The Sun.
London, England, 1841-11-22 00:00:00

BELGIUM.

BRUSSELS, Nov. 20.—The Ztfouiteur of this morning
publishes the general Budget of the Ways and Means for
1842. It amounts 105,850,612 f.
According to custom the Minister of Finance has
caused the general situation of the Treasury to be pub-
lished. From this it appears, that on the Ist of January
next, the total amount of the excess of the expenditure
above the receipts since 1830, will be 9,777,000 francs,
and adding 8,810,000 f. for the interest and redemption
of the several loans, and the four millions lent to the
Bank of Belgium, there will be a real deficiency of
22,500,000 f., which will be provided for by an equal
amount of Treasury bonds.
We regret to learn there an explosion of fire-damp
has taken place in the coal mine of. St; .Felix. It is said
that a great number of workmen were in the mine ;
four killed and five wounded, had been got out.
.Tha fate of twenty-nine other workmen is not known ;
they were at work in a gallery, the access to which is
impeded by a falling in of the earth to the extent, it is
thought, of three or four hundred yards. Workmen are
employed day and night to get at them.
Our Government has received information that the
Spanish Government has delayed for forty days, from
the first of November, the execution of the new tariff in
respect to Belgian produce and manufactures.

DISTRESS IN PAISLEY.
TO 7'HE EDI7O.R OF THE SUN.

SIR,—Along with this you.will receive a state-
ment of the number of persons depending on
public charity for existence in the town of Pais-
ley, and other places in the Upper Ward of
Renfrewshire, amounting to 10,670.
The allowance given by the Local Relief
Committees averages in amount from lid.
to lid. per day, for each individual, and in
provisions only. Many families, notwith-
standing the inclemency of the season, are
without fire frequently for two days at a
time. Hundreds, if not thousands, have sold or
pawned every article of their bed or body clothes,
except what they appear with on the street, to
keep themselves in life; and such is the desire
of a greater portion of the population to main-
tain themselves independently by their own ex-
ertions, that many have to be offered relief by
their neighbours; and some have been found on
the point of death from want, who declined to
apply for public aid.
In referenCe to , some statements which have
appeared in the public papers regarding the un-
willingness of the weavers in this neighbourhood
to accept work at aloes rate, it may be proper to
state that a Committee has commenced this
week to give out webs in the way of relief, at
which an expert workman will not earn more
than five shillings per week. From this they
have to deduct rent, light, and other expenses—
yet yesterday and to-day the demand for these
webs has been so great, that crowds of people
have been in waiting, eager to obtain them.
For the Paisley Relief Committee,
JOHN HENDERSON, Provost.
Paisley, Nov. 18, 1841.

AN APPEAL TO THE GENEROUS

PUBLIC.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

SIR—I observe with pleasure in your valuable
Paper, there are contributions and subscriptions
open for the relief of the distress of the labour-
ing classes of the town of Paisley. My anxious
prayer and wish is to see a general fund, call it
the British National Fund, for the relief of every
distress of the manufacturing classes throughout
England, including printers, tailors, me-
chanics, and every trade that is in want of
employ. If the goodly inhabitants of every
market town and large village in Eng
land were to form Committees composed of
gentlemen and respectable tradesmen, and so.
licit subscriptions for the same, I think great
good would be done if the head of every family
were to subscribe ls. per week, every Society
of the different trades who are in employ Is. per
week, servants in every establishment that is in
constant employ—in fact, every person who is
not in actual want, I feel assured would come
forward with their Gd. per week, others ld. per
week, according to their means. This, col-
lected with the bounties of Royalty (if applied
to our beloved Queen would be at the bead of
so glorious a cause), the nobility, and gentry of
this country, would procure for every starving
family in England daily bread.
Oh! then, let not a widow's prayer or appeal
be made in vain. She seeks not gain or fame—
she is a humble and unknown individual, who
feels' that if something is not done for the relief
of the thousands or our distressed country-
men, they must die in our streets from hun-
ger and cold. What a disgraceful record
in the annals of Great Britain, to be
handed down to posterity that England's indus-
trious sons were allowed to starve and die in this
our land of plenty May God put it into the
hearts of those men who have so much of this
world's treasure, to come forward with their
200/., or 5001. They well know, where much
is given much will be required—he that giveth
to the poor, lendeth to the Lord.

A WIDOW.

A somewhat singular occurrence took place at
Keswick about eleven o'clock on Saturday night last. A
very large flock of wild geese passed over .tlie t6wil'of
Keswick, and flew so near the house-tops that many' per-
sons who had retired to rest heard the screeching dis-
cordant noise the wild geese invariably make during
flight. It is conjectured that having been attracted by the
lights in the streets, they had descended from their
wonted elevation, or it might be that they had been com-
pelled by the violence of the wind, which at the time was
blowing faiiously, to avail themselves of a lower altitude
than under other circumstances they would have chosen.
However, be this as it may, their visit has in the present
instance verified the generally received opinion that their
appearance indicates the near approach of stormy
weather. On Sunday morning it was intensely cold,
and all the hills, even to their base, were covered with
snow. On Monday morning the frost was very keen, and
the air so piercingly cold that winter may be said to have
commenced its . somewhat unwelcome reign in the lake
district.—Cumberland Pacquet.

We have been informed, on good authority, that
the Britannia, a fine vessel of 1,400 tons burden, sailed
from Rotterdam about the 29th of October, for the coast
of Africa. She was to purchase of the King of Ashantee
one thousand blacks, to reinforce the Dutch troops in the
island of Java, and was to take in fifty soldiers at Ilel-
voetsluys as a guard. We mention this fact with great
pain; but we shall probably find another opportunity of
expressing our sentiments on it.--Anti-Slavery Reporter.
It is an extraordinary fact that a cuckoo was
heard pouring forth its well-known note on Tuesday,
the 2d instant, in the parish of Tolpuddle, near for,
chester. It was observed by three individuals, who dis-
tinctly heard about a dozen repetitions of the note, and
saw the bird.—Dorset County Chronick.