The Sun.
London, England, 1838-12-29 00:00:00

SCOTLAND.

ADDRESS TO LORD DURHAM.—:MEETING OF
THE COUNTY OF CLACKMANNAN.
We leant from the Glasgow Argus that there was a
numerous and respect,,ble meeting of the inhabitants of the
county of Clackmannan last Monday ; it was held in the
Market-place of Alloa, The object fur which the meeting
was conver,cd, was to consider the propriety of addressing
Lord Durham, and of " congratulating him on his return
home, and expresing their film adherence to those principles
which his Lordship expressed at Glasgow, in 1834, and
reiterated on a late occasion at Devonport."
The Address—which was moved by the Hon. James
Erskine Murray, in a speech reported by the Argus—it will
be seen speaks of the dissension of the Liberal part, and the
vacillating conduct of its leaders as danger:ins to civil and re-
ligious liberty. It also announces " unflinching adherence"
on the prt of the addressers to " the principles expressed by
your Lordship in Scotland, in 1834, and reiterated on a late
occasion."

We here subjoin the unanimously adopted Address:_.
TO TIIE EARL OF DURHAM.
My Lord—We, the inhabitants of the county of Clackman-
nazi, assembled together this day, beg leave most respectfully
to offer to your Lordship our most hearty congratulations on
your safe arrival in your native country.
The almost unanimous satisfaction which your Lordship's
appointment as Governor-General of Canada, with extraor-
dinary powers, gave to the country, led us to hope that, in the
prosecution of the arduous and difficult task which you had
undertaken, you would receive that support in the admin;stra-
don of your government, so necessary to secure its efficiency
for the purposes which it had in view—the termination of civil
discord, and the uprooting of party animosity, by wise and ju-
dicious reform in the internal government of these colonies.
Such, however, my Lord, has not been the case, and we
deeply regret that our Catadian brethren have been deprived
of that administration in whose policy they have so sincerely
evinced their confidence, and by whose means they hoped to
receive the blessings of peace, social harmony, and good go-
vernment.

But, my Lord, however much we may deplore the increased
sufferings of the Canadians—however much we may regret
the circumstances which have caused them to be deprived of
your Lordship's government, we are nevertheless most sen-
sible of the great necessity there is, at tl:e present juncture of
political affairs, for your Lordship's presence in the mother
country, where disunion among the Liberal party, and the va-
cillating conduct of its leaders, must, if of much longer conti-
nuance, prove destructive to civil and religious liberty, by the
return to power of that party in the State who have ever been
the enemy of both.

In such times, my Lord, and at such a crisis, we regard
your Lordship as an individual through whose character and
influence—founded on the advocacy of, and adherence to
those principles most conducive to the welfare and prosperity
of the country—the dissensions among Reformers may be
obliterated, and their strength and power wielded as when an
unreformed House of Commons unwillingly subscribed to the
Reform Bill.

In conclusion, my Lord, we beg to say that to those prin-
ciples which your Lordship expressed in Scotland in 1834,
and reiterated on a late occasion at Devonport, we most un-
flinchingly adhere, and we confidently rely on the attainment,
under your Lordship's auspices, of those safe, efficient, and
constitutional Reforms so earnestly desired by the people of
this country.

FEARGITS O'CONNOR.—It appears that we are likely to
have another visit from Feargus O'Connor. At a meeting
of the Universal Suffrage Association on Tuesday night, it
was proposed to invite Mr. O'Connor, to attend a great meet-
ing to be held on the 2d January, for the purpose of further
considering the appointment of delegates to the Convention in
London ; but latterly it was agreed that the invitation should
go from the Delegates, to whom, it appears, the arrangements
for the meeting have been confided.—Glasgow Argus.
• RURAL POLICE.-The Government journals in all parts of
the empire are availing themselves of the incipient panic, oc-
' casioned by the incendiary speeches of Stephens and Co. to
insist upon the establishment of a rural police. It is true
that throughout the nation we have no such thing as an
efficient rural police. It is only in incorporated towns
and in landward towns, with Police Acts, that any pre-
cautions are taken for the security of life and property.
We agree with the Government scribes, that it is neces-
sary to extend to the rural districts the advantages of
police protection enjoyed in towns. But they overlook (wil-
fully, we believe) a very important item .---theAohole system
must be transplanted into the rural districts, or none of it.
To establish a strong rural police, paid and managed by the
central Government, which they aim at, would be to canton
through the country a standing army, for the support of the
Government of the day, in any anti-national line of policy it
might see fit to adopt. We must have no political yens-
d'armerie in Great Britain. The local police must be paid
and managed by the local rate-payers in country as well as in
town. In this case it will be really an institution for the re-
pression of robbery and violence ; if intrusted to the manage-
ment of the central Government, or of Justices of the Peace,
or Sheriffs, appointed by it, the thing will inevitably become
an armed and organised counterpoise to our semi-popularised
House of Commons—a means of suppressing any public meet-
ing disagreeable to Downing-street.—lbid,
SPIRITS. —The number of gallons of proof spirits distilled
in Scotland in the year ending sth January, 1838, was
m9,a011t2w4
,48h5u; n trmi
,fdrogmra imaltgrain,
2,07n813y:163,4.229,351, from a mixture of
A RETURNED CONVICT GANG.—A gang of returned con-
victs were apprehended by the police on Saturday prowling
about the city, and now stand charged with the commission of
two robberies in November and September. Concealed in
their boots were found a variety of skeleton keys and pick-
locks. They belonged to the higher walks of their profession,
and are well-dressed good-looking fellows. They have all
been committed for trial.—Edinburgh Courant.
HERRINGS.—A shoal of herrings has set in for the last eight
days into the bay opposite the harbour and town of Fisherrow,
which is not only giving employment to all the boats of that
town; but also to the boats along the coast from Newhaven,
Prestonpans, Buckhaven, &c., and even boys with pieces of old
nets set at low water, have been singularly successful. One
boat obtained yesterday morning upwards of 20 crans at the
mouth of the Esk in 12 feet of water,