The Sun.
London, England, 1836-04-14 00:00:00

z 1),; -1111,+

LONDON,
THURSDAY EVENING, APRIL 14, 1836.

The London Conservative Association held their
first Annual Meeting yesterday, at Covent-Garden.
The display was not an unsuccessful one, as far as
numbers are concerned ; but if talent is to be taken into
account, never was there such a deplorable failure.
Not a single speech above common-place was made the
whole evening ; though Mr. HOARE, the Chairman,
quoted Latin and Greek, at least half a dozen times,
and the Duke of BEAUFORT sounded the praises of
the House of Lords, with all that grace of manner, and
attic elegance of style, in which he is not surpassed
even by his Grace of NEWCASTLE. Really Conser-
vative talent must he at a low ebb, when eleven
hundred Members of the squad cannot get up a
single able speech among them. We do not
exaggerate . when we say, that a greater amount
of nonsense—of sheer drivelling nonsense, unadulte-
rated with the slightest alloy of common sense—was
never spoken at any public meeting, than was spoken
last night at Covent-Garden. No wonder the ladies
retired at an ealtv hour.! Mr. HOARE'S forty-parson
power of prosing must have bored them to death.
Yet this gentleman was so evidently smitten with the
sound of his own voice, and the magic of his own
eloquence; that he was scarcely silent for ten minutes
together during the whole evening. Not a toast did
he propose, but he made a point of prefacing it by a
dull, windy, prolix speech. On one occasion, in par-
ticular, he spoke, as FALSTAF' fought, " a whole
hour by Shrewsbury clock." And what was lne
'
theme of his discourse ? The virtues, talents,
patriotism, and so fortli, of the Conservatives.
As for the people, he neither knew nor cared
aught for them, except as they were associated with
his own party. This is the true high Tory doctrine,
which permits 'no freedom of opinion, and would en-
slave even thought itself. On the subject of the
Church, Mr. HOARE was equally energetic. " I wili
fearlessly contend," said he, " thatthe Church of
England is the . noblest ecclesiastical structure in the
world. She is built upon the foundation of the
Apostles and Prophets—Jesus Christ himself being
the chief corner-Stone." And yet this very Church,
-thus lavishly belauded, as a structure without
blemish, is at this very moment undergoing a
process of repair at the hands of no less dis-
tinguished a workman than the CA Archbishop of
CANTERBURY ! We have neither time nor in-
clination to expose the rest of the twaddle and non-
sense that were drivelled forth at this Conservative
meeting ; enough, therefore, to state that it reminded
us of the Fool's Paradise, so happily alluded
..a.ppto in
" Rabelais," as a place of n:iise and revelry, where
those only are allowed to speak who can prove, beyond
all power of contradiction, that they are blockheads of
the first water.

The rejection, by so large a majority, of Major
ll'AisteoußT's motion for the entire abolition of flog-
ging in the British army, would really be very dis-
couragino.
able 1- alwere we not convinced that many Honour-
_ambers who voted against the measure, would
re4dily support any proposition for its prospective,
gradual, and, in their opinion, its safer accomplish-
ment. They are timid, not because they think the
system of flogging a good one, or that it is not easy to
devise a better—but because, like every other evil which
has an inherent tendency to degrade man:;ind, it has
generated a kind of moral necessity for its continuance.
wo can make large allowances for such Itars, althonah

we do not participate in them-. We t'egttril the mystein
cf military fleogengx deie 4 Tht most degrading—
the Jutost boVnii\abie-,---and the most essentially barla-
tot" that ever was devised. We have never looked
upon its existence as other than the foulest stnit',
upon the character of the British peuptet 'gild
independently of conideratlobs
vhall hail its abolition as all act 43f .‘latit.itiAl justice.
We are not now about td eittet into any of
.the details
of the questi‘ori—out limits will fiat admit 'Of it fOlr this
day, at least ; but we trust to have ail 'bjipbitllkiitc of
returning to it to-morrow: 61e tact, however, stated
by several of the WitiWt'ses examined before the Com-
missioners for inquiring into the effect of flogging in
the Ai:llV, appears, from the report of the IeIVA*, 10
have been overlooked by every member who addressed
the House. We allude to 'the statement, that the
more ignorant the recruit the better the soldier. Now
what does this prove, but that no high-minded man
could submit to the system upon, which our army is
governed ? It is a mortifying admission truly, that the
less knowledge, the less reason, the less judgment,
the less feeling, the less personal pride, the less ambition,
the leSs patriotism, and the less conscience a man has,
the better is he qualified to serve in the ranks of the
British army, as a defender of the laws and liberties, and
an assertor of the greatness and glory of his country
Mr. HUME'S speech was by far the best of any de-
livered during the debate. Had Lord Howtex con-
fined himself to a mere statement of the intentions of
the Government, with respect to the measures in con-
templation for reducing the number of offences for
which corporal punishment will in future be inflicted,
and the inducements about to be held out for encou-
raging good conduct in the army, he would have acted
mucti'more judiciously than be did, by attempting to
bolster up a bad system by a string of sophisms which
any school-boy could pull to pieces. But we may
take an early opportunity of referring in detail to the
reasoning of his Lordship. We admit all the diffi-
culties which he cited as standing in the way of a total
change of system ; but we are prepared to show that
they can be easily surmounted without having recourse
to the disbanding of a single regiment.

We are happy to find that Sir W. MOLESWORTH
has determined to probe the BRUDENELL transaction
to the bottom. Our readers will have perceived, by our
Report of Tuesday's debate, that the Hon. Baronet,
with a view to ulterior proceedings, moved for a series of
documents connected with the Court-martial held
Cork on the 25th of December, 1833. 'was that
celebrated Court-martial before wh Captain
WA-
THEN was arraigned by the 12.a;lant Colonel, who, to
use a trite but expressi.:-, phrase, was caught in his
cond
own trannes p,
the. C-'4.4-rt having acquitted the accused and
er.
trans 7; the accuser. The circumstances which
ired at the trial—the eaves-dropping—the es-
"iiionage—and other lord-like practices proved against
Colonel BRUDENELL, excited at the time a great
sensation in the army. The result, as our readers
know, was the removal of that officer from the com-
mand of a regiment which he then held, and his being
placed on the half-pay list out of harm's way. It is not
to be doubted that the dismissal gave general satisfac-
tion to military men, who never dreamt that his Lord-
ship would be restored to active service. They did
not take into their calcule.tion the extent of his Lord-
ship's influence at head-quarters. They forgot that
Lord HILL was Commander-in-Chief—that Lord
BRUDENELL was brother to Lady HOWE—and that
Lord HOWE was Chamberlain to the QUEEN !

Lord JOHN RUSSELL stated last night the altera-
tions which he proposed to make in the Tithe Com-
mutation Bill. These alterations relate principally to
the mode in which the commutation shall be carried
into effect. If three-fourths of the landowners of
a parish decide in favour of a voluntary commutation,
this decision shall bind the whole parish ; and if
the arrangement is not effected before the first of Oc-
tober, 1837, the Commissioners are then empowered
to order a commutation for the parish. But whether
the commutation be voluntary or compulsory, two
valuers are to be appointed by the landowners, the one
by a majority in number, the other by a majority in
value, whose office it shall be to applot the rent-charge :
in other words, to apportion the sums to be charged
on the different lands. This is a partial adoption of
Mr. BLANIIRE'S suggestion, and is so far an im-
provement on the original plan, as it enables the land-
lords to adapt the amount of the rent-charge to the
circumstances of particular lands--a power which they
protested against being placed in the hands of the
Commissir,mers. No farther deduction, we are glad
to see, is to be made from the amount of the tithe, 75
and 60 Per cent. being retained as the maximum and
minimum.

The whole of the Paris Journals of Tuesday have been
received. The following are extracts from them :
PARIS, APRIL 12.—Accounts from Algiers and Oran say
that the environs of Oran are very unsafe. No person can pass
the line of blockhouses without incurring great danger. It
seems that the Emir Abdel Kader intimidates the Arabs of
the country, for they do not attend the markets, which makes
provisions scarce and dear. Happily the capture of 200 oxen,
fro►% the Garrabats, by General Peregaux, has procured the
garrison a supply of meat. There was no wine, and the troops
were supplied with brandy.
Private letters say that the vessels intended to convey the
troops were at Oran on the 24th.
The postscript to a letter from Oran of the 21st says—"l open
my letter to tell you of the good news from the Camp on the
Abra. You know that General Peregaux marched to the
plain of the Abra, and that up to the 16th he had not fallen in
with the enemy. Only information has been received from
the Cerabas, that he had captured a convoy of 3,000 oxen.
To-day a report is spread by the Arabs themselves, that the
Garabas had sustained a complete defeat, and that after the
battle, Habid Boulem, their Chief, who was the right hand of
Abdel Kader, had come with his people to make their submis-
sion. Five or six neighbouring tribes has followed the exam-
ple, and it seems that Mustapha will not stop now he is going
on so well. It is said he employs the Arabs, who have joined
him, and subject those who have not submitted.
The Su fen of the line, Captain Bander, arrived at Toulon,
from the Levant, on the Bth of April. —Messager, April 12.

FRENCH FUNDS.-PARIS, APRIL 12,

Five per Cents., 1081. 1071. 25c.
Four per Cents.. 101 f. 20c.
Three per Cents.. l'2l. 20c. Isc.
Rank Actions, 2,250 f.
Rente de Naples, 1021. 20c. 2Lc. 20c.
Roman Fire per Cents., 105.
Spanish Actives, 47%14,
Spanish Differes, 21%.
Spanish Passives, 14%14%.
Belgian loan, Five per Cents, 103 102%.
Portuguese Loan, Five per Cents., 85 8-1%.
Portuguese Three per Cents. 55 5118 55.
Haytiau Loan, 3iOr•
IiNCIIANGE ON LONDON.
Onctlitliith, paper, —c. —c.; money, 25r. 47gc
TNitt/ Months, paper, —l. —c.; money, 25f. 32 c.
rs Aulhenti2ue.
130URSIC, THREE o'Ci.ocx.—This has proved again a blank
day at the Bourse. The Three per Cents. opened at '6' 2 f 2.5 e.,
and remained fixed at that price, sellers.
The Active stock opened at the closing price of yesterday,
and improved a little on the report of some favourable news
from Madrid of the 6th inst.

QUARTER TO Foun.--Fi; per Cents., 108 f. 20c. ; Three
per Cents., 82f. 30c. ; Five per Cents. Spanish, —; Three
per Cents. Spanish, —; Cortes, —; Coupons, ; Gueb-
hards, —; New Loan, ; Actives, 41i ;
Passilts, 14 ; Ducats, 102 35 ; Romans, 105 ; Pedros, 84 ;
Belgians, 1091 ; Dutch, —f. e. ; Haytians, 395 f. —c. ;
Miguels, —; Brabant flank, ; Belgian tank, Idi 1 Con,
tinuation, —e. New Differes, 2.11; Vire per Cent. Perpe-
tuell•zt, Royal Loan, —,

Letters and papers to the morning of the
6th instant lira Ika received. The debate on the Ad-
dr of the Procuradores in answer to the Royal Speech
at the opening of the Cortes commenced on the Ath3,and
was adjourned over till th 6 1411otving day, &thing (if itti.
portance Was elicited, nor was it in the least doubtful that
the Address would be carried by an immense majority. It
was supposed that MENDIZABAL would be in no haste to
fill up the vacancies in the Cabinet, as his great object is
to select only as his colleagues men possessing the confi-
dence of the Chambers.
The following is the copy of a letter addressed by Senor
IsTuntz to Senor MENDIZABAL on declining to accept of
five as a Member of the Government. It gave great satis-
faction to all parties, inasmuch as it proves that ISTURIZ
is not actuated by a spirit of factious opposition :

hrsda:Mh 1, .
" My dear Mendizabal— "It is Twit uh
sincyerearc regreto thatlB36 I in-
form you of my resolution relative to the offer you made me
last Sunday to enter your Ministry. I declared to you that in
my opinion you ought to complete your Ministry, either with
me or without, and prepare yourself to appear before the Le-
gislature compact and strong as regards persons and things.
" It is now my duty to declare to you that I cannot grant
you my weak support. This step is imposed on me from the
confidence with which you have honoured me, which requires
from me a candid and disinterested acknowledgment.
The various motives on which my resolution is grounded
would require more space than the limits of a letter will adrr
pit
of. Several of these motives have been discussed in our colt-
ferences, some of which have been overcome and others st ill
exist. Nevertheless, I think it will suffice to irfferni yo u,
that after my determination, expressed to you the same day,, I
weighed the opinions, without which I could not form Fan ef