The Sun.
London, England, 1841-12-20 00:00:00

COURT OF ALDERMEN.

- ----•--- • -
A Court was held on Friday, at which some interest-
ing matters were discussed.
MR. ANDERTONS S ATTACK UPON. THE COURT OF AL-

DERMEN.

After Mr. F. %VOODTHORPE, the Clerk of the Court of
Common Council, had read the official account of the
proceedings of that Court,
Alderman COPELAND rose to call the attention of his
brethren to the statement represented to have been made
by Mr. Anderton relative to the application by the Court
of Aldermen of some of the Corporation funds. It ap-
peared, he said, that Mr. Anderton had accused the
Court of Aldermen of having voted to distressed mem-
bers of their body and the widows and children of dis-
tressed Aldermen a sum of money very far exceeding
that which was specified in the printed account, which
accurately detailed the various items granted and the
purposes for which they were granted. Instead of the
sum of 3,0001., which that gentleman declared had been
thus voted last year, the whole amount did not exceed
1,3541, and the claims had been most deliberately in-
vestigated. To that sum was added other grants made
to poor constables who were worn out in the service of
the citizens of London, and whose claims no one pos-
sessed of a particle of feeling could for a moment deny.
—(Hear, bear.) The total amount of the grants made
last year did not exceed 2,4891. 16s. After some further
ren_arks he concluded by moving that the resolution
adopted by the Court of Common Council on Ale subject
of the grants of money voted by the Court of Aldermen
be referred to a Committee.

Alderman WILSON seconded the motion. It appeared
to Lim that the Court of Common Council was endea-
vouring to get all the power vested in the Court of
Aldermen into their own hands, although the latter pos-
sessed the authority over the funds before the former
was known to possess any at all.—(Hear, hear.) He
thought it rather too bad that the members of the Court
of Common Council should accuse the Court of Alder-
men of exercising an undoubted right, particularly as
such caution and economy had been exhibited in dis-
pensing the charities, under which head ranked all the
grants voted by the Court of Aldermen.
The motion was unanimously agreed to.
DEATH OF SERGEANT ARABIN.

Sir C. S. HUNTER suggested the propriety of adopting
a measure for supplying the vacancy in the Commission
of the Central Criminal Court, occasioned by the death
of Sergeant Arabin. In consequence of the vast increase
of business in the Central Criminal Court, inconvenience
had already arisen from the illness of the Learned Ser-
geant, and it became necessary, not only to supply the
existing deficiency there, but to fill up the office of Judge
of the Sheriffs' Court. The former particularly pressed,
as the next Session commenced on the 3d of January,
and he therefore was of opinion that the Court ought to
recommend to Government the nomination of the senior
pleader of the City to sit as a Commissioner in the Cen-
trhl Criminal Court.
Alderman FAREBROTRER said that he had taken the
liberty of speaking to two of the Judges on the subject,
and their Lordships were of opinion that the senior City
pleader ought to be put in the Commission.
After a lengthened discussion, in which Alderman T.
Wood, Sir Peter Laurie, the Recorder, and others spoke,
the motion was negatived.

THE NEW POOR LAW.
Alderman PAREBROTHER rose to complain of a breach
of privilege of, in his opinion, no ordinary kind. He
had upon a former day received a notification from the
Alderman of Farringdon Without Ward, that a petition
was to be presented against him, in consequence of the
course which he had thought proper to adopt in adjudi-
cating at the Justice-room at Guildhall in the case of
three boys who had been brought before him for miscon-
duct in an union workhouse. He had been given to
understand, by the same authority, that a copy of the
petition had been forwarded to Sir James Graham, the
Secretary of State for the Home Department, and that
another copy had been transmitted to the Commissioners
of the Poor-law. These petitions contained, he was
likewise informed, the opinions of the Guardians of the

poor of the union, and he hoped that Sir James Duke,
who had pledged himself to present them, would not let
the present opportunity pass.—(Hear, hear.)
Sir JAMES DUKE said, that the petition had been with.
drawn, and of course the matter was completely at an end.
A good deal of conversation followed, which led to
nothing. The subject dropped, and the Court adjourned.

BRIGHTON AND CROYDON
RAILROAD.
(From the Brighton Herald.)
The line between Croydon and London is still blocked
up for a considerable distance near New Cross, by a great
mass of earth which slipped down owing -to the vast
quantity of rain that has fallen this autumn, and causes
a delay to the trains of from twenty minutes to half an
hour. All the passengers and the whole of the luggage
are removed; the former have to-walk about half a quarter
of a mile from one train to another ; but as planking has
been carefully put down, and an awning erected to protect
them from the rain, it is attended with little inconvenience
beyond the delay. The luggage is conveyed in trucks,
and we must do the superintendents, and others en-
gaged in the service; the justice to say, that they bestow
he greatest attention and care in the transit of
he passengers, and in the conveyance of the goods.
The line from New Cross to Brighton is perfectly
safe, and it is impossible for men to be snore careful
than the present engineers. They are cautious almost
to a fault, for at times they proceed more slowly than
it would seem there is any occasion for. Still this is
an error, if error it be, on the right side The Brighton
portion of the road is decidedly the best, the Croydon
portion next, and the Greenwich the worst. This is
easily accounted for : the rails on the Brighton portion
are much heavier than anywhere else, and this makes
the travelling both safer and easier ; so much so, that
the passenger can immediately discover, in coming up or
down, when he is on the Croydon or on the Brighton
line, by the facility of the motion.

The works at the London Terminus are now in a state
of great forwardness. The parapet is nearly complete ;
all the arches, we believe, are built ; the road in most
parts is ready for the rails ; and in some places the rails
are already laid down. In a short time, we imagine, the
trains will not go on the Greenwich line at all.
The public of Brighton are, however, getting impa-
tient for a better road to the terminus at this end. All
the roads leading to it are now in a wretched state, and
we do hope that before long something will be done to
improve the entrance from the terminus into the town.
The Directors of the Brighton line have been derisively
asked why they do not shut up the line during the
winter ? They who ask the question are no
friends to Brighton. If the road were closed, it
would during the winter cause the loss of thousands
of pounds to, the town, to say nothing of the loss to
the Proprietors of the line. At this inclement season
persons would not come to Brighton by coach, but by
the line; though attended with some inconvenience, hun-
dreds of persons do come who would otherwise remain
in London or at their homes elsewhere. As a winter re-
sidence, there is no place like Brighton. Whilst almost
all other towns are surrounded by water and unwholesome
vapours, Brighton is dry, and free of all miasmatic
vapours, so destructive to human life in other localities.
But what are the Directors to shut up the line for ?
The Brighton portion, by the great labour and ex-
pense constantly incurred in keeping it in the best state
possible, is firm and safe, whilst it is the Croydon line
only, which has been formed for some years, that has been
rendered—not unsafe—but impassible at one spot, because
the earth, owing to incessant rains, has slid down upon it.
If the Brighton line is to be closed because there are some
difficulties with the earthworks, nearly every line in the
kingdom ought to be closed for the same reason; for simi-
lar difficulties are attendant upon them all. Instead of
the Directors being attacked for keeping the line open,
they are entitled to the thanks of the people of Brighton,
and of the public generally. They have done all that
men, noney, or skill could do, to make the line efficient,
and have accomplished their object in spite of one of the
wettest seasons—so injurious to earth-works, especially
new ones, in the memory of man. As far as the mere ques-
tion of economy is concerned,it is probable that they would
have saved money if they had closed the line to the
deep injury of the town ; but the Directors, t 9 their
honour, have studied more the interest of the town and
of the public generally, than their own pockets, or those
even of the Shareholders, and are, therefore, we repeat,
entitled to the thanks of the public for their untiring
perseverance ; and those who would cover them with
obloquy for not closing it, prove themselves by so doing
equally the enemies of the town and the malignant op-
ponents to the Brighton Railroad.

ACCIDENT ON THE CROYDON
RAILWAY.

One of those alarming accidents took place last
Friday evening, on the Croydon Railway, at the Syden-
ham station, by which, though no lives were lost, we
regret to say that eight or nine persons were injured,
some very severely.
The following may be relied on as a correct statement
of the facts of the case :—The down-train from London
to Croydon, consisting of seven carriages and the en-
gine, started at half-past fire o'clock on Friday evening,
and after passing the land-slip on the line near the New
Cross station (where the passengers are obliged to
walk for about a quarter of a mile), it proceeded
in safety as far as the Sydenham station. The
Sydenham passengers having alighted there, the
train was about to start again, when another
engine, without a train, which had been employed
on the line for the removal of the fallen earth, ran
into the back of the train, breaking the two last carriages,
and a truck which was attached to the train. The crash
was dreadful, and was heard distinctly at a distance of
several hundred yards from the place where the collision
took place ; this, with the screams of the affrighted
female passengers, caused a general belief that many
more had been injured than proved to be the case. -Upon
extricating the people from the shattered carriages, it
was found that four or five passengers, as well as three
or four railway labourers who were returning home
after their day's work, had been bruised or wounded.
The principal sufferers were a Mrs. Jackson, of Croy-
don, who had her face severely cut and some of her
teeth knocked out by being violently dashed against the
back of a seat in the carriage ; a man named Best, who
it is said has had three of his ribs broken, and had
received some internal contusions, and a Mr.
Coulson, who was cut very severely upon the temple.
The engine which caused this serious accident
was one which had been lent by the Brighton Railway
Company, and the driver of it, whose name is Goldsmith,
is the man who drove one of the engines at the time of
the melancholly collison of the trains on the Brighton
Railway last summer, by which several lives were lost.
It may be remembered that Goldsmith on that occasion
was found lying under the tender, covered with sand and
water, and that his evidence was obliged to be taken
while lying in his bed, suffering under the severe injuries
he had received. On Friday night it was asserted that
the accident was caused by his being drunk at the time ;
he was, therefore, instantly taken into custody by the
Railway police, and kept at Sydenham until the follow-
ing morning, when he was removed to Croydon, and
brought before the sitting magistrates there. It was
then found that Sydenham, where the accident occur-
red, being in the parish of Lewisham, the case should
be sent to the Greenwich magistrates ; accord-
ingly the prisoner was removed there, and brought
before Mr. Grove, at the police-office, charged by Mr.
Hallett, the superintendent of the London and Brighton
Railway, with being drunk, and for wilfully running
into the carriage train. This witness deposed that he
was on the engine of the Croydon train at the time when
it stopped at Sydenham station; that he felt a sudden
concussion, and got down to discover what had caused it,
when he saw that another engine without any person on
it, had run into the last carriages of the train. In a few
seconds, the prisoner, who was the driver of the engine
that had done the damage, came up; in witness's opinion
he was drunk.

James Davenport, the railway constable who took the
prisoner into custody, was questioned as to the prisoner's
being drunk, but he could not say positively that he
was so.

The prisoner in his defence denied that he was drunk,
and asserted that he could not see the red light in the
back of the last carriage, in consequence of a man named
Adams, who was standing up in the truck attached to
the carriage, and whose person interposed between him
and the light.
Adams, a labourer on the line, who had heen sent
with the truck from the Dartmouth Arms station, swore
that he was sitting and not standing when the collision
took place, and that the red lamp was three feet at least
above his head.

Mr. Seaman, the Superintendent at the Dartmouth
station, deposed that he attached the truck to the passen-
ger train at that place. He directed Adams to go with
the truck, fur the purpose of detaching it speedily at an
intermediate station. At the time the train started from
the Dartmouth Arms station, Adams was sitting in the
truck, and the red signal light was quite correct, and per-
fectly visible. As soon as deponent heard of the accident
he proceeded to Sydenham, and had the disabled engine
and carriages removed from the line.
Mr. Gregory, the engineer of the Croydon Railway,
stated the number of persons who had been hurt by the
accident. The Company, he added, had given every
assistance in their power to the sufferers.
Mr. GROVE, at the conclusion of the evidence, said,
that in justice to all parties he would give no decision on
the case until Thursday, in order to obtain further evi-
dence respecting the signal light, as it was upon the fact
of the light being visible or not to the prisoner that the
case principally turned ; in the meantime, he would
admit him to bail.
The prisoner was then held to bail, himself in 201.,
and two sureties in 101. each, to appear before the Ma-
gistrates on next Thursday.

-----
MADAME DE SEVIGNE AND HER CONTEM-
PORARIES.—We are requested to state that the work
under the above title, in 2 vols., small Bvo., 21s. bound,
is published this day by Mr. Colburn, of Great Marl-
borough-:treet, and may now be had of all booksellers.
This interesting work comprises sketches of above 100
of the most eminent persons of the times, amotr. others —Cardinal Richelieu, Corneille, Pascal, Duke and
Duchess de Montmorency, Duchess (le Chevreuse, Car-
dinal Mazarin, Gaston Duke of Orleans, Comte de Bussy
Rabutin, Cardinal de Betz, the Queen of Poland, the
Princess Palatine, Duchess de Longucville, Duke de la
Rochefoucauldt, La Breuyere, the Iron Mask, Madame
do Grignan, Mddle. de Scudery, La Fontaine, Racine, 1
Moliere, Boileau, Duchess D'Orleans, Bossuet, Bourda-
loue, Pere La Chaise, Turenne, Marquis de Louvois,
Touquet, Le Grand Colbert, Marquis de Dangeau,
Comte and Corntesse de Grammont, Comte Hamilton,
Marechal de Villeroi, Duchesse de Mazarin, King and
Queen of Spain, Duchess de la Valliere, Mddle. de
Nlontpensier, Duke de Lauzun, Princess des Wisins, Ma-
dame des Maintenon, James 11., the Earl of Holland,
Villiers Duke of Buckingham, Earl of Ossory, Duke of
Montagu, Fontenelle, Fenelon, Masillon, Monsieur and
Madame de Coulanges, Louis XIV., &c., &c.

ARBROATH -DEFEAT OF THE
NON-IN TRUSIONISTS.

(Abridged from the Arbroath Journal.)
On Wednesday evening last, the good citizens of
Arbroath evinced their respect for order and the laws
of the land, by giving the coup de grace to what is
termed the Non-Intrusion principle. A meeting, in
order to form what they call " A Church-Defence As-
sociation," had been previously announced ; and as it
was understood that Mr. Cunningham and Mr. M.
Crichton were to figure on the occasion, the house
presented the appearance of what, in theatrical lan-
guage, is termed " a bumper." Mr. Charles Wilson,
merchant, of this place, having been called to the
Chair, the proceedings commenced by a psalm being
sung, and an impressive prayer offered up by the Rev.
Mr. Kirk, of Arbirlot. The Rev. Mr. Wilson, of
Carmylie, in a brief speech, then moved the first re-
solution. No sooner had Mr. Wilson finished, than
up rose a working man of the name of Thomson, who
informed the audience that he had an amendment to
propose; at the same time insisting upon his right to be
heard. It was at this period of the proceedings that the
storm commenced, which continued less or more during
the entire evening. During the noisy agitation atten-
dant on the: question " Hear him, or not hear him,"
a tall good-looking gentleman, with a pleasant expres-
sion of countenance, and a bountiful supply of whiskers,
appeared on the scene. He sported a blue coat, with
some sort of uniform button, and the general impression
appeared to be that he was some officer of the Coast
Guard employed on the Church-defence service. It
turned out, however, to be that far-famed agitator, Mr.
Makgill Chrichton, the most important link in the tail
of the Rev. Mr. Cunningham ; and to this tall 'en, we
may add, were the audience indebted for the principal
portion of the entertainment during the rest of the
evening. Mr. M. C. (who, in reply to the question,
" Who are you?" told us he was one of the greatest
agitators in Scotland) stated that, according to the
plan laid down, each one ought to be heard in his turn,
and that, as soon as the parties who had been fixed on
first to address the meeting had concluded, it was his
earnest wish that these who had counter-motions should
be heard also. "As for himself (Mr. M. C.) all he
wished was for a fair field and no favour." These re-
marks did not appear to be relished by Thomson's
supporters, who now set up a terrific hooting and
hissing ; indeed, such was the uproar, that had not
Thomson himself entreated his friends to desist, we
question if another speech would have been deli-
vered during the evening. A temporary calm having
taken place, the principal performer, the Rev. Mr.
Cunningham, on whom, to all appearance, the
heavy business of the evening had devolved, now
showed his portly person upon the platform. Yells,
cheers, hisses, and applause, were immediately
renewed, with a vehemence we believe never before w;t-
nessed in the Old Kirk. Occasionally a lull in the
storm was to be remarked, but in consequence of the
uproar that prevailed, the somewhat subdued tone of
voice in which the Rev. Gentleman spoke, and, above
all, the unconnected nature of his speech, which he as-
suredly could not have prepared, we found it utterly im-
possible to come at the drift of his arguments. On
Mr. Chrichton coming forward, a tremendous howling,
roaring, and whistling commenced. In vain he at-
tempted to speak—bellow after bellow drowned his
voice—and for a time the people appeared as deaf to
his eloquence as if, instead of them, it had been the
steeple he was addressing. After a few ineffectual at-
tempts to make himself heard, Mr. James Gibson, tan-
ner, of this place, stepped forward, and stated that,
though decidedly opposed to Mr. Chrichton on the
Church question, he trusted that the audience would
give the gentleman a fair hearing, all parties being en-
titled to state their case, and defend it if they could
Mr. G.'s observations partially appeased the audience :
but, during the whole time Mr. Crichton spoke, and
which he did at great length, there was much interrup-
tion. Mr. Thomson, the Chartist, than advanced to the
platform, and, after prefacing his amendment by a taw
observations, proposed it, and gave way to Mr. John
Duncan, the well-known advocate of what is called the
People's Charter. Mr. D. who seemed evidently to be
in great favour with his party, made a long speech, in
which he combated the arguments brought forward by
Messrs. Cunningham and Crichton, and endeavoured
to show that the Non-Intrusion for which they strug-
gled was founded upon erroneous principles, and that
so long as they were a State clergy and a law Church,
they had no right to agitate the question in the way
they were doing. Mr. D. proposed also an amend-
ment on the resolutions, to the effect, " that there being
neither honour nor honesty among the Non-Intrusion
leaders, this meeting do not consider the cause they ad-
vocate worthy of support, it being unjust to make peo-
ple pay for churches they never enter, and
ministers they never hear." Mr. Duncan was
succeeded by Mr. Ross, the Chartist preacher
of this place, whose arguments and sentiments
were nearly similar to those of Mr. D. He also proposed
an amendment. Mr. R. was loudly cheered by his
friends, who seemed to have mustered in considerable
numbers. There being three amendments, it was
agreed that Mr. Ross and Mr. Thomson should with-
draw theirs, which having been done, a show of hands
was taken for the resolutions and the amendment, when
the latter was carried by an overwhelming majority !
Thanks were afterwards proposed by Mr. Duncan to
the Chairman for his impartial conduct in the chair,
which having been seconded by Mr. M. M. Crichton,
was unanimously agreed to.

. -
We never beheld a man so completely dum-foun-
dered as Mr. Cunningham and his party. The defeat
was so thorough, so annihilating, and, we may say, to
them so unexpected, that for a time they could hardly
believe the evidence of their own senses. For a few
minutes they sat in silence after their discomfiture, but
surely by no means personifications of " Patience smil-
ing at gild." Mr. Crichton observed, by way of com-
fort to the afflicted, that had the ladies but held up
their hands his party would have had a decided vic-
tory. Let us tell Mr. C. that he knows as little of the
sentiments of the majority of the Arbroath ladies as he
does of those of Cochin China. The remark was an
exceedingly unfortunate. one, and called for peals of
laughter.

THE SCOTCH HERD LADDIE ;
OR, THE UNJUST STEWARD.
(WRITTEN EXPRESSLY FOR " CLEAVE'S GAZETTE," BY
DAVID WRIGHT, ABERDEEN.)
FOUNDED ON FACT.

It was a fine summer morning, about the middle
of July, 1790, that Jock, the Herd, took the road to
a certain castle in the north of Scotland. When Jock
set out he was in high spirits, for he bad received a
good " whang o' butter and bread" from his mis-
tress, or, as Jock called her, the good wife ; his
calf likewise jogged on before him at a goad pace,
the birds whistled around him, and all seemed
to go right. But, towards the end cf the journey, the
calf became obstinate, and would scarceV move a single
foot, and at last it stopped, and, in spite of Jock's
coaxing, his threats, and blows, it refused to mo'e
an inch. In this dilemma Jock stood gazing
about in search of• assistance, and at last he espied
a plainly dressed man coming slowly towards him,
at a good distance off; but Jock was not to be de-
feated by the distance, so he to ok off his bonnet and
waved it over his head, and er ied, at the top of his
voice, till at length he succeeded in attracting the
attention of the stranger, who, thinking that something
serious had happened, came running at the top of his
speed. BJt judge his surprise, on arriving at the spot,
when he only beheld Jock a. id the calf.
The stranger, however, I kept his humour, and very
good-naturedly asked Jock what he wanted with him.
" Well," said Jock, " y .1 see this beast winna gang a
single step, an' I maun i e at the castle afore nine
o'clock, an' Pim waran it's na far fa,.!'t, an' sae if ye wid
help me to the gate wi't, I't e gie ye half o' fat I get frae
the laird ; an' your expecki n' something worth the gai'n
for."

To this the stranger at once agreed ; and, having
aprint.d the place where they were to meet and share
the spoil, the stranger too. k up the calf in his oxter (as
Jock said when relp.ting the story at home), and pro-
ceeded to the cast) e gate, an( l there deposited it. While
Jock went to infrirm the inmates, the stranger proceeded
to the appointe d place of meeting.
In a few m;.nutes Jock came running to the place
" wi' gladnes s in his looks," and something better in his
bonnet. " Set; man! see man !" said Jock, " I've come
better on than I expeckit ; see fat I've gotten."—( Here
Jock held ow. his bonnet, well filled with pieces of
bread, br.,ef, and cheese, and a shilling in his
hand.) " But (continued Jock), as I made the bar-
gain wi ye, gie ye half o"t.'.
" Oh ! you little rogue," sa id the stranger, "is that
all you got ? I doubt you are playing a trick on me,
for I was thinking to get five or six shillings for my share.'
" Faith," said Jock, " I think its nae that ill ; how-
ever, I didna see the laird bin 'sel', or may be I might
ha' gotten mair."
" I don't believe a word of wi,at you have said," said
the stranger, " and thei•efore I insist that you must come
back to the house and ~.atist y me 0.1 the subject."
" Na! na I." said Jock,. " that will be our greedy like ;
ye ken my master pays na, a my wager, an' I've naething
a dee wi' mair ; but ye cata
your:el' if you didna ie me."
gang an' speer at the Stewart
To this the stranger agreed, upon condition that
Jock would accomrAny him. This Jock at first re-
fused to do; but dt last 6, s consented ; so in they both
went. The s.(ewattl was immediately called, who ap-
proached the stranger with a low bow, for the stranger
now turned out to be the I rd himself.
" Steward," said the baled with a frown, " I gave you
is it you only gave him a
a guinea for this lad ; how-
shilling ?"
" Aye, but he gid me tlhs bread, an' beef, an'
cheese," said Jock, pre sentin g his t.onnet.
The steward, however, Ma de no reply, but hung down
his head in silence.
" Steward," said the• b ird, drawing big purse, " there
is your wages ; pack NI you! 'clothes ; leave this castle
immediately, and learn elsen there to become an honest
man."

It appears that whert the laird left Jock he