The Sun.
London, England, 1831-02-17 00:00:00

NING, FEBRUARY 17, 1831.

SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS.

Mr. O'ConneNtesaxe find, is already striving to
prove himself " not guilty" of the charge of having
pleaded " guilty" to the indictment recently pre-
ferred against him by the Attorney-General. To
the wine-porters of Dublin he has made a speech,
wherein he tells them that " I would rather that
the arm was cut off from this body than plead guilty
to One count." Ay, truly l How many limbs,
then, does the learned gentleman boast of having
now about his person ? For if the public be not
cruelly mystified, he hat pleaded guilty to counts
thirteen—and one 1 After indeed some quarter
of an hour's palavering about his determination to
keep the repeal of the Union a floating subject
for ever and ever, in spite of all that Govern-
ment could do or threaten to prevent it, he
comes out with the admission that he has al-
lowed " judgment to go by default" on fourteen
counts, because he " disputes the construction
of law by the Attorney-General, and has liberty
to carry the question of law, through the twelve
Judges, to the House of Lords." Now, if there
were an antorri of truth or consistency in this story,
—if Mr. O'Connell really " disputed," or so ,much
as doubted, the construction put upon the law of
the case by the Attorney-General, would he not
have met his opponent manfully on the point of law
in the first instance, by arguing his original demur-
rers before the Court of King's Bench, instead of
taking to his heels the moment he smelt the day of
argument approaching, and by his plea of " not
guilty" shifting the law to the fact; from which
again, by a counter shuffle, withdrawing the plea of
" not guilty," as he had before withdrawn the de-
murrer, he has finally missed his foot and slipped into
the disastrous confession that both law and fact are
against him. We never came across an exhibition
of this adroit, but now defunct, impostor, which
gave us a clearer notion of what the Irish ululoo, or
death-howl, is described to be, than his tragic-
comic rigmarole to the " gentlemen" wine-porters,
as reported in the Morning Register.—Times..
The Ministers have done well in submitting the
accounts and papers relative to Pimlico Palace, anti
the furnishing of Windsor Castle, to a Select Com-
mittee. It is to be hoped they will go further, and
promote a fair and full inquiry into all the particulars
connected with the reckless expenditure of public
money which these ill-starred undertakings have
occasioned at a time when the industry of the
country is pressed down to the earth by the in•
tolerable burden of taxation. Nothing would be
more just, nothing more popular, than a rigid and
unsparing inquiry into matters of expense so enve-
loped in circumstances of mystery and suspicion.
As to the Palace at Pimlico, it is as tasteless in de-
sign as it has been costly in its yet imperfect execu-
tion. When Princes undertake public works, it is
to be expected that, if the precepts of economy are
departed from, at least the rules of intelligent art
will be observed, and the extravagance in some de-
gree atoned for by the grandeur and beauty of the
construction. But the Palace in question has nothing
of those redeeming qualities to take off the edge
of public criticism from the conduct of the Go-
vernment, which allowed this prodigal job to go
on, from year to year, unchecked by the salutary
control of Parliament. Well might Sir John Se.
bright describe it as a scandalous waste of the public
money; and well might Mr. Goulburn feel offended
with the application of terms so appropriately se-
vere. If Mr. Goulburn felt as sensitive about his
character as he ought when in office, he would have
taken care that none of the reproach of these trans-
actions should ever apply to him by having a proper
inquiry instituted into what all the country ex-
claimed against when he was Chancellor of the Ex-
chequer. Whatever publicjobs Ministers do not
expose and put down, or, at least, endeavour to put
down, they must be taken to connive at, if not en-
courage. But, though Mr. Goulburn has to bear
his share of blame for the continuance of the Pim-
lico job, it certainly did not originate in his Admi-
nistration. If we mistake not, it was Lord Gode-
rich who first proposed the measure in Parliament,
and obtained a vote of money on the ground,
not of building a new Palace, but of repairing
the old Palace, called Buckingham House. The
present Chancellor of the Exchequer stated, in
bringing this subject under the notice of Parlia-
ment the other night, that the original estimate
was 496,0001. If we recollect right, the very first
vote applied for as sufficient to cover the expence
of the proposed repairs was 250,000/. only ; but at
this distance of time, and without being able to
refer to the documents, we will not say this posi-
tively. However, taking it as the sum stated by
the 'Chancellor of the Exchequer, it appears that
the sum sanctioned by Parliament (whether upon
one or more applications we do not take upon us
now to say) has been exceeded by 76,000/.—that
is, so much of the people's money has been ex-
pended without any sanction of Parliament what-
ever. Another• large sum beyond the estimate has
been squandered on the turniture of Windsor Palace.
We quite agree with Mr. Hume's view of this sub-
ject,penses without the sanction
should pay those expenses. If
if persons choose of their
d incurth that "
ootlf:le.n Parliament,l% Ministry,aatchecoo°rdtlsetor' hey
while in place, had taken it on
themselves, unauthorised by that House, if he, Mr.
he would make short work of it, and tell
tfhlourmpe were in the place of the Noble Lord (Al-
),
them, if they gave
is
for the work, let them pay
for it also." 'phis s the right principle—if Minis-
ters, or Lords-Steward, or Commissioners of Public
Works, or any other persons take upon them to usurp
the functions of Parliament, by giving orders to ar-
chitects or tradesmen without previously obtaining
the approval of the Legislature, the obvious remedy
is to leave those who gave such unconstitutional
orders to pay for their officiousness—just as the law
treats an individual who puts himself in the situa-
tion of what is called an executor of his own wrong,
who, by intermeddling without legal authority in
administering the goods of a deceaaed person, be-
comes responsible for his debts. There is a state-
ment in the speech of the Chancellor of the Exche-
quer particularly worthy of notice :—he says that
when " he first came into office, he found that a great
number of the tradesmen and workmen employed at
those Palaces were in great distress, in consequence
money due to them, which they were un-
aobf havingto obtain." Now, the only thing like an argu-
ment we have ever heard in defence of the extrava-
gant outlay on those Palaces was, that they gave
employment and relief to marry who would other-
wise want work; but here we find that, notwith-
standing the prodigal expenditure
_upon those Pa-
laces, a great number of the tradesmen and work-
men are in absolute distress for want of payment.
How has the money been swallowed up ?—illorn-
ing Herald.

The Irish papers and letters received yesterday
we are sorry to say, disappoint in a considerable de-
gree the hopes in which we were led to indulge in
regard to that national pest, O'Connell. He now
presents himself in a more obnoxious and if possible
more detestable point of view than ever, After
having to all intents and purposes pleaded guilty to
charges brought against him, by the withdrawal of
his plea of not guilty, he now has recourse to the
pitiful subterfuge (unworthy of the meanest petti-
fogging attorney) of denying that he has admitted
guilt by the 'IN ithdrawal of his plea, but merely suf-
fered judgment to go by default. Surely the par
must be ashamed of such a Member. If the with-

drawal of the plea does not in express terms amount
to an admission of guilt, it obviously admits that
there are no grounds of defence to the charge ; and
therefore the withdrawal of Mr. O'Connell's plea of
not guilty cannot in law or in reason be otherwise
considered than an admission of his guilt. We re-
gret to add that this man, unmindful of the fearful
consequences, is still pursuing his mischievous career
of agitation and delusive arts upon the ignorant and
thoughtless portions of the Irish people. The state-
ment made by Mr. Stanley in the House of Com-
mons last night is a complete exposure of O'Con-
nell's mean and contemptible shuffling.—Morning
Post.

Our readers will see with regret from an account
of a meeting of the wine-porters of Dublin on Mon-
day last, that Mr. O'Connell still persists in his de-
termination to agitate the repeal of the Union. It
is pretty clear, however, from the language em-
ployed by him, that the King's Attorney-General i.
more than a match for him, and that he now look.
upon the cause as all but desperate. The most
amusing parts of the speech are those in which the
would-be legislator for Ireland attempts, first, to
prove that he " did not plead guilty" to the indict-
tnent which was preferred against him, and, se-
condly, that he "hates intimidation 1" With re-
spect to the former, Ise declares; that he only
consented to the withdrawal of the plea of
not guilty; though what difference there can
exist between " withdrawing a plea of not
guilty," and " pleading guilty," it would puzzle a
Jesuit to discover. With regard to the latter,
nothing can be more in unison with the late proceed-
ings of the agitator than a denial of, and profession
of contempt for, acts of which he has been re-
peatedly guilty. What was the exhortation to make
a run upon the banks for gold, but a threat against
the commercial and manufacturing interests, and an
attempt to intimidate them from opposing his nefa-
rious scheme of disunion ? And what also, let us
ask, are his vulgar denunciations of individuals, but
parts of a system of intimidation ? However, the
plot has evidently failed for the present, and if the
people of Ireland are silly enough to aid in its re-
vival, we must say that they will fairly entitle them-
selves to all the misery and ruin which the scheme
of the agitator could not fail to bring upon them.—
Morning Advertiser.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.

MANSION-HO USE.

A young woman named Werwell, complained to
the LORD MAYOR against the new Company who
have star►ed coaches from Gerard's-hall to Bristol.

The complainant stated, that on Thursday last,
on her way from Bristol to London, on the top of
the stew Company's coach, the coachman requested
that she would be so good as to accommodate an
inside passenger by exchanging places. She com-
plied with some reluctance, as she much preferred
her own situation, and at Chippenden she went in-
side, having a little child with her, and her brother
being an outside passenger. Upon her arrival in
town, she was, to her great astonishment, required
to pay the difference (six shillings) between the
outside and the inside places; six shillings for the
child, for which she had been told at Bristol no
charge would be made, and six shillings for luggage.
It was in vain she declared that she went inside at
the request of the coachman, and to oblige an inside
passenger. Her luggage was detained for the
twenty-four shillings thus unreasonably demanded,
and she was put to very serious inconvenience in
consequence.
The LORD MAYOR desired Mr. Cope to make
inquiries into the particulars of the complaint, and
to represent, if the complainant's statement proved
to be correct, the impropriety of the demand to the
proprietors.
Mr. Cope immediately accompanied the com-
plainant to Gerard's Hall, arid on his return in.
formed the Lord Mayor that he happened to meet
evidence of the truth of the charge accidentally at
the inn. Just as he and the young woman entered,
the complainant pointed out a person who she said
had travelled to town with her, and no doubt heard
all that passed about the exchange of seats. The
passenger alluded to confirmed the accuracy of the
complainant, and stated that the complainant fre-
quently requested to be allowed to get outside in
the course of the journey, as the inside did not
agree with her.

- The LORD MAYOR—WeII, I suppose they did not
object to abandon their demand ?—Mr. Cope said
they certainly did. The answer he received was,
that they could not abate anything, that the young
woman having come to town inside, must pay the
difference.

The LORD MAYOR said the proprietors certainly
had an odd way of increasing custom.—(A laugh.)
Mr. Cope said, that an Irishman, who was at
Gerard's Hall at the time he went thither, swore
that Ire would never go by the coach, as such gross
imposition was constnitted by those who seemed to
controul it.
The LORD MAYOR—Let a summons be served at
Gerard's Hall.—The summons was accordingly
issued.

Mr. Cope informed the Lord Mayor, yesterday,
that those who represented the Company's coach
had thought proper to put an end to the complaint,
by delivering up the luggage to the young woman
without making any demand.
The LORD MAYOR—What ! not for the luggage?
Mr. Cope said, not even for the luggage, for which
they were entitled to receive.

His LoßDsittP saw no reason to regret his inter-
ference.

Some lads were brought up, charged upon sus-
picion of having robbed an old gentleman, named
Poynder, of his watch, value between 601. and 701.
as we understood.

The LORD MAYOR sentenced the three to be
locked up, and worked hard for three months in
Bridewell.

G UILDHALL.

Joseph Walker, a young Irishman, was charged
with creating a mob round the door of a banking-
house, in Lombard-street, by exhibiting a Taipei
lantern on a pole, bearing what was termed a like-
ness of Captain Rock, and distributing inflammatory
hand-bill, announcing that a deep monological tra
gedy, called " Swing, or, who are the Incendi-
aries ?" would be performed at the Rotunda. A
copy of " The Life of Swing," was f ound on the
prisoner, for publishing which Carlile had been con-
victed.—He was remanded.
B OW-STREET.

On Tuesday evening ilizareth Pearce, Mary
Anne Guest, .James Haddock, and a young girl anti
boy, whose names were not given, were brought up
and underwent an examination, charged on suspi-
cion of being principals and accessaries in receiving
a large quantity of valuable property of almost every
description, knowing it to have been stolen. The
ipvestigation excited great interest, and the office
was excessively crowded.

It appeared that in consequence of the daring and
extensive robbery committed in the auction-room of
Messrs. Machin and Debenham, in King-street, on
Sunday morning last, Mr. Thomas, the Superinten-
dent of the F. Division of the New Police, with J.
J. Smith, and Gardiner, of this office, were on the
alert night and day. On Monday night they ob-
tained information that there was a house in Phse-
nix-alley, Long-acre, into which large parcels ui
goods were constantly being conveyed. The officers,
in consequence, were on the watch during Monday

night, and saw sufficient of the persons who passed
in and out to induce -them to determine upon a
search. On Tuesday morning, at five o'clock, the
officers named, together with two police constable,
placed themselves within view of the door of the
house in question, and had not been there many
minutes, when they saw the prisoner Haddock,
whom they immediately recognised us a notorious
thief, come up and give three knocks with his
knuckles. He was admitted, and the officers following
close upon his heels, gained an entrance to the hou e.
When they got to the first floor, one of the police-
men ran up to the attic, and there found a person in
the act of ascending the ladder which led through
a trap-door to the roof, and seized him and brought
him down stairs. He was in a state of great agita-
tion, and, on being questioned, he said his name was
Pearce, and that he was a tailor, and rented the
house ; bu► be afterwards said he was a jeweller,
and only lodged there. The prisoner, Elizabeth
Pearce, and the boy and girl, were found in the
house, and, together with Haddock, were made pri-
soners ; the man first secured stated Elizabeth
Pearce to be his wife. The man was then left in
the first floor, in the custody of the police constable,
who secured him while the officers proceeded to
search the whole of the house, in doing which they
found an immense quantity of property, censistieg
of almost every kind of merchandize. Whale the
search was going on an alarm was .given that the
man, Pearce, had escaped, and it • was found that
the police constable who had him in charge had
left him in the front room for a minute or two,
while searching in the back apartment, and that with-
out arty thing on but his trousers, shirt, and stockings,
he had leaped from the window, and Made off. There
was a crowd of persons in the court at the time, lint
no attempt was made to stop him, and be got clear
away. The prisoners, together with the property,
were brought away, and lodged in CovenNearden
station-house, and two officers were left in tire 'house
in Phcenix.alley. An hour or two after the 'Search,
the prisoner, Mary Anne Guest, came to the house,
and being known, was detained.
The prisoners, who had been advised by their
solicitor, Mr. Humphries, not to say anything, were
remanded.

Mrs. Pearce attracted much notice from her enor-
mous size. She was stated, to be upwards of 20
stone in weight, and not more than 24 years of age.

Mr. Thomas stated that Mrs. Gues.t is the wife
of a well-known receiver of szolen goods, whO him-
self escaped about two years ago by jumping out of
a window in Shire-lane.

LAW INTELLIGENCE.

COURT OF COMMON PLEAS, FEB. IG.

HOPPE V. NESBETT.

This was an action brought to recover the sum of
1.5/. and odd, the value of goods delivered to the
defendant. The defence was, that the defendant
was a minor at the time he received the goods, and
as such was not responsible. From the register
which was put in from St. George's church, Hano-
ver-square, it appeared that his name was William
George Nesbett, and that he must have been under
age at the time he obtained the goods from the
plaintiff
A surgeon appeared to prove that he had deli-
vered one Diana Nesbett, of Henrietta-street,
Grosvenor-square, of a male child many years back,
but so long a time had elapsed, that he could not
sty whether the defendant was the son of that lady.
The father of the defendant proved that he had
a son born at a time which must make the de-
fendant a minor; but, in his cross-examination, he
stated that he could not tell how many children he
had, that his name was Nesbett, and that he had
never known his son pass by any other Christian
name than William.

Mr. Justice ALDERsON said the case was some-
what extraordinary, and one alone for the Jury to
decide. It was not very probable that a father
should not be able to recollect how many children
he had ; and he really thought some other evidence
might have been given to trace the defendant from
his childhood, and so identify him as to leave no
doubi with respect to has minority.
The Jury returned a verdict for the plaintiff—.
Damages, 1.5/.

In the Court of King's Bench yesterday, in
the case of " BALDWIN V. Isitxmv," which was an action
on the warranty of a horse, and which had not concluded
when we went to press, the Jury returned a verdict for
the plaintiff—damages, 18/.

In the Couri of Common Pleas yesterday,
in the case of " PIGOTT v. PATTESON," which was an
action brought to recover for the loss which the plaintiff
had sustained in buying from the defendant a milliner's
business at a certain sum, which arterwards turned out to
be worth not more than a quarter of the money, and
which was not concluded when we went to press, the Jury
found for the plaintiff—damage., 151.

We understand that in addition to the ap-
pointment of coachmakers to her MAJESTY, Messrs.
ADAMS and HOOPER, of the Haymarket, have also been
honoured by the appointment of coachmakers to the KING.
As considerable attention has been directed
to the imperfect state of the roadway at Blackft iars-bridge,
a correspondent states that the pieta and abutments of the
arches are in an equally bad, and, perhaps, more dangerous
condition. In many places large pieces of stone at the
base of the ornamental pillars supporting the recesses have
fallen away, and, consequently, left the superstructure in
a precarious state. This decay has not been caused alone
by time, or the action of the water, hut, in a great mea-
sure, by barges and other craft striking with great violence
agaiast the piers, which are composed of a very rotten
store. An extensive, and necessarily expensive, repair is
absolutely necessary. The balustrades and parapet are also
very weak and unsafe, as may be judged of from the fact
that upon two occasions the mere force of a horse cowing
in contact with the stone-work precipitated a large por-
tion of masonry in the river. It is in contemplation t
establish a toll upon this bridge, to raise a fund for the
projected imprvements.

A numerous meeting of the inhabitants of'
Sunderland, Bishopwearmouth, and Monkwearmouth, WAS
lied in the Assershly-rooms, Sunderland, on Tuesday last,
to take into consideration the necessity of petitioning the
Legislature fora Reform in the Commons' House of Par-
liament.—Durham Advertiser.

RETORT COURTEOUS.—" Hold your tongue
for a fool !" was the polite recommendation of an Irish
husband. " Sure then, you're going to spake yourself,''
was the equally polite reply of the wife.
A PROFESSIONAL OBJECTION.---A Clergy-
man in Scotland desired his hearers never to call one
another " liars," but when any one said " the thing that
was not," they ought to whistle. On Sunday he preached
a sermon on the parable of the loaves and fishes ; and,
being at a loss how to explain it, he said the loaves were
not like those now-a-days—they were as big as some of
the hills in Scotland. He had scarcely pronounced these
words when he heard a loud whistle. "Wha's that,"
said he, " ca's me a liar ?" " It is, I, WILLI, IIZ'DONALn,
the baker."—" 'Well, WILLY, what objection have ye to
what I ha' told ye?"--" None, Mass JOHN—only I want
to know what sort of ovens they had to bake those loaves
in."—Scotch Paper.
_ _

Messrs. COL BUR N and BENTLEY have just
published the following :-1. The Life of Sir Humrnarr
DavY, by Dr. Rams, 1 vol. " A valuable addition to
the stores of biographical literature."—Spectator.._.!,
LLOYD'S Field Sports, Second Edition. " One of the
most interesting productions ever given to the Sporting
World."—Morning Journal-3. The Book of the Sea-
sons, or the Calendar of Nature, by WILLIAM llowirr,
with numerous vignettes, one vol. 10s. 6(1. " The revolt).
dons of the year are watched by an eye awake to the
beauties of nature."—Spectator.-4. The Literary Corres-
pondence of JOHN PINEERTON, Esq. Now just printed
from the Oiiginale. Edited by DAwscx TURNER, Esq.
F.R.S. 2 vols. "This work throws considerable light on
the secrets of literature during the last half century."...-
Globe.-5. The English Army in France, or Perso»al
Narrative of an Officer, 2 vols. " Here are Stories of
Waterloo calculated by striking circumstances t., last for
ever."—Sun.-6. Captain KOTZEBUE'S New Yoyare
round the World, 2 vols. Svo. with plates. " A work of
great instruction and entertainment"— Gentleman's 2'112-
gazine.-7. The Life of TITIAN. By JAMES N'ORTH.•
cone, Esq., 2 vole. Svo. " Such a book as this has long
been wanted."—Courier.-8. IluGHts'a Travels in
Greece and
andndAlbsasniai,liuSsvtroa.tieodnis, pricetion,in!sy;l::":Since the
. with great
a
publication of EUSTACE'S Tour in Italy; alaok. "b;(5,.13 r.
naps, created a more general interest."—Courier.