The Sun. — London, England, 1840-12-24 00:00:00

__EVENING EDITION. TO CORRESPONDENTS. "A Constant Subscriber," Ramsgate, sbould have sent us his name, and then we might h ave - known what value to Place on his observations. He may be a landlord for aught that appears. We deplore, as much as he does, the breach between the upper and lower clams, but he, and those who ho says agree with him, are greatly mis taken if they suppose that this breach will not widen day b 7 day, unless the upper classes do justice to the lower. ORDERS FOR " THE CHINA SUN," NOW PUBLISHING, (AND WHICH WILL BE KEPT ON SALE FOR SOME TIME,) Xay be given to all News-agents, or sent direct to the Sun Office, 112, Strand, London, ':ere prompt attention will be paid to each, t rimmuni cation in ate order it is received ) Ity'd the Paper duly forwarded. parties sending Orders ate,uld write their Ad dresses distinctly, to prevent mistake. On former occasions sr veral letters had been received with- out either Name or Address. T he Price of the CHINA SUN is only SIXPEYC:B, which can be sent by post PREF,. 11 ' 8 .— No EXTRA Charge to Regular Sub -Bcri'Ders. THE GOLDEN SUN as published to commemorate her most Gracious It IAJESTY'S CORONATION ; but th e penny Postage, which now facilitates the send -111 of letters, was not then in existence. Look 14g forward to an event of gve.at national in terest, which Queen VICTORIA has now 44 PPILY realised, we re4ervcd a few copies of THE GOLDEN CORONATION SUN, can be sent by post free to all parts of 14 umpire. Price SIXPENCE. S an Office, 112, Strand, Londr,n, Nov. 28, 1840. 1 1 11 E ARGUS, ; or,, BROAD SHEET OF "ht THE EMPrtiE, Size of a Doable " Times." The Nati unda v Ne'" , sPaPc* ' by admitted all. The ARGUS is httto - six other Journals fur General Information, nal Art' cies , an d P r i or i ty o f News. Sixteen folio .11fitty.143 by ' w'AINILLIA e co lumen, printed with a clear bold type. MAGINN, LL.D., and C. M. ,74 r,' MA:COTT ; assisted by numerous C ontr ib ut i ons f rom T: irtt Writers of the day. The unparalleled success of ~:t Argus" has induced the Proprietor to make extraordi ,"44 desire for the commencement of the New Year . . Those Veslre a Bold, Honest, Constitutional Journal, will order Argus." tiE ARGUS NEWSPAPER. Mt , IMPORTANT ANY; OUNCEMENT TO THE ) 46 e Rreoators of the WALTER WHISTLECRAFT, hereby give notice that they have authorized v sk , et elusive publicr.tion of this celebrated author's humour 11AZkrks in the above Journal. The WHISTLECRAF tZE , RS will . apir.mr in weekly succession in '° The Argus," tp,7 l aci ng oR tlr.: 3d of January next, comprising a series of 'lll and Chaww;ters of Public Life, including Anecdotes and 111. 'kits of OA* 'iourth Estate of the Realm. i t rl E -ARGUS or, BROAD SHEET OF THE EMPIRE. No. 101, Vol. 111. A CHRISTMAS PRESENT. E% 'Sunday, January 3, 1840, with Title-Page to First hr 4 t, a splendid Engraving of the GREAT SEAL OF 'LAND, with an Historical Equestrian PORTR SIT OF 41 MAJESTY. IV. 1E ARGUS; or, BROAP., SHEET OF THE EMPIRE. N 0 . 1,02 Vol. 111. ‘,Op A NEW YEKtt'S GIFT. SUndiy, January 10, FAL with TITLE PAGE to Second tll"''',,, a Splendid Engl.,- ing of the GREAT SEAL OF 4 'Oh•AND, with the D'•au . tiful HOMAGE CORONATION 4 RAIT OF H r .... 1 - MAJESTY. V. k N NUF . MIRABILIS, 1840.—The *44 ARGUT.2; NEWSPAPER, of SUNDAY JANUARY :39 Lain Parthian Glance or Retro s pect of the Past Year, ZlIt1 1 ,; ( 1 1 "cally and humourously arranged, by a Celebrated "%;', who is NOT (except in this instance) exclusively en \ fo r THE ARGUS. Office, 2, Catherine -street, Strand. PTAIN MARRYAT'S, R.N., NEW Ne ws TALE, THE POACHER, now pu bli s hi ng i n th e ERA per, Back Numbers can be had on early application. e: be c ontinued in wee kly num b e r s equal to 3 vols., fi‘o. 1 41 4 '14' 4 i0 Marryat writing EXCI.USIVELY for the ERA, and for tigasine nor other Periodical. c, , , NOVEL, EDITED by THEODORE 1100 K, Esq. Tuesday next, in 3 vols. post Bvo., with Illustrations by Phiz, ETER PRIGGINS; Or, LIFE AT OXFORD. Edited by THEODORE HOOK, Esq. Colburn, Publisher, 13, Great Marlborough-street. MR• HORACE SMITH'S NEW NOVEL. J tts t ready, in 3 vols, post Bvo., tHE MONEYED MAN; Or, THE LESSON OF A LIFE. Ap t By HORACE SMITH, Esq., 11„,._0r of " B ram bl e tye House," " Reub en A ps l ey ," &c. Publisher, 13, Great Marlborough-street. 14 1 i. AINSWORTH'S NEW ROMANCE. k E SUNDAY TIMES PROPRIETORS it e kt l, o to announce that thee have entered into an En witl,l W. H. AINSWORTH, E s q., Author of „,dr, i . 7, 00 d ,, " Crichtr.m," " Jack Sheppard," " Tower of &c., for th 2 Exclusive Publication of his new His- Romance, eatitled 114 , t OLD SAINT PAUL'S, b i h e 2 l Tpleted i n Fifty-t wo W ee kly . Numbers, the first of AI , "VI appear in the columns of taat Journal on •J S - (); arivary :3, 1841 . piitclte_ n rs and by all Newsvenders. Price Sixpence. d published by J. K. Chapman, 72, Fleet-street il l 6 MAJESTY the EMPEROR of ZAN.rtAUSTIIIA having AUTHORISED and GUA: several DISTRIBUTIONS of MONEY `tt ENDS, which (though they are NO LOTTERIES) a ll! possibilities of obtaining LARGE FORTUNES. " ow BROTHERS, at HAMBURGI!, .- S EL.T.. IN G BONDS for the said DIST RIB TIONS. ,Viestrous to purchase for the next Distribution, may re- A rtT.nrIOUS to giving any order, the PROKIECTUS P.TICULARS, u p on addressing WITHOUT DE ,'I a, line to Ifh o HEINE, BROTHERS, at HAMBURGH. Yt)., •-• NEXT DISTRIBUTION, managed and guaranteed .1, 1 7 v Austria n Government, contains ENTIC.FIVE THOUSAND TWO HUNDRED DIVIDENDS, Amounting to £954,888, The Dividends being €l ,OOO £6OO £7O 0 £37 10 7,500 300 50 0 37 0 3,seo - 200 42 0 36 0 1,800. ' • 150 ' 40 10 35 0 1.200 100 39 0 Il k , THEATRE ROYAL, COVENT GARDEN. "bER the MANAGEMENT of MADAME VESTRIS. ON SATURDAY EVENING, DEC. 26. Will be repeated, Beaumont and Fletcher's Comedy of THE SPANISH CURATE. te ll % lienr'a Mr. Cooper; Don Juan, Mr. Anderson: 1 / 4 1 1 . 11 dr0, Mr. I 'C u b e a ' s. Mathews ; Lopez' (the Curate?, Mr. W tka lt " l Bartolus Mr Bartle • Diego Mr. Kee ey ; Ann- Madame V i estris . ; Jacin Y th ' a, Mrs. ' W. West. N D After which, ""W GRAND CHRISTMAS PANTOMIME will be produced, entitled CASTLE OF OTRANTO; OR, HARLEQUIN ).1 AND THE GIANT HELMET. ,Zils t o be opened at hall-past Six—the per formances to knee at Seven o'Clock. 4 , 4 ' 1 and places for the BX3 to be taken of Mr. Grogan '-offiee, from Ten t O ill l. Four, where Season Tickets ee .lad upon application. 8( "Ies, 7s. ; Second Price, 33. 6d. ; First and Second Second Price, 2s. 6d. ; Pit, 3s. ; Second Price. 7, N e Boxes to be had so'ely of Mr. And: :es, bookseller ew Bond-street. _ _ WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE TO-MOR ROW. . irninutes after 3 I Evening .. 23 nnuutes after S. 1 1 4 1: 1. , bhlication of e Evening Edition of THE SUN COM. . minced At 50 minutes after Three. 4 1 ... - ~, •,-,:-. -- -47. , • .4 1 4? - al* ~ ~,, , ..t.7,-,-,-,,,... • - 1 , Z;,bg ‘,11:11,+ LONDON: THURSDAY, DECEMBER 24. 1840. li: here h as o f l a t e gro wn up a fashion of be ht 4 1g that no order can exist in society unless it k "acted and enforced by Government. This is opßost grievous and fatal mistake. It is of modern V l n , and yet is contradicted by modern science. l e : find in every family more or less order pre :ed, tile.interests of the parents and the interests e children' are cared for, and the servants even T•e.t neileetcd, -Aithout any active interference of All.that is required of it is to give to any'contracts entered into, which one of „. Add, the contracting parties might not observe. The same fact is true of employers and labourers, who make their mutual bargains and complete their mu ' the( engagements, in the great majority of instances, without any active interference on the part of the Government. We may easily extend the observa tion to the whole business of production and. inter change, by which every portion and 'place of society, without any its share of all th e ne int erference of fjovernmer.4 teeeives ("::ssary comferts and luxuries of life. It i s , i n d :eed, ference well established that any inter.°C 1/ :,e Government with this most important part Of the order of society does infinite mischief. pow, compared to this part of social order, every other part sinks into utter insignificance, and to have no other idea of order in society than that it depends on the gallows, the tread-wheel, and the police, is to be ignorant of some of the grandest moral phe nomena that ever were offered to the consideration of man. The part of order which penal laws prescribe and enforce, which a police is needed to preserve, which au Established Church is supposed to re commend, and which a military farce is sometimes employed to uphold, grows only from the wickedness of some portion of society, or from the multifarious and very often noxious regulations of the Legislature, which ; being unpalatable and un just, can only be maintained by the bayonets of an army, or the t runc h e ons o f a police. In propor tion as a people are all virtuous, well fed, well ern ployea, and prosperous—in proportion as that so ci-al order prevails which grows from families, pro ducers, and interchangcrs—the other, or political order, which grows from a police and an army, is little required. Without any great stretch of ima gination, we can conceive a society so well off, fa milies so well regulated, producers and interchangers so well instructed in their own business, and so just in its perforur.:nce, that the political order may have no existence. Wherever such a happy state of thir.gs exists, and whenever it shall exist in F;urope, to introduce or to continue the present I system of police, would be no better than madness. In fact the United States is very nearly in this happy condition, though they are continually open for the reception of all the cast-aways of Europe, and are continually inoculated with all the vices and crimes which are generated in countries less fortu nate dint they are, and less justly governed. They do not need, therefore, the police of Europe, and it would be extreme folly in them to adopt the institu tions of countries in which the healthy social order established by families, producers, and merchants has been hampered or stifled, and a political order, prescribed by a despot and enforced by a police, is substituted in its stead. No person acquainted with the United States, who looks at American Journals free to expose every occurrence, and at the . Continental Journals placed under many restraints—who sees in the former, now and then, accounts of quarrels and of isolated acts of violence ; and in the latter, continual accounts of murders, poisonings, assassinations, and robberies —can for one moment believe that life and pro perty are not much more safe in the United States, where there is no police, than in France or England, where the police is numerous and watchful. If there be any American, therefore, as the Globe implies, who wishes to have a police and a strong Government in the United States, " to put down public outrage, and to protect public or der," he is some fool who is smitten, like many fools here, with a despicable and blind love of imi tation, and would fain transplant the contrivances of despotism, intended to coerce an enslaved, amongst a free and willing people, whose pride and happi ness it is to establish and cherish the social order which grows up amongst families and neighbours. We make these few observations to rebut, if we can, a remark of the Globe, which argues against democracy and the extension of the suffrage, that where a democracy reigns order is unprotected. The maintenance of such a police (it says) or regular force, as would be necessary for that pur pose (especially in old and populous countries), would never be long endured by the supreme ma jesty of the people." Certainly not ; because where the people reign, where industry receives its due reward, where that social order exists which has grown up in America, the police is little necessary, and probably would never be dreamed of, did no Europeans carry their preformed ideas and preformed vices to the United States. 'We should value the progress of democracy very little if we did not re gard it as necessary, carrying with it a great increase of national virtue, and a great protection of the rights of the most numerous classes now grossly and flagrantly and continually outraged by the le gislating classes. We believe that democracy would carry with it a great increase of social order, an ex tension of well being to all, and a diminution of the necessity of a police to enforce political order. In fact, the Legislature, set in motion by a small class, and making laws only in the interest of that class, is the great parent of most of the crimes now committed in Europe ; and if it abstained from at tempting by Corn-laws anti other similar scandalous violations of all honesty and all justice to establish a political order totally different from social order, there would be less occasion for a police, and a democracy, strong in its own good principles, might with propriety refuse to support such an off spring of despotism. Is the Globe aware of the aspersion it casts on the Governments of Europe when it refers to old countries, meaning countries long inhabited, and of which the Governments have been long esta blished ? A new. country means a country recently peopled, and of which the Government is recently established. According to the Globe, therefore, it is under old Governments, which ought to know their business best, and under which the people should be most prosperous and most happy, that a police force, and all the apparatus of despotism, is espe cially necessary. That is a severe reproof, not to old countries, but to old Governments. If the Globe, and similar reasoners, take refuge in the old, hackneyed, and false statement, that it is more difficult to procure subsistence in old and populous countries than in new countries, we must inform it that any such difficulty arises solely in the old countries from legislation. There is yet a vast quantity of land untilled in Europe, America also is open to the whole body of Euro peans, the new country offers all its advan • tages to the old, but the legislators of Europe will neither give free scope to the industry of their people at home, nor freely allow them to share in all the advantages—such as a free importa tion of food—which America offers them. in old countries the first difficulties are overcome, roads are made, arts are acquired, the land is prepared, machinery is good, and subsistence for an increasing population is more easily obtained in an old country than in a new country. It is more easily obtained, for example, now in the United States than it was in that part of America three hundred years ago,, and more easily obtained for the rapidly increasing population than it was for the first settlers, 'many of whom perished of hunger. The same fact is true of England, the popul a tio n of which increased much more in the thirty years subsequent to 1800, than it ever in creased in any previous thirty years of its history. It is not therefore the populousness of Europe, or of Eigland, or the leogth of time which either has been peopled, which: mikes police '— cessary, but ill time" Til I SUN, LONDON, THURSDAY, PECErid PER 24. i8!0. lation. Whether a complete democracy would make better laws than the aristocracy has made, may be wi:h some persons a matter of doubt, but it is utterly impossible that a democracy could make worse laws for the whole community, though we readily admit that they would be a great deal worse for the aristocracy. We have recently been tuld, by a high Con servative authority, that without " justice religion appears a mockery to the poor." In a similar spirit a Mr. MARSHALL, a Dissenting Minister, who is said by the Scotsman to be a person of con siderable talent, said at the late meeting of the Dissenters at Edinburgh—. " If I mistake not, there is a large portion of the people of this country on the verge of infidelity. They have lost all respect for Christian ministers and Chris tian ordinances. As to the national clergy, the”vork mg classes hare long been alien from them ; they- ; have long regarded them as their enemies rather th*their friends ; and lessons of religion from their lip "have been pronounced to be hypocrisy, and treate4 with scorn. Now they are beginning to look updir . Dis senting ministers in the same light ; and what \then is to become of alert), or what is to stand betwech them and the wildest excesses ?" Thus the religion of the Church Establishmen . , even in Scotland, is treated as hypocrisy, and rejected with scorn, because it is connected with injustice. Here in England the case is far worse. People are not on the verge of infidelity, they have plunged deep into it. How can it be otherwise, when religion is made the stalking-horse to poli tical oppression and opprobrious plunder ? -In its name conscience is outraged, and the pockets ►ifled ; Church-rates are upheld, and the Curn-Faw maintained. In fact, a Church-rate and our Corn law, to enable the landowners to pay tithes, appear to be necessary consequences of an Established Church—consequently an Established Church, being associated with injustice, according to the Times, must make religion appear a mockery to the poor. The same authority, however, assures us, that one great advantage of such an establishment is to maintain " throughout this realm all the chastened fervours of piety, without any of the excesses com monly resorted to by its counterfeit." It implies that, but for the Establishment, we should have in England as many denominations of Christians as there are in the United States, and they would be as extravagant. At present England cannot rival her Transatlantic offspring on this point ; and absurd as are Revivalists, Ranters, and Jumpers, and numerous as are the dissenting sects in this country, they are far more numerous, and the ex travagant ones are still more extravagant, in Ame rica. We have to choose, then, between associat ing religion with injustice, according to the Times, or allowing it to run into crude extravagance, dis gracing both its name and its origin. That one or other is inseparable from religion we do not aver, but the history of the world shows that one or the other has been generally united with religion. Not to speak of Mohammedanism, which is combined with both fanaticism and slavery, and not to speak of any Pagan worship, the long exist ence of Christianity as Roman Catholicism, was one continued oppression, and the whole existence of Christianity as Protestantism, has been accom panied by numerous sects, and an immense quantity of extravagance. From the Puritans of the First JAMES to the last Revival at Aberdeen, or Mr. IRVING'S claims to the unknown tongues, Protes tantism has given birth to numerous sects abound ing in extravagance. An Established Church has been little or no check on them, while it has been guilty of much oppression. There is nothing in such facts to inspire confidence in religion as the governing power of society, or make us suppose, however advantageous it may be to individuals, that the State can rely on it as the means of secur ing the public peace, and promoting the public prosperity. But while this subject is so full of doubts to all reflecting men, the Tories have no doubts at all, and with a stupid cuckoo note, they assert that to give more power to the Church, and to bring up all the people at the feet of the priesthood, is the sure means of providing for the welfare of society. Every other part of their policy having been practically refuted, they cling to this as the means of safety. This has been refuted too, but they think that the failure of the Church is not generally known. No decent statesman, however, i•, ill now for one moment suppose that the doctrines taught by the priests will suffice for the govern ment of society. The public will certainly not give in to the Tory notion. Even the priests themselves do not follow that morality which they assert is all sufficient for the rest of mankind. To love one another is the principal command of the Gospel ; to preach hatred of rival sects is a continual em ployment of the priests. Burdened with riches men cannot enter the kingdom of heaven, but to burden themselves with riches is the great am bition of the priests. Ia general, too, they are successful. While experience demonstrates the difficUlty of separating religion, if established, from oppression, and of preventing it, if not established, from degenerating into extravagance, its principles, on which the Tories rely for the government of so. ciety, are despised by the priests themselves, and will never have a commanding moral in fluence over the people. It is perfect foolishness, therefore, to look to religion as the means of ex tricating society from its present difficulties. Reli gion was never intended to teach men principles of government; and if statesmen loolCto it for them, the empire will be plunged further into the mire. Statesmen must consult present opinions and cir cumstances, not the opinions and circumstances that existed in a narrow portion of the earth two or three thousand years ago. Nothing can be more impolitic on the part of the Spanish Regency than the threats held out of in vading Portugal. Already the suspicion has arisen that ESPARTERO only seeks employment for an army which he cannot support and which he dare not disband ; and although such an impression may be very erroneous, it will not fail to make an im pression dangerous to Spain in the event of the Regency persisting in the coetcion of the Por tuguese Government. That Spain is abstractedly in the right we admit most freely ; but were she to lose ten times as much by the restricted navi gation of the Douro as it is possible for her to do before Portugal can be brought to hearken amicably to the voice of reason, and so consult her own interests in common with those of her neighbour, it would be a mere cipher in compa rison with the injury which she must sustain by kindling the flames of war in Europe. The ques tion of the navigation of the Douro cannot be admitted for an instant as justifying a war. It is altogether too contemptible to be thought of in conjunction with the bombarding of towns and the slaughter of a peaceable, unotfending people. Es- PARTERO may tell us that Spain, as an independent State, is the sole judge of what affects her own ho nour and interest, and of the measures to be taken lot the maintenance of both. This in theory, or rather ac cording to international law, is true ; but the wiser and humaner usages of more powerful States are gra dually abrogating this law, which, as regards mini,- States, is already in a great degree a fief" -.on. England, France, the United States, Dna T iT . , .., Key, have set the example of preferring tinns tin* -- rely utt ration to war on ques , 't 1,01(4 Spaifl and -olations follow their example. Portugal to affecting their vitality, and it will prove the wisest ant , sa,ut, ignorant, tnisbegotten ' Before Spain can be Suffered to disturb the peace of Europe with impunity, she must make known the extent of the injury, political or commercial, or both, which she complains of having received. She must also strow that she has exhausted every paci fic means of bringing the subject in dispute to a satisfactory conclusion. having allowed the Douro question to remain in abeyance for five years, it is rather unprecedented to plunge suddenly into war as a means of effecting its adjustment. Besides, it is the more unreasonable, as Baron BoMFIN and his colleagues have given the question their best attention, and though defeated upon it in the last Session of the Cortes, the Portuguese Government gave assurance to that of Spain that it would again be revived in the next Session of the Chambers. But, perhaps, Portugal is more apprehensive of war, and we more solicitous for peace, than the occasion justifies. In the successful career of ESPARTERO against the Carlists in Spain, we find no precedent for supposing that that hero's bark must be im mediately followed by a bite. His old habit of enumerating victories months before winning them, is one which he may not yet have cast aside. And if the invasion of Portugal be prosecuted on the plan of the war in Spain, th ere i s r eason to hope that the Portuguese Cortes shall have met, settled the question, and returned to spend the autumn of 1841 on their estates, before ESPARTERO shall have advanced from the capital as far as roledo. But be this as it may, any' further attempt o the part of the Spanish Regency to disturb the I.cace of Europe, will prove more detrimental to Spain than to her adversary. V. WINTER-JUDGMENT. The Chamber of Deputies was occupied on Monday and Tuesday with the oft-agitated, Facto ries Bill. The limitation of infant labour in fac tories is a measure dictated by sound policy and humanity, and yet the Courrier Francais tells us that no amelioration in the condition of the juvenile toilers can came from the Chamber of Deputies, which wants experience, and dislikes altogether the ' discussion of questions involving the principles of political economy. There was but a thin atten dance at Monday's sitting, and when the Chamber met on Tuesday, there were scarcely members enough present to form a house. The apprehen sion of not being able to compete with Eng land is sufficient to deter a large body in the Chamber of Deputies from interfering in any way between the children working in factories and their employers. With them the education of these poor children as useful, orderly, and intelligent members of society, their protection from that over exertion in infancy which never fails to sow the seeds of premature disease and decrepitude—is a question merely determinable by the manufacturer's ledger and the annual relative amount of the export and import returns of France ! The Commerce states that an intimation has been given by M. THIERS to the journals under his influence to stifle as much as possible the pub lic discussion on the fortifications of Paris. " The ex-Minister," says that journal, " is fully sen sible that this question is one of those which will not bear examination, and that to succeed it must take the country by surprise. It is the duty of France now apprised of this pre cious scheme, to watch that portion of the press which receives its inspirations from M. THl E: its. lie would lull us asleep, the better to enchain and enslave us. The discussion of the question : would ruin his project, therefore he stifles it." 'Whether M. THIERS has recommended such a line of con duct we know not, but in the justice of the conclu sion at which the Commerce arrives respecting the foitifications of Paris, we entirely agree. It is a project for etnbastiling the French capital, and no_ thing else. It is the bridle with which the KING pro poses to min in the now sovereign democracy of Paris. Whether the plan of detached forts or the wall of circumvallation be adopted, is a matter of very little consequence. In either case the result will be the same. The democracy of Paris will never again have the power of re-enacting the scenes witnessed during the " three glorious days:' We have given, in another part of The Sun, the whole of the news contained in the French journals of Tuesday, with the exception of the following extract from a letter from Frankfort Since the beginning of December, our bankers have been making considerable remittances in Louis d'ors to the French capital, where price of gold is rather high. These Louis ar e t here h m e t l teed and Coined into twenty-franc pieces. The amount of these remittances from this city is more than five millions. Notwithstanding this, the cur rent value of this coin does not rise, because there is at present an extraordinary abundance of it in Germany, as may be judged by the continual remittances.., JONES V. WILLIAMS. The Mortiteur of Tuesday repeats the statement of the Messager, that Lord P ALmE nsToN had written a letter to the Lords of the Admiralty , ap proving of the Convention sign e d by Commodore NAPIER at Alexandria, and add s that the Repre sentatives of the other three their approbation of it. There was iikewise a ru mour afloat in Paris to the effect that the Repre sentatives of the Four Powers, in London, had addressed a joint Note to the French Cabinet, in viting France to unite with them, now that the Eastern Question is disposed of, and to abandon a state of isolation useless to herself, and dangerous to the rest of Europe. It will be seen by the Corn Averages to-day that the duty levied by the landlords on the starving people's bread, in this severe season, continues t o be at the rate of 265. B d . per quar ter : of wheat. But while they le v y this ex o r bit ant tax on the people's food they mo st foolishl y , End most mis takenly, flatter themselv es that the y will gain credit for generosity in'bestOwing on workm en a little fo od in different"places, amounting .perhaps to is a h ead , At the present day, when all classes are not merely readers, but'thinkers, observers , and writers, this attempt of the landlords to gloze over their wrong-doing will be instantly seen through, acrdwhat they will call generosity , the suffering indus trious classes will call by hypocrisy ; and w here they expect gratitude they will meet derision. Their generosity will be properly honoured when they have done justice. _...., T k HE PENINSULAR AND ORIENTAL STEAM NAVIG . TtoN COMPANY.—We learn from a pamphlet, just `pub lished by Mr. Anderson; that tiottnt Wale wski, i n re turning from tv,ypt to krorle,d; veNytetl. tatila g hi s pa ssage by the Oriental rather than in one di a l b V roeth G o vernment steamers to Marseilles. By proneedin g i n the Oriental first to England and thence to P rance - the Count actually shortened the time of his assae ' e to Paris by a fortnight,and avoided three Week s i t t i pi:,,,, meat in the Lazaretto at I\larseilles. f a rost N y V n E m A rn T in it g E , n w7th W th e e tl i i l e a r t m e o m t t l ) t n e ° r tsilte:dh?gleat 29 d e grees. The entire day yesterday was one a n able fineness. The wind went down, and althremark was, and is still N. 8., its Infieenet Is Otiareeir feoltughThiet parks continue to be crowded, but the aristoerAey b I i t now on the wing to their chateaus, the fasbionabl em tl n a; cle l ar ' , ll eminence, arc few. The skaters have seldom ehjo - ' I d •L a better beginning of thylr setnoll• We are glad trisebear that the r. t I 1 : iepor. Met-Amen in some of the p apers on Tuesday, that Mr. Jacobs, who became Immersed on Fri day had died, is untrWei ettinteit i R ATES.—The Churchwardens of SL Peter's have summoned two of the parishioners, both Dissenters, for refusing to pal Chtirth,rates. T he pro _ traetttl scrutiny at Merthyr 'lydvii has terminated by a considerable majority against the rate. —Worcestershire Chronicle. THE Poo It.--4-ttindteds, nay thousands, of our artizang And agricultural labourers are suffering severely frit— loy ....n want of emp ; ment, and their misery is much in• crea sed by the extre me severit y of the season but we are gratified to see that the band of benevolence is acts° in endeavours to alleviate their privations, and to carry com fort to the cold hearths of those poor people whose claims OTh the_ sympathetic support of their mo r e for tunate fellow s countrymen are. r (wally just and strong. The* Maichioness of Clanflearde has left St. James's-squaro to visit the Duke of Portland at Welbeck I ' Abbey, Nottinghamshire. CHANCERY COURT-(THIS DAY,) THE LONDON AND BIRMINGHAM RAILWAY COMPANY The LORD CHANCELLOR gave judgment to-day in this cane, which was argued a few days ..go. The bill was filed by the plaintiffs, the Company of Proprietors of the London and Birmingham Railway Company, for the pur pose of compelling the specific performance of an agree ment entered into with the Company by the agent of the defendant to sell them certain land. The defence set up by the defendant was that the agent had not his autho rity to enter upon the cnntract in question. His Lordship considered it clear from the statements of the agent as well as the evidence that had been adduced, that the agent had authority to do what he had done, and he should therefore decree a specific performance with costs. IN THE MATTER OF THE REV. JOHN GEORGE HOUNSFIELD, CLERK, A PRISONER IN 'YORK CASTLE. This case, which comes before the Court upon a motion on a writ of habeas corpus to discharge the reverend de fendant, was postponed till the latter part of the day, in consequence of the officer of the High Sheriff of York not having completed his return to the writ. The COURT then proceeded to hear lunatic petitions. ROLLS' COURT.-(THIS DAY.) Mr. STINTON made an application yesterday for the discharge of the plaintiff from the Fleet, where he was con fined upon an attachment for non-payment of costs to the defendant, the defendant being now dead, and there being, th.refore, no person at whose snit the plaintiff could now be imprisoned. The bill had been filed for a discovery, in which the plaintiff faired, and the coats had been taxed at 401 In support of the application Mr. Stintcn cited a case of White v. Hayward, 21 Vesey, sen., which, with the exception of Its being a bill for relief was precis, ly similar to the present. In that case the application was granted. Tn. MASTER of the ROLLS desired the case to stud over, in order that inquiry might be made whether the deceased party had left ally executor or representative, be cause if he bad, notice of the application ought to be served upon such party. Mr. STINTON mentioned the case again this morning, and stated that all the information that they could obtain prom the Solici , or of the late defendant, was that he was dead, but they had not heard any thing about his t epresehtative. The defendant, in his life-time, had resided at Bristol, and the only persons in London, who knew anything about him were the solici tors, of whom inquiry had been made. He ( Mr. Stinton) was anxious that the plaintiff should not spend his Christ mas in the Fleet, and there would not be time now send to Bristol. MasTER of the ii.ou.s was afraid, however anxious he might be to discharge the prisoner, that he could not do so without notice having been served on the represen tative. However, the Learned Counsel could, if he thought proper, apply to thei.ordChanccllor in the course et the day, and see if he could be more fortunate with his Lordship. It the legal personal representative could not he found, then he (the Master of the Robs) would make an order for substituted service, . The unopposed petitions and motions occupied the Court the remainder of the day. THE MARKETS.-(THIS DAY.) COLONIAL MARKET. There WAS little business done in any kiwi of produce, but prices were steady and the imports light. The public sales were of little moment. The markets will be shut until sth January. TEA MARKET. The transactions in this article were upon a moderate scale, and full prices were obtained. Company's Congou for cash sold at 2s. lid. to 2i. l4d. per lb. The mar ket appeared inclined to advance. TALLOW MARKET. A fair dernind existed for P. Y. C. on the spot, and prices were firm at 475. 6i. to 475. 9d. per cwt. WHITECHAPEL HAY MARKET. The supply of Hay was large, which met a good de mand at 51. to 6/., for fine Clover ; 41. to 41. 155., for middling ditto, and 31. 10s. to Si., for Meadow Hay. Straw, limited supply, and prices much the same as before quoted, 32%. to 341 per load. MONEY and COMMERCIAL NEWS CITY, TWELVE O'CLOCK. LIVERPOOL COTTON MARKET, WEDNESDAY.—We have bad an extenvive demand for Cotton, at advanced prices. To-day the sales were 10,000 bags, of which 5,000 have been taken on'speculation. LIVERPOOL SIIARE LIST, DEC. 23.—Chester and Birk.. enhead New Shares. 2ba ; Debentures. 5 ; Grand June_ Lion, 210 ; Great Western, 901 ; Half Shares, 51e ; Fifths, 10a ; London and Birmingham, 1691 ; 32/. Shares, ; South Western, 55. • We have received the Journal of Antwerp of yester day's date. BOURSE OP AMSTERDAM, DEC. 21.—The attention to• day is towards the Actions of the Society of Commerce. The fall of yesterday, and the observations of the sections of the Second Chamber on the subject of the contracts passed between the Government and the Society produced the above effect. These Actions were again offered to-day at another heavy fall ; they opened at 163. Three per Cents. lower than yesterday, and they fell to 160. At four o'clock they were 161 i 162. The other national funds suffered lens or more by this re-action. Litegrales, 49 11-16ths 13-16ths ; Ardoin's Spanish was not so good, left off, •_2 1-16th ; Coupons, 18,„ The new Russian Loan was firm, which caused a gisat'deal of business to be done in it; it was done at 861 'I he Avondbode of Amsterdam,' of the 18.11 instant, contains a letter from Frankfurt, which states that en Austrian division, which was destined for the Upper Rhine, is already on its march. Also that the movements of the Prussian troops are going to commence. Germany is pre paring, without any noise, for war. England is doing the same by sea. Accounts from Brussels state that the Minister of War presented to the Chamber of Representatives two pro jects cf law. One was to add to his Budget a provi. sionary credit of five millions, and the other to fix the con tingent of the army to 80,000 men for 1840. By the express front Paris it appears that a French loan was expected to be contracted for. The accounts from Frankfort state that a large quantity of specie was continually being sent to France by the bankers of that capital, which no doubt is for the above loan. Accounts in the French Papers, received this morning from Frankfort. state—" Since the commencement of De cember a considerable quantity of Louis d'ors, on the part of our bankers, have been sent to France, where gold is at a high price, also 20 franc pieces; there has been sent from hero more than five millions. Nevertheless, the prices of these pieces and others have not got up, owing to their being at present in Germany an abundance unemployed." TDB FUNDS. To-morrow being Christmas-day, it is not expected that any business of consequence will take place until after the holidays. The Colonial Market closes this after noon for the holi-days, and will not open again until the sth January. In the other markets business also sus pended. The British Market is a shade better this morning. Consols, which lefroff yeste rda y at 85 i cx div. for the op e ning, opened at 881 f for the account • little is doing as yet. Reduced 88k; Exchequer Bill's 2 4 prem. Rink Stock 156 157; India Stock for the opening 237 239 ex div. In the Foreign Market Spanish Active is also rather better, left off 221 at present 221 ; Deferred, 11# ; P.ssive, 50; Portuguese same as it closed, 30} 31 • Three per Cents., 20 i ; 'Colombian, same as it left off , 22 23 ; Mexican, also, 2 ; Brazilian, 71 72 ; Chilian nothing done ; Dutch Two-and-a.. Half per Cents., as it closed, 504 51 ; Five per Cents., 97/ SUARES.—Great Western, 23 24 pro . * ; New, 10 11 prem. I London and Brighton, 8f 8 discount; Black wall, 51 4 discount ; Birmingham, 79 81 prem. ; South ampton, 53f 54} per share ; Croydon, 12} per ',hare ; Greenwich, 7f 8f per share; Manchester and Birming ham, 15 13 discount; South Eastern and Dover, 16k 16 discount. The Greet Western steamer, with the President's Mes sage to Congress, Is expected daily. PRICES OF SHAREM THIS DAY AT ONE. cways• Paid. Per Share. aat 65 G rea t Western ..... - .............. Ditto Fifths ............... ... 4 •••• 10i...... London and B r ighten London and Bir min g ham......... Ditto New Shares ............... 24 481 to 49 London and South Western ...... 381 55 ... •• Jottirr STOCK BANKS. U d nion Ditto New Shares . . :itS5 !tic" 5 PRICES OF IRIS II STOCKS; DUBLIN, DEC. 22. 3 per Cent. Consols Three and Half Stock..... 97 i Grand Canal Stoci...,••••• Ditto Reduced ...... Ditto Debs. 6 per cent... 87k nu, No, mao 3 per Cent. thio. .„:„ 90 Royal Can PA STifiIF- ONE. The private letters received from Anntterdam explain the tense of the fall in the Dutch Funds of the 25(sti , ety cf tionitheted. It was owing to the new Minister of Finance having rdflucdd the ciossnnis3ion of the above Society on Government procktCe froth the Is/and of Java. Consuls hr.ve fluctuated during the morning, 8S r e , th e 15th of January, at present may be quo t e d at n e d uce d, esi ; Exchequer Bills, 2to 4 prem. ; Bank Stock, 157 156 k loives. In the Foreign Market Spanish Active 2 2 ; De- Portuguese 31f ; 1 hree per fared, Ill; Passive, bi ; Cents. 201 ; Colombian 22i 23 ; Brazilian, 7lk Dutch Two-and -a-Half per Cents. 51; Five per Cents , 97' 4 2 - 9 7 . In Shares very little doing. London and Brighten, 411-; Birmingham New Shares, 481 49. CONCERTS D'HIVERs DRURY-LANE.—Mr. giaott's Concerts were last evening honoured by the pre sence of his Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge, , c h o expressed much satisfaction at the whole:performance. We also noticed the following :—Marquis of Waterford, mi ss Bordett Couits, Lord Templeton, (Jul. Ashburnham, Sir J. Burgoyne, &c. &c. This morning, at eight o'clock, the annual cha rity of his Grace the Duke of Northumberland was e Rdistri bated at the vestry-room, opposite the church, by th of ev. Si r Henry Duckcnfi eld, to ei g ht hundred persons St. Martin's parish , consistin g of 2s. 6d. to each person, and tea and sugar to about three hundred aged females. The ap plicants obtriined tickets two days previous, whie) prc by sorne. b a rgemen. The linen of thell eCealed was not vi.nted any obstructions, B ODY FOUND.—This mornings between nine an d ten o'clock, the body of a gentlem an, attired in new mour ning, wearing a mourning ring nn his finger, was found floating in the River Thames, in C helsea Reach, marked. His ago appeared to be between fifty and sixty, \ and the body bad not been many days in the water. VI-I,'NIMG EDITION. S : ea RIOUS AFFRAY IN JERSEY. LATEST FROM AMERICA. c a d o ___—.......-- Thr i Jersey Riper reo morning brings sived this The Great AN °st ern , from New cork, arrived tit at of a n affray Paper soldiers of theg garrison and al: 13ristel about four o' c l oc k this morning, Thursday, 24th,, civ aFei?illa as :... after a successful voyage of between 14 and 15 days. i ‘. A serious affray, which is. :ikely to' lead to very dis- The Great Western has b r ought New York Papers a greeable consequences, took place on Thursday evening, to the 9th iost., on which day stiesstiessailed, instead of b e twee a several soldiers of the garrison and some public the Bth, s intended, having been detained a day in , sffieent and other citizens at Jersey. is appears that two consequence Of a very severe snow storm, which ex- police officers were in search or a man sus tended over many of the northern am? southern p ected, of having fathered an illegii2mate child States, having rendered the roads icopassable, in the , parish of St. Helier ; two soldiers at, empted to and prevented the arrival of three days' N nth and enter ant room where the officers were. The Centenier South mails. She has a full complement of cargo, with wou.d not allow the soldi ers t o en t e r th e ro o m and inter upwards of 100,000 dollars in specie on board, aad she f ete 9 .-, th his duty. A s t rugg l e ensue d, an d o n e o f the' poFeco ffic ov era received some severe blows. The soldiers; brings home sixty-nine passengers, the whole of whom ho w were, _ cr, mastered and ejected from the room. A. speak in the highest possible terms of the ability, , ?our rumour, hoivever, spread in the town, that some of the tesy, and general conduct of Captain Hosken. police had bae.l murdered in George-street. Mr. Alex- It was fully expected that she would have brought t ' b e ander, a most ac:ive police offi cer , accompan i e d by Mr. President's Message, but it bad not arrived at No. Y Le Neveu, basted to Mr. Lloyd's, to render assistance if York at the time of her departure, and indeed there were i necessary, but before they reached the house, from 20 to doubts whether the snow storm had not prevented t .30 soldiers were seers rushing from the esplanades the arrival of a sufficient number of members to open I t owards the house. In one n'oment they were on Mr. the Congress on the Monday. A ,lexander and Mr. Le Neveu, vv:sen Mr. Alexander was The Electoral College had met and elected General LI ddenly felled t o th e groun d an d ~`oaten about the he a d h wit h own staff. Mr. Le Nevei went to the as- Harrison President, and Mr. 'Fyler Vice-President, by s i, t , .nce of his friend. One of the assailants cried out a very large majority. ,i D i - aw bayon e t s 1" Th e or d er was obeyed. Mr. Le Nerei; Upon the subject of General Harrison's Cabinet was , minded and struck to the ground, bathes 's nin ' blood. much speculation was abroad, but it was thought that M r . A loxander's head was cut open - in fourplae-s. begs ale still collecting evidence. In the nil a g n s ! both Mr. Webster and M r . Cl a y would b e me mbers of The , Court of Inquiry hai not yet closed its procee iin ,lre happy to say that measures have been adop •ed it ; and it is stated that Mr. Webster had been offered , the recurrence of the office of Secretary of State, which he would , the t i me 7 e w t : .eivil authorities. At one moment it was ex tvhole garrison were about to rush on the to ereven , . a collision between the sa l accept, Accoants of the devastation occasioned by the storm diers and the were arriving from all quarters, but its extent was un- 1 rected that the known, as most of the roads still remain impassable I Centenicr and hi. l officers. ....,...„.. from the snow-drift. In Canada every thing remained .........-....„............ peaceable. (From the New York flirted of the 9 h inst.) ' 7. • • MEE I'ING OF CONGIZEoS.—PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE. The second Session of the existing Congress opened yesterday, and it is highly probable that the President's Message will he delivered to-day. Although . it is the last Nlessrge and dying words of Mr. Van &nen, yet there is not a great deal of curiosity to know its contents. Ia the present state of railroad travelling—covered %cid,' snow drifts several feet deep—it is impossible to tell at what hour, night or day, this week, the Message may ar rive in town. Wiest) it does reach us, we shall publish it as soon as possible—hut as the Wall-street prints have monopolized all the modes of transmission on the road, it is highl y probable that they will beat us this time—but it is the la st effort and " last card." THE NEW YA ENT ROCHIAL ASSESS iN ACT. Ate Special Meeting of Ma . gistrates at Kingston, on Monday, Colonel Wemyss, one of the Equerries to her Majesty, attended before Sir R. Frederick and Messrs. Webster and Sharpe, for the purism lof appealing against the assessment upon his residence in the parish o‘' Kingston. Mr. 13islinp, of Kingston, appeared in Eopport Li - the ap peal. and Mr. Walter attended on behalf of the :)arish. The ground of appeal set forth by Colonel Went;s. , was that other property in the parish was not rated so .high as his, and he brought forward the gas-works and' the lamas of several parishes in the neighbourhood, with view fro show that they were under-rated. It appeals that Colonel \Vcmyss has taken posscssio n of romp Freruises situated at Robin-hood Bottom, near Kingston, That were in very indifferent condition, and, which were assessed at a very small amount. The Co lonel has since built a hasidsome and commodious mansion, and the parish at the last assessment raised the assess ment to nearly 2001., and it was against this assessment that the present appeal was nude. Mr. Giles, an engineer and surveyor, was called by Mr. Bastrop to show, on behalf of Colonel Wcmyss, that the gas-works at Kingston were under-rated in compari- Olt to treat assessment, and he stated that he had ,surveyed the tsste.. for of the gas-works, and from inquiries he had made o'.‘th respect to them, and the extent of b isiness carried on,. he was of opinion that they would let for three hundred a year, and he considered that those pret rises were entainly under-rated by the parish. In answer to the witness said that he q w u a e s s n t i o o t n s a i; from ovve d to o e sAcleatghiestriantteesrior of the gas-works, and that his ca;eulations* were founded upon the information given him by others. this was eery unsatisfactory, and su rveyor could make an accu- The Pr.scir thought s och property as gas-works, of all the matters con they could not sass how any r w a i t t e h oetsttti mamteinouftedirnet,enrakt.utriesuer.voy sessme under assessed. i nected with them. ton, w h o i s connected: Mr. Mercer, the Mayor of tslrii..4 n allow it to go forth with the gas-works, said he conja .nak• uncontradicted that the gas-works wet. • The premises were originally rated at 2f)., but upon an appeal which was made at Newington the a.. • t was reduced to 36/. He complained that, after th. ' s decision, the subject should be again brought forward by such a procecding as the present. Colonel \Vemyss said that all he desired was a just .. ad fair assessment. He did not wish to flinch from payin any demand that was reasonable; but he was satisfied tbatt he was much higher rated than his neighbours. Evidence was then adduced in reference to the other cases upon which the Colonel grounded his appeal, bat the Bench decided that these parties were fairly rated. After some further conversation it was arranged that the Bench should postpone its decision, in order to give art opportunity for the production of additional evidence. From Mr. Van Buren we do not anticipate anything remarkable or startling in his Message. When defeated, no man is more humble and unprciending—trun dlingcabbages to Kinderhook market, when he can't trundre States, but both with equal equanimity. He may indirectly clevelope some of the views of his party, on which to rally and direct their future move ments—but the deepest interest will be felt in the action of Congress itself. Thr , friends of the new Ad ministration may begin to indicate their policy. A repeal of the Sub-Treasury Law, the revival of the Land Bill, a renewal of the discussion on the Bankrupt Bill, and a new ratio of the representation, growing out of the cen sus just taken, may all be brought up for discussion. Ac cording to the accounts:already received, it is nearly cer tain that our populati©n in 1640, will amount to nearly 18,000,000. Altogether, however, the interest of the Washington news will not be very exciting till towards the close, when the inauguration of General Harrison takes place—the selection of his Cabinet and Foreign Ministers is made— sod the appointments to the collectorship and other lucra tive offices are known. There is a lively and buo;ant feeling ta the country, pervading all classes—springing from the election of Harrison—but whether he will realize our hopes, time alone can tell. SAILING CF THE GREAT WESTERN. The Great Western sails to-day at one o'clock precisely—her letter bags at Gilpin's and the agent's. This is her last voyage this year. On her arrival at Bristol she will go into dock, overhaul, and retttrn in March. She carries out 60 pas sengers, principally British officers and civilians from Ca nada. Mr. Hulford, of the eminent banking house of Holford and Co. London, also returns in her to England. Already about $60,000 dollars in specie is on the manifest, but it is expected that $200,000 will go in all. She is full of freight. This is the last steamer from this port in 1840, and generally considered the most successful. Captain Hosken enjoys a high reputation as a nautical man and a gentleman. The Acadia is now on her way frota Liverpool to Bos ton. She sailed on the 4th inst. and will be in Boston on the 17th or 18th inst. with fresh news. SNOW STORM. The recent storm has been the cause of some confusion and much damage. Several vessels were driven ashore 1 and lost. Brig Washington, of Boston, from Turk's Island, with 5,000 bushels of salt, for Phiadelphia which put into this port on Saturday, with loss of sails and both anchors, was driven ashore during the gale in the Horse Shoe. Soon after she was driven thence, and went ashore sear the Highlands, where she now lies high and dry, and will pro bably be a total loss. She was insured at Boston. Her Captain and crew arrived in the!, city, last evening, in the steamer Hercules. Schooner Rambler, of Boston, for Baltimore, anchored off Staten Island, was driven from her anchorage on shore at Staten Island. It is expected she will be got off wit' et damage. A uhale bark, which was anchored in the North river, dragged her anchors, and grounded on the Flats, near Bedlow's Island, Schooner Leader, of Plymouth, hence for Philadelphia, was driven ashore at the Hook. Her captain and crew were also brought to the city in the Hercules. The North River is closed down to Red Hook it is said. The Utica left yesterday morning, and was in hopes of reaching Rhinebeck. Yesterday we received Albany papers of Saturday morning. The Charter Oak started on Saturday afternoon for Norwich, and proceeded to Throgg's Neck, where she was compelled to anchor in company with the Mahegan, which left at the same time for Stonington. We heard yesterday that the Charter Oak went through. Yesterday afternoon wa received the Philadelphia payers of Saturday evening. No cars run on the Haarlem. Railroad now. Passen gers are conveyed in sleighs. At a Committee Meeting of the Taunton Hos pital, on Monday, J. S. Gould, Esq., announced Lis in tendon of giving 1,000/. (in addition to the 1,000/. Oven a short time ago by that gentleman, which was applied to the general purposes of the hospital), towards the fund re quired for the enlargement of the hospital. DREADFUL ACCIDENT, ATTENDED WITIC Loss OF LIFE —Yesterday afternoon a serious accident. occurred on the Old Dock Bridge, by which many per— sons were seriously injured, and from the effects of which one child has since died. It appears that, about half-poSt four in the afternoon, the bridge having just been opened,. a truck being the first vehicle on the town side, proceeded' to cross the bridge; it was immediately followed by the lioresca mail which, by some means or other, came in contact with the truck, and was driven on to the foot-path where crowds of passengers were crossing, many of whom were run over by either the truck or mail coach before they had time to get out of the way. Much confusion ensued, an'l it was a considerable time before the bridge could be cleared so as to ascertain..what injuries had been sustained ; on a clearance being effected, it was found that from twelve to sixteen people were more or lees injured, many having been run over by the truck and coach, and some having received severe bruises by being pressed against the railings of the bridge. The full partici:Oars of the cause of this accident will, doubtless, be elicitied to (1.1 in the examination of the driver of the mail coeciii— (who was apprehended immediately after the accidenc)— before the magistrates, and at the inquest vriiieh wilt be held at tl:c Mansion-house this afternoon. —II ell Obser, no. of Wednesday. • EXTENSIVE FIRE AND LOSS OF LIFE.— Petween the hours of three and four cesterday afternoot t - a fire, unhappily attendant with loss of life, broke out on the premises, No. 32, Clerkenwell.close, Clerkenwelis. - green, the property of Mr. Bennett. The premises were tenanted by several families, and it commenced in thee front room of the first floor, occupied by ., a female named: Coombs. The alarm was raised by the people living in: the second floor, :chose attention 'was first attracted by smoke issuing through the joists of tile flooring, and: on proceeding to the apartments underneath they discovered them in flames. Intelligence was imme— diately forwarded to the different fire-stations, and in a short space of time the brigade engines and firemen from: Farringdon-street station arrived, and were followed quickly by several others. For upwards of twenty . minuet the flames raged with fearful violence, and the destruction of the whole building appeared certain. The engines on being brought into operation played with great effect. The firemen combated with the flames both back and front of the property, and, after considerable exertion, succeeded in preserving the lower portion of the, building. The first and second floors are, however, nearly consumed. The firemen, after the flames were extin guished, got over the burnt flooring of the first floor, for the purpose of ascertaining whether all was safe. The fi st obj, et which attracted their attention was a blackened substance lying on the rafters, which they at first thought to be the body of a dog, but on hauling it over they were astounded by discovering it to be the remains of a child. An inquiry was made by the firemen, and it proved to Le a son of Mrs. Coombs, six years of age, who had been locked up by his mother in the apartment above stated. The people of the house have lost all tney possessed, and arc not insured. An inquest will be held on the body this day. No fewer than six fires happened yesterday in the metropolis, and were attended with serious destruction o f property. . . .. „ • • . _ LAMENTABLE CA TASTBPPILE AT TIfEMAN....q.4 9I i CHESTER ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS.—On .Tuesday-moraine jli 1100( one of . the keepers at these gardens., ,nattio4:-.11114aut.7 igtoo23 Hardy, was engaged in cleaning the den appropriated to- - , , , i7 , the leopard and leopardess ; the latter flew at Harvey and - seized him by the scalp, the greatest on of which she tare away. He made a desperate struggle; but against such odds certain death must have been the consequence, had not another of the proprietor's servants had occasion to pass the building when the contest was at its height. One m itt, with more courage than the rest, boldly entered, ac companied by a bull terrier, which flying at the leopardess, caused the animal to let go her hold of the keeper. This stack was followed by a dreadful wound inflicted in the side of the animal with a pike. In a short period, how.. ever, a sufficient force was collected for any emergency, little but by a sort of council of war held among the various a h s o t p a e ke o n f .. persons employed in the gardens, it was unanimously de_ lies, with keeper eideo that the animal should be forthwith despatched by a musket or rifle, and the shot taking effect in the sid e , s h e to almost tie Infirmary,instantly expired. %s. he r e he The now lacerated recovery. Another of the servants, perceiving the ter rier's death could not be avoided, and wishing to preserve its lil3, took up a piece of iron, about three.qaarters of an inch in diameter, went into the building and gave the ani. gal a blow on its nose, which was so effectual, that the leopardess instantly loosed the terrier from its I .l' 8 ). CHRISTMAS SH AM P A RC ELS.—The *public ougl t to be particularly cautious at the i r.;sent time in sa isfying themselves of the nature of their Christmas " presents," and New Year's "gilts," be fore they pay the deinart u nless they are - fur carriage, po r t e rage, &C., brought in the eonveyatices of some of the coach-inns, as t I.; police, particularly in the city, have received informa tion of nun eruus frauds, by which London friends have, after indulging in most joyous a nticipations of Christmas cheer, found that the basket contained nothing valuable. EXTENSIVE ROBBERY OF WATCIIES.-011 Wednesday the police received info,r,miLtihontooofkthelafoclelowoll - extensive robber) . of watches, in A: 1 arauis p e-street, Friday last, t h e is:IL lost., team a shop c silver verge watches, auln- Liverpool, viz t—Six fair case silver i 20,3 marked in 7175, a nd - - bend 7171. 7195, 7170. 5112, . ,J. w. ,, Five silver ditto. common consulars, Nos. c o ns f e: ( 66 9330, 9327. and 9018, marked in case "J. - ' -.)d) ' ) . l . i'. ls Not. 90"6 9633, 9616, eV," Five duce, silver tii . , .0 ~ 9627, i 34, marked in case "W. C." Four ditto, hunters, ado.dub9le( bottom, Nos 7165, 7600. 7605, and 7616. At six o'clock on Saturday morning a hostile n e sing took place between a Mr. Byrne, of this city, and a b rentleman, whose name or residence was not ascer tained, at the Fifteen Acres. The dispute originated about some letters which the latter gentleman was sus. pected of writing to an Italian lady, resident in Dublin. After exchanging two sho:s each their seconds interfered, and the parties left the ground without further militia tion. Mr. Byrne, who, it is said, was the challenger, received a slight wound in the arm, and his antagonist one in the fleshy part of one of his legs.—Dublin Morn ling Register. • , NEW YORK MONEY MARKET-DEC. $ 50 shores Mechanics' Banking ilsso b 60... e3l 50 do do 25 do American Ex. Bank s 9 91* 2b do. do 23 do. OSio Life and Trust 911; 150 do. D.:laware and Iludson...i 3040 84 50 do do b 6m... 851 250 do. do B4i 125 do do B5 50 do. New Orleans Canal Bank 35 do. Commercial Bank, N. O. 125 do. Vicksburg 125 do do. s3o 12f 50 do. do. 30 do. do. 350 do. North American Trust 29 135 do. do. 75 do. do. 200 do. do 28* 100 do. do s3o& 60 28f 76 do. United Status Bank 66i 125 do. do 250 do. do b3o 67 350 do. Canton Co 25 do. do b 30 9 4 1 - 4 25 do. Mohawk It It .. 10 do. do 25 do. Patterson RR 35 do. do 25 do. di, ... 5 41 4 125 do. do s 10 54 135 do. New York Prey. and Boston 2Bl 250 do. do b3o 28} 495 do. do 50 do. do 20 do. Utica and Syracuse 122 17 do. Harlem 391 70 do. do 39 i 100 do. do 4 m 0... 40 100 do. do s 60.... 39,1 5 do. Utica and Syracuse 150 do. Long Island Railroad 57 70 do. do. DO do. do. ..........b 30 571 150 do. do. .... .... ...1 60 565 j 15,000 on Philadelphia 9Bl 16,000 do. THE MARKET — TUESDAY EVENIN3, DEC. 8. Bills were pite in demand yesterday. Sterling sold at 81.49. But to-day for the few bills which remain there is in very little demand, and the rate can only be quoted siq ; Francs, sf. 17k.' The stiles of Cotton are 400 or 500 bales. Flour is rather firmer ; there are buyers of Gennersee at $4 88. The Louis Philippe, for Havre, has $120,000 in specie. Sales of Corn Meal at 14 dol., puncheon, 4 mo. A sale of North River Rye was made at 59c. and :another at eoc. deliverable. The purchasers were far Eastern markets; the distillers only offer 57c. Ashes arc $5 75 for both sorts. New Corn sold at 46 a 49 tits. wt. for all sorts. A small parcel of old sold at 55 cts. One parcel of new North I River Corn sold at 50 cts. measure. ------- - F UNE RALS IN - HUNGARY.--The interment of , a respectable individual is frequently attended by two 1 hundred persons walking in double file through the streets, 1 from the residence of the dead to the cemetery which is to receive his remains; the men move on first, immediately behind the hearse; and then the women : only the nearest relatives wear mourning, or such of the party as possessing black garments, pay the family of the deceased the compli ment of appearing in them on the occasion ; and this large assemblage is collected by the principal undertaker, who is summoned directly that fife is extinct, by the friends of the dead person ; and who having received his instructions, appears in a crape scatf. which is fastened under one arm with a bunch of artificial roses, and carrying a wand wreathed with crape in his hand, to the end of which is affixed an orange or a lemon, at the house of all such indi viduals as are desired to attend the funeral. Miss Par doe's City of the Magyar. The Marquis and Marchioness of Queensberry have arrived from Kinmount House, Darntries-shire, at the Imperial Hotel, Leamington, where Lord and Lady Drum laurig arc also expected to spend the Christmas week. An epidemic complaint, called a nervous or typhoid fever has become prevalent in several of the Swiss cantons, and many persons are sa id t o hare died of this malady after an illness of only twenty four hours. ; All the members of the Rothschild family meet in Paris this week. Mr. Solomon Rothschild, of Frank fort, has arrived in Paris.