The Sun.
London, England, 1824-05-19 00:00:00

[mortNiNo CHRONICLE.]

Nothing has occurred during yesterday to
throw any light on the object of the Ex-Etupe-
ror Itui bide's journey to Mexico. It is reported
that yesterday a letter was delivered from him
to one of his Majesty's Ministers, wherei❑ he
states his determination to return to Mexico,
Ate.; and he farther adds, that whatever station
he may hold in the Government, if he hold any,
he will cultivate the friendship of England, and
acknowledge all the public engagements of the
State, Sze. When he quitted Mexico his princi-
pal Aide-de-Camp was left behind him, and af-
terwards suffered a long imprisonment. This
Gentleman reached England about ,ix weeks
ago, in his Majesty's ship the Thetis, from Vera
Cruz, and he brought with him a credit for 4,000
dollars on h most respectable Spanish merchant
in London. It is a curious fact that this officer
never called for the money, and it is generally
suspected that he has embarked with Iturbide,
with only one Aide-de-camp with him, two Priests
and some servants. He has no other establish-
ment whatever.

Letters of very recent dates from Malta, bring
intelligence from that island so late as to the 29th
Ilis Majesty's ship the Revenge was to pro-
ceed off Algiers in three days after that date. The
Cambrian frigate bad sailed for Tunis, Sec. and
several ships of war were stationed at various
points, from which they could, with greater fad-
. INT) afford protection to the British trade from
the depredations of the Pirates. His Britannic
illajesty's sloop of war the Pandora sailed with a
convoy from Malta for Gibraltar on the 27th April,
and on the same day she was joined by small fleet
from Smyrna,after which the whole proceeded for
the Gut. These letters likewise • confirm the in-
formation communicated by The Chronicle on the

I,oth current, of `the destruction of a vast quan-
tity of military stores at Grand Cairo by fire.—
It was generally supposed that this was a volun-
tary act on the part of his Highness, the present
enlightened Pacha of Egypt, for it afforded him
a good eXCU.S.e for not wasting his treasures and
the strength of his Government in the vain at-
tempt to reduce the Christian population of
Greece to the tyranny of the Grand Seigoor.—
It was therefore understood that the Pacha of
Egypt had declined to furnish the Turkish
Men of war which had arrived at Alexandria,
with the supplies- necessary for their summer
cruize, and that he had intimated to the Bro-
ther of the, Suri and Moon his determination to
defer his. expedition into Greece mail a few
years' industry restored to him the immense sa-
crifices to which the fire had subjected him at
Grand Cairo. The Wahabees also, he repre-
sented to his nominal Sovereign, would for this
reason require unusual attention, for their move-
ments. rendered him uneasy for that part of
Egypt which lay in their vicinity. It is not
likely that a Prince so thoroughly acquainted
with the Turkish Government and with his
o,wn resources, would, by wasting his strength
ill the Morea, render his own. Pachalic an
easy conquest to the Turks, and thereby in-
sure Ms 'ow a destruction, The fourth expedi-
tion of the Ottomans against the Greeks will,
therefore, bra Most feeble, and soon will the
iiisertie of. this formerly renowned country be
fixed on the foundation of civilisation and'Chris-
tianity, from which no efforts of barbarism will
be afterwards able to remove them. The free-
dom of Greece win be followed by that ofl
Egypt, should the life of its present Governor. be
I
spared for a few years, and the fairest portion of
the world may again become the seat of learning
aal of arts. The restoration of these once
mighty Empires will be the most extraordinary
and important event recorded during many cen-
turies in the history of the human race.—(4N.)

[MORNING POST.]
The Bil 6 for repealing the • restrictions on Silk
Manufactures in this MetropOlis went through a
Conimittee in the House of Peers last Qight, after
a division on au amendment proposed by the Earl
of Harrowhy, that the word 44 now " be omitted.
The numbers for going into a Committee were
w, and those -against it
.17. The Bill was or-
dered to be read a third time on Friday next,

when another attempt will probably be made to
throw it out. The chief object of discussion in
the Commons was a motion to repeal the
Leather Tax, made by Mr. Calcraft. The
Honourable Gentleman stated, that the pro-
duce of the tax was only 350,0001. a year, while
the expence attending it was of an enormous
amount. This was not denied by the Chancellor
of the Exchequer, who however contended that
if it were possible to remit more imposts than he
had done since his accession to office, the Lea-
ther Tax would be the last which he should pro-
pose, as there were many others which were
more burthensome to the public. He therefore
opposed the motion as only tending to tie up the
hands of his Majesty's Ministers most inconveni-
ently, and to prevent them from looking at many
questions which they might be most anxious to
do next year. The Chancellor of the Exchequer
had the House with him on a division, though
the majority was not considerable,
the numbers
being only 71 to 55.

[THE TIMES.
That melo-dramatic performance in which
Lord Londonderry sad Mr. Battier have been
for some time exhibiting themselves before a
very numerous audience, opened in the manner
of a tragedy, and has ended somewhat like a
farce. The late duel was undoubtedly no con-
spicuous proof of wisdom in either of the above
parties, because it was no greater demonstration
of courage than both of them had previously cre-
dit for. The truth is, that the quarrel ought to
have ended many weeks before the fighting began.
Mr. 13attier's appeal to the public, though not
undistinguished by some appearances of weakness,
was triumphant as compared with the appeal of
his titled antagonist to the same tribunal ; and
with that first victory Mr. Battier might have
been satisfied : but he " went farther," and he
has in all respects " fared worse." The Gazette
of yesterday contains a notification that the name
of Battier has been struck off the half-pay list.
Is not this a severe measure, if really a chastise-
ment for lighting ? And the more so, when we
find by a General Order, dated from the Horse
Guards on Thursday last, that the Marquis of Lon-
donderry, for the same offence, of standing to be
shot at by a half-pay Ensign, has been no otherwise
visited from Head-quarters than by au expression
of his Majesty's " concern and displeasure ?"
Why should the great General be no more than
gently blamed for the same act for which the
luckless Ensign is irretrievably ruined ? Why
should not a breach of discipline be punished by
a severity commensurate with the known expe-
rience of the culprit—with his presumed know-
ledge, and the tendency of his example to beget
imitators? Verily the army is, now-a-days, a
ticklish profession. What young man of spirit
would choose the army for a profession, when he
sees an Ensign dismissed from the service, and a
General gently reprimanded,for the same offence?

[MORNING lIERALD.]
Sunday's Paris Papers arrived last night. They
confirm the rumours of a conspiracy at Lisbon.
The Journal des DAats states the circumstance
at some length, and calls the affair " a sudden
explosion of the strongest nature." It appears
that on the 30th of April- a Proclamation of the
Infante Don Miguel, reminding the soldiers of
his former achievements, calling upon them to
assist him in completing the work he had begun,
by exterminating " the pestilent sect of Free-
masons, which, in the silence of treason,
held the scythe of death over the reigning
House of Braganza, and in fine summoning
them to arms. This Proclamation, dated from
the Palace of Bemposta, with a second, ad-
dressed to the people, and a letter addressed
to the King, was re-published the next day in
the Journals. In the mean time 2000 men, form-
ing the garrison, with Don Miguel at.their head,
assembled at the Psoscio, and most of the Mi-
nisters, several military commanders and others,
were placed, by the Prince's orders,under arrest.
Whilst this was going on, the Queen arrived at
Lisbon. The Foreign Ambassadors, with the
Minister of France at their head, proceeded to
the Palace, but it was guarded by soldiers, and
they were refused admission to the King, un-
less by order of the Prince. The French Am-
bassador insisted, and his firmness prevailed.—
An Aid-de-Camp of the Prince introduced them
to the Royal Presence. The King declared he
knew nothing of what was passing—and that
he expected his son, who accordingly soon came,
knelt to and kissed the hand of his father—de-
clared that lie had merely taken measures against
a conspiracy which he had detected ; and that
the Ambassadors were detained only to prevent
the possible entrance of the evil-designed—last-
ly, that he came to take the orders of the
King. The troops retired to their quarters.
The Ambassadors returned the following day
to the King's presence, and afterwards saw the
Minister Count Palmela, who had been released.
" It is not yet known, " says the Journal des
Debuts, " how this scene in the style of Mallet
will terminate. But since it failed of attaining
its apparent object on the first moment, it is re-
garded as having missed its principal arms."—
There appears no doubt the design was to dethrone
the King of Portugal, a weak, awl it is said well-
disposed man, and place the Government in the
hands of the Queen and Prince. But would such
an enterprise have been undertaken without fo-
reign aid ? It may be remembered that the Empe-
ror of Russia addressed a letter of eulogy to this
Prince, upon his former and more successful insur-
rection against the Constitutional Government of
his father. The French Journals treat it with
contemptuous disapprobation, comparing it to the
plot of Mallet against Buonaparte in 1812, and re-
presents the French Minister as acting with great
This, however, is no
vigour and decision in resisting and defeating it.
proof that the French Go-
vernment was innocent of all previous knowledge
of it. No mention whatever is made of the
English Ambassador.

i.w7lNt TIMES.]
In another part of our Paper will be found a
report of the proceedings at a most important
Aleeting held yesterday by the Subscribers tr!
Lloyd's Coffee-house. This body of men, above

1600 in number, are known to all Europe for'
the great business they transact in Marine In-
surance. By the Statute 6 George I. c. 6, no
Societies, Partnerships, or Public Companies,
except two Chartered Companies (the Royal
Exchange and the London Assurance), can ef-
fect Marine Insurance. The greater part of the
Insurance on British, and some on Foreign
Trade, are however insured at Lloyd's, where
each insurer acts for himself separately : the
two Chartered Companies continue to insure,
but to a comparatively small extent. It is now
proposed to repeal the restraining clause in the
statute of George the First ; but against that
repeal many cogent arguments were urged at the
Meeting of yesterday. At first sight it seems
that the repeal is in favour of free com-
petition ; but the fact (it is urged) is quite
the reverse. At present there is a free compe-
tition between 1600 individual underwriters at
Lloyd's ; but if the present restraint were taken
off, the powerful combinations which would start
forward would deprive the individual underwri-
ters of their employment. The competition, there-
fore, would at once be reduced to a competition
between eight or ten large companies, which would
soon degenerate into a monopoly. The first result
would be to put an end to a very large branch
of commercial employment. Insuring has be-
come a profession, and hundreds of men who fol-
low it would be ruined. Perhaps it will be said,
that private loss is in such cases public gain ; but
there is no reason to think that this would be
the case here. The Public Companies must act
upon certain general rules ; they cannot look
scrupulously into particular risks. Some risks
would therefore be wholly excluded from in-
surance by them ; whilst the others would either
be taken below the fair rate, which would ruin the
Company ; or above it, which would injure the
Public. It is urged too, that the revenue would
greatly suffer. Societies might be established Coin-
sure both abroad and at home; and all the Policies
made abroad would evade , payment of British
Stamp Duties. On the other hand it is urged
that the party insured will be safer in the hands
of a Public Company with a Stock of Four or
Five Millions than with individual Underwriters
at Lloyd's or elsewhere. To this it is answered,
that the aggregate property of the Members of
Lloyd's is more than Fifty Millions, and that
in point of fact the amount of losses by the
insolvency of Underwriters at Lloyd's, with com-
mon prudence on the part of the insured, is very
small. The late Mr. Augerstein stated before a
Committee of the House of Commons in 1810,
that he had in the course of 22 years insured for
one mercantile house property to the amount of
eight millions and a half of money, and upon this
sum the losses by insolvency of underwriters did
not amount to three pence halfpenny per cent. !
These are a few of the arguments urged against
the repeal of the clause in the Statute of Geo. I.
by the Gentlemen of Lloyd's.

From the LONDON GAZETTE, May 18.

• Crown Office, May 18, 1824.
Mzmnt II returned to serve in this present PARLIAMENT.
Borough of Penryn.—Robert Stanton; Esq. of Colebrook
House, in the County of Middlesex, in the room of Henry
Swann, Esq. deceased.
Illorough of Huntingdon.--Jam es Stuart, Esq. in the room of
the Earl of Ancram, now Illarquis of Lothian, and one of the
Peers of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.