The Sun.
London, England, 1837-10-17 00:00:00

INSURANCE COMPANIES.

-______-_—__ ..-- -------
256.0005 h ..,,.
61 p. ct. Scottish Union 20/. sh. 1/, pd 26s
7,500 61 p. cL Hercules 1001. sh. 10/. pd 131 15s.
101',000 sp. et. Insurance Co. of Scotland ....101. sh. all pd ni.
50,000 6F. et. North British 2001. sh. 104 pd HI.
1,000 sp. ct, Caledonian Fire 1001. sh. 10/. pd 181 Os
5,000 6p. et. Edinburgh Life 100/. sh. 101. pi 14110 s
100,001 31 p. et. West of Scotland lO/. pd 710 s
MISCELLANEOUS
4,810 ...... ... Edin. and Gins. Up, Cana1...501. sh. all pd 224
Ditto Allocated 961. sh. all pd 651.
5,400 5 per cent. Edinb.-Joint Stock Water 251. sh. all pd 341.
Carron Iron Company 250/. sh. all pd 454
2,0005 h 15 per cent. Shotta Iron Foundery 501. sh 3t•Il. pd 44/6
10,000 3 per cent. Edinburgh & Leith Glass 2Ol. sh. 161. pd Si.
4,500 10 per cent. Edinburgh Coal Gas 25/. sh. all pd 56/.
4,150 10 per cent. Glasgow Gas .51 0-, :01 ni 611.
„ .
750 7i per cent. Leith Coal Gas 201. en. 411 pd 451.
1,206 Edinburgh and Dalkeith Rail way... 50/. a h 554
3,000 5 per cent, Equitable Luasi Oomperiy 201. ob. W. pd 101.

SLAVERY IN THE UNITED STATES.

PHILADELPHIA, SEPT. 25.—The dark spirit of domes-
tic slavery overshadows with his raven wings all the
southern states of this republic ; and as education and ci-
vilisation advance, the more frequent are the collisions,
both within and without the walls of the Capitol, between
the champions of that odious tyranny and the advocates of
is entire abolition. The march of the latter is not slow,
but silent ; and, like all questions that are to be ultimately
settled by the irresistible influence of public opinion, the
probability is, that the result will he favourable to liberty.
Slavery is almost the only social fault of America—the only
political shoal upon which she is likely to be wrecked.
The " Abolitionists" as a body are, of course, confined to
the middle, northern, and north-western states, where
slavery does not exist. To preach abolition doctrines in
the south would be to court, through the agency of " Judge
Lynch," imprisonment, misery, and death. And yet much
is to be said for the south, in favour of the gradual eman-
cipation of the negroes, at the least ; though it is to be la-
mented that they are opposed per fas ant nefas, to emanci-
pation at all. They contend that they did not make slavery,
but they found it interwoven with their institutions, and
fully entailed upon them by their British ancestors ; that
cotton, rice, and tobacco plantations could not be culti-
vated by whites ; that their slaves are their most valuable
property ; that the northern Abolitionists do not offer to
pay the value of their emancipation ; and that neither Con-
gress nor any power out of their own separate States can
have any controul over the question, it being entirely a
matter of domestic state policy.

The latter argument is true, and founded upon the con-
stitution of the Union. If it were possible to alter the
system, as a matter of justice, the slaves ought to be paid
for. But it does appear to me singular that " the plan-
tations could not be cultivated by whites" should be
brought forward as a serious reason why the blacks should
be held in a state of bondage. Surely, if they were all
free to-morrow, laws could be enacted to compel them to
work for their living, somewhat on the principle of the
poor-laws of England. And what reason is there to be-
lieve that they would not work as cheerfully as white la-
bourers ?

It is not my intention to enter deeply, however, into this
exciting subjcct ; but only to supply you with sufficient
particulars to enable you to judge of the state of par-
ties here on the question of slavery, in order that you may
be in possession of a key to the most extraordinary pe-
tition presented to Congress a few days since by Mr.
John Quincy Adams. It is, perhaps, the strangest me-
morial that was ever presented to the Legislature of any
age or country. Two facts are important to be understood.
The number of slaves in the republic of the United
States is, at the present time, about two millions and a
half.

No one state has a right to interfere with the domestic
affairs of any other state ; neither does Congress possess
that right. Therefore, the question of slavery in Louisiana,
'Virginia, Alabama, &c., is entirely a question for the con-
sideration of the citizens of those states. No otlier citizens
have any business to meddle with it.
But the Abolitionists of the north endeavour to bring
the powerful lever of public opinion to act upon their bre-
thren of the south, and every meeting of Congress they
also try to make slavery a national affair in that body,
though clearly against the spirit of the Constitution, which
guarantees to each state the integrity of its separate laws
and institutions. The following are the means and present
state of the Abolitionists :

The first abolition society was established in Philadel-
phia in 1833.
In June, 1837, there were 1,006 anti-slavery societies
in the republic.
These consist of more than 100,000 members of all reli-
gious denominations.
The number of tracts and other publications issued by
the societies in New York last year was 669,387.
The average increase of the societies during the last
three years was 60 per cent.; during the last year 100
per cent.
The master-spirits are Messrs. Garrison, Tappan, Bri-
ney, Weld, Stanton, Gerrit, Smith, Delavac, &c.
Coloured schools in the free states are increasing rapidly,
and are found to be attended with good effects.

I cannot ascertain the amounts annually collected, but
they are immense ; and the spirit of abolition daily spreads
more and more in the ❑orthern states.

But to the petition presented by 4Mr. Adams, I give
the particulars in the language of the Washington corres-
pondent, to whose intelligent communications I have be-
fore alluded :

" Mr. Palk, the Speaker, in accordance with the rules
of the house, called on the states for memorials and petitions.
When Massachusetts was called, Mr. John Quincey Adams
rose and handed in a petition from a citizen of Sandwich,
in the state of New York, praying Congress to make him
(the petitioner) an alien J.
" Mr. Adams said that a petition of a character so ex-
traordinary might cause doubts in the minds of many as to
the sanity of the petitioner. But, ❑otwithstanding this,
Mr. Adams was prepared to show that in his memorial
the petitioner had embodied many grave and potent argu-
ments involving the right of Congress to make a citizen an
alien ; and, therefore, he wished the paper might be read
and printed.
" Mr. Palk decided that, under the rule adopted, the
petition must lie on the table.
" This memorial was from a citizen who, disgusted with
the curse of negro slavery, had become ashamed of his
country, and therefore wished to be alienated !"
I will further remark, that several hundreds of petitions
and memorials from citizens of the north have been already
presented against negro slavery in the south.—Morning
Chronicle.

A rustic Paganini was so fond of accompanying his
performance on the violin con spirito that it frequently
brought him into scrapes as well as distress. A gentleman
meeting him one day, looking very dolorosa, said, " Why
Jack, what ails you, isn't your fiddle in tune ?" " No, Zur
(replied Jack), it be in pawn."—Musical World.

. -
The abolition of the punishment of death, so much
desired by the philanthropical spirit of the age, appears to
be as remote a contingency in France as in England .
Amaly, who was condemned, at the last Montpellier assizes,
to death for robbery and murder, and who obtained a re-
prieve in consequence of an appeal to the Judges on a point
of law, was guillotined at Montpellier on the 4th inst. No
execution having taken place in that town for many years,
a great crowd assembled, of which, as a disgraceful proof
of the abortiveness of these sanguinary spectacles, it may be
stated that the greater part were women, and some with
children in their arms. A feeling of sorrow mingled with
the indignation thus occasioned at the sight of the grey hairs
of the aged criminal, who was dead in heart with anxiety
and exhaustion before he reached the steps of the scaffold.

The clergy of the diocese of Durham, at their last
meeting, memorialized the Archbishop of York against
the registration of births and deaths, and also against that
portion of the Marriage Act doing away with the religious
ceremony in that ritual.—Tyne Mercury.

We learn from the Journal de Cherbourg that an
English gentleman, long resident at Barfleur, who was fond
of fishing, went out to sea on the 3d inst., accompanied by
an English lad, a man named Leonard, his son, and another
fisherman. When about a league from shore they were
caught in one of the dangerous currents which infest that
coast, and the boat was in a moment upset. Leonard's son
immediately disappeared, and never again came to the sur-
face ; the rest caught and clung to the oars for a time, but
at length all in turn became exhausted, and were drowned,
except the English gentleman, who, was seen and picked up
by the brother of the unfortunate Leonard, who was fishing
at no great distance. The English gentleman was brought
by him into Barfleur, where he still lies in a very precarious
state.

THE MARCH OF INTELLECT.-At an omnium
gatherum, or " general dealer's" shop in Tottenham-court-
road, near Percy-street, is to be seen a jar full of small
cockle-shells, with the following inscription .—" Shells for
cureing werts and corns, two-a-penny !"

The Abergavenny Eisteddvod will be held on
Wednesday and Thur;day next. Among the prizes to be
awarded will be a most elegant brooch, in the shape of an
ancient triple harp, to the best amateur lady-performer on
the harp, the gift of Sir Charles Morgan, of Tredegar.

- -
On Saturday last, as the Duke of Orleans, who
had been out shooting, was returning to Trianon with the
Duchess, in a pony phaeton, one of the ponies became res-
tive at the gate entering the court-yard, from the narrow-
ness of which some serious accident might have happened,
had not the sentinel thrown down his musket, seized the
heads of the ponies, and stopped them. Immediately on
alighting his Royal Highness sent 7 out of 8 hares that
had been shot to the post at the chateau, with a sufficient
quantity of wine to promote their digestion, and, at the same
time, desired to be informed of the name of the sentinel.
At the Hereford musical festival the musicians and
vocalists offered to give up one-third of their emoluments
should the funds for their payment require it. This muni-
ficent and unsolicited offer of those receiving the smaller
salaries ought to become an example to those singers who
were so highly paid for their services, although the success
of the festival will not render the sacrifice necessary on
their part.—Hereford Gazette.
On Tuesday evening, a very respectable party of
gentlemen, friends and admirers of Mr. Mackay, the Come-
dian, gave that gentleman a very beautiful gold snuff-box,
richly worked in basso relieve, with the national emblem of
Scotland. The box bore the following inscription :—" Pre-
sented to Charles Mackay, Esq., of the Theatre Royal,
Fr':nb.'"7l!, by frior,ds in
professional talents and private virtues.-10tit Uctoner,
1837.".-.Liverpoo/ Ckrotticle.