The Sun.
London, England, 1839-03-27 00:00:00

DEBTS OF HONOUR v. AFFAIRS

OF HONOUR.

M. 8., a young fashionable of considerable wealth,
being one evening at a house where play ran high, one
of his old comrades the Count do --, who had not a
very good reputation for his punctuality in paying his
debts, became reduced to his last Napoleon, and bor-
rowed of M. B. 2,000 f., promising to return it the next
morning by his groom. The next and many subsequent
mornings came, but no groom made his appearance.
M. 8., therefore, felt himself at liberty to call upon
his debtor, and remind him of it : but, by a strange
fatality, the Count never happened to be at home.
Some months elapsed, and he had quite lost
sight of him, when, last Sunday night, M. B.
accidentally met the Count at the Bureau des Sup-
pletnens in the lobby of the Theatre de Renaissance,
just as the latter had put down a five-franc piece in
order to obtain a better place in the theatre. M. B.
instantly snatched up the money, and, with a significant
gesture, said, " Sir, now our account stands 1,995 f.
against you, instead of 2,0001." A few words ensued ;
Cut the Count felt that the place was not suited for an
explanation, and withdrew. In the morning, M. B. was
roused from his sleep by the Count, attended by two
Friends, bearing all the apparatus for a duel. M. B. on
being made formally acquainted vith the purport of the
visit declined the imitation, on the ground that
he and the Count would not meet on equal terms,
for if he, M. 8., fell he should not only lose his life
but his money also. This obstacle, however, was
removed by one of the Counts friends, who went home
and soon returned with two notes for I,ooof. each, which
he exchanged with M. B. for the identical five-franc
piece taken at the ball. " Now, gentlemen," said
111. 8., " I still see no reason why the Count and I
should fight. He has paid me my money, and I have
no hesitation in acknowledging him to be a man of
honour. Besides, the new jurisprudence of the Court
of Cassation excites some uneasiness in my mind, for it
visits the penalties of the law as well on the seconds
as on the principals, and I have great reluctance in
placing any two friends of mine in such a predicament."
The seconds pulled long faces. H. B. pulled out his
purse, put the money into it, and the party adjourned
to a dejeuner a la fourckette at a fashionable restau-
rateur's.—French Paper.

THE CALIFORNIAS.

Some weeks ago. through the columns of this

paper, the attention of Government was called to
the importance of the Californias to this country,
in a political and mercantile point of view. The
probability that they would be ceded to England or
France, in liquidation of claims which Mexico had
no other means of satisfying than by a sacrifice of
territory, was pointed cut ; and it was submitted
that measures should be taken by the United
States, to prevent, if possible, such a consumma-
tion. 'We have noticed no allusion to the subject
elsewhere, and we now see our fears confirmed, by
a letter from Santa Anna to Gen. Tornel, in which
he says :
" It imports little that we lose the province of
Texas, both the Californias, and the peninsula of
Yucatan."
Texas is already lost, the cession of Yucatan has
been confidently affirmed, and though nothing has
yet come to light respecting the Californias, we are
satisfied, from the above remarks, that negociations
have been entered into for their surrender to Eng-
land in payment of her claims. Should such be
the case, this country will one day have cause to
regret that the GOVe!rrlMEllt was so insensible to her
interests, as to quietly look on, while her great
commercial rival obtained possession of a territory
from which she could command the trade of the
Pacific.—New York Times of the Bth.

METROPOLITAN POLICE BILL.

The City Police Committee, sitting daily at the Ex-
chequer Coffee-house, in Palace yard, have, since our
last notice of their proceedings, received a great num-
ber of assurances of support in their opposition to the
Bill for placing the City under the control of the Me-
tropolitan Police Commissioners from Members of both
Houses of Parliament.

The reports abroad are that the Ministers regret the
introduction of the Bill, and are ready to receive and
entertain a petition from the Corporation, for leave to
bring in a Bill to Parliament for the regulation and go-
vernment of their own police. Whatever may be the
disposition of the Government towards the citizens, the
latter it would appear from the proceeding's of the Court
of Common Council on Monday, are by no means in-
clined to listen to anything like a compromise of their
privileges. They arc determined not to abate their ex-
ertions, however favourably entertained towards them
Lord Melbourne and his colleagues may appear to be. '
The following reply to the circular of the Town
Clerk, on the subject of opposing the Bill in Parliament,
was received by Mr. Woodthorpe, from the Mayor
of Weymouth :
" Guildhall, Weymouth, 22d March, 1839.

" SIR.—I yesterday had the honour of laying your
communication to the Town Clerk of this borough, to-
gether with the Bill which accompanied it, before the
Council, and forward you copy of minutes thereon, in
accordance with their wishes.

"I am, Sir, your most obedient servant,
"ARTHUR H. HORSEFO RD, Mayor.

" H. Woodthorpe, Esq., &c."
The minutes of Council were then read. At the
meeting in question it wag resolved that the Town
Council of Weymouth considered the Bill fraught with
the grossest danger. That they saw with deep regret
that an attempt was made to deprive the City of Lon-
don of any of their rights and privileges, and that in
accordance with these resolutions, they would request
their borough and county Representatives to give the
Bill their most decided opposition in Parliament.

THE BOURBON FAMILY IN GORITZ.—The
Augsburg Gazette, of the 16th instant, contains the fol-
lowing details relative to the exiled Royal family of France,
in a letter from Goritz of the 4th instant :—" The Duke of
Blacas has been still suffering ever since his return from
Venice, where he enjoyed a freer air and more sun. He lives
here in narrow street, which is surprising, when so many
houses are to be had upon the sunny hills here among the fig,
pomegranate, and olive trees. Goritz is a very pretty little
town, and the environs are lovely in the extreme. The
Royal family, who live very retired, and only visit
the churches, could not well have found a more
beautiful place of residence. They are universally re-
spected and honoured here, and their praise is in
every mouth. The people of Goritz are delighted to
possess them, as their town gains greatly in advantage by
them, no less than eighty exiled French having taken up
their residences here, without reckoning the constant vi-
siters. A deficit of 100 florins last year in the poor's
chest was covered by the Royal family, and 500 florins
bestowed upon it since. A similar sum was sent by the
Duchess of Angouleme to the Agricultural Society, to
aid the interests of agriculture. The Duke of Bordeaux is
a fine young man, but rather too stout for his ages.
At our last exhibition were several pictures painted Lby
him, which exhibited considerable talent. He rides out al-
most every day. His favourite promenade is towards
Salcano, a village crowned with cypresses, at the en-
trance of the valley of the Isonzo. Prince Polignac
leaves us on the sth. He lodges at the Three Crowns, but
dines every day at the Royal table ; and the Duke of Bor-
deaux generally comes to fetch him to dinner. He has
visited the Chateau of Grafenberg, where Charles X.
died, and the chapel or convent of Castanavizza, where
he lies buried. Goritz pleases him so well that he has pro-
mised to return and reside next winter. He goes out a
great deal, and almost always alone. He is a well-look-
ing man, tall and slender. His face is pale, and expresses
at the same time that which has produced this paleness."
DISTURBANCE ON THE NORTH MIDLAND
RAILWAY.—On Wednesday afternoon last, at one o'clock,
when notice was given for the workmen to descend the va-
tines shafts at the tunnel at Chevet, near Wakefield, for the
purpose of commencing their usual operations, part of them
refused to comply, and immediately armed themselves with
weapons of various sorts, consisting of pick shafts,
hedge stakes, &e., in order to intimidate those of their
fellows who were desirous of continuing their work.
Afier succeeding in stopping the men connected with
the tunnel, they immediately proceeded to the exca-
vations, with the intention of effecting a similar stop-
page, but the workmen among whom they came, much
to their credit, refused to comply. Being thus disap-
pointed they quietly dispersed without using any violence.
The police stationed at Darfield and Houghton were im-
mediately sent for and were on the spot early on the fol.
lowing morning, whew Mr. Shaw, the contractor, met the
men to ascertain the cause of this disturbance, but no sa-
tisfactory excuse was gives. Mr. Shaw consequently paid off
the whole body, but most of the men, however, returned to
their work on Friday, and everything appears to be now
going on peaceably.
THE DIPLOMATIC COOK.—The following
anecdote of Talleyrand, is given on the authority of a
Danish officer, who was an eye-witness of the fact :—ln
1794, when Talleyrand was ordered to quit London in
twenty-four hours, he took a passage on board a Danish
vessel for the United States. This vessel fell in with an
English frigate which made a signal to heave. to, and sent
an officer on board to examine her. Talleyrand, who did
not wish to be brought back to England, was much alarmed,
and entreated the Danish Captain not to declare him. The
Captain, who did not attempt to conceal the embarrassment
in which he was placed, could think of no other contrivance
than to make Talleyrand pass for the ship's cook. At first
he was indignant at the proposal, and rejected it as an
insult ; but as the danger;increased every instant, and the
beat came within gun-shot of the Danish vessel, the ex-
Bishop of Autun was forced to make up his mind ; and as
' the last resource, though with the worst grace possible, put
on the cotton cap, and the kitchen apron, with a large
knife dangling at the belt : and when the English officer
inquired if any Frenchmen were on board, the Captain re-
t plied that there was only a poor lame devil of a French cook.
1 Being called on deck, thus equipped, he cut such a pitiful
' figure that the English officer consented to let him remain.
M. de Watersdortf, the Ambassador front the Court of
Denmark, under Bonaparte, used to delight in relating the
s'ory when he had any compl&nts against Talleyrand.—
French Paper.