The Sun.
London, England, 1841-01-23 00:00:00

lONIAN ISLANDS.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
Sin My attention has been directed to a cor•
respondence between Lord C. Fitzroy and Mr. Alta-
villa Villetta Calichiopulo, which appeared in the Morn-
ing Herald of the 7th of last month. Upon the ques-
tion therein raised respecting Mr. Valetta's character,
I have no wish to intrude myself further than by ob-
serving that Mr. Valetta's concluding letter to Lord
Fitzroy will, of course, be treated with the contempt it
deserves ; but I cannot, as an lonian, and will
not allow to pass without animadversion the
charge of " faction, and an anti-British feeling," insi-
nuated in this letter against my countrymen, by what-
ever persons, however noble or however unworthy, that
charge may be made. For myself and my countrymen
(and I speak the sentiments of the first and most influ-
ential men) I fearlessly and solemnly declare, that there
exists not in our breasts one thought inimical to the in-
teres of Great Britain, of whose protection we are
proud, and of whose government, when well directed,
we are always ready gratefully to acknowledge the
benefits. We, the " factious," as we are called by
Mr. Valetta, complain that we have been denied
a participation in the liberal institutions of our
protectors ;—that from us the light of learning and of
a free press has been shut out ; that our religious
rites have been interfered with ; that we have been de-
nied the use of our language in pnbiic proceedings ;
and that, owing to injurious misrepresentations, the
most enlightened, venerable, and virtuous, of our citi-
zens have been officially persecuted or banished, while
men of damaged character, to speak in the least offen-
sive terms, have been promoted to offices of honour,
and allowed to degrade us in the eyes of England and
of Europe, as the " public functionaries" of the lonian
Islands.
Such have been our complants ; and that in making
them we have not been " factious " is proved by the
success of our remonstrances. Lord John Russell du-
dares, in his despatch of Due. 21, 1839, " That we are
entitled to the consideration of a more liberal policy for
our government. The want of this is the source of
our grievances, which have been urged more strongly
on the attention of the Home Government by the ex-
traordinary arbitrarily system of policy pursued by Sir
Howard Douglas.
For myself, Mr. Editor, humble individual as I am,
I find that I have not been sufficiently so to escape the
indignation of those who have sought to oppress my
country, in the person of the best and most enlightened
of her citizens—and calumnies the most atrocious, in a
mariner the most mischievously insidious, have been
launched against me for my disinterested interference in
lonian matters. To me, from long residence among you,
au Englishman in feeling and in habits, such attacks are as
ridiculous as they would be:contempiible and harmless, had
they not, to my extreme surprise and regret, had imparted
to them somewhat of an official character by the high
station of the personazes who, I speak it to their shame,
have made use of the delegated dignity of their official
rank, to strengthen the force of an expersion of their
personal enmity to myself for having, in my country's
cause, and from no private motives, crossed their path
and opposed their machinations.
I have the honour to be, Sir,
Your obedient humble servant,
Colonial Club, Jan. 18, 1841. AN lONIAN.

METROPOLITAN

ANTI-COltN-

LAW ASSOCIATION.

A meeting of the Committee of this Association took
place on Thursday, at their new Board-room, 448, West
Strand, to take into consideration the plan of operations
for the year 141. As the formation of a large number
of Auxiliary Associations is an entirely new feature in the
present state of organization of the metropolis, the Chair-
men of these local bodies have been invited to attend,
and they mustered in considerable force, attracted, no
doubt, by the peculiarly deliberative character of the
meeting.
After the usual routine business of the Committee was
gone through,
Mr. JAMES WILSON, one of the most active members,
explained the general views of the Committee as to the
course of proceedings to be adopted. The complete or-
ganization of the metropolis by means of the Auxiliary
Associations was not lost sight of, and it was anticipated
that the general objects of the Association would be much
promoted thereby.
Among other things, it was determined that lectures
should be immediately commenced in the several metro-
politan districts ; and the Chairmen of the Auxiliary As-
sociations were conferred with, and some early days agreed
upon for the commencement of this effective mode of in-
struction. It was further proposed that after the delivery
of lectures some mode of ascertaining the state of opinion
in each locality should be adopted.
The annual meeting of the Association must, we under-
stand by their rules, take place in the month of Febru-
ary. At that time the second half-yearly report will be
laid before the public, and there seemed to be a general
feeling in favour of a dinner among the members of the
Association, to take place a day or two after the annual
meeting.
The election movements were also discussed at great
length. The address of the Metropolitan Association to
the electors of Walsall has alreaay appeared in our columns,
and several of the Chairmen of the Auxiliary Associations
reported that addresses to Walsall had been carried by the
bodies they represented. A considerable number of letters
were read, calling the attention of the Committee to the
vacancies in Reigate, Canterbury and East Surrey, and
making many valuable se ggestions as to the best mode of
promoting Anti-Corn-law interests.
The mode of proceeding by petition was also fully
discussed, as was also the plan of operations within the
walls of the House. On the whole there seems to be a
renewed spirit on the part of the Associations, and the
Auxiliary Associations show that this spirit is generally
diffused throughout the metropolis.

ELECTION FOR THE OFFICE OF

BRIDGEMASTER.

The following pithy article on the result of the late con-
test, is copied from our Contemporary, the Morning Ad-
vertiser. We know little more about the two candidates,
than that they arc both respectable men ; and we arc con-
fident that Mr. Gibbs would be the last man to retain an
office obtained according to very current report, and to one
or two undisputed facts, by such unfair means t—
" The election for Bridgemaster terminated yesterday
in favour of Mr. Gibbs, and against Mr. Ledger. It
was all but apparent that such would be the result,
from the bribery, corruption, and perjury employed
upon the occasion ; but although elected by numbers,
Mr. Gibbs has no more right to the place than the
Emperor of China, who knows nothing about the
matter. Two men are already in prison upon charges of
perjury which they have confessed, and 500 more, if we
are not misinformed, arc nearly in the same predicament.
Their votes, at least, must be struck off on a scrutiny, and
we now put it to the Lord Mayor whether he will disgrace
his own private character as a gentleman, or his high and
important office as Lord Mayor, by swearing in a success-
ful candidate whose success has resulted from the employ-
ment of the foulest means? We believe that he is incapable of
deteriorating Lis character either in the one or in the other
respect. His plain course is to withhold his sanction, so
that the matter may be thorougly sifted. By doing so he
will please both parties, if they are honest and sincere.
" A protest, if we are rightly informed, will be lodged
with him to-morrow, as well as a requisition for a special
Court of Common Council. We trust, for his own sake,
that he will listen to the one and grant the other."

UNSOUND ANNUITY AND AS-

SURANCE COMPANIES.

(From the Nottingham Review. )
Under this head we have an announcement in the Lon-
don Sun newspaper, of the stoppage of the Independent
and West Middlesex Annuity Company.
Probably some of our readers will recollect, that in the
years 1839 a
inserted nd 18-10, many advertisements from this Com-
pany werein the Nottingham papers. In the
mouth of December, 1839, certain circumstances were
brought to our knowledge which convinced us that the
Company was unsound, that its promises were delusions—
that no man of capital was connected therewith, and all
those parties who entrusted their money with it, would
most probably be swindled. Under such circumstances,
though we might have received pounds by continuing to
advertise, yet we could not conscientiously lend ourselves
to anv such such deception, and we discontinued the ad-
vnrtiemctit from that moment.
We would have done more if yye could; we would have
warned our readers against the Company by name, but the
Consequence would nave been at' expensive prosecution,
the libel laws of England are in such a shameful state,
that we could not expose what we knew, without ruin to
ourselves, but we did what we could. We pre notice
again and again, that bubble companies were afloat ; we
wrote sever al articles for the express purpose of putt ng
our townsmen on their guard, and when the Royal Lan-
c•tstetian Annuity Society broke down, again we lifted up
the warning voice, and we have the consolation of knowing
that our admonitions were not altogether in vain.

DEATH OF THE DOWAGER COUNTESS BA-
TurftsT.—Her Ladyship, who died on Wednesday last,
after a short illness, was youngest daughter of Lord George
Henry Lennox, and aunt of the present Duke of Rich-
mond, was born on the 6th of December, 1765, and mar-
ried, on the Ist of April, 1789, Henry Earl Bathurst, by
whom her Ladyship had a family of seven children, five of
whom survive their amiable mother, namely, the present
Earl 131thurst, the lion. William Lennox Bathurst, Clerk
to the Privy Council ; Lady Louisa Georgiana Bathurst,
Lady of the Bedchamber to her Royal Highness the
Duchess of Gloucester ; Lady Emily Charlotte Ponsonby,
and the Hon. and Rev. Charles Bathurst, married to Lady
Emily Bettie, youngest daughter of the Earl of Abingdon.
The ileceas:d Countess had only returned to town a few
dAys, from Brighton.
CENTENARY FESTIVAL OE TIIE MADRIGAL
SOCIETY.--The anniversary meetinfrg of the Madrigal So
ciety, held on Fri lay in Freemason's-hall, had the addi_
tional remarkable feature, that it commemorated the ter-
mination of a century from the establishment of the Society.
Many of our musical readers know that it was founded in
1741 by John Immyns, an attorney, who brought together
a small circle, composed of persons in humble life, but in-
spired, like himself, with a genuine love of music, for the
purpose of enjoying the fine old vocal harmony which even
then had fallen into general oblivion. The Madrigal So-
ciety, thus founded, has continued its meetings without
i7-.terruption for a hundred years; and through every vi-
cissitude of public taste has kept alive the knowledge of,
and love for, the great vocal harmonies of the sixteenth
and seventeenth centuries, when they were everywhere
else neglected and forgotten.

LAW INTELLIGENCE.

ROLLS' COURT, JAN. 22.
His Lordship, the Master of the Rolls, this day heard
causes.

CROSBY V. CHURCH.

The object of this bill was to have a sum of 1,0001.
secured for the benefit of the plaintiff, a married woman,
and paid to her in such way as the Court might think
right, upon the true construction of the bill bequeathing
that sum to her.
His LORDSHIP was of opinion that the 1,0001. must be
brought into Court, but deferred his judgment upon the
other point until Monday.

COURT OF QUEEN'S BENCH, JAN. 22.
(Sittings in Banco.)
NEW RULE.

The following new rule was this day read by the Master:
" Hilary Term, 1841.—1 t is ordered that a party en-
led to appear to a declaration on ejectment, may appear,
and plead thereto at any time after the service of such de-
claration, and before the end of the fourth day of the
Term in which the tenant is required by the notice to ap-
pear in town cases, and before the end of the fourth day
after the term in which the tenant is required by the notice
to appear in country cases, and may proceed to compel the
plaintiff to reply thereto, and sign judgment of non
pross, notwithstanding such plaintiff, may not have ob-
tained a rule of judgment on such service of declaration.
And that a plaintiff who may have omitted to obtain a rule
for judgment within the time prescribed by the present
rules and practice, shall be entitled on production of such
plea to an order of a Judge for leave to draw up a rule for
judgment as of the time at which such rule for judgment
would have been obtained."

The Court was occupied all day with cases from the
special paper, none of which were of any general interest.

BAIL COUR7, JAN. 22.
(B.fore Mr. Justice WILLIAMS.
THE QUEEN V. THE JUSTICES ON CAERNARVON.

Sir F. POLLOCK moved in this case for a rule to show
cause why a writ of mandamus should not issue directed to
the defendants, and commanding them to hear and determine
a certain appeal for the removal of a pauper named Roberts
from one parish to another. When the appeal came on
for hearing, objection was taken that the notice did not
sufficiently diseldso the grounds of the appeal. He ap.
prehended that such an objection could not be sustained,
and as the present was in :he nature of a Court of Appeal,
when the Magistrates at sessions refused to hear and de-
to mine (in which case that Court could not interfere) he
submitted that he was entitled to the rule prayed for.—
Rule granted.