The Sun.
London, England, 1846-07-20 00:00:00

LAMBETH.

• On Saturday, two notorious smashers and utterers of
gilt counterfeit half-sovereigns, were brought up for
final examinatim, and though the witnesses had been
in attendance for some hours, and that one of the pri-
soners had been remanded at the express desire of Mr.
Powell, the assistant-solicitor to the Mint, in order that
he might establish other charges against him, neither
Mr. Powell, nor any person from him, had thought

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apathy on the part of the Mint solicitor and his assistants
to this part of their duty.
It would appear that Mr. Powell is the only individual
to attend to this class of cases throughout the whole
• country, as his principal, Mr. Blunt (solicitor to the
Mint) has never thought proper to appear at any of the
metropolitan police-courts, Mr. Norton has very fre-
quently complained of the present system of Mint pro-
secutions, ana the laxity on the part of the Mint soli-
citors, and it is much to be hoped that Mr. Sheil, the
newly-appointed Master of the Mint, will turn his at-
tention to the matter.

SOUTHWARK.
Thomas Washington, police•constable of the M divi-
sion, was charged by Emery and Russell, two men, with
a violent assault.

The case was investigated by order- of the Police
Commissioners.

Russell w.,s shooting birds on the grounds of a mar-
ket gardener, whom the policeman informed of the fact.
The former, hearing of the circumstance, felt aggrieved,
and uttered invectives against the policeman, who again
made his appearance in the room of a tavern in the
evening, where Russell and Emery passed their time.
Russell said he would match the policeman before night.
On leaving the tavern, the parties again met, some angry
words ensued, and IVashington, although not upon duty,
drew his staff, and struck Emery to the ground by a
blow inflicted with it on his head. Russell also was
beaten by the prisoner until other officers arrived.
The defendant said the complainants were the aggres-
sors ; he used his staff in self• protection.
The illigistrate said his exercise of violence could
not be justified ; but for the irritating language of the
complainants, he should have dealt differently with the
case. He should fine the defendant 10s. for each of the
assaults, which rendered him incapable of future service
in the police force.

We noticed last week a strange report current in po-
litical circles, to the effect that Lord Arthur Lennox had
felt 'MID elfcompelled to leave abruptly a recent protection
ist dinner party given by Mr. Hudson, in consequence of
eerain remarks made by his host. We have since received a
letter from a protectionist partisan present at this remark-
able gathering, which goes far to confirm the truth of that
report; for though it states that our version of the affair is
incorrect, it admits the main fact, namely, that Lord A.
Lennox on hearing the speech of Mr. ludson in pro-
posing Lord G. Bentinck's health, thought it incompatible
with his personal or political respect for Sir R. Peel to remain
longer in the company. Our gallant correspondent tells us,
indeed, that it was not intended that Lord Arthur Lennox
should have been one of the party, and that his presence
there was owing to the accidental misdirection of an invita-
tion destined for Lord H. Lennox; but this mistake most
assuredly ought not to have disentitled Lord Arthur to that
gentlemanlyconsideration which a courteous host ever extends
to his guest, even though he be not a welcome one, as in the
present instance. In conclusion, we have to make, in all
fairness to our correspondent, this proposition—namely, that
as he and confident report are at issue as to the language
used by Mr. Hudson in eulogising the public virtues, tried
consistency, &c., &c , of Lord George Bentinck, he should
furnish to us an authentic report of Mr. Hudson's speech,
and thus enable the public to form their own conclusions on
the subject. They will then be in a condition to decide
whether, without the absolute mention of Sir R. Peel's name,
he may not have been very offensively assailed.—Observer.
FREE TRADE FESTIVAL AT WELLINGTON.—The
working men and women of Wellington, who have taken a
lively interest in the progress of the Free-Trade Measure,
were not inclined to receive it in ungrateful and ungracious
silence. They resolved to have a festival to celebrate the
triumph ; on Friday evening they did commemorate it, in a
burst of joy which was not the less fresh and genuine be •
cause it gushed spontaneously from the people's heart—be-
cause it originated and was arranged by the working classes
hemsalves, without the instigation or guidance of those who
sually assume to lead the:n.— Menton Courier.
SHEPTON MALLET.—The silk trade here is in a very
prosperous state; the weaving of satins and other piece
silks is just introduced, and 200 new hands are wanted in
that dapartment.—Somerset aunty Gazette.
INCOME IN BRISTOL.—We understind that the re-
venue from the Income Tax in Bristol has, by the late returns
as compared with former, fallen oil to the amount of 15,000/.
in one year, namely, from 40,0001. to 25,0001. This is not a
cheering sign for the local trade; but the number of closed
shops and warehouses, and the complaints we have heard
during the last twelve months, in some measure prepared us
for the information.—Bristol

HOP INTELLIGENCE.
EAST RETFORD, JULY 1.5, 1846..--The period of the
year has again arrived when, if we cannot speak with
certainty as regards the coming crop, we can assume
from the aspect of the respective plantations, what we
may reasonably anticipate in the forthcoming autumn.
For the purpose of doing our best endeavours t,) obtain
a correct knowledge of the actual state of the gr minds,
we have made an extensive tour through the district,
and our report thereupon will be found in the subjoined
district reports. Before proceeding to give these, we are,
however, desirous of making a few general observations
upon the district at large, as these were collected stn our
recent visit. In the first place it is quite evident to us
that the old Kent sets, which are in existence in many
of our plantations, are this year proving a greater failure
than any other ; but whether this may arise from the
nature of this particular species of the plant, or whether
from the peculiarity of the season, or from these two
causes combined, is a problem beyond our province to
decide. In the next place, with one or two trifing ex-
ceptions, the hops on the lighter and alluvial soils are
in a more luxuriant state, and have a much greater
abundance of bine than the argillaceous and strung
adhesive clays. There is another matter to which we
would call the attention of our hop-growing friend-) :
it is this—finding the early Wight to be so extensive
and severe, and thinking that it would ba useless to supply
the usual dressing with manure at the accustomed pe-
riod, they neglected to perform this absolutely neces-
sary operation, which has already proved not only de-
trimental to the growth of the present crop, but will
ultimately so weaken the stock as in a great measure
to give it a fair chance of failing during the next year.
This mode of dealing with a non-productive crop is
highly censurable, and certainly ought no longer to be
practised.

I Our readers will perceive by a careful perusal of the
subsequent part of this article that some whole parishes
are failures, and that in many of the remainder the crop
is partially so ; for whatever may be the nature of the
coming weather it is a matter of perfect impossibility
for those places where so much shortness of bine exists
so to progress as ultimately to 3 ield anything like near
a halt crop. After, therefore, carefully weighing over the
district, and supposing the best portions to come to full
perfection, and the others to progress in proportion, we
think that it cannot pay a greater old duty than 21001.
Of course, this is putting the best face upon the matter
as to present appearances ; but that the crop has many
casualties to contend with, this amount may be taken as
a full aggregate.
Supposing, therefore, that the North Clay district
should ultimately pay 2,1001., and that the kingdom
should pay in proportion, we cannot think that hops
will be uncommonly cheap, because the old duty of the
whole would not exceed 195.0001. Let us then see
what stock there is likely to remain on hand in October,
when the new crop shall be brought into the market.
According to the most careful calculations made by
persons well qualified to judge in the matter, it was
found at the close of the year 1844 that not more than
half a year's consumption, of all growths and of all ages,
still remained in the country. The old duty of last year
amounted to 158,0001., about 26,000/. more than the an-
nual consumption, which will give a surplus of hops in
the old duty of 63,4361. at the close of the hop year in
1846. So that assuming the duty for 1846 to be 195,000/.,
it will have an aggregate of nearly two years stock on
hand. But this is presuming upon the amount of the
growing crop. If the duty should not prove to be greater
than it is at present calculated upon, viz., 135,0001., it
will at once reduco the amount of stock to about seven-
teen month's consumption, with the risk remaining of
another year's probable crop.
The estimated duty which Gve or six weeks ago was
under 90.000/., has now advanced to 140,000/. ; still the
accounts from the heavy districts in the south are so
conflicting that we cannot at present, with any degree of
confidence, look forward to a large crop. No doubt, in
many of the best managed grounds in Kent and Sussex,
the bine is promising and healthy; but in the aggregate,
and judging frcAn the accounts which continue to reach
us of the paucity of bine and the indifferent condition of
many of the remainder, the planters and factors will be
pleased to see 150,0004 realised upon hops of good
quality. The absence of speculation during the last
year, in this fluctuating article, has presented a re-
markable feature—but it is principally to be accounted
for by the railway market having absorbed the attention
of capitalists—and the present position of the market
prestnts an anomaly scarcely to be accounted for on
reasonable grounds, that with the doubt that must still
exist as to the results of tile present year's growth,
coupled with the fact that the stock, even of hops of a
middling quality, is lighter than for many years past,
that prices should even be full 20s. per cwt. lower than
at the commencement of the season last October.—Don-
caster Gazette.