The Sun.
London, England, 1841-11-09 00:00:00

THE QUEEN DOWAGER.

It is with extreme regret that we have received in-
telligence confirming the worst fears respecting the
alarming and critical state of the Queen Dow 's
health. From communications we have rcceivedtn
Sudbury Hall, we regret to state that her Majesty
has unhappily been deprived of speech for the last
three or four days ; and that it is only by signs
that her Majesty's wants and wishes , can be ex-
pressed. The care and attention of her Majesty's 'in-
dical attendants have - been incessant ; and the-services
of the Royal household have been unremitting. It is the
express command of the Queen Dowager that the bul-
letins be shown to her Majesty, previous to their trans-
mission to Marlborough House. Immediately on the ar-
rival of the bulletin in town, copies are despatched to the
Queen, Duchess of Kent, and Duchess of Gloucester,
Dr. Chambers returned to town yesterday evening, and
states that her Majesty is a little better, and gives some
faint hopes ; but there is no doubt that her Majesty
has been in great danger for some time past.
ANOTHER ACCOUNT.—The afflictlng state of debi-
lity, and the syi,ptoms which indicate imminent dan-
ger of a fatal terinin-tion to the insidious disease that
has taken so firm a hold of her Majesty's constitution,
we were the first to announce, from a source in the
means of knowledge to communicate the real state of the
case, we could well rely. We are sorry to state that no
alleviation of the alarming symptoms has been experi-
enced by the illustrious sufferer ; and that, although,
from the nature of the disease, a sudden termination of
life may not result, there is but slight hopes that medi-
cal skill will be successful in arresting its progress, or
even of materially checking its inroads upon the essen-
ial organs of life, for any considerable period.

SPIRIT of t_e PUBLIC JOURNALS.
reoer eee eveetus reeels Or T.ESTEaIiAT.
GLOBE.—By the law of England the unpaid Ma-
gistrates are the Lope. visor of the far larger number
of the pr:zous throughout the kingdom. ;Until
wi;lain the last half century they exercised their
functions in this, as in almost every other depart-
ment of their Magisterial office, without control or
molestation from Par :aleatory inquiry or public
opinion. While the h;_gher °Meer, of the State were
allowed to prosecute the policy ambition or interest
prescribes, without the interposition of those salutary
restraints which have been since gradually in-
creasing in number tad in strength, it was not very pro-
bable that the public would be very acute in discerning
where securities are wanted in the subordinate branches
of administration. The improvement in the public
mind, which has gradually exercised its influence upon
other subjects of national importance, has included the
discipline of criminal prisons withia its range ; and cer-
tainly, " the secrets of the prison-house," as they have
been successively disclosed, have not only been " worth
knowing," as they have furnished food for the gratifi-
cation of curiosity ; they also exhibited a state of
things which showed how dangerous it is to intrust ir-
responsible power to the bands of any body of met),
however_ estimable in their private and social rela-
tions, which, from the inherent infirmity of our na-
ture, is certain to be abused. We do not suppose
that the great body of our unpaid Magistracy, either
in tho present, or the former periods of its existence,
have been worse than other men. Their actions
show that they have not been better. Toe same mo-
tives which govern other men in their several avoca-
tions have actuated them. Of these motives it is only
necessary to observe, in order to subject them to a
jealous scrutiny, that they invariably lead a ma" to seek
his own happit esi ; but that it depends (as far as re-
g trdi ordinary men) in a great degree, upon the situa-
tion in which a man is placed, whether he will promote
that ot_othcre. liente it is the duty of the Legisia-
lire to take care that every public functionary shall
be supplied with a strong motive to perform well
'the duties of his ofil.e. Publ:eity—that is, hating the
jeneerea' stete of sevtral prisons laid ba c to the
puali, eye by means of authentierrel periodreal reports
from responsible public etlicers, appointed by the Go-
esrnment, and wholly unconnected eh's the Magic.
trscy, and having authority to enter the prisons at all
tire, fi, for the purposes of inspection—seems to be the
/.06A powerful check to evil, and the best means of
,eff,ctuasing goo:1. The powers thus subjected to public
iti..ieetion and control may not, and probably will not,
appie• 4. of this intrusion, but society cannot tail to de-
rive fora it considerable Leaefirs.
STANDARD.--Sir Rebett Peel has taken the
A ari.c.=t opportunity of ti.e po3scsion of office to re-
AuM • that cLeracier cf a real and useful Re:former with
wlsit h he commenced his pubic life, and which he has
'sever for a moment Lid aside, except when disabled by
c,reuaestanees from acting in it. The reform in the
adaiirristretien of the law, which be began nearly 30 years
age, with so much benefit to the public, end which he
vigoroealy proseeutid while in office from 1823 to
1827, is to be again taken seriously in band. A corn-
missioi.—it is scarcely necessary to say an unpaid cam-
mission—composed of the principal Judges in equity, has
been appointed to consider of the manner in which suits
in that department of the administration of justice, ever
tvhich they preside, may be rendered rose complicated,
expensive, and tedious than they have hid her to been. if
th, se Curamissi diseilaw, the duty coed led to them
honestly and boldly, end tree from pr.,febsional prejudices
—and it were unjust to doubt them—they will confer
upon the couetry a benefit which it is impossible to
.overrate. Tee Courts of Equity are new prexticelly
closed against all the peordc, except where objects of
very great value are ceecerned, and practicaily..closed
:against the less wealthy, whareser orey be the object.
If the Courts of Equity are good for any thew, it is
as good confined to the wealthy ; and these Courts
we often a positive evil to the poor dragged within
their meshes, without the power either to de-
fend themselves when enthr:'lled, or to escape
from tl.e thraldom. It is, however, to present an in-
adequate. view of the evils arising from the expense
and tediousness of equity proceedings, to limit these
.evils to the cases immediately of equity jurisdiction ;
ebree-fourths or more of the oppression and in-
islet-ice committed by the aid of common law
process is the effect of the inaccessible charac-
ter of relief in the Equity Courts. Take the
common case of a debt unjustly charged, against which
,it may happen, from a thousand blameless causes, the
party sued has no remedy at law. Equity provides a
aemedy against the injustice to which this attempt at
;fraud must in the Common Law Courts inevitably lead.
'The remedy consists in a rigid examination of the plaintiff,
and other means ; but at present this remedy, by an
equity process, is so dear, that it is never resorted to,
.except when large sums are in jeopardy, and even
.then it need scarcely be said that it can be resorted to
wanly by the ,omparatively rich. Thus the paralysis in
:the Equity Courts invades the whole administration of
the Law, and nurses a race of cheats and swindlers,
whose malignant influence upon the higher interests of
credit and commerce, and even of public morals, can
:e.arcely be conceived by those who have not long in-
ve,.•ireated and seriously considered the matter.

FIRE At PRIOR PARK.—At the moment of
going to press, 7ve learned that Prior Park, Bath, the
residence of the Canelic Bishop, Dr: Baines, was on fire
yesterday morning, doing the hours of Divine Service.
Captain Carroll and the police were called out of church
to assist in extinguishing the flames. We have received'
no particulars, and therefore cannot state the cause of
the fire, nor the extent of the injury sustained. It will
be recollected that Prior Park was accidentally burnt
down about four or five years since.—Evenhtg Paver
THE EXCHEQUER BILL AFTAIR.—The in-
quiry again proceeded yesterday with unabated vigilance.
Alr. Beaumont Sasith, we understand„ has specially re-
tained Sir Thomas-Wilde to conduct his defence.
THE PUBLIC REVENUE.—(FIOM a Corm-
spondent.)—The Commissi6n appointed by the Crown
to inquire into the charge of collecting the public re-
• venue, and of considering whether it will be possible to
effect any reduction in that charge, met this (Monday)
morning at twelve o'clock at the official residenciaof Sir R.
Feel, in Downing-street, when Lord Graiivilh; Somerset
elected chairman. In consequence, however, of
vtiria:re not being any room
somesutli formalciently li3rprepzie•edfor con
ahe-
ducting the inquiry, f
tuntil to-
been gone through, ter
'meeting adjournededi ngs had
morrow (this day).
A few days before the
BRITISH TARS.
Orestes, just arrived at Portsmouth, sailed from Rio,
the Constitution and Potomac, two
their Captains had two sixty gun American
frigates, were lying there, r.
mustered their ships' companies, and'ittolbde.cathmeem,revas.iu
war with England was almost certain,
than usual wit their
i-
site that they should practise more Amen (and we record
great guns. The whole of the Englishmen
It as a noble trait in the character of British
sailors)—as if by mutual understanding, stepped ou,
and declared they would not fire a shot ' a aninst the flag
of their native- country—against any other" they had no
jeiaion, and would be glad of the opportunity. More
than half of the ship's company of the Constitution, and
a great many of the Potomac's are Englishmen, anti
many of them Old English men-of-war's men. In a
launch belonging to one of the frigates three were recoa,
nised as having once belonged to the Excellent.
A SHARP AND A FLAT.—On Tuesday, the
19th, a captain of a boat, rejoicing in the very euphonious
coan omen of Ner Twissle, sent a bright youth named
Georgeb Mayer to the keeper of the Park-street lock, to
inquire if a letter, which lie expected to reaeiye from
Gloucester, had been left at his house, and, if so, desired
,him to optn.it, and take the office order which it would
contain to the post-office to be cashed. Mayer accord-
ingly started on his mission, and, falling in with a fellow
-11am'ell William Snarl, very kindly told him his errand.
Snell inott disinteresteoly offered to accompany the
simpleton, and on procuring the letter the precious pair
went to the post_office, where Snell made his mark (as
if he were the veritable Ncr Twissle) and touched the
.cash. The upshot of the affair was that Saell was taken
:into custody, and the next day Mr. Sidebottom COM-
enitted him to take his trial at the sessions.— Worcester-
shire Chronicle.
A NEw WAY To PAY OLD DEBTS.—AS
4 an instance of Americana eauArYtesy by steam," the New
York Herald positively asserts that asse n eg ho n 1
lect to pay their Passage moue Oan boardertsh .steame;
Vermillion, on Lake Erie, e
are genteely flogged by the
fficer of that boat This is undoubtedly "a. new way
to pay old debts," to take payment in lashes instead of
dollars