The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1825-01-14 00:00:00

in France, where it was known under the name of drca
craubuine, and in some other countries on the Conti-
nent, in which it was generally denominated the jus
detract us. In consequence of these proceedings, the Rus-
sian Government, whose commercial policy is on the whole
much advanced beyond the knowledge and sentiments of the
peop7e, has at once declared the abolition of the duty hi-
the:lo levied on the effects of deceased foreigners, the sub-
jects of the States in which reciprocal justice is now insur-
ed to Russians dying within their territories. Would that
the conferences and labours of the Holy Alliance were al-
ways directed to objects of the same just and liberal cha-
racter !

Our attention has been called to two cases that lately oc-
curred at one of the Police-offices, one immediately after
the other, respecting which some explanation really seems
to us due to the public. A wretched old man, who had
served ten years in the army, was driven by hunger to steal
some loaves from a baker's basket. The street-keepers
seized him in the act of devouring the bread. On his ex-
amination before the Magistrate, no one recognised him to
have been an offender before. He pleaded the extremity
of his distress in palliation of his guilt. Ile said he had
not tasted food fur two whole days, and his appearance
and behaviour fully corroborated his assertion. The
prisoner, however, was committed for trial. Almost the
„eery next case, but before another Magistrate, was that
of a young scoundrel, who, having a good place, and
being supplied With board, washing, and lodging, and
wages besides, had, in order to pamper his luxurious
appetite, stolen a twelfth cake, worth Sa. 61., out of a
public shop, in a well-frequented thoroughfare. Yet this
wanton and aggravated theft was suffered to go wholly
unpunished ! The previous good character of the ju-
venile delinquent effected for him what it could not for
the aged man, whom want and misery had urged to crime.
So at least the cases were represented in all the public
newspapers. The young thief owed his escape, it appears,
to the lenity, or perhaps the laziness, of the prosecutor. Is
it fitting that the Magistrates should suffer the caprice, or
idleness, or selfishness, of individuals to prevent the ad-
ministration of justice? Where the eases are flagrant, it
is the duty of the Magistrate to bind the parties over to
prosecute without any reference to their wishes. This is
sometimes done: why not always? If it was necessary
that the stern hand of the law should strike the hungry
old soldier, was it right, immediately afterwards, to send
away harmless from the very same bar, the dishonest
youth, whose greediness alone led him to the commission
of a daring crime? We repeat it—some explanation is
due to the public.

We did intend to have made some further observations
to-day respecting the schemes for mining associations, but
we are induced to postpone them. In what we have said, it
will be clearly understood, we hope, that our remarks are
general, and that our object has been to caution the public
against those extravagant speculations into which many
persons were rushing when we first adverted to the subject
It may be that some of the projects d serve the attention
of those who are disposed to try the chances of this expen-
sive, and too frequently ruinous, sort of lottery. We do not
confound all the plans that are before the public in one
sweeping condemnation. Sonic are represented to us as
having a reasonable likelihood of success: some on the
other hand are mere bubbles. Three of the projects relate
to entirely new mines ; and these, if all be true that we
hear respecting them, may yield a fair profit on the capital
employed, but many of the schemes were never intended
for any purpose but to bolster up the fortunes of desperate
insolvents, the "the neck-or-nothing men," as they are
styled in the expressive phraseology of the Stock Exchange.

His Royal Highness the Commander-in-Chief left York
House yesterday morning, on a shooting excursion.
Mr. Canning slept at Oxford on Wednesday night, and
is expected in town on Saturday next.
Earl Bathurst was expected to arrive in town yesterday
evening, from his Lordship's country seat at Cirencester.
Lore Liverpool is expected to arrive in town tomorrow,
from Bath.

Lord Francis Conyngbam, the Foreign Under-Secretary,
takes the title of Lord Mountcharles. This is a refutation
of the report that any valid marriage had been contracted
by the deceased Nobleman.
Mr. Wilmot Horton arrive(' in town on Wednesday
night, from Blithfield, in Staffordshire, where be had been
on a visit to Lord Bigot, and transacted business at the
Colonial Office, Downing-street, yesterday.
The Council of the Prince Primate of Germany, the
Archbishop of Ratisbon, lately submitted to him a project
relative to the law of sacrilege. The punishments were
rendered unnecessarily Percre k but the Prince said—" I
will have no such law. lam an Archbishop, and not an
executioner. Let those who commit sacrilege be shut up
in madhouses, and let than be cured ; but I will not
allow them to be killed."—Conatitutionnel.

When Mr. IVilberforce was candidate for Hull, his
sister, an amiable and witty young lady, offered the com-
pliment of a new gown to each of the wires of those free-
men who voted for her brother; on which she was saluted
with the cry of " Nliss ilberforce for ever !" when she
pleasantly observed, " I thank you, Gentlemen ; but I
cannot agree with you, for really I do not wish to be Mill
Wilberforce for ever."

Mr. Hume has intimated, in a letter to the Secretary to
the Manchester cotton-spinners, that he has received regu-
lar notice of an attempt to be made, in the ensuing Session,
to re-enact the Combination Laws.—Liverpool Paper.
'We can state from authority, that the report which has
been circulated, of Mr. Wortley, one of the Members for
this County, being about to be created a Peer, is untrue.—
Ea 'Packet.

Lord and Lady Frederick Ilentinck have arrived at Cut.
tesmere, Rutlandshire, on a visit to the Earl and Countess
of Lonsdale, from the seat of the Duke of Portalnd,
beck, Notts.

The Attorney-General has sailed for England.—Daiblin
Paper.
We have authority to contradict the statement of the
death of the Right Honourable and Right Reverend the
Lord Bishop of Kildare, which has appeared in several
papers.
iVe are assured that the statement respecting Mr. Staines
and the Star newspaper, which was published in this and
several other journals, was wholly unfounded.—Daddin
Freeman's Journal.

Last week, the Rev. Mr. Disney, Rector of Slane (Ire-
land), received from Mr. Dean, by order of the Marchioness
Conyngham, 501. to be distributed among the poor of the
parish ; and la for the widows of her Ladyship's list.
Whilst improvements arc being made in ull other quar-
ters of the Metropolis, we are surprised that that part of
Westminster where Tothill-street stands should have
been so long ore:looked. It has for years past been only',
a receptacle fur basket women, thieves, and females of ,
loose ciaracter: it is in fact impassable for any decent per-
son. No longer since than Friday last, Mr. Northoot of
the Kent-road, passing through that street, was knocked
off the pavement by a party of drunken soldiers and loose
females, and in falling had the cap of his knee so much in-
jured that he will probably be lame for life. There was
formerly" market near the Abbey, which was pulled down,
when improvements were making there, and it was then
understood that another was to be established in the vici-
nity in lieu of it. It would he a great improvement to the
neighbourhood, and a conaiderable accommodation to the
inhabitants of that part of Westminster, if that disgrace-
ful sink of iniquity called the Ahnonry was cleared away
entirely, and a market-place erected on its site.