The Sun.
London, England, 1847-03-31 00:00:00

COURT CIRCULAR.

The Queen, attended by the Countess of Gainsburough
and Colonel the Hon. Charles Grey, visited her Ma-
jesty the C,.aeen Dowager yesterday, at Marlborough
House. The Queen al,o visited her Royal Highness the
Princess S-phin nt her residence in Kensington.
His It yal Highness Prince Albert, attended by Colo-
nel the Hun. C. B. Phipps and Colonel Bouverie, ho-
noured the Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Ma-
nufactures, and Commerce, in the Adelphi, with a visit
yeuterdav,
L ,rd john Russell had an audience of her Majesty
yes,erilay at Buckingham Palace.
The Royal Family took their accustomed walking
and riding exercises yesterday, in the royal garden.
The Duchess of Sutherland, the :Marchioness of Or-
monde, Colonel the Hon. C. B Phipps, and Captain
Francis Seymour. had the honour of joining the royal
circle at tiuckingham Palace at dinner yesterday
evening.

A Cabinet Council was held at three o'clock yester-
day afternoon, at Lansdowne House, Berkeley-square.
It was attended by Lord John Russell, the Marquis of
Lansdowne, the Earl of Minto, Sir George Grey, Earl
Grey, Earl Auckland, Lord Campbell, Sir-John Hub-
house, the Marquis of Claaricarde, the Earl of Claren-
don, Viscount Morpeth, and the Right Hon. T. B. Ma-
caulay.
The Council sat an hour and a half. The meeting
took place at Lansdowne House, owing to the continued
indisposition of the Marquis of Lansdowne.
The Right Hon. T. Milner Gibson has for some days
been prevented by indisposition from attending at the
Board of Trade. The Right Hon. Gentleman is now
much better.

Dispatches from the Governor of the Cape of Good
Hope were received yesterday at the Colonial•office.

ST

'ATE OF THE FRENCH CORN
MARKET.
Looking back at the movement of the corn trade
-during the past week, it is impossible not to admit that
all the intelligence that has come to hand. concurs in
showing that prices have again risen in the greater part of
France. In the immediate neighbourhood of Patis, the
advance has been from 3f. to sf. the heeto. Of all parts
of this district, the quotations are the highest in the
Beauce, the prices being from 44f, to 491., and even 50f.
the hecto. In Brie and Picardy, prices are not so high,
but then the qualities offered fur sale are not so fine, nor
so productive for grinding. The neighbourhood of
Paris, which was for a length of time cheaper than Bur-
gundy and Champagne, is now dearer ; the great demand
made in the capital by buyers from ,the departments is
the cause of thin change. The arrivals at Havre during
the week have not been sufficient to compensate for
the quantity of corn and flour taken away by country
buyers. The wind still continues contrary, and
vessels are in a great measure prevented from
arriving. All the breadstuffs that were to be disposed
of in that port have been purchased by buyers from
Lower Brittany and the Manche, where the wants of the
inhabitants were at one moment so pressing, that prices
rose to an extraordinary height. It was only when the
steamers despatched to Havre for corn had returned, that
prices subsided at St. Malo, Morlaix, and Cherbourg.
At the latter place, at one moment, wheat was at 58f.
the hecto; at present it does not average more than
from 44f. to 45f.; but even these are unusually high
prices. The wants of Brittany and part of Lower
Normandy add to the general embarrassment, because
they were totally unexpected. In general, these coun-
tries supplied large stores to Paris and many -other
places in the north of France, but now, so -far from
their being in a position to do so, they in their., turn are
obliged to demand assistance. The north or France
has been somewhat calmer during the week. The
-arrival at Dunkirk of some cargo( s of wheat from
England, had the effect of bringing down prices
about if. in that port. At Douai it also fell 4f,
and at Cumbray and Valenciennes sh,_;ut If. to 50c.
the hecto. However, at Cergues, prices again
ruse about If. on the last market-day. In Alsace
d Lorraine an advance has also taken, pace
at Strasburg prices have risen exceedingly. 17,r
st.me weeks back, the municipal corporation of slitittown
had produced a c. rtain depreciation in thi- qua:Along,
U) means of sides of corn which it had purchased at
prices ; ut last the natural force of things gained
the mastery, and prices have again risen. rapidly; Th,
supplies procured by the authorities are nod approach-
ing their term, and should the additional supply ot grain
which they have lately purchased not arrive within a
very brief period, the town will be placed in great neces-
sity. The purchases made in the Paris market for
Champagne and Burgundy have sufficiently supplied
these countries, and the advance in the quotations has
been arrested. In French-Comte, prices are lower than at
Paris; at Dijon, Chalon-sur-Saone, and Lyons, prices are
stationary at from 25f. to 551. the 100 kilos. of wheat, and
at from 88f. to 90f. the 125 kilos. of flour. Berry and its
neighbourhood is at present the dearest point in France;
at Chilteauroux, Bourges, and Tours, flour is from 125 f.
to 130 f. the 159 kilos.- At Nantes a rise of sf. has
taken place within the week. The 78 kilos. are sold at
from 43f. to 44r. Some parcels of American flour
were even disposed of at from 601. to 63f. the barrrel
of 88 kilos., being a higher price than at Havre. Bor-
deaux also shows higher prices ; some cargoes of Span.
ish wheat arrived there during the week, and were im-
mt diately disposed of, the supply in the town being
quite insignificant, not more than 5,000 kilos.; flour is
here at 34f. the 50 kilos. In Languedoc, the quotations
are advancing rapidly ; and the Toulouse and Bergerac
prices for wheat are from 32f. to 39f. the hecto. At
Marseilles, the amount of business transacted has been
moderate, and the prices remain about stationary. But
few vessels arrive, and the last accounts declare that there
are now no vessels in quarantine. This is looked on as the
commencement of the falling off in the supplies from the
Black Sea. Turkey and Egypt will, no doubt, send some-
thing, but the amount will not in all probability be more
than 200,000 or 300,000 hectos. per month, in plaCe
800,000 or 900,000 hectos , as has been hitherto seen.
Such is the general position of the country ; from which
it results that the ascensional movement continues in the
west, the south-west, the centre, and the east of FVance;
and that prices are pretty stationary in the south and the
north. In the Paris market, on Saturday, sellers seemed
but little inclined to give either wheat or flour at lower
prices. Intelligence had arrived of a further rise in the
east of France. At Rembervillers and Raon in the Vos-
ges, and at Gray (Haute-Sac-me), prices were from If. to
2f. higher. At Rouen also an advance had taken place
of about the same amount. On the other hand. the great
regulating markets were well supplied, and tended to
wards lower prices ; Orleans, Chartres, and Etampes,
were all from If. 30c. to 2f. lower. With this very op-
posite intelligence before them, both buyers and sellers
seemed rather inclined to wait; but it is probable that
at the market of to-day prices will be lower. The gene-
ral impression, indeed, appears to be that for the present
prices have seen their highest limit, and that they must
now somewhat give way. Whether they are to rise
afterwards will depend on the arrivals.-- Galignani,

9 3-16

2%
2%
3%
19%
P
414
181:i

2%
634
71%
19%

A great number of Spaniards are resident in
Algeria, aid it appears that sonic of them carry to that
colony the political passions which distract their own
unhappy ceuntry. On the 7th December last, a Spaniard
named Fernandez, a drummer in the militia at Oran, fell
in, after a day's hard drinking, with a fellow. country-
man named Oliva' es, and offered to treat him. " I will
drink with you," said Olivate s, " but you must first tell
me your political Opinions !" Fernandez, it appeared,
was not of the same way of thinking as Olivalas, for
they engaged in a violent quarrel. After a time, how-
ever, their dispute ended, and they cemented their truce
by drinking together a great many glasses of brandy.
The liquor eventually re-excited their political enthu-
siasm, and they again began to quarrel most violently.
At length Fernandez became 30 exasperated that he
drew a knife from his pocket, and exclaiming—
"lt is with this that I fight !" attempted to rush
upon Oliva, a 3. He was withheld by his com-
panions, and shortly after both disputants quitted
the public-house in which they had spent the even-
inc with their respective friends. After walking some
little distance, Fernandez left his companions for a short
time, and on rejoining them, exclaimed—"It is finished!"
They understood perfectly well that those words meant
that a crime had been committed; and so it turned out,
for a person passing at the same time found the unfortu
nate OlivarL lying on the ground weltering in his blood,
and a few minutes after he died. It was proved that he
had been stabbed from behind by Fernandez. This man
was accordingly brought to trial before the Tribunal of
Oran, which convicted him of having inflicted wounds
which had caused death, without, however, intending to
commit murder, and he was consequently condemned to
twenty years' imprisonment, with hard labour. An
appeal was made to the Cour Royale of Algiers by the
Procureur du Roi against this sentence, and the Court
declared Fernandez guilty of murder, and condemned
him to imprisonment and hard labour for life. In the
course of the proceedings it was proved that he had
quitted Spain to avoid prosecution for the murder of a
young officer, and that he had been condemned to death
for not appearing to take his trial.
TRIAL FOR WIFE•STEALING IN VIRGINIA.—The
Baltimore Visitor reports a curious trial which lately
took place before the Court of Loudon County,
Virginia. The following are a few of the particulars:--
A coloured man, named Talbot, had been legally ma-
numitted by the will of his late master; but his wife
Maria, who was claimed by a lady named Russell, still
remained in slavery. They. had been married about
three years previous by a minister of the Gospel, and
with the consent of INlaria's mistress. Talbot, who, on
hie liberation, was compelled by the law of Virginia to
leave the state, made two attempts, but without success
to purchase his wife, ina
leaving i order
thea thatst
tshee,Mariamight ai
scac
po
pniepaarnz
him. On his finally le
about the same time. They were arrested together at
Washington, and taken back to Virginia, where his
wife was restored to his mistress, and the husband thrown
into prison, to await his trial at Leesburg, on the charge
of stealing her. The prosecuting attorney brought for-
ward Maria as a witness against her own husband, and
read the law, which declares that negroes awl mulattoes,
whether bond or free, although not competent witnesses
against a white person, may give evidence against a
person of their own colour. To the great joy of the
poor woman, this attempt was over-ruled, on the ground
that she was not a, free agent. In the course of the pro-
ceedings, the prosecutor asserted that the law regards
slaves not as persons but as property. He also toy k the
eositii n "that there is no lawful marriage for slaves,
and that they can make no contract that their owners
may not annul." The defence was ably and feelingly
conducted by three legal gentlemen, and the prisoner
was finally acquitted; but there is every reason to believe
that the poor man would have been convicted of wife-
stealing, had it not been for the inability of the witnesses
to identify him, in consequence of the darkness of the
morning on which the escape was effected.
MAILS FOR CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES.—
The royal mail ship Cambria sails hence far Halifax and Bos-
ton, with the usual mails, on Sunday next. The Sarah
Sands screw steam-ship, leaves fur New York on the follow-
ing Tuesday.-•LiverpoolAteion.