The Sun.
London, England, 1831-11-18 00:00:00

the people. The gates of the temple of Janus will
he shut only when the base boroughmongers cease
to make war on the liberties and the property of
their countrymen. Union, arms, Reform !--Illorn-
ing Chronicle.

The Ministerial Papers, which two days ago
thought it necessary to attempt to dragoon the
King into an immediate creation of new Peers suf-
ficient to carry the Bill—that is, according to our
computation, into the creation of about three hundred
and fifty Peers at one fell swoop—have suddenly
become very tame and pac'fic. The Ministers will
not retire they now tell us. His Majesty need not
he afraid of losing the services of Earl Grey and
Lord Brougham just yet. These self-denying pa-
triots will consent to remain a little longer in office
although no new Peers are to be created, although
the Bill is still to be in danger, and although their
allies of the Political Unions are still to be tormented
with apprehensions and misgivings. The report
of the immediate retirement of Ministers, which
originated in the brutal insolence of the Mi-
nisterial Press towards his Majesty personally,
and in no other source, is thus oflicially contradicted
by the same authority from which it at first pro-
ceeded ; and we are glad to find that for the present
matters are thus made up between the conflicting
parties, because we think it highly advantageous to
the country that the present system of Government
should be a little more fully developed, and its con-
sequences more clearly seen, before it is finally sup-
pressed. Now that Ministers have knocked under,
as in duty bound, to their Royal Master, after having
vainly endeavoured to bully him, through the instru-
mentality of their Press, into acquiescence in their
unconstitutional designs, it remains to be seen
how they propose to deal with their democratic
masters of the Political Unions, which will be-
come every day, if we are not greatly deceived,
moreand more difficult to manage. Mr. O'Con-
nell divides his time in Ireland between abuse of
the Ministry in the person of its representative in
that country, Mr. Stanley, and the formation of a
Political Union, the object of which, without any
disguise, is to relieve that gentleman, and his suc-
cessors in all coming time, from the trouble of go-
verning the Irish people, by undertaking that
task itself. And Mr. Atwood is labouring we see
to bring the leviathan of Unions, that of Birming-
ham, into more manageable order, by breaking it
up into a multitude of affiliated societies. There
are to be tithingmen or captains of ten, anti for
every ten of these there is to be a constable or cap-
tain of a hundred; and for every five of the latter
there is to be a marshalman or captain of five hun-
dred, and the marshalman are to he under the orders
of aldermen, one of whom is to preside over each
of the seven districts into which Birmingham and
its neighbourhood is to be divided; and the alder-
men are to he commanded by the great chief of ihe
confederacy, Mr. Attwood, the gentleman who the
other day, we recollect, thought he could cure every
evil under which the country laboured by the stu-
pendous fraud of d •basing the currency. The folly
and quackery of all this would be ridiculous if it
were no, both wicked and dangerous. Its toleration
for a single day amounts to a full demonstration tha
the existing Government is neither holiest nor per-
manent. Who but a treacherous Ministry, wile but
a Minister knowing moreover that his tenure of of-
flee is merely from day to day, would endure pro.
ceedings by which the name and idea of Govern-
ment is brought into disgrace and contempt ?
Morning Post.

DYING STRUGGLES, or the LAST GASP
of the " SELECT" of ST. MARTIN'S PARISH.

B O W-STREET.

Yesterday about 200 of the rate-payers of the
parish of St. Martin',-in-the-Fields appeared to an-
swer the summonses of the parish officers, to show
cause why they refused to pay their portion of the
rate which had been made of two shillings and two-
pence in the pound, at a vestry meeting on the Ist
of July last.
Before one o'clock Dr. ROBINSON, a Magistrate
of the county, of great learning and experience,
who has latterly, almost daily, acted as the locum
tenens of Sir R. Birnie or Mr. Halls, took his seat
in the front or private office, with the Rev. Mr. HAD.
DON, who is also a Magistrate or lecturer of the
parish. The place was soon crammed to suffocation,
and some cried out, " No hole-and-corner business;"
others, " Adjourn to the public office," "to the
vestry-room," &c. One of the select said, " On,
yes, adjourn to Covent-garden or Lincoln's-inn-
tields."—(Loud hissing.) The Magistr tics ad-
journed to the public office.—(Bravo, and cheers.)
As soon as they had taken their seats, Mr. C.
PHILLIPS said he appeared on behalf G f one of the
rate-payers, a Mr. Richardson.
Mr. MINSHULL here joined the other Magistrates.
Mr. Robert Alexander Struchan, one of the pa.
rich officers, produced a book in which a rate ap-
peared to have been made by the overseers, church.
wardens, and ancient inhabhants, in vestry assem-
bled, on the Ist of July ; the rate was fixed at two
shillings and twopence in the pound, and was signed
by the Magistrates in the usual manner. He had
demanded payment of the rate of Mr. Richardson,
amounting to 3/. Bs., and he had refused to pay the
same.

Mr. C. PHILLIPS commenced a cross-examinatinn
of this witness when Mr. RAWLINS, the attorney
on the part of the parish, asked for a postponement
of the case till Mr. Alley could attend.
Mr. PHILLIPS said the case was partly heard, but
he would consent, on payment of the costs of the day.
Mr. RAWLINii objected to this on account of the
expt-nce.
Mr. Pmr.uPs—Why it will not be the price of a
grand dessert for your Select Vestry.—(Cheers.)
Mr. ALLEY having arrived the case was pro-
ceeded in,

Mr. Strachan, cross-examined by Mr. PilauPs—
He was present when the rate was made ; it was in
public vestry.—(Cries of" Shame, false," &c.) The
rate imposed was not Is. in the pound but 2s. 2d.
He swore it was not made in the workhouse.—
(Loud cries of " False, lie," &e., and the Magistrate
called the party to be orderly or he would put off
the inquiry.)
Mr. Fenn begged his brother parishioners would
maintain the utmost silence and order; they only
wanted justice. lie Wa. not surprised at their ex-
pressions of indignation on hearing ti hat was known
to the whole parish to be notoriously untrue.—
(Cries of " Yes, the rate %vac, made in the work-
house at a late hour at night.")
Mr. ALLEY said the Magistrates sitting tilere
Petty Sessions hail no power to entertain the ques-
tion of the validity of the rate. There certainly was
an appeal " to the next General or Quarter Ses-
sionc.,, but oie time was gone by; the oily ques-
tion now for the decisit;i; zf the Magistrates was
this—could Mr. Richardson shoW he was zo poo7 be
could not pay, or give any other reason why he
ought not to pay ? and if so, the Magistrates could
not diirect a distress warrant to be issued.
M:. C. Partlrrp aid 0:?‘y were, by the tenour
of their summons, called on to show 4711 y
tin y refu,ed to pay the rate," and whet' they (acted
to shc,w cRu-e, they were stopped, and told they
could not vestion tii,a valid ty o: the rate. They
were prepared to' show the rate wee illegally m ole,
and it wo not permitted, the 74 igint rates in ghi
issue their warrants Gt ,dstrcis agaiiist his'client awl
200 other parishioners.

Mr. Au.ry had no wish to assail the parishioners
as a body; t;e would say of them, ai applied to the
ishops, non nicilo episcpari.
Mr C. -;11-PJ..i4r,;-.—Mr, Alley, I have no corm. c-
tiutt wtt h Loud e;-,e;,rr., hissing, and
cries of " Oh Lord ! the Bishops.")
Mr. 111INSIIULL begged there might be order.
Mr. C. Patums—My client ()hive s to this tate,
becr.usa ;t }des smuggled in the vestry.—(Hear.)
Here Mr. hit, head.
Mr. PIIILLIPS—" Da not shake tiny gcry 10c!!...s at
me:'—( Excessive laughter, in which all joined but
Mr. RAWLINS, who exclaitned " It was not sumg-
glatl.")—(lt was? it ‘vas,)
Mr. PitiLLlPS—The rate volt: made behind our