The Sun.
London, England, 1824-04-14 00:00:00

SEAMENS' FRIEND SOCIETY.

The North East London and .13Ftthel Union
Auxiliary Branch held their Fourth Anniversary Meeting last
evening, in Albion Chapel, Moorbelds ; Mr. Alderman KEY
in the Chair.

The Report for the past year was read by one of the Secre-
taries, and gave a most satisfactory exposé of the state of the So-
ciety's funds, and the still extending list of Subscribers (in which
were included the names of many Masters and Mates of mer-
chant-ships, and not a few donations even from the common
sailors). The Report also alluded in forcible-terms to the want
of more means, as the field is extensive, and the desire of the
sailors for religious instruction being evidently increasing in
proportion to the diffusion of knowledge.
Mr. BAKER, in proposing the adoption of the Address; nade
many very pertinent observations on the importance of this
Society in regard to confined. seamen, who by their open . and
unsuspiciouS character were but too often made the wretched
dupes of the more practised villain ; and thus almost un-
consciously stimulate to the commission of crimes for which
they were visited by the heavy sum of offended justice, -whilst
the principal actors or instigators slunk away_ in secure embus-
cede. Such was the case of Castles, the young maxi who was
respited a short time back ; and if he (Mr. IL) had no stronger
evidence of the importance of an institution which contemplated
the rescue of maritime men from the trammels of ignorance and
irreligion, this solitary case would have won his esteem, and
secured to it his feeble aid.
The Rev. - JOYCE seconded the resolution.
Many other Speakers addressed the Meeting during the even-
ing in teems of high eulogium on the advantages alrekdy de-
rived from the Institution, and prospective of still greater be-
nefits according to its progressive extension.
A considerable sum was collected i❑ aid
_of the . Society's
Funds at the close of the meeting.

M. TUN IIAINCEI„ well known to the scientific
world by his interesting Travels in France .and England, as
well as in different pans of Russia, is abutit to_undertake
extensive tour, at the charge of the Etripetor.ALLAANlign,
through several of the.remote GovernMents of his,extan4ve
Empire.

From iho LON DO is; GAZ ETTE, April 13.

Fortign-Qpe, April 13, 1024.
The Right Iron. GsOIRGE CANNING, his MAJESTY'S Prin-
cipal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, has received his
MAJESTY'S commands to signify to the Ministers of Friendly
and Neutral Powers, residing at this Court, that the necessary
measures have been taken, .by command of his MAJESTY, for
the blockade of the port of Algiers ; and that from this time
all the measures, authorised, by the Law of Nations, will be
adopted and executed, with respect to all vessels which may
Attempt to violate the said blockade.

Whitehall, April 10.
The King has been pleased to direct Letters Patent to be
passed under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain anti Ireland,
appointing the Earl of Eldon, Chancellor
of Great Britain, and the.
Chancellor Lord Keeper and Com-
missioners of the Great Seal of Great Britain for the time being;
Lord Redesdale; Lord Gifford, Master of the Rolls, and the
Master of the Rolls, for the time being; the Right Hon. Sir
John Vice-Chancellor of England, and the
`'ice-Chancellor
L
ice-Clnh cellKort'iogfhtEngland, for the time being; Sir Charles
Ntrethetell, Knight, his Majesty's Solicitor-General ; Samuel
Compton Cox, Esq..one of the Masters of the Court of Chan-
cery; Anthony !last, Esq. one of his Majesty's Counsel Learn.
ed in the Law; Stephen Lushington, Doctor of Civil Law ;
William Courtenay, Esq. one other of the Masters of the Court
of Chancery ; Robert Percy Smith,- Joseph Littledale, John
Herman ,Merivale, Nicolas Conyngham Tindal, and John
Beames, Esqrs. Barristers at Law, his Majesty's Conunissioners
for inquiring into the practice established in the Court of
Chancery.
The King has been pleased to constitute and appint the
Right lion. the Earl of Morton, K.T. to be his Majesty's High
Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scot-
land.

Crown Qffics, April 3, 1824.
IklEmnxit returned to serve in this present Parliament.

Borough of King's Lynn—The Mo;t lion. William .lohn
Bentinck, lately called Lord John Bentinek, now called Mar-
quis of Titchfield, in the room of the Most Hon. William
Henry Cavendish_ Bentinck, commonly called Marquis of
Titchlield, deceased.

April 13.
Shire of Perth—Major-Gen. Sir George Murray, of Drum-
lanrig.and Bleaton, G.C.B. Lieut.-General of the Ordnance,
and Colonel of his Majesty's 42d Regiment of Foot, in the
room of James Drummond, Esq, who has accepted the office
of Steward of the Manor of East Hendred.

County of Leitrim—Samuel White, of hillikee, in the County
of Dublin, in the room of Luke White, L;,sq. deceased.

NKRUPTS.
J. Brunyee, jun., West Butterwick, Owston, Lincolnshire,
miller, to surrender, April '27, at seven, 211, and May 25, at
eleven, at the Court-House, Epworth, Lincolnshire. Attor-
nies, Messrs. Stocker and Dawson, New Boswell-court, Carey.
street, London ; and Messrs. Capes and Son, Epworth.
T. Bowden, Stockport, Cheshire, shopkeeper, April 23, 24,
and May 25, at ten, at the Red Lion Inn, Heaton-Norris, -Lan-
cashire. Attornies, -Mr. Tyler, Pump-court, Temple, Lon.
don ; and Mr. J. Hunt, Stockport.
R. Hatton and .1. Jackson, Fen., Foulton-with-Fearnhead,
Lancashire, soap-boilers, April 26, at three, 27, and May 25,
at nine, at the Nag's Head Inn, Warrington. Attornies,
Messrs. Taylor and Roscoe, King's-Bench-walks, Temple,
London; and Messrs. Fitchett and Wagstaff, Warrington.
J. [bigger, Allsop-mews, St. Marylebone, carpenter, April
24, 27, and May 25, at twelve, at the Court of Commissioners.
Attorney, Air. Carlon, High-street, Marylebone.

DIVIDENDS.
May 11, It. Baxter, Talbot Inn yard, Southwark, ironmonger
---3 lay 25, J. Milburn, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, woollen-draper
—May 7, W. Gibson, Liverpool, merchant—May 5, It. Isbell,
C. Chapel, and R. 1). Isbell, Millbay, Devonshire, builders—
Allany_223,ly E.
BL, u
,cra. Sitcpberd's-market, Hanover-square, milk-
s
n .Lucas,
sen., Bridgewater-square,
dealeraaE
T. Byrne, King-street, Bryanston-square,
tailor—May 8, K. , . - rc , .et Southwark, linen-draper
—in 11wlaatyclIe,7. All:titryreBl?l,)d'ldo'itibiriigcl‘gles4..piaee, New-road, merchant
1r IL Wilson, Friday t nierchant-31ay 7, S.
May ~o, „., y..stre ,
J. Clegg and J. 11 mtuY, Liverpool, merchants_..May 8, G.
ItainY, Marshal-street, Carnaby-market, ironuiongcr—May 7,
J. M. Sanders, Ipswich, Ironmonger.
cERTIPIcATEs, mAT 4.
N. K etcher, Brad well-near-the-sea, Essex, shopkeeper—J.
Smith, Wangforti, Suffolk, warrener— 0. Mercer, Basingliall-
-2
street, woollendraper-2. Peterken, Gill-street, Lirnehouse,
baker—W. lioneysett,
woollendraper. .Dalston, dealer—J. Roper, Norwich,
pARTNERszIips DISSOLVED.
W. Dickinson, of Lofthouse, andtJ. Craven, of Oulton, York.
shire, fellmongers and leather-dressers-13. W. Procter and W.
a Slancy, of (rays-inn.ldttee, Grays-inn, attorneys and solici-
tors—G. Man, and I). IL Woodward booksellers and station-
ers—J. W. Phipson and E. Cotton,
of Birmingham, manufac-
turing-clicmist-J. tilarry and A. Christmas, of No. 70,rG ray's-
'inn-lane' wax and tallow-chandlers--11. Copland and D.
,J.
Kier, of Liverpool—G..llarrison and C. Greaves, of Barnsley,
Yorkshire, printers and stationers—G. B. Collett and R.
Dowding, of 30, St. •Martin's.lanc—P. Earnshaw and W.
Dinslcy, of Enaresborough Yorkshire, nttornies at law And
solicitorr— T. R. Curtis anti I. 0. Csttell, of No. 43, King-
street, Snowhill, boot and shoemakers—J. Lewis and J. Col-
lyer, of Mincing-lane, merchants and agents—F. 1.1. Pedder
and C. H. Aackett, ship and insurance-broker.

ST. CATHARINE'S DOCK,

TO THE LORD CIIANCELLOR.

MT LORD,—Your Lordship is the Guordiau
of the unprotected in this country ;- and, thank.
God, they have a protector So' perfectly alive to
all their interests.

There will, probably, aeon be brought under
your Lordship's notice, a question on which the
welfare and happiness of thousands depend, and
on which also depend millions of money ; I allude
to the application to Parliament for a Nesv Dock
at St. Catharitie's. What is the I4story of this
New Dock ?—lt is shortly this : seeing the
numerous -schemes which private interest and the
rage for speculation in this era, so fertile in
bubbles, is daily producing, and the premium
which these subscriptions usually hear, -partite-
lady at their commeecetnent, enabling the pro-
jectors and subscribers to realise large sums by
immediate sales, a few speculative and interested
individuals determined to get up a New Dock
Scheme with a large capital, which, in the temper
of the times, and under the influence of their
names, they calculated would be quickly sub-
scribed for, and soon be at a premium. In all
this they have calculated rightly : and thus an
additional field for speculation, or, more proper-
ly, gambling, has been created. The real ulti-
mate success and utility of the scheme was not
an object of much consideration with most of the
subscribers ; they could sell their shares at a
premium, and slip their necks out of the collar
at any time, putting money in their pockets. They
never allowed themselves to dou-bt, that under
the plausible tale they could hold out about faci..
ties in trade and free competition, the Parliament
would grant the powers they asked for. The
whole scheme of the Dock was arranged and
Directors appointed. With the most perfect
confidence, the committee of Management take
their Surveyor down to the ancient and popu-
lous district of St. Catharine's, and taking their
stand at the fie() old Collegiate Church, which
has endured the ravages of more than seven cen-
turies, regardless of its antiquity and beauty,
and of the ashes and motmments. of Nobility
which it contains, and the reverence with which
it was contemplated by -the peopl
e, they doom
to destruction, and drawing a line round a space
of nearly thirty acres covered with houses, the
whole are condemned : but those houses are filled
with people who have been borne there, and who
have all those attachments to home which man-
kind in general possess, and seldom part with.
A respectable old inhabita-nt tells thern,—Gen-
tlemeu, I- was horn here ; I succeeded my father
in my business., which lie derived from his ancest-
ors: if you destroy my property, and drive me
from it, I and my family must be ruined, for no
compensation can make u;# to us the loss of our
trade and the good-will of our customers, driven
'to seek a habitation among strangers. My
Lord, this is the language of thousands of these
people,. but they are laughed to scorn by these
projectors, who, with unfeeling indifference, tell
them of the powers of an Act of Parliament.
These poor people know and acknowledge the
powers of Parliament ; but they also know, that
Parliament will 'Win to the humble,supefien.
tionsor the
.poorest of them ; and they likewise
know, that they are under the especial cure of
the Chancellor, who will see that their habits.
Lions, their ancient place of worship, their Church-
yard, and the graves of their fathers, shall not
as be swept away to satiate the pecuniary cupi-
dity of a junta of speculative capitalists.
Nothiug, I conceive, can authorise the destruc-
tion of private property and private rights, but
the making out a clear case of their being wanted
for the public good. This in the present instance
has not been done. The desire of gain by pri-
vate individuals is, I maintain, the main-spring of
the undertaking. It does not proceed from pa.
triotic feelings, nor from a wish to give accom-
modation to the shipping and trade of the Port
of London ; there is already ample accommoda-
tion. I challenge a proof of the contrary. I
maintain' that.the numerous Docks already exist-
ing on both sides the .water, and the numerous
Private Wharfs, are much more
_than equal to
the accommodation of all the shipping and trade
of this Port ; for although there appears to be
an increase of trade of the country at large, it
does not follow that this:is the case in the Port
of London. The Dock rates have for some -time
past been gradually ,getting lower,
.and by the
time the London Dock charter ceases, which has
less than
.tzco years to run, they will have expe-
rienced ,a reduction that will put this Port on a
footing with any in the .kingdom in respect to
charges of every description,. and this before any
New Dock can come into operation. I shall not
attempt to conceal, however, that this reduction
in the rates has been, and will continue to be
made at-the expense of the proprietors of the Old
Docks, whose loss will be epormous ; but to them
it would 'be total ruin ,to have a New Dock
brought into competition with them, the capital
of--which (nearly a soon.be
swal-
lowed up, carrying that of the Old Docks along
with it ; .some have already ceased to make
-any
dividend, and it
.is to be feared that.others will
follow.*

It may be said that people may be left at
liberty to squandor away their owr•u money in
these wild schemes if they please; this might,per-
haps, he granted, if the original projectors were