The Sun.
London, England, 1846-11-04 00:00:00

COURT CIRCULAR.

WINDSOR, TUESDAY.—The Queen and Prince Albert
walked this morning in the grounds of the Castle.
Their Royal Highnesses the Prince of Wales, Prince
Alfred, the Princess Royal, and the Princess Alice, tok
pony exercisa on the terraces and grounds.
His Royal Highness Prince Albert, accompanied by
the Duke of Bedford, the Marquis of Exeter, the Right
Hon. Charles Wood, and Mr. G. E. Anson, and attended
by the Equerries in Waiting, Major-General Wemyss
and Captain the Hon. Alexander Gordon, hunted this
morning.

Her Majesty and Prince Albert rode out in tle after-
noon in a pony carriage, the Prince drivin,r. In a
second carriage were the Duchess of Bedfok'd, Lady
Mary Wood, Lady Caroline Cocks, and the Hon. Miss
I)evereux. The Equerries in Waiting were in attend-
ance on horseback.

The Earl and Countess Spencer are expected to arrive
at the Castle to-day, on a visit to her Majesty.
Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent, attended
by her Lady in Waiting, Lady Anna Maria Dawson,
left her residence, Frogmore House, soon a‘ter ten
o'clock this morning for town. Her Royal Highness re •
turn( d in the evening to Frogmore House.
The royal dinner party at the Castle this evening will
include her Ro) al Highness the Duchess of Kent, the
Duke and Duchess of Bedford, the Lady in Waiting of
the Duchess of Kent, -the Baroness ds Speth, the Mar-
quis and Marchioness of Exeter, the Earl and Countess
Spencer, the Right Hon. C. and Lady Mary Wood, and
Sir George Coupon
The band of the ]st Life Guards will attend during
dinner. Her Majesty's private band afterwards attend
in the Castle.

Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent, attended
by Lady Anna Maria Dawson, arrived at her residence
Clarence House, St. James's, soon after twelve o'clock
yesterday, from Frogmore House. Her Royal Highness
left town at a quarter before three o'clock, on her return
to Frogmore House.
A deputation from the parish of St. Mary's, Islington,
consisting of clergy:—the Rev. Daniel Wilson, M.A ,
Vicar; the Rev. Jobn Hambleton, M.A., Minister of the
Chape of Ease; the Rev. Edward Hoare, Incumbent of
St. John's; the Rev. W. B. Mackenzie, ALA., Incumbent
of St. James's; also of Messrs. Jackson and E. Bailey,
Churchwardens of St. Mary's; Mr. Johnson, Church-
warden of St. John's; Messrs. Wilkinson, Churchwardens
of St. James's; Mr. Elsam; Mr. Brooks, of Lansdowne-
place; and Mr. Lott, of Carlton Villa, had an interview
with Sir George Grey yesterday at the Home-office.
A deputation from the public meeting at Marylebone, on
opening the ports, including Messrs. Ramsey (Chairman),
Mr. John Wells, Mr. John Jones, Mr, Francis Curzon,
and Mr. Charles Cochrane, had an interview with Lord
John Russell yesterday at his official residence in Down-
ing- street.

Dispatches were sent off yesterday evening from the
Colonial-office for the Governor of Canada, and also for
.the Governors of the other North American provinces.
General Pasley had an interview yesterday with Lord
john Russell.

Lord and Lady Lovat and Miss Fraser arrived at
Farrance's Hotel, Upper Belgrave-street, yesterday, from
Devonshire.

OPENING OF THE PORTS.

BIRMINGHAM, TUESDAY.—A town's meeting was held
in the Town-hall here to-day, convened by the Mayor,
in compliance with a requisition to his worship, for the
purpose of memorialising Ministers to open the ports for
the free admission of all kinds of food, in consequence
of the high price of provisions, and because of the failure
of the potato crop, combined with the alarming famine
in Ireland and in many of the highlands of Scotland.
The great Music-hall, in which the meeting was held,
was well filled.

W. SCHOLEFIELD, Esq , moved the first resolution:—
" That this meeting view with sentiments of alarm and
decp commiseration the starving condition of a large
portion of the Irish people, and the severe suffering felt
in many parts of Scotland, from the almost total failure
of the potato crop; and that the subtraction of so large
a portion of the customary supply already presses
heavily on the whole of the United Kingdom, as is fully
proved by the advanced and still advancing price of all
descriptions of human food."
Mr. Alderman GEACH moved the second resolution:—

"That while the meeting is grateful for the late
changes in the corn-law, it considers that the duty
which is still levied on the importation of foreign corn,
tends greatly to enhance its price, and its retention in
the present state of the nation is altogether indefensible."
11. K. DOUGLAS, Esq., moved the third resolution:—
" That it appears to this meeting that the issuing of an
immediate Order of Council for the opening of the ports
to the free unrestricted admission of all descriptions of
human food is the only means of mitigating the existing
evil, which is much too pressing and great to await the
slow remedy of enactment by a Parliament which may
not assemble for some months to come."

- This was seconded by Mr. BraxLAND, and carried, as
were also the two following resolutions :
" That this meeting does resolve to memorialise her
Majesty's Cabinet Council, calling on them at once to
issue such an order, and that the following be the form
of the memorial:—' That the memorial now agreed upon
be siAned in the name of the meeting by the Mayor,
and that he, together with the movers and seconders of
the resolutions (with power to add to their number), be
a committee to carry the resolutions into effect."
G. F. Muwrz, Esq., M.P. defended his conduct with
reference to the corn-laws for the last 30 years. He was
opposed to them from the beginning, and he was op-
, posed to them still. With reference to the four-shilling
duty, he declared that he told Sir Robert Peel, when he
brought in his Bill, that he was wrong; that the corn-
laws ought to be, repealed at once; that the dut) he im-
posed would deceive both the consumer and the grower;
but at the same time that he advccated a repeal of the
corn l:;ws did he also advocate, and they would be
driven to adopt this plinciple eventually, a repeal of all
-protective duties whatever. fie wanted free trade in
reality, not in mere words; and it would not be very
long before it would be seen that the 'taxed labour of
this country could not compete with the untaxed of other
countries. He perfectly agreed with their resolution
as to the expediency of opening the ports, but for
very different reasons to theirs. The opening of the
ports would not cause corn to be sent in, because there
was very little to come, Except from America;
but by opening the ports it would bring that about
sooner which he bad contended for years must be the
result of a repeal of the corn-laws--an alteration of the
laws, and of the whole mode of taxation. The whole
system of legislation at present went to make the rich
richer and the poor poorer ; for although that did not
entirely regulate the rate of wages, in the long run it
would be found to do so. That was the opinion of Adam
Smith, and, said Mr. Muuta, " I am convinced that when
the corn-law is repealed, your money law won't stand
six months?' As to Ireland, it was the wretched state
of the body politic that brought that country to the con-
dition in which she then was. The condition of the
people, in his opinion, would have been nearly as bad
had there been no failure of the potato crop whatever.
My opinions (said the Hon. Gentleman) have undergone
no change since you knew me. lam proud to be your
representative. I defy any man to say lam not honest,
but I will never be your delegate.—(Cheers.)
Mr. SPOONER, M.P., next addressed the meeting, and
a memorial having been adopted embodying the spirit ol
the foregoing resolutions, the meeting separated after
a vote of thanks to the Mayor.
DEPUTATION TO LORD JOIIN RUSSELL—Yesterday
afternoon a deputation, consisting of Charles Cochrane,
Esq., Mr. Ramsey, Mr. Jones, and other gentlemen,
waited by appointment on Lord John Russell, in Down-
ing-street, for the purpose of presenting a memorial to

the Lords of the Trea-sury, praying their Lordships to
open the ports for the admission of corn duty free. Mr.
Cochrane having read the memorial—Lord John Rus
sell said, I do not think it necessary to make many re-
marks on the memorial which has just been read. But
I cannot forbear observing that it seems to preened on
the assumption that there is now a prohibitory
duty on the admission of foreign corn. That
was not a correct representation of the facts of the
case. Sir Robert Peel, last session, brought in and car-
ried a measure which very considerably reduced the
duty on corn, and under this new measure 3,000,000 quar-
ters had already been let in, and a very large quantity
more might be soon expected. Sir Robert Peel, seeing
the impossibility of carrying the total abolition of the
duty at once, proposed such a measure as he thought he
could carry, and I, feeling alto that total and imme-
diate repeal could not be carried, accepted and supported
Sir. Robert Peel's measure. The circumstances, were,
therefore, altered from what they were this time last
year.—Mr. Cochrane—l can inform your Lordship that
arrangements are now making for a vigorous agitation
in the metropolis on the subject. Perhaps an enegetic
agitation will have the effect of prevailing on your Lord-
ship to listen to the prayer of the memorial which I have
had the honour to present to your Lordship.—Lord John
Russell (smiling)—No, that would not induce me to take
the step you suggest. But if I doom the measure neces-
sary, it I see a probability that prices are about to rise,
I will net, in that case, hesitate to advise my colleagues
to order the immediate opening of the ports. The depu-
tation then withdrew, thanking the Noble Lord for the
great courtesy with which he had received them.

MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS.
HARWICH.

The election here, though combated by douhle the
number required to fill up the vacancy, was entirely free
from all party beat or animosity. The successful candi-
dates were Messrs. George, Miall, Bolton, and Cowman.