The Sun.
London, England, 1824-01-22 00:00:00

POST-HORSE AND OTHER DUTIES.

A Metropolis
was General Meeting of the Post-masters of the
yesterday held at the Freemasons' Tavern. for
the purpose of receiving the report of a Committe appointed to
confer with Government respecting the new Regulations for
fixing the duties on post-horses, and all horses let for hire.
Mr. Worn: was called to the Chair.
The Secretary then read the Report. It stated that in their
conferences with Goverment the Committee had made strenu-
ous exertions to obtain an exemption of saddle horses from
the payment of duty, but without success.
Mr. WHIT E, the Chairman, said, as he had been actively
engaged in the intercourse with Government on this question, he
could perhaps stet:: more distinctly the concessions that had
been made to postmasters throughout the khgdom. In the first
place, it was not now necessary to have the name and number
affixed to any carriage, except post-chaises, or those which tra-
velled by the mile or stage ; therefore, they might let a gig for
the day, or a carriage to a family, without its being requisite to
proclaim that it was not their own. With respect to saddle-
horses, it had been warmly contended by the Solicitor of the
Stamp-office. that those who rode hired horses should be obliged
to take and show a ticket of the duty at the turnpike-gate. It was
objected to this measure, that it would subject every gentleman
who rode a horse in the kingdom to be challenged as the rider
of a hired nag, and insulted by the toll-collectors. Those
who rode hired horses, and especially those in the Metropo-
lis, were very anxious to preserve appearances ; then why
should they be compelled to make a disclosure, by producing
a ticket at every turnpike-gate ? These reasons prevailed with
the Qovernment, and they had withdrawn the obnoxious
measure.—(Applause.)—But, above all, instead of twelve
acts, each of which was more obscure than the other,
the trade had now the rare felicity of being regulated by one
act, which was so clear and simple that any man of common
capacity amongst them might understand it. He had in his
hand a document, or rather a volume, which had been given him
as a curiosity. A postmaster was charged with having trans-
gressed some one of the regulations of the twelve contrary acts,
and an action was brought against him, with a declaration of
1400 folios. There was so much repetition, and there were so
many points interwoven, that the defendant's Attorney could
not understand it ; and the consequence was, that the defend-
ant, for fear there might be something from which he might be
hit in this mass of pleading, compromised at an enormous ex-
pence.—(Hear !)—All such work as this was now done away
with. The farmers of the duties would not be allowed to bring
such actions as they pleased, but must first submit the cases to the
Stamp-office, and none but proper cases would be suffered to be
taken into Court.—(Applause.)--There was one word in the new
Act which excited much alarm, and was supposed to affect ma-
terially the trade and the public, andopinion of Counsel had been
taken on the subject. In the course of the Act the word
used occurred in conjunction with " let." Many opulent post-
masters were ifi the habit of lending their horses or vehicles
to their friends or branches of their family gratuitously for
short jaunts, or now and then a pleasure party. The Counsel
to whom it was referred had declared that this word " used"
rendered the horses used on such an occasion liable to the pay-
ment of duty ; and one of the Counsel had gone so far as to say,
that a gentleman who lent his carriage end horses to a friend
for six weeks, must pay duty for them during that time.—
.(Hear, hear !)—But he begged that no one would be alarmed
at this word, or the construction put upon it by Counsel.—
It was all mere special pleading. He was sure the point could not
stand in a court of justice, and that the Commissioners of
Stamps would not allow any farmer of taxes to.bring an action
upon it. •
A long discussion was then entered into as to the minute de-
tails and regulations of the duties with the farmers, when, ulti-
mately, the 'report was agreed to, and ordered: o be.published.
Thanks were voted to the Chairman.and the Committee, and the
, Meetingseparated. ' . ..

Detailing the Force of every Clan, the services of every Chief-
tain, and the amount of Retainers he could bring into the
Field, said to be drawn up by the Lord President Portnts,
and transmitted to Government in 1745. A number of in-
dependent Gentlemen, who had. many followers, being what
are called broken Names, cr small Tribes, are omitted in
the Memorial.
Campbells.—ln Gaelic, they are called Clan .
Guin, or O'Duine. The Duke of Argyle is their
Chief. lie is called in the Highlands MacallainMor.
On his own property,and on his kinsman's lands,
he can raise above 3000 men ; the Earl of Bread-
albane, more than 1000 ; and the Barons of the
names of Campbell, (Ardkinglass, Auchenbreck,
Lochnell, Inveraw, and others), 1000; so that
this clan could bring into-:the field above 5000
men, besides those ,barons and gentle Men of the
name, in Dumbarton, Sterling, and Perthshire,
and the laird of Calder and Nairn. They are
at present the richest and most numerous clan in
Scotland ; their countries and lands most exten-
t sive ; their superiorities, jurisdictions, and other
dependencies, by far the greatest in the kingdom,
which makes the family of the greatest import-
ance in North Britain, and has been so since the
decline of the Douglasses: the total fall of the
Cummins, the extinction of- the Earls of Ross,
and the Macdonalds of the isles.
Maclean.—ln Gaelic called Clan Lein Sir Hec-
tor Maclean of Douart is their Chief—he is call-
ed in the Highlands Macil-Lein. This a very
potent clan about 200 years ago, and could have
raised 800 men ; but now that the Campbells
aro possessed of their Chief's estate, they will
hardly make 500, and even many of that num-
ber must be brought out of the Duke of Argyle's
estate.
Maclauchlan.---In Gaelic called Clan Lauchlin:
The Laird of Maclauchlan is their Chief, he can
raise 3,000 men.
Stuart ofAppitz.—The laird of Appin is their
Chieftain. He holds his lands of the Crown, and
• can raise 300 followers.
Mucdougal of
Lorn.—ln Gaelic Glanvickiel.
Their Chief is the laird of Macdougal. He is
. called in the Highlands, Mackail Laurin. This
was a more patent family of old, but is now much
diminished by the Campbells ; they can still (1
believe) bring out 200 men.
Macdonald of Slate.—Proecteding northward
by the coast and isles we come to
.the Mac-
donalds.. Sir Alexander Macdonald is their chief.
tain• In Gaelic he is called Mac Cannel nan
simply by way of pre-eminence ; he has a
very large estate which holds of the Crown. It
lies in the isles ofSkye and Uist. He can bring
out 100 men.
illacdona/d of Clanranald.—En Gaelic this
ehieftain is called Mac vi Allain ; and in English
the Captain of Glanranald. He has a very hand-
some estate, holding most of it from the Crown.
It lies in Moidart and A rsaig on that Continent,
and in the isles of Uip
Benbecula, and Rum.—
fie can bring out 700 men.
Macdonald qfGkngarry.—The Laird of Glen-
garry is their Chieftain. In Gaelic he is called
Mac vie Aolf listir. a He has a good estate which
he l
hod
the Crown. It is in Glengarry in
-Knoidart. He can bring out 500 men.
Macdonald of Keppoeh.—KeppOCll is their
Chieftain. In Gaelic he is called Mac vie
Raonuil. He is not proprietor of one ridge of
land ; but himself, kindred, and followers, are
only taxmen and tenants, holding most of their
possessions from the Laird of Mackintosh, and
the rest from the Duke of Gordon, all being in
Lochaber. He can raise and bring out 300 fol-

lowers.
_Macdonald of Glenco.—The Laird of Glenco
is their Chieftain. In Gaelic he is called Aluc
‘ic lan. He holds his lands of Stuart of Appin,
and can raise 150 men.
'l'i►ese five Chieftains of Macdonalds all claim
a lineal descent from Alexander Macdonald,
Earl of Ross, successor and representative of the
Macdonalds of the Isles ; but none of them have
any clear document to vouch the same, so that
that great and aspiring family, who waged fre-
quent wars with our Scottish Kings, and who
acted as sovereigns themselves, and obliged most
of the clans to swear fealty to them, is now
utterly extinct. The last Earl of Ross had no
sons, nor any near relation, to succeed him.
Camerons.—A very potent clan in Lochaber.
The Laird of Lochiel,called in Gaeltic Macdonnel
Dui, is their Chief. He has a good estate, but
none of it holds of the Crown ; the most of it is
held of the Duke of Argyle, and the rest of the
Duke of Gordon. He can bring out 800 men.
Of old there were several tribes in that coun-
try, viz. Macmartin of Letterfinlay, and others,
branches of the Camerons, who faithfully follow•
ed the Chief.
Macleods—Wera two distinct and very potent
families of old, viz. Macleod of Lewis, and
Macleod of Harris, but they are both extinct,
and their lands possessed by the Mackenzies.
The present Laird of Macleod is Chief of the
name. He is called in Gaelic Macleod. lie has
a very considerable estate, all holding of the
Crown, lying in Glenelg on the continent, and
in the Isle of Skye. He can bring out 700
men.

.illackinnons.—The Laird of Mackinnon is
their Chief ; he holds his lands of the Crown,
both in the Isles of Skye and Mull, and can raise
200 men.

I again pass to the south, to give an account of
the inland Chiefs, beginning again in Argyleshire,
and proceeding northward. There are several
persons of rank, as well as gentlemen, who are
Chieftains, and who have the command of many

Farquharsons.—The only clan family in A her-
deunshire. In Gaelic called Clan lanla. They
can bring out about 500 men. The Laird of
Ineercauld is their Chief. He has a very hand_
Borne estate, holden of the Crown, both in Perth-
shire and Brae Mar. There are several other
barons of the name that have competent fortunes,
such as Monaitrie, Innfrey, Finzean, &c.
Duke of Gordon.—The Gordon is no clan fa-
mily, although the Duke is Chief of a very pow-
ful name in the Lowlands. He has a great posse
of cavalry and gentlemen on horseback in Enzie
and Strathbogie, but he is only placed here on
account of his Highland followings in Strathaven
and Glenlivat, which are about 300 men, his
extensive jurisdictions in Strathspey do not yield
him any followers. The tenants on his own pro-
perty, as well as those who hold their lands of
him in feu, follow their natural born chief. Thus
the Carrwrons follow Lochiel, the Macphersons
follow Cluny, and other chiefs are followed and
obeyed in the same manlier, from respect, family
attachments, and consanguinity.
Grant.—A considerable name and family in
Strathspey. The Laird of Grant is their Chief.
fie has a handsome and large estate, both in
Strathspey and Urquhart, in the county of Inver-
ness, which he holds of the Earl of Moray. He
can raise out of Strathspey 700 men, and out of
Urquhart 150. He has several barons of his
name, both in Inverness, Moray, Banff, and
Aberdeenshires, Cullen, &c. _ _

Mackintoshes.—T his was one of the most po-
tent clans in Scotland, when their residence was
at Tor Castle in Lochaber, the ancient seat of
their family, (of which country they are still
heritable stewards) but the Camerons having
purchased the said estate, their power is much
diminished. The Laird of Mackintosh is their
Chief : in Gaelic he is called Mackintoshach ;
in English, Captain of Clan Chatten. He can
bring out 800 men, including the small neigh-
bouring clans of Macgillivray, Macqueen, Mac-
bean, &c., who all own themselves his kinsmen.
His countries are Brae-Lochaber, Radenoch, and
Strathern, in Inverness-shire. He still retains a
very competent estate. He holds Brae-Lochaber,
Moy, and Largs, of the Crown ; I3adenoch, of
the Duke of Gordon ; and most of his kinsmen
hold Strathnearn, of the Earl of Moray.
.Macphersons.—Called in Gaelic, Clan Vuvrich.
—Their Chief is the Laird of Clunie. He can
raise 400 men. His whole lands, and all of his
kinsmen's lands, hold of the Duke of Gordon, and
lie in •Badenoch.
Frasers.—A re a considerable Clan in the coun-
tries of Aird and. Stratherig, in Inverness-shire.
—Their Chief is Lord Lovat, in Gaelic he is

After the dispatch of some business of mere local- interokt.
the discussion of which occupied the whole day, and
the Court was about to adjourn—
. .
Mr. BRISCOE rose to move for the appointment of a Com.
mittee of Magistrates, to consider the Report of -a sitiiilaf
Committee made and confirmed at the last Sessions, censuring
the conduct of a Magistrate not particularly named, but which,
Mr. Briscoe said, it was obvious alluded to himself. • He only
called upon the Court to do that justice which was due to every
individual under any charge, and which had been withheld from
him on the occasion in question : he meant the right of being
heard in his own defence, and of not being condemned unheard.
A stigma had been affixed upon his character as a Magistrate
by that Committee in his absence; and whatever might be-his
opinions on the novel mode of punishment now practised',
whether those opinions were right or wrong, to pass a censitte
upon him on the evidence of a menial servant of the priton-;-:
Here the worthy Magistrate was interrupted by .
Mr. HODSON, who rose to order. The present was, he said.
a Special Adjourned Court for certain particular business,'and
no motion he believed could be entertained by the Courrun-.
less it were connected with that special business. Besides,
looking for a moment at the motion of.the lion. Gentlernan,lie
apprehended it could, under no circumstances,. -be listened' M.
No body of Magistrates had any right to judge of the conduk.t
of another body ; and the proper remedy for any person who
might conceive himself to be aggrieved, was by an application
to the Court of King's Bench, to which power alone the Ma-
gistrates were legally answerable. • ::.
Mr. lintscox attempted to explain, and to gain perrnis-
sion to make a few observations, whether his motion could be
entertained or not, but the call to order was supported by -
A MAGISTRATE, who observed that the Honourable (46n--
demon had no right to assume that he was the individtth.i
alluded to by the report of which he complained, as no.ipdi-
, vidual was named.
_ _

The CHAIRMAN, on being appealed to, decided that Mr.
Briscoe was out of order in making a motion of the nature'.to
which he referred before a Court appointed for a special /nil.-
pose only. At the same time he was bound in candour to
say, that he (the Chairman) had signed the Report in questichi-:
that it referred to Mr. Briscoe, and could indeed refer to Ms
one else. The remedy of the Hon. Gentleman was to be soueit
only by his appealing to the nest Quarter-Sessions al Ryegatt,.
After an irregular conversation between the CirmustAN
Mr. Bn.tscor, Mr. PaLstt it, and other Magistrates,• thc
matter here droppped, upon an understanding that Mr. Brisco:
would renew his motion at the Sessions at Ryegate.

•
Friday morning the beginning of the Lumir
Eclipse was perfectly visible at Glasgow. The Moon set ec-
lipsed. At its height the eclipse exceeded nine digits.
The Comet on the 7th instant was in the right
shoulder of Hercules, tnking a direction towards the tail of-fh,
Dragon. It moves with astonishing velocity, as it has sine •
passed midway between the back of Hercules and the norther,'
Crown, through the right leg of Hercules, and is now Conti.
nuing its course between the right knee of Hercules and
right hand of:BoOtei, and at the present time does not set. •
the brilliancy of the Comet continue, we may expect a mOr.•
favourable opportunity of seeing it about' the 30th of•thi:
rooDeb, when the moon will be absent, and should the litirib=
sphere he clear, it will then be distinctly visible between th,
Pole and the extremity of the tail of the Ursa Major, at hfiy
hour of the night.

ARNOLD.--The traitor ARNOLD possessed, an:,
doubtedly, animal courage ; he could stanil
before a battery, and call on his men to advanc(!..
Ile was once at a Royal Levee, directly after
the close of the American war, when he was in-
troduced to an English Lord as the American'
General Arnold. " What, the traitor Arnold.?.''
exclaimed the Nobleman, turning on hiS Nevi
with disgust. A challenge was given by the Ge,-
neral---accepted by his antagonist, who receiveo-
his fire, and discharged his own pistol in the:4f..
" Why do you not return the. are ?" exclaimed
the General. " Because I am not an eiete...
firmer," replied the..Npbleman.-'-,lThiladeVira
Gazette.)

ti.
~ ~.~

LITERARY NOTICE.

THE ANNUAL, REGISTER, or a View of the History,
Polities, and Liteiature of the Year The iv NG-
Toers, S:. Paul's Church-yard and Wattrloo-place, Pall-
Mall.
The next from which this valuable volume
has recently issued is one of the oldest, and cer-
tainly the roost respectable, of which our en-
lightened necropolis can boast. It has always,
uniformly, , and must powerfully, supported our
happy, we may say, our glorious Establishment
40 Church arid state. The most able writers
w ere engaged it) the former series of the
work, and those who are employed in it at
present appear to be fully competent, by ta-
lents, knowledge, and a due spirit of candour,
to uphold its high and well-merited reputation.
"e • • .
eoe historical department of the volume before
us occupies not fester thatesixteen chapters. The
affairs of this, and of
_every other country attached
to us by political relations, have been amply and
impartially investigated, and are reported with
judgment, perspicuity, sagacity, and truth.—
Nothing has obviously been omitted that can
gratify the Statesman, the Politician, the Patriot,
and the general Reader, up to the period of
the year which it comprises. It is indeed, not
to be considered as a mere compendium of the
events which it records, but contains an abun-
dant treasury of Political information, from
which the future Historian will derive his best
materials. The domestic CHRONICLE, its AP-
PENDIX, the STATE PAPERS of this and every
ether civilized country, the CNA RA C'FERS that
—have attracted universal attention throughout the
world, the PHILOSOPHICAL and LITI.R Alt Y is-
cELLANT, the account of USEFUL ARTS, Gxo-
ORAPIIY and STATISTICS, ANTIQUITIES, anti
LITERARY HISTORY, the POETRY, and the
list of Booas and PAMPHLETS, published during
the year 1822, are all marked with the same
.diligence, judgment, and knowledge which mark
the whole of this valuable depositary of im-
portant intelligence. We subjoin the PREFACE
to the volume, es a fair specimen of the atten-
tion and ability which characterize the whole of
thig excellent and truly important Aliscellariy.
Intervals of peace have commonly been considered as com-
paratively unfavourable to the Annalist, from the very circum-
stance of that dearth of moving accident,' which renders them
so propitious to the happiness of nations. To the philosophical
politician, however, few periods of modern history present more
.matter of interest than that which has intervened since the con-
-elusion of the late war. Indeed, the period in question, though
undisturbed by any thing of international hostility, has by no
means been wanting in those incidents of change and catas-
trophe which.are supposed to afford the best materials for the
graphic power of the historian. The atrocity of fettle has been
avoided, awfar as the European continent is concerned at least;
but it has been strikingly marked by all the other characters of
civil disaster—opinnon cas:bz:s, discors seditionibus, ipso etiam
in pace scevam. Even,those countries in which these more de-
cided manifestations of internal commotion have not taken
place, have betrayed less violent, but scarcely less unequivocal
symptoms of the struggle of opinion and principle which has
evidently begun, in almost every 'Kingdom of Europe ; and
which, however its process may be disguised, or its crisis de-
layed by the varying circumstances of each particular State,
menaces in all a consummation which it is fin the nature of
things should ultimately take place. Our generation will not
see it, nor probably the next; its approach, however, is not
therefore the less actual : and not a day passes over us that
does not insensibly add its contribution of .co-operation to the
accomplishment of this" mighty catastrophe. In the cursory
review of our labours in which we sometimes indulge in these
.prefatory remarks, we have more than once alluded to this
aspect of modern politics, and we recur to it again, because it
is the consideration that most powerfully forces itself upon the
mind, in the contemplation of every portion of our contem-
porary history. And it is this circumstance that gives to that
history a distinctive character;
,imparting even to its subordi-
nate details a kind of interest woich, in the eyes of the reflect-
ing reader, is hardly possessed by ail the revolutions of court fa-
vour and ministerial ascendancy, or even the vicissitudes of
dynasty and conquest, with which the history of former times is
almost exclusively occupied.
.The Parliamentary Session of 182'2 was, of an unusually pro-
tracted length, and the subjects which came under debate were,
many of them, among those the most intimately connected with
the bases of our national prosperity. But there was compare-
,tively little of party conflict in the debates which took place ;
and on this account, perhaps, the Session excited less interest
than did those immediately preceding it. The House and the
Public appear to be interested in the fate of a motion precisely
is the degree in which the result of it is calculated to affect the
stability of ministerial power, or the relative credit or strength
of parties. Hence it is that the reduction of a trifling piece of
government patronage, or a proposed vote of censure upon some
member of administration, will throng the benches and gal-
aeries almost to suffocation; while matters involving the great
principle; of our administrative system, such as the repeal of
the Navigation Laws, for instance, can scarcely bring together
enough members to form a House.; and are decided upon
without the great mass even of the newspaper-reading public
seeming to be aware that they had ever come under discussion
at all.
The Agricultural Question, which occupied so large a portion
of the debates of this Session, cannot be said to form an excep_
tion to this remark, as it was not only a very important subject'
in itself, but, from the manner in which it was attempted to
connect an extensive reduction of taxation, and consequently
,the abolition of the Sinking Fund, with the decision of it, be-
came a party question of the mcst critical nature. The posi-
tion which Ministers took upon this subject was that which an
enlightened regard to their own character anti interest would of
itself have suggested • and happily in this, as in most other
cases, the interests of nation were coincident with their own.
The friends of their country had never more reason to rejoice
than in this defeat of a rash attempt to embarrass the Ministers,
at the expence of a system, the observance of which, even the
parties now attacking it, had hitherto professed to consider as
essential to the welfare and safety of the nation. This sort of
proceeding is so much in the usual practice of all oppositions in
•all times, that we do not so much blame the individuals con- i
cerned, as we regret the necessity, if such there be, of a system
that seems naturally to lead to such perversion ofpublic principle.
The dry detail of our Parliament:try Proceedings will be
found to be relieved by some brilliant speeches front Mr. Can-
ning which were at the time believed to be the last specimens
of his eloquence, with which the country would be gratified for
some years. We have been carefully copious in our abstracts
of these discourses, and we cannot but congratulate ourselves,
the country, and the Right Hon. Gentleman himself, that his
talents have not been doomed to a destination so inappropriate
aa that which had been intended for them:
Of the foreign history for the present year, the progress of
the (heek insurrection forms the most interesting, feature. It
?rill be seen that that people continued to maintain the contest
they had so daringly provoked with a gallantry not unworthy
cf their cause, or of the name which is their only inheritance.
We do not know that we are quite prepared to controvert the
political expediency which induces the nations of Europe to
stand :altogether apart from this struggle ; hat surely never was
interest of that kind consulted at a greater sacrifice of all the
sympathies, whether national or religious, which have hitherto
so naturally and so powerfully influenced the political arrange-
ments of Europe. We see an European people contending
against a Tartar tribe, which, after four hundred years encamp-
ment in Greece, (to use a hrase that has already been em-
ployed, and with singular happiness to describe the position
preserved by the Turks in their conquered territories), yet re-
tain all the distinctive physiognomy of their barbarian origin—
we see a Christian people struggling to rescue our common
religion from the daily contumely of an abominable supersti-
tion—we see the descendants of a nation illustrious beyond all
others.in the annals of human intellect, struggling to deliver a
land thus sanctified with every association, whether of wisdom,
or valour, or virtue, or genius, that can demand our reverence
and our gratitude, and from whence comes the day-spring of
European civilization intelf, from under the hoofs of a brutish
horde, with whom feroelty is virtue, and Ignorance religion.
It evidently now rests with the powers of Europe to put an
easy end to a state of things, the existence of which has long
been a scandal to Chriatindom ; sad if the Greeks, after they
have thus half regained- their emancipation, are suffered to be
a
trampled down under this hopeless barbarism, the rulers-
ortl,nhe present day will incur in the judgment of the wise and
good of this andloture ages, a responsibility from which the
sanction of all-the Diplomatic Congresses that ever assembled,
Would go bat little way to absolve them