The Sun. — London, England, 1832-10-25 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS. The necessity of attending to - matters of snore pressing . interest prevented us, yesterday, from noticing an article in an Evening satellite of the Treasury, in which article a vindication of' the foreign policy of Ministers touching th e Batavo-Belgic question was attempted, by way of answer to some observations of ours relative to that subject, in our publication of the same day. Our own observations had been made in refutation of a defence set up for Ministers by some of the writers in their interests, who as serted that no blame was imputable to them for their intervention in the Dutch and Belgic quarrel, because, by such intervention, they strictly followed the policy of the Wellington Cabinet, and, moreover, prevented the progress of the revolutionary principle on the Conti nent, which had already developed itself in an alarming manner in Saxony, Brunswick, Hesse- Cassel, Hanover, Italy, Switzerland, and some other places, in opposition to the creed of the Holy Alliance, and which revolutionary princi ple, if it had been further excited by a war be tween Belgium and Holland, would have led to a tear of opinion in Europe. As to the first branch of this two-fold defence of our intermed dling policy, we observed that, so far from fur nishing an excuse for our interference in the disputes between Belgium and Holland, it ag gravated our folly in that respect ; for the pre. sent Ministers, when out of office, had vehemently protested against such interference by the Wel lington Cabinet ; but, upon stepping into their places, servilely imitated that line of policy they had so loudly decried. The writer of the article in the Evening Paper to which we allude (the Globe), as if conscious that a bad cause can only be supported by dishonest means, re sorts to the mean art of misrepresentation, for the purpose of seeming to confute a statement with which in reality he does not dare to grapple. We stated that " the present place.. enjoying Sir John Hobhouse, then the unplaced, unpensioned, and professedly radical Member for Westminster, a short time before the down fall of the Duke's power, gave notice of a mo tion which had for its object the putting a stop to such interf ere n ce on th e p ar t o f our Govern ment. Sir John was loudly cheered and warmly supported by the Whigs in general, who again and again declared that, in relation to the quar rel between Belgium and Holland, it was the duty, and ought to be the policy, of the Eng lish Government to act strictly on the principle of non-intervention. The writer in the Globe says, we found this " heavy but groundless ac cusation on some warm speech of Sir John Hobhouse before their accession to office." Now had the present very courtier-like Secretary at War only made a speech on the occasion, " un supported by any tangible motion," and as to the sentiments of which the members of the then Whig Opposition expressed neither as sent nor dissent, we would have taken it for what it was worth—merely the expres sion of the opinion of an individual mem ber of Parliament, and should not have argued upon it as the declaration of the senti ments of a whole party. It is, however, mat ter of history that the Whigs recognised, by the most unequivocal demonstrations, the opinions of Sir John Hobhouse as their own, and some of' their leading men uttered similar sentiments in both Houses ; but before the motion could be regularly discussed, the Wellington Admi nistration had ceased to exist. Now the ques tion arises, did the Whigs make their 'mutest against intervention from a factious or a patri otic motive ? If from a factious motive, how can they claim credit for political honesty ? If from a patriotic motive, why do they copy the example which they condemned ? Our con temporary, as to this latter point, places the de fence of Ministers on the grourid of the faith of treaties. He asks, " What reliance on treaties—what security in the duration of peace —what faith or honour among men could sub sist, if the maxims inculcated by this notable journal, which affects, on all occasions, more than ordinary morality and strictness, were ac tually allowed to regulate the transactions of the world ? if the change of a Ministry were to blot out at once the engagements of the Crown, what stability could exist in our Foreign relations ? Was it ever objected to Lord Aberdeen, or the Duke of Wellington, by their bitterest opponents, that they adhered to the treaty relating to Greece, and continued the conferences and alliances which were founded thereon, both of which they had, out of office, loudly reprobated and deeply la mented ? " We quote the words of this writer, that his position may be as clearly understood as his own terms can make it, instead of adopting the paltry - artifice with which he is familiar of falsifying arguments which it is beyond his ability to answer. We admit that the treaty le gally made by one Administration should be observed by another—that is, all treaties made without collusion and fraud ; for fraud vitiates every contract, whether between individuals or nations. We admit that it is an essential duty of all Statesmen in power to preserve national faith, and keep unbroken all solemn compacts which are regularly made, and which pledge the troth or bind the honour of the country. Let only the treaty be produced which had been signed in the Duke of Wellington's time; and which bound the English Government to inter meddle in the affairs of Belgium and Holland, in conjunction with the members of the Holy Alliance, and, however we may deprecate the folly that made this country party to such a mischievous compact, we will at once admit that the Whigs had no alternative but to adopt the best means of carrying it into effect. But supposing there was a treaty, or a binding compact of any sort, making the intervention of our Govern ment a legal duty, why did the Whigs, up to the very moment of the dissolution of the Duke of Wellington's Administration, insist that it was their duty to act upon the principle of non-inter vention? Why did they recommend to their predecessors to practice what in their own case they declare would have been a gross breach of public faith ? If `Wellington's engagements were such as he could have retracted, they were not binding on his successors. If they were of binding obligation, why did the Whigs call on him to retract them? Now, as to the second branch of the two-fold defence of Ministers, we did not admit that, if a contrary line of policy had been pursued, a war between Belgium and Holland must have occurred, and that such must have led to a war of opinion in Europe. On the contrary, we believe that the shuffling, deceitful, and vexatious conduct of the " Lon don Conference " has rather exasperated than soothed the feelings of natioual animosity be tween the two litigant parties. It had been stated that a war between Belgium and Hol land must necessarily have led to one between Prussia and France, which would probably have grown into an European war of opinion. In commenting upon that statement we said it was doubtful whether such would be the re sult of a war between Belgium and Holland : hut even admitting it to be true, we denied that there was any necessity why England should mix herself up in a war of that nature. We acknowledge that, at the same time, we " gave the instance most in point that his tory can afford, in which she did, almost irrevocably and fatally, mix herself up in a war of opinion." But history also af fords abundant evidence, at least if the testimony of the Whigs themselves is of any weight, that England was most unnecessarily dragged into that destructive conflict by a pro fligate Tory Government, to put down the de mand for Reform, which was growing too strong at that day to be otherwise controlled than by raising a panic in the public mind re specting the importation of French principles, and following up that false alarm by war, gagging Bills, suspension of the Habeas Corpus Act, trials of Reformers on charges of con structive treason, the inundating the country with spies and informers, and the perpetration of all the other nefaribus acts of power which furnished the topics of the vituperative eloquence of Mr. Fox, Mr. (now Lord) Grey, Mr. Sheridan, and other leaders of the Whigs, against the Administration of Mr. Pitt. We know that the first declaration of war was the famous manifesto of the Duke of Brunswick, The ablest document, perhaps, on record, from the pen of Lord Grey, is his address to the throne against the French war, which he moved in the beginning of the Session of 1793, in which he protests against the war, in conjunction with his Whig allies, as unnecessary and impolitic. Yet, at the present day, when the First Lord of the Treasury is that identical Lord Grey, a Treasury scribe, defending the foreign policy of _ _ the states that :Mr. Pitt was brought into that war by the " resistless force of circum stances ;"—in other words, that it was an un avoidable and necessary war. If so, the Whigs have grossly libelled Mr. Pitt's memory ! Morning Herald. The increase of the County Rates has for several years caused great discontent among all who are subject to the payment of them. It is supposed that they form an exemplification of the truth of the proposition, that the disposal of money without responsibility leads necessarily to abuse. The i\lagistraces are charged by the rate-payers with a disposition to create offices and obtain jobs for their friends, at the public expense; and the only way to satisfy the people will be to give them a control over the expen diture of the local, as well as over the public taxation. At the Norfolk Sessions, on the 19th instant, the County Levy formed the sub ject of rather a sharp discussion. One of the Magistrates, Mr.Ensor, had, at the Midstnn- mer Quarter Sessions, objected to some extra charges made by the County Surveyor, and a resolution of thanks was afterwards voted to him, by a numerous body of the most influential and opulent Yeomanry of the county, for the resis tance which he had given on that and former occasions to what he deemed an unnecessary and lavish expenditure of the County money. At the present Sessions, Mr. Ensor again objected to the levy for the quarter, as no evidence had been afforded that such a sum was necessary. This led to rather a warm discussion, in which considerable soreness was manifested by the rest of the Magistrates, that Mr. Ensor should have been singled out by the Yeomanry for his re sistance to lavish expenditure. One of them, the Rev. C. D. Borton, even went the length of saying, " he had hoped to have heard from the Honourable Magistrate (Ensor) that he dis claimed receiving any compliment from a body of men at the expense of his brother Magis trates." The Chairman, John Weyland, Esq. M.P., with a naivete which reminds us of the days of the Life-and-Fortune men, observed— `‘ There was a disposition in the present day to run down the unpaid Magistracy of the country. in his humble judgment, that which most distinguished this country from others, and added to its prosperity, was its unpaid Magistracy. 'There existed between them, the people, and the Government, a union which not only tended to the discharge of the duties which the State re quired in an efficient and desirable manner, but also to the welfare and interest of the community at large. Once ex change them for a stipendiary Magistracy, who would step in from the middle classes of society without property or stake in the country, men who would not have the inte rests and welfare of the people at heart, and for whom on the part of the people there would not exist that respect and proper feeling which sow so distinguishes the exist ing relations between the one and the other, and in his judgment this country would be reduced to a level with others possessing an absolute government, over which for years this country had shown the mostdecided superiority, and which was attributable to its unpaid Magistracy, as the great secret, he believed, of its prosperity. And the man who was unfriendly to this system, was no friend to his country. He made these observations with perfect good humour and candour of feeling, which he trusted wot.ld not be misunderstood." I3efore we notice further the proposition that the unpaid aristocracy are the great secret of the prosperity of the country, we shall advert to a statement made in presence of the Worthy Chairman, by the Rev. C. D. Borton, in de fence of the increase of the County Rates. " The county levies for the last 33 years were, upon an average, 21d. in the pound. He would divide this period of time into three parts of eleven years each, and it would be seen that the expenditure bad gradually gone on increasing. During the first eleven years the levies amounted to 77,7001., averaging ld and a fraction in the ~ ound ; during the second eleven years to 154,5001. at 2d. and a fraction in the pound ; and during the third period of eleven years to 215,700/. at 31d. in the pound ; making a total of 417,000/. raised in the thirty-three years upon the annual value of property, as assessed to the property-tax in 1915. He would ask, therefore, whether it was the county rate that had a tendency to produce pauperism ? or whether it was not pauperism that had brought on an immense county rate? With regard to the ordinary expenses of criminals during the first period of eleven years, they amounted to 41,163/. ; during the second period, to 76,705/. ; and during the third period, to 125,5611. ; and the extraordinary expenses during those periods to 74,478. ; making a total in the criminal department of 317,9071. In the civil department there had, during the last eleven years, been a decrease of expen diture, which in the thirty-three years amounted to 137,9431. It should be recollected, that it was not the mere increase in payment of a public officer that caused the increase of the county rate, but that it actually arose from the tremendous increase of crime. The number of bills incurred for conveying offenders to prison during the first period of eleven years, amounted to 837, during the second period to 1877, and during the third period to 4,841 ; making a total in the thirty-three years of 7,555. He wished it, therefore, to be known that it was quite impossible that any effectual decrease in the county rate could take place without a decrease in crime." We suppose, then, that pauperism and pros perity is synonimous. " The unpaid Alagis .tracy was," quoth the worthy Chairman, " the great secret of the prosperity of the country." '" The increase of pauperism," quoth another Magistrate, " is the great secret of the increase of crime." And we would submit a proposition at least equally true, that the unpaid Magistracy is the great secret of the increase of pauperism. The abuses in the Poor Rates are always in the ratio of the number of Magistrates. - Wherever there are few Magistrates in a neighbourhood, the employers and their labourers get on tole rably well ; but where there are many Magis trates, there is a constant interference between the employer and labourer, which puts an end to everything like a good understanding between them. We have no hesitation in saying, that the demoralization of the labourers is chiefly the work of the Magistrates. There is no one sub ject on which the evidence recently obtained on that subject has been so uniform, as that evils of incalculable magnitude have resulted from the arbitrary exercise by Magistrates of the immense powers entrusted to them under the Poor Laws. No man can be said to have any security for his property, when a Magistrate may, in his caprice, at any moment, introduce the most violent changes in the relations between masters and servants. Ever since the beginning of the French Revolution, it has been the system of the Tories to protect the unpaid Magistracy in all their freaks ; and with this system began the demoralization of the labourers. We hold there fore, the unpaid Magistracy to have been one main cause of the diseased state of English Society. Security of English property ! Yes, if pauperism, and crime, and the number and magnitude of prisons, be signs of prosperity. The East Anglian, in noticing this part of Mr. Weyland's speech, happily observes : " One may be allowed to smile at this self-complacent eulogy on the merits of an unpaid Magistracy delivered by their worthy Chairman ; who, in his simplicity, reminds us of one of the most delightful characters that a novelist ever drew— Uncle Toby, in Tristram Shandy, when recounting the exploits of his regiment at the siege of Namur, or pointing out to the Widow Wudman how he came by his wound in the groin. The question of pre ference between a paid and unpaid Magistracy is very broad, and involves too many considerations to be de sp ached in a parenthesis. It is not to the character of in dividuals that we must look, but to the working of the whole system, and we certainly entertain doubts whether the present is the best of all possible systems. But let that puss ; paid or unpaid, and under any system, we should he sorry not to see such men as Mr. Weyland, Mr. Ensor, and Mr. Burton, included in the list. It is clear that the former gentleman has a great horror lest the heels of the Aristocracy should be kibed by the toes of the middle classes of society—whom Mr. Weyland designates as men without property or stake in the country. Now the middle classes in every country have the greatest stake in it, constitute the largest, and most intelligent, and most industrious, and most respectable psrtion of it, and, therefore, have more at heart the interests and welfare of the people, and are more competent to promote them, than either the very highest or the very lowest, or than both put together, if you can fancy the co-operation of such a discordant union of extreme points. When Mr. Wey land describes the Magistracy of this country as the shield which has protected us from the degrading condition of despotic countries, we must demur to his hyperbolical panegyric." It is strange that we can obtain no performance of services in this country without pay, except magisterial services. Nay, even the very man who is so eager to bestow his gratuitous labours in a magisterial capacity on the public, will not make the smallest exertion in his clerical capacity to rescue the souls of the inmates of our prisons from the dominion of Satan. The moment he ' lays aside his character of Justice and puts on that of a Parson, he claims his separate salary as chaplain. Ask a Parson to visit a mad. house or a workhouse —no, not for the world, without a hand some salary. But for nothing will he administer justice, and, thereby, as Mr. Weyland says, per form a duty which secures our property. When we hear of any other services in this country being unpaid, we shall know better what to think of the generosity of unpaid Magistrates. But as we can find nothing else unpaid in England— as every functionary, especially in the superior departments, receives six times more than he ought to receive, we cannot understand why the admi nistration of provincial justice should form so striking an anomaly. 'We suspect it will be found here, as in every thing else, that John Bull pays, in one shape or other, at a very costly rate for any services he receives. The higher ranks of Englishmen in general set no bounds to their rapacity. Whatever other qualities they may have, that of an unwillingness to pocket the public money has never been imputed to them. A love of pillage is as characteristic of them as ravenousness is of the wolf. We have no faith in animals changing their nature. We may be assured that the Parsons (for they are the Chief Magistrares) find their account in administering justice ; but we are not so sure that the public find their account in being subjected to their judicial and administrative experiments.—Morn ing Chronicle. We call the attention of our readers to some spirited extracts from reports in the Bristol Mercury, of speeches delivered at Bristol, on Thursday last, when it was agreed, by all classes of Reformers, to promote the re-election of Messrs. Bailey and Protheroe. The speech of Mr. Bridges was excellent. His explanation of the sense in which Conservative could be with propriety applied to those who term them•. selves Conservatives, was happy. An Alder man, during the fire at Bristol, preferred the conservation of his own timber-yard to the safety of the city. He was a model of a Conservative. The rise of Liverpool, Gloucester, and New port, on the ruins of Bristol, the trade of which last has been destroyed by the heavy dues im posed, in order to teed the rapacity of the Con servatives, is the necessary consequence of Con servative ascendancy. One of the Bristol Ma gistrates now on his trial (Alderman Daniel) had the effrontery to take the chair, at a meeting to promote the election of Sir Richard Vyvyan, who, driven from Cornwall, has thrown himself, as a derniere ressource, on Bristol. Mr. Da niel might have had the grace to wait the issue of the trial, which will determine his guilt or innocence in the discharge of his Magisterial duty, before vouching for the character of ano ther. The party under whose auspices Sir Richard Vyvyan comes forward as a candidate for Bristol have, no doubt, a strong interest in maintaining the abuses, which enable them to divide among themselves between twenty and thirty thousand pounds a year ; but, with all the power that such a representation gives them, they will be beaten. Bristol will never disgrace itself by rejecting one of its tried Members to make way for a man ejected from his native county, and only a favourite with the Tories, because, having no other opening, he is the more ready to become an easy tool to do their dirty work.— Morning Chronicle. In describing yesterday the treaty concluded between the English and French Plenipo tentiaries on Tuesday night, or rather Wednes day morning, to enforce on Holland tile award of the London Conference, we did not, of course, enter into all the means of its execution, nor detail all the formalities which are to pre cede the commencement of warlike proceedings of so purely a judicial character. The corps to compose the French army for the assistance of Belgium have indeed been already advanced to the northern i frontier of France ; th e Fi e ld- Marshal who s to be General-in-Chief has been appointed ; and the expedition, by a tele graphic order, might in four or five days be be fore Antwerp, or within sight of the Dutch lines. The French squadron has likewise received orders to join ours at Spithead, a n d i n a f ew days or hours, according to the state of the weather, may be expected to reach its preliminary destination. But though these prompt preparations are made, and though promptitude in execution may be most advantageous, the attack, we fear, will neither he immediate, nor perhaps simulta neous. In• the first place, it is plain that the treaty, which has been only signed a day ago, must be ratified before it can be executed ; and that as it was signed so late as Tuesday morn ing, and as it must be transmitted to Paris for the sanction of the French Cabinet, the ratifica tion cannot be exchanged in London before Sa turday. In the second place, there will be another cause of delay, from the formality of submitting the treaty thus ratified to the three other Powers which joined in the original award. This will unfortunately require some days more, though, after what has passed, we cannot for a moment imagine that the communication will be anything more than a courteous notification or a necessary formality. The Plenipotentiaries of Holland and Belgium will likewise be made offi cially acquainted with the nature of this conven tion by receiving copies of it. It must not, how ever, be imagined from this circumstance that the consent of the three Powers will be waited for, or that any further indications of their acquiescence are required than what have been already received. They hare signed the treaty of separation between Bel gium and Holland through their ablest Ambas sadors. They have deliberately ratified that treaty after the delay of several months, and with certain slight modifications, on which Belgium has offered to negotiate under their mediation after the evacuation of Antwerp. They have pressed, by repeated special missions to the Hague, during the last twelve months, on the King of Holland the necessity of accepting the arrangement which they had made in his name, as much for his own benefit as for the peace of Europe. They profess that they have ex hausted all the means of friendly persuasion and of diplomatic remonstrance to bring his Dutch Majesty to his senses. The result has been a sullen obduracy of resistance, which nothing but the employment or the threat of physical force can overcome. In such a state of things, we need scarcely repeat that the acquiescence of the Three Powers has already been obtained, or that their dissent (if it were possible) would consti tute such an evidence of their bad faith and fraud as would deprive it of all claim to attention. They at any rate cannot pretend to feel any alarm at the ambitious eagerness or arbitrary vio lence of the two Powers which have now reluct antly exchanged the character of peaceful me diators for that of armed arbiters, as, in the third place, notwithstanding all the delays which have occurred in the execution of the treaty of November last, the King of Holland, we understand, is still to have another opportunity of submitting to the display, without experi encing the effects of armed intervention. When the convention, which has now been signed, is ratified and delivered to his Ambassador, his Dutch Majesty is to be summoned to accede to the treaty of separation, and to surrender the citadel of Antwerp within a limited number of days, under the penalty of seeing his ports blockaded by an English and French fleet. If this threat should fail of effect, or if the ap pearance of the combined squadrons on the Dutch coast should not convince the Court of the Hague of the inutility of further resistance— and after what has passed it is childish to sup pose he will care for such inefficient measures— the French army, after a similar notification and a similar interval, will march upon Antwerp. But though these repeated menaces of attack, or official notifications of approaching hostili ties, are intended to prevent war, and to allow his Dutch Majesty time for reflection, when freed from those " illusions" in which his mischievous Tory flatterers in this country have involed him, they seem to us, we must confess, the most objectionable part of the proposed arrangement. They may, indeed, present the appearance of moderation—they may invest military operations with the character of judicial proceedings—and they may convince even incredulity itself that the two allied um pires have no ambitious or selfish object in view in making an attack, when they are so ready to sheathe the uplifted sword at the last moment ; but they have too much of a melo-dramatic air for serious business—they are perfectly unne cessary and useless for the object in view ; and, moreover, they create delay at a time and in circumstances when prompt execution and combined operation might economize the employment of force. We hope, therefore, that these notifications, if they are to be given, will be given immediately and si multaneously; and that if his Dutch Majesty is to be allowed time for changing his purposes, he will consider the preparation of fleets and armies as a sufficient warning of the necessity of expe dition. The French Chambers are convoked for the 15th of next month—the Belgic Le gislature is likewise soon to assemble—and if the question of peace or war is not decided till iilet, the Opp o sition in both assemblies take it up, th e di scu ssion may spread into m ore d an • gerous t o pi cs , and produce more imp or t an t con sequences th an can now be anti c ip ate d. I t w ill delayed b et he t object he a acceptance ce of the treaty Dutch Cabinet, which for e eleven months, from a hope of some lucky throw of the political i dice, to employ ever y tr i c k an d ma noeuvre n order to prolong negotiations till the chapter of accidents casts up a change of Coun cils in France ; but against such stratagems the English and the French Governments must be on their guard. No further overture ought to be received from the Hague, no intervention of Prussia should be attended to, no suggestion of any of the other members of the Conference should be taken into consideration, which comes unaccompanied with an order immediately to evacuate Antwerp. Then, and then alone, shall we believe the Dutch Government sincere in its professed desire of peace, and then will his Dutch Majesty find a better guarantee in the esteem and friendship of his English and French allies for obtaining reasonable modifications of t h e treaty of last year, than he can obtain in holding the citadel of Antwe r p aga i nst t h e i r united forces, or braving the indignation of all reasonable men in Europe by devoting the city to a bombardment.— Times. I t is not only on account of the high quarter from which it is known to come, that Geraldine Hamil ton is at present exciting such undivided attention, but also from the nature of the story, which addresses it•el peculiarly to the attention of the female sex. " Geraldine Hamilton" is emphatically a lady's book, and could only have proceeded from a mind rich in the refinements and graces of her sex, and qualified to discourse of those inci dents in life wherein women take most interest. The noble authoress has done an important service to her con temporaries in the production of the present work. A WIFE OF Two HUSBANDS !—There is w living at Sandia cre a woman w h o h as marr i e d t wo ,hwusbands; they both live in the same village, and she, very conveniently, sometimes is found with one and some times with the other; and amongst them all the greatest peace and harmony prevail !—Nottingham Review. JANUARY AND MAY.—" This morn i ng," says a Correspondent, " I saw at Melbourne a blooming damsel of 27 consigned to the embraces of a sprightly buck of 88."..—Leicester Chronicle. SURREY SESSIONS, OCT. 24. John Weston, a waiter in the service of Mr. Pfeiffer, landlord of the Catherine-wheel, Union street, was indicted for stealing money from the till in his employer's bar. In his defence the prisoner said that many of the crowned heads in Europe would give him a cha racter for strict honesty if they were present and knew he was in such a predicament. The CHAIRMAN asked what the crowned heads of Europe knew about him. Prisoner—l was in the h,ibit of meeting the Emperor of Rtu , sia, King of Prussia, Blucher, and many other nobs when they were in this country. The CHAIRMAN said that the case was so clear against him that even a character from the great men he had named would be of little service to him. How came you acquainted with the Emperor, King, and Prince that you have named ? Prisoner—l used to wait on them at dinner when they were over here, and I know they would not forget me on a pinch. Besides, added he, if I was a thief I could have gone off with Bank of England notes instead of silver belonging to the prosecutor. The Jury found him Guilty, and the Court sen tenced him to seven years' transportation. POLICE INTELLIGENCE. MANSION-HOUSE. A young man named Rooks was brought before Mr. Alderman KELLY, yesterday, charged with having sold copies s f the Poor Man's Guardian. Gioch, an officer, proved that the defendant sold the publication, which was without a stamp. Alderman KELLY—Why do you commit this illegal act ? Defendant—l am unable to work at my trade of a hatter from a hurt I got twenty-four weeks ago, and this act is less illegal than any other I can resort to to get bread. I'd stick to my trade if I could, but the sinews of my hand are so much injured that I shall never be able to work at it again. Alderman KELLY—You know well you can apply to your parish. Defendant—Aye, Sir, where every halfpenny doled out is accompanied with an insult. 1 never applied, and never will. I want to get honest industrious bread. Alderman KELLY—Cant't you sell useful things ? Defendant—They say these are useful things ; that there can't be better. They inform the working classes how they are governed, and how they ought to be governed. Alderman KELLY—HOW do you know? Have you read them yours-lf? Defendant—No, Sir, but I've seen many of the working classes who have, and they seem to know how things are going on. Aldi , rin in KELLY—But you are guilty of an illegal act. Defendant-1 know it; but it is better than starving, or crawling to the Is Irish, or committing a robbery. It is the best of the three evils. It is no disgrace to sell. Alderman KELLY—It is, for it is against the law of the land. You might sell moral and religious things. De fendant—l believe there is nothing but truth in these pub lications. Alderman KELLY—But you must not sell them without a stamp. Defendant—Please your worship, will a stamp make them a bit better ? I don't think that the disgrace a stamp can take away can be very severe. Besides, the things you speak of won't sell well without a stamp, and I'm afraid they wouldn't sell at all with one. Alderman KELLY told the defendant he was quite mis taken as to the sale of moral and religious publications. The Alderman then said that he could not think of punish ing the poor man at the bar, who was neither the author, editor, nor printer. At the same time be must acknow ledge that the sale of publications of the kind was injurious to those who paid a heavy du' y. He knew the power ha had over the poor defendant, but he could not conscientiously exercise it : and he could not help saying that it was a dis • grace to the Stamp-office not io go to the fountain-head, in stead of seizing upon such victims as this unfortunate per son, and cramming the gaols with them. Defendant—lf your worship could get me anything else to do, I will must willingly drop this business. I don't want to fly in the face of the law, but I have no other re source. My father has five children to support, and if you can help me to employment, I'll never forget it. Alderman KELLY—You promise fairly, and I'll see what I can do for you. The Officer—What am I to do with the publications, your worship ? Alderman KELLY-Why, give them back to the prisoner ; and do you hear, Rooks, I'll let you know whe ther any thing can be done for you : in the mean time don't on any account sell any of those things in the city. Mr. Bennet, of Prince's-street, who a few days ago charged a fellow named Lillies with having, with the in tention to extort money, represented that his deceased son wis alive, and at Hobart. town, waited upon the Lord Mayor, and handed him a letter, dated from Chatham, from which the following are extracts : " Having seen a statement in the Observer, I have no doubt but the same man has been practising his villainy in these towns, and to some extent. He was here on Friday, the 21st of June last, and called on a Mr. Hall, a respec table baker, representing he had seen his son at Hobart town, and that there was a parcel on board the Sarah, Captain Hopkinson, then lying at Gravesend, containing money. He called on Mr. Hall twice, and each time obtained thi t rd t had le, been young man visit. o to join a person money nt t o o gl night, r t k n . h t i t h be h e e o , i u : a eg t n ar h o e a u at t l inwsot away, s f a na c on k i rd s e e . t w ; s i t s i n a e e t oy i , : yr n iv t tab, observed who was waiting for him with his coat and hat ; and upon being accused of an attempt at imposition, became most furious and insolent. On Sunday, the 23d, he called on a Mr. Richard Smith, and told him he had seen his lost brother, who had been missing two years; that he was well, at Hobart town ; and he followed up the story as before respecting the captain, the ship, and the money parcel. He obtained there a dinner, grog, and half-a-crown. The same evening lie called on a Mrs. Harrison, stated precisely the same story, and requested remuneration for his trouble. He was referred to me, and I luckily detected him as an impostor. There are several other persons who have been duped by him. Some had gone as far as Gravesend to receive their supposed parcels. He stated to me that he was a native of Ireland, and that his name was Brady. He is blind of one eye, and is what I should call a smart, well-grown young man. " T. V. Plumber, 140, High.street." The LORD MAYOR regretted that some case as strong as any of those stated in the above letter had not been brought before him. He bad been obliged to discharge the impostor, as Mr. Bennet bad not been imposed upon ; but he hoped that the public were now sufficiently on their guard. G UILDHALL. Thomas Mozon, a clerk in the employ of Messrs. Bat ley, oil-merchants in Barbican, was re-examined yesterday before Mr. Alderman WINCHESTER. Mr. Meymott, the solicitor to the society of druggists, &c. for prosecuting offences committed by servants, at tended on behalf of the complainants. Mr. Sterry, of Broadwall, Bermondsey, proved the payment to the prisoner of 101. 17s. 6d. on the 18th inst., and produced his receipt for the amount. James Green, a clerk to Messrs. Batley, said it was the duty of the prisoner to go out every day to collect debts and receive orders, and to account to him every evening ; and he did not pay over on the 18th, or afterwards, the sum paid by Mr. Sterry. 'The prisoner was committed for trial. BO W-STREET. Yesterday Mr. James Isaacs, the solicitor, waited on Mr. HALLS, and stated, that he appeared on behalf of Nicholas Wood, who was lately tried and convicted at the Old Bailey, together with a man named Jephson, for a burg. lary committed at the house of Mr. George Cl ar k e , a hay . salesman, residing at Paddington. When th e case o f Wood was under investigation at this office, before Mr. Minshull, a witness, named Edward Mack, a milkman, swore positively that Wood and Jephson were two of the men whom he had observed close to the prosecutor's pre mises on the day of the robbery. On the second exami nation, however, he declared that Wood was not one of the three men whom he had so seen ; but on the third examination he turned round again, and de clared that Wood was one of the men. On the trial at the Old Bailey he adhered to this statement, and identified both Wood and Jephson. It now ap peared, however, by his own admission, that he had sworn falsely to the person of Wood, and he stated, as his reason for having done so, that he had been offered 501. to h pur chase three cows if he would swear that Wood w as one of the men. Mr. I s aacs added that be had b ro u g ht th e wit nessthat forward w h a a d r d beent o bta inducedte, i ia t t o h the presencewesr of v( e x) d in magistrate, against conse quence of the bribe which was off ered to him, but of which h ie,evidence. received een no part, although Wood had been convic ted on h s we r to a of Cringing h question by ,e witness MrHa ALLsi,acllklriorlwsasarcsd wassaid that the answer object to strengthen a mem orial which had been forwarded to the Secretary of State on behalf of Wood. Mr. HALLS co uld not receive the confession of the wit ness, as he had no power to act in such a rase. Mr. Isaacs then called forward the witness Mack, and told him that the magistrate would not receive Isis con fession, asking him at the same time if he bad not come forward to state that he had sworn to the person of Wood under a promise that 50/. should be paid to bins ? Mack replied that such was the purpose for which he now came forward.—Mr. Isaacs and the witness then left the office• MAR YLEB ONE. Yesterday, Sigismond Krgnsh was brought up f" . final examination, charged with stealing a black silk dress and a silk handkerchief, belonging to Mrs. Rebecca Smith, of No. 291, Regent-street. The prisoner confessed he was guilty of the theft, and was fully committed for trial. THAMES POLICE. Yesterday, - William Jones, a little elderly man, attired in a rusty suit of black, was brought before Mr. BALLO" 'rasa, charged with picking the pockets of several gentle men at the meeting of the electors of the Tower Hamlets? in the interest of Colonel Leicester Stanhope. Thomas Toole, a shoemaker, saw the prisoner put hi' hands into the pockets of several persons, ar.d take th e handkerchief from Mr. Chadwick. He hid his baud another gentleman's pocket at the moment Mr. Chadwic k seized him. Mr. Finlay, a headhorough of St. George's, produced 3 ease of lancets he found on the prisoner, but a medical gen" Ceman had said they were not in a fit state to be used by the profession, and he believed the prisoner used them t() cut open the pockets of those he intended to rob. Mr. BALLANTINE called on the prisoner for his defenee.' The prisoner trod upon the s ilk h a ndke rc hi e f, pi c ked i'' ,. up, and went all round the room to find an owner, but i n vain. Mr. BALLANTINE-But how came you to be so lock as to find four? Prisoner—Oh, they are my own property; I bough t them. The prisoner afterwards said be respected the truths and would prove Toole was a liar. He had not taken th e silk handkerchief out of Mr. Chadwick's pocket, but olr tained it in another way. Mr. BALLANTINE-Well, I hope you will let us in t° the secret. Prisoner—The fact is, I cut the gentleman's pocked and the handkerchief dr o pp e d th roug h t h e s li t . I scot ° the idea of putting my hand in the pocket of any gentleo oo ' Now, that's the truth. Mr. Chadwick examined his pocket, and found tbe, " lining had been cut, and a new h an dk erc hi e f h e h a d P; . : bought was about to d rop t h roug h t h e h ole. He sa id was not aware of that before. Mr. BALLANTINE said the prisoner was a very illf r dent and a very ingenious thief. He committed him A trial, and directed Mr. Finlay, the headborough, to 61 ' owners for the other handkerchiefs and the case of lane Yesterday Mary Thompson, a tall, well-looking youl woman, whose person was enveloped in a large 1 )13' „ cloak, was charged with making two attempts to dre t. " herself. It appeared that at a late hour on Tuesday nigh; Wheeler, a policeman, No. 160, K, was called by t 7 ,0 watermen plying at one of the stairs in Wapping, W „', said she had walked into the river, and they had Ow difficulty in rescuing her. He led her towards the statiou; house, and on her way thither she expressed her ree fe r that she had not put an end to her life, and when o e s the dock bridge made an effort to get away from him. The prisoner, in her defence, had a good deal bang'''' on her mind, and had been d e ceived by a young man. S he was sorry for what she had done, and would not repeat 'b e offence. Mr. BALLANTINE said that it was not to be borne tblt the public feeling was to be constantly outraged by th e° artempta of persons to rid themselves of life, through ' 4° l real or imaginary grievance. Homicide was a felony, a l/ o r whether the individual put an end to his or her life, ° f i e any other person's, the offence was equally the same. r asked if the prisoner was known to the police?—An offi ce said she was an " unf or t unate woman ," b ut very big... spirited. Fagan, the inspector, said, that not less than 40 f e o ; males had thrown th e ms e lv e s into th e L on d on dock hl ic the swivel bridge, or had attempt e d to do so, during s ; last three months, and several bad been drowned. late as last Thursday a woman named Rex had drown herself there. Scarcely a night passed but these a ttemP o were made, and the Commissioners of Police bad been P a to great expense for medical attendance. hei t The Thames police officers said a great part of night duty was often taken up in Paving persons s c threw themselves off the bridges into the river. ,he The prisoner begged hard to be forgiven, and saia was fully sensible of her folly. ca 0t 6°, Mr. BALLANTINE was tired of the sort of ---° much indulged in about " wretched creatures , " 3 1 " distressed objects of compassion," when an sae/VI/t this kind was made. He b e li e ved that one halt of thoe who threw themselves into the water where assis t ,3,, o ° fe was near at hand did not mean to comm i t su i c ide : who really meditated that crime would always find 15 0 e s ,; ( 1 to do it effectually and unob serve d. Il e s h ou ld 6ebe this case before a Jury, for this sort of thing had really come a nuisance of no ordinary kind, and both the 0 .10 and the Tames police were taken from their legitl y duties to preserve foolish people from drowning S h a y selves. The worthy Magistrate then c ommitted tb e soner for trial, for attempting self-destruction, a nd 1 0 over the witnesses to give evidence against her. LAMBE T H-S TREE T. . 01 Yesterday George Harrison, a middle-aged aunt fo re a carpenter and joiner by trade, was charged 1 1,0 Messrs. HARDWICK and WALKER with assaulting I ‘, o l Robinson, a y oung woman o f 19 years o f age , with to to violate her person. Opg The complainant, a modest and delicate -looking Y ° of woman, was in the service of Captain Montgome r Poo Stepney, in wh , se house the prisoner was a lodger. ot Sunday evening last her master and mistress went t° d r , house of a friend, and did not return until a liteb ° . o g, The prisoner, who h a d al s o b een ou t d ur i ng the ever', Is returned home some time befor e th em , an d asked I °',lo candle, which she gave him, and he went up s tairs9 39 o o conceived, to go to bed. She (witness) retired t° i 0; about 12 o'clock, and a t a b out 4 o ' c l oc k i n t h e fail r 'br‘ she was awoke by the prisoner, whom she found i'' r of bed, and who, after remaining with h er a b out a qua rt 'daY an hour, left her bed-room. On the follosvi ° goife she mentioned the circumstance to her mistress, and 'er her warning, as she did not wish to remain any lollg o ala the house. She also told her mother as soon as sb e of what had happened. 001 The prisoner declared, in the most positive 17 " F . that he was innocent of the charge, and said that Woes was quite mistaken as to him, as he never was in b ed her in his life. TheMAGISTRATES strictly examined the cornplaje arit ; 6 fe r in rep!) , to their questions she said that her reit,be thinking that the prisoner was the person who 1 ; 0 'al l° bed, and assaulted her, was on account of there V o ter? other male person in the house but him and her ra and she did not at all suspect the latter, as he had li er t tb e tress with him at the time. She made no alarm B lioe ve e time, nor did the perso n w h o 4 h a d assau lt e d her, %V , '. l/ t tt it was, utter a syllable to her, or she to bim, whole of the time he remained with her. AV Mr. HARDWICK was of opinion that the evidet>ir not sufficiently strong or e x p licit to warrant a C O went on so serious a charge. 13 ' tf Me. WALKER. was of a similar opinion, and the P ros was discharged. Steph r e j n lV lVlL L :a A c L ar L m . a n lor Yesterday , o ,y. ment of Messrs. Priestley, C ( n un e t y, hop-merchants, che r r e Southwark, was brought before Mr. AinititA Y "' er f bis d o with stealing a quantity of hops, the propertY ' 9- go - , i n the er ° P. a rof Piffers, and John Ilanthridge, a dealer in Marin e :, - 4 0. King-street, Snow's-fields, was charged with receiv l " same knowing them to have been stolen. Both prisoners were committed. ..--......... O/ ri is - e a l A natural curiosity now to be o 1 h. , e , Tawley Parsonage, near Henley-on-Thames` 6 ditii7,4 v jes samine, above six inch e s l ong , grow i n g in than (1f A r o om, which has penetrat e d t h roug h t h e solid ve ,frr an old tree growing out s id e ) a t th e h e i g ht of five fee the ground. BIRTHS. , , 1 0 of On the 23d inst. in Bruton-street, the lady ( n pcif Travers, Esq., of a daughter. the On the 23d inst. in l'ark-street, a Grosvenor-square , - Sir John M. B urgoyne, Bart., of son and heir. ge' MARRIED. Aii , • ,,e, orl I On the 20th inst. at Clifton, George Bush, Esq., t c ° GS° A, cond daughter of the late William Perry, Esq., n ' by Town, county of Tipperary. , s Cae fe' On the 24th inst. at Christ Church, Marylehone, ,• -- „' t P - ' ' M.D., of Duke-street, Portland place, to MOP" o til, youngest daughter of the late Edward Penman, E 6 ,„ (l '„ r y 'VP On the 19th inst. at Kilcullen Church, George rie" t o :.,„oir cote, Esq. M.D., of Prospect-hill, county of lia l la te / Lydia, eldest daughter of Frederick Homan, EA. , troller of the British Mail, Dublin. P o DIED. l ie 0 , t Yier , Benjamin vice. D ell, of ,(4 1 1,1 '7 ek t , h ijeur, i a n ol i s o t t . l4l. ll e l .4 r l4 s i . :,hr l: Ri u ,e n g iii k mo i n ne ,. , ,E l;,• ,a i di tn w ldn d o s ec f i a o t c l o t o e dr i pa3 o:e o : o Se r , • F bl C ae o t O O le l l o ; E :t i t s l l ;e ne .a, lioi3ift2h4i,n, Whitley, a oe t yt ~D a nne e v d ao r sn i cp , ,,o o ir n gt , in, a isn g oo e nu d to s4 hf ,t , NI ,PeoelrtatethreuCi ju l i P rei:ac ii o l f , e „:,.. On the 18th inst..in West-square, alter a long an SD P' ness, Mr. Robert Sholl, in the 51st year of his aFe• _ f j,13. i s On the 17th inst. at Hampstead, Margaret, wife 0 . the # Esq., aged 47. • of O H n . t s be 3 2 l. 4 . th ta i g n i s ,, t. E a s t q T . hurlow House, Clapharli v ,:::: olo, PRINTED ANSDUNPuoBvtrIsicHsE,DIBIY2,IIsITUARAisTD:uIcrOpys.g.,-