The Sun.
London, England, 1839-02-16 00:00:00

METROPOLITAN POLITICAL

SUMMARY.

The Times of this morning, in the course of a leading
article on Mr. Wynn's motion last night for a new writ for
Southwark, says :—" Government have managed this mat-
ter with dexterity. They probably have no great desire to
keep Mr. Harvey in the House; indeed, their appointment
of him to the Conductorship of the Omnibuses was obvi-
ously made with a view to get him out of the way ; for
though he has little ability for doing business, he has
a remarkable and comical knack at spoiling it ; and
he often contrives, by saying droll, quaint things, to
make them and their measures excessively ridiculous.
But then, on the other hand, they dare not irritate,
by openly opposing him. -The best way therefore was to
get rid of the awkwardness of voting at all upon his title to
sit, by throwing the responsibility on a Committee."
Alluding to Lord Mabon's motion on Thursday night, upon
Election Committees, the Times expresses itself favourable
to Sir R. Peel's plan, and adds, " we adhere with zealous
hope to the recommendation that a competent and influen-
tial Assessor (we would:rather call him by the higher title
of a Judge) be an adjunct and necessary part of every
Election Committee to be appointed under Sir Robert
Peel's Bill."
The Morning Herald has a leading article on the
speeches made at the meeting in Palace-yard, by the Anti-
Corn-law Delegates on Wednesday last. The Herald is
more happy than usual in the vigour of its attacks on these
gentlemen, especially Mr. Wslmsley, but to be vigorous is
not to be argumentative; and sarcasm is but a poor sub-
stitute for common sense. Our Contemporary, speaking
in another article, of the conversations which took place last
night in the House of Peers, between Lords Durham,
Melbourne, and Glenelg, is pleased to express the loftiest
scorn for the political abilities of Lord Durham.
The Morning Chronicle, alluding to the appearance in
the Times of Lord Durham's Report, says, " the manner
in which the publication of this Report is carped at, night
after night, is anything but creditable to their Lordships.
There is but one opinion with respect to the Report—that
it is one of the most valuable Papers ever laid before Par.
li.ment ; and all who have the interest of the empire at
heart, must rejoice that the Report opens so fair a pro-
spect of placing the connexion between the parent State
and these valuable colonies on a footing, which, by con-
ducing to the welfare of both, can alone insure its perma-
nency."
The Morning Advertiser, referring to Lord Durham's
Report, observes, " there is no mode available for the pre-
servation of the Canadas but a general revision and ameli-
oration of their institutions; there will undoubtedly be
much difficulty in reconciling the enmities of the rival
races; but the enmities would gradually die away, as soon
as both parties found themselves admitted to an equal par-
ticipation of rights."
The Morning Post, in a leading article on the subject
of Lord Mahon's sdeech in the Commons on Thursday,
respecting an improved tribunal for the trial of controverted
elections, says, " We hope Sir Robert Peel's Bill will be
actively proceeded with, end that those who preferred the
course adopted by Lord Mahon, will not hold back from
giving their assistance towards making the new measure as
completely remedial us the circumstances of the case will
permit."

rHE LATE MURDER AT OTTER-

DEN, KENT.

APPREHENSION OF THE SUPPOSED

MURDERER.
Yesterday morning, and also during the previous even-
ing, an unusual degree of excitement prevailed throughout
Somers' Town, owing to the fact of the supposed murderer
of Mrs. Hannah Giles, of Otterden, Kent, having been
apprehended and locked up in the S division station-
house, situate in Phcanix-street. It will be re-
membered that the sanguinary deed was effected
in the evening of the fd instant, at a short distance from
the dwelling of the unfortunate female who was discovered
lying dead on a heagtof soo: by the roadside, with a bullet-
wound in her left breast, and her throat cut in a most hor-
rible manner from ear to ear. The sheath of a razor and
a pocket pistol were found beside her, and, from inquiries
subsequently made, it appeared that the weapon last al-
luded to had been sold by a blacksmith to a young man
named Samuel Seeger, a shoemaker, between whom
and the deceased an intimacy had formerly existed. Seeger,
who suddenly absented himself from Otterden on the
discovery of the murder was at once suspected to be the
guilty party, and a:description of his person was accord-
ingly advcrtized in the hue and Cry, with the offer cf a
handsome reward for his apprehension. Harley, an active
constable of the district in which the crime was perpe-
trated, and who has been unceasing in his exertions to se-
cure Scagar, at length succeeded in his object, and on
Wednesday evening took him into custody, at Coleshill,
near Birmingham, to which place he travelled on foot, in-
tending to obtain work on the Railway; ho seemed greatly
agitated, and at first said that his name was Rogers, but af-
terwards admitted it to be Seeger; he denied all know-
ledge of the murder, and was locked up in the gaol for
the night, in the course of which he made a desperate
attempt to strangle himielf with his leather boot-laces.
On the following morning he was brought up by the train
to Euston-square, and conveyed by the constable to the
station-house, in Phcenix-street, before referred to, where
he was constantly watched, until, to prevent any further
attempt upon his life, he was yesterday morning,
at ten o'clock conveyed away in a cab, handcuffed,
accompanied by Harley, his captor, who, without loss,
of time took him off to Kent, by the Faversham coach.
A considerable crowd of persons assembled round the sta-
tion to witness his departure. The account volun-
tarily given by him respecting the pistol was, that
he hid it behind• a hay-rick in the vicinity
of Otterden. in consequence of his mother having
threatened to throw it into the fire, and that he knew not
by whom it could have been taken from the spot mentioned.
His age is about 30, and his height 5 feet 5 inches ; he
was dressed in a shooting jacket, black waistcoat, and drab
corded trowsers, and his countenance by no means be-
likened a sanguinary disposition.

We have received from a friend in Leith, a noti-
fication which indicates a belief that there will speedily be a vacancy
in the representation of the burghs. As there is no immediate chance
of such a circumstance occurring, it appears to us quite unnecessary
to enter on any subject which it would be of no practical use to dis-
cuss, except in the prospect of a speedy election.—Scots•nan.

• -
KNOIVLSL EL—The Earl of Derby, we regret
to state, continues an invalid.• His Lordship is able to raise his
right hand, and daily franks letters, but he writes unsteadily, arid
with some difficulty. Lady Charlotte Penrylin 'has arrived, on a
visit to the Noble Lord. The Hon. Captain and Mrs. Stanley
have left for town. The late storm has done immense damage to
the splendid family mansion—the large centre chandelier in the
drawing-room fell with atremendous crash from the ceiling through
the floor, and the young trees in the plantations were destroyed. His
Lordship, if sufficiently recovered, will leave for town next month.
tr be invested with the Order of the Garter.
•

DREAD OF (THE) CHARLES MATHEWS.-1.--
In January, 1818, Mr. Mathews was performing an engagement at
Edinburgh. In recounting his adventures in that town, he says,
" I was placed in a most awkward situation in the courts of law on
Saturday. Erskine (the late Lord Kinnedar), while pleading,
glanced his eye towards me, stopped, laughed, and shook his fist at
me. I blushed up to the eyes. When he sat down, I observed he
wrote a note with a pencil to the Judge, Lord Gillies. He craned
his neck directly to look at me, and when he came out of Court,
Erskine said, What the devil brings you here, mon,—you spoilt
my speech—l canna afford to be taken off. Did you observe Lord
Gillies look at you ? I wrote him a card, and told him to be upon
his guard as 1 was, or we should both be upon the stage before sup-
per to night.' "—L(fe of Charles Mathews.

Mr, CLoss stated that having heard of the result of the
meeting at Newark, and that the High Sheriff had
behaved in a partial manner, he (Mr. Close) had
waited on the Under-Sheriff, who resides at Not-

tingham, to ask him if the High Sheriff had
signed the petition, when he was informed that acting under
the advice of the Under-Sheriffs he had not signed it.
Thus the petition could only be considered as the petition
of the individuals whose signatures it bore, and not as
emanating from a County meeting. At the close of the
proceedings Mr. Close stated h!s belief that the High
Sheriff must have been labouring under some mistake, as
he knew him to be too respectable a man to be guilty of a
wilful mis-statement. _ .

Dr. BowatNo stated that the enormously high prices to
which wheat and other provisions had risen during his
residence in Egypt, induced Colonel Campbell—who in
this, as on all occasions, most cordially co-operated in every
good work—and himse f to make a representation to the
Viceroy on the consequlences of his monopoly, as affecting
the principal article of subsistence, and to show to his
Highness that famine itself would visit Egypt unless the
ports were opened to, and the restrictions removed from,
the importation of foreign corn. His Highness bad supposed
that by fixing a maximum price he could obtain mastery over
the markets and supply the consumers from his own stores,
We were so fortunate as to convince him that no authority,
however absolute, could contest the laws of supply and
demand, and that the safest, as well as the wisest legisla-
tion, was to allow the free ingress and egress of corn. We
had the happiness of seeing the decree issued by which that
freedom was established, whose consequences were, as we
had foretold, a rapid decline of price, and an abundant sup-
ply of food, and the correspondence which be (Dr. B.)
held in his hand, which he received last night from Egypt,
showed that the districts in which he had left misery and
wretchedness were now in the possession of abundance.
He would take occasion to remark on the statements of Mr.
Walmesly as to the unwarrantable alarms of the agricul-
tural interest from the free importation of corn. They
had far more protection than they were probably aware of.
In no country in the world did land contribute so small a
portion of the public revenues. In Egypt the minimum
land-tax was is per acre, the maximum 145., the average
land-tax more than 10s. ; now the average price of corn in
the capital of Egypt was not more than 15s. per qr. Now
what would the agriculturists ofEnglaud say if they had to pay
in land tax two-thirds of the value of a quarter of wheat per
annum? In England itself land was formerly the main
source of taxation—and so it continues to be in almost every
part of the world !--( Hear, hear. )
Mr. EWART suggested that Delegates should acquaint
the Secretary with the names and addresses of those gentle-
men to whom it was desirable to furnish copies of the agri-
cultural questions.
:fir. G. W. Wool), M. P., stated that he had received
a petition from Kendal for presentation.
Mr. CLOSE stated that he had brought up a pe-
tition from Nottingham praying for the total and
immediate repeal of file Corn-laws, and also to
be heard by evidence at the bar of the House ;
the petition embraced and carried out the magnanimous
principle of free trade, and although probably no trade
would be so likely to suffer as the peculiar manufactures of
Nottingham, yet they express their utter dislike to, and re-
pudiation of, the mischievous principles of legislative pro-
tection.

The CHAIRMAN bad received a letter from the Secretary
of the Manchester Anti-Corn-law Association, stating
that petitions would be presented from the different
trades of that town most numerously signed, and that in
the greater number of cases the petitioners had also stated
their residences.

Mr. AIKEN stated that the petition trom Liverpool had
received upwards of twenty five thousand signatures, and
that no petition from that place had ever before been so
numerously or so respectably signed.
Mr. BARKER stated that the petition from Preston would
be here on Monday.
The_ CHAIRMAN suggested the propriety of presenting

boym
bee
to
wf
e theen p 2 e 0 petitions a tniidis
3e
ov
,eonoi no g.
persons—( The DELEGATE from the Tower Hamlets said there
pes—( Hear, hear)—
would be a petition from that part of the metropolis, signed
and ho wished to know by what time it should be ready for
presentation ?
The CHAIRMA said it should be ready, at the furthest,
by Tuesday.
Mr JOHNSON said there would be a petition from
the Town Council of Derby, to be presented by. Mr.
Strutt.—( Hear.) Also a petition agreed to at a
public meeting, and more numerously signed than
any which had ever before been presented from Derby.—
( Hear, hear.) Mr. Strutt intended, if he was permitted,
to make some observations upon that petitiou, explanatory
of the probable effect of the repeal of the Corn-laws on
the different trades in the town.—( Hear. )
Mr. GREG said ho had received a letter from a manu-
facturer in the country relative to the apprehensions en-
tertained by-the working•classes on the subject of the
repeal of the Corn-laws tending to a reduction in the
by
wages of labour, consequent on the reduction in the price of
food. " Considerable injury had been done to the cause
its advocates resting too much upon the argittnent,—which
in the main was erroneous ; that cheap corn, consequent
upon free importation, will enable our manufacturers to
compete advantageously with foreigners, by reducing the
cost of production of the manufactured article. Now, cheap
corn can only reduce the cost of production by causing a
reduction in the wages of labour. But the effect of the
repeal of the Corn-laws would certainly be (if there be
any truth in the anticipations of its advocates), to prevent
wages being reduced, or, at all events, to postpone perhaps
indefinitely the period of their reduction. By using the
above argument, therefore, we render ourselves vulnerable
to the assaults of our adversaries by resting on a false
position, and alienate from our cause the• labouring popula-
tion, who cannot be expected to be very earnest in a
mloabdoifiuerd, bayndthtehe
cause which its supporters tell them would be that of re-
duced wages." The fact is, that in the present condition of our
country, the wages of labour are not at all either regulated
or food,of the
bu but ti
tradere l yb yi
nh h
thew hdieem demand
for e
price
prosperityof
labourers are employed. During the last fire years, while
the price of corn has been unusually low, the wages of
manufacturing labour have been slightly, but steadily, on the
increase. When the profits of trade are entirely swept away,
wages will be reduced, whether the Corn-laws are repealed
or not. Till then wages will not be reduced, though corn
should be sold for five shillings a quarter. If, as we hope
and believe, the repeal of the Corn-laws opens new mar-
kets for our industry, and new returns for our manufac-
tures, and gives thereby a new stimulus to trade, the
operation. of the measure will certainly be rather to pre-
vent than to produce any reduction of wages, and in conse-
quence rather to enhance than diminish the cost of produc-
tion. It seems, therefore, advisable to abandon this fal-
lacious argument, as untenable, and therefore injurious to
our cause. The beneficial effect of a repeal of the Corn-
laws -
on our manufactures, will be two-fold :—to open t
us markets which are now closed, and to increase the wages
of labour, and divert capital from manufactures in countries
that now compete with us.—( Hear, hear.)
Mr. BARKER said be wished publicity could be given
to the following excellent passage from " Reasons for a
repeal of the Corn-laws"—(Published by the Delegates) :
" While we oppose the monopolies created for the supposed
benefit of others, we ask for no monopoly for ourselves.
We want no protection, but the common and equal pro-
tection of just government to person, property, and to in-
dustry. Our claim is Justice; and that claim involves—
Freedom of Industry and Freedom of Trade."—( Cheers. )
It was agreed that it would be desirable that some of the
Anti- Corn-law petitions should be presented to the House
of Commons that evening.
The Delegates then separated.

For a stenlet—a fish common in the Black Sea
not much larger than a good salmon—a nobleman, or even a mer-
chant, at St. Petersburg, has been known on great occasions, to pay
1,200 roubles (501.) and 300 or 400 roubles are not uncommon
prlces.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
15, Northampton square, Feb. 14, 1839.
SIR,—I ought to apologise for occupying your co-
lumns with matter of little importance, ccPp.ratively
with the great subjects that now engross pubLe atten-
tion. I should not have done so, but for an addre,;,'s in
' one of your publications of last week, signed by thre,.'
Gentlemen, professing to be the auditors of the accounts
of the Church Rate Abolition Society. I regret exceed-
ingly, that men of character, and of religions reputation,
should attempt to throw the shield of their character
over transactions which they ought to be among the
first to expose and repudiate.
I do not mean now to discuss the policy which the
Committee of that Society have for nearly two years
adopted, of doing little or nothing ; this is matter of
opinion, mine is more a matter-of-fact object ; and not-
withstanding the high ground assumed by these Auditors,
I do most fearlessly and unequivocally assert, that there
has been gross MISMANAGEMENT and MISAP-
PLICATION in the administration of the Funds of
this Society.
From the formation of the Committee up to Oct'o-
ber, 1838, no audit of the account had ever taken place,
the sum of 1,2781. had been received and expended en-
tirely on the personal responsibility of the Secretary.
There was no check whatever, on the part of
the Committee, and it was not until the audi-
tors met, that any of the Committee were in
possession of the particulars of the accounts which
had been paid ; and the business of the audi-
tors was, with two exceptions only, to compare
the amounts paid with the Treasurer's accounts—there
Was no choice, no opinion as to the propriety of the
Society's paying certain accounts, which were ques-
tionable—no referring back to the Comipittee to see by
whose authority these debts were contracted. No ; they
were paid, and the audit was a mere delusion.
Among the accounts paid were many very objection-
, able ones ; and I shall feel it to be my duty, whenever
a public meeting is called, to attend and take the sense
of that meeting upon the accounts generally. One
charge, which struck me as clearly a case of misappli-
cation, was a considerable sum paid for reporting pub-
lic meetings an church-rate subjects ; in fact, reports for
the Patriot Newspaper.
One of the accounts unpaid at the time of the audit,
was of this description ; and both the Auditors refused
to sign that account at the first meeting, but were in-
duced subsequently to do so, on ascertaining that the
' Report had been ordered in the name of the Society.
Surely, Mr. Editor, if the Church-rate Abolition So-
ciety were to pay the Reporters of any Newspaper,
' your Reports were much more entitled to be paid for
than those of the Patriot.
I could go on enumerating other charges equally ob-
jectionable, such as " Hire of a carriage for the Secre-
tary's journey," &c. &c. ; but I decline doing so, as I
think I have a right to insist that no idle fears of injur-
ing the cause of abolition should prevent the accounts
being at once laid before the public.
A word to these auditors.—One of the gentlemen is a
new member of the Committee ; another is a member of
the Committee that seldom attended its meetings ; how
his name became attached to the document in guts-
tion--4 leave hint to explain. The third gentle-
man was my co-auditor in October last ; and I
put it distinctly to him, if he did not, when
the account against the Society, in the ledger of
the Patriot newspaper, was produced, an erasure nearly
in every line, declare, as a lawyer, " that he should be
sorry to go into Court with any cause supported by such
evidence ;" and if it was not by his suggestion that the
audit was adjourned for a week, to enable the Secretary
to put the accounts into a shape to be understood ?
There ought to be no longer any mistake about this
Society. It was notorious among the friends of aboli-
tion that the Secretary had run away with the Com-
mittee. The Committee was called together just as it
suited his purposes. On some occasions six months
elapsed without a single meeting ; and even last year,
when it is professed there has been so much cor-
respondence on Church-rate matters, there was no
meeting of the Committee from May till October.
Surely if there was much to be done the -Committee
might have been called together, and some of these
" interesting communications" read to them, if they
were not consulted on the answers to be sent in their
name. Few men like to be made such mere utensils of
as this, and before the Church-rate Abolition Society
can rally, it must be taken out of the present hands and
put into the hands of a real, ostensible, active Com-
mittee.

R. BESLEY,

IVIARYLEBONE BOARD OF
GUARDIANS.

THE LATE REVOLTING OUTRAGE ON THE PAD-
DINGTON CANAL.
Yesterday, at the weekly meeting of the Board of Directors and
Guardians of the parish of St. Marylebene, the subject of the tale
diabolical outrage on the young female Susan Gale, aged 19, by
tin ce ruffians comic cted with one of the fly.boats on the Padiiii,gt on-
canal, was brought before the notice of the Board, that unfortunate
young creature being an inmate of the Workhouse-infirmary.
j • Mr. Joseph wished to know if any report was in preparation
relative to the poor girl's case as to the causes which led to her ad..
mission into that house, the infamous outrage having been perpe-
trated upon her in the parish of Paddington. He could lissure the
board he hail not mentioned this subject for the purpose of getting
the poor creature ejected from the house ; but merely for the
purpose of ascertaining how she came to be admitted. As a
medical man, he begged to state that her situation was the most
heartrending and de?lorable, as the results of the brutal treatment
by the boat ruffians (two of whom,?ie was happy to :say, were mow
in custody), was, that the unfortunate girl was now laid up in one of
the wards of their Infirmary, labouring under a disease of a most
virulent description ; in fact, so bad was her condition, that he feared
it would be several weeks before she would be entirely conva!eseent,
and able to go out.
Mr. Thorn said, the unfortunate young woman hail beta taken
in there at the request of the Magistrates of High Street Police_
office, before whom her case was heard, she being at the time.
in so low a condition from the effects of the brutal treatment she
hrd received, that she was unable to proceed further.
Mr. Joseph said, was he then to understand that the poor girl
was r. dmittcd as if she had been labouring under an accident p
Mr. Gibson said, he thought he could throw some light upon the
subject, as also put the Board in possession of some interesting facts
relative to the unfortunate girl in question. At the conclusion
of the hearing of her case at High-street, the Magistrate recom_
mended her to be brought to the workhouse, as she was in a state
of complete exhaustion. The Rota was then sitting, and
deeming the case a most urgent one, she was at once admitted.
Since she had been an inmate the inspector of police who hail
succeeded in capturing two of the villains, had sent down to Stone.
bridge, in Wiltshire, where the girl stated she had come from, and
found that her father and mother-in.law lived there, through the
later of whom she was sent to town by a waggon. It had further
been traced that the unfortunate victim would, on attaining her
majority, become entitled to property to the amount of 1501. or
°ON. per annum, so he thought the will would not be likely to
loSe anything by the attention they had paid to her.
Mr. Joseph said he understood it was the intention of the Magis-
trates, if possible, to get her attendance at High-street on Tuesday
to identify the two men now in custody, and the third, if he was_
caught. He was afraid, however, she would not be able, although
the medical officers were using every exertion to rectver her. If,
however, she did go, he hoped, as the poor girl would have no on&
to stand by her on so tr, ing an occasion, that some of the members
of that board would be present.
Several members having volunteered their services, the Board
broke up.