The Sun.
London, England, 1837-05-01 00:00:00

HAMBLEDON BUNT RACES-WEDNESDA r.

fitel;rrnerC;CuP,th;iift-tithefVlembers of the Hunt, was
won by Mr. Vine's b. in. Curdridge Lass, 3 yrs, in four heats,
beating five others.
A Sweepstakes of 3 sous. each, with 10 added, was won by Mr.
Grnme's b. m. Margaretta, beating five others.
Match, 40/. each. Heats.—Mr. Christmas's O'Connell beat Mr.
Bacon's Brunette. _ . .

Match, 501.—Mr. Weston's g. g. beat Captain Dawson's horse.

COAL HOLE TAVERN, STRAND.—This old
established and highly respectable place of public amusement
continues to draw from all quarters. It is crowded every night
by Noblemen and Gentlemen, who, we need hardly say, evince
the highest gratification from the well conducted and unrivalled
convivial meetings. The singing is, as it always has been, of
the first order. The wines and spirits are of the choicest
quality.
One of the men employed in cutting the canal at
Horbury Bridge, who had been recently engaged, and who
usually slept in the engine-house, was found about three in
the morning of Saturday last, near the engine, with his head
dreadfully crushed. He lingered in great pain until five
o'clock, when he expired.—York Courant.
During the existing distress among the hand-loom
weavers of Douglas, we are glad to learn that the Right Hon.
Lord Douglas, with his characteristic liberality and attention
to the wants of the poor, has instructed his factor, Mr. T. R.
Scott, to procure temporary work for a limited number of un-
employed hands. The labourers are divided into three classes,
but no person of bad character can get employment.— Glas-
gow Chronicle.
Friday afternoon an inquest was held at the Mar-
quis`of Granby, South Audley-street, before Mr. Higgs, on
the body of a woman unknown, who was taken out of the Ser-
pentine river on Wednesday morning. It appeared from the
evidence of a labouring man named John Winniet, that he
observed the deceased floating upon the water, on Wednesday
morning, about half-past six, as he was passing over the bridge
to his work ; be went to the Royal Humane Society's receiv-
ing house and gave information. The body appeared to have
been in the water some days; the men got it out with long
poles. The surgeon of the work-house said he saw the de-
oeased, who, from her appearance, was in the lowest state of
destitution ; and there being no marks of violence on the body,
is of opinion she threw herself in ; there was a quantity of gin
and undigested food in the stomach ; her brain was very much
injured, no doubt from her low condition and miserable mode
of existence.—Verdict " Found drowned."

Friday evening an inquest was held at the Black
Horse Tavern, Kingsland-road, before Mr. Baker, the coro-
ner, on the body of a fine young woman about 23 years of age,
which was taken out of the Regent's Canal on Saturday last.
John Weightston, the keeper of Acton's Lock, on the Re-
gent's Canal, deposed that, between two and three o'clock on
Saturday last, on opening the, lock to let a barge through, he
found a difficulty in fitting one of the gates to its proper place ;
and on putting down a boot hook, he raised the body of the de-
ceased to the surface. It appeared to have been two or three
days, in the water, and he did not observe any marks of violence
upon It. The deceased was dressed in a gown of silk or me-
rino (he did not recollect which), trimmed with black, a black
silk petticoat. leather boots, black stockings, white straw bon-
net, and a red plaid cloak. The beadle of Shoreditch parish
said he was present when the body of the deceased was exa-
mined, and no property or documents of any description were
found upon her. In fact she had no pockets on, nor had she
any thing whatever about her to give the slightest clue as to
who or what she was.—Verdict, " Found drowned."
MADAME DE STAEL.—It is asserted, by all her
sex, that no woman displayed worse taste, and at the same time
greater pretensions to elegance. Her head was surmounted
with a mass of rags dignifie'd by the name of a cap ; her ill-
made dress of glaring, variegated colours, loaded with ab-
surd though costly trimmings, form a contrast to her dark,
greasy skin. But she brought, as a compensation, a great
store of wit.—Evenings with Prince Cumbaceres.
Amongst the newest and most important discoveries
in the arts, we certainly rank the recent invention of our local
Conservatives : and from henceforward we cannot but regard
them as regular M. A's. at least, in the most felicitous art of
bribing. The idea of binding men over to a certain set of
opinions and mode of voting, by a prospective penalty of losing
their share and interest in a provident association, is certainly a
very lucky hit.—Nottingham Review.
We learn from Granville, that six English smacks
have been captured by the French cruisers within the limits of
the French fishing ground.— Gtzlignani's Messenger.
The Eden locomotive engine, on the Carlisle and
Newcastle railway, on Saturday last performed the distance
from Milton to Carlisle (twelve miles) in ten minutes, being
at the wonderful speed of 72 miles an hour.—Cumberland
Pacquet.

SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS

Since we last addressed our readers Sir Francis
Burdett has taken the Chihern Hundreds, and stands
again for Westminster. His address appeared in the
Times of Saturday. Mr. Leader, who had announced
himself as a candidate for the next general election,
now resigns Bridgwater, and takes the field against Sir
Francis. His address will be found in another column.
Sir Francis Burdett now comes forward in his proper
character of a Tory, and he will of course have the
support of the Tories. We have heard, indeed, that
some of the parochial Committees of the Tories are a
little restive, being unable, all at once, to forget the
days when the Hun. Baronet was in his "glory."
But we have no doubt this divided feeling will be short-
lived. We would, therefore, have all the Reformers to
make up their minds to the strenuous exertions of all the
Tories in behalf of Sir Francis. Of course he cannot
have the support of a single honest Reformer. Mr.
Temple Leader, who in his short. Parliamentary career
has already distinguished himself as an able and
eloquent advocate of the cause of the people, will
receive the support of all Liberal electors, and
be returned to •Parliament by those who voted for Sir
Francis before his apostacy. The Hon. Baronet tells
the Westminster electors that they have changed, and
that he has not. This 'reminds us of the well-known •
anecdote of the madman, who contended that lie was
the only sane person in the country. All parties in
the kingdom have changed, but himself. The Radi-
cals, the Whigs, with whom he voted till lately, have,
seems, changed. The -Tories, against whom he
vosed till lately, have also changed, in order that his
consiotency may appear the more honourable, and gone
over to. Sir Francis. Those men against whom he
exhaustod his vocabulary of abuse, and a rich one it
was, are now the great " supporters of the laws, in-
stitutions, and Constitution of England," and in power
would prove' " firm, capable, business-doing, and de-
cided," equal' to " the demand of the Times." The
Hon. Baronet, however, tells us that he will still fight
under the banners of Reform ; but though he may hoist
fake colours, he will deceive no one. A man is known
by his company. Sir Francis will be surrounded on
the hustings by Conservatives, as he is now,supported
by all the Conservative journals. "We earnestly call
upon the Conservative electors of the city he has so
long and so faithfully represented," says the John Bull
of yesterday, " to crowd to the poll and place hint at
its head, who has thus fairly, honourably, and boldly
declared his sentiments and opinions He may
choose to call the Conservatives Reformers, and the
.Reformers Conservatives:, the Westminster electors
mill take care that there shall be no mistake. And
yet Sir Ftancis must gulp down some awkward, com-
pliments from his new allies before the Tories suffer
him to settle quietly down in his new character of
Tory. The Standard of Saturday intimates that the
only part of the Hon.. Baronet that remains unchanged
is the character of ~gentleman."
" We have very great pleasure," says our Evening Con-
temporary,. "in calling the attention of our readers to the
brave and manly reply of Sir F. Burdett to the pretended
Westminster requisition. It will be found in another co-
lumn. Mr. Lockhart, in his delightful Life of Sir W.
Scott,' mentions a quiet remark of the great poet, when
some vulgar persons, in their admiration of the lion,
seemed to forget the courtesies due to his rank as a
man. ' Author as I am,' whispered Sir Walter,
wish these good people would recollect that I began
with being a gentleman, and don't mean to give up
the character.' Just in the same spirit speaks and acts
Sir F. Burdett ; patriot—demagogue—as be has been ;
he began with being a gentleman, and don't mean to give
up the character.' "
However, between gentleman and gentleman there is
often a wide difference, and we are indebted to the
same delightful work for the " quiet" remarks of Sir
Walter Scott as to the sort of gentleman he thought
Sir Francis. The shrewd Scotchman, who seldom
erred in appreciation of character, thus speaks of
the Honourable Baronet in a letter to George Ellis,
Esq., dated November 3, 1809 :—" The soi-disant
Whigs . stick together like' burs. The ragged
regiment of Burdett and Folkstone is under yet stricter
discipline, for you may have observed that no lover was
ever so jealous of his mistress as Sir Francis is of mob
popularity ; witness the fate of Paull,' Tierney, even
Wardle—in short, of whomsoever presumed to rival
the brazen image whom the mob of Westminster has
'LA up." Sir Walter saw through the Westminster
Baronet, and knew that selfishness and overweening
vanity formed the staple of his character. He never
possessed much intellect ; but he had at command the
common places of Reform and a flosv of language ;
and with the passing of the Reform Bill iis oc-
cupation was gone, for it deprived hint of almost
the only subject on which lie could speak .so as
to deserve attention. The secret of Sir .Francis's
apostacy is the same selfish vanity which would
tolerate no brother near the throne of mob po-
pularity. We have heard it said of the Ho-
nourable Baronet, by those who know him well, that
he is so engrossed with himself that, though he has
done not a few generous acts, lie never did one spon-
taneously ; the good he did was always suggested to -
him by others. We can have no doubt as to the
result of the contest. Sir Francis will be supported
by all the Conservatives, and Mr. Leader by all classes
of Reformers. We will not suppose for a moment
that there are any Reformers who require to be told
that on this occasion all minor differences must be laid
aside. The battle is between Reform and Toryism ;
and there can be no hesitation on the part of either
Tory or Reformer. No Tory will support Mr.
Leader, and the Reformer who should think of sup-
porting Sir Francis is a fit candidate for Bedlam.
Driveller as the Honourable Baronet now is, he would
still be not a little startled were he to see a single
Reformer the dupe of his miserable attempt to defend
his consistency.—Morning Chronicle.
Sir Francis Burdett has thrown down the gauntlet
to the electors of Westminster—he is about to re-
sign his seat, and again to appeal to the constituency
which he had so long served with credit to himself and
satisfaction to the country ; but whose sentiments lat-
terly he has either misrepresented, or shamefully ne-
glected to express. We are fond of an old horse, exen
of an old clog, or anything which has endeared itself
to us by the length and fidelity of its servitude—and
this sort of feeling alone has induced us so long to
spare Sir Francis Burdett, whose tergiversation has
for some time back been so unequivocal and barefaced
as to disgust every right minded politician. But when
we find iim, as in the present instance, come forward
and, with an ingratitude almost incredible, insult those
who were once his best supporters, and without whose •
aid he never could have sat in Parliament for Westmin-
ster, we conceive-that further lenity would be nothing
less than a dereliction of duty, and that not to de-
nounce him would be to participate in his apostacy.
We now therefore have no hesitation in proclaiming
Sir Francis Burdett—not to use a harsh term—a de-
serter from the cause of Reform that he once advo-
cated, and the ally of the Tories that he formerly so
successfully assailed. Sir Francis for a length of time
has been steering for the point which he has now
reached but he had not the courage before to throw
himself—into the arms of the Tories ; he was deterred
up to the present moment by feelings of self-pride, by
a slumbering regard for principle by the remembrance
of what he once was, from perpetrating ("act of po-
litical suicide. He has now, however, thrown off
the mask, and the Champion of Reform of other
days—the incarcerated patriot of 1810, now stands
forth the unblushing supporter of Toryism. It is
true that he may attempt to deny the imputation of
apostacy, and endeavour to convince himself and
others that lie is still the same unimpeachable character
he once was—that lie still deserves the proud title that
a grateful constituency once bestowed upon him when
they designated him " England's pride, and West-
minster's glory"—but a little reflection will teach him
and those whom he would delude, that his 'descent into
the devious path of error, though slow, and Managed
with considerable tact, has been complete and decided,
His absence from the post of duty : his attempts to
damage. the Ministry— a Reform Ministry, by the
way—by personally attacking Mr. O'Connell, when
that Gentleman was efficiently aiding them ;-and,
finally, and above all, his making the columns of the
Times the vehicle for conveying his splenetic and in-
consistent effusions to the public, are evidences which
speak trumpet-tongued of his renegacy. His re-
signation at this juncture is a trick- worthy of,
lan% in keeping with, such conduct. By :doing _

a, , he calculates not only upon the support of his i sled to obtain for the Commons the independence !
n as, associates, the Tories, but also upon that of ' which, through the usurpation of the boroughmongers, •
ti ,ose old friends whose tenderness has already been- it had lost. Those boroughmongers who, by means
b : far too much extended towards his political delin- of their nominees in Parliament, in the year 1829,
vencies. Now then, men of Westminster, to your stifled the expression of Protestant feeling, treated with
tents. Be up and doing while the time yet remains contempt the petitions of the people, and, in defiance of
fur manifesting those liberal and independent senti- the great majority of the British nation, passed that Bill,
relents for which in past times you rendered yourselves which, without affording any security to the Protestant
so dear to the friends of freedom. The Tories are not Church ; but the mockery of a gossamer oath, admitted
only in the field, but mustering their strength in every into the Legislature the implacable enemies of that
quarter where they can find the slightest support. Sir Church, who have since incessantly laboured for its de-
Ceorge Murray, we are credibly informed, has with- struction. The manner in which the Bill of 1829 was
d.-awn from the contest, and Sir Francis Burdett ap- carried, as the " panacea for all the evils of Ireland,"
p as the Tory candidate. Will you, electors of proved more than anything which had happened in
Westminster, suffer the perpetration of such an atro- modern times 'the necessity of Parliamentary Reform.
cious libel upon your past and present character for I Scarcely were those men, who have been brought
the promotion of liberal principles, as to return a man 1 up in that worst of all slavery—the slavery of the
rho has not only failed to represent you through de- ' mind—which the despotic system of the Romish
s:gn, indifference, or but who has failed to Church ever inculcates, admitted within the doors
aaend to your expressed wishes, and who now sneers of our Protestant Legislature,, than they began to ,
at those who have placed implicit reliance upon his make war upon old English principles of dovern4
Isonour and faith ?—Morning Advertiser. ment, under a leader who bad the monstrous audacity
The rump of Westminster, driven quite frantic by to go about th© country in the professed charantea of
time wise and brave promptitude with which Sir Fran- a " Ministerial missionary, to preach down the House
cis Burdett has complied with the demand of their of Lords." The treaty at Lichfield House 'Dad placed
ragamuffin meeting on Monday last, that he should the Whig Ministers at the feet of the demagogue
at once resign his seat, have got up a stupid story whom they had. -previously denounced as the enemy
about Sir George Murray, as if the gallant officer were of his country hi the Speech from the Throne. Be-
ahout to play the game of the Radicals, by standing tween two conflicting parties in the House of Com-
on this occasion for Westminster, and by helping to rnons, nearly balanced, the Irish " tail" were enabled
bring in the Rump candidate through a fatal schism to turn, the scale in favour of destructive principles.
of the great holy of Conservative electors, thus divided The House of Lords still remained as the great bul-
and broken up between himself and Sir Francis. watt: of Protestant principles and the constitutional li-
We can assure the Rump that their hopes are vain, i beaties of Englishmen. Therefore the Irish demagogue
i
'knew that if he could only succeed in destroying the
that Sir George Murray knows too much of tactics,
and his numerous friends too much of Westminster 1 independence of the House of Lords all Protestant in-
politics, to meditate so silly, because so unseasonable-,stitutions would be delivered over to destruction, and a
1
a project. Sir Francis has maany weeks ago declared road for the march of Romish ambition would be
Naar against the O'Connell Cabinst. He has flung dtswa opened in England itself over the ruins of the citadel
the gauntlet on constitutional, that is, on true Csanser-
of the reformed faith. Of this Irish demagogue the
vstive principles, and tells the revolutionists of the Rump man who has declared himself I
that he is resolved to bring the question to an iramediate for the *suffrages of the peoplean opponent of Burdett
of Westminster is a
i i disciple—at present a representative for Bridgwater,
e sue—whether the liberties and laws of England are to
Le maintained in the person of him, their veteran and 1 and, we presume, not expecting to be a successful suitor
for the favours of that borough a second time. He
Dever-flinching advocate ; or whether they are to be
de!ivered over to the mercies of a rabble whose, notion hopes, by the. help of Mr. Wakley and the "rump,"
of Reform is everlasting change, and whose theory of to make Westminster his " city of refuge ;" though
good government is a "liberal " share of the loaves we must do some of the rumpites the justice to say
and fishes for their own especial profit. Sir Francis that they have publicly expressed their astonish-
Burdett insists on fair play from all quarters, as be- ment and indignation at their names having been clan-
tween him and Mr. Leader, who has, by an advertise- destinely made use of to recommend him to the elec-
nient within these tw tors, as appeared by the report of one of their o days, placarded himself as a 1
meet-
submissive tool of the Rump of Westminster. Yes, ' inga in our columns the other day. His political spon-
sor, Mr. Wakley, has, however, answered three things
Sir Francis, you shall have fair play. The .Conserva-
tires, at least, will " take no unfair advantage "of you lin his name. One, the last, but greatest of his quali-
in this contest. They will scorn to strike aback_aa_ 1 fications to represent 'Westminster, being that he has
-
handed blow against the old warrior who fights • their i" a long purse, well crammed with gold." The exact
battle together with his own. You have nothing length of the said purse the chirurgical Reformer of
to apprehend from any Conservative rival. The Finsbury does not tell, so we suppose he has not taken
fi *ends of the Constitution, including the whole in- 1 measure of it ; but he knows enough of Whig-Radical
te!ligence, independence, and Conservative spirit of i constituencies to know that promises to pay are not
Westminster, Sir George Murray himself among l very populaa among them just now, and that they prefer
the foremost of them, will on this emergency de- a substantial gold currency to paper securities, even of
v ste diet:le:elves to your service, and help vou to a the purest temocratic manufacture. Much as they
ganeous triumph over the abettors of destruction, admire the slave-holding Republicans of America, we
the common enemies of every honest English- I doubt not that they would prefer the purse " well
man. It must be the aim of' all "tree-hearted" I crammed" with British sovereigns to Jonathan's long-
electors of Westminster, not merely to bring in Sir I dated patter substitute for cash. In the mean time,
Francis Burdett, but to make• such a demonstration 1 Colonel Evans, the other Representative of the ho-

cE. reoard for, and confidence in, him, as shall crush
the last remnants of life cut of Radicalism, and
k A the Romp disgracefully before them, communi-
c :tine- to ether and far distant bodies of electors
f ilow-f,elina with that powerful reaction of sentiment
'rich has taken place amorg ourselves. At the next
g aeral election, .which also is probahly close at hand,
ti crc will he abundant room for Sir Geor7e Murray
b • the side of the Hon. Baronet, and a unanitnotH
termination to support him, But now, nnquestien-
a.elv, Sir Francis has a claim to be the sic object of our
is mediate anxiety mid exertions. It is for the defence
o' the Constitutional Monarchy that this legitimate
a-d thorough, bred " reformer of recogn zed abuses,"
it the classic sense of the word " Reform," has thrown
himself into the breach, and it would be not merely
iripolitie, but scandalous, for the friends of King and
coontry to desert their voluntary champion. We leave
tl c bastard patriots of the Bump, therefore, to chew
tie cud of mortification—we leave the wretched '' 1)S-
-nres" to turn their stings upon each other, with t!:is
o'rect assurance—namely, that the Conservatives un-
6:Tstand too well their duty to that cause with whose
• lid prosperity is bound up their existence as a party,
to waste by ill-considered or piece-meal .operations
tie strength which it so much behoves them to
c ncentrete ; or to sacrifice their 'Own sure and
lest lug triumph for the sake of giving twenty-four
lours' amusement to Metssrs. Place, Devear, and Co-,
and of a:,grandizino a ballotmonp;er, republican, and
revolutionist, like Mr. John Temple Leader, who
L.ight be almost certain of his return should the con-
stitutional electors have differed among themselves,
some offering their suffrages to their actual-rept-oscine-
t: ye, and others to Sir George Murray . It is but
• aiting patiently a few short months, and we shall
ave them both chaired through Whitehall. Since the
above was written we have received the address of Sir
Gorge Murray, which we publish in another column,
a we have also learned that Lord Russell, son of the
l',,:arquis of Tavistock, has interloped upon Mr. J. T.
I eader, and generously taken upon hineeif the honour
of the defeat which was in store for the latter gentk-
P an. Pity, that there is not a doull! vacancy !
Times.
The answer of Sir Francis Burdett to the epistle
mandatory of the Westminster " rump," or rather the
remnant of•the aforesaid most ignoble part of the West-
minster constituency, is manly and honest ; but it may
v ell be doubted whether he ought to have attached so
much importance to a requisition so concocted as to
make it a ground for vacating his seat by the acceptance
cf the Chiltern Hundreds. It must he owned, how-
( ver, that for some time past the representative of West-
minster, though accused of being fonder of sport than
business, has not had a very pleasant time of it. What
between twinges of the gout, and the infliction of the
Liore miserable torture of reading the dull and impel-ti-
t eat epistles of the " dear De Pounces," and " dear
De Vears," who assume a sort of boroughmongering
cietation in Westminster, he must have suffered the
agonies of a double martyrdom ; and we can hardly
wonder at his availing himself of the present opportu-
Lity to throw off the insolent domination of " the
ump," and kick it unceremoniously, as he has done, by
the way of putting such an energetic " finisher" to the
acquaintance as must prevent that dishonoured exeres-
cense upon the electoral body of Westminster from en-
deavouring to wriggle itself into his good graces again.
If we may judge from the vigorous application of his
leg and foot, on the present occasion, to the astounded
ump, the stamina of the worthy Baronet are yet un-
impaired by the gout. Sir Francis, 'who served and
suffered in the cause of Reform, when many of the
rampant democrats of the present House of Commons
were crouching at the feet of the Tories for what they
could get or were actually, like Lords Palmerston and
Glenelg, receiving the wages of " Tory misgoverkir
tnent," now comes forward as a champion of " old
English principles and government, laws, and institu-
tutions," against " an unnatural alliance, an odious vet
ludicrous combintan of Irish agitators, popish priests,
and paid patriots," connected with an administration
as unencumbered with any fixed principles as it is
destitute of either working talent or intellectual ca-
pacity. This cause is, therefore, the cause of order,
law, and rational liberty ; and all lovers of constitutional
government in Westminster, we have doubt, will rally
round his banners. In the hottestzeal of his reform-doings,
the worthy Baronet never advocated those revolutionary
dogmas which have sprung up. since the Reform Act, and
the obvious tendency of which is to offer to Englishmen
a new-fangled democracy in exchange for their old, tried,
and glorious monarchical Constitution. He, un-
doubtedly, at one time, went further than we con-
sidered either wise or practicable in his notions of
Parliamentary Reform ; but, while he laboured to in-
fuse an inconveniently ample supply of popular vi-
tality into the representative system, he never pro-
posed either to abridge the prerogatives of the Crown,
or to invade the independence of the House of Lords.
At a time when Lord Melbourne, who is now the no-
minal chief of the " odious yet ludicrous combina-
tion of Irish agitators, Popish priests, and paid pa-
triots," used to scout even the smallest portion of re-
form as leading directly to revolutions, Burdett strug-

rough, has, during two years past, been earning the
piastres for which he drove a hard bargain with the
ISpanish Government—floesing the Westminster gre-
nadiers, and getting flogs,,ed by the Carlists ; vet no
impatient patriotism on the part of the Westminster
Reformers recalls him to his post, or insists upon his
vacating the neglected seat.—Morning Herald.
The long extracts printed in another part of our
pa.er from the repot of the Select Committee of the
House of Commons on the Deptford and Dever sub-
scription list present a startling picture of the manner
in which railway, and probably other joint-stock spe-
culative, Companica are sometimes manufactured. The
report is clearly and ably drawn up, and cannot fail to
excite a general feelin, of disgust and indignation to-
wards men, some of whom occupy a respectable station
in society—none of whom can plead that they were
tempted to become dishonest by want of bread, like
some of the miserable ilividualA whom they hired
as their rJzcomp!ices—and who, nevertheless, have at-
t2inp!ed a grosii and fraudulent imposition upon
the public, j)y means of a flagrant contempt of
one of the Houses of Pailiament. We declare ex-
plicitly, at the outset of our remarks, that we dis-
sent altogether from the opinion expressed by the
Select Committee whose investigation has brought
this nefarious transaction to light, to the effect that
the House of Commons can, consistently either with
a due sense of its own dignity, or with a proper le-
gard to the interest and security of the public, refrain
from visiting with the most severe marks of its dis-
pleasure the principal offenders. If the power of the
House of Commons to inflict punishment for con-
tempt of its authority ouz,ht to be exercised in any
cas.... whatever, it must surely be in a case in which an
outrage has been committed upon the dignity of Par-
liament by interested and calculating speculators, the
direct purpose of the outrage being to impose upon the
public, and its direct tendency to arrest, for an unli-
mited period, the progress of all great public improve-
ments in Great Britain, by the utter and lasting over-
throw of that confluence between man and man which is
one of the iudispensable conditions to the successful pro-
scution of every extensive joint-stock undertaking.
The House of Commons, as our readers arc aware,
has adopted a standing order, by virtue of which
no Railway Bill can be entertained unless the pro-
moters shall have deposited in the Private Bill Office
a plan of the work, an estimate of its expense, and
a subscription to the amount of at least one half the
estimate. This order is intended to protect igno-
rant persons from the danger of being drawn in by
designing men to subscribe their money for the prose-
cution of chimerical or pretended undertakings, and to
protect the public generally from the inconvenience
and injury of having the surface of the country cut up,
the present channels of communication interrupted or
impaired, and extensive property damaged and depre-
ciated by extravagant or sham projects of improvement.
There is no Standing Order of either House of Par-
liament more useful than this, and none which ought
to be more steadily and vigorously enforced. Our
readers will be enabled to judge in what manner the
projectors and managers of the Deptford and Dover
Railroad speculation have endeavoured to elude the
Standing Order of the House of Cointnorw, and to
obtain the btamp of legislative sanction to an enor-
mous fraud, by a very brief recapitulation of the facts.
The engineer whom they employed to survey the
line of road, and make an estimate of the expense,
reported that, instead of two millions of money, the
amount of capital originally contemplated, the pro-
jected railroad would cost three millions. This, of
course, produced the necessity of a subscription of
a million and a half, instead of the million which, by
hook or by crook, they had already neatly obtained.
Now commenced the game of spurious and fraudulent
subscriptions, for the purpose of cheating Parliament
out of an Act to legalize the scheme for cheating the
public out of all the money which might bona fide be
subscribed towards an undertaking which it was mani-
festly impossible for this Company ever to carry into
effect. Persons of every imaginable description were
vigorously canvassed to put down their names for sums,
the larger the better, not only without any inquiry as
to their means of payment, but with an express assu-
rance that they were never to be called on to pay at
all ; and this canvassing was reinforced by the pro-
mise, that in return for the favour of putting down
their names, the subscribers should have shares pro-
portioned to the amount they subscribed for, if they
liked—in other words, they were to have the shares
if the shares should ever be at a premium, but not
otherwise. To men who had nothing to lose, the
option was, of course, not a disagreeable one. To
men who had anything to lose, few of whom, we sup-
' pose, were caught, the offer was distinctly and unequi-
vocally fraudulent. But some simpletons might be,
and some no doubt were, entrapped. We have
bankers' clerks of 1001. a year, attorneys' clerks of 701.
or 80/., and messengers and porters who perform
daily drudgery at the rate of 18s. a week, assuming all
at once the characters of men of fortune, and putting
down their names for three, five, and even ten thou,
sands a piece. Some of these gentry were induced to
=lie great capitalists of their sons and daughters, at

school or in ti ie nursery, by putting down their several
names with four or five figures, adopted at random,
against each . Less than four seems, indeed, to have
been altoget her out of the question, so insignificant a
sum as coul d lie expressed by less than this number of
figures being evidently of no use upon such an occa-
sion. One worthy gentleman, who seems to have en-
tered fully i'a to the spirit of the thing, made his married
daughter sit ;n, or signed for her, we forget which, for
we know lot how many thousands, in her maiden
name, her husband being already down for a consi-
derable s aim. It is amusing to observe how the
eager projectors and their immediate connections
became more and more enamoured of their spe-
ua as the time drew near for the list of sub-.
cs
c ibt
ei o,:es to be lodged in the Private Bill Office of the
Hou.sc of Commons. We find their single thousands
of original subscription expand into tens, and their
Ow or three thousands into twenty-fives. All reserve
' of modesty, and every scruple of conscience, seem at
this important moment to have been renounced.
Bankers were seen inciting their clerks to become
participators in fraud, and it was thought no insult to
men known not possess ten pounds in the world to
press them to put down their names for as many
thousands. But this canvassing for subscribers, dili-
gently and vigorously as it seems to have been carried
on, was found to be insufficient for the purpose. After
all that was possible, and more than could have been
imagined, had been done in this way, it was still
found that the requisite million and a half was not
complete. What then was to be done ? The difficulty
seemed insuperable ; but our projectors are not men to
give up easily. The more difficulty the more glory was
their maxim ; and, acting upon it, they were sure to
achieve their purpose. They accordingly picked out
an active fellow acquainted with many of the ruined
speculators who haunt the neighbourhood of the Royal
and Stock Exchanges, and appointed him their re-
cruiting sergeant or principal crimp for the enlistment
of shareholders. The bounty-money was ss. a-head
out of which the crimp was to keep ls. for himself.
The thing was now quite in the right train. It was
in fact, already as good as done. The recruits were
raised, drilled, brought into the field to the number of
33, and carried all before them in the short space of
an hour and a half, and at the very inconsiderable ex-
pense of Si. ss. Never was victory more easy or com-
plete. If, instead of the petty sum of a quarter of a
million, for which subscriptions were still required,
the deficiency had been ten millions or a hun-
dred. millions, the thing would have been accom-
plished with just the same facility, and at just
the same expense. A figure, either more or less,
would have been no cause of rupture between the
honest railway projectors and their new and service-
able five-shilling runxiliaries. The sum added, by the
means above described, to the subscription list was, of
course, exactly equal to the previous deficiency. It
is a pity that so little was wanted. It was only TWO
HUNDRED AND THIRTY-ONE THOUSAND NINE
HUNDRED POUNDS. Little comment is required
upon this transaction, and we shall content ourselves
with_ one calm and quiet observation. We do not
know what degree of efficacy the House of Commons
may wish to impart to its standing orders for the re-
pression of fraudulent joint-stock enterprises ; but
there is one thing of winch we are quite certain, viz.,
that the orders of the House for this purpose will have
very little efficacy indeed, unless the principal parties
in the al:ove transaction are accommodated with
lodgings in his Majesty's gaol of Newgate for the re-
mainder of the prese::t session.—Morrang Post.