The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1826-03-25 00:00:00

MARKETS.

SMITHFIELD, FRIDAY, Mason 34.
The market this morning exhibit. rather a .mall show of Desists, hut
the weather haring thrown a dullness over the trade, there Is little doing.
the best Beef woe. off of Monday's term.; the larger kind. somewhat
lower. Sheep also are not over plentitui ; yet b.!. per stone is by no
meaus so readily given as on Monday for the best Webers ; ifs. lOd. la a
more current value fur them. Of Lamb. we have a tolerably fair .prink-
ling the primest .old at from 6.. Cid. to 70. The market present-4 a good
.apply of Veal, and the trade P 4 generally brisi!, at Monday's quotations.

To sink the aid, per stone of Blbs.
Beef ...... 4s Od to tis Od I.Veal
Mutton. Gd 44 4d Putt 44 Od to 5s
Lamb lts 6d to 7a Od
ROAD OP CATTLIII TIM DAT.

Beasts :IV; Sheep 4,040 y Clans 14. Plp 70
BAY-MARKET.

fray ..... 8M Od to 90. Od f Clover • ...... 1001 Od to 106. Od
I:trotter ...... 61. Od to SO. Od Inferior...... BS. Od to O.S. Od
Strow ........ 86. Ott to 406 Od

NEWGATE AND LEADENDALL--(HT Tns CARCASS.,
Beef . ...... 3. Od to 44 Od I Veal ...... 80 to 50 4d
Mutton . 4d to 44 4d Pork ....... 48 Od to 5. 4d
Lamb .

[From the Londott Ncw Price CUrrefft.l
FRIDAY, MARCH 24.
.

COITON.—The purchases of Cotton this week are about 1,500 pack-
ages, consisting or 600 Sande bd. a ; 350 Pentium; at win.; 200
Bemisis 1,51 d. a bid. and Inconsiderable parcels of other descriptions.
There are scarcely any Smyrna Cottons at market ; the consequence is
that the few on sale rate at prices quite out of the usual proportion to the
other qualities, 40 bags, duty paid, having sold at 10id, a lid. By public
aide yesterday, 91 bags Cotton; 15 Demerara, 10d.al0td., the remainder,
St. Domingo, *d. a Sid.
SUGAR.—The demand for Musc,vades since Tnesday last has rather
fallen away, yet the late prices are not only fully supported. but we think
all Sugars, from 58s. upwards, are rather higher ; the Inferior browns are
in plentiful supply, anti rate low in proportion. 'The request fur Refined
goods has rather given way this week, yet few parcels of low goods are
offered for sale, and no Lumps wider 755. ; the wholesale grocers appear
rather to suspend their purchases for the home consumption of the
country. Molasses are 2gs. a 25.. Gd. ; for good West India 2tl-. a 275. Is
the nearest quotation. There have been few purchases lately of Foreign
Sugars, and very few parcels are on sale; the East Indiadngars continue
In some request.
COFFEE.—There were four public sales of Coffee on Wednesday ; the
ordinary descriptions of Jamaica sold 2s. a Ss. lower, good ordinary 525.
line ordinary 56v. a stis. ; St. Domingo, In several instances, had pre-
viously realised 5.55. and though no sales were reported under that price,
yet, after the public sale, It could not be obtained, being much higher in
proportion than the ordinary Jamaica descriptions. The politic sale yes-
terday, consisted of 236 casks 420 bag' British Plantation, and 1150 bags
Brasil : the latter, good ordinary, was taken In at 525. Gd. and fur which
525. was offered ; a small proportion of the Demerara Coffee sold rather
lower; the Berbice, and other British Plantation descriptions, taken In;
generally the market Is doll at the reduction we have stated.
HOPS.—flops have remained dull fur such a length of time, that one
or two sellers, it Is reported, have forced sales privately at a considerable
reduction on the nominal prices.
TEA.-11ohens are at 2d. advance; the Congou kind at 2d. add. and
low Congous at lid. pretit. The orders from the country for 'lea are very
extensive.

...;11'11;ETRE, by public wale, In considerable parcels, sold 2h. 6d.
a. 225.

SPICES.—The request for Spices, which was considerable, particularly
for Pepper and Nutmegs, has entirely subsided, and the prices have given
way. at • public side Pepper, light, mold at 4ed. and .tici.s Nutmegs,
middling, its. a 3.. Id. ; Cassia Buds, 71. 10*. a 51. ; Pimento 90. a 10d.
OlLS.—Fish Oils are heavy and lower.
H).:51 P and TALLOW.—The faU in the Exchange at St. Petersburgh from
9.1 to 9i. has occadoned a decline In Russian produce. Tallow from :As.
has fallen to :324., and heavy at the reduction. Hemp is 411. Ins.
SILK.—The depressed state of the Silk trade has occasioned a further
decline In the prices of Silk.
R 31.11, BRANDY, mad HOLLANDS.—The Spirit trade continues In •
very depressed state ; several sales of proof Leewards, and 2 to 4 over,
are reported at 2s. to 21. Id. per Imperial gallon, or about Is. Bd. to Is. Pd.
per old. ; la the Jamaica descriptions very few purchase* are lately stated.
In Brandy there are no transactions ; parcels may be bought lower than
the late nominal quotation■. limier', pale, quoted 2*. 2141. per new gal-
lon, but no sales reported.
IRISH PRO VISIONS.—Beef and Pork continue at nominal quotations,
Beef 1154. a 120 s. Bacon moves off more freely. The fine qualities of
Butter scarce ; the inferior still neglected.

PRIVILEGES OF FREEMEN OF THE CIT"

A quvrtion at' very great interest, came on before the t I!: 9
Aldermen, on Tuesday la,t. It arose in an argument bit t, 1,.
Vice Chancellor, upon the sallject of property left by Stir fra
Drake.

In the year 17112, Sir Francis Drake, Admiral of the Red,
in consequence or a victory gained over tt.e enemy in the West 1-,"
dies, with other °them antler Lord Rodney, presented with IC
freedom of the City of London, by a vote of the Court of Comn,c:
Council, and was in pursuance of that vote made a liveryni„,
cr
the Company of Grocers, and sworn In a freeman. Sir Fran,,
took the several oaths required of all persons honoured with the
freedom of the City—not being free by birth, servitude, punh
or otherwise than as aforesaid. He nmeried Pooley °Wow some,time afterwards, and, in lieu of dower, settled upon her the aura of
15,0(101. in the 3 per cent. Consolidated Bank Annuities, Is IN
he died without issue, and the Rev. George I.Valeot Onslow wee
constituted executor to the estate. His widow some time after mu.
vied Mr. Sergeant Onslow. She had received, by the statute of
distribution, the share of property to which she was entitled.'
widow of that Baronet, and for some years it was suppled our
was no further chins upon the part of the Learned Sergeant, It
however occurred to him, that the privileges of a citizen of Ueda,
which he believed extended to his wife as'the widow of a freeman;
might be made available in obtaining an increased therein ti
property, and he accordingly claimed in opposition to Mn. Flu*a near relation, we believe, of Sir Francis Drake.
The case came before the Vice-Chancellor, who, after twit,.
heard connect, ordered that the Lord Mayor and Aldermen shoi.,A
be applied to, certify the custom of the city of London on the..
points:__
First, Whether Sir Francis Drake, having been presented with
the freedom of the city under the above-mentioned circumstances,
was a freeman of the city of London in the sense, meaning, iota
operation of the custom of the said city of London, relating to the
distribution of the effects of freemen who die intestate, and if
the custom of the city of London as to the distribution Of petsotud
estate applies to such a freeman as Sir Francis Drake was then
Secondly, Whether there is any custom of the city of London,
by virtue whereof the widow of a freeman, having the benefit ad
provision at' such settlement as the settlement In the pleadings in
this case, Is debarred from the customary share of his perms!
estate ?

These questions were first proposed to the Recorder of the City
of London, but were submitted, at his suggestion, to the Court of
Aldermen, for their certificate by the Recorder.
Mr. \VAKEFIELD, who appeared as counsel for the executor,
stated that his attendance was merely complimentary.
Mr. SHADWEI.L. as Counsel for 31r. Sergeant Ondow, emu
tended that Sir Francis Drake had been a freeman of the City of
London in the most complete sense of the word, and had been en.
titled to all the privileges of one of that body. The conferring of
the freedom of the City upon meritorious individuals comprehend.
ed, of course, all the advantages to which persons who obtained the
freedom in any other way were entitled, otherwise it would be
mere mockery to propose such a mode of conveying the sense the
Corporation entertained of the great efforts of the naval and military
heroes of the country. Mr. Shadwell cited some authorities in sup.
port of his position. After which,
Mr. SPAN It IE addressed the Court for the other claimant to the
property. Me argued that the freedom of the City, conferred, as it
had been, upon Sir Francis Drake, was merely honorary, and not
burdened mill the inconveniences which necessarily attended those
who became freemen under different circumstances. If an equal
portion of the duties were expected to be taken by the first of the
Nobility of the land, to whom the freedom of the City had beta
voted, there would be but few who would consent to the honour.
The custom of the City of London took away from parents the
right to choose guardians for their children, and placed them undtt
the control of the Chamberlain of London. That regulation might
be a wise one, but how must the Duke of Wellington be surprised
at being told that his daughters must, at his death, be placed ac.
der the care of the Chamberlain of the City of London!
Alderman WAITHMAN asked whether Sir F. Drake had not, of
could not, have exercised his privileges as a freeman of the City?
and Alderman BROWN whether, if a person were to be admitted to
all the privileges of a freeman, it was hot reasonable to expect that
he should submit to any inconveniences which might be mews..
bla from those privileges?
Mr. Sergeant SPANRIL thought a honorary freeman might
exercise his privileges, but certainly did not suppose that he was to
be subject to the inconveniences alluded to, much less to such a
disposal of his property as he might never have contemplated. The
law was, in fact, never known to have been applitti to cases
of this description, and he hoped that the Court would find intim
negative upon the propositions submitted to them.
Mr. StrAnw ELL replied. What he understood by honoraryfreedom was, the possession of the privileges, wOrout being suh..
ject to the burdens which might be incompatible with the situation
of the person on whom the honour was conferred.
The Cot; fur submitted the questions to the City Law (MOM
who will gis e their opinion before the next Court of Aldermen.
The Recorder will then certify in the Vice-Chancellor's Court, ia
the name of the Lord Mayor and Aldermen.