The Sun.
London, England, 1831-02-18 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS.

Lord Howick will, on Tuesday next, ask for leave
to bring in a Bill " for facilitating settlements in
his Majesty'3 foreign possessions." We are in-
formed that, under this humble title, a measure of
great importance will be proposed. Why the word
" Emigration" was excludetlifrom Lord Howick's
notice of motion it is, perhips, easy to divine; con-
sidering how unpopular that word has been made
with the public. The fact, however, is, if we are
not mistaken, that the Government look to systema-
tic colonization, of which emigration is only one in-
gredient, as a powerful means of improving the con-
dition and removing the discontent of the agricultu-
ral population. We have before noticed the excel-
lent regulations for the disposal of waste land which
Lord Howick has bestowed upon New South Wales;
and we trust that his Lordship may, on Tuesday,
intimate that Government proposes to extend those
regulations to the Cape of Good Hope and the Ca-
Dodos. 'I he American Government obtains every
year, by the sale of new land, above 1,500,000 dol-
lars ; but this large sum does not include the pro-
ceeds of sales of land by the separate States, each of
which has an exclusive property in all the waste land
within the State. We have heard the whole amouut
of sales of new land in the United States estimated
at a million and a half sterling. How useful would
such a fund be to this country for the purposes of
emigration' It is satisfactory to us to be able to
remind our readers, that the universal sale of waste
land at a fixed minimum price, together with the em-
ployment of the fund so obtained in conducting emi-
gration, and thereby constantly increasing the Emi-
gration Fund, was originally suggested in this Jour-
nal, in a series of letters, which were afterwards pub-
lished by Mr. Robert Gouger, under the title of
" A Letter from Sydney."—Morning Chronicle.
The notorious bribery and corruption of the
borough of Evesham has excited such indignant feel-
ings in the Marquis of Chandos and Sir Robe! t
Peel, that they are anxious a single day should not
be lost in visiting that spot with condign punish-
ment. The Marquis of Chandos could not think
of waiting for the disclosure of the Ministerial
measure of Reform. " He was anxious (he said)
to show the country that whenever an instance of
gross corruption and bribery came before them, the
House of Commons would .do their duty." We
suppose lie is anxious to show the country that a
House of Commons, so ready to do its duty in
punishing bribery whenever it is proved, is suffici-
ently adapted for its purpose; because we are not
to infer corruption where it cannot be proved, on the
good old English maxim, that every man is pre-
sumed innocent till he is found guilty ; and by dis-
franchising without proof of guilt we can have no
certainty that we do not punish the innocent. The
late Member for Westbury (Sir Robert Peel)
found himself in conscience obliged, we sup-
pose, to second the Noble Marquis, from the
experience he himself had that appearances are
often deceitful ; as he had found in the instance of the
constituency of Westbury, that a pocket borough may
be far beyond the reach ofimproper influence. Moliere
was agreeably surprised when he found honesty
had taken refuge with a beggar; and Sir Robert was,
no doubt, equally surprised to find that purity, under
the fostering care of Sir Menasseh Lopez, had at-
tained such perfection in Westbury. The nation is
to be gratified with an investigation into the de-
linquency of the borough of Evesham, the result of
which will no doubt satisfy it that bribery never exists
where it is not notorious, and that the patrons of
pocket boroughs put themselves to a great expense
in maintaining their interests in these boroughs,
merely from the high principle of serving their
country, and without any view to Indemnification.
Jonathan Wild used to exert himself to bring to
justice those clumsy thieves who brought discredit
on the profession. We believe that Ikey Solomons,
and other capitalists in the same line, have not availed
themselves lately of the example. The affair of the
borough of Evesham is certainly a leaf out of
Jonathan Wild. Sir Robert Peel had another
little reason of his own for the proceeding. Sir
Robert has perfect confidence in Parliament as at
present constituted, but a Reformed Parliament
might be more indifferent to corruption, and there-
fore he is anxious to avail himself of the opportu-
nity, while Parliament is what it ought to be, of
setting an example which a Reformed Parliament
cannot well av rid followinir.
" The House ought," he raid, " in his opinion, to act
without any reference to the intended motion of the Noble
AL-Inner for Tuvistock, and visit any delinquent borough
with punishnwnt. This ought to be done were it only
to prove to any fUture constituent body—if the existing
constituent body were to be changed—that they would be
vi,itcd with punishment, if at any future perioil they were
found to be jubtly chargeable with corruption."
Without such proof, the constituency under a
Reformed Parliament might be in danger of sup-
posing there was no harm in the indulgence of the
pleasant sin of corruption. Sir Robert is too wise
a roan to trust to any other guarantee for purity
than the strength from above to resist temptation,
and the penal sanction; he knows that it is all de-
lusion to suppose that the extension of the franchise
to a constituency so numerous as to be identified in
interest with the community, can be any security
against corruption; that a people may bribe them-
selves; in short, that without the bribery oath and
penalties, rather than not bribe, a man would make
his right hand bribe his left. Sir Charles Forbes
illustrated the nature of the morality of the House of
Commons, by a reference to China— " If in China
a native saw one of his countrymen steal anything,
especially from an European, without being found
out, he allowed him to pass on without notice ; but,
if the offender was detected and caught, then the
Lord have mercy upon him !" Sir Charles
Wetherell, who is not so good a Chinese as Sir
Robert Peel, whatever his inclination may be, from
constitutional impetuosity, disclosed without re-
serve, the object of the proceeding in the case of
Evesham—" The House, he said, would abandon its
duty if it relinquished this distinct and intelligible
motion fur any scheme of fanciful Reform which
might be brought forward by the Noble Lord. It
did not follow, because the Noble Paymaster was
disgusted, that the people of England were dis-
gusted also." Oh, no—the people of England are
delighted with the present state of the repre-
sentation. Nothirig is wanted to make it absolute
perfection but the punishment of such places as
Evesham, tihich bring a disgrace on the Constitu-
tion. It is publicity which constitutes the evil. If
we see, year after year, superannuation& inrrrease in
amount--if we see 1060 persons under Government,
enjoying among them 2,066,574/. we are not to
place this to the account of rotten boroughs, but to
the desire of Government to dispense aes.e. means at
its command with a liberal spirit, and a desire to
reward merit as extensively as possible. Hidden
vices are no vices. The approved principle was
laid down by the Presbyterian clergyman, who, on
rebuking Charles the Second for having displayed
too much sensibility to beauty, told him he ought to
have closed his windoi,v-ehutters. Every man who,
like the Marquis of Chandoe, Sir Robert Peel, and
Sir Charles Wetherell, are unable to contain their
indignation against Evesham, ought to call out
loudly for a general fast.—Jiorninig Chronicle.
It must delight every lover of civil freedom and
national independence to hear of the noble spirit
with which Poland is preparing to meet the storm,
which is ready to burst upon her on the side of
Russia. Ever since the Emperor refused to listen
to her complaints, and resolved to apply the scourge
while lie reimposed the yoke, he population appear
to a man to have devoted themselves to their
country, and are now making sacrifices amid esertions
which have rarely been exhibited in the history of
nations. Every object of common business has
ceased to interest the tipper cia,2ses of society, and
their life, arid soul, and labour, are engrossed by
their country. The peasants, who have nothing
but their personal toils to contribute, come forth
with their landlords as volunteers in the national
cause. All the inhabitants of towns or country who
can bear arms are joining the patriotic standard, and

acquiring military discipline. The hatred of ate Rus-
sians and of Russian domination, which is the great
cause of this universal movement, has already sent
to th-e frontiers an army which, from the spirit by
which it is animated, may be expected to be suffi-
cient to check the first advance of the invader. We
have seen a series of private letters from Warsaw to
the 14t instant, which hold out the most cheering
nrospActs of ultimate success, even against the gigan-
tic power of Russia, by communicating authentic
descriptions of the enthusiasm of the people in the
national cause—of their union in plans of defence—
of the increasing numbers and improving discipline
of the new levies—of the amazing extent of their
preparations in arms and munitions of war—of the
skill, zeal, and ability of their leaders—and of their
magnanimous resolution rather to perish than to
yield. In these letters, which were never intended
for publication,and which therefore exaggerate nothing
for the effect which the exaggeration may produce,
we find a confirmation of the most favourable
statements in the foreign journals, and some strik-
ing facts which these journals have omitted. Te
remove the doubts which have been started in some
quarters respecting the unanimous resolution of the
upper classes to assert their independence at the hazard
of a struggle so unequal with Russia, we need only
state one or two circumstances contained in the letters
before us. In the sitting of the Diet, at which the de-
position of the King was pronounced, the members
showed no sign of hesitation—no desire to try the ef-
fect of further negotiation. The resolution was carried
by acclamation, and those members who were unable
to attend the previous discussion from illness insisted
on being carried to the Chamber to sign the de-
cree. Not a single dissentient voice was raised
either in the Senate or the Chamber of Nuncios.
The army already amounts to 100,000 men, be•
sides the national guards of the towns, and nume-
rous bodies of armed peasantry. Great numbers of
officers who had formerly served in the army, but
who had retired to civil life, have come forward to
offer their services. Instances have occurred in
Warsaw, of shopkeepers who have closed their maga-
zines, left their business anti their familie., and
marched off to the defence of the frontiers The
students of the University, who are all under arms,
already go through their exercise like regular troops,
arid prepared for the duties and hardships of a cam-
paign like veteran soldiers. As the Treasury is not
very rich, and the nobility are powerful, the latter
evince their patriotism by voluntary contributions of
money, or by the levy and equipment of troops at
their own expense. Nor do they court the honours
of commanding the corps or companies which they
themselves bring to the national standard. Some
of the highest nobility, the Princes or the sons of
Princes, offer to serve in the ranks with their own
vassals, and allow themselves to be commanded by
experienced officers of plebeian extraction. Nume-
rous instances are mentioned in which ladies of rank
and property rival the male nobility in the magnifi-
cence of the offerings which they lay on the altar of

their country. During the erection of the batteries
at Warsaw, ladies of the highest fashion, along with
the members of the Government and of the Legis-
lature, attended the work and encouraged the la-
bourers by sharing their toils. Instances have oc-
culted in which the nobility have made sacrifices
more in character with the heroic times or states ofl
antiquity than assimilated to modern examples. The
Minister of War, General Hawke, it will be remem-
bered, fell by the hands of the insurgents, on the
first night of the revolution, because he was attached
to Russian interests. His son, educated among
the Polish youth and partaking all their en-
thusiasm, after paying a decent respect to the
memory of his father, entered the Polish ranks, and
has sworn to conquer or die for the independence of
his adopted country. Prince Lubominski, whose
father is detained, and whose property has been con-
fiscated in Russia, is a subaltern in the artillery, and
adheres with unabated resolution to the cause of
independence. Whole regiments, on their beaded
knees, have sworn to use no gunpowder against
the enemy ; but to break through the Russian fire,
and use only the bayonet, as the quickest, though
most hazardous, method of deciding the contest.
This resolution arises from no want of ammunition,
for the Russians, in retreating, left them no less
than 7,000,000 of ball cartridges. Such are a few
interesting facts, the tendency of which cannot be
gainsaid, and of which we can guarantee the accu-
racy. The Poles do not disguise from themselves
the power of their enemy, with whom they have
often measured their swords, and yet its magnitude
does not create despair. They are confident of
gaining a battle on the frontiers, and one victory
would rally all their brethren of the provinces
incorporated with Russia round their flag of inde-
pendence.—Tinies.

PARLIAMENTARY REFORM.

MEETING AT DEVONPORT.

(Abridged from the Plymouth Journal of Thursday.)
Pursuant to public advertisement, a meeting of
the inhabitants of Devonport and parish of stoke
Damerel was held on Monday last at the Town-
hall, for the purpose of presenting petitions to
Parliament on the important subjects of Reform in
Church and State, and the representation of this
town in Parliament.

JOHN CLOUTER, Esq. was called to the chair.
T. HUSBAND, jun. Esq. banker, rose and spoke to
the following effect :—" Mr. Chairman, I am par-
ticularly induced to bring the subject before you at
the !present moment, in consequence of a motion,
made some time ago by Lord Althorp, for the pro-
duction of the census of 18:?1, in which all cities,
towns, and places,: including 10,000 inhabitants or
more are included. On reference to that census, I
find that Devonport is not noticed in it, but " Ply-
mouth and its environs" are mentioned as contain-
ing a population of 64,000 inhabitants. At that
time, Devonport, it is true, was known by the name
of Plymouth-dock, but even then its population
amounted to 34,000. I am therefore of opinion,
that, if in the contemplated measures of Reform the
Legislature be only guided by the census of 1821, it
is very likely we shall escape their notice, and it is
consequently incumbent on us to take direct mea-
sures for laying our importance before them. On
further reference to the census, I perceive that there
are twenty-one boroughs in Cornwall, which send
forty-two Members to Parliament, and yet the united
population of these bat oighs does not equal that of
Devonport. The county of Devon contains (if I
rightly recollect) eleven boroughs besides the city
of Exeter, and, if from these you exclude Exeter
and Plymouth, the population of Devonport alone
is eqt;4l to that of all the other places put together.
I further perceive on reference to the census, that I
Devonport contains the largest population of any
town from the Land's End to Bristol—,one half the
distance through the island, and yet we are unreprc-1
sented. I also see by the census, that there are
only four towns equal to ourselves in population
which are, besides us, unrepresented; these are
Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield, and Birmingham.—
Now, I contend, that independent of the con-
sideration of population, we are entitled to re-
presentation in Parliament, in consequence.of the
Naval and Military importance of this town. Its
large Naval Arsenal, and its depots—more exten-
sive tl:an those of any town in or out of the
kingdom, and thei.:onsequences which they confer on
the town, would be sufriciezt to establish our right,
were we not otherwise entitled to it by population.
There ;5 another reason, which although rather mis-
stated oil a former occasion, is nevertheless of suffi-
cient importance to be brought forward at the
sent moment in support of our t laitns. In 1827,
nn
reference to the petition they agreed to, I stated
that Devonport paid 8001. per year county rates,
anti that Plymouth only paid 401. In this I was in
error, for Plymouth paid more than the sum I
quoted ; but I will now assert without fear of con-
tradiction, that we pay siw times the amount of
county rates paid by Plymouth. And why does
this disparity exist? Because Plymouth is a
represented town ; because by means of this
representation, it li;is obtained the privilege of

?Ms
a local court, to try prisoners'ivithin the limits
of the borough. Had we been so situated
—had we enjoyed the same privilege, we should
have been able to effect the same economy, and to
save the enormous expense for which we so heavily
contribute. I now come to a point, Sir, which 1
approach with considerable delicacy, and with
which I feel I must deal tenderly ; but I considerit
nevertheless my duty to bring it before you—l
allude to the jealousy of the sister town. There has
scarcely ever been any improvement contemplated
by Devonport, but what has been set at nought by
Plymouth and its borough interest, if there has
been any possibility of doing so. It is a fact not to
be concealed that the growing strength of this town
has excited considerable jealousy in that ancient
borough, who use their utmost endeavours to keep
us down whenever we attempt to rise. I hope I
have said enough to impress on the meeting the im-
portance of our claims, and I trust that the inha-
bitants of this town will, one and all, come forward
and sign ft petition to send Members to Parliament ;
so that it shall not be sent up with thousands of sig-
natures attached to it, but if possible with tens of
thousands; and I hope that in twelve months hence
I shall have the pleasure of standing in this very
hall with those I see before me, drinking the health
of the new Members we have chosen.—(Applause.)
Having said thus much on the subject of representa-
tion, I shall proceed to make a few observations on
that of Reform. On this question, I think it scarcely
necessary to occupy your attention, for few are the
individuals to be found who will dissent from the
position that Reform we must have; the misma-
nagement of Government has been such that the ne-
cessity of Reform comes home to every man's
bosom.—(Cheers.) Devon, of all the counties in
England, took the lead of late on the question of the
necessity of Reform, and was the first to convene a
county meeting for the purpose of urging the sub-
ject on the Legislature; and I glory to think that I
now stand in her largest town an advocate of the
same cause. It is a pleasure to read the public
papers in the present day. The daily press to
whom we are under such high obligations for the
information it diffuses amongst us on the subject of
public meetings, putting us in full possession of facts,
and giving us the pro and con, the majorities and mi-
norities on all public questions—the daily press, I say,
teems with reports of Reform meetings, not of those
dead-alive meetings of some time past, when one
solitary speaker rose to propose a petition, to which,
as a matter of course, all set their names, and which,
when it arrived at its destination was first laid on
the table and then laid under it—but of public
meetings, characterised by intellectual energy and
vigour. I alluded to the advantages conferred on
the community by the public press—this is but one
of the extraordinary advantages which we enjoy at
the present moment. Never did we meet on any
subject under such auspicious circumstances. We
are blessed with a Reforming Administration—
backed by a King the glory of England—(Cheers)—
the first King who ever avowed himself a Reformer,
and who is determined to give protection to his
people and Reform to the country. But the very
circumstance of our possessing a Reforming Admi-
nistration requires that we should support them with
our united strength, for three Ministers have before
now brought forward this measure before Parlia-
ment and have failed in the *tempt, merely because
they were not supported by the people. The ques-
tion of Parliamentary Reform has also been brought
forward 25 times within the last 50 years. It was
brought forward by Mr. Pitt in 1782, and negatived
by 20 votes; in 1783 by the same statesman,
and again negatived by 144; in 1793 by the pre-
sesent Earl Grey (then Mr. Grey,) and lost by 241
votes; in 1809, 1817, and 1819, it was brought
forward by Sir Francis Burdett, and successively
negatived by 59, 188, and 95 votes; in 1821 by
Mr. Lambton (now Lord Durham) and lost by 12;
in the same year it was again brought forward by
Lord John Russell—now selected by the present
Ministry to fight the battle for them,—than whom
no fitter man could be found for the purpose, for I
have ever known him to be a stern, unflinching ad-
vocate for the people—and negatived by 31; and,
to conclude the list, it was last year brought for-
ward by the celebrated Mr. O'Connell—(A laugh)
—when it was lost by a majority of 306. Flowerer,
notwithstanding the favourable circumstances under
which we are placed, I am of opinion that the ques-
tion cannot be carried unless it be by the extraordi-
nary efforts of the people in supporting the Ministry.
That such is the opinion of Earl Grey himself may
be concluded from his assertion, that the present
Ministry place their whole confidence in the people,
and in the people alone ; thereby showing that he
thinks the power lies in them. If, then, the people
respond to the call of Ministers, I may fearlessly say
they are sure of success, and I am glad to find that
this certainty of success will not be foiled by any
want of union among Ministers themselves, for it
has been declared by Lord Lansdowne and others,
that the greatest unanimity reigns in the Cabinet
on the subject of the contemplated measures. I
also see by the public papers (to whom we owe
all our information,) that it is repotted, when the
question is brought before the House of Commons,
Sir Robert Peel intends to move counter-resolutions
for moderate Reform, in order, if possible, to place
the Ministry in a false position with regard to the
people. Now, I contend, that had we no other
reason for giving our support to the Ministry, the
circumstance alone of Sir Robert Peel's opposition
should act as a powerful incentive for exerting the
utmost influence we, as a portion of the nation,
po sess, and for cheering Ministers on their way.
So much for Reform ; and if you will allow me I
shall now make a few observations on the subject
of vote by ballot.—(Loud cheering and clapping of
hands.) Gentlemen, I rightly construe your ap-
plause, and the certainty that it proceeds from your
attachment to the vote by ballot, gives me by far
more pleasure than if it were produced by yGur ap-
proval of any observations of mine; for, gentlemen,
I own myself the uncompromising advocate of the
rote by ballot in popular elections ; arid I would
rather accept the ballot without Reform, than Re-
form without the ballot : for I am of opinion that
Reform must be the necessary consequence of the
adoption of the ballot.—(Loud cheering.) To what
does regenerate France owe the victory over her
late despotic King, and the imbecile Polignac Mi-
nistry ? To what, to the vote by ballot. When
the question of excluding Charles X. was first dis-
cussed in the French Chambers, and open votes were
taken, only seven Deputies were found to oppose him;
recourse was then had to the vote by ballot, and the
number was increased to 27. The system of the
ballot has been adopted in France, America, and the
Netherlands, and before twelve months have elapsed
I hope to see the system working amongst us. I
have felt a pleasure in advocating the vote by ballot
upon general principles on every occasion, but at
the present moment I am actuated by a more than

ordinary sense of its importance, in consequence of
a circumstance which lately took place within the
limits of this parish, when, had the vote by ballot
been adopted, a certain party would have been de-
feated in spite of all their manoeuvres.—(Loud cries
of " No, no !" drowned by those of " Yes, yes !"
"Bravo !" " Question, public question !") But
although (continued Mr. Husband) I am an advo•
cate for vote by ballot in the election of Members
for Parliament, I am decidedly averse to its intro-
duction in the divisions of the Houses of Parlia-
ment, more particularly in that of the Commons.
It is highly important that those by whom they are
there sent should know how they vote, and this
would be evaded by the vote by ballot. Under this
system, also, no reliance could be placed in the
pledges made by a Member, because we should have
no means of ascertaining whether• he had fulfilled
hit,- promises. This distinction can be defended on
abstract principles, for, as relates to the people,
they are their own representatives, and responsible
to none but themselves fur the use they make of
their elective privi:eges; whereas Members in
Parliament are the representatives of the people,
u;-id a 5 such responsible to them for their public
proceedings. Some persons, to whom I have com-
municated my opinions on the vote by ballot, have

been, as it were, staggered when I mentioned the
word, and have exclaimed " that the ballot is an un-
English way of proceeding, and that no Englishman
should be ashamed of giving his vote openly in the
face of day." All this sounds very well, but if
minutely scrutinized will not bear the test of inves-
tigation. You may indeed talk of Englishmen
voting fairly, but look at Liverpool, where almost
every vote was obtained by influence, threats, or
bribery, and where hundreds marched to the hustings
prostituting their votes like crouching slaves, to the
dictates of others. Were the vote by ballot in force.
people would soon find out that threats would be
attended with as much effect as bribes, for in the
latter case those who accepted them would often
vote in direct contradiction to their previous pledge.
Again, I say, give me vote by ballot, and Re-
form will follow as a matter of course.—(Cheers.)
—Mr. Husband concluded by moving, that a peti-
tion be presented to both Houses of Parliament
praying for the extension of the elective franchise to
the town of Devonport, and concurring in the ne-
cessity of Parliamentary Reform. This proposition
was received with applause, accompanied by cries
of " with the vote by ballot," upon which Mr. H.
stated that the adoption of the ballot would, as a
matter of course, be recommended in the petition to
which he alluded.

Mr. R. CONDY then addressed the meeting to
the following effect :—" It is with great pleasure 1
rise to second the motion, being, as I am, of opinion,
that no thinking mind in the kingdom can reflect 014
the extraordinary circumstances in which we are at
present placed, without being impressed with the
idea that this is, above all others, a period the most
propitious that could be conceived for the ac-
complishment of our wishes. We possess indeed a
King of whom England may boast—a King the
known enemy of corruption and the avowed advo-
cate of Reform—one who has best declared his sen-
timents by the choice of a Ministry comprising the
first intellect of the nation ; and we possess a
Ministry pledged to Reform, and who, that they
may be enabled to redeem their pledge, have called
on the people to strengthen their hands. Thus ap-
pealed to, 1 hope that every individual will come
forward, and prove his readiness to answer the call
by signing a petition praying for the removal of the
source of all evils—the actual system of misrepresen-
tation. Yet, although I fully approve of the general
tenor of the previous speaker's proposition, and go
all the length to which he has gone on the subject
of the vote by ballot, still I beg to mark my dissent
on one single point, namely, the propriety of point-
ing out at the present moment the adoption of that
mode of voting.—(Slight disapprobation, immedi-
ately suppressed.)—l am of opinion that this point
had better be left to the combined strength of the
Legislature, and, when I consider the two parties
now engaged in the contest, I entertain very little
apprehension as to the result. On one side we have
the King, the Ministry, and the vox populi ; on the
other side are arrayed against us the borough-
mongers and those who bask in the sunshine of cor-
ruption. IThee no remedy but in a full and effectual
Reform,—which I am well aware cannot exist
without the vote by ballot. All the meetings held
of late in the kingdom have come to this resolution
—that it is the duty of every man to come forward
and support the Ministry in their measures to pre-
vent revolution ; and I, for one, would sooner
that the people should have the redress they de-
mand granted them than that they should be driven
to the alternative of forcibly doing justice to them-
selves.—(Cheering.)
W.IioDGE, Esq. banker:—Mr. Chairman, there
is but one opinion entertained by the intelligent and
thinking portion of the community throughout the
kingdom on the subject of the necessity of Reform,
and we, who are situated in the very arena of cor-
ruption—in the centre of a condensed district of
boroughs enjoying the marrow of all good things—
' cannot but join the general cry: With respect to
the vote by ballot, I am of opinion that there is no
place where it would be more desirable than in
Plymouth Dock—(Devonport from a few voices
near the speaker)—upon which Mr. }lodge replied
" I beg your pardon, gentlemen; Devonport 1 am
proud to call it, but being an old Docker—(Loud
applause)—l habitually use the primitive name of
the town." On the subject of the general dissatis-
faction which reigns throughout the country, I beg
to say that to my knowledge discontent always did,
and to all probability always will exist. Reform
in Parliament, however, will set all things to rights.
—(Applause.)
Mr. ,J. L. IttocaßD fully agreed in the utility of
vote by ballot in Devonport, inn which, as before
stated, there was scarcely a matt unconnected with
Government. Devonport had abundant reasons to
cry out for a general Reform. Had that been carried
into execution they would not have had to see
so many vagabonds in the Dock-yard doing the
work of honest men, nor would they have been
burdened by so many lazy sinecurists. He had there-
fore supported the petition for granting represen-
tation to the town, with the condition of a re-
formed Parliament. He was of the opinion of Mr.
Hunt, the blacking manufacturer, that if they could
not have all they wished, they should take all they
could get.—(Applause and laughter.)
Mr, It. BURNET adduced several instances, in
which the results of open voting proved the utility
of the ballot. The term English, used with refer-
ence to the ballot, was already a hackneyed one,
To whom should they look for honesty in giving a
conscientious vote—to that class out of which
18,000 are committed to gaol per annum—or to the
class which claims such men as the Duke of New-
castle ? It was absurd to talk of conscientious vot-
ing without the ballot. With respect to Parlia-
mentary Reform, Mr. B. pointed out the facts that
13 persons returned, in 1794, 32 Members to Par-
liament, and that out of 658 Members, who now
composed the House of Commons, leaving out of
the calculation the influence of the Lords in county
elections, only 219 were returned by the people.
Such a violation of the true principles of representa-
tion was diametrically contrary to the spirit of Magna
Charta. He concluded by supporting the mover of
the resolution.

Mr. J. SYmoNs was of opinion that the details of
Reform should be left to Ministers. He considered
that representation without the ballot would be a
curse to Devonport.
Dr. BUCIIAN moved the first resolution, which
was received with loud applause.
Mr. R. BURNET seconded the motion, and
Mr. T. HUSBAND having stated that the mode he
had adopted was merely for the sake of gaining
time, and to enable them to avail themselves of the
opportunity of so large an assembly to obtain a greater
Humber of signatures, withdrew his motion.
A series of resolutions was then proposed and
carried; and a petition was submitted to the meet-
ing and accepted.
The meeting broke up with three cheers for Re-
form, and three cheers for the vote by ballot.

THE LATE REV. DR. ANDREW THOMSON.
—We scarcely recollect of any event which has excited
such general interest as the death of this lamented indivi-
dual. We are authorised to say, in answer to various
applications which have been made, both by societies and
individuals, for permission to attend the funeral, and to
pay this last mark of respect, that the Kirk Session, who
have taken charge of this matter, have resolved that not
only the members of the congregation (to whom, through
inadvertence, invitations may not have been sent) will have
an opportunity of joining the funeral, but that the same
opportunity will also be given to the other friends above
alluded to. The funeral will proceed from his house in
Melville-street to the burying ground adjacent to St.
Cuthbert's Church, this day, at two o'clock. We hear
that the Rev. Dr. CHALMERS has undertaken to preach
the funeral sermon on the forenoon of Sunday the BOth
current, and that the Kirk Session, to prevent all incon-
venience, have resolved to issue tickets for the admission
of the congregation. These tickets will be delivered to
the regular sitters, at the vestry of St. George's, on Thurs-
day and Friday, from one till three o'clock, either by apply-
ing personally, or sending written orders for them.—Edio.
burgle Advertiser.

ACCIDENTS ARISING FROM THE LATE
STORMS OF SNOW AND FLOOD.

A friend who was shut up for a week at Old
Cutnnock, reports the following calamitous acci-
dents :—An old man who went about the country
with a white pony collecting eggs, was found frozen
to death, and his frail dumb companion stretched
beside him. By some it is said that the poor old
man was found seated on the steed which age had
disabled nearly as much as himself, long after it had
become cold and stiff; but we believe the above
statement may be regarded as the more correct of
the two. This accident, we believe, occurred on
the Tuesday, and on the Thursday following four
men started from Hamilton to attend the meeting
of a Gardener's Society in Cutnnock. They tra-
velled by way of Muirkirk, a district proverbial for
bleakness and sterility, and had passed the Halls
Toll on Strathaven Muir, when one of their number
became,faint and unable to proceed. His compa-
nions gave him a little bread and whisky, and
shared sparingly of the same refreshments; and
thus revived, the whole struggled forward till they
reached a place called Lisburn. Here two of the
travellers felt greatly exhausted, and after a short
pause the whole lay down in an old quarry hole, near
Greenock Water-bridge. The hour, as is supposed,
was about eight at night, and when the strongest of
the party awoke at twelve, he found one of his compa-
nions dead, and another so weak that he was unable
to rise. Dreadfully distressed, the survivors knew not
what to do ; but at this moment one of them obtain.
ed a glimpse of a house through the fog, hurried
forward, and procured assistance; and though his
absence was short, another of his companions, whom
he left standing on the public road, had sunk upon
theyound and yielded up the ghost. The third
was-conveyed to Unborn, where every attention was

paid to his situation ; but when the last accounts I .
reached us he was still far from convalescent, his
mind being in as feeble a state as his body. The two
men who perished were brothers of the name of
Soldier!, and one of them has left a wife and child
to deplore his loss. It was strongly reported in the
same neighbourhood that a poor woman had been
lost in the snow, and that in her extremity she had
stuck her umbrella through the wreath in which she
was entombed, and that by means of this signal the
body was discovered, though not until life had be-
come
extinct. It is proper, however, to add, that
this story requires confirmation. Between Kilmar-
nock and Cumnock a highly respectable friend of our
own had well nigh fallen a victim to the fury of the
elements. On the fatal Tuesday he left the former
place about two hours later than the heavy coach,
and after travelling in his gig with great difficulty to
within about a mile of the village of Auchenleck, he
came upon a truly formidable wreath, which the
above vehicle had found it impossible to clear. The
appearance of the coach, deserted and thickly covered
with drift, was not a little curious; the guard's great-
coat, which alonepossessed motion, kept flapping like
a rent sail behind, and the scene altogether re-
minded him strongly of an ill-starred bark stranded
on some bleak and inhospitable shore. Here •he
found it impossible to proceed a step farther, but on
observing that the neighbouring fields were much
passable, he unyoked his horse, and scrambled to the
top of the hedge bounding the road, in the hope that
he would be able to make his way to the nearest
farm-house. But at this moment, missing his foot-
ing, he plunged into a ditch on the farther side,
filled, as lie judged from his own stature, with snow
to the depth of five feet, and had as near as may be
pulled his horse after him. A position so novel na-
turally enough excited a feeling of alarm ; and never
before, as he says himself, had he the slightest idea
of the utter helplessness of a human being, when
beleagured by a wreath of snow. Every effort he
made to effect his escape was counteracted by an
element which yielded to the slightest pressure ;
and as often as he tried to mount the snow crum-
bled beneath his touch and tread, 'and in 'slice of
mending matters, rather made them worse. Being
in good health, and but little exhausted, he thought
it a pity to die such an inglorious death, and after a
little reflection, hit upon an expedient, which, with
God's blessing, enabled him to stand once more on
the solid land. Having heard of a snow shoe, he
conceived that his hat might be turned to such a
purpose; and by pressing his hand against the lin-
ing, succeeded, though not without great labour, in
saddening a sort of platform, that enabled him to
leap to the opposite bank. Still he had other dif-
ficulties to contend with, when luckily he observed
the guard approaching, accompanied by a number
of people from Auchenleck, to see what could be
done in raising the embargo laid on the coach.
Having spoken to some of the villagers, they suc-
ceeded in lifting his gig across the hedge and ditch,
and had scarcely done so when a hearse came
up, followed by a considerable train of mourners.
The huge impediment in the way of the living, ob-
structed equally the passage to the tomb; but as
there was help at hand, the hearse, like the gig, was
lifted " bodily" into the open field. And as these
experiments had prospered so well, a similar attempt
was made in the case of the coach, which, after
great exertion, succeeded : and then the parties
went on their way as they best could—our friend,
the guard, the coach, and passengers to Old Corn-
nock, anti the mourners and hearse to some parish
church, amidst dangers and difficulties that actually
periled the safety of the living, while paying the
last ditties to the dead. And here our friend learnt
an interesting circumstance from the guard. Before
the coach stuck fast, as it proceeded from Mauch-
line, he observed a poor woman tottering along,
thinly clad, and with little shelter front the fury of
the blast, save an Ayrshire plaid, thrown round her
head, as is the fashion of the country. Having invited
her to " come up," he learnt from her own lips, that
her bodily sufferings were the least poignant. Her
husband, who is a shoemaker, had left Auchenleck
the day before to deliver some work to a person in'
Mauchline, and as he had not returned, his despair.
ing wife had ventured out in quest of him filled with
apprehensions that lie had perished in the snow.
On arriving at Mauchline, she was told that he had
left that place the day before on his way home.
This painful intelligence increased the woman's fears,
and she was retracing her steps, weeping and ex-
hausted, when she became theobject of the guard's
humane attentions. When the coach was arrested,
e
t
thtttTodrt
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mfbipdi.alahoeilafnrael,
umemsltidrsintsi
,seeahboGfairl orual
around
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affectionatearlseei
conveys
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vhuerdimebeotmos
yidiajni -house,
fymetiutunehoßsanitesethisli
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humanity
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watched for hours until he partially recovered.
guard of the Independent.
' Tuesday at mid-day, totally exhausted.
' Nearer home we have to record two fatal acci-
dents. On Wednesday the river Dee was swollen
' to a great height, and the embankment having
' burst at old Greenlaw, the low lands were corn-
pletely inundated.m Several young horses were thus
his
i placed in danger, and in endeavouring to rescue
them, Samuel Gordon was swept from his horse in
crossing a gullet, and unfortunately drowned, al-
thoughasmt master,
, at g
minutesreat peelrasposneadl risk, draggedthefol
him out before .
, lowing (lay Hugh Thomson, servant at Gelston, a
• lad of fifteen, who had been despatched on horseback
to the post-office, Castle Douglas, was lost, we
r
grieve to say, at a part of the road called Cuil moss,
which
returned wa
home
aThe horsen(i
apparently
having
u
bridle,
) distressed, the family became alarmed, and on
. reaching the spot above alluded to, found their
. worst fears confirmed. These melancholy accidents
s deeewpiltyhou flooded.
tdieled.
. have excited a deep feeling of regret in the
Stewartry.—Dionfries Courier.