..sses nearly mad ; and the Tories, if in power, would soon com pel, or tempt the middle classes to join the Chartists. The danger to the peace of society would be augmented enor mously by the Tory advent to the Government. This would be so in England and Scotland: but what would it be in Ireland ? Nothing can be imagined more horrific than ilia state of Ireland under a restored Tory Cabinet. Sir Robert Peel would talk of justice and im partiality, Bah ! all his plausibility would not soothe or retard the rapid spread of Orange vengeance and tyranny on the one hand, of just aad virulent discontent on the other. If Peel can govern England only by the aid of the trai torous Tories, he can govern Ireland only for and by the Orange faction. Impossible that he should govern Ireland otherwise. In fact, there are no possible materials to enable him to govern the Irish otherwise than by and for tke Orange faction. Conceding that which Ido not believe—that he would be desirous to rule the Catholic people of Ireland fairly and justly—yet he could not do it. He would not be allowed to do it. The Orange faction would compel bim to suffer them to enjoy the exercise of their long accustomed tyranny , rapacity, and bigotry. But suppose his Irish allies appeased (and the suppo sition is a most violent one)--suppose the Irish Orange men changed their nature and ceased to be tyrannic bigots —yet, after all this, there is the anti-Irish, anti- Catholic Tory party in England, You have read the ruffian Brad shaw's Canterbury speech. Would a villain of that description, who has the unparalleled audacity to vilify all ranks and classes of the Irish people, and to traduce the ancient Christianity of the land—would such villains as that, and as those who applauded and cheered his scoun drel rancour—would they, I say, leave Peel one hour in power unless he gratified their pestilent malignity towards Ireland by persecuting, in every practicable way, the Irish people ? Certainly not? The danger then, is imminent—the crisis is portentous. English gentry, clergy, military, and Parliamentary men, utter with applause, and by repetition, the most scandalous and infamous ribaldry against the Queen on t h e one h an d , and against 8,000, 000 of th e Irish people on the other. It looks like actual madness, like a species of national insanity. But there is method in their mad ness . Th e T ory p l an stands avowed. It is to subvert the Royal authority—to substitute the hoary tyrant of Hanover for the Queen, and to trample under the bloody hoofs of their cavalry the Catholic people of Ireland, as they did before ; to dese crate our altars and proscribe our religion, as they did before ! These things were done before. The party which Peel heads, and 'Wellington countenances, threaten to repeat the horrors of bygone times. What is to be done ? I will tell you— Ireland is to be roused from the centre all round to the sea. There must be no apathy—no shrinking. It may be a service of imminent danger and of death ; but all perils must be encountered to protect the throne of our most gra cious and beloved Queen, and the civil and religious liber ties of the Irish people. " For the Queen and our country" is the cry. There must be agitation and organization. The con stituted authorities must be consulted ; and no proceed ings can be adopted but such as have the sanction of the present Irish executive authority. The Queen must be addressed by every one of her loyal Irish subjects. The tender of our lives in defence of her throne will not be made in the ordinary phrase ology of flattery to princes. No ! it will be offered in the spirit of generous and ardent readiness to die in her defence. It is our duty, it would be our delight to shield her from—ay, and to laugh to scorn all her enemies. We should take measures to enable the Irish Govern ment to send to England all the remaining troops in tbis country. We should place at the disposal of Lord Nor manby every soldier of the regular army now in Ireland. Lord Ebrington should also be addressed. He should I be called on to suggest or to sanction a plan to enable him ' to enrol, for readiness to answer the call of every duty, military as well as civil, nine-tenths of the male population of Ireland. The Queen's Government can, if they please, have at their disposal, without delay, 500,000 fighting men. The display of Irish readiness to form such a force, under the guidance and subject to the control of the constituted authorities, will put an end to all danger of Chartist in. surrection, and will at the same time drive the spirit of dastard Toryism to despair. I call on you, brother Unionists, and upon every loyal Irishman who reads this letter, to be ready fo co-operate in placing our Queen and country out of all danger from the machinations of the two classes of traitors by which we are now assailed or menaced. • Ireland was never in so perfect a state of tranquillity. 1 1 Although so many of he r grievan ces are unre d resse d, yet the confidence in the Queen's Government, the heart binding allegiance of the people to the Queen, operate like a charm; and never was Ireland so free from crime, or so thoroughly tranquil. Let us, then, enable the Lord-Lieutenant to send to England every soldier of the regular army now in Ireland. But one thing is absolutely necessary—there must be an immediate investigation into the conduct of the military at the two seditious and traitorous meetings. Lord Hill can not refrain from investigating the facts ; and it it shall be proved or admitted that there were officers present at the treasonable language of the ruffian Bradshaw, at Canter bury, then Lord Hill will be guilty of dishonourable faithlessness to the Queen unless these officers be instantly cashiered. So at Ashton—if it be true that Colonel Thomas was present at the rabid malignity towards the Queen of the miscreant Roby—especially if it be true that he (Thomas) WFS so stupidly wicked as to say that the British army is a ' partisan army—that they arc partisans against the Queen's Government, and in support of the statesmen who would so enslave the Queen as to deprive her of the power of selecting the ladies of her bedchamber—if Colonel Thomas was wicked enough to say any thing like what is attribute I to him by the public papers—why, in that case, Lord Hill would himself be a traitor to the Crown and the country unless he instantly dismissed Colonel Thomas from a service of which, in the care supposed, he would be a dis grace, and of which in no case is he an ornament. The admirable conduct of the army in Ireland—the strict performance of their duty, in the total alssence of all party feeling, as hich not only the officers, but even the privates, have shown on every occasion in this country, en courages and justifies the hope that there are but few indeed in the entire British army who would be guilty of the conduct attributed to Colonel Thomas, and to the other officers present at Ashton and at Canterbury. But it is essential, not only to the discipline of the army but to the security of the Queen and of the liberties of the people, that those transactions should be narrowly scruti nized. No officer shall dare to say (as Colonel Thomas is reported to have said) that the army is a partisan army. This must not be. This is the first time in which such a declaration was attributed to any British officer. It is, therefore, of great importance that if the charge against Colonel Thomas be false, his character should be vindicated; but it is of infinitely greater importance, if the charge be true, that he should be signally punished. The army, in our civil strife, should be entirely and purely neutral. It should be at all times ready to obey lawful commands, with perfect indifference as to the effect on, any political party. The duty of the army is to obey implicitly the lawful authority of persons in command, wiohout any reference to political opinions. If Sir Robert Peel's party think otherwise—if Lord Hill is to permit political partisanship to exhibit itself with impunity in the army, why then it is doubly incumbent on every man who loves the constitutional liberties of the country to prepare for the civil strife ; and so to organize under the control of the Queen's Government as to be ready to protect her person and authority against traitors of every description, whether dressed in broad cloth and fine linen, or rigged out in the fustian jacket and cap of the humble operative. Let Ireland, then, rouse herself once more—let every parish be prepared, if the Lord-Lieutenant shall require it, to furnish its quota ; and if he disapproves of this sugges tion, why, let his wishes be considered as commands, and let other measures be taken legally and constitutionally to obviate the present dangers, and to put down the vile enemies of the Throne and of the people. At all events let all Ireland address the Queen—let us show her that there are in Ireland hearts and hands to se cure her throne against every foe--let the vile calumnies of the ruffian Bradshaw, and of the equally despicable mis creant Roby, be treated with the contemptuous reprobation such disgraceful conduct deserves. The revolutionary tendency of the Tory party is obvious. Their treasonable attempt to vest all power in the oligarchy is manifest. The Peers already trample on the House of Commons. They cock equally to trample on the Crown. If they could but control the Queen as they have domi. neered over the representatives of the people, their autho rity would be paramount, and British liberty would be destroyed. The real revolutionists are the Peers. Their underlings, the Bradshaws and Robys, only speck the sentiments of their masters, and indicate accurately the intentions of their leaders. It is necessary for Ireland to save the empire from the machinations of these wicked men ; and Ireland is ready to no her duty. Ireland, then, will rouse herself; and her cry shall be, " the Queen and Constitutional freedom." I have the honour to be your faithful servant, DANIEL O'CONNELL. SPIRIT of the PUBLIC JOURNALS. (From the Morning Chronicle.) It appears from the report of our Newport corre spondent that the late affair there was not isolated. He gives a copy of a letter received by the Mayor of Newport from the Chief Magistrate of one of the largest and most influential towns of England (whose name he communicates to us privately) containing this remarkable statement :—" It appears every evident, that there is a secret correspondence and organization in all parts of the country. We have here, as the party at Newport, secret signs and watchwords, captains, 4 . c., and some arms. From the accounts I read in the papers, I find a very striking connection between the system adopted with you, and the one now in progress here." An emissary from Birmingham has been examined and searched, in consequence of a communication to the Mayor of Newport, from the Commissioner of Police of Birmingham, with a portion of his address at a meeting of the Chartists in that town, on the evening of the 11).th of November. We should rather infer, from the portion of the address given, that Frost's attempt on Newport was not the result of any concert with the Chartists elsewhere, for he says, " The secret is to be found out yet ; and that will not be till after I return from Newport." The papers found on him, • baying re ference to the organization of the districts which he was to visit, is somewhat suspicious. We do not consider the organization, described by the Chief Magistrate above alluded to, as prevailing in the North, to furnish direct evidence of a concert with Frost ; but the existence of such an organization, if Frost had succeeded in gain ing possession of Newport, and holding it for a day or two, might have facilitated the endeavours of the more violent of the Chartists elsewhere to at tempt something similar. We suspect that the local organisations arc the result of a general understanding ; but that Frost merely speculated on the chance of his success operating upon the Chartists in other quarters. It is all bnt evident that the Chartists were not gene rally prepared for the attempt of Frost ; for no indica cations were anywhere affJrded of their knowledge of it, and the speech of Cardo implies that the proceedings of Frost were a secret to them. It is fortunate that the outbreak took place under circumstances more favourable for the Chartists than can be ex pected elsewhere. The Welsh are an earnest and a religious people. In many of the towns of England there is a great deal of idle rho domontade uttered by speakers who never seriously think of attempting what they speak of ; but the Welsh are a simple people, who mean what they say. If, then, favoured by the distinction of lan guage between the higher and lower classes, by the nature of the occupations, and other circumstances, the Chartists succeeded in maturing their plans, of which, till shortly before the very moment of execution, no knowledge was possessed by the authorities, the rising of many thousands were checked in a few moments by a handful of soldiers, what hopes can be entertained that a rising would be more successful where every move ment would be discovered and watched? The affair of Newport will have produced this good effect, that it must impress the Chartists elsewhere with the notion that they can effect nothing by violence, but the destruc tion of those who oppose themselves to the authorities of the country. The physical force advisers will not be so readily listened to hereafter. (From the Times.) In the laboured attempt at a defence of Minis ters which is contained in the last Edinburgh Re few the following passage occurs :—" They have closed he last arduous Session (for we will not narrow this boon by classing it among the mere financial arrange ments) wills obtaining for every class of the people the commerci a l, literary, and * social benefits arising from the cheapest possible intercourse by cor n ._ spondence—preceding, i n t hi s , th e most v i gorous and most popular States in the world." This boon, the penny postage, so ostentatiously referred to in italics, has also been made the subject of laudatory com ment by Mr. Attorney-General and Mr. Daniel O'Connell. But as yet the penny postage scheme is only to be found on paper. An Act, indeed, for its establishment was passed last S ess i on, i n oppo sition to the re cor d e d advice of persons of experience in the Post-office department, but in obedience, as is generally believed, to the peremptory , mandate of cer tain members of the Reform Club, whose votes were absolutely necessary to sustain the reformed petticoat Government ; and in the preamble of that Act we col lect that "it is expedient that the present rates of inland postage on letters should be reduced to one uni form rate of a penny charged on every letter of a given weight, to be hereafter fixed and determined ;" and that "it is expedient to give by law a temporary authority to the Lords of her Majesty's Treasury to give effect to such reduction, and to make orders and regulations for the same, which reductions, orders, and regulations shall have force and effect to the fifth day of October, IS-10, and no longer." The Act passed on the 17th of August. On the 12th of November, nearly three months afterwards, and when one month t 'N EVE N TNG ED IT r had expired of the period allotted by Parli(m9o qe . experiment of a penny postage, a Treas t iry4iinlit' is ucd for the establishment, not of a pe fi "Ari hut of a jburpenny one! to take effect on lia:" December next. Now, in this minute, prepg. professes to be with the object of effecting " sfr s kJ*. 14 duction of postage as will be a material relief to the ; public," one would hardly have expected to find any pro position for increased taxation on the conveyance of letters ; and yet such a proposition is contained in the minute, and the increase suggested is to a very considerable extent. This we take to be little better than a fraud upon the Act of Parliament, the pream ble of which plainly points at reduction, not increase, of the existing charges for postage. We shall pro ceed to show, by references to the minute itself, and to the law as it at present exists, in what instances an increased postage is about to be established. The minute proposes that " general post letters shall be ' charged by weight, as follows : " 1. Letters not exceeding half an ounce, one postage ; Ditto one ounce, two postages ; Ditto two ounces, four postages ; Ditto three ounces, six postages ; and so on, adding two postages for every ounce up to 16 ounces, beyond which no packet sabject to postage shall be received. All single postage rates between places within the United Kingdom, which ~ow exceeds 4d., shall be reduced to that sum ; inferior rates to remain undisturbed, but the letters to be charged by weight." The Postage Duties Act of 1837 provides, that a letter consisting of a sheet or single piece of ,caper, un der the weight of one ounce shall be conveyed to a dis tance of not exceeding 15 miles from the post-office where the letter shall be put in for the charge ,of four pence. Now, without calling in aid of our observations the numerous places within that limit holding constant communication with the metropolis, we present to the view of our readers the following - list of towns placed within the distance of 15 miles from each other, the in-. habitants of which respectively !told very consicierablo intercourse for purposes of trade or otherwise :-- Birmingham and Dudley BirminghanT and Walsall Birmingham and Stourbridge WolverharmAcn and Walsall Coventry and Warwick Stone and N e :vcastle-under- Lyne Mar:chester and Stockport Manchester and Rot 'Mae Manchester and Bolton Bolton and Blackburn S . -eel: l , lft and Macclesfield Warrington and Prescot Wigan and Chorley Warrington and Wigan Leeds and Wakefield Leeds and Bradford Huddersfield and Wakefield Huddersfield and Halifax Wakefield and Pontefract Newark and Grantham Stamford and Market Deeping Sheffield and Chesterfield Sheffield and Barnsley Durham and Sunderland Newcastle and Tynewouth Sunderland and North Shiel (Is Gloucester and CLeltenham Gloucester and Stroud Brid A ewater and Taunton Bath and Bristol Reading and Maidenhead Bury St. Edmund's and New market Winchester and Southampton Cluster and Hawarden. Under the existing law, the inhabitants of these and many other towns can comteunicate by letter, of any weight short of one ounce, at a cluirp of fourpence. The Treasury minute proposes two postages, or eightpence, for any weight between half an ounce awe An ounce ; and thus an additional tax of nearly 100 per cent. would be imposed by part of a measure professing to effect " such a reduction of postage as will be a material relief to the public." There is another provision in the minute which eould have a similar, though not precisely the same, effect, but which is, we believe, warranted by the Act of last Session. As the law now stands, a packet now exceeding four ounces may be sent by the two penny post. The minute provides that " all letters not exceeding half an ounce, provided the postage be pre-paid, shall be charged one pennybut it leaves persors who do not pay beforehand their present privi lege of sending eight half-ounces for twopence—a red; u- , lation which appears at first sight not a little inconsise tent, but which, we presume, has been int: educed with the view of encouraging the transmission through the Post-office of circulars, tradesmen's bills, and invil'ati?Ds to tea parties, as well as for the purpose of introducOg the half-ounce regulation into the London district post, Having thus exhibited some of the proposed changes in postage taxation, we shall, in conclusion, express our opinion, that if the Ministers be not prepared at once, during the limited period allowed for the pm- i ! pose, to make experiment of " the boon" for granting which they have been bapraised by interested re- t ; viewers, and by equally interested tavern orators ; but if, on the contrary, they have become alarmed at those probable effects upon the revenue of their own measure, which chiefly excited Conservative opposition to it, it will be fur more just, as regards the inhabitants of towns circumstanced as those in our list, ay, and far more poli tic, too, as regards the probable diminution of the tu?- rnitted railway competition with the Post Office, to ins. • graft the scheme of charge by weight upon the scale adopted. as we find in the year 1765, but making four pence the maximum charge. The rates of postage for ! letters of halt an ounce weight would then stand this : For not exceeding 15 miles For. not exceeding 30 miles For not exceeding 80 miles .. ..... 3d. And for all other distances 4d. (From the Globe.) A verbosa et grandis epistola of the illustrious ob scure Mr. Oastler appears in the columns of the Standard last evening, and furnishes the worthy topic of its first leading article. We shall say nothing per sonally of this individual ; because he is about to take his trial, as having been one of the mouth-pieces of that sedition which the scribes of the Tory party blew into flame for electioneerinc , ends—and then threw away the bellows. There is, however, a tenacity about the Standard, dear to the zealots but obnoxious to the po liticians of its own party, which forbids it ever to have quite done with an old pair of bellows which has ever made a blaze amongst the " Tory de nocracy." Even Cobbett was amotlgst the " white-headed boys" of the Standard, because of his inexhaustible Iliad of abusive reiteration. Any one possessed of such a fund, and who will appropriate some of it to abuse of the Whigs—although lie may devote the rest to abuse of Peel, and the moderate Tories—will keep a corner in the heart of the Standard. Thus Mr. Bronterre O'Brien and Mr. Oastler continue to figure amongst its firm geniuses and respectable gentlemen, long after every one else has done with them ; and if the Rev. Mr. Stepheas does not take rank with its sound divines, it is because its theological circle is filled already by the Greggs and O'Sullivans ; and because the first-named personage has become too moderate lately to be fit company as a " boon companion," for clerical Tcryism. Excess of the vituperative, and dearth of the reasoning faculty, are the sole essential requisites to the fa.eour of getatineToryism. Assumption and abuse have b en called the " logic of power." They are no less the logic of powerlessness—the resort of " desperate and degraded factions." There is nothing more natural than that those of the organs of Toryism who have the sort of tenacity which the Standard has, of tools that have once served its turn, should still cling to their old elcetioneer ing league with the " physical force" fraternity. (From the Courier,) The Proclamation of Governor-General Thomson on his landing at Quebec, and assumption of the Go vernment, which will be found esewhere, although no pr,cisc indications can be drawn from it of the line of policy to be followed under his administra fon with reference to either of the Canadas, and so far, therefore, rather vague in its general purport, is cot however without interest, and u ill be perused pith satisfaction rather then otherwise. The re condiation of " existing differences," and the remedy of '' proved grievances," are the leading and the most. delicate points of his mission, which, if undertaken with judgment and firmness, equal to the candour and moderation with which they are mien ed tr, there is reason to hope may be crowned with the success„ of which in any event they would be deserv ing. Neither in the language nor in the tone of this document do we perceive any trace of that foregone conclusion of the adoption of that " Durham" policy which, rather extra officiously it would seem, had been announced on his behalf by parties here understood to represent the opinions of that No bleman. From the determination expressed on the contrary, in the concluding paragraph, to " uphold the rights of the Crown," it may fairly be in ferred that the scheme, fanciful as subversive, of " responsible (Colonial) government" propounded first by Mackenzie, and subsequently embodied in the Report of Lord Durham, will be and is thrown over board at once. His Lordship himself has lately partly denied and separated himself from the gross absurdity justly chargeable upon him ; nevertheless, although the report itself may be, as he informs, us the work of other he, of course, can alone be answerable for a document in all it s b ear i ngs , t o w hi c h th e sanc hands , sanc tion of his name was lent and not formally retracted as as a whole, (From the Standard.) A Ministerial journal gives this morning the com fortable assurance that " the state of South Wales demands serious attention ;" this we do not doubt ; but a little serious attention applied some months ago, would have rendered it less necessary at present. The ominous hint is, however, we suspect, from the accompanying observations, nothing more than a pioneer working to make room for the rural police project. We are told " that soldiers cannot be fairly entrusted with the preservation of order throughout the country ;:small detachments are exposed to the danger of being tampered with." The proof of this danger is the evidence of some soldiers of the 45th, as to propositions made to them by the Chartists, to which propositions the faithful and gallant men replied by saying " that they would do their duty," and, if or dered, fire upon the Chartists, and it is known that they kept their words —so little success had the Chartists in tampering with the military. But would the enemies of order be necessarily as unsuc withruralpomliocreemferne,qutoenstalaicnidt ces'si.l in tampering whom they would have necessarily less observed opportunities. It is idle, however, to say more upon this subject. What could' an imperfectly disciplined police force have done at Newport ? No thing. In all such cases of extensive insurrection the military must be calied its sooner or later, and the sooner the better for the interests of order and humanity. Lord and Lady Rolle are entertaining company at Bicten, in Devonshire. the tba t : re her a at age d : AIP the joy I anu and'