The Sun.
London, England, 1838-02-07 00:00:00

TWOPENNY POST IN LONDON.

Our readers are already aware that the Chancellor of the
Exchequer has announced his intention of flying in the face of
the Report of the Post-office Commissioners, in the experie
ment to be made on Mr. Hill's plan for reduction of postage,
and the use of stamped covers. The Commissioners have
recommended that the charge of twonecce and threepence in
London, and the district extending to twelve miles all round
it, shall be reduced to one penny, provided this sum be laid
out in stamped covers, at the price of one penny each.
The Chancell )r of the Exchequer, who never was nor will
be wise in his generation, has proposcig to continue the present
rate of postage by charging twopenn instead of a penny for
the covers. No reflecting man would have thought of such a
thing. The public will never buy covers at twonence each,
whea they may send their letters without ()vas fo tnopence
each : the attempt must fail, and bring with it a distrust of
Mr. Hill's plan, which will not be tried although it will be
strangled. We make these remarks preliminary to stating that
a most sensible, well-timed petition is to be presented to-mor-
row in the House of Commons on this subject by Mr. Wallace.
The petition is from the Chamber of Commerce of the
city of Edinburgh. It has been printed by the House of
Commons, and its prayer is, that the plan proposei by the
Chancellor of the Exchequer may not be sanctioned by that
body, because it would be an unfair test of Mr. Rowland
Hill's plan, and consequently injurious to the wishes expressed
in its favour by all ranks and classes in the kingdom.
We earnestly recommend to all those Members who are fa-
vourable to Mr. Hill's proposals for cheapening postage, or
whose constituents have petitioned in its behalf, to be in their
places to-morrow evening, to hear what reasons the Chancel-
lor of the Exchequer assigns for resisting the recommenda-
tion of the Commissioners of Post-office Inquiry, and substi-
tuting in its stead a silly conceit ; and also to assist Mr. Wal-
lace in convincing the Right Hon. Gentleman of his error,
and the opposition he must expect, and the disappointment the
public will sustain, should he persist in his scheme.

COMMISSION OF LUNACY.—Yesterday at ten
o'clock, •a Commission of Lunacy was opened before Mr.
Phillimore, at the house of Georg.: Davenport, Esq., Para-
dise-row, Stoke Newington, in order to enquire whether that
gentleman is of sound mind, and capable of managing his
property. This gentleman has for some time evinced great
eccentricity ; one instance of which has been to have many
texts of Scripture connected with the relative duties of life,
painted within and without side of his house.

LEAP-FROG ON SKATES.—TwO young men at
at Ufford, in Suffulk, attemptcd, on the -28th ult., whilst
skating at a rapid rate to leap over a boy upon the ice. One
of them cleared his leap safely, to the astonishment of the
bye-standers, but the point of one of the skates of the other
became entangled in the boy's jacket, and the juniper fell with
considerable violence.

ALMANAC PROPHECIES.—Mr. Legood, a mem-
ber of the Diss Mutual Improvement S:)ciety, on Tuesday
last, delivered an excellent and instructive lecture " on the
natural causes of the weather," in which he advanced several
hypotheses respecting the causes of the changes in the atmos-
phere. The Lecturer severely condemned the credulity of
the people in placing reliance on the erroneous suppositions
contained in the Prophetic Almanacks, so widely circulated at
the present day, and which shows that the age of superstition
and folly has not yet passed away, notwithstanding the rapid
march of intellect ; for although the v:lriations of the weather
are dependent upon a variety of natural causes, still th. eie is a
multiplicity of other causes so inexplicable that it is impos-
sible for man to predict the future, it being alone subservient
to the will of Him " who rides upon the whirlwind, and
directs the storm."—Suffulk Chronicle. .
WARD SCHOOLS OF FARRINGDON-WITHI.N.--...
Mr. Deputy Westwood has presented the sum of 100/. to the
Girls' House School Department, where a great number
of children are fed lodged, clothed, and educated, so as to
qualify them fer domestic servitude. The Worthy Deputyhas been moved to this in gratitude to his constituents, for tbes
splendid present they lately made to Thomas Kelly, Esq., the'
late Lord Mayor.

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT

HO USE OF LORDS, FEB. G.

The LORD CHANCELLOR took his seat on the woolsack
at Five o'clock.
The Earl of sHAFTESBURY presented a petition
from Birminghem, praying their Lordships not to pass into
a law the Bill for the Abolition of Imprisonment for Debt.
The Earl of DEVON presented a petition from Otter-
way, in the County of Devon, in favour of the Local
Courts Bill ; also a petition from Devonport,in the county-
of Devon, very numerously signed, objecting to some part
of the proposed Bill for the Abolition of Imprisonment
for Debt, and praying for alterations in those respects.
Lord BROUGHAM said, that what the petitioners
wanted on the present occasion, was the power to
arrest upon mesne process, which formed a strong ar-
gumen t illustrative of the necessity of passng the Bill.
No doubt other remedies were required for the protection
of creditors than were yet pooposed by the Bid, which,
when duly considered, would be afforded.
Lord WHARNCLIFFE presented a petition from
the Guardians of a Union, which was not distinctly
heard in the Gallery, praying that the rates upon
houses under the rent of 101. a year might be im-
posed upon the owners ; likewise a petition from
the medical practitioners of Wakefield, praying for an
alteration in the Apothecaries' Act.
Lord BROUGHAM presented a petition from Perth,
very respectably signed, prating for the Extension of the
Suffrage, the Shortening of the Duration of Parliament, and
Vote by Ballot ; also a Petition from the inhabitants of
Westminster and others, signed by hundreds—he might say
thousands—which stated that the petitioners had seen with
grief the deplorable calamities which had been inflicted on
the Canadian population by the conduct of the British
Ministry. They remonstrated against the passing of the
u just and unconstitutional Act to destroy the Constitution
of the Colony ; and they denied that the connection
between the colony and the mother-country was useful
to either. They insisted that it served merely as an ex-
cuse for most injurious restrictions of the trade of both.
The petifoners concluded by praying, that the House would
take into its roost serious consideration the suggestions of-
fered in their petit ion; also another petition to the same effect
from another pa: t of Westminster ; also apetition from Dent,
in the West Riding of Yorkshire ; and another from South
Shields, against the present system of Negro Apprentice-
ship. The Noble and Learned Lord next presented a petif ion
from Chelsea, stating shortly the attempt made by her
Majesty's Mini,ters to seize on the supplies of Canada,
without the consent of the House of Assembly, which
they considered in the light of a treasonable act. The
petitioners, the Noble Lord observed, were not lawyers,
and he presumed that they used the term treasonable
as it was us d in common parlance, as against the liberties
of the pecele. Aithoueh cot law.aers, the petitioners were
not the less honourable and excellent- men. They
prayed far an impeachment against Ministers for their
condo( t it ith respect to Canada, and' be hoped
that no objeetiou could he made against the peti-
tion on that account, as he recollected- on a former
occasion having heard one of the it Lordships make
the same proposition. The Noble Lord then presented a
petition front the palish of Morland, in the county of
Westmorland, praying for the total emancipation of
the slat es ; also a petition from Westminster, mainteining
the right of every nation to choose its own form of G.- vern-
merit ; also petitions against the Canada Bill. front Poplar,
Wsitechapeh Bethealsgreen, parish of St. John Clerken-
well, City af Witotnaneer, Borough of Finsbury ; :mother
from Westminsrer, on presenting which the Noble Lord
observed, that these petitions had Leen signed in verious
district:, there hiving been one public ntee:ilig le if Ire-
vious'y ; also petitions to the same effect from St. Clement
Danes, the Boromeh of" Fiiesbnry. the parish of St. Luke's,
Chris:, i, the Borough of Lambeth, and pat ish of Zs' e:worth ;
also petiticns from London, Lambeth. and Patitiegten,
againlt the Ca is Ilan Gaverairent petition; from
several places in Scotland, against any grant of the
public looney fir the Established Church of Scotland ;
a petition from Darlington against the system of Negro
Apprenticeship ; a petition from the b rough of Ti-
verton ageel to at a pub il meeting convened for
the pur, use, coamleining of the great peevaletwe of
bribery and iltimArrion at the lest election, and ; r tying
for the pr recto in of the Ballot ; from triton, to the same
effect ; anntl,es from Beelfiird, to the same effect. Also
from fa-rsens confined in the Sheriffs' gaol, in favour of the
Abolition for Debts 8.11 ; from Andover, an I els, from
Birreing,leam, against Negeit Apiprenticesl.ip.
HUMBLY."

Earl S ETEs heggea to call the attmtim of
the Neh'.e and Learned Lord, and :Aso of the House. to
the fact that the petition rs in some of the latter petiti.ms
whi,h had jt.st Seen pros used had onti!ted to hrein their
prayer by tlie usi of the term " lincaqt," which was n,rt
in acco.(hoce whit the forms whie'l the Ilause had
prrs,:ribt a f.or the forms of petitions.
Lord BROUGHAM s ill there was co want of respect
for the Ilou-c in the teams used. '[he petit oners had
styled their Lordships not only Honourable-4ot actin:l;y
Balled i(iern" Right 11o%ourablo"—thereby descr.btie• them
as being teimst a bo7e ail ot:ler pe.son ; aid then said that
they " ("—they prayed of their " Right Honourable
Lordships,;' near'y iinp .rting that the pc,iiioneis conidered
they «c re addrt s-in; (wines abo:c huina':—..m I yet ;hat
scenic ro: to s c.r Lerdsh;ns
Tic E tr! e' I IA I.)DINtIFON confidered the tinestion
to be, whether the llouei tLottglit it necessary or : rt t,) ad-
here form,

Leril isROUGHAM—PooII',. There is nothia7, dis-
respen_ful in the t..r,ns of the Thrre is a word
orniticrj front i;noralee, I htve no doubt, and what of
that ? ari, as i,lnorant crirs,lves of of the
forms the Hon.,. I s.bloni see a right pass tsithnot
finding of th,,ogh nome 01' tiv, forms.
The E lof DE VO N n itkvidiN:Anding the
happy art the N,,h:c en; Learned Lord had of turning
circumst •lives that rui,flit Lott !o imprtant eons,ven..es
pla3fily off fir the monnnt, yet th.it he ref:rutted this as
not to bi• irier!rJrkel The fact was, that hi seve,al r!i-
t;ons v‘incl; lc:d now bopn pros,: nted to the Ike.-e, the
addro,s twin wri ten by Cie son Land, and ti!..y had
afiet .; Qe.t row) i f9r ions
had a I :1 t. 4; i3seri;ol of that word t‘'.!Vt tnif s
of tln. pre,crih4 i!, n I un?e,s their Liir isb;p, t
to fO m e Vt'edeA:t now, thosr,.. u1371:t Ea to I:,*-_!
rs.: &V et!.

C! )L'(; II A\l said, as it migl.t he all ve-y w,
to abide by the firm; of the liouse until they were
changed, he would put an °NI to this eoNt7ever3y
by withlrawint.r thelitst pe'ilt'on, which he hal prt.s' nted
from I, atae,ll, cn iie grt,ntitt irrp.2;nlari!y, t.. 1 it hallnot. OA, r I iu ; and as n
upon whit-1, the t bad tl:eir I..ordsliips
need po; win-:ll.'zr the nmi6s'on tt!so in tl.e
formt.r t,ett (Ins o not, and the pieedtlet.t would thus be
avLide.i.—( Ileac, hear, fl (1111 the Odposition bAichcs.)
-I,lj Thursdty.

_-~----

110 USE ()F etiMMONS, FED 6.
ELECTION COMNIITTEES.
The reduced Lists for the three Cc!inn.ittees billotcd for
to-nig;t show upon the Liberals. Terips.
R xburgit List
Salford ditto

ifswieh ditto
In conse'ittenee of these Ballots having talcn place this
afternocn, the gallery was no, ope-ted till Ten Nlinntes to
Five o'Clock.

Mr. AG LION BY b-c ugh• up a re} ort from ti.e Stand-
ing Order Committee.

Dr. LEIROY and Mr. FAZAKERLEY Fesented petitio[s,
but the nt,ise and bustle in the House war so gte.it that
it was impossible to hear a ward either of the H. n. Mem-
bers said.