The Sun.
London, England, 1841-08-07 00:00:00

SPIRIT of the PUBLIC JOURNALS

FROXI THE EVENING PAPERS OF YESTERDAY.

GLOBE.—Sir Robert Peel's refusal to disclose his
intentions as to the policy be intends to pursue on the
meeting of Parliament, was praised by the Times as the
very perfection of statesmanship. He " did not want to
have Conservative measures talked about, but to have
them carried," was the justification urged by our Con-
temporary in behalf of the expectant Premier's studious
concealment of his contemplated proceedings. The tables
are now .turned. Sir Robert Peel's matchless wisdom is
suddenly converted into consummate folly ; and the
boasted strength of the party derived from its numbers
and its unity, is now in danger of disunion, destruc-
tion, and defeat ! The occasion of this .sudden change,
from the, lo triumphe to lachrymose complainings and
predictions, is found in the arrangement entered into by
Sir Robert Peel, as the leader of the Tories, by which
the tight Hon. C. Shaw Lefevre is to experience no
opposition to his re-election as Speaker of the new Par-
liament. This, the only intimation which Sir Robert
Peel has deigned to make as to his future intentions,
has spoiled the hopes of the cormorants,' who were look-
ing for a return of the good old times ; when, regardless
of expense to the public, pensions were bestowed on men
in every 'respect tit for service, in order that their posts
might be conferred on others, less qualified, but whose am-
bition must be gratified, or their cupidity satisfied by the
exchange. Taking it forgranted that the old regime of Tory-
ism was to be' the governing principle of the proximate
Government, the Times was magniloquent on the Speaker-
ship. If ever an intention to depart from the " good
old rule " was contemplated in any quarter,. the Thun.
derer haying uttered his voice, and announced the
necessity of displacing Mr. S. Lefevre, Sir Robert
Peel must of course succumb to an authority
so commanding ; especially as the Standard had
declared—doubtless upon competent authority—that
" the re-eleetion of Mr. Shaw Lefevre was never for
an instant thoi.ght of by the Conservatives, who are
quite aware that any such step would be taken as a proof
of weakness and disunion of their party !" With one ex-
ception, the whole Conservative Press tither ridiculed
the idea as improbable, or denounced it as mischievous.
The Times, regarding the removal of Mr. S. Lefevre as
a settled thing, strenuously urged its necessity, that it
might claim the credit of having effected it. Sir Robert
-Peel has confounded the oracles : though he has not
stricken them dumb, he has again changed their lauda-
tions of himself into reproaches, and has set them at
loggerheads among themselves.
COURIER.—Our friend of the Herald was yesterday
rather triumphantly jocose at our expense in the matter
of the Speaker of the new House of Commons, that is to
be. Our readers will remember that we introduced them
some days. since to an official corps spic-and-span new
from the laboratory of our respected Contemporary, on
.which occasion we took leave to object to some of the
agencies employed in the compound, or rather, perhaps,
we ought to say in strictness, to the proportions in which
each were made to enter, into the composition of the
whole. Having our reasonable misgivings respecting
the veritable character of this prescribed officiality in
some of its parts, we did not hesitate to signalise our
objections ; and amongt others, we intimated very strong
suspicions. that the Speakership of the new House of
Commons would not be disposed of and continued in the
person of Mr. Shaw Lefevre. We gave our rea-
sons moreover on subsequent occasions why such
a nomination would be, not distasteful only, but disad-
vantageous to the Members who constitute the majority
'
of the Honse about to assemble • and whilst rendering
justice in courteous, and, we hope, unexceptionable
terms; to the past demeanour and services of the gen-
tleman in question, we did not hesitate
,to intimate our
doubts whether' he could safely be entrusted with the
absolute authOrity now vested in the chair for nomi-
nating the first and virtually all other Committees for
the trial of diSputed elections. Our friend of the Herald
appeared subsequently to be infecte d with some suspi-
cions about ' the authenticity of his own statement, the
responsibtfity. of which was then adroitly disclaimed and
discharged ppoii. the head of some respectable and un-
known (that is unpublished) Correspondent. Now, how-
ever, that one of the prognostications hazarded has turned
out a prophecy fulfilled, our Contemporary exultingly
appropriates all the honours, if not of second sightedness,
-at least of superior penetration, to himself, and leaves
the original discoverer with almost as little scruple in
the Lack grOund as Americus Vespusius when he made
free to give his name to a world whose existence was
first proclaimed by Columbus.

MONEY MARi,<-ET and CITY NEWS

FROM THE MORNING PAPERS OF YESTERDAY.

TIMES.—The half-yearly meeting of the London and
County Bank, which took place 1:"2-cray, turned out to be
(as indeed the Chairman observed) a much more quiet
affair than was expected, since, considering the myste-
rious disappearance of Mr. Dighton, the manager, which
was formerly mentioned, and the rumours that have
spread respecting losses sustained by this bank through
the failure of Messrs. Coils, Thompson, and Co., a great
deal of discussion was anticipated. Not a question re-
specting the rumoured loss was put at the meeting, the
whole proceedings at which were perfectly tranquil. The
Directors took upon themselves the responsibility of ex-
plaining the absence of Mr. Dighton, as far as it con-
cerned the bank, and this was also shortly noticed in the
Report, which set forth that the bank was doing a steady,
prosperous, and increasing business ; that the capital
had, from 1838 to the present time, increased from
29,000/. to 80,135/. ; that the balances had increased
from 116,0691. to 478,214/. ; and that the number of
accounts had been augmented from 1,020 to
3,267. As for Mr. Dighton, the previous state-
ment that his disappearance had entailed no loss on
the bank, and that his integrity was unimpeachable, was
confirmed to-day by the Direction, who unanimously
concurred in declaring, that although from the first me-
ment of his disappearance they had entertained no doubt
of his honour, they had strictly examined the books and
properties of the bank, and had found them just as they
had anticipated, perfectly correct. In connexion with
the subject of a manager to be hereafter appointed to the
bank, it was recommended by a shareholder that no one
but a person practically acquainted with banking business
should be held eligible, since many Joint-stock Institu-
tions had adopted the dangerous practice of admitting
parties who had no experience whatever; while another
shareholder expressed a hope that sufficient security for
all responsible officers was taken. A fact transpires in
the Report, which is, that the bank has not extended its
branches within the last half-year, and the declared divi-
dend was at the rate of five per cent. per annum. Among
the rumours in the City which were afloat yesterday in
reference to the meeting was one, that Mr. Dighton had
re-appeared, and that it was his intention to come before
the shareholders to-day ' • and although the proceedings
show that the report was fallacious, still a hope was ex-
pressed by the Chairman, that after a while the ex-
manager might be forthcoming.
CHRONICLE.—We have been informed that a Com-
mittee of the Spanish Bondholders will hold a special
meeting to-morrow,, which, we conclude, will have for its
object the consideration of the plan of conversion of the
arrears of eolizons about to be carried into effect by M.
Surra y Rull, previous to the publication of the Report
which the Committee is about to present to the public.
The point alluded to relates to the sales of national
domains already effected, and to the lands and other pro-
perty of the clergy about to be put up for sale.
Our advice to the Committee is to accept the terms
proposed by the Government for the conversion of the
coupons, and insist that the sales of that property be
effected with greater publicity; that Commissioners be
appointed by the Government, both here and in Paris,
to give information of the time of sale and other circum-
stances connected with them, and likewise that the pub-
lic be properly apprised of the cancelment of the bonds
or coupons received by the Government in payment.
The majority of the bondholders are kept in complete ig-
norance on this matter, so much connected with their
interest. They should watch that the produce of those
properties is not misapplied, but entirely devoted to the
extinction of their bonds.
We are far from supposing that such has been the
case ; and we have received information which entirely
agrees with that of one of our Contemporaries, that a
large sum is due by several of the purchaser..., say about
4,000,0001. sterling, and that partiality and other con-
siderations have prevented the Government from demand-
ing the delivery of the amount of bonds due, the cancel-
ment of which would afford considerable relief, by the
withdrawal of this stock from the market.
It is, then,' the duty of the Committee to devote their
energies to the attainment of this object, which ought to
form the principal part of their labour as soon as the
terms of conversion of the over-due- coupons are agreed
upon.

MORTALITY in the METROPOLIS•
The following are the results of " A Table of Mortality in
the Metropolis, showing the Number of Deaths from all Cause
Registered in the week ending July 31, 1841." The Table is
issued from the Office of the Registrar• General :

Weekly

CAUSES OF DEATH.

Total. Average

1838-9-40
Epidemic, Endemic, and Contagious Diseases 132 204
Diseases of the Brain, Nerves, and Senses 156 151
Diseases of the Lungs, and other Organs-of
Respiration
Diseases of the Hea-t and Bloodvessels
Diseases of the Stomach, Liver, and other
Organs of Digestion...
kv

Diseases of the 'kidneys, &c. ..... ... 8 4
Childbed, Diseases of the Uterus, &c.
Diseases of the Joints, Bones, and Muscles
Diseases of the Skin, &c
Diseases of Uncertain Seat Bl 103
Old Age, or Natural Decay 52 71
Deaths by Violence, Privation, or Intemperance 14 25
Causes not specified
Deaths from all causes 773 --
Average Weekly Deaths .. 926
Deaths in the Average Weekly
Week. Deaths, i 836-9-41)
125 ...... 139
147 163
150
173 ...... 211
183 223

Western Districts ...
North Districts
Central Districts
East Districts
South Districts ... „..

Total 778

It is slated that'under the term Metropolis are comprised the
32 districts herein mentioned, which include the City of Lon-
don with and without the walls, the City and Liberties of
Westminster, the out-parishes within the Bills of Mortality--
and the parishes of St. Marylebone, St. Pancras, Kensington,
Fulham, Hammersmith ( Chapelry), St. Luke (Chelsea),lPati-
dinion, St. Mary (Stoke Newington), St. Leonard (Brom-
ley St. Mary-le-bow, Camber voll, Greenwich, St. Nicholas
an 'St. Paul (Deptford), and Woolwich. The population, as
enumerated in mai, was 1,594;890. The weekly average for
1833, 1839, and 1840, was obtained by dividing the deaths in
the three years by 156.
TEMDZiLATUAZ IN THE WEEKS ENDING
July 24. July 31.
1110" g •••••• .... . . 74 71°
Lowest ... -
•
..... 51 52
.;Aug. 5, 1841.