The Sun.
London, England, 1839-04-17 00:00:00

PRESENTATiON of the FREEDOM of
the CITY to THOMAS CLARKSON, Esq.

In pursuance of a resolution of the Court of Common
Council, the Lord Mayor appointed Monday to admit the
venerable Mr. Clarkson, the philanthropist, to the freedom
of the City ; and out of respect to his great age the cere-
mony was permitted to be performed in the private draw-
ing-room of the Mansion House, where his Lordship, the
Lady Mayoress, and several ladies, attended by Mr.
Sheriff Wood (upon whose motion the vote was come to),
Sir Peter Laurie (the seconder of the motion), Sir James
Shaw, the Chamberlain, and Mr. Scott, received Mr.
Clarkson, who was accompanied by Isis lady, Mr. 11. C.
Robinson, Mr. Richard Taylor, Mr. John Sidney Taylor,
Dr. 'Martin Barry, and other friends.
When Mr. Clarkson took his seat, the Lord Mayor, in
a neat speech, for which we regret we connot find room,
communicated to him the unanimous vote of the Corpora-
tion, conferring on him the freedom of the City.
Mr. CLARKSON then rose. He seemed to labour under
the effects of advanced age, having reached his 80th year,
but he spoke the following words with astonishing fervour
and emphasis :
My Lord Mayor, I am much obliged to you for the
trouble you have had in the communications you have
just made to me.

The Corporation of London have been pleased to vote to
me the freedom of their ancient City, and also a bust to be
placed in their Council Chamber for services which they con-
sider I have rendered to a inuch injured people who had no
power whatever to help themselves—the descendants of the
African race. Now, if this vote had come from an ordin-
ary class of respectable persons, I should have valued it—
but coming, as it does, from the corporate representatives
of the greatest and most enlightened city in the world, I
know not how, or in what sort of language adequately to

prize it.
But, independently of this distinction, as coming from
so enlightened a body, there is a consideration which
makes it still more valuable ; it is, that they have given
me not only two honours, but two of the hightest which
they had it in their power to bestow ; and though I must
disclaim all title to such high distinction, yet this dots not
lessen its intrinsic value.

If there be any other thing that can enhance the value
of this gift it is the unanimity with which it has been be-
stowed. You may be assured, then, my Lord, that under
all these circumstances it is impossible for any man to
value any honour more highly than I value this, and that
I shall ever feel and take a deep interest in whatever may
concern the prosperity and welfare of the Corporation of
the City of London.
The company cheered the speech of the veteran phi-

lanthropist, and soon afterwards he retired amidst the ap-
plauses and congratulations of all who assembled on this
most interesting occasion.

POST-OFFICE MONOPOLY.

A great number of instances of bad management under
the present Post-office system, have been made public by
that excellent little journal, the Post Circular; but we
have seen nothing yet to equal the want of management
in the manufacturing districts of South Wales. Mr. Wal-
lace, himself, would hardly believe that there are market
towns in this country, with a population of from 4to
5,000 each, without a post-office, though mails run through
them. But such is the fact ; the market town of Trede-
gar has a population considerably above 4,000, and within
a circle of three miles round the town of Nant-y- Glo and
Brynmawr, there arc at least 15,000 inhabitants. The
letters for each of these places are sent to Abergavenny
or Newport, and thence forwarded in the private bags of
different iron companies and shopkeepers, who charge
in some instances as much as 4d. per letter for
the accommodation. The mail for Abergavenny
to Merthyr passes through these towns, as well as
*rough Llanelly, Beaufort and Rumney ; but there is not
even a receiving house between Dowlais and Abergavenny,
a distance of eighteen miles. At Newbridge, a rapidly
increasing manufacturing and market town, on the Cardiff
road, the post-office is kept at an iun, nearly a mile
from the town, while the free delivery does not extend 300
yards from the office. The towns of Merthyr and Brecon
are distant from each other about 18 miles, but letters from
one place to the other are sent through Abergavenny ;
letters from Brecon are therefore detained a Whole day at
Abergavenny, as the Merthyr mail leaves before
the Brecon letters arrive : thus, if two letters are posted at
Brecon in the morning, one for London, distance 170 miles,
and another for Merthyr, distance 18 miles, the former will
be in London aboat nine hours before the latter will reach
Merthyr ! Letters to Merthyr from Builth and Hay, are
three days on the road in consequence of this arrangement.
The ease with which these evils might be remedied makes
the hardship appear the greater. If offices were established
in the towns among the iron works, Government would
incur no other expense than the Post-masters' salaries, as
there is a mail already on the road ; and there is every
probability that the profits now derived by private indivi-
duals would leave a handsome balance in favour of the
revenue. If a mail cart was started from Brecon in time
for the Cardiff mail from Merthyr, and to start at its re-
turn, the evils above alluded to would not only be obviated,
but a post communication in one day would be opened be-
tween Brecon and Bristol. Newspapers sent from this city
( Bristol) to persons about the iron works of Nant-y- Glo,
Beaufort, &c., are not delivered for a week, and then in a
dirty state.—Bristol Mercury.

THE WEATHER.-The weather, which for the
last ten days had been extremely cold, changed for the
better on Sunday, and is now delightful. The wind is
from the south-west, with occasional slight showers, and
the thermorr.eter at nine in the morning is generally as
high as 50.

WIGAN ELECTION COMMITTEE.-The ballot
for this Committee took place yesterday. The excitement
in the neighbourhood of the House of Commons was very
great, and the attendance of Members was more numerous
than we recollect to have observed on similar occasions.
The result of the ballot, as far as the political character of
the members of the Committee is concerned, is favourable
to the sitting Member. The following is the reduced
list:—

Liberals.
J. W. Childers, Esq., Chair-
man
S. Ilorsey de Horsey, Esq.
Robert Hollond, Esq.
Hon. P. Butler, Esq.
S. Cayley, Esq.
J. H. Vivian, Esq.
J. Humphery, Esq.
It was arranged that the Committee should meet at eleven
o'clock this day.

Conservatives.
Thomas Hawkes, Esq.
F. Hurst, Esq.
Henry Meynell, Esq.
R. Etwall, Esq.

EFFECT OF THE EASTERN GALES.—The
long prevalence of violent east winds has had the effect of
casting up great masses of sand and shingle on the eastern
coast of England. The harbour of Southwold has been
completely stopped up, and before a vessel can get in or
out considerable labour will be required to clear a passage.
MANCHESTER, MONDAY NIGHT.—A meet-
ing was held this evening, in the Thatched-house Tavern,
fur establishing a new Liberal Newspaper, to be published
twice a-week, and to be devoted to the advocacy of free-
trade, and thorough-going political principles. The meet-
ing was addressed by several gentlemen, who usually take
the lead in promoting the cause of reform in this town and
neighbourhood, and who, whilst they renounce all feelings
of enmity to the existing Liberal Journals, spoke strongly
in favour of establishing another Newspaper to co-operate
with them in the struggle against monopoly and aristo-
cratic abuses. A unanmous feeling pervaded the meeting,
at the breaking up of which, a subscription of nearly a
thousand pounds was entered into, and the gentlemen
present undertook to collect funds sufficient for the establish-
ment of the Paper, upon the most spirited and liberal
footing.
MANCHESTER AND BIRMINGHAM EXTEN-
SION RAILWAY.—We refer with much satisfaction to the
great and general interest felt in Manchester as to the
fate of this Bill. During the week, three separate de-
monstrations by important public bodies have been made in
favour of the proposed Railway to Rugby. On Monday
last, the Corporation party agreed to petition Parliament
to pass the Bill; on Tuesday a most respectable and in-
fluential town's meeting, convened by the Boroughreeve
and Constables, was held in the Town Hall, at which
spirited resolutions were unanimously adopted ; and on Wed-
nesday the Chamber of Commerce determined to petition
in its favour. It is a convincing proof to us, that the
public good of this great district urgently requires the
proposed Railway, when we observe gentlemen not pecu-
niarily interested in its success, but on the contrary, hav-
ing individual interests directly opposed to it, come for-
ward strenuously to support it. The opposition to the
Extension Bill has been unfair and vexatious in the ex-
treme, and we are much mistaken if the monopolists do
not find a contrary effect produced to what they anticipated.
—Manchester Courier.
The Georgia Legislature, under the free banking
law, has provided that the capital stock may be paid in
negroes.

ACCIDENTAL HANGING.—A boy about thir-
teen years of age, who was an apprentice to a web agent
at Kirkforthar Fens, was on Saturday last found sitting at
his loom in a listless state, suspended by a cord fastened to
the back band of his loom. It appeared that the cord had
beet used when beaming the web, and left hanging ; and
the poor boy having incautiously placed it under his chin,
had been caught firstly by it, and could not extricate him-
self, probably owing to his deriving no support from the
treadles of his loom, which would give way under his feet
when be attempted to raise himself. Medical assistance
was immediately obtained from Markinch, but too late to
restore life. The Procurator-fiscal has since investigated
the case, and we understand seems satisfied that the cause
of the poor boy's death took place in some such way as we
have described.—Fife Herald.
HOAX UPON CUSTOM-HOUSE OFFICERS.—A
wag at Cherbourg amused himself on the Ist inst. by mak-
ing April fools of the Custom-house officers. He was seen
driving a horse up one of the streets with a suspicious look-
ing sack on its back, and from time to time he turned him-
self round, as if to see whether he was pursued or not. The
curie situ of the Custom-house officers was soon excited, and
at length they judged that he must be a smuggler of the most
formidable description. Some of them summoned him to
stop, but be only drove his horse the faster, and on their
coming after him he whipped the sack off the animal's back,
threw it over his shoulders, and took to his heels. This
was too flagrant, so away went a posse of the officers after
him, and after dodging him through several streets, for the
fellow had a good pair of heels, finally caught him in a
storekeeper's shop. Here he refused to open his sack, be.
being in a private house, without the presence of a corn-
misery of police ' • so the commissary was sent for, the off -
cers stood round in greedy anticipation of their capture,
anti the sack was opened—it NI as full of hay. —FrenehPuper.
PWLLIIELI.—On Monday morning last, several
of those migratory birds called sand martins, the smallest
species of the swallow tribe, made their first appearance,
this season, in this neighbourhood ; the first appearance of
another species of migratory birds, called by ornithologists
the wheat-ear (by the Welsh tinwen-y-garreg,) was on
the 23d ult., being in each case a little later than in more
genial springs.— Carnarvon Herald.