The Sun.
London, England, 1839-07-29 00:00:00

ANSWER.

SIR am desired by the Lord Mayor to acknowledge
the receipt of your letter of the 18th ult., and to state that
your first letter has been laid aside and forgotten, or it
would have had earlier attention. Although so intimately
connected as you appear to be with the coal trade in all its
different branches, you are not at all singuler in the opi-
nions yea have formed of the evil tendency of the present
system of combination in that trade. His Lordship agrees
with you to the fullest extent, that in the end it will pro-
duce competition most prejudicial to the interests of those
who are now the promoters and supporters of a measure
so injurious to the public interests.
You can hardly he acquainted with the Derby and Staf-
fordshire coals now selling in the London market. or you
would not feel so satisfied as you state yourself to be that
they are not equal to the Newcastle and Sunderland coals.
With regard to your calculation upon the prices of New-
castle coals, compared with inland, his Lordship differs
from you, as you will see below :
YOUR ST \ TEMENT. HIS LORDSHIP'S STATEMENT.

Ton of best coal: on

1 Ton best coals on

board at Shcilds„.€o 11 2 board at Stafford
Freight with tic- and Derby Z 0 6 0
spatch
Municipal charge 0 1 2,21 Boat hire and haul-
.

aargefor delivery 0 6 0

ing 0 7 6
Municipal charges—, 0 1 1
Delivery

Charge of one ton
of coals to con-
sumers €1 5 10,4 X 1 3 Si
You make your calculation upon what you consider
would be the charges and prices of Sunderland and New-
castle coals, when the combination is broken up, and no
factor's charges ; but the fair comparison at the present
moment between your coal and the inland is as follows :
Present prices of a ton of best Price of a ton of Derby, Staf-
Sunderland coals, ford, or Leicester Coals.
On board £0 11 2 On board £0 6 0
Coal-market and City dues 0 1 1
city dues 0 2 8 Coal dues 0 5 1;1,
Freight
Coal merchant's ing 0 7 6
charge on market Coal merchant for
price ... ......... ... 010 0 delivery... ......

R 1 13 2

£1 3 8,

345. is the price now charged to that part of the public
who prefer what is called best coals, to anti-combination
or inland at 225. or 24a.

With regard to the uncertainty of the winter his Lord-
ship admits there is much to fear. The public have not
laid in their usual stock of coals, and he expects when the
winter approaches, and it is found that the supply has been
purposely kept back, that the price of coals will be very
much higher than at present.
The suggestion you make to apply to Parliament for
the immediate repeal of tire Act prohibiting the inland
coals froth being brought withsn a certain distance of
Londou, is already accomplished, the Act is repealed
The inland coal-owners are alive to it—they are acting
upon it. Coals have arrived, are selling in London, much
liked, and great preparations making for a much larger
supply, which his Lordship has no doubt, you will feel the
effects of, as you will also of the new local fields that are
opening in your own immediate neighbourhood for the
purpose of having a free trade.
His Lordship hears that coals were sold last market
day, that came from Lord Londonderry's pits, without the
ship waiting its turn, or passing through the market regu-
lations—let a few other pits follow their example, and it
will be all up with your combination ! What are the
Stockton people about, that they will allow themselves to
be thus deluded.

His Lordship thanks you for the offer of your services,
which, in the event of requiring them, he will be glad to
avail himself of; but at present be is burnii.g coals from
the north that are in no way connected with the combina-
tion—Free coals brought in free ships, entirely free from
all the Newcastle, Sunderland, and London combinations
or regulations. The Yorkshire coals are still cold at the
price of 225. ; they are regularly called for and sold in
the market as Lord Mayor's coals, notwithstanding the
abuse of certain interested parties who are seriously be-
ginning to feel the effects of these new coals. One coal
merchant alone brought in upwards of 4,000 tons of York-
shire coals in one month, without waiting a turn in the
sections—without paying factor's charges, collier dues at
Gravesend, or any one of the combination impositions.
Where his Lordship obtains the coals, others may do
the same, and like them as well as he does. It is not alone
in the large grates at the Mansion-house ; he has burnt
the same in the country, at Beckenham, for many months,
and is still doing so, and they give equal satisfaction to the
family, and there is no danger to the furniture.
His Lordship considers the combination broken up if
the public will follow his example—if they will not, they
ought not to complain of the high price of coals.
" I remain, Sir, your obedient servant,
C. LEA WILSON.
To Edward Pleas, Esq.

THE ITOWITT FAMILY.—Last week, a meet-
ing of the medical profession was held in Nottingham, to
consider the most proper mode of testifying their unanimous
respect for the character and talents of their d:stinguished
townsman, Dr. Godfrey Howitt, previous to his departure
for South Australia. We understand they resolved to
meet again and present Dr. H. with a valuable piece of
plate, engraved with a suitable complimentary inscription.
It is said this worthy and eminent naturalist, accompanied
by his amiable and poetical brother Richard, with some
other members of the family, will bid adieu to their native
land some time in the course of next month.—Doncaster
Gazette.

.T.
SCOTCH NOTIONS
• fact which I can
not known to the English, but it is a .
vouch for, from my six or seven years' residence in.
OF THE ENGLISH.-It IS
Scot-
land, that the Scotch, one and all, believe it to be an in-
alienable characteristic of an Englishman to be fond of
good eating. What indignation have I, and how many a
time had occasion to feel and utter, on this subject 1 But
of this at some other time. Meantime, the Man of Feel-
ing bad this creed in excess ; and in some Paper
(of the
Mirror or the Lounger), he describes an English tourist
in Scotland by saying—" I would nos wish to be thought
national; yet, in mere reverence for truth I am bound to
say, and to declare to all the world (let who will be
offended), that the first innkeeper in Scotland under
whose roof we met with genuine buttered toast was an
"—Tait's Magazine.
Englishman.

LAW INTELLIGENCE.

COURT OF CHANCERY, JULY 27.
RISIITON V. COBB.-APPEAL.

This was an appeal from the judgment of the Vice-
Chancellor on the hearing of the cause. The plaintiff in
this suit is Frances Lady, Campbell, the widow of Major-
General Sir Neil Campbell, formerly Governor of Sierra
Leone, and now the wife of Mr. Rishton, a merchant in
that colony. Lady Campbell's second marriage was very
unhappy, and she and her husband separated two months
after her wedding, Mr. Rishton returning to Sierra Leone,
and Lady Campbell going to reside at Margate, in Kent,
where it appears she did not state the fact of her second
marriage, and passed as the widow of the late Sir Neil
Campbell. About ten years since she became intimate
with the late Mr. Cobb, a solicitor of that town, from
whom she had borrowed about 180/. in money. On Mr.
Cobb's death it appeared that he had made the following
bequests to Lady Campbell :—lle gave to trustees the sum
of 2,0001., to pay the interest and proceeds to Lady
Campbell during her life, unless married ; he also
left her, if she were not again married, at the time of his
decease the sum of 500/., out of which all moneys owing by
Lady Campbell at the time of his death should be deducted ;
he also ordered that a diamond ring, upon which money
had been lent by him, should be restored. The defend-
ants, who were the legatees and next of kin, of the testa-
tor, refused to pay the bequests to her Ladyship, alleging
that she had represented herself falsely as a single woman
to Mr. Cobb, whose affection she won, and that he had
even asked her to marry, which she refused only on account
of his irritability of temper, and that it was in contempla-
tion of her capability of becoming his wife that he had
made the bequests. The Vice-Chancellor on the hearing
overruled these arguments, and decided that Lady Camp-
bell was entitled to the amount of the bequests as prayed
by her bill.
Mr. KNIGHT BRUCE, for the defendants, contended, on
the authority of several cases, that the judgment of the
Court below was wrong, and that the plaintiff had no right
to ask the Court to give to her the fruits of her fraudulent
representations.
Mr. WAKEFIELD, after reading from the evidence at
great length, contended that the Vice-Chancellor's judg-
ment was correct. It must be proved that Mr. Cobb
would have left Lady Campbell nothing bad he known she
was married before the argument of the other side could

prevail.
The hearing was further adjourned.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.

MANSION-HO USE.

A woman of respectable appearance, named Mary
Reeve, was brought before Alderman Scholey, the locum
tenens of the Lord Mayor, charged with having assaulted
Mary Anne Haslam. The case had some interest, in con-
sequence of the turning of the tables, by which the com-
plainant became the accused, and the defendant a witness
against her.
Mary Anne Haslam stated that she knew Mrs. Reeve,
who walked up to her on the preceding evening, and
fetched her a stunning blow on the ear, which was the
more remarkable and provoking for not being accompanied
by words.
A police-officer stated that he was present when the
blow was struck, and had not observed that any provocation
was given..

Alderman SCHOLEY—WeII, Mrs. Reeve, how can you
account for having used this improper violence ?—Mrs.
Reeve replied that she was so exasperated at the dishonesty
of the young woman in a place to which her (Mrs. Reeve's)
husband had recommended her, that she could not refrain
from giving that sort of cl.astisernent to the offender. Her
husband was related to Mary Haslam ; and a Mr. Hilliard,
who kept a public-house in Thames-street, took that girl
into his service, in consequence of the character given her
by Mr. Reeve. It was soon, however, ascertained that
she had been robbing her master, who turned her away
because she had opened the pot-boy's box with false keys,
and taken from it half-a-crown. She had even the auda-
city to put into Mrs. Reeve's drawers some articles which
belonged to Mr. Hilliard, which it was suspected she had
stolen. All these things having come to the knowledge
of Mrs. Reeve, it was quite impossible not to feel exaspe-
rated, and the blow was certainly given.
Mr. Hilliard stated that he took Mary Ann Hallam into
his service upon the recommendation of Mr. Reeve, and
discharged her in consequence of having missed money at
different times. He identified some of the property, which
Mrs. Reeve said the girl had put into her drawers, as his.
The prisoner, who thus from an accuser became accused
of a much worse offence than that with which she charged
the principal witness against her, was remanded for further
examination.

The driver of an omnibus, whose number is 108, was
charged by Sir John Key, Bart., with having driven his
omnibus along the streets with great rapidity, and on the
wrong side.
Sir John Key said that, as he was riding on horseback
a few days ago along the street, an omnibus was driven
towards him with such violence, and on the wrong side,
that he was obliged to turn his horse instantly upon the
pavement to save himself from perhaps fatal injury. The
driver took no notice of him, but whipped on his horses,
looking behind him every moment for an omnibus which
was following in the race. The defendant belonged to the
second omnibus, which also compelled Sir John Key to
tern upon the pavement. If the Hon. Baronet's horse
Lad not happened to be a very quiet and steady animal
the consequences might have been dreadful.
The defendant upon being asked by Alderman SCIIOLEY
why he had thus put the lives of people in jeepardy, said,
" All that Sir John says h quite true, but the driver of
the first omnibus was much more to blame than I was."

Sir John Key said that the defendant had acted with
much civility upon being accused of racing, but the inte-
rest of the public wa4 so much concerned that it would be
improper to admit respect and civility as an excuse; he,
however, thought that a small fine would be quite suffie:ent.
The other drivtx, who was much mere eulpabi.c, should
hear of it on a future day, as a mistake had occurred in
the Famnions taken out against
Alderman SCISOLEY, who has been always remarkable
for making allowance for the errors of others, fined the de-
fendant in the penalty of 59.. We know others who would
have been fined 51., rnd perhaps the severer penalty would
have had the better effect.