The Sun.
London, England, 1840-01-20 00:00:00

TO THE EARL OF WINCHILSEA.

My Lord,—l have just read youli3PCech, as delivered
last night in the House of Lords, as reported in the
Morning Papers.
In reply to that part of it which refers to myself, permit
me to say, that I believe your Lordship has been grossly
imposed upon by some parties, for I should deeply regret
if the principles which I advocate, when they shall be
fairly investigated, shag not be found to be in perfect ac-
cordance with all facts and most beneficial for mankind,
and if my conduct through life will not bear an advan-
tageous comparison with your Lordship's.—l have the
honour to be, my Lord, your's, truly obliged for bringing
this most important subject so early before the Legislature,
London, Jan. 17, 1840. ROBERT OWEN.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

Plymouth, Jan. 18, 1840.

SIR,—You will, I am sure, be happy to be informed
that on Monday next a requisition, numerously and re-
spectably signed, will be presented to the Mayor of this
town, calling upon him to convene a public meeting of the
inhabitants for the purpose of adopting a petition for the
repeal of the Corn-laws.
I am, Sir, your obt. servt. T. B. T.

MONEY MARKET and CI TY NEWS.

(SATURDAY EVENING.)
TlMES.—Though money has continued to be
abundant to-day, there are some cautious observers
who think there are symptoms of its shortly becoming
scarce again, and who imagine that the determination
of the United States Government to establish a specie
circulation must attract a greater proportion than
heretofore of the precious metals to that country,
which cannot fail in a greater or less degree to dis-
turb our circulation. This is the opinion entertained
in very high quarters ; but it should be observed at
the same time, that the calculation of the sum re-
quired to enable the American Treasury to carry on
all its transactions in specie is not more than
1,000,0001. out of 16,000,0001., which is the estimated
amount of gold and silver circulating in the union,
and may, therefore, well be appropriated to that pur-
pose without drawing upon the stock of bullion in other
countries. Nor does it follow from this determination
of the Government, that banking and paper issues will
suddenly cease, or the general circulation become metal-
lic. The evil is far too deeply rooted for that, and
there is some ground for the belief that the Treasury
project in the United States may be defeated in the
Congress, so great is the power of the banking interest
arrayed against it. Its effect, therefore, if any, upon
the English Money Market, cannot be immediate,
though the subject will of course have the watchful at-
tention of capitalists in this country.
From the appearance of depression which the Fo-
reign exchanges still manifest, it is believed that the
Bank Directors will not venture at present on any re-
duction of the rate of interest. It is said that the pro-
position for a reduction was made and very warmly dis-
cussed at the meeting on Thursday, but rejected by a
large majority.
CHRONICLE.—The announcement given last
night by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, of his inten-
tion to move for an inquiry into the banking and cur-
rency questions, has excited attention in the City ; and
it is anxiously hoped that the investigation may be in-
stituted at an early period of the Session, to afford due
time for the consideration of such an important and com-
plicated subject, and to allow of legislative measures
when the inquiry has been concluded. The adoption
of this course is necessary to satisfy the just expectations
' of the mercantile and trading interests.
The inquiry should be gone about speedily. It
should be a sweeping and efficient one, or none at all ;
and the past and present management of the Bank of
England should form a leading branch of investigation.
It is not the City people only, nor the mercantile and
trading interests alone, who look for this from the Go-
vernment, but the great body also of the manufacturing
and working classes throughout the kingdom. The
meeting of Spanish Bondholders announced for the
29th instant will not be approved by the mere specula-
tors and others who deal largely in that Stock for the
purpose of making money by the changes in the mar-
ket. If an efficient Committee, however, be appointed,
supported by those who, as we have already said, hold
Spanish Bonds for the purpose of investment. and not
gambling, much good may result from their exertions.
We trust that the bona fide bondholders will therefore
attend, and take care that fit and proper men are chosen
as members of the Committee, to protect their interests.

POLITICAL SUMMARY OF THE
MORNING JOURNALS.

The Morning Post of this day, observes, with refe-
rence to the breach of privilege question :—" We
suppose that they who contend for the absolutism of
privilege and the subordination of law, think that these
things are good for the liberties of the people, because
they say that they think so ; but it is right for us to
declare that all this is just as incomprehensible to us,
as if a man were to say he loved his life and wished to
preserve it, and therefore would tie his legs and throw
himself from the mid-battlements of one of the bridges
into the Thames." The Morning Chronicle expresses
itself on the Breach of Privilege question in the fol-
lowing terms :—" The question is, will the House allow
the Sheriffs to become instrumental in destroying their
privileges ? There can be no doubt or difficulty as to
the course which the House must pursue in vindication
of its privileges, if it do not choose to become the
subject of the derision of the whole country. The
House has only one course to pursue—namely, to re-
quire of the Sheriffs to repay to Mr. Hansard the
money obtained by the sale of his goods." The Times,
alluding to the examination of the Sheriffs on Saturday,
by the House of Commons, remarks as follows :
" When it shall be shown that by ancient usage, or by
any statute, the power of staying the Queen's writs by
vote or resolution of either House, is a part of the law
of the land, then the oath of the Sheriffs will oblige
them to refuse obedience to a fieri facils contravening a
vote of the House of Commons. But, we humbly
submit, not before " The Morning Advertiser thus
speaks on the subject of the incessant abuse of
O'Connell by the organs of the Tory faction :—" The
rage which, in all Conservative lucubrations, accompa-
nies the mere name of O'Connell, shows plainly where
the shoe pinches. Ireland has been a thorn in the side
of many a Prime Minister, and seems destined to be
our protection against Sir Robert Peel, and the tail of
the old faction with a new name. In vain do the Con-
servatives rail against the Agitator, in vain do they
rake up all sorts of defunct slanders and proved lies, in
vain do they couple his name with that of the Pope or
the Devil—he laughs them to scorn, and continues to
thunder in their ears the hateful cry of Justice to Ire-
land !' But why should this cry be hateful to Conserva-
tive cars, and why should its repetition provoke such ludi-
crous displays of passion ? The answer is written in let-
ters of fire and blood in the pages of Irish history. Toryism
has gone hand-in-hand with injustice and oppression."
The Moi ning Herald makes the following comments
on the breach of privilege question :---," That the Bri-
tish people must become henceforth rise servants—nay,
the very helots of the House of Commons, if the doc-
trine of arbitrary and indefinite privilege, contended for
by the majority of that House in the case now at is-
sue between them and the judges of Westminster-hall,
should prevail against the law of the land, is quite cer-
tain. But whether it is wisdom in the House of
Commons to push its claims of privilege to such extra-
vagant lengths as is perfectly incompatible with those
constitutional liberties which are the birthright of the
English people, is quite another question. In our
humble opinion, it is the height of indiscretion."

IMPORTANCE OF A COMNIA.—That no rule
can be given for the use of the comma will be evident,
if any one were to write out a passage and give it to
two different grammarians or printers to point; for the
odds are that one will use twice as many enannas
(that is, make double the number of pausei.l., as the other.
One thing is certain, nothing weakens the style of a
discourse so much as an over-profusion of com-
mas. Sometimes, however, eareflll punctuation is im-
portant. For instance how much is dependant on
the placing of a comma, in Luke xxiii. 43, " Verily
I say unto thee this day thou shalt be with me in
paradise." The reader, according as he is a Catholic
or a Protestant, will place the rest after the fifth or the
seventh ward of the verse. Another example we have
in the ambiguous words of the ancient oracle, Ibis
redibis nungziani per bel4 ribis " Thou shalt go
thou shalt return never by war shalt thou perish."
By one way of pointing, the consulting warrior
was advised ;. by another forbidden, to venture on
the expedition proposed. He read it his own way,
and lost his life. But modern pointers aro not very
oracular. In our own times and country, we have the fa-
mous blunder in the eqntract for lighting the town of
Liverpool in the year 1819, the words of which were
The lamps to, he in number 4,050, of two
spouts each, composed of twenty threads of cotton."
The central:gar would have proceeded to furnish
each lamp with the said twenty threads, but this,
being but half the usual quantity, the commissioner
discovered that the difference arose from the comma
following, instead of preceding, the word each. The
parties had to annul the contract to prevent a law-suit.
But such examples cannot often occur, and may always
be avoided with little care. There are sometimes words
quaintly put together, when the meaning is purposely
concealed by forced pointing, as in the child's rhyme.
" Every lady :n the land
Has twenty nails m_ each hand,
Five and twenty on hands and feet ;
This is true without deceit."
Which is rather puzzling, till a rest is made after the
words nails, five, and feet, omitting the comma after
hand.

ST. GEORGE'S HOSPITAL.---,S,ir Benjamin
Brodie, after many years of most L,ctive and valuable service,
has resigned the ctAce of Surgeon to St. George's Hospital.
We I,re glad toleatn- that his lectures to the pupils of the es-
tablishment are to' be continued in the same manner as tlFe-
tofore.--: Medical Gazette.

ITE LATE SPEC!
AT MON '.l(-37, I

, f

MONMOUTH, SATURDAY AFTERNOON.
An examination has taken place to-day before the
Mayor, in consequence of some threats which were
used towards the witnesses against Frost. Much more
importance seems to have been attached to the matter
thaa it deserved. The London police still remain. Or
ders which had been issued for their recal have been
countermanded.

John Britton, George Britton, Peter Britton, Solomon
Britton, and Thomas Bolton, were the names of the pri-
soners ; and the charge was, that they had used threat-
ening language against Moses Scard, police officer of New-
port, and special constable of Monmouth.
Moses Scard sworn—l was at the Black Swan on the
last night there was a disturbance in the house. I was
called upon to:interfere. I am a special constable of
the borough of Monmouth. John Britton was abusing
James Hodge who gave evidence against Frost
and others. He was threatening and telling
Hodge what ought to be done to him. He
said "that he ought to be in Frost's place for swear-
ing falsely against him, and that every one who had sworn
against Frost ought to be hung." I said " that he ought
to go out, and not be there kicking up a row, and to have
nothing to say about our witnesses." He said " I will stop
here, and do as I like." I said '• if he would not be quiet
I would put him out." He asked me what I was. I said
" that I was a policeman of Newport, and was sworn in a
special constable for this borough." I said "he should
go out of the house." He caught me by the collar, and
struck me in the passage with his fist on the side of my
head. This morning he came to the Black Swan and
shook his head at me. The landlord said to me, " You
had better go out, a man is wanting you."
Harris, a sheriff's officer, and Mr. Forde, the Governor
of the gaol, testified to the prisoner's boisterous conduct on
the night in question.
The prisoner was fined ten shillings and costs.
Mr. Phelps, on the part of the Crown, tendered infor-
mations against Solomon Britton, for riot and conspiracy
on the 4th of November, demanding a warrant for his ap-
prehension, and requesting that he would be sent to Pon-
typool to be examined there.

-.The warrant was granted, and Britton, who was in the
room, was immediately taken into custody.
THE LONDON POLICE.

The following testimonial of the excellent conduct of the
London police, who were on duty here during the Commis-
sion, has been forwarded by order of the High Sheriff to
the Commissioners of Police :

" Gentlemen—l am commissioned by the High Sheriff
of the county of Monmouth (Colthurst Bateman, Esq.) to
state to you the exceeding good conduct, and attention,
and civility of the London police, at the late Special Com-
mission held in this town, and that their management
throughout the proceedings have given very general satis-
faction.

" I have the honour to be, Gentlemen,
" Your most obedient servant,
" D. E. PARTRIDGE, Under Sheriff.
" Monmouth, Jan. 17, 1840.
" To the Honourable the Glmmissioners of the
Metropolitan Police."