The Sun.
London, England, 1846-07-06 00:00:00

ROCHDALE.

THE PASSING OP TIM CORN BlLL.—Every prepara-
tion was made by the Free Traders of Rochdale to tes-
tify their joy at the passing of the Corn Bill. On Fri
day last, a messenger was sent to Manchester for the
purpose of bringing the glad news as soon as it should
arrive in that place, by the first train that left for Roch-
dale. It was well known that the Vicar, who came to
his present living fresh from the Queen abusing Brad-
shaw dinner, would he opposed to the ringing of the
bells at the parish church. At two o'clock on Friday
afternoon, the churchwardens had a meeting in the
vestry, which gave them full possession of the church.
On the outside were the ringers, ready for action as soon
as the signal should be given from within. By the
two o'clock train, the nvssenger arrived with the
newspaper, and intimated the news to the wardens, who
threw open the doors for the ringers. Wardens, ringers,
and a few dauntless friends, who were there in case of
need, proceeded to the belfry, and when there, not only
locked the door after them, but barricaded it with a large
piece of wood, to prevent any one from without entering.
This being done, the bells struck up a merry pe.sl of
rejoicing that the starvation laws were repealed. Ere
long, the very thing happened that was expected. The
Vicar is heard thumping at the door for admittance; he
begs, he prays, he threatens and entreats, but all to no
purpose, a deaf ear is turned to both prayer and threats
—" the bells go merry as a marriage peal." Finding
this unavailing, he departs, but soon returns again,
accompanied by his own warden, the clerk, and the
grave digger, "grinning horribly a ghastly smile."
This time the party had a crow bar with them, which
was used in breaking open the door. Seeing the door
give way under this mechanical power, Mr. George
Prockter, one of the wardens, opened it, and let the party
in. The Vicar advanced to the middle of the room,
ordered the ringers to cease ringing, and leave the
steeple. Then he desired the clerk to take down the
names of those he knew. Mr. Prockter entreated the
Vicar to subdue his passion, as he had given orders for
the ringing of the bells, and would take all responsibility
upon himself. He feared no citation to the Ecclesiastical
Court on that score, as the bells were under the control
of the wardens, and not the vicar. Upon this the
Doctor threatened what he would do if they did not
cease ringing and leave the place. Mr. Thomas Livesay,
one of the outgoing wardens, who was present, said,
if he was warden the bells should be rung in spite of
anybody; the Doctor had only power of the pulpit, not
the belfry. Upon this the clerk took Livesey by the
collar, and the latter seized his assailant in his iron
grasp, by the breast, saying, " but for the place in
which they were, he would mash his frontispiece." The
vicar interfered, and deprecated the conduct of his clerk
for resorting to physical force. Mr. Prockter then ap-
pealed to the Vicar on the propriety of ringing the bells
on this occasion. He said it was not a party, but a
great public question ; the Commons of England sanc-
tioned it, the peers ha passed it, and the Queen had
given her gracious consent to it. Even the bench of
Bishops had supported that measure in their place in Par-
liament, and he wished to call his attention to the speech
delivered by Dr. Wilberforce, Bishop of Oxford, on this
subject. It was worthy of perusal, as the Learned Pre-
late was a centary in advance of his cloth. Every night
when he (the speaker), fell upon his knees he had been
taught to say—" Give us this day our daily bread ;" and
he had frequently heard him (the vicar) make use of the
iame form of prayer in the pulpit. Now that prayer
had been answered, the law that prohibited the poor man
going down to Egypt in a time of scarcity for corn, had
baen repealed • and he had ordered the bells to ring in
celebration of the triumph of freedom over tyranny, for
freedom is the original gift of God, and tyranny is the inno-
vation.—On Monday evening, the friends of free trade held
a meeting, which was called by circular, at Mr. Twee-
dale's hotel, to take into consideration the best means
of celebrating the triumph of free trade. Resolutions
were passed that Wednesday, the Bth of July, 'should
be kept as a holiday, • and that there should be a pro-
aessien on the occassion, commencing at Cronkey
Shaw, near Mr. Bright's factories. It was also recom-
mended that the factory masters and others should
regale their workpeople with a dinner on that day,
after the procession. A resolution was passed, that an
Address, approving of Sir Robert Peel's free-trade policy,
should be got up and presented to him. This resolution
lid not pass without opposition from a part of the meet-
ing, on the ground that Sir Robert did not see the ne-
iessity of free-trade till its advantages were pointed out
by others. When the news arrived in Rochdale, flags
with free-trade mottoes were exhibited upon the tops of
many of the factories and mills, and the great mass of
the people appeared highly pleased with the passing of
he Bill.—Leeds Mercury.

SOUTH AUSTRALIA, ITS MINING

INTERESTS, &c.

Our attention has been called during the past week to
,his thriving settlement, by the delivery at Crosby Hall
,f the first of a series of three lectures en its past and
°resent condition, by James Allen, Esq., for several
years the editor and proprietor of the South Australian
Register, the leading Adelaide newspaper. Mr. Allen's
fitness for the task of lecturing on this subject is as
;mat as it is undeniable. To considerable talents as a
public speaker he subjoins an intimate acquaintance
Nith all the local interests of the colony, and has been
--or years an attentive observer of all that has been
Sassing around him in the whole of our southern de-
)endenciep. He has, too, the confidence of those whose
,nterests he represents, although, as we have reason to
know, his advocacy is an unpaid and a disinterested one.
3ut our object is not so much to call attention to Mr.
Allen's lectures as to introduce a few facts connected
vith the milting interests and general statistics of the
edony, which have lately been brought under our
iotice. In this, the youngest of our Australian
3olonies, there are at this moment, it seems, six copper
and three lead mines, in full work, and that others are
about to be opened, For the purchase of public lands,
in which these mines are situated, there has been paid
into the hands of the Commissioners and into the Colonial
Treasury, during the past year, a sum of not less than
75,0001., and a great part of this is now being expended '
,a sending out miners, and other free emigrants, to the
colony. Its export of copper ore to this country, during
that period, under all the disadvantages attendant upon
he first opening of mines, has amounted to nearly
50,0001., and its export of lead has been considerable.
The value of this ore, as appears from the returns of the
Tr!
jet gales
saht Swansea,orF ore
Foreign
n ismuch greater than that of any other
mines, if we except Chili, and hence
'he ore is sent home, for the most part, not in its raw,
gut in a calcined state. The returns of the South
Australian ores have been from 13Z Ils. 2d. to 24/. 153.3 d.
per ton. Of course, the opening of these mines
have been, and must be, a great, source of wealth
to the colony, and are now attracting a large amount of
capital towards it. At the end of 1845 the population of
this colony was 22,000 souls, and of these about 9,000
resided in Adelaide, the capital of the province, the rest
being engaged in mining and agricultural pursuits.
Adelaide is a large and well-built town, and is daily in-
creasing in its size and comfort. The port is a free port
to ships of all nations, the Colonial Legislature having
lately abolished all I-arbour and pilotage dues ; and the
/ Colonial Government being now dependent for its sup-
',port upon the customs duties, is hich are found to be
' -ample. The imports of the colony for 1845 were
156,2401., and its experts 134,1241. Its exports of wool
!.,.lone amounted to 1,231,9201 b., valued at 56,463/. Of
f sheep it has at present between 700,000 and 800.000 ; of
i :horned cattle between 30,000 and 40,000 ; and of horses
about 1,500. A large export in grain is carried in to the
. other colonies, and some of it has been brought home,
t Ind has fetched the highest prices in Mark-lane. Alto-
! _Tether, the colony is in a most thriving condition, and is
1 ikely to continue so, if the mines hold as well as they at
- Present afford promise. Mr. Allen, we hear, is about to
deliver a separate lecture en the mines of South Aus-
tralia shortly somewhere in the City.

114'
164
27%

Price,

AN ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH IN FRIENDLY COMMUNI-
CATION WITH TIIUNDER-STORMS.--A very extraordinary
phenomenon was observed on the electric telegraph between
New York and Baltimore, on Thursday afternoon, the like of
which was never before known to man. Three thunder
storms, each some thirty or sixty miles froni the other, were
all coming east on the telegraph route about the same time,
and every discharge of electricity from either was duly re-
i orded, by lighting itself, in the telegraph office, at Jersey
c ity, Philadelphia, Wilmington, or Baltimore. The wires
a ?together became unmanageable, and the operators being
bliged to withdraw the batteries used for writing, the
risitor from the clouds had the field to itself. The letters of
Morse's telegraphic alphabet which this natural lightning
seemed to be most partial to, were L and T, but occasionally
it went at the numerals, and dashed off Ps, 50's, 55's, 500's,
and 5,000's in its own rapid style. We learn, that when two
or more thunder clouds get in the same vicinity, and dis-
charge their electricity at each other, or receive the fluid
from the earth and return it again, or when ground light-
ning prevails, the effects on the telegraphic wires is to pro-
duce a strange and original language, which may yet be
made intelligible. In fact, each kind of lightning speaks for
itself, and writes what it says.—New York Sun.
THE LORD MAYOR AND THE SPECTACLE MAKERS'
CoatraNY.--The Lord Mayor has fallen into awful disgrace
with the Spectacle Makers' Company, of which he is a mem-
lazr, in consequence of his Lordship's non-appearance at their
(
dinner at Blackwell on Friday_ last. It appeared that his
Lordship had some time ago enaged to dine with his Com-
pany on that day, but that the Association of Licensed
Victuallers' School having
waited upon him with a powerful
tppeal in favour of their charity, urged by Mr. David Wil-
I lams Wire and other eloquent friends, he consented to violate
e tiquette in favour of so unanswerable a claim, and took the
c hair of the Licensed Victuallers' Association at White Con-
d nit House on the day of their annual festival. The apology
v 'hich his Lordship sent to the Spectacle Makers' Company
as -as treated with contempt by the great body of the Com-
p any assembled at dinner; and Sir George Carroll and Mr
C larkson the barrister made ineffectual attempts to reconcile
ti ae malcontents to his Lordship's absence, in consideration
o f the occasion on which the chief magistrate had made his
e' !ection against the invitation, which was merely one of
o rtentation and conviviality, and in favour of one which
ir 7 tst inevitably tend to render service to a great charity,
al to las surely draw money from his purse. It was in vain
ex- at y effort was made by several other gentlemen to make
all op -mice for the motive Which the Lord Mayor had shown
for RI ving the preference; the moment his name was men-
tio net I the room echoed
with groans and hisses, and the in-
dig nal ion of the company vented itself in a variety of ways
in the course of the evening interfering most seriously with
the col iviviality of the party.
RIR NOus EFFECTS br THE REPEAL OF THE CORN
LA Ars.-
—INFORMATION FOR TEE DUKE OF RICKMOND.--Last
Saturd iy, a sale of property belonging to the late Mr. John
Nunn, of Hitcham, took place at the King's Head Inn, Bit-
Thepot, containing
for 4-n 1., and have since been
eeitgfhort
deston.
thatchi A cottage, small
3aoci.repseroarif
naruamb.l_e lsauir,ol:
barn, and a few out.buildings, sold
Chro, c 'cle.
F Et; ix TRADE MEAsußEs.—On the receipt of the
into M gence at Truro, on Saturday last, that the great free
tra, It a measures of Sir Robert Peel had finally passed the
Ho Et ,;e of Lords, Mr, Charles Hawke, woolstapler, of Pydar-
str v t, hoisted a flag on his premises, bearing the inscription
" I e ith to Monopoly," -fired a salute of 51 guns, and gave
the Ty, n-kmen in his employ a good substantial supper in cals.
bras 7; A ,a of the event, West Briton,