The Sun.
London, England, 1847-12-13 00:00:00

kir-ENIP4G, EIRCEMBER. 13, 1847.

of the fact as several r boards were in Rotten-row
where the defendant wat ; riding.
Mr. HAanwicx said M. fair gallop in the park no
one could reasonably obj ect to ; but when the speed
was exercised to an e: dent not only contrary to orders
but likely to prove of dstnger to the public, it must be
restrained.

The defendant was :fined 205., with an intimation
that the fine would be; increased if the offence were
repeated.
OBTAINING MONEY :BY FRAUD.—Thomas Williams
was charged with hay big obtained money from two
parties by fraudulent •aoteans.
William Penprice, postmaster, 25, Queen-street,
Golden-square, said tb.at in September last the de-
fendant told him he 'was a sheriff's officer of Red
Lion-square, and if h.e• had any debts to collect he
would collect them. Complainant told the prisoner
he might call on Mr.. Rolfe for an account. i Com-
plainant subsequently- ascertained that the prisoner
had received the money, though the prisoner had no
authority to do so.
Mr. Rolfe, 89, Great Portland-street, proved that
he paid the prisoner if.. 7s. on Mr. Penprice 's account.
John Delatontaine., harness-plater, 9, Archer-
street, said the prisoner told him he was a sheriff's
officer, and was willing to assist him in collecting his
debts. Witness told the defendant to call on Mr.
Carrington, of Oxford-street, for a small account.
Mr. Carrington, horse-dealer, Oxford-street, said
he paid the prisoner 21. 17s. on account of Mr.Dela-
fontaine.
William Nightingale, sheriff's officer, proved that
the prisoner was not attached to the Red Lion-Square
court.

Thn prisoner said he had not represented himsel
to be a sheriff's officer, but a sheriff's officer's man.
He was fully committed.
LAMBETH.

Harriet Fry, a servant in the family of Mr. Haines,
a gentleman residing at Brixton, was further exa-
mined on a charge of stealing a gold watch and chain,
and three rings, of the value of 351.
From the evidence, it appeared that on the night of
Wednesday last Miss Taylor, the sister of Mrs.
slept at her house, and on going to bed she
placed her watch, chain, and rings, on the dressing-
table, and hung up her dress in a closed press.' On
the following morning at eight o'clock, on being
awoke, the watch, chain, and rings were gone, and a
purse, which was in the pocket of her dress, was
found empty on the floor.
It was satisfactorily proved that no person icould
have entered the house from the outside, and the
prisoner herself on the Thursday morning admitted
that the doors and windows were all perfectly secure.
Since the prisoner's apprehension, it has been found
that she has been a common prostitute, and had been,
for 18 months, at the Gloucester House Asylum for
reclamation.
After a lengthened examination, the prisoner was
remanded to a future day.
QUEEN'S PRISON.

EXTENSIVE ROBBERY OF BOORS AT A BARRISTER'S
CHAMBERS.—Mr. Seeker, one of the magistrates at
the Southwark Police-court, attended at the Queen's
Prison for the purpose of investigating a charge
against Charles Sampson, who is in custody for steal-
ing a carpet And 500 law books, the property of
Henry Hemsworth, Esq., barrister ; also for stealing
a carpet, the property of Mr. Huntingdon, accountant,
of Clement's Inn.

The inquiry took place in the governor's apart
ment.

Mr. Hemsworth said that he had chambers in
Clement's-inn, and in October, 1846, he left them
with all the property safe. A short time ago he re
turned, when he found that five hundred of his
books and a carpet had been stolen. He made in-
quiries, and ascertained that the prisoner was in the
habit of calling to see his laundress, who waS his
sister, which led him to suspect that he had robbed
him. A short time after the prisoner called upon
him, and said that he did not like to see his sister's
character ruined, that he had taken the keys from the
kitchen and entered his apartment, from which he took
some books and the carpet. The reason that he
assigned for doing so was that some of his friends were
:in trouble, and he wanted money to enable them to
.employ legal assistance.
A number of books was produced by various pawn-
brblik4,-and--identified by Mr. Hemsworth.
`Mr. ILint.uThgdon said he had chambers in the same
place with-the-latter gentleman, and about the same
time, tie iniiiea his carpet. The prisoner was engaged
to gaiiVit -down, but instead of doing so, he ran away
with itlhd sold it.
The prisoner was committed to Newgate for trial,
and the witnesses were bound over to prosecute.

PQM:44:4IMM STATISTICS OF AUSTRIA.—The Ger-
man journals have just published, relative to the popula-
tion of Austria, some statistical details which are curious.
In 1843, exclusive of the army, the population amounted
to 37.491,120 souls ; at present it reaches 39 millions.
The German and Sclavonian provinces contain 17,072.146
inhabitants; the Italian provinces 4,808,464; and Hun-
gary, with Transylvania and the military frontier,
15,610,510 inhabitants. In 1820, the whole of the po-
pulation amounted to 30,857,103 souls ; in 1830, to
34,503,824; in 1840, to 36,950,401. Thus, the increase
has been 11.8 per cent. from 1820 to 1830, and 7 per
cent. from 1830 to 1840. This increase is due only to
birthM, for the immigrations have given only 186,111
persons, and the emigrations have certainly attained
that amount. In 1843 there were 18,331,183 men, and
19,159,937 women; the number of women thus exceed-
ing that of men by 800,000. This result is the more
surprising, as the number of male children born is to
that of females as 106 to 100. The proportion of mar-
riages was, in 1840, about lin 1,285 inhabitants. The
proportion of natural children born in 1843 was to that
Of kgitimite childfen as 1 to 29 in the part of Austria
on this side
_of the Ens, and only 1 to 87 on the military
-frontier; I'to-29 in"Gallicia, 1 to 25 in Lombardy, 1 to
43 in Transylvania. In general, the number of illegiti-
mate births has gone on increasing. In 1843 the deaths
were in the proportion of one man in 34 and one woman
in 35. The mortality of children, below one year of age,
attained in some provinces the proportion of 37 in 100
of the whole number of deaths. The number of deaths
by accident is estimated one year with another at 5,500,
and of suicides at 200. Not including Hungary, there
are committed each year, it is calculated, in the Austrian
stati s, 550 murders, and yet the number of executions is
not more than 40.

SUNDERLAND ELECTION.—The contest for the
expected vacancy in the representation of Sunderland is
likely to be a very severe one, as the Liberal party sup-
porting Mr. Wilkinson are found, on the result of the
general canvass, to be much stronger than was ex-
pected, and the opinion is all but general that he will
succeed. Since Monday Mr. Wilkinson has been ac-
tively engaged in calling on the electors, and in every
part of the borough his success has been uniform in ob-
taining promises of support, and many Tories, it is said,
will vote for him in preference to his opponent, who is
locally unpopular, in consequence of his hostility some
years ago to the formation of docks on the south side of
the Wear, and also from the hostility he always before
evinced to the Tories returning one Member in
their interest. Every effort is making to unite the
Tories against Mr. Wilkinson, but great numbers
will either remain neutral or vote for that gentleman.
The shipowners are only induced to support Sir Hed-
worth Williamson very reluctantly, on the ground of the
navigation laws, and even with their strong prejudices
on this subject many of them declare they will not vote
unless it be necessary to defeat his opponent. With
such cold support Sir Hedworth Williamson has to con-
tend that even his most devoted followers admit that his
election can only be won by the general aid of the
Tories, and it is expected that this party will at the last
not be found to give the extent of support which will be
requisite to gain the election. The writ is not expected
to be issued before Tuesday or Wednesday next, and the
election will consequently be delayed till the following
week. There is great energy used by both parties to
obtain promises, and it is said intimidation has been ex-
ercised more strongly than at any former election.

CONTROVERTED ELECTIONS.—The Speaker's war-
rant for the appointment of Members to serve on the
general committee of elections for 1847.8 has been
issued. The following Members have been appointed,
as appears from a Parliamentary paper yesterday
printed :—The Hon. Mr. Fox Meule (Perth), the Hon.
Sir George Clerk (Dover), Sir W. Heathcote (Hants),
Sir Robert Alexander Ferguson (Londonderry), Mr.
T. Thornely (Wolverhampton), and Sir John Buller
Yardo Buller (Devon). The warrant bears the date of
the Bth inst.

SINGULAR CASIL—A RETURNED TRANSPORT.—
A man named John Jones, who was dressed as a sailor,
was yesterday brought up at the Borough Court, before
Messrs. Gladstone and Consterdine, on a charge of having
returned from transportation. It seems that in 1837,
the prisoner was tried at the Salford sessions for stealing
a cow, convicted, and sentenced to be transported for
life. Having been found in Manchester, he was accord-
ingly apprehended. Mr. Harding, who appeared for the
prisoner, admitted that his client had been transported,
but contended that a free pardon had been sent out for
him, or for some person named Jones, and that the pro-
secution ought to show that he had not been pardoned.
Mr. Gladstone thought that the onus lay on the prisoner
to prove that he had been pardoned. "He has been
remanded for a week," continued Mr. Gladstone; "have
you written to the Home-office?" Mr. Harding—" No;
it is for the police to do that." Mr. Higson—" No; all
we have to prove is, that, after being transported, he
is at large." The prisoner was then committed for trial
at the assizes. We understand that Jones was actually,
in October, 1846, taken before a colonial magistrate and
discharged, in consequence of a pardon received from
the Home-office, but that the pardon was intended for
another person of the same name.—Manchester Ex-
aminer. _ _

..... .
SOUTH LANCASHIRE ELECTION.—MANCHESTER,
FRIDAY.—This election, which has already caused so
much discussion, is now finally fixed to take place on
Monday, the 20th inst., at Newton. Mr. Henry's com-
mittee received a communication to this, effect fromthe
under- sheriff last evening. No opposition is now anti-
cipated, although the Tories, at the beginning, threat-
ened a fierce one. Indeed, opposition would now
be hopeless. Mr. Henry's committee now numbers
2,200 names, all of them electors, beside a large number
of positive voluntary pledges, consisting of clergymen
of the Church of
.England, magistrates, merchnis, 'ma-
nufacturers, and, in fact, of all classes of electors.'

SWITZERLAND.

The following note of the Diet, dated Berne the
6th inst., has been transmitted to the French Minis-
ter for Foreign Affairs :
" Excellency,—The Swiss Diet has received the
note which the Count de Bois le Comte, Ambassador
of the King of the French to the Swiss Confedera-
tion, has addressed to the President of this Assembly,
under date of Bale, the 30th of November, and in
which the Ambassador communicates to the Diet on
the part of the King's Government, the offer of his
mediation conjointly with that of the Governments of
Austria, Great Britain, Prussia, and Russia, with the
object, says your Excellency, of re-establishing
peace and concord between the cantons which com-
pose the Swiss Confederation. Although the Diet is
very grateful for the solicitude which the high Powers
deign to express for Switzerland, it cannot accept
the offer that is made to it, because the facts supposed
by the Government of the King and his allies do not
exist, or have ceased to exist, and especially because
the principle itself of the proposed mediation is not in
harmony either with the position recognised for the
Swiss nation in Europe by treaties, or with the
constitution of the Confederation. In fact, the object
of the mediation is to put an end to the civil war
in Switzerland, and effect a reconciliation between
the Diet and the Sonderbund. This mediation sup-
poses the existence of the separate League, and the
existence of two belligerent parties. But we have the
satisfaction of announcing to your Excellency that
hostilities have been completely at an end for several
days, and thus there is no civil war and there are no
belligerent parties in Switzerland ; that the seven
cantons which formed the Sonderbund have expressly
withdrawn from it ; that their troops are disbanded
and disarmed; that a considerable portion of the
federal army has been dismissed, and that the troops
which are still on foot have been received as friends
in the seven states, which they occupy essentially
with the view of maintaining order and preserving
persons and property from the vengeance of the par-
tisans of the Sonderbund, irritated against those who
have led them to their ruin by fanaticising and grossly
deceiving them.

"It is not, properly speaking, a civil war that
Switzerland has had to deplore. There has been no
war between the cantons; but the competent federal
authority has been compelled to have recourse to
arms to cause to be respected its decrees for the dis-
solution of an unconstitutional league, prejudicial .to
the Confederation and incompatible with its exist-
ence; and to force a rebel faction to return to its
duty--to re-establish order and tranquillity, and
maintain the internal security of Switzerland, accord-
ing to the duty imposed by the Federal pact. Thanks
to the firmness of the Diet, the Governments of the
cantons, which were faithful to the pact, the support
of the people, the courage and enthusiasm of the
federal troops, and the skill and humanity of their
chief, order and legality have been re•established.
There has been comparatively little bloodshed, and of
the seven members of the league which have made
their submission, six of them have done so by capitu-
lation, and fire of them without its being necessary to
undertake any combat in their territory. The recep-
tion given to the troops of the Diet in the seven can-
tons which have not been treated as conquered coun-
tries, or the countries of enemies, the joy expressed
by the population of these states on finding themselves
delivered from the Sonderbund, the abdication of most
of the Governments, and the flight of two of them,
sufficiently prove that the separate league was a
factitious work at the service of ,the Jesuits, but re-
jected by the best part of the population.

" If the Diet were to enter into a discussion on the
bases of a mediation which it cannot accept, it would
be easy for us to show that, by reason of the events
which have just taken place, the mediation is really
without an object. But we will lay these questions
aside, for, being within the internal domain of Swit-
zerland, they cannot form a ground for a mediation,
or any other mode of intervention by the Powers.
We will even, without admitting it, suppose for a
moment that the Sonderbund exists, and that hostili-
ties continue. In this supposition international
right and federal right do not permit the Diet to ac-
cept the offer that is made to it. The mediation of
one or more neutral powers would suppose the exist-
ence of a difference between Switzerland and some
other powers—an international quarrel. If this were
the case, nothing would be more natural than an offer
of mediation or arbitration, although this offer could
not oblige the parties to accept the proposition ; but
Switzerland is not in such a position. The supreme
authority of the Confederation has felt it necessary to
have recourse to the force of arms to obtain
obedience to its decrees, to put an end to dis-
order, and to put down revolt. The Sonderbund
being a prohibited league by an express dispo-
sition of the Fedral pact, and an alliance destructive
of the Confederation itself, cannot be considered as
the adverse party of the cantons forming the majority
of the Diet; it cannot be opposed to the Confedera-
tion. The Council of War of the Sonderbund can-
not be assimilated to the Federal Assembly, or the
representatives of the League to the representatives of
the Diet, and still less those of the five Powers.
The President of the Council of War of the Sonder-
bund is not, or rather was not, equal to the President
of the Diet. If so, there would be two confederas
tions in Switzerland, two or more separate alli-
ances, that is to say, there would be no longer any
Confederation. Now, by placing the Sonderbund
and its dependencies on the same footing as the Con-
federation and its constituted authorities, by calling a
representative of the Sonderbund to the proposed
conference, by assimilating this representative to that
of the Diet, and even those of the Powers, the me-
diation lays down a principle which Switzerland
cannot admit without committing self-destruction,
viz., that there are two rival confederations, and
that the Sonderbund has a place amongst the
states of Europe. If this were to be the case,
the Diet would protest with all its force against
such an attack upon the integrity of Swit-
zerland, against so flagrant a violation of its rights
and entreaties. No, the Sonderbund was not and
could not be anything but a factious minority in the
Swiss Confederation. The cantons are not, as re-
gards each other, independent and foreign powers,
like France and Great Britain, for example, but the
members of one body, united by the same federal
bond. This body, this confederation, has interests
which are common to all the cantons. Thus, Swit-
zerland has a general constitution—the federal com-
pact, which is above all cantonal constitutions. As
the Federal sovereignty is above that of the cantons
it has a general assembly, the Diet, in which the de
cisions are come to by a majority and not by
unanimity as in the congresses of sovereigns; it has
a Federal directory, exercising essentially the ex-
ecutive power, a capital, the Vorort, an army, a flag,
a seal, property revenues, public treasuries, adminis-
trations, functionaries, codes, laws, regulations,
tribunals,—in a word all that constitutes a Govern-
ment. The Diet declares war and concludes peace;
it alone makes alliances with foreign powers, and
alone enters into commercial treaties ; it is
not the cantons which are represented at European
courts, but the Confederation ; it is also to
the Confederation and not to the cantons
that ambassadors, ministers, and charges d'Affaires
are accredited in Switserland. The populations of
the twenty-two cantons, notwithstanding their di-
versity of opinions, morals, local institutions, and
religion, form one and the same body—the Swiss
nation. Never during the centuries that the Con-
federation has existed has the sovereignty been abso-
lute and unlimited; it has never been otherwise than
relative and subordinate to that of the ensemble of
the Confederation. The whole history of Switzer•
land, ancient and modern, as well as her successive
constitutions, establish clearly that the members of
the Confederation have always formed a Helvetic
body by the Federal bond which unites them, al-
though according to ancient alliances anterior to 1798,
the cantons had fewer objects placed in common than
by the treaty of 1815, which much more centralized
the Federal union. That bond, at one time drawn
more tightly, and at others loosened, has always
obliged the minority of the cantons to submit to the
majority of the states or votes in the general Diet of
Switzerland; and when the majority and minority are
in disaccord on the question of knowing whether the
object was or not within the competency of the Diet,
hr
y thatdecided
some
mt hee question,one
must
ias titn"lc'aaesstiatdgewaciainds etoh;f eacnrnodualboseerci tanyuesweeel fsi,ca in order to escape from
a decision of the Diet, it was sufficient for a majority
to contest the competence of the assembly on any
question, the central authority would be paralysed,
and the Confederation rendered an impossibility. To
admit the principle of the offered mediation, that is to
say, to treat on equal terms with the Sonderbund,
would be to compromise the integrity of Switzerland,
which only recognises a confederation, a diet, a federal
directory, a federal council of war, and which declares
in Art. 8, that in all the affairs in which the compact
does not require a different majority, it is the absolute
majority which decides. This would be to break the
bond which unites the canton in one federative body,
and would dissolve the Swiss nation, which has
known how to win at the price of its blood that in-
dependence which has been acknowledged by Europe
for ages, as well as by the treaties of Vienna, in which
France contracted towards the Swiss Confederation
engagements to which the King's Government is
pleased to remain faithful. In a word, it would be to
divide Switzerland into two confederations, which
would end in its ruin, and make a disturbance in the
balance of power in Europe, the consequences of
which it is difficult to calculate. His Excellency will
comprehend with what painful surprise the Diet has
seen that in the note of M. de Bois le Comte the
President of the Council of War of the Sonderbund
is placed on the same line as the President of the
Federal assembly, the chief of the Confederation—a
rebel placed by a Government upon a level with the
legitimate authority. Surely, M. leMinist
Ministre, if,assur-
hi
Majesty's Ambassador had not given
a positive

' ance that his Majesty's Government is inspired with
the most sincere sentiments of friendship for the Swiss
nation, the position which the Government has al'
cially given to the ex-President of the ci-devant
council of a dissolved league, would be of a nature
to give rise to the most strange suppositions,
such, for instance, as the intention to cause the
Sonderbund to revive and to support it. There
would not be found in the greater number of the
confederated states a single magistrate who would
consent to sit on a conference with a man who has
been forced to fly from the just anger of the citizens
of the cantons, dragged b 3 him into the late fatal
league. The national feeling would be profoundly
afflicted at a supposition to the contrary. The Diet
has no doubt that when the Government of the King
and his high allies shall have become acquainted with
the state of things in Switzerland, and weighed the
preceding considerations, they will comprehend the
motives which prevent the Federal Assembly from
accepting a mediation, the principle of which implies
a recognition of the Sonderbund with all its disas-
trous consequences, for they might load to anarchy.
This would be much against the will of the fife
Powers, but such a result would not be the less fatal.
A mediation or any other kind of intervention is the
less founded, as the events which have just taken,
place in Switzerland have in no degree compromised
the security of the neighbouring states. Their ter-
ritories have not been invaded nor even menaced;
their institutions and their tranquillity have been in
no danger. The reason of this is that Switaer'
land, anxious to fulfil her international obligations,
has also, happily, the power of doing so. The
measures which she has taken for the prompt re-estsl•
blishment of order and tranquillity in the count*
for the maintenance of internal and external securit
for the preservation of neutrality—measures' which
articles 1,2, 6, and 8 of the Federal pact have placed
within the competency of the Diet—the militer•T
forces which the Confederation has displayed, the
courage and discipline or its militia, the sentiments,
goodwill with which the people of Switzerland are
animated for other nations, and the prudence and
energy of which the authorities have given prole'
are the best guarantee against dangers which can onli
have been supposed to exist from erroneous or incour
plete information, too frequently derived from inter.
ested or impassioned sources. We take this opportull;
nity of requesting your Excellency to accept tl"‘
assurance of our high consideration.'
The Provisional Government of Lucerne has issued
the following decree concerning the Jesuiti, andt
the other religious orders connected with thil.
body :
" The Provisional Government of Lucerne, Wish,
ing to prove to the High Diet that it is eager to core"
ply with its demands, made with a view to the dor:
able re-establishment of peace, and so far as these
demands are not of a nature to cause new comeliel;
tions in religion and politics—considering the decree
of the High Diet of the 4th September, 1847 ; e°°'
sidering also the pacification of the canton of L 11;
cerne, decrees as follows :—The Jesuits and t"
orders affiliated with them, particularly the Urstd.
line, and the Sisters of Providence it Lucerne an
Sursee, are for ever banished from the cantoo..
Those who are absent shall never be permitted agliblo
e
to cross the frontier, and those who are still within the
t,
territory shall quit it between this time and the lv"
at the latest. The ancient funds of the Franciscans
shall be again administered as they were before the
e
recal of the Jesuits. An understanding shall ue,
come to with the episcopal Commissioners for be
ligious service in the church of the Franciscans. 1,."0r
future Government take the necessary measurs3.'.l
the reconstitution and direction of the theologit
institute and the seminary. This decree ,ball
published in the official journal of the canton, An
posted up at the usual places, communicated to
Bishop and all the authorities to whom it belong
s+
deposited in the archives.—Lucerne, this
December, 1847."
The follow ing appears to be a summary of the ie"
telligence from Switzerland : sse,see
" The interest of the moment is now less at bi
than at Friburg. We find in the Swiss journals the
text of the decree of 29th November, declaring
the
members of the late Government responsible for
war and its consequences."