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

COURT CIRCULAR.

WINDS3I3, .;ESDAY.—Toe Qrecn and rriue3 Albert
walked this morning in the grounds of the Castle.
Their.Ro al Highnesses the Prince of Wales, Prince
Alfred, the Princess Royal, and the Princess Alice, took
pony exercise 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 the after-
noon in a pony carriage, the Prince driving. In a
second carriage were the Duchess of Bedford, Lady
Mary Wood, Lady Caroline Cocks, and the Hon. Miss
Devereux. 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 after ten
o'clock this morning for town. Her Royal Highness re •
turned in the evening to Frogmore House.

The royal dinner party at the Castle this evening will
include her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent, the
Duke and Duchess of Bedford, the Lady in Waiting of
the Duchess of Kent, the Baroness de Spetb, the Mar-
quis and Marchioness of Exeter, the Earl and Countess
Spencer, the Right Hon. C. and Lady Mary Wood, and
Sir George Couper.

The bind of the lst 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. John Hambleton, M.A., Minister of the
Chapel of Ease; the Rev. Edward Hoare, Incumbent of
St. John's; the Rev. W. B. Mackenzie, M.A., 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
Farranee'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
deep commiseration the starving condition of a large
portion of the Irish people, and the severe suffering fet
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
"'rich 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."
R. R. 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 tree 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. BLAXLAND, and carried, as
were also the two following resolutions :
" That this meeting does resolve to memorialise her
Majesty's Cabinet Council, calling, oh them at once to
issue such an ,order, and that the following be the form
of the memorial:—' That the memorial now agreed upon
by si i.ned in the name of the meeting by the Mayor,
eed mat he, together with the movers and seconders of
the resolutions (with power to add to their member), be
seemneittee to Al the resolutions into effect."
G. F. MUNTZ, Esq., M.P. defended his conduct with
reference to the corn-laws for the last 30 years. He was
etposed to them feom 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__cora—
laws ought to be repealed at once; that the duty he im-
posed would deceive buth the consumer end the grower;
but at the same time that he advocated a repeal of the
corn laws did ha also advocate, and they would be
driven to adopt this principle eventually, a repeal of all
protective duties whatever. He wanted free trade in
reality, not in mere words; and it would not be very
long before it wculd be seen that the taxed labour of
this country could not compete with the untaxed of other
conntiles. He perfectly agreed with their resolution
as to the expediency of opening the ports, but for
very differeut reasons to theirs. The opening of the
ports would not cause cote 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 had 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. Muntz, " I am coneinced 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 bis opinion; would have been nearly as bad
had there been no ft"lure of the potato crop whatever.
My opinions (said the lion. Gentleman) have undergone
no change since you knew me. lam proud to be your
repre entstive. I defy any man to say lam not honest,
but I w ;11 never be your delegate.—(Cheers.)
Mr. SPOONER, M.P., next addressed the meeting, and
a memcniel haring been adopted embodying the spirit of
the foregoing resolutions, the meeting separated after
a rota of thankslo the- ayor.
DEPUTATION TO LORD JOHN RUSSELL.—Yesterday
aftmeoon a depute+ :on, 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 put pose of presenting a memorial to
the Lords of the ireeeury, praying their Lordships to
open the ports for the admission of corn duty free. Mr.
Cochrane having rea i the memorial—Lord John Rus-
sell seid, I do not think it necessary to make many re-
marks on the memo-A.-a wlich has just been read. But
I cennot forbear (sset wing that it seeres to pre aced on
the assumption that there is now a prohibitory
duty on the admission of foreign corr. That
was not a correct representation of the facts of the
case. Sir Robert Pr el, last session, brought in and car-
ried a measure which very considerably reduced the
duty on core, end under this new measure 3,000,000 gen r-
teu bad already been let in, and a very large quantity
more might be soon expt et ,d. Sir Robert Peel, seeing
the impossibility of eeeryies,b the total abolition of the
duty at once, propos' 4 such a measure es he ttsought he
could carry, rid .1") feeling also that t)t:.l /Mlle-
d;ate repeal could not be earl :f 3, accept 4 and support -A
Sir Robert Peel's m-'sure. The csrLurnstauces, were,
therefore, ?haul ..orn what they were tHs time lost
yea'.—Mr. Cochrane —I can iremes your Lordship that
ver angements ere now reeking for a s:gorous agitation
in the metropolis on the subj-c' Perhaps an enegetic
ag:*-tt ion w-1, have the eft' et of pros e'linee on peer Lord-
ship to listen to the prayer of the memoi,el which I have
had the honour to present to your Lordship.—Lord John
Russell (smiling)—No, that would not induce me to terse
the step you suggest. But if I deem the measeee neees-
spv, is 1 see a probability *hat pr:ces are about to i:se,
I x'll not, in that case, irritate to el\ 7se my colleagaes
to order the 5-nmeeiat3 opening of the poi The depu-
tation then withdrew, thanking the Noble Lord for the
great coat tesy with which he bad received *herr

MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS.
HARWICH.

The election here, though combated by double the
number reqvircd to fill up the vaermy, was entirely fiye
from all patty heat or ar,mosity. The suceessM condi-
dntes were Messrs. George, Miall, Bolton, and Cowman.

• LICHFIELD.
We have had another struggle here, which unforta-
nat* has ended most (I;sastrously, the whole of the six
monopolist candidates bal;ng peen retuia^d. The
Liberals made a most gallant tight to displace the Con •
ser.ative pally, end at one hour of the day it wrs con-
sidered that the three vacancies in the South Ww.l were
secured by the Whigs, but our opponents I.lllicd, and, by
the exertions of the;r leader ana b;s ft:enes, they ob-
Wiled a small rnajoi:ty. Considei:ng that we had the
support of Lord Lichfield's interest, we are very much
disappointed at the result.

A meeting of the members of the Paris Free. Trade
Sc. ...ieiy was held on Sunday for the purpose of electing a
committee and officers. Amongst the persons dieted
are NT. Bosson, the dirccbr in chief of the flix- spineing
estatilisbrneni. of Boulogag-sur-Mor ; M. Ke +lir; the
eminent cotton-spinner at Mulhouse; M. Ostolsn, pro-
fessor of the Ecole de Droit at Paris; and M. Louis ,
L.'clere. M. d'Eichtsl was chosen trozsurer. M. Anison
Dimerron read t,.) the meeting a letter from M. Bosson,
unuer whose direction the fectosy at Boulogne, which
was neerly on the point off ain, h's bo,c ne highly pros-
perous, stating that he now employs 1,800 r -ri)ns, and
Peres to the manifesto of the-society because he be •
heves that it is his interest as a manufacturer to do so.