The Sun.
London, England, 1836-11-22 00:00:00

LONDON,
TUESDAY EVENING, NOVEMBER 22, 1836.

A few clamourers against the New Poor Law, from
the parish of Shoreditch, were yesterday admitted to
an interview with the Secretary of State for the Home
Department. From the course pursued by the parties
who figured on this occasion, it would appear that they
had two objects in view—first, to shew themselves off
as the mighty of Shoreditch ; and next, to excite, as
far as lay within their power, a prejudice against a law
which it does not suit them to patronize. Some time
ago a petition from the same quarter, on the same sub-
ject, was presented to his MAJESTY, and an answer
was returned through the usual channel, the Minister
at the head of the Home Department ; but the answer,
it seems, was not altogether to the taste of one or two
would-be great men—it was too laconic—did not recog-
nise Messrs. GOUGH, RAW, CROUT, and Co., as a co-
ordinate branch of the Legislature, and the consequence
of this slur thrown on the dignity of these personages
was a renewed attempt on their part to oppose the sa-
lutary working of the Poor Law, and to show their
wounded pride by spitting out their paltry spite against
Lord JOHN RUSSELL personally. With this view
they got themselves appointed a deputation from the
parish, and having been so appointed, they—the De-
putation—concoct a memorial to Lord JOHN Rus-
SELL, which memorial from themselves they them-
selves present with no small pomp to his Lordship.
This memorial is a very precious composition, and we
regret much we have not room for it at full length.
We must content ourselves with stating that Messrs.
GOUGH and Co. are very wroth with the Corn-
missioners, " whose proceedings " say they, " are in a
great degree so reprehensible as to demand public re-
proof, universal deprecation, and uncompromising re-
monstrance ;" and that this Johnsonian triad, of which
the memorialists have unfortunately put the wrong
end foremost, is followed by a very condescending de-
claration to the effect that they (the memorialists)
agree with the opinions expressed by the vestry in their
petition before alluded to, " feeling the importance of
the great principles therein declarable." There is a
swelling importance in the style of the memorial which
—though sufficiently ridiculous—would not be worth
noticing, but that it is so true a reflection of those minds
which concocted the document. Had those gentlemen
employed a mechanic of the average attainments of
that valuable class of men, to draw up their memorial,
it would have been done in a way much more credit-
able to the parish of Shoreditch ; it would have been,
intelligible.
The memorial, such as it is, was presented to Lord
JOHN RUSSELL, and after the presentation each of
the deputation felt himself called upon to address his
Lordship in a set speech, which we deem no farther
worthy of comment than simply to state that in vulgar
impertinence Mr. GOUGH bore away the palm from
all his brother orators. Lord JOHN made a calm
and dignified reply, and informed the deputation of
that which they ought to have known before, that it
did not rest with him, but with the Legislature, to
alter the laws of the land.

`We beg to call the attention of the public to the
condition of the Polish refugees, who, we regret to
say, arc at this moment in a state of absolute destitu-
tion. When the sacrifices which these gallant patriots
have made for the cause of liberty arc taken into con-
sideration ; when it is remembered that for upwards of
two years, beset by embarrassments and dangers of
every sort, they struggled, unassisted by any European
Power, against the whole overwhelming force of Rus-
sia, and by so doing gave a stimulus to the good cause
throughout the civilized world, which it has never since
lost ; when these facts are taken into consideration,
sure we are that they will not appeal in vain to
the sympathies of Englishmen. There is no nation in
existence which has a stronger claim on our benevo-
lence than Poland. The very mention of the word
" Poland" should stir our hearts like " the sound of a
trumpet."
In old times she was the bulwark of
Christendom against Mahometan despotism ; and at
the present period she sets the brightest example of
heroic courage, self-denial, and unsullied patriotism
that the annals of contemporary history can show.
England has made many sacrifices for liberty, but she
has never made greater, if so great, as the brave Poles
have made, and are now making. And are these high-
minded patriots, who rival those of Greece in its best
days, to be
permitted to starve among us ? Forbid it
justice—forbidfrom
it generosity I Exiled every other
part of Europe ;
repudiated even by the King of the
barricades, who owes his elevation to the same just demo-
cratic principles, which induced Poland to brave the
power of Russia, let the Poles, at least, find a home and
friends in England. We know we shall not appeal in

vain to the sympathies of our countrymen, for the
stream of English benevolence runs in a magnificent
channel, and those who have claims on it, are always
sure to have those claims allowed. At the present pe-
riod the situation of the Poles presses more strongly
than ever on our attention. Winter is fast approach-
ing—and who does not know the rigour of an English
winter ?—the necessaries of life are daily becoming
dearer ; and unless we extend the hand of charity,
and that without delay, towards the destitute Poles,
but few of these gallant patriots will survive to witness
the return of spring. Imagine them wandering pen-
nyless and half-clad about the streets on a day like the
present—a day whose chilling damp and ague-bur-
dened fog make themselves felt even by those who sit
well wrapped up by their social fire-side I But a tithe
of what we heedlessly expend in the superfluous
luxuries of life would bring comfort to the wretched,
and hope to the disconsolate. The Poles demand not
from us that they be placed within reach of these
elegant superfluities ; they entreat only that we will not
permit them to starve and " rot upon a dunghill"—to
use SMOLLETT'S forcible expression—but give them
food and raiment and fuel—those small comforts, in
short, which we do not deny to the most abandoned
criminal in Newgate.

The whole of the Paris papers of Sunday have been
received. They all dwell upon the recent events in
Lisbon, and appear to rejoice at the unfortunate man-
ner in which our Government embroiled itself in that
affair. The Charte states that no French marines
were landed, and consequently that France has escaped
the odium cast upon Great Britain by the people of
Portugal.

The spies, informers, and other tools in the employ
of the French Government, are hard at work in the
detection of r.ew conspiracies in the capital. This
is the usual prelude to the opening of the Chambers.
The Deputies are only good servants of the KING,
when frightened half out of their wits by the discovery
of infernal machines and gunpowder plots.

General RODIL is no longer either Commander-in
chief of the Spanish army, nor Minister of War. • The
Cortes insisted upon his disgrace, and Ministers very
wisely yielded to the voice of the nation. This most
important fact is announced in the Madrid journals of
the 12th inst., received this morning. In the sitting
of the Cortes held on that day, Senor ARGUELLEs,
after expressing his readiness to support Ministers, de-
nounced in most unreserved terms the conduct of the
QUEEN'S Generals, which he compared with that of
those who in 1823 betrayed the cause of liberty. This
speech made a very great impression upon the Depu-
ties. During the same sitting, Senor DOMENECH
moved that copies of all instructions addressed by the
Government to General RoDlL—that copies of all
orders addressed by RODIL to his subalterns—that
copies of all despatches addressed by RODIL to the
civil and military authorities of Almaden—and that
all other papers in possession of Ministers rela-
tive to the late campaign, should be laid be-
fore the Cortes. This motion he declared to be
of the utmost importance, as it was imperative upon
the Cortes and the Government to act with the greatest
promptitude and energy. "We all know," said Senor
DOMENECH, referring to the conduct of RoDIL,
" that General NArtvAEz, at the head of the brilliant
division which we saw here, entered Talavera on the
7th inst., and after twelve hours' march, drenched with
rain, was ordered by RODIL to fall back upon Ciudad
Real, instead of advancing to Truxillo, to meet the
enemy. We also know that when NARvAzz was
in the act of obeying these orders, he received dis-
patches from Government, with express instructions
to return to Talavera. These are occurrences of the
gravest kind ; for the soldiers cannot help perceiving
that all their efforts are useless, and that they are forced,
to waste all their precious moments in fruitless marches
and counter-marches." This appeal to the good sense
of the Cortes had the desired effect. The motion was
instantly agreed to without opposition. In the same
sitting the Ministers presented themselves in a body, and
said that they were ready to answer any questions, or offer
any explanations which the Deputies of the nation
might think proper to propose to them. The Minister
of the Interior likewise pledged himself that both him.
self and his colleagues would soon acquit themselves of
Ilany want of energy. The Deputies, he was confident,
would shortly have reason to be well pleased with them
on the score of firmness and activity.
General ALAIX has also been deprived of his com-
mand along with RODIL. The Royal decree for their
dismissal was secretly entrusted to the Deputy CAR-
DER°, with orders to execute it promptly and secretly.
ALAIX on being informed that his dismissal was con-
templated, had the meanness to write to Ministers, ex-
cusing himself, and throwing the whole blame upon
RODIL, who prevented him from engaging with
GOMEZ. This letter had no other effect upon Mini-
sters than to accelerate ALAIX's dismissal. The Go-
vernment had carefully abstained from alluding to
RoDIL's successor, but persons of credit had affirmed
that Rlvzßo had been appointed to succeed RODIL,
and that NARVAEZ would assume the command vacant
by the retirement of ALAIX. RoDIL will be brought
to trial before the Cortes. If he refuse to answer
before the Deputies of the nation, CARDERO is said
to have received instructions to order him under arrest,
and to try him by court-martial.
It was reported in Madrid that Don CARLOS had
forwarded instructions to GoMEz that he would
himself enter Castile at the head of 8,000 choice
troops, provided GOMEZ were to succeed in making a
permanent footing in the mountains of Toledo. This
report, said to be authentic, was the subject of deli-
beration in a Cabinet Council held in the Palace on
the night of the 11th inst.
By the latest accounts from the theatre of war in
Estremadura, it appeared that GoMEz had marched
in the direction of Cordova, leaving the capital of
Andalusia unmenaced on his right. Nevertheless, as
he was then twenty-eight leagues in advance of Ro-
HIL'S division, and as he might follow the left bank of
the Guadalquiver from Cordova to Seville, it was
feared that he might still march in that direction
before the re-organization of the Constitutional army.
In fact, R ()Dr r, was moving as if he had received in-
structions, from Durango, to cover the retreat of the
Carlist General.

Advices from Lisbon to the 13th inst. have been
forwarded to us. The capital was then tranquil.
The QUEEN, with the PRINCE ROYAL her husband,
appeared daily in public, and were well received by
the populace.

FUNERAL OF THE LATE MR. JOHN RICHARD-
SON, THE SHOWMAN.—This morning, at six o'clock, the
remains of this eccentric character were removed from
Woodland Cottage, Horsemonger-lane, where ho had re-
sided but two days previous to his death, preferring to sleep
in his van. The deceased will be interred in the church at
Great Marlow, in Buckinghamshire. Mr. Richardson has
left the greater portion of his property to those who have
travelled with him to the different provincial towns. To
the two Mr. Reeds, his musicians, 1,0001. each ; to their
mother the handsome cottage and furniture for her life ; to
Mr. Cartlich, of the Mazeppa public-house, Parish-street,
Horselydown, 1,0001. Mr. Richardson always declared he
would remember that gentleman, because he was such a
bould speaker, and might be heard from one end of the
fear to the other, when the trumpets were going. Mr. Ri-
chardson, in his will, states that if any quarrelling shall
arise as to the distribution of his property, that the whole
should go to a very distant relation.
CAWNPOOR.—A considerable sensation has been
excited in the society of this station, by the arrest of Cap-
tain Ford, Paymaster of his Majesty's 16th Foot, under a
charge of being a defaulter to the amoliit of 0,000 rupees.
—lndia Paper,