The Sun.
London, England, 1824-09-14 00:00:00

NEWCASTLE THE.

ITO THE EDITOR OF THE NEWCASTLE COCEANT.
SIR—ID consequence of a statement which Mr.
DE CAMP had the unparalleled effrontery to make to the
audience at the theatre, on Friday evening last, that I had
given him my solemn assurance, as a man and a gentleman,
that 1 would not proceed against him till the let.of November
next, and that, notwithstanding such assurance, I had that
moment caused him to be arrested without giving him the least
previous intimation of my intention to do so, I am induced,
through the medium of your Paper, to lay the following ex-
. ) 'elation before the public :
The real facts of the case then, Sir, are simply these :—On
Wednesday list, I had an interview with Mr. De Camp and
his solicitor, relative to the settlement of an account of many
years standing, due to a most respectable firm in this town,
and which he, Mr. De Camp, declared his inability to liqui-
date, but at the same time proposed to give his own note, pay-
able
promisedtwtoo consult my clients,
clients, and at the same time most cer-
tainly pledged myself not to proceed against him without giv-
ing his solicitor previous notice to that effect, and how I ful-
filled that pledge will best be seen in the sequel. The terms
proposed by Mr. De Camp were rejected, and as be was to leave
town the following morning at 4 o'clock, I was instructed im-
mediate)), to proceed against him. The moment I received such
lastroctiotui, I went to the office of Mr. De Camp's solicitor,
to communicate the same to him, and frequently afterwards,
but was'never enabled to meet with him. I then wrote a note,
apprising him of the plaintiff's determination, which was left
at his office ; but not satisfied with this, I again waited upon
'him, whoa) .I then found, and requested that bail might be
put In, without subjecting the defendant to the inconvenience
of an arrest. This request was laid before Mr. De Citnp by
his solicitor, but with which he, Mr. De Camp, refused to
Comply. I then offered to accept. his solicitor's undertaking to
put in hail on the ensuing morning, which offer was also de-
clined. Then, and not till then, was the warrant put into the
bands of the officer, and for the time and manner of the exe-
cution of that warrant, I have yet to learn that I um to be con.'
sidered as amenable. But even in this respect Mr. De Camp
ought to have been the last to complain, its the officer had sent
him word by his solicitor, who was then in the house, that the
process would not be executed until the conclusion of the per-
formances. Mr. De Camp, however, called for the officer, who
was behind the scenes, and insisted upon his taking hint in-
to instant custody, which he accordingly did,• when Mr. De
Camp immediately rushed on to the stage, and made the state-
ments already alluded to. The motive for this conduct, no
doubt, was to, excite the commiseration of the audience, in
which he certainly succeeded, as a gentleman, who was then
in the theatre, in a manner which did honour to his feelings,
and under the impression, undoubtedly, from the misrepre-
sentations of Mr. De Camp, that he was a friendless, oppressed,
and injured, individual, came forward, and gave an undertak-
ing that bail should be put in on the ensuing morning; and
which,
not having been done, has since had the debt and costs
to pay for his generosity. Having thus, Sir, given a true state-
ment of the affiiir, for the accuracy of which the respectable
professional gentleman before alluded to can vouch, I shall
leave it to the public to determine whether Mr. De Camp bas,
as he stated in his address, been subjected by me to " an act
0. Me blackest treachery;" and which of us is in fact the in-
jured party. I can assure you, Sir, it is most painful to me
thus to intrude myself on public attention; and had the attack
been made under other circumstances, I should, in all proba-
bility, have passed it over unnoticed.—But from the public
manner in which these unprovoked calumnies were advanced,
I deem it an imperative duty I owe to my professional character
that the refutation should be given with as much publicity as
the attack.—l am, Sir, your obedient servant,
Newcastle,Sept.4, 1824. JAM ES A InISTRONO. .

LORD JLAVENSW o lairs RENT-DA Y.

On Tuf;sday last, the Castle at Ravenswor

presented one Of those happy scenes, which, although common
enough formerly, has been seldom witnessed in modern days.
We read in ancient records that the Baronial Halls occasionally

resounded with the hearty but honest mirth of the yeomanry
entertained at the expence and in the company of their Lords ;
and this has been once more witnessed at Ravensworth Castle.

A general invitation had been sent round to all the tenantry
of Ravenswarth to take their dinner at the Cattle, on the day
that they were to pay their half year's rent; and it is well
worthy of remark, that every tenant brouq►ht the whole of what
he owed ; and every tenant received in return a bonus to assist
him in his future exertions, equal to the allowance made in the
hardest times.

. At half-past three o'clock, the Hon. Mr. Liddell, accom-
panied by a few friends, took his see. at the head of the table,
where were assembled nearly .sixty -.fanners, with every,
one niblick in his pocket, and Smiles on his countenance. The
roast-beef and plum-pudding, the wine, the ale, and the loads
of other good things with which the tables were crowded, re-
ceived ample justice in tharsort of attention that is usually paid
to such things ; and the supply continued without abatement
till the ward " enough" was written in legible characters upon
every countenance.
The toasts which followed each other in rapid succession dis.
tinctly mark the spirit of this joyful meeting. The first was,
The King," and afterwards followed, " The Duke of York
and Royal ipmily." The loud buzzes which accompanied
them evinced no want of loyalty ; and if the spirit of the farmers
in general may be gathered from those who were at this meet-
ing, a set of men more devoted to the reigning family can be
found no where.
" The Right Hon. Lord Ravensworth." Received with rap-
turous applause. At the giving of this toast, the honour-
able chairman rose, and with considerable eloquence and feel-
ing assured the meeting that his father would be much gratifi-
ed with the manner in which his health had been drank. lie
adverted delicately to the reduction which had that day been
made in their rents; and he assured theui, notwithstanding
the numerous and urgent claims which his Lordship's large
and growing family made upon his purse, it was done with
real good, will, and the most benevolent feelings, in "the hope
that it ight be some assistance to them in their efforts to
recover from the depression which the late hard times had
occasioned.

" The Lady Ravensworth and Family." This toast was re.
ceived with that feeling which must always be excited at hear-
ing the name of one who is the ornament and delight of every
society. in which she is present ; of one even better far than
that—the kind and munificent benefactress of all the poor and
distressed in the neighbour:mod.
" The Honourable Mr. Liddell" was next given by the Re-
verend Mr. Collinson, curate of Lamesley ; and in giving that
toast the Rev. Gentleman took occasion to express his great
satisfaction at seeing the distinction between the high and the
low fur a while cast aside ; at seeing the great and benevolent
landlord and his happy tenantry sitting at the same board. This
he thought calculated to excite the kindest feelings, especially
benevolence on the one part, and integrity on the other ; and he
concluded by saying, happy would it be fbr England, if, in
these times, when the emissaries of discord are so busy, the ex-
ample now so wisely given were universally followed !
" The Honourable Mrs. Liddell and. her family" was also
given by Mr. Collinson. This seemed to be received with pe-
culiar satisfaction.

" His Majesty's Ministers." The Hon. Chairman, at the
giving of this toast, in a very eloquent speech, to which we can.
not pretend to do justice, gave his unqualified approbation of
their conduct; and from the mariner in whiCh he was cheered,
it was very evident he only expressed the general sentiments of
the meeting..
" The Lord and Ladv Normanby."
" The High Sheriti'd Durham and his Lady."
" The Established Church, and the Bishop of Durham."

" The Rev. Mr. Collinson;"

" The Yeomanry and Middle Class of Great Britain."
" Mr. Butdon, and Success to the Team Colliery."
" The Ravensworth Tenantry, and may the termer never
want ample remuneration for his labours." This toast was
given with the heartiness of a true English landlord, and drank
with the heartiness of true English farmers.
After this John Berms, Esq. who was present, and many
other persons and sentiments were toasted ; and the day passed
with unbroken harmony and satisfaction.
After penning the foregoing account, we are led to make a
few reflections, and to ask ourselves if this be not one of the best
ways to unite the upper classes with their dependants, and to
restore that strong feeling of attachment which united them
so closely in former days ? When the tenant is occasional-
ly brought into contact with his landlord, the feelings of
friendship soon become mixed with those of duty. A kind
word, a smile, or a little assistance in the time of need, will
sometinies bind a man to his benefactor for ever ; but these
advantages cannot be enjoyed by those who never meet.—
This was the charm that bound together the chief and his
vessels in the feudal times: the kindness of the superior was
repaid by the gratitude of the dependant, and from hence arose
an intercourse betwixt them of the most tender and affectionete
kind, which no reserve of fortune ; no calamity, either public or
private; which nothing less than death itself could dissolve.—
In our modern conceit, we are too apt to discard all the customs
of our ancestors without discrimination. Now, although they
were in most things far behind us, yet they possessed much
that was valuable, and nothing more so than those means which '
they took to unite the high and low together, Even in the clan
system of the north, there was much good, as well as evil. The
present state of society, and the improvement of the human
mind, are such, that the evils of clanship can never return,
while much of the good feeling that existed between the land-
lord and the tillers of his fields, may be restored by a nearer
approximation than has unhappily of late years existed between
them. A man acquires a degree of dignity and independent
feeling, by being admitted into liberal and well-educated so-
Ciety ; and he that has occasionally sat at the table, and in the
society of his superior, will make a greater effia t to keep out of
the parish work-house, than he will who was never admitted
there. We shall hail with delight the times when all the nobles
of the land, at least twice in the year, if not oftener, are sees
sitting at the same table with their tenants. We shall say to
all those who seek the confusion of England, we fear you not
our peace is surrounded with a fortification which you can never
either destroy or surmount..--(Newcastle Courant, Sept. 11. )

MusicAL Ftsx.—The following account of a
musical phenomenon, supposed to be produced by fish, may not
be unacceptable to our readers. It is taken from Lieutenant
Witres.'s History of a Voyage to the China Sea, and occurred
to him at a spacious estuary on the Douai river, in Cochin
China:--" Our ears were saluted by a variety of sounds resent.
bling the deep bass of an organ, accompanied by the hollow
guttural chaunt of the bull frog, the heavy chime of a bell, anti
the tones which imagination would give to an enormous Jews'.
hard. This combination produced a thrilling sensation on the
nerves, and, as we fancied, a tremulous motion in the vessel.—
The excitement of great curiosity was visible on every fAce on
board, and ninny were the sage speculations of the sailors on this
occasion. Anxious to discover the cause of this grstuitous con.
cert, 1 went below, where I found the noise, which I soon ascer-
tained proceeded from the bottom of the vessel, increased to a
full and uninterrupted chorui. The perceptions which occur-
red to me on this occasion were similar to those produced by
the torpedo or electric eel, which I had before felt; but whether
these feelings were caused by the concussions of sound, or by
actual vibrations in the body of the vessel. I could neither then
nor since determine. In a few moments the sounds, which had
commenced near the stern of di vessel, became general through.
out the whole length of the bottom. Our linguist informed us
that our admiration was caused by a fish of a flat oval form,
like a flounder, which, by a certain conformation of the mouth,
possesses the power of adhesion to other objects in a wonderful
degree, and that they were peculiar to the Seven Mouths (the
part of the river where we then were); but whether the noises
we heard were produced by any particular construction of the
sonorific organs, or by spasmodic vibrations of the body, he
was ignorant. Very shortly afterleaving the basin, and enter•
ing.the branch through which our course lay,, a sensible dimi-
nution was perceived in the number of our fellow-travellers,
and before we had proceeded a mile they
beard. On the ship's return down the river, the same sub.
marine serenade again saluted the ears of the crew at the same
spot."—( The Chemist.) were no more