The Sun.
London, England, 1831-01-04 00:00:00

COURT CIRCULAR.

The Prussian and Spanish Ministers had interviews with
Viscount PALMERSTON yesterday, at the Foreign-Office.
A deputation Of soap-boilers had a conference yesterday.
at the Treasury, with the Chancellor of the Exchequer and
the Vice-President of the Board of Trade.

The Earl of CAnitsr.E left town yesterday, on a visit to
Viscount CLIFOEN, at his seAt at Roehampton.
Viscount Howics left town yesterday, on a visit to the
Marquis and Marchioness of SA I.IBURY, at Hatfield, Herts.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer entertained a select
party at dinner yesterday, at his residence in Downing-
street.

E irl GREY has removed from his residence in Berkeley-
square to the residence attached to the office of First Lord
of the Treasury, in Downing-street.

FASHIONABLE INTELLIGENCE.

LECTURES ON FRANCE, SINCE THE

REVOLUTION OF IS3O.

Mr. Buckingham commenced a short course of lectures
en this interesting subj.ct last evening, at the Theatre of
the Mechanics' Institution, where Mr. Wilmot Horton has
been lately explaining to the members his views on emi
gration, as one of the modes of relief fur our distresse,l
population, and where Mr. Buckingham proposes to ex-
plain to the .same class of hearers his views of the actual
condition of the people in France, derived from a resi-
dence of some time in the French capital, and to contrast
their political institutions with our own. The first lecture,
which was merely preliminary or introductory to the more
important' divisions of this subject, was occupied by a
rapid, but at the same time a vivid and amusing descrip-
tion of the jowney to Paris, and the return from thence.
In the former, the towns of Dieppe, Rouen, Louviers, and
Mantes, as well as the picturesque beauties of the lower route
along the banks of the Seine, were very graphically described,
and a number of amusing anecdotes and trai,s of charac-
ter introduced to diversity and illustrate the narrative. In
the latter the fine town and cathedral of Amiens, the
Hotel de Ville and square of Arras, the strong f-rtifica-
tions of Lille, and the peculiarities of Dunkirk and Calais,
had each their share of attention, and completed the ac-
count of the journey. At the close Mr. Buckingham
announced his intention of devoting the three succeeding
lectures to the following branches of his whole
subject—namely, Ist, A Comparison of Paris with
London. 2dly, The state of society and manners in
France; and, 341 y, The political state of existing parties
and the probable issue of the still unterminated struggle ;
the evenings of Thursday and Monday next being named
for their corrinuation. The lecture was listened to with
deep attention throughout, and the marks of approbation
bestowed by the audience evinced their sense of the in-
terest of the subject, as well as of the power of the lee-
turer to blend entertainment with novel and useful in-

formation. As Mr. Buckingham is known to he a warm
admirer of the late Revolution in France, and had oppor-
tunities of knowing all the leading men who achieved it,
his sources of accurate information cannot be doubted.

EXTRAORDINARY ATTEMPT AT MUR-
DER AND ROBBERY-A ROBBER SHOT.

Yesterday a highly respectable gentleman, whose father
is known to Sir Richard B rode, appeared at Bow-street
office, to give information of a most serious attack that
had been made on his person. He resided at St. Alban's,
but his profession obliged him to travel to town and back
very frequently at night. On Wednesday night last, be-
tween seven and eight o'clock, he was returning in a tall
buggy drawn by one horse, whe❑ he observed, close by
Woodham Park, near the Ridgeway-road, which is the
seat of Mr. Baines, M.P., a chaise cal t and horse standing
on the turf by the side of the road. Two men, dressed
in great coats, with handkerchiefs tied in such a manner
round their faces as to defy all observation or knowledge
of them, were seated in it, and their appearance, combined
with the smoking hard-run condition of the horse, caused
some suspicion in his mind that all was not right. As
he was directing his horse's head to the other side of the
road, in order to avoid coming into contact with them, the
men set their horse in motion, and appeared as if coming
towards him. He dodged about for half a minute, thinking
to elude them, but all his endeavours were rendered
fruitless by their driving their wheel at a very furious pace
right against the step of his vehicle—so locking them
both together. The taller man in the cart then rose up
with a horse pistol in his hand, which, after putting his
foot upon the wheel of the buggy, he pointed at his (appli-
cant's) right side, about a foot or two distant from it. He
however, was prepared in some measure for him, as, from
the suspicious proceedings of the parties, he had taken
care to grasp one of the brace of pistols which he always
kept loaded upon the seat on his left-band side. The man
had no sooner pointed his pistol towards him and cried out
" stop," than he placed his at his stomach. This fellow,
probably frightened from this act, or his pistol going off
before he intended it, fired almost:immediately after at him.
The ball passed through three great coats, and most
probably against a pair of thick gloves and some half-
pence, which he had in his pocket ; the consequence of
which was, that the ball turned off, and did no serious
injury to him. His own pistol, from the suddenness
of the blow which he received from the other weapon,
went off immediately after, and shot the fellow right
through the stomach. His left hand fell at the instant by
his side, and he tumbled backwards into the chaise, appa-
rently lifeless ; although, from the short space of time
which the affair occupied, and the somewhat fright which
he received, he would not distinctly say that such was the
case. When he saw this, he laid hold of his other pistol,
apprehensive of an attack from the remaining robber, and
was about to present it at hire, when the fellow whipped
the horse violently, and galloped away down the Ridge-
way-read. He then mask his way home to St. Alban's,
which was about three miles from the place where he was
attacked, and gave information to a resident Magistrate.
He had given information of it to the patrol; but although
search had been made, not the slightest trace of the fellows
could be discovered.

Sir R. 13xiostE and Mr. HALLS, who had listened to
this recital with the greatest attention and interes',
pressed their astonishment at the attack, and asked vari ,us
questions of the gentleman, who stated in answer the fol-
lowing particulars :—His box-coat was set on fire by the
powder, and completely spoiled, although he had as quickly
as possible torn the part on fire from it. The gentleman
then showed a round hole, apparently burnt on the edge,
which was in the front of his frock-coat, a little below the
last button-hole. He said that he was unable to divine
where the ball had lodged until he got home, when his
father, on examining his person, found at the bottom of
the lining of the coat ; it was a large ball, flatted by the
concussion with the coppers, and had turned down the lin-
ing very quietly after burning the hole.
Sir RICHARD inquired why he had not given informa-
tion sooner.
The gentleman certainly should have so acted, bad he
not been compelled to stay at St Alban's the following
morning. He, however, told a Magistrate, as he said
before.