The Sun.
London, England, 1849-02-22 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, THURSDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY 22, 1849,

grain stacks to the value of five Lacs, or 50,000/. In

consideration of the effect which this occurrence

could not fail to have upon their operations, General
Wiiisn at once presented three gold mohurs to the
artilleryman who had levelled the mortar, and

Lvegold mohurs to the company to which

to belonged. On the 31st the bombardment was

resumed with still greater fury, and was continued

during the whole of the Ist of January—shells being

hrown sometimes every minute, and sometimes

every ten minutes, while deafening salvoes were per-.

petually fired from the heavy batteries. Throughout
the whole of the following night the cannonade was
persevered in ; and on the morning of the 2d of
January a column of the Bengal division, commanded
by Colonel FRANKS, advanced towards a breach on
the north-east side, hard by the Delhi Gate. Finding
an entrance in that direction impracticable,
the troops moved round to the opposite walls
of Moultan, where the Bombay column had
already penetrated beyond the ramparts. At
about three o'clock in the afternoon the first
British colours were planted in the fortress by a
sergeant-major of the Company's Fusiliers. Towards
nightfall the whole town was swarming with the
conquerors, and parties of the Seikhs were recognised
stealing out upon the plain and making their escape
in the direction of Sirdarpore. From the manner
in which the ground is excavated for the formation
of nullahs or watercourses, the cavalry dispatched in
pursuit of the fugitives were unable to make more
than a few straggling prisoners. Before Moultan
was finally occupied by six regiments of English
soldiers, the city was found to contain, as booty of
war, fourteen guns, twenty-five elephants, a great
number of horses, and an immense quantity of grain,
besides other spoil of very considerable value in
specie and miscellaneous property. Fifteen lacs of ru-
pees, or, accordinglto more moderateaccounts, 30,0001.
had been offered by the native bankers or Mahajuns
to save their establishments from spoliation, but the
offer was understood to have been refused. On re-
viewing the events of this memorable bombardment
it will be matter of congratulation that on our side
the destruction of life has been, comparatively speak-
ing, so trifling ; whereas with the defeated rebels the
havoc has proved deplorably severe, among a great
number of other Singhs, HINDOO SINGH and SHAM
SINGH having fallen during the encounter.
Before the mail left Calcutta news had not been
received of the fall of the citadel of Moultan, in
which the MooLEAJ still remained at bay, resolved to
perish rather than accept the alternative of flight or
capitulation. Nevertheless, it was fully expected
that on the storming of the fort, which was intended
to take place about the 10th instant, that last strong-
hold would have fallen into our possession. In fur-
therance of this object, on the morning after the oc-
cupation of the city a brilliant exploit was achieved
at daybreak (Jan. 3) by three companies of her
Majesty's 10th Infantry, under the personal direction
of Captain YOUNG, and at the suggestion of Lieutenant
MAusisELL, of the Engineers. By these gallant men
the only gate then remaining in the hands
of the enemy (the Dowlut-gate, according
to one correspondent) was dashed at and captured—
, its importance being enhanced by the circumstance
that it led from the city across the moat surrounding
the citadel. Inquiries will, of course, be made as to
what Major EDWARDES was doing in the midst of these
extraordinary operations ; and, on the examination of
the lengthened accounts which have arrived from the
seat of war, it will be seen that that distinguished officer
was compelled, from the very fact of his celebrity,
and the terror of his name among the Seiklas, to forego
any opportunity of participating immediately in the
engagements, in order to combine with his com-
rades Lieutenant Lava and General COxTLANDT,
to make demonstrations in order to distract the
attention of the enemy. It was through their
instrumentality in this respect that the rest of the
troops were enabled to prosecute so successfully their
advance Upon Moultan and the prolonged bom-
, bard ment.
As to the position of affairs in other parts of the
Punjaub, they assume for the time a very subordinate
importance, in consequence of the interest concen-
trated upon the operations against Moultan. The
Grand Army, under the Commander-in-Chief, had,
by the latest intelligence, joined the camp of Sir
Rum TuAcKwELL, half way between the Jhelum
and the Chenaub. SHERE SINGH at the same period
remained encamped on the hither bank of the
Jhelum, protected in rear by the river, and in front
by a dense and almost impenetrable jungle. 30,000
men and about 40 guns were understood to constitute
the strength of the insurgents. In the camp of SHERE
SINGH, Major LAWRENCE still continued a close pri•
soner, although the treatment he received was still
marked with respect and kindness. As to the posi-
tion of CHUTTUR SINGH, and the rest of the leaders
of the rebel Seikhs, full particulars will be found
in the dispatches published in other columns of this
evening's impression.

The Navy Estimates for the ensuing year, which
have just been published, will be found in another
part of our impression. There is nominally a very
large reduction in this branch of the public ser-
vice. The estimates for the year 1848-49 amounted
to 7,726,6101., but reductions were made subse-
quently to their being printed and laid on the table
of the House to the extent of 208,0001., so that
7,518,6101. was the amount really required. For the
present year 6,260,7401. is asked for, of which

147,2001. is for the service of the army and ordnance
department, leaving 6,113,5401,, the net amount re-
quired for the naval service. A nominal saving
of 1,405,0701. is thus apparent. We regret, however,
to say, that this saving, or at least by far the greater
portion thereof, is more apparent than real. Certain
charges have been merely transferred to other de-
partments and are still required, although under
other names. For instance, the Post-office contract
packet service, which was last year charged to the
naval estimates, 611,6621., will henceforth be voted in
a separate estimate for the packet service. A further
sum of 161,6981. for the packet service was also in-
cluded in the net estimate last year, which will now
be charged separately to the Post-office department.
Again, the sum of 43,6021. was last year charged
for the convict service, which has been very
properly transferred to its proper position, and will
henceforth be included in the Treasury miscellaneous
estimates. A charge which should have belonged
to the Army and Ordnance Departments, being for
the conveyance of troops, stores, &c., last year
amounted to 181,3221.—this year 147,2001. only will
be required, showing a saving of 34,1221. It is a
decided improvement to have the several sums
charged under their proper heads—no part of the
system that still prevails to too great an extent eli-
cited greater complaints from financial reformers than
the improper classification by which charges were
made under a variety of different heads, which
led to the greatest obscurity and confusion,
where all should, and might, be plain and
simple.
Why should
producing a
largerthe Post-office
nu receivesthaa w
thea
s
credit for
actually obtained, while an expenditure of 773,3601.
on account thereof was charged in the 'naval esti-
mates, which were thus erroneously increased to that
extent ? Why should the real expense of the con-
vict system be diminished, while the sums paid on
that account improperly swelled our marine expendi4
ture ? Much discontent was occasioned thereby, and.
many complaints preferred, that might have been
avoided if things had been called by 'their right
names. Henceforth the system will be changed, and
the simple truth disclosed.
The real saving, which amounts to 640,908/. only,
is to be effected in the following manner:—There is to
be a reduction of 1,500 seamen, and of an equal num-
ber of marines, making 3,000 men in all, who will be
turned adrift to seek employment in other nations,
where their services may be better appreciated than
in their native land. The savings will be in
wages and. provisions, 109,3741. ; in the scientific
branch, 24,410/4 in wages to artificers, 46,583/4 in na-
val stores, 1.8 8,3441., and in new works improvements,
234,6671. duch credit cannot be accorded for this
latter saving , as it simply arises from the completion
of certain • works that have been c.arried on at a
considerable expense for several years.
The estinain 'es for the present year are divided into
two distinct b, ranches—the effective service and the
non-effective se, 'vice. On the latter, which consists
of rewards for p, Ist services—such as h alf-pay pen-
sions, all6Wancen .of various kinds—there .has been no
reduction; indeed there is an increase of _12,124/. It
is manifest that in th is respect the reductions can only

. .

be gradual. The public faith cannot be violated to
the recipients. Great care should, however, be taken
to prevent new claims from arising unnecessarily.
No indications of future economy have been held
out in this respect—no promise that there should be
an alteration of the present system. The full number
of flag-officers are still to be maintained—we are still
to have 150 admirals (in addition to 45 retired rear-
admirals), of whom 13 only are in comnkission ;
while 182 flag-officers are placed on the non- dffective
list. Few indeed of the number have any prospect of
actual employment ; indeed, the age and infirmities
of the majority would prevent the possibility of their
again entering upon the active duties of their pro-
fession. We must again emphatically declare, that
we do not desire that existing interests should be inter-
fered with—that the pay or pensions that have already
been granted, and for the continuance of which the
national faith is to a certain extent pledged, should
be in any degree reduced. But some guarantee
should be given that the vacancies as they may arise
should not be filled up, or at least that but one ap-
pointment should be made for every three vacancies
until the number be reduced within reasonable limits,
say to 75 or 100 admirals at the outside, which
would be amply sufficient for every purpose that
could be required; indeed not one-sixth of the num-
ber could possibly be employed under any combina-
tion of circumstances that might arise. Let
the promotions then be distributed with
sparing,and cautious hand, and we shall not find so
large a demand upon the national resources as
1,394,1701., the estimate for the present year, for non-
effective service, the demand for the past year having
been 1,332,0461. ; in this respect, therefore, there is
no improvement. The rank and Parliamentary, in-
fluence of many of the parties still forbid the appli-
cation °film pruning knife, and the enforcement of
that economy and retrenchment that is exhibited in
other quarters.
In the effective service, 4,719,3701. only is de-
manded, the original estimate last year having
been 5,507,9781: The full amount, however,
was not required, and 161,6981. was applied to
expenses ,of the packet service performed by her
MAJESTY'S mail vessels, which, as we have already
explained, is henceforth to be charged to the Post-
office department. We confess that we regard with
some misgivings the reduction of 3,000 men, the
number asked for the ensuing year being 39,130
only. It is not the pay or provisions of the men that
constitute the objectionable items, and we trust that
no attempts will be made to reduce the number be-
low that which may be required for the maintenance
of the national honour and the national dignity.

We beg to refer our readers to a communication
signed "A Constant Reader," which will be found
in another column. Our correspondent notices a
portion of the speech of Mr. HUDSON at the meeting
of the Midland Railway Company which escaped
the notice of all the reporters, as well our own
as those belonging to other journals. We now gladly
supply the omission, which still further confirms the
estimate we had formed of the value of the stock. It
appears that from the diminished rate of interest now
demanded, all the money that may be required by the
company, under the borrowing powers still available,
may be obtained at four per cent. A very con-
siderable saving will thus be effected—a saving which
the Chairman estimates as being sufficient to increase
the dividends by one per cent. This fact cannot be
too widely circulated. It will completely remove
ainy fear that might have existed in the minds of the
shareholders of diminished dividends, and will ead to
great firmness in the quotations.

THE FIIIIEL_REPUBLIC.
We have received the Paris papers of yesterday.
In the discussion which look place on the affairs of
Rome in the National Aiserably on Tuesday (a re-
port of till-commencement of which appeared in the
Third Edition of The Sim of last, evening) M. Pou-
JOLAT, who 'advocated the restoration to the Porn
of his temporal power at any price, was followed by
M. T. Bac, who said the question before the Assembly
was one that ought to have a solution, and to effect that
object he had just laid on the bureau of the President an
order of the day to the following effect:—" The National
' Assembly, persisting in its declaration of the 25th May
last, passes to the order of the day." The Government,
he said, had not expressed itself clearly as to the con•
duct it intended to pursue, but, from the explanations
which had been given from that tribune, it was evident
that if intervention took place the Government would
not regard it with regret. The Roman Republic was
a fact which the French Republic should feel it an
honour to protect. The language which had been
used by the Minister] of Foreign Affairs might
do very well for a minister under the monarchy, but
it did not suit that of the French Republic, and
Republicans should not tolerate such language.—(Mur-
murs.) The Roman Republic flowed from the same
origin as the French Republic.—(Loud interruption.)
He maintained that the revolution of Februar and the
Roman revolution were of a similar character'; but for
the former the latter would not have taken place.—(Hear,
hear, from the Left.) You would not allow a hand to
be laid on the French Republic; do not, therefore, inter-
fere with the Roman Republic, for that would be to de-
stroy your own principle.
M. Aylies said that no one had a right from that tri-
bune to contest the legitimacy of the events which had
taken place at Rome. But in making that declaration,
he did not mean to admit that there was any similarity
of character between the French and the Roman revolu-
tions. In his opinion the most important part of the
question was the declaration made at Rome, that the
Spiritual Power should have every guarantee, and also
full independence. In that point of view the question
interested the whole Catholic world, and it would abdi-
cate its rights and its duties, if it did not interfere to
establish the independence of the Spiritual Power.—
(Cries from all sides of " Divide, divide.")
Numerous Voices on the Right—The order of the
day, pure and simple.
The President—M. Bac has withdrawn his order of
the day; there is, consequently, nothing to divide on.
The incident was then declared to be closed.

The National protests most energetically again t
any attempt on the part of France to destroy the
Roman Republic, and to restore the PoPE by force
of arms ; and argues, not without some show of
reason, that if France has a right to restore the
POPE by force of arms, Russia has the same right to
restore by force HENRY V., or Louis PHILIPPE.
These papers state that General AUPIC, the French
Minister at Constantinople, had joined Sir STRAT-
FORD CANNING in his protest against the occupation
of Wallachia and Moldavia by Russia, and that
General LE FLO, the French Minister at St. Peters-
burgh, has addressed the Russian Government in
very decided language on this subject. The French
and English Ministers have likewise, it is said, for-
bidden the negotiation of any secret treaty between
Russia and Turkey, much to the delight of the latter
power, which is prepared at once to go to war with
Russia with the certainty of being supported by
England, and the probability of being supported by
France.

It was announced in Paris yesterday that the pre-
liminaries of the Conferences at Brussels for the
settlement of the Italian question had commenced,
and that Count CoLLARaDo, the Ambassador of
Austria to that Conference, had declared that he was
charged by his Government to make known that he
would not take any official part in the meeting, un-
less, before all things, the plenipotentiaries would
formally engage to recognise, in the name of their
respective Courts, the integrity of the treaties of
1815. To this important declaration, Count CoLLA-
REDO added that Austria, in accord with her powerful
allies, was decided to take the necessary measures to
make the treaties which had been signed and ac-
cepted by Europe duly respected, and would not
admit that the Conference of Brussels should have
any other object.
AMETTLER, the Spanish Progressista chief, has
been driven across the frontier into France. He was
followed by the QUEEN'S troops, who again violated
the French territory by shooting five Spaniards who
had taken refuge in France, and seizing eleven others
rand carrying them as prisoners into Spain.
A report was current that the PRESIDENT of the
Republic had pledged himself to maintain the treaties
of 1815, and to unite with the Austrian Government
in the Pacification of Italy.
The Parliamentary Club of the Council of State,
consisting of the members of the former Club of the
Institute, have named a special committee, composed
of MM. GARNIER PAGES, PAGNERRE, BARTHELEMY
SAINT-HILAIRB, and Ducraae, for the purpose of di-
recting the approaching elections.

The- Comm—ittee on-the Electoral Law have pro-
pdfuonsce
ti tnhaer
efollowingi n agm
paymentend ria e n t
et ol e
et ht
ee
dB
ri lelp:r—e
s'elnAll
a-
tives of the people, and not comprised in the excep-
tions specified in the 77th and 78th clauses of the
present law, shall be bound to choose previous to the
verification of their qualifications between their func-
tions and their legislative appointment ; in default of
option, they shall be considered to have resigned their
functions by the simple fact of their admission as
members of the Legislative Assembly."
The Liamone steamer, which had been sent to the
island of St. Marguerite to take on board the 52
Arab prisoners pardoned by the President of the
Republic, returned with them to Toulon on the 15th,
and was to sail for Algiers in a day or two.
The Three-per-Cents. closed on the Paris Bourse
yesterday at 49f. 95c.; the Five-per. Cents. at 81f.

60c.; Orleans Railroad Shares, 805 f. ; Rouen, 520 f. ;
llavre, 335 f.; Great Northern, 446 f. 25c.; Avignon,
181 f. 25c.; Vierzon, 340 f.; Basle, 92f. 60c.; Bor-
deaux, 416 f. 25c. ; -Paris and Strasburg, 355 f.; Tours,
and Nantes, 335 f.
I'..IS3INESS DONE IN FOREIGN RAILWAYS AT THE
LONDON STOCK-EXCHANGE, FEB. 21.

Central; of France (Orleans and Vierzon), 1117.,/-2—.Talnur
and Licge, 9 4—Northern of France, 93 Orleans and
Bordeaux, 3:3;4 —Paris and Rouen, 2.0,/2 ex niv.—Paris and
Strasbourg, 3Al—Rouen and Hay:s, 13% Sambre and
Meuse, s—Tours and Nantes, 24.

which bai been as3igned respectively to their churches

for certain purposes under the statute, into si perate
parishes quoad sacra disjoining these from the parishes
of which ttiey at the time formed parts, and declared
that the minister of these churches inducted, or to be in-

ducted, were, and should be, authorised to exercise and

enjoy within their respective districts the whole powers
and privileges competent to parish ministers, as fully
and freely as if their respective districts had been ordi-
nary parishes; and further declared, that such ministers

wcse and should be constituent members of all presby
teries, synods, church courts, and judicatories what-
soever, and should enjoy every privilege as fully and
freely, and with equal powers, as parish ministers, re-
quiring, as the enactment required, all such judicatories
within whose bounds the churchee were situated to receive
and enrol the ministers as members thereof, and to put
them in all respects on a footing of Presbyterian equa-
lity with the parish ministers of the Established Church.
In the sat* year there had been presented to the As-
sembly petitions from various chapels of ease ministers,
praying that they might be received into the same posis
tion as parish ministers with kirk sessions and parochial
districts; and there had also been transmitted overtures
from several presbyteries to the same effect; on consi-
deridg'which the General Assembly pronounced a deli-
liver/mice, whereby approving of the objects of the over-
turea' and the petitions, they appointed a committee to
consider by what means these might be most effectually
araixtensively carried into execution. In consequence
of the prospects thus held out, preparations were corn•
naenced in various parts of the country for taking ad-
vantage of the change in the condition of chapels of ease,
which it was certainly anticipated would be effected at
the next Assembly, as had already been effected as to
the Parliamentary churches. In particular, a
" proposal " for the formation of a society
iu Glasgow for the erection of additional " pa-
rochial churches" in that city and its suburbs,
was circulated by certain of the pursuers, and subscrip-
tions obtained thereto, the formation of which society
and the payments of the subscriptions were expressly
contingent upon the power of eight presbyteries to give
parochial districts and' corresponding privileges to such
places of worship, and upon the passing of an Act of
Parliament to exclude the right of the patron when these
should be made the churches of quoad sacra parishes.
A Bill was accordingly introduced into the House of
Commons by a Member who was a subscriber to the
" proposal," and became president of the society, when
subsequently constituted after the passing of the " Act
el Assembly anent Chapels of Ease," atter mentioned
for excluding the right of the patron over places of wor-
ship built by voluntary contribution, and erected into
parochial churches, either as additional churches
in an existing parish, or as the churches of
new parishes, whether the same be erected
quoad spiritualia, by authority of the Church Courts
of the Established Church of Scotland, or also quoad
temporalia, by authority of the Commission of Teinds.
This Bill was passed into an Act, and it was in the
course of passing, when the General Assembly of 1834,
convened in May of that year, passed what was called
the Veto Act, which was afterwards declared by the
Court of Session and the House of Lords to be illegal.
Three churches were erected by, and two of them were
conveyed to, parties not connected with the society; but
the society still held fifteen other churches, erected out
of its funds, the property of which churches, and of the
ground on which they respectively stand, was feudally
vested in trust in certain individuals mentioned in the
summons in this cause. The Presbytery of Glasgow as-
signed and allocated to these several places of worship
special districts in the neighbourhood of each place of
worship respectively, with the exception of one named
Springburn Church, which was not opened till the.
year 1842, which several districts they erected into
parishes, quoad sacra, disjoining the same from the pa-
rishes of which they formed parts. Ministers were duly
ordained, and inducted by the Presbytery as the minis-
ters respectively of the places of worship, with the ex-
ception of Springburn Church, and of the parishes quoad
sacra respectively attached thereto; and were by the
Presbytery enrolled as members thereof. A body of
elders, to constitute with the ministers the kirk session
of each of the several churches and parishes, was also
ordained by the authority of the Presbytery in each of
these churches and parishes, except the church of
Springburn; and thenceforward exercised sessional juris-
diction therein respectively, to the exclusion of the
session of the parishes by which the several districts
erected into parishes quoad sacra respectively formed
parts; and the Presbytery thenceforward received and
admitted a representative elder chosen by each of
these kirk sessions as members of the general
Presbytery. It has since been decided, in
the Stewarton case, that the Church of Scot-
land, as established by law, and the judica-
tories thereof; have no power to allocate and assign
districts or parishes quoad sacra, such as those here in
question, or to constitute kirk sessions for such places of
worship and parishes, or to admit the ministers thereof
to sit in church courts, or to any of the privileges of
parish ministers, or in any way to alter or innovate upon
the parochial state of parishes as regards pastoral super-
intendence, kirk sessions, and jurisdiction, and disci-
pline belonging thereto. Under these circumstances, the
question arose, what was to be done with these churches?
On the one band, it was contended that the object of the
subscribers not having been answered, the churches thus
prevented from having ministers enjoying all the church
rights, ought to be sold; While, on the other, it was
contended that these churches were absolutely attached
to the Established Church of Scotland, and must so re-
main. The Court of Session adopted this latter view of
the case, and upon the appeal from that decision their
Lordships now gave judgment.
The Lord Chancellor, Lord Brougham, and Lord
Campbell having stated their opinions to be in ac-
cordance with the judgment pronounced in the Court
below.
The HousE ordered the appeal to be dismissed with
costs.

which the Baboo would proceed in order to get
into the river. The Baboo was then taken along the
kasin of the docks with the aesistonce of some water
men's boats to the entrance of the docks. At thst time
the Lion was stationed outside, and the Newcastle also,
though no contract had been entered ;alto with the hitter
in consequence of the message not having reached the
defendants. It was the business of the waterinen to
hand over the hawser of the Baboo to the stefah-tug out-
side the entrance. At that moment the Newcastle was
endeavouring to push itself towards the vessel for the
purpose of catching the hawser; the crew of the Lion
were trying also to do the same thing. The Newcastle,
however, succeeded in taking possession of the hawser,
and proceeded to tow the Baboo down the river on the
assumption that the Newcastle had been employed
for that purpose. The captain of the Baboo was ex-
ceedingly anxious that no time should be lost, because
they were just at that point of the tide when a few
minutes would have been of the greatest importance;
and, therefore, he did not interfere to prevent the de-
fendants towing his vessel. The crew of the Lion kept
following the Baboo and remonstrating with the cap-
tain until they arrived at Limehouse Reach. At that
time, without any the least assignable reason, and
acting with the greatest negligence, the tug Newcastle
began to slacken its speed. The captain of the Eaboo
called out to them to go on ; but, all of a sudden, the
hawser attached to the Newcastle tug_was loosened and
cast off, and the Baboo was cast adrift in the most dan-
gerous part of the river, with S.S.W. wind. This pro-
ceeding had the effect of driving the Baboo ashore, and
it was for the damage she had sustained that the present
action was brought.
The case was not concluded when wo went to press.

EXCHEQUER.-(THIS DAY.)
;Sittings at Nisi Prim, at Guildhall, before Mr. Baron
PLATT and fa Special Jury.)
GRAPES V. PUNNET.

Mr. Cockburn an i Mr. Barstow appeared for the
plaintiff ; and Mr. Martin and Mr. Humfrey, and another
Learned Gentleman, for the defendant. .

The Postmoster-General, the Marquis of Clanricarde,
and Colonel Moberly, the Secretary of the Post-office,
were present on the bench.

Mr. CUCKBURN, in opening the ease, said this action
was brought against the defendant as the proprietor and
publisher of the John Bull newspaper, for a libel pub-
lished in that paper reflecting upon the character of the
plaintiff. Mr. Robert Grapes, the plaintiff, filled the
situation of letter-carrier in the employment of the Post-
office—a not very exalted and elevated condition in life
certainly, but one the humility of which, it would be
imagined, would have secured to him immunity against
attacks in a newspaper of the aristocratic character
and pretensions of the John Bud. It seemed
however, according to the statement in the plea of justi•
fication, and the statement contained in the libel itself,
that Grapes had been instrumental in assisting Mr. T.
Duncombe, the Member for Finsbury, in bringing cer-
tain alleged abuses connected with the administration of
the Post-office before the attention of Parliament and
the public. He supposed, therefore, that Grapes was
thought worthy of a place in the newspaper as the sub-
ject of a most malignant and malevolent attack. It ap-
peared that certain parties connected with the Post-
office, among whom was a gentleman of the name of
Kelly, had taken upon themselves the preparation and
publication of a work, which was familiarly known to
all, and the merits of which he was not disposed to
deny, called the " Post-office Directory." In preparing
that work Mr. Kelly was in the habit of availing
himself very extensively of the assistance of letter-
carriers, whose various duties took them to the different
districts of the metropolis, and afforded him the means
of acquiring the information he wanted. Some question
had arisen as to the propriety of employing men who
were paid by the public, and whose time ought to be ex-
clusively devoted to the public service, for the advantage
or gain of any private individual, complaints had been
made on the subject by some of the letter-carriers, and
among many others by the plaintiff, Grapes. A question
had also arisen with regard to what was called the early
delivery, which consisted, as he understood, in delivering
to particular individuals who were disposed to pay for
the accommodation, letters at an earlier period than the
public at large were enabled to obtain them. The con-
sequence of that practice was, that while those favoured
and privileged individuals btained an early delivery
of letters, the letters to the puclic generally
were considerable delayed. A considerable number of
-letter-carriers came forward to substantiate the charges
' which had been made on those subjects, and Grapes
being among them, he acquired to himself the unfavour-
able and hostile sentiments of Mr. Kelly and the subor-
dinates who were connected with him, and was ulti-
mately dismissed. Whether there was any real charge
which could be substantiated against him, whether there
was any real or just cause for his dismissal, or whether
' circumstances which involved no criminality on his part
were not seized upon and made a pretext for his dis-
' missal by the persons to whom he had given offence, would
be matter for the consideration of the jury. But before
his dismissal, Mr. Duncombe having heard of the alleged
_ _

abuses in the Post-office, and being a most indefatigable
Member in exposing the abuses of public departments,
thought it his duty to bring the matter under the at-
tention of Parliament. It was in 1846 that he
first alluded to the subject in the House of Com-
mons, and in 1847, when he brought it forward
again, he intimated that he would revive the subject
iu the next session of Parliament, in the event
of his being re-elected for Finsbury. In the meantime,
however, a person of the name of Thacker, a letter car-
rier, who was hostile to Mr. Kelly, and was prepared to
substantiate charges against him and others, with respect
to those abuses, and another man named Ringrose, a
sub-sorter, since charged with embezzling letters at the
Old Bailey, convicted and sentenced to transportation.
At the time of those convictions there appeared au arti-
cle in the John Bull in reference to the trials, but it was
only important so far as it introduced the name of
Grapes to the readers of the journal. The article,
however, which contained the libel complained of ap-
peared on the 24th of July, 1847, and was as follows:
" We shall bear more of Abraham Thacker; mark our
words ! So said we on the 10th inst., and we said truly.
Abraham Thacker was one of Mr. T. Duncombe's Post-
office informers, and was sentenced to be transported to.
day (unfortunate Abraham !) for embezzling letters. A
worthy associate of Abraham is fishing up dirty matters
for Mr. Duncombe of the vinous name of Grapes.
Robert Grapes has since been dismissed from the Post-
office for endeavouring to tamper with the witnesses by
whose evidence Thacker's guilt was proved. I have
received a great deal of information from Grapes,' quoth
the lion. Member for Finsbury (information, we opine,
is not the only thing he has received from Grapes), and
therefore, Oh !—of course, therefore this charge of tam-
pering has been trumped up. Poor Grapes has been
plucked before he was ripe. All this is so natural a course
of events that nobody can doubt it. The fact is (only
Mr. Duncewbe did not like to say so yet.) Grapes, in-
stead of tampering with the witnesses, was merely en-
deavouring by his moral and religious influence to pre-
vail upon them to speak the truth respecting his crony
Abraham, the said witnesses being two perjured rogues
suborned by the Postmaster-General, or those wicked
and diabolical persons Mr. F. Kelly and Mr. W. &ken-
ham (the former, says Mr. Duncombe. is the greatest
tyrant ever employed in any department') to swear away
his life if they would. 'All this will come out next ses-
sion when Mr. Duncombe, if he is again elected for
Finsbury,' means to revive the su:)ject. Meanwhile we
hope he will behave generously to poor Grapes, and
squeeze him into a good place of some sort or other,
since it is most manifest he has lost the one he had in
consequence of doing his (Mr. Duncombe's) dirty—no,
we mean his snow-white work. He has a pair of them
now on his hands—Abraham in the hulks, and Grapes,
pining, perhaps, in a back garret upon nothing a day
and finding himself. We are quite sure that the juice
of the grapes will be as poison to his lips so long as
Grapes (perhaps he is a married man with a family,
which would make a bunch of Grapes) is the victim of
this Kelly fever." He (Mr. Cockburn) could not conceive
anything more malignant than the spirit in which that
article was written, especially as it assumed, and per-
haps not without some reason, that the man Gropes,
with his family, would be compelled to starve in a garret.
The libel charged the plaintiff with tampering with the
witnesses who were called to prove the guilt of Thacker,
but he denied that he had done so, and he
called upon the defendant to make good his assertion.
He could not suppose that the article had emanated from
the editor of the paper, but strongly suspected that it
had been cut and dried by some gentleman connected
with the Post-office, and the plaintiff would have brought
this action against the writer of the article instead of the
publisher, but thedefendant refused to furnish him with
his name, and the only offer he made was to insert
sny statement in the John Bull which the
plaintiff might think proper to make. The
defendant was therefore responsible for the libel,
and he had no doubt that he was backed up and assisted
by those officers of the Post office under whose malig-
nity the plaintiff had suffered. There could only be
one construction put upon the case, viz., that the plain-
tiff had caused the displeasure of the Post office
authorities because he had furnished information
to a Member of the House of Commons, with a view
to a disclosure of the maladministration of that
department of the public service. Upon those grounds
he contended the plaintiff was entitled to the full amount
of damages.
The publication of the libel, and the application of it
to the plaintiff, was then proved, and plaintiff's case
closed.
Mr. MARTIN addressed the jury on the part of toe de-
fence, contending that the defendant had done nothing
more than his duty as a public journalist in commee'
ing, as he did, upon the trials at the Old Bailey. I_
maintained the correctness of the charge, that the plain
tiff had been guilty of tampering with witnesses, in
order to deter them from telling the truth. The Marquis
of Clanricarde examined into the truth of the accusation,
and decided that it had been proved; whereupon he made
a minute, and dismissed the plaintiff from the Post-
office. If his Lordship had not done that, he would
have neglected his duty to the public. The only ques-
tion was, whether the plaintiff had been rightly eis-
missed; and if the jury thought he had, the verdict
would be for the defendant. On the other hand, if a
verdict was found tor the plaintiff, he contended that the
smallest possible amount of damages would be sufficient,
as he had suffered no injury whatever.
The Marquis of Clanricarde, Mr. Peacock, the soli-
citor of the Post, office, and Col. Maberley, the secretary,
were then briefly examined, as to the cause of the plain -
tiffs dismissal—their evidence corroborating the state-
ment of Mr. Martin.
A witness proved that the article complained of was
in the handwriting of the late Mr. Mudford, who was
formerly editor of the John Bull.
The case had not concluded when our re

)orter left.

SOMETHING BINDING ON THE NOIIILITY.—None
but Lords are allowed to receive the Order of the
Garter. We do not envy them, for the Garter is gene-
rally considered a fitting ornament for 0611,m—ranch.