The Sun.
London, England, 1824-05-25 00:00:00

PErurioN OF J O.IIN SOANE, ESQ.

HOUSE OF CO3IMONS.
A PETITION of JOHN SOANE, Architect, was
tresented, and read ; setting forth, That in July 1820, the
eetitioner was directed by the Lords of the Treasury to sur-
vey the Buildings connected with Westminster Hall in Saint
Idargarees-street and New Palace Yard, and to make designs
far the New Courts of Law upon the site thereof ; designs were
1-ccordingly made, and submitted to a Board of Treasury in
;1121; in one of these designs it was proposed to retain the
-cloilding North of the Stone Building erected in the reign of
queen Elizabeth, and in another to make the proposed new
erections correspond as nearly as possible with the exterior
If the old Stone Building ; their Lordships having fully consi-
,F r,Fthese designs, were pleased to approve of the latter, and
~• ected the Petitioner to submit the internal arrangement of
re
Plan to the Judges in the several Courts; their Lordships,
re Judges, suggested divers alterations, which were according-
,/ Made, and the plans so altered were again submitted to the
110ard'of Treasury, and the Petitioner was directed to prepare
" estimate of the probable expence of carrying the plans into
execution, and also of the time necessary for that purpose ; the
7tirnate having been prepared and approved by the Board of
• easury, the Petitioner received the commands of their Lord-
irPs to proceed with the works, and to use every exertion in
Power to complete the same with all possible dispatch, as
i e public service would suffer materially till the new Courts
re finished ; the works were immediately commenced,
,_tl e
carried on with all the expedition consistent with
substantial construction ; on the 23d of March, 1824, a Select
;Vlornittee of the House of Commons was apyointed to inquire
itto the propriety of proceeding with the Building of the New
rearts at Westminster, and the works were suspended con-
ti°llThably to the request of that Committee, and so remain to
Present day ; the Petitioner had the honour of attending the
'ulliniittee on the 25th of March, when he was directed to prepare
0 Out to confine the whole of the Courts within a straight line,
Building
from the north angle of the uniform elevation of the Stone
to the wall of Westminster .Hall ; plans were prepared
17-•
ordingly, and submitted to the Committee; the space having
kleell found to be insufficient, thepetitioner was directed toprepare
other plan, extending further into New Palace Yard ; the
itiTlee so allotted was still found to be insufficient, and the pe-
brFr was directed to prepare another plan, extending the
co ding into New Palace Yard as far as the North wall of the
th 411 of King's Pala and to make a design for Gothicising
,tte fronts next New ce Yard, and in Saint Margaret's-
toieet_ts as far as the turret of the Stone Building, with an esti-
-670f the expence attending the alterations thus proposed to
,pMade by the above Committee; drawings and estimates
take prepared and presented to the Committee on the
toLLI of May, the design was then approved, and the Chair-
informed the Petitioner that his further attendance
Vuld be unnecessary ; the Petitioner begs to notice, that
44b the adoption of this design, many essential parts of the
44 at executed will be disarranged and counteracted, and the
p'eftimodation of the Professional Gentlemen engaged in the
fok'llrts materially abridged ; on the basement story the rooms
shrallarristers and Solicitors attending the Courts of Exchequer
lg. Common Pleas are rendered useless, by being deprived of
; on the ground floor, the entrance from Westminster Hall
"' the Court of King's Bench is contracted from an airy and
44cioss vestibule to a narrow passage, and the Court itself ex.
"ecl to the noise of New Palace Yard ; the separate entrances
s-C the Lord Chief Justice, and for the Barristers, with a retiring-
(Zllllfor Jurors,are wholly omitted; the retiring-room for the Lord
to !ef Justice is abridged in size by the Tudor tower proposed
ue erected at the north-west angle of the building; on the
sTIA oor, the accommodation for the students, the solicitors,
~etktheir clients, connected. with the Court of King's Bench,
s,itku a spacious Law Library, attached to the same, and
gin's a direct communication to the Records of the Court of
Bench, are entirely done away, and several apartments
ler le attics are sacrificed ; the Petitioner, begs further to ob-
,e je, that to carry into effect the proposed alteration will require
tio,el'al months to bring them inlo the same state of comple-
.." as the works are now in, at an increased expence of about
Ofo001.; the Petitioner, duly impressed with the importance
savoiding any delay in the completion of the New Law
tltts, and the advantage of leaving undisturbed the internal
prellgements which have been stated to be perfectly satisfactory,
th.esPoes humbly to submit to the consideration of the House,
silWesign accompanying this Petition; the exterior of the de-
ka, is made to assimilate with the exterior of Westminster
be 4, and so small a part of the external wails is proposed to
sat"
liled down, that there will be little delay in carrying the
dFsign into execution, nor will the expence exceed the
1)141,°,i 4,0001. ; the Petitioner has further to notice, that the
belonggin now erected, is not obtruded into New Palace-yard
1d the limits of the ancient structure erected in the year
to (1); and as to the taste of this building, the Petitioner begs
oiT serve
that in every part he has followed the style of the
St°oe building, agreeably to his instructions.

CITY, HALT-PAST ONZ O'CLOCK.

Consols opened this morning at 961 for the
July Account, and are still at that price, with

ttle or no fluctuation.

This is Settling Day in Consols, and turns out
to be a heavy Bull Account. The Brokers are
of course chiefly occupied in settling.
FOREIGN MARKET.—There is almost nothing
doing in the Foreign Securities. Alliance Shares,
notwithstanding the foolish and impolitic lia-
bilities imposed on the holders of shares in Joint
Stock Companies,.are firm at a premium of 161.

We mentioned yesterday that we had received
French Papers by Express, but that they con-
tained nothing worth extracting, particularly in
the hurry and just going to press. They are,
indeed, entirely barren of political intelligence
of any kind. They are chiefly filled with the
debates of the Chamber of Deputies on the sub-
ject of Mr. BENJAMIN CONSTANT'S admission.
These debates are carried on with more impar-

tiality than usual, for the defence of his eligi-
bility has not been left to the small and power-
less detachment of Liberals who have survived
the late election, but has been embraced both by
the Royalists and Ultras without any eonsidera-

tion of party. Indeed the Ultra Journals are
decidedly in his favour, and the Quotidienne
in particular calls for his admission with a de-
gree of eagerness which it would have been the
first to turn into ridicule last year, had it been
then displayed by a Constitutional Paper. The
discussion was adjourned after lasting the whole
day, and seemed likely to occupy a considerable
time, if we are to judge by the small number of
those who had yet delivered their opinions.
The Etoile of Sunday informs us, that in the
Chamber of Peers on Saturday, the Duke de
LEVI! presented the Report of the Committee
on the Law for reducing the Rentes, which re-
commended the adoption of the Projet. The
discussion was fixed for yesterday. The Duke
LEVIS, in making the Report; alluded to some
new proposition which. had been submitted to

the Committee by the Bankers of Paris, the par-
ticular nature of which was not stated.

FRENCH FUNDS.

PARIS, MAT 22.—Five per Cents. opened at 104 f. 70 c. ;
closed at 104 f. GO c.—Bank Stock, 2,000 f.—Neapolitan Fiva
per Cents., 95i f. 101 f. 50 c.—Renter d'Esp: 10i.—Royal Spa-,
nish Loan, 1023, 65/.—Exchange on London, one month,
25 f. 25 c. ; three months, 25 t. 10 c.--( Tours Autlmtique,
May 22.)

No additional information, that we can trace to
an authentic source, has been received from Lis-
bon since that of the 7th instant, the purport of
which was originally published in Tut Sux•
We are still therefore without any full and direct
confirmation of the appointment of Lord BaRES-
FORD to the command of the Portuguese Army,
and of the other important events that are
alleged to have taken place at Lisbon on the
evening of the 6th or morning of the 7th instant.
The following article, however, which appeared
in the Chronicle of this morning, shews that our
information is credited ; and It is certainly pos-
sible that the confirmation said to have been re-
ceived from Oporto may actually have arrived
in this country :

" Letters are said to have been received from Oporto, dated
on the Nth current, which, if authenticated, bear out fully the
information communicated last week by The Chronicle, dated
in Lisbon on the 7th and 9th instant. They repeat that tran-
quillity prevailed there; that Lord 11EnEsronD had been
appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Portuguese Army ; and
that her MAJESTY and her Son had been directed to retire
from Lisbon to INlalpa, and there to wait the pleasure of
offended Royalty."

- The Private Letters from Paris state, that the
Committee of the Chamber of Peers have at
length delivered their Report on the Act passed
up from the Chamber of Deputies, and that the
Report recommends that the Bill should be
passed into a law. No doubt, therefore, need be
entertained of tile triumph of the Minister on this
occasion, and the passing of the law will be a
good guarantee that the peace of Europe will not
be disturbed, if the Ministers of his MOST
CHRISTIAN MAJesTY can prevent it, for at least
the next two years. No intelligence bad bees
received in Paris from Lisbon later than that al-
ready mentioned by THE SUN, which is a certain
proof that nothing had occurred in the Portu-
guese capital to contradict it. - There existed ❑o
well-founded reason to suspect that the comfort
of individuals or the peace of nations would be
disturbed by any willing act of his MOST
CHRISTIAN MAJESTY.

By accounts which we have this morning re-
ceived from Leipsic, of the 9th inst., it appears that the Easter
Fair, at its beginning, was much more favourable than there
was any reason to expect, after the accounts received from
Frankfort. Very extensive business was done in the Woollen
Cloths and Leather.

" Though the prices are not so high as to afford extraordi-
nary profits, yet the great qualities sold makes ap for this. Of
the Saxon and Prussian ordinary and middling Cloths, almost
all the stocks, even those that have been long lying in the ware-
houses, are already disposed of, and partly even at better prices
than at tha last Michaelmas fair. Even fine Saxon Cloths
have been much more in demand than for a long time past.
" The principal purchasers are from Switzerland, and the
North and South of Germany ; but very few foreigners,—
which makes it the morel surprising that there should be so '
great a quantity of goods sold. A good beginning, too, has
been made in the sale of English manufactured goods, and on
the whole we expect a very good fair. The retail business of
the place is very indifferent, and much diminished by the vicini-
ty of the barriers, where tolls are levied on other States."
STRASIIITIIGH, MAY 12.—Prince John, of Saxony, and his
august Consort, have been received here with every mark of
honour, compatible with the incognito which they wish strictly
to observe.---They have proceeded on their journey to Basle,
and as we hear will travel through Switzerland and over Mount
Simplon to Milan, and thence to Florence, to visit the Prince's
sisters, who arc married to the Grand Duke and the Hereditary
Prince of Tuscany.
ST uTTGAnD, MAY 15.—A Decree of the Royal Council.of
Public Instruction again urges the execution of the 17th Article
of the law on the Freedom of the Press of Jan. 30, 1817,y
of
and
of the Ordinance of Jan. 2, 1810, which orders that a cop
all writings printed in the kingdom shall be deposited in the
Royal Council of Public Instruction.
DARMSTADT, iIIAY
Government Gazette contains
a notice from the Minister for Foreign Affairs, according to
which the Hessian Government recognizes the second and third
Loans of Hanau, and the arrears of interest (as far as relates to
those parts of Hanau which are now united to the Grand Duchy
of Hesse) as a debt of Exchequer of Hanau, and undertakes
to pay it.—( Frankfurt Papers, May 18.)
May 10.—Metalliques, 98 4-16ths.—Bank Shares, 1163 2-sths.
May 11.—Metalliques, 98.
Bank Shares, 1169 1-sth .
„ (Austrian Observer, May 12.)
FRANKFORT, MAY 17.—Exchange on London, 2 months, 1521.

The Merchants of the City, trading to the Bay
of Campeachy, have been alarmed by the report
that all the English settlers have left the place,
on account of an invasion by Spanish Repub-
licans.intelligence has been re-
ceived .Ihe following

( Extract of a Letter from Campeachy, dated March 26.)
" The disturbed state of the country is such that all business
is at a stand; almost all the men of any property have left
Campeachy, as they are threatened with an invasion from the
Governor of Merida, and another from the interior, both Re-
publican parties. I have not been able to see my consignee for
the last fortnight, and do not expect to get away before the 6th
of next month, as wood comes off' very slowly."

The Allgemeine Zeitung of the 16th of May
contains the following gratifying intelligence re-
specting Greece:—
" The paper printed at illissolonghi, under the title of the
Greek Chronicle, mentions in its numbers of the llth, 18th,
and 19th of February, the important services already done by
the military school established there by the English. An ad-
vertisement in this paper invites the young men from the age
of 15 to '2O, to enter this establishment, where they will learn
the trade of carpenters, founders, braziers, &c., and receive
two rations daily, and a dollar and a half per month. A dis-
tinguished English officer-of engineers is at the head of the
establishment, and will shortly form a corps of artillery. Every
evening, says the Greek Journal, the officers receive instruc-
tion, and in ten days they will be able to direct the working of
the guns, and to instruct those who are intended for the artil-
lery service."

The Marquis of LANSDOWN, last night, in the
House of Lords, moved the second reading of
his two Bills for granting the Elective Fran-
chise to the English Catholics, and allowing
them to hold the same situations in England as
their brethren of the same persuasion do in

Ireland. The Motion was met by an Amend-
ment on the part of Lord COLCIIESTER-that
the Bills be read that day six months, and though
supported by the Earls of LIVERPOOL and
WESTMORLAND, who voted with the Noble Mar-
quis, both his measures were thrown out on two
divisions by majorities of 139 to 101, and 143 to
109. Lord LIVERPOOL brought up five Bills, to
reverse the attainders of five Scotch Lords, impli-
cated in the last attempt of the Pretender to the
Crown of these realms. These Bills restore to

theirancient titlesdieEarls of KENMAIR, STRATH-
ALLAN, and PERTH, and Lord NAIRN, and reverse
the attainder also of Lord STAFFORD. The Bills,

on the motion of Lord LIVERPOOL, were read a

first time.

In the Ifonse of Commons, Lord ALTHoltr's
County Courts Bill was passed, but without the clause provid-
ing for the compensation of certain officers in the Court of
King's Bench, and others whose incomes will be affected by
the Bill.—On the bringing up of the Report of the Alliance
Insurance Company Bill last night in the Commons, Mr.
GRENFELL inquired what would be the exact operation of the
clause enabling the Secretary to sue and be sued. Mr. Ilus-
xissox replied that in the event of his'not making good their
engagements, and satisfying all just claims made upon them,
an individual so claiming under the law was at liberty to select
any one Member, or any body of Members belonging to the
Company, and levy his debt upon their goods. In order to en -
sure this security, it was the intention of Government to have
the names of all Shareholders enrolled at the Stamp-Office, and
that no transactions done by the Company should be legal
until that obligation were discharged ; so that the public should
know who to pursue in case of a default in making good the en-
gagements of the Company.—Mr. Alderman BRIDGES then
asked in what condition those persons would stand who having
originally been Shareholders, and having enrolled their names,
should subsequently dispose of their shares. Mr. Husussox
said that such names would be held responsible until the names
of the persons to whom the shares were sold should be substi-
tuted in their stead. This is the clause which the LORD CHAN.
cEr.Lon said on Friday last he had taken care to introduce into
all Bills of that nature for the last twenty years.—Mr. BROWN-
Low gave,notice that he should on Friday next present a Pe-
tition relating to the Catholic Association, and that he should
move to refer the same to a Select Committee.

Yesterday, being the birth-day of the Princess
VITTORIA, when her Royal Highness completed her fifth year,
her Royal Highness's Uncle, Prince LEOPOLD, gave an ele-
gant Dejeune at Marlborough House at two o'clock, to the
Duchess of Kent and infant Princess, in honour of the day ; at
which were present, the Dukes of York, Sussex, and Gloucester:
the Prince of Leinengen ; the Duchesses of Clarence and
Gloucester ; and the Princesses Augusta, Sophia Matilda, and
Fcodore. The Royal Party broke up about four o'clock, and
soon afterwards the Duchess of Kent and the Princess Vittoria
left Marlborough House, for Kensington.
fhe Duchess of KENT, the Princess AUGUSTA,
and the Princess FEODORE, dined with the Duchess of CLA-
RENCE on Sunday. In the evening the Royal Duchess had
Prince LEOPOLD and a numerous party to tea, &c.
The Duke of WELLINGTON was indisposed for
several days last week. His presence being considered essen-
tial at the Cabinet Council which was held on Saturday, it was
originally intended to meet at his Grace's house, in Piccadilly,
but the Noble Duke was so much better on Friday, that his
Grace notified the same, and the Cabinet assembled at the
Foreign Office on Saturday, as usual.
Yesterday Prince POLIGNAC, the French Am-
bassador, had a long interview with Mr. Secretary CANN WG.
Last night Mr. Secretary PEaL was absent
from the House of Commons in consequence of
indisposition, which, however, we are happy to
say is not likely to detain him long from attend-
ance on his various duties.
The sight of Lord STOWELL is, we regret to
state, so considerably impaired as to render
necessary the application of a blister to each
temple.
We are not surprized, after the attacks which
have been.made upon the professional character
of Mr. SOANE, that he should be anxious to vin-
dicate himself in the eyes of the public at large ;
and in our opinion he has adopted the most pro-
per means to effect his purpose by submitting his
Petition to the House of Commons. We are glad
to find that the Petition will be printed, be-
cause though we did not hear it read, yet we
are assured that it consisted of a full justifi-
cation of the plans which he adopted, as those
plans have been approved by the highest au-
thorities. If we are rightly informed, under-
hand means were adopted by officious inter-
ference to suggest other designs in the detail of
works wholly committed to him, and which
ought to have been left to his sole management,
under the sanction of those immediately commis-
sioned by a Board of the Treasury to superin-
tend his measures. Here we find an Artist of
the first eminence, who, by his professional
merits, has acquired considerable property, em-
ployed in the acquisition of antique treasures
that do honour to the national taste, attacked by
every' puny whipster," who is, perhaps, wholly
ignorant of the Orders of Architecture, and in-
deed of the general principles of that noble art
knows "no more than a spinster." Bet we shall
patiently wait for Mr. SOANE'S Petition, which
_ _

*rom many liberal and unbiassed testimonies, we

have reason to believe will silence his adversa-
ries, if it does not extinguish the envy and malice
by which he has so often been assailed.—(Morn-
ing Post.)
Since we read the foregoing paragraph, which
appears in the Morning Post of this day, we
have received the Parliamentary Paper, contain-
ing Mr. SoANE's Petition to the !louse of Com-
mons. We entirely agree with the liberal Editor
of that Journal, that 'Mr. SOAPIE has been the
mark of anonymous malice and envious detraction,
as well as of the crude and capricious carpings of
ignorance and vanity. We have inserted his Pe-
tition this day, and we doubt not that the Public
will consider it as a full vindication of his profes-
sional conduct, since he has acted in obedience
to the orders which he received, while he was, at
the same tine, in all his proposed designs,
anxious to preserve, in any additions that might
be required, the style and character of the vene- '
rabic edifice to which his professional talents,
knowledge, and experience were directed.
BRITISH INSTITUTION.--The Gallery in Pall
Mall, belonging to this Institution, was opened
last night for the first time this season, to gratify
the Directors and their friends with an ilium!-1

nated view of the present Exhibition at that
place. The Rooms were visited by a numerous
concourse of person► of rank, and by many ele-
gant and beautiful females, who seemed to attract
more notice than all the rival charms on canvas.
The Pictures, however, appeared to great admi-
ration, and by the colder connoisseurs did not
pass without due commendation. Several eminent
Artists were present, and liberally joined in all

the admiration which the old Masters deservedly
excited, and the ornaments of this country also,
REYNOLDS, WILSON, HOGARTII, OPIE, &C. &C.
received a liberal tribute of general approbation.
The time allotted to the visitors was specified to
be from nine till eleven, but the company were
altogether so much amused, that the rooms were
not cleared till long after that hour. Mr. Yousa,
the Secretary, of course, was present, and re-
ceived the visitors with his usual courtesy and
attention.