The Sun.
London, England, 1822-03-20 00:00:00

THE MARKETS.

CORN EXCHANGE, MARCH 20.
Our market continues the same as on Monday in respect to
prices, and but so little doing that those prices may be said to be
nominal, this is the state of the market in general ; but little
fresh corn at market to-day, and the general run of inferior
quality.

HOP INTELLIGENCE.
.11AinsToNE, MARCH 14.—Our supply of hops has become
so very trifling as to be scarcely worth notice. We have
not had to-day more than 'frOni 50 to 60 Bags and Pockets
offered for sale, and those entirely .from. the Weald of Kent,
which were mostly sold at a reduction of about 2s. per
cwt.--we quote Bags faom 58s. to 745.; Pockets, 60s. to 745.
We certainly have no middle Kent hops left Worthy of a name.
The very large breadth of hop plantation last year sown with
corn and planted with other vegetables, has so much injured
the plant as to render it impossible for much, if any, produce
to be expected from such lands this year. 'We think we may
very safely say that our plantations are lessened full one fifth.

THE LONDON: JOURNALS.

ESTRACTS, FROM THE DULY MORNING PAPERS,
March W, 1822.

[THE TIMES.]
Upon the subjects which have lately occupied
so much of the public attention in France, the
arrivals of yesterday tell us nothing, except ne-
gatively—that the disturbances have not been
renewed, and that General Berthon has not yet
been apprehended. A trial of no small interest
to the Press, -and to the Rarity of judicial pro-
ceedings, is, however, presented in the Journals
of Saturday. The defendants are M. Beranger
and his printer Baudouin. The facts of the case
are shortly these, and few who read them will
be at a loss for a commentary:—ln the course of
last year,. M. Beranger published two volumes
.of songs, some passages of which became the
subjects of prosecution. In November, the
Chamber of Accusation of the (Jour Royale re-
ferred M. Beranger to the• Court of Assizes,as being
accused of various offences, the couplets forming
the subject of prosecution being transcribed into
the judgment (of the above Chamber) accord-
ing to.law." On the eighth of December, M.
Beranger appeared before the Court of Assiee.
The decree of the Cour Royale, with the pas-
sages complained of inserted in it, was then read
openly in Court., The result of the proceeding
was, that M. Beranger was acquitted on three
counts of the indictment (as we should call them
here), and condemned to three months' impri-
sonment on the 4th—viz., that of imputing to
him " an outrage upon public morals and reli-
gion." The journals, in their reports of that
trial, were not suffered by the Censorship to give
more than the speeches of the Counsel for the
Crown. Every word spoken by the Counsel for
the accused was suppressed by that tribunal.
—M. Beranger then felt himself, in duty to
his own character, and to the interests of jus-
tice, bound to publish a correct report of the
trial, with the official documents thereto belong-
ing. For this publication, on the ground of its
reciting the condemned passages, the author and
printer were now a second time prosecuted. The
question depending on the verdict of the Jury
was, therefore, no less than this—Whether a
correct copy of the decree of a Court of Justice
was to be considered libellous ? We need say
little upon the absolute folly of all attempts to
stifle obnoxious productions, by stimulating that
curiosity of which they are the food : the effects
of such policy are plain enough elsewhere as

well as in the French capital. But one or two
passages in the speech of M. Dupin put the legal
and constitutional principle in so clear a light,
that they seem to us worthy of attention.

[NEW TIMES.]
In consequence of Mr. Vansittart's motion on
Monday evening, the Treasury Minutes respect-
ing Superannuation Allowances -vyill be brought
before the House, and the principle of those al-
lowances will be more clearly understood than
they seem yet to be by the country at large.
While the individuals affected by the measure
pretty loudly complain of its hardship, some of
our false economists describe it as a corrupt no-'
velty in the application of the public' money.
We beg to call attention to the letters of our
Correspondent Justus on this subject, the second
of which will be found in our Paper of to-day.
In a former number, he opened' the discussion in
a most fair and candid manner; and in the pre-
sent he proceeds to shew that so far from its being
a modern abuse to grant remunerations to the
superannuated servants of the public, it is a
system which has existed for many years, and
one which was, originally introduced, not on the
suggestion of the Executive Government, but on
that of Committees of Parliament, as a measure
equally of policy and of justice. References to
the Reports of the Finance Committees of 1786
and_l797 fully confirm this statement, and prove
that it was then thought that those faithful indi-
viduals who were worn out in the service of the
public had a right to expect, not merely a de-
cent provision, but a liberal compensation,.

[MORNING CHRONICLE.]

We have heard it objected to our remarks on
what fell from Mr. lluskisson respecting the Li-
censing System, that we were somewhat too
sanguine in our expectations, for the Right Il6n.
Gentleman merely recommended to Magistrates
to change the system, while the system will never
be changed by Magistrates of themselves, and
will be continued till an end is put to it by the
Legislature. Even where sinister interest does
not interfere, men are seldom willing to renounce
such a power as that which the present mode of
administering the Licensing Laws gives to Ma-
gistrates. The late convictions will only impress
them with the necessity for acting in future with
greater caution. It appears to us, however, that
the recognition on the part of a Minister, of the
principle which ought to govern the grant-
ing of Licenses is far from being a matter of
light importance. The end in 'view arid the means
of obtaining it are quite distinct. It may be very
true that Magistrates will not of themselves adopt
a different system ; but when it is allowed that
a different system ought to be adopted, if the
change cannot be effected by Magistrates them-
selves it may be effected by the Legislature.
We confess we are not very sanguine in our ex-
pectations with respect to Magistrates themselves.
It is observed by one of our greatest writers,
that it is the hardest of all hard things every
where to persuade Legislatures that they do not
understand shoe-making better than shoe-makers.
The Legislature of England has contrived to com-
municate so much of this spirit to the inferior Ma-

gistracy, that they have acquired a taste for inter-
fering in every thing. We wish we could say that
the management of public-houses was the only in-
stance in which their activity has been mischiev-
ously directed. By the interpretation they chose
to give to the Poor Laws, the labour of the South
of England has been placed completely under
their controul. Every thing has become matter
of Magisterial regulation. Food and drink, fire
and clothes, all come under the cognizance of
the Justice. He has to determine as to the ex-

tent of the tear and wear allowable to every
age, from the child in leading strings, to the
old man on crutches ; even the quantity of
blanket necessary to shield an old woman .from
the cold, has more than once been a subject of
grave divussion at a meeting of Magistrates. With
respect to public-houses, the system has gone so
far that a continuance or a change must equally
be productive of inconvenience, though of course
every thing ought to give way to the paramount
consideration of public benefit. Public-houses
have been bought and sold at a price far beyond
that of the mere value of the building, in consi-
deration of the licenses attached to them. The
proprietors of these houses would, of course, be
materially injured by a free system, and would
probably consider themselves entitled to com-
pensation.

[MORNING POST.]
The plan of Ministers for reducing the Five
per Cent. Stock has completely succeeded.--
Those who have dissented are chiefly, if not en-
tirely, holders of smalLquantities, persons whose
fears are easily alarmed through their ignorance,
and who thought it much better to have their
money, even though they lock it up in a box, than
consent to a transfer the principles of which they
so imperfectly comprehend. The. Chancellor
of the Exchequer intends to proceed imme-
diately with a similar measure for reducing the
interest payable on the Irish Navy Five per
Cent. Stock. The 2,700,0001. voted on Mon-
day night is to be appropriated to the purchase
of such Five per Cent. Stock as belonged to the
persons who had dissented from transferring that
Stock to the Four per Cents. The capital of the
Stock to be paid off amounts to only 2,600,000/.;
the remaining 100,0001. being required for inte-
rest up to the day of payment. This intention
on the part of Government, to pay off the dissents
immediately, was announced yesterday at the
Stock Exchange by Mr. Ilase, who stated that
" all those persons, holders of Five per. Cent.
, Stock, who have dissented from the plan for the
reduction of the interest, may, on giving notice
on or before the 30th instant, receive the
amount of their Stock, at par, in money, on
the sth of April, with the quarter's interest
then due. Those persons who have dissented,
and who decline receiving . the amount on
the sth of April, will be paid off on the sth of
July. Those persons who have the extended
privilege of declaring their dissent till the Ist of
June, will likewise be paid off on the sth of
July:" It is not yet known from what Fund, or
in what way, this sum of 2,700,0001. will be pro-
vided—whether by Exchequer Bills, or a Loan
from the Bank. The Chancellor of the Exche-
quer declined giving any information upon this
point till he brought forward the' Ways and
Means for the year.

[MORNING HERALD.]
The accounts from the north and east of Eu-
rope are still as uncertain and contradictory as
usual respecting the maintenance of peace or the
breaking out of war. The decapitation of Ali
Pacha is beyond a doubt. Every effort is still
made by the Porte to create a formidable force,
naval and military. One of the rumours, pro-
fessing to rest upon the authority of private let-
ters, is that there is a great number of British
Officers serving in the Turkish artillery—a fact
which we .very much doubt. The next rumour
is still more curious. It is that there are in
the Turkish camp a number of Poles, who
demand, in case of war, aid and assistance to
invade Poland, to wrest that kingdom from the
grasp of Russia, and erect it Into an Indepen-
dent State, under a native King, with a free Re-
presentative Constitution. A free Government
established under the auspices of the Grapd Turk
would be a curious event in the game of political
interests. It has been frequently mentioned
that the United States anxiously sought a station
in the waters of Europe. Alany overtures, it is
understood, had been made to Buonaparte for the
cession of the Island of Elba, which he constantly
refused. Their great object is a station in
the Mediterranean, and this it is said they have
obtained, by exchangitig an equipped fleet, to bear
the Greek flag, for a maritime station, which the
Greeks have agreed to cede to them. The port
is not mentioned. We believe the rumour is
wholly unfounded. It would amount to an 'ac-
knowledgement of the independence of the
Greeks—a resolution which the American Go-
vernment would hardly take in this stage of the
contest. Several articles from different parts of
Germany mention that his Majesty is expected
to arrive there shortly—visiting Vienna and Ber-
lin, as well as several of the minor capitals.

[BRITISH PliEnS.]
When the union of parties lately took place
which seated some of the Duke of Buckingham's
friends in the Cabinet, an impression very gene-
rally prevailed.that a principal condition of the
union was the removal of the disabilities which
affect the Roman Catholics. Whether this im-
pression were well or ill-founded it is as yet
impossible to ascertain, but doubts may well be
entertained of its correctness, in consequence
of the avowed opinion of Mr. Plunkett, that it
would not be advisable to submit the claims of
the Roman Catholics to the wisdom of Parliament
during the present Session. This opinion, we
are warranted in saying, has thrown dismay over
the great body of the Roman Catholics of this
country. They cannot discern any circumstances
of a public nature which could render the pre-
sent Session of Parliament less auspicious to their
hopes than any other Session which could be se-
lected, and many of them, on the contrary, think
that the accession of a considerable number
of their avowed advocates to the Cabinet,
was calculated to remove many of the diffi-
culties in the adjustment of their claims which
have hitherto been found insurmountable. Mr.
Plunkett gained a great triumph in the last Ses-
sion of Parliament. A spirit of national conci-
liation, under the influence of his wisdom and
eloquence, dispelled the heavy cloud of poli-
tical jealousy or religious prejudice which, for
the interests of the empire, had too long man-
tled over the House of Commons. The pro-
verbial caution of the House of Lords,
strengthened in this particular instance by the

force of ecclesiastical prejudice, rejected his •
scheme for removing the prolific sources of dis-
cord, and for soothing the angry feelings of men
who may writhe under, the painful sense of unde-
served depressiOn ; bat in this rejection there was
nothing to discourage the hope of future success.
The very triumphant progress of the Bill through
the House of Commons argued most satis-
factorily the advance in the public mind of
the opinions upon which the principle of the
measure was founded. The petitions that were
presented against the Roman Catholics from va-
rious parts of the country were extremely few,
and-were, for the most part, from the clergymen
of the established church, whose opinions upon
this particular subject may probably not have
been wholly exempt from the bias which a sense
—we believe—a mistaken sense of their own pe-
culiar interests might he calculated to give to
their judgments. We hope that in the expres-
sion of , this opinion we shall not be considered
as speaking uncharitably of a class of gentlemen
whom we highly reverence and esteem. It is
difficult then to conceive why Mr. Plunkett
should be unwilling to press the measure •again
in the present Session.