The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1826-10-21 00:00:00

IMPROFEMENTS IN SOMERS'-TOWN A.Vb
CAMDEN-TOWN.

A public meeting of the inhabitants of the above town@ eta held
yesterday evening at the Commissioners' Room for Paring, du. is
Phoenix-street, for the purpose of adopting a petition to he per.
serted to his Grace the Duke of Bedford, and to receive the Report
of the Committee appointed for the furtherance of the dean-ice
object of effecting a communication between Cannlen•Toan and
Somers'-Town, by Seymour-street.
Mr. SEWELL in the Chair.
The Cnatitaraw called upon Mr. Pitt, a member of the cptt.
mittee, to reed the Report.
Mr. CITABLES PITT. of the Adelphi, then read the Re,
from which it appeared that a plan had been drawn up by Mr. pl
ot
tington, for a junction of the towns in question, by means of aeon,
tinuation of Seymour-street, through a field a the Duke of Bed.
ford's, now in the occupation of Mr. Rhodes. Mr. Portington had
also drawn up a petition to his Grace, which he had taken the trots.
ble to act numerously signed; and at a public meeting admit.
tee had been appointed to car,y the petition into effect, II worthy
of consideration. The Committee approved of Mt Poningtoes
exertions, and resolved that some monies which be had received by
way of subscription, to the amount of 261., should be appro. printed in part to his remuneration. Subsequently Mr. Porting. ton refused to leave his plans with the Commutes, lon which they
rescinded the Resolution, allowing him the 261., aced excluded him
from their Board.
Upon the Resolution that the Report of the Committee be se.
ceived,
Mr. EMXOTT rose and charged Mr. Pitt 'Win design topuse
Mr. Portington, and make • job for himself.
Mr. PITT indignantly retorted, and re-echoed oil the allegations
in the Report, as to the impropriety of Mr. Pottington's coodnet
towards the Committee.
Mr. EMMOTT Charged Mr. Pitt with the infection of eluting of ' the heading of Mr. Portington's Petition, and attaching ea the
names signed to it another Petition of his own inenufaetuse; end
that he had caused a Resolution to that effect to is carried *tough
the Committee, which Resolution they subsequently reededed.
This would have been a gross fraud upon the Inteeribees to the
Petition.

A stormy discussion then ensued, and Mr. Pitt entered into a
long defence of the Committee, during which he was more than
once admonished by the Chairman to confine himself to fact..
Mr. Pon TINGTON sa;il that Mr. Pitt had Welted him to leafs
his plans with the Committee, and that he should be paid his bill
of MI.; but he thought he saw a cloven foot in the proposition, and
refused to do so. He would not part with the Petition to which so
many respectable names were signed, lest any alteration should he
made in it. If the proposed alteration had taken place, he consi-
dered that it would be a forgery on the subscribers, and he could
consequently place no faith to persons capable of mtertaining such
a proposition. ;('beers.)
A GENTLEMAN said that it appeared to him quite evident that
Mr. Portingion had been molt scandalously treated in the business,
and he s'iould therefore propose that the Petiiion be rejected.
Mr. PITT denied the charge of ever having the intention of cut-
ting off the heading of the Petition.
Mr. WADDE N lIA m said that Mr. Pitt had expreared such an in.
tention to him, in consequence of which he had spoken to his actor.
ncy, who advised Mos to retire from the Committee, if an act so
disgraceful was attempted to be carried Into execution. His actor.
ney advised him not to be drawn intoa job by Mr. Pitt.
3lr. 311TCHELMORE, one Of the Committee, stated that me.
Pitt had expressed such an intention to him also.
After a most tumultuous discussion. the It eport of the Committee
was rejected by a very large majority of the Meeting.
The peti ion to his Grace the Duke of Bedford, to which Mr.
Portingion had obtained the signatures, was then read. It pur-
ported to be from the builders, traders, and ioiiseholders, in the
neighbourhood of Seymour-street, who had invested capital in that
part of the town, under the impression that it was the intention of
his Grace to open a communication between Camden and Somers'
Towns. Th,se mivepremmtatfons were not attributable to the agents
of his Grace; but yet they hoped that he would be pleased to take
into consideration the ruin which awaited them) should he withhold
his acquiesc.mce to the plm In question.
The peti ion, after some discussion, was adhpted almost unani-
mously ; and a deputation was appointed to present it to his Grace,
together with the plans by which it was proposed to effect the com-
munication through Seyniour.street, in a line with the two churches.
A reeohoion was I kewise agreed to for &subscription to Mr.
Portingcon, whose exertions were deemed deserving of the highest
praise.
Thanks were then voted to the Chairman, and the Meeting
dissolved.

CORNWALL AND DEVONSHIRE MINING

CO4l/P.IN Y.

A Meeting of persons holding shares in this Company was liehl
yesterday, pursuant to advertisement.
At one o'clock, the hour appointed for boding the Meeting,
something less than a dozen shareholders being present,
Mr. IVOOLLEY proposed that Mr. W. Clark should take the
Chair.

Mr. CLARK then stated that the Meeting had been called in con.
sequence of a circular letter, sent round by the Directors of the
Devon and Cornwall Mining Company to the shareholders of that
Company, insisting upon the payment of a further advance of Sl.
on each share. The letter was signed by Messrs. Fisher and
Rhodes, the Solicitors of the Directors, and was as follows :

" Davies-street, Grosvenor-iwiare, Oct. 13, IV O.
" Sir,—We are desired by the Board of Directors or the Corn.
wall and Devonshire Mining Company, held this day, to apply to
you for the payment of the sum of U. per share on your shares in
that Company, mode on the 14th of September; an 4 we beg to
inform you, that unless the amount is immediately paid, we have
instructions to adopt legal measures to enforce the paymint--a step
which it would be equally unpleasant to us as to yourself to he
obliged to adopt. IVe hope, however, that your attention to this
will render any farther proceedings unnecessary."
Signed,
Now he had hoped that from what had occurred (at several meet-
ings convened by the Board of Directors, and the developement
which had taken place of the fraudulent manner in which this Corn.
pany had been concocted, that the Directors, or at least the
honourable part of them, instead of threatening the Shareholders
with legal proceedings, and endeavouring to extort more money
from them, would have united with the Shareholders, and endea-
voured to bring the parties in this gross fraud to condign punish-
ment. Here they were, however, flying in the face of their own
conviction, for convinced they had been that the CODCOC6OO of thill
Company was a shameful fraud, and yet they now attempted to
impose upon the Shareholders by threatening to enforce their call
for the payment of another instalment. The true history Odle
circular was, that some of the Directors had borrowed a sum of
10,000/. from two bankers, on behalf of the Company, and bad
made themselves personally responsible for the re-payment of
that sum. In the present state of the Company, these Mon=
were at a loss to know from what fund they should derive mar,
for the payment of their engagement, and in this Mime they
thought or making an experiment, and etuka ta the
money out of the pockets of the Shareholders. The
however, weft perfectly secure. There was no maxim in law
clearer than that any undertaking founded in fraud was null and
void. It was only necessary to prove that this Company had been
founded in fraud, and it ceased legally to exist; it ceased to be a
Company. The Directors bad no right to call for a further in-
stalment, as they were now doing, and it was eel, foe the Share.
holders to resist this glaring injustice, to deemed the
of their former instalments, and to bring ea 0110diWI
those who were concerned in the fraud. It mums shat tithe
deed of set•lement there was a clause empowering the Disown to
enforce the payment of any call upon the tihemlidders shish lig
might deem it reasonable to make; bat he nateleinleed Hee igeIr
strument was grossly deficient, for that them wee m enema by
which the Shareholders agreed to be beinualbiLdisktimes witty
this ground, if there wu D•other,
o t okoplegiann um,
everpeemnsel *so
enforcing the call. Rut if this wen get , ibeel nes
another palpable objection. This wm net s eseponetlemb imiebeee.
fore all the Directors must aagg beim •Of peannedieup nein be
taken against a single titsee-was ems dimeedeat
Director, there could be as legal greasodiag. Well, time was the
Hon. Mr. Powlett, the Member fos Dade* ow Talbot,
the Member for Dublin ; they had **ft ills Well
pes.
testing against any legal pr oceedier he* She shoe-
holders, and expessing their glebe
which Ind
_been pursued. T
ttt:Mid it would be the
tlJegree of fear. As to
disgraceful transaction odekuseird, try nogewel kneern, it min
got up by Mr. Wilk,, and lbe .elaid emir of Mille MS I Mr.
Teague, from whom Wilks wined ens unison for en es enages
sum. Be (Mr. Clark) had a espy of the original egemeneas be.
tween Wilke and Teague, In Odd* Wins millieNdef ID pay
Teague the sum of 79,3001. fee lime enhselt hi hi oast se hss
(Wilke) being able to establish • Joint-mock Company s hes he
purchase was not to take place if Wilke had NOW in
the Company. As was wall known, a prospectus was ies.BlB=
the Company established, and then the original agreement um is.
celled, and a new agreement weed ;ow, similar in every ether
respect to the first, eel emittiag the cooditimal Mare, which
rendered the puschsee apes the asieblishmeet el the
Joint-Stock Company. A number of poems iheabsesse Di.
re,:tors, whom he called Mr. Wilks's party, he Abe are woes
were to be found as Directors in every Compote, in eddek he had
been concerned. This party, corseting of M PO" limy" Mr.
Barrett, Mr. Aston, Mr. Kershaw, and others, tem at the Albion
Tavern, and agreed that 79,30e1. should be paid to Teague for
seven mines, a part of which sum was te be paid down, and the
rest by instalments, and that Wilke should mil them wan India
to the Company for 121,0004, thereby poke the muse be.
tween 79.5001. and 121,0001. into his owe pasha., Tide k was that
constituted the fraud ; and, to lbw sso the mho law
action was, those very gentlemen mho the siesilmg pen-
ciliated in the villany, and remised • share MOM pease, -moat-
lag to 9011. each. They had it Om /Ir. Aston's maw* that is
pederast had pesdilpated in lime fraudulent galas. Thin was
Whim seem** dim that the isle scheme wee a tad einepi-
racy to &bend the public' and due being de ems, it we sly
for
more !Pow agie, sad emit firrellemft (site
nrnr° Meg, eat MN It sae time s sebeerip-
tion should num im libilislieeneown Olt
each share, to Meaty the of any which it
might hr edeko4•4lk4llbn emewarafsmhlo thereat ; if
that was susesselel, Memel; mimes mre ?odd be re-
turned; and it the Cows decided wait libeeeboldem, the

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loss to each individual would be very trifling. Of Mar success,
however, he entertained no doubt. Lord Palmerston, and those
who had committed themselves by signing notes to the Bankers,
first thought of suing Mr. IVllks, but they soon discovered that
Wilks was as improvident as he was wicked, and that there was
no chance of recovering any thing from him. They had also found
that they could get no hold open Teague ; and they then bethought
themselves of this call on the Shareholders. It was alto proposed
to give up four of the mines, and conduct the Company with three
mines. These three mines could be purchased from Teague for
12,0001.. which' with the outstanding debts, would make a capital
of from 30.00 W. to .10,0001. This scheme was also given up ; but
did it not afford the must unanswerable evidence of fraud, when
Teague was now ready to sell for 12,0001. what he hail before sold
foe 34.4341., and what Wilks was to sell to the Company fur
49,0001. ? There could be little doubt that all * purchases made
for the Company were in the same extravagant proportion. In
fact, the whole was a thorough and systematic fraud, to which
Captain Teague had lent himself. His ( 3lr. Clark's) advice to
the Directors was, to join with the Shareholders, and get back the
19.6001. which had been advanced to Teague, and which would
nearly cover their responsibilities.
Mr. HAY interrupted Mr. Clark, to inquire whether Mr.Teague
had offered to sell to the Company for 12,00 W. what he had pre-
viously sold to Wilks for 32,4341.
Mr. CLARK—So I have been informed.
A SHAREHOLDER said it had been so stated.
Mr. CLARK resumed. A sum of from 6 to 7,000/. was charged
in the Company's books for 1,000 shares for the Directors ; so that
not only in the beginning, but in every part, the transaction was
full of fraud. lie would now mention why the Directors could not
come upon 3lr.Wilks. By the deed no person could be a Proprie-
tor fur more than 200 shares, but Mr. SVilks had become a Pro.
prietor for 2.1000 shares. Now the instalment called for, at a/. a
share, would amount to 10,01101. on 3lr. il'ilks's shares: hut if the
Directors forfeited those shares upon non-payment of the call.
Wilk" could say, "Then you allow that all the contracts entered
into by the Company arc binding, and I demand payment of the
difference between 79,300/. and 121,060/., which was the amount
you agreed to pay me." It was understood that Mr. Wilk' had
already filed a bill in Chancery against the Directors, for the rem
rely of the deposit money; but he believed this was like the cir-
cular letter—only intended to frighten. The Directors could not
do any thing with ‘rilks, who was head and ears in debt, and he
heard hail quitted his house at 31i11-hill.
Several Shareheldets here suggested the propriety of avoiding
personality, and Mr. Clark desisted.
Mr. Hay wished to know whether Lord Palmerston knew any
thing about the sale of the mines.
Mr. WOOLLEY—So doubt he did, for he was in the Chair when
the money was voted.
Mr. HAY said Mr. Clark had talked of the Honoarable Dine.
tors; but he doubted their honour, one and all. He understood
that the Solicitors whose names were signed to the circular letter
were Lord Palmerston's Solicitors.
Mr. CLARK—They are the Solicitors of the Board of Directors.
Mr. IVOOLLEY—And also Lord Pahrierston's Solicitors.
Mr. HAY—In my opinion the whole is nothing better than a
seteme to pick pockets, and I am sorry to observe that Lord Pal-
merston does not stand as well as he ought.
Mr. CLARK said he did not wish to shelterany man who deserved
censure, but he must say, both for Lord Palmerston and Mr. Sulli-
van, that, from the declarations they had publicly made, they
did not participate in the corruption ; in his mind they had stood
tree from blame. But he did not defend the part they took in
issuing the circulars. Their present conduct, he thought, was in-
consistent with their former declarations, but no doubt their answer
would be, that they were acting under legal advice.
A long dent !tor eooversation here took place between Messrs.
Clark, Hay, and Woolley, and one or two other Shareholders.
Mr. Woossgit said it was a strange fact that Lord Palmerton
had voted a sum of 20,0001. without knowing what security Willis
had to give the Company, or what security he himself had for the
transfer of the mines.
Mr. CLAnK said, that if the instalments were not regularly paid
to Teague, the contract was, that the previous instalments became
forfeited, and the mines reverted to the original proprietor. Teague
DU now the proprietor, and the Company had no property in
them.
Mr. Woot.t.rY said, Wilk, was the servant of the Company
when he entered into the agreement with Teague, and could DOI
legally have charged more for mines than he had paid.
Mr. HAT thought the Directors, honourable and dishonourable,
dught all to be indicted. He was sure, front the ex-party evidence
which might be produced, a Grand Jury would find the bills. Lord
Palmerston and the other Directors would then be sent berme a
British Jury, and, if his Lot ilsitip wag innocent, he would be ac-
quitted, and, if guilty, would be punished.
Mr. WOOLLEY—If he was acquitted of fraud he must be found
guilty of gross negli,gence.
11r. Csaaa said he would read a resolution which had been pre.
pared, and which left it open, after consulting with wha•ever soli.
niter should be employed. whether the proceedings ought to be
civil or criminal. The resolution was as follows :
" Resolved. That the projected Cornwall and Devonshire Mining
4:',..ampar.y, being bottomed in fraud, does not legally exist. That
:Le self-elected Directors have no right to make any call for instal-
ments upon the shares, and cannot have any power to enforce pay-
ment of the same. That the Committee of Shareholders who have
signed the Deed of Settlement (in ignorance of the frauds which
have been since brought to light), and the Committee of Scrip-
',olden, be authorized and are requested to resist any unjust at-
tempt that may be made to enforce the payment of fiat ther instal-
:it:nu upon these shares, and to adopt such legal measures as they
may be advised, whether civil or criminal, to recover bark the de-
posits and instalments already paid, and to further the ends of
justice."
A. SuagEnotnEn asked Mr. Clark if he knew who were elected
Directors in the place of those who had backed out, after receiving
the hush-money ?
dlr. CLARK—I do not.
Thu Resolution, having been proposed and seconded, was then
put, and carried unanimously.
Mr. CLAM: said that as the business for which they had met had
terminated, he wished to make a few observations upon another
scheme of a very fraudulent character.
Sean gentlemen here ataggeeted the propriety of avoiding sub-'
jets which were uncoon •emsd with the business before the Meeting.
Mr. Csaaa assured the Misting that he would make a very few
observations. He had loped Mau the disclosures made would have
put a stop to the frauds et men ; but he found that they
riadrm
only assumed new MI 60 destruction of one was only
the birth of samkr. W the Colombian Loan bu-
siness, which woe Abe impureasso of fraud, if fraud had not
been connahipll. . Tin Idek which had been played off in
tkas.
that bushing; am mod the conduct of some parties
most wow"
(Mr. CLAIM wmptatestj:manneat with much severity upon
the media Mof a r. Mend but was Induced to desist, after
having berm repeatedly informed that the persons present were
avastgbi te sneering into a subject totally irrelevant to the purposes of
tlitV Ael ption list was then produced, and the Shareholders in-
vited to contribute in the proportion of 2s. 6d. on each share ; but
we did not observe that the persons present were anxious to avail
themselves of the invitation, and the meeting separated.

Sir Herbert Taylor, Sir Henry Torrens, and Sir Richard
Jackson, transacted military business yesterday with the
Duke of York.
The Duke of Cumberland arrived at Hanover on the 4th
instant, from Berlin, on a visit to Isis Royal relatives, the
Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. His Royal Highness
was present at the reviews of the Hanoverian troops by the
Dbke of Cambridge. the Governor-General of Hanover.
The Earl and Countess of Harrowby arrived in town
yesterday from Geneva, where his Lordship had been
for some months. The Noble Earl returned to England by
way of Paris, and visited Lord Granville and Mr. Secretary
Canning during his stay there.
Despatches were sent off yesterday from the Foreign
Office, to Mr. Secretary Canning, at Paris.
BucxtrlGN•74 versus BANK ES.—The Trial of this long-
pending Cue, of which a brief outline was given in our
Paper of yesterday, having occupied nearly ten hours in
the hearing, the public journals generally could not in-
clude more than a small, and necessarily imperfect, portion
of the whole. As, however, the questions involved have
long excited a deep interest in literary circles, we are re-
quested to state, that a verbatim Report of the entire Pro-
teedings of the Day, taken down by an experienced short-
hand writer for the purpose, will be given in the ensuing
Minion of the Oriental Herald, to be published on the Ist
of November next. The eloquent opening speech of Mr.
Brougham,—the solemn, but unsupported, asseverations of
Mr. Gurney,—the unjustifiable conduct of Mr. Murray,.,-
the evidence by which it was attempted to justify the COD•
duct of Mr. Bankes,—the powerful and impressive Appeal
of the leading Counsel in reply,—the cautious and mode-
rating directions of the Judge,--and the deliberate Verdict,'
after this, of an honest and im ial Jury,—all deserve
to be fully slid faithfully reoortted, as a warning to evil-
doers, and a beacon of hope and consolation to the victims
of unmerited slander, however humble the pretensions of
the sufferers, or however ancient the family, or splendid
the fortune, of their oppressors.
Tin Sax TaADE.—On Thursday the Deputation of
Sint Weavers. appointed at a recent General Meeting, to forward
the Address to his Majesty, on the distressed condition of their
trade, attended at the Secretary of State's Office, accompanied by
Robert Damon, FAq. the Vestry Clerk of Bethnal-green. In the
absence of Mr. Secretary Peel. they were received with much
kindness by Alt. Dawson, the Under Secretary, who informed Mr.
Brutten that he was already aware of the purport of their mission.
Mr. Brunton requested to know when It would suit the convenience
of the Secretary of State to present the Address to his Majesty.
Mr. Dawson replied that he would forward the Address to Kr.
Peel ea soon as poasible, and he bad no doubt it would be pre-
sented at the earliest opportunity. After a few observations by
meows. Wallis, Payton, and Thompson, relative to the distresses
of the Silk Trade. the Deputation withdrew, much gratified with
the recepdon they bad experienced.