The Sun.
London, England, 1848-05-04 00:00:00

IS -,i. - .
;,.., -:, ,
MAY 4, 1848.

Do. on Hamburgh ••• 36 to
Do. on Bremen ... '
764 to 80
The rates of freights are, to Liverpool for cotton 3-16 d.
Per lb.; flour and turpentine, is. to Is. 3d. per barrel;
grain, 4d. to sd. per bushel. To London-2e. per bar-
rel for flour, and other articles in proportion. To Havre,
nominal.

FLOUREW YORK MARKETS.—APRIL 19.
western ranges from 6 dolls. to 6 dolls. 25c., nd
better brands of Genesee from 6 dolls. 25c.
to 6 dolls.
, &c.—The market for flour is dull; cao
37
o.' Georgetown Baltimore, kc., 6 dolls. to U dolls.
25c. Rye flour, 3 dolls. 50c. Corn meal, 2 dolls. 37ic.
to 2 dolls. 50c. Corn is in fair request; 10,000
bushels
of Jersey sold in lots at 52c. to 53c., and 54c. for white.
Rye is taken by
rnaltsters and distillers at 75c. to 76c.
Barley, 80c. to 90c. Northern oats are in fair request
at 47e. to 48c.
Cotton—The market has been steady this week as
ni m
theon
regards price, but with only moderate sales; 2,800 bales
have been sold as follows
Inferior:—
F3,olirni
dedl iaergyti:•oaligrotood.
fi.oa• r•i dr i n a:r.• • • nominal,
omin a l • 1,300 bales.
nominal.
.5k to 5;
Upland
I.y..,asniao64doiturbttiloaonol
arel. Mo.
Middling togood middling 6to 61 6to 6,t
6f to 7
Fully fair to good fair ... 7to 71 74 to 7i
exports,s a es
since& ethe
o f7cLohi
it tieonnsGtsincea. nominal.
The
ee
nßt. a rteßh
eeecsletsii
tpi estimated esde
September
ttteo7mc,ksh.oeor
bales.
to the Bth instant, are as follows :
Export 1,098,000 640,000 1,814,000 605,000
Last year 777,000 508,000 1,401,000 565,000
Year before 911,000 638,000 1,639,000 493,000
Including the excess of stock in the interior ports,
51,000 bales, the total receipts thus far are in excess of
those last year up to the same period, by about 364,000
bales.

HE
amTOGßunOmFahroHn,Ei Sn
thUeNmasorel
from the Taunton Gazette into the London
SIR,—My attention having been directed to
port
jCoofeuturhrieita,ticrsTo,iapOllieopdTferceived with astonishment that a witness
swore, " Insolvent assured him that I had consented to
become his security in respect to the situation of landing
waiter." Knowing that the assertion, if made, was
utterly untrue, and doubting the possibility of the in-
solvent having taken such a liberty with my name, and
recollecting also that, some time since, I had received a
ttatnge
an communication i
mHart,previous
to o t ow
taking
I
n
any notice of the publication, to apply to Mr. Hart for
sent
dreply,
resolved, Medr;
information on the subject, and, at the same time, to
request a copy of the letter I had written to him. The
result of this two-fold application I now submit to your
readers. Let me observe that my note (with a copy of
which Mr. Hart has furnished me) was sent on the 2d
of March, in reply to a memorandum left that day at
my residence, stating that he was about to institute
legal proceedings against Mr. Mahon with a view to his
transportation; that he had been robbed; that my name
and that of my Honourable Friend (Mr. T. Wyse) had
been employed jointly to his injury; but that, under-
standing Mr. Mahon was a relative of mine, he was
desirous, before proceeding further, to see me and have
my advice. To this singular intimation, Mr. Hart, as
above-mentioned, enables me to give the reply then
sent :

"House of Commons, March 2, 1848.
"The O'Gorman Mahon, in reply to Mr. Hart's com-
munication of this day, has to express his surprise at
Mr. IL's application for advice on a subject of which the
O'Gorman Mahon is totally ignorant, and with which
he neither has nor possibly can have any interest what-
ever. Being an utter stranger to Mr. Hart, the O'Gor-
man Mahon begs leave to say that if his name and that
of his friend Mr. T. Wyse have been combined, or used
separately, to the detriment of Mr. Hart, or any person,
such a liberty (being wholly unauthorised) merits
punishment, and, therefore, the sooner parties guilty of
such gross impropriety be brought to justice the better.
" The O'Gorman Mahon is not less incapable of lend-
ing his countenance to misconduct than be would be of
screening for one moment the delinquents, whosoever they
might happen to be."
After the transmission of this note, I beard nothing
more on the subject, until the report of the proceed-
ings in the Insolvent Court appeared in the London
journals. Mr. Hart states, in his communication to
me, that the introduction of my name has been the
result of a mistake on the part of the reporter or
printer; that what he swore was as follows:—" In.
solvent told me (Hart) that at his (insolvent's) request,
his brother, Mr. Anthony Staughton Mahon, of No.
16, Gloucester-place, had consented to be my security
in respect to the situation of landing waiter." This is
very clear and natural between the parties, but in all
the journals my name is inserted instead of that of Mr.
iinthony Staughton Mahon, and there it stands in broad
relief—rather an awkward mistake this, since it affords
ground for the suggestion that I must have bad some
knowledge of the transaction before I could have con-
sented to become security, a just and obvious inference,
if there existed one particle of truth in the statement as
regards me; but the reverse is the fact; yet, in conse-
quence of that stupid substitution of my name in place of
that of the insolvent's brother, I am made to figure in
the detail of matters of which I was totally ignorant, and
with which I had no more connexion than the child un-
born. Further down the report states that the judge
asked the insolvent the following question :—" Did you
ever make any attempt to get situations for these parties?
Insolvent—l- never did." As regards me, this reply
of the insolvent was perfectly true. He would not pre-
sume to apply to me respecting others, when to an ap-
hcation addressed to me on his own behalf; I gave a
positive negative, stating that, unless furnished with
satisfactory testimonials of altered conduct, affording
hope of enduring amendment on his part, I could know
nothing of him. It may be said, that no intelligent
person could read the Judge's question and the insol-
vent's answer to it, without detecting the antecedent
mistake of the substitution of my name for that of Mr.
Anthony Staughton Mahon; but there are thousands of
readers who will not take the trouble of detecting a mis-
take, however palpable; and there are other thousands
who, though fully cognizant of it, will close their eyes
to the fact as long as the unexposed fiction should war.
rant an insinuation detrimental to a public man, who,
however insignificant he may be, is not yet sufficiently
humble to submit tamely even to the suggestion of con-
nivance at unworthy and dishonourable practices.
I have long been impressed with a conviction that the
lenity of the judges towards swindlers rather operates
as an encouragement than a preventive to their crimes.
The poor unemployed wretch who, in a moment of de-
spair, commits some paltry theft, to save perhaps a wife
and children from death by starvation, is condemned to
ignominious banishment, while the dexterous trickster
at cards and dice, or the robber in ruffles, who cajoles
by false pretences the unsuspecting of the hard-earned
fruits of a life of honest industry, and brings whole fami-
lies to utter ruin, escapes with the impunity of a few
months' confinement, to re-appear again and resume his
careerlof heartless inquity. The administration of the law
meets not the justice of the case, nor will it until the
public press arouses the nation and its legislators to the
intensity of the wrong. The Learned Judge at Taunton
says he can hardly pity the parties who so foolishly
allowed themselves to be plundered. I can, and do pity
them. I have been myself robbed to the amount
of several thousand pounds by well-dressed swindlers,
men introduced to me as respectable, and some being
members of respectable professions. How many such
are to be found at the moment I write in this city !
Cunning to evade the law, and relying for security
against public exposure on that mistaken reluctance of
the plundered dupe to drag their inquity before the
public gaze. On the press depends the remedy for this
crying evil.
To revert to the case at Taunton. It appears in
evidence that a claim to relationship with me was ancil-
lary to the fraudulent practices of the insolvent. This
fact imposes on me the obligation of preventing, to the
utmost of my power, any recurrence of such an event,
and, however painful the duty, I must not shrink from
it ; for, after what has transpired, it would be criminal
did I not publicly announce that insolvent and his
brother, Mr. Anthony Staughton Mahon, have been for
many years past wholly alienated from my family.
Having detected in this brotherhood a,deplorable insen-
sibility to the suggestions, or rather a total disregard to
the obligations imposed by equity, truth, and justice, all
connexion, intercourse with, or identification in any
shape, with these indviduals, or their transactions,
has been and is utterly repudiated by your obedient
servant, THE O'GORMAN MAHON.
52, Welbeck-street, Cavendish-square.

A ROYAL GRANDMOTHER.—During the troubles
in the reign of King Charles 1., a country girl came up
to London in search of a place as a servant-maid ; but
I not succeeding, she applied herself to carrying out beer
from a brevvhouse, and was ono of those then called
tub. women. The brewer observing a well-looking girl
in this low occupation, took her into his family as a ser-
vant ; and after a while, she behaving herself with so
much prudence and decorum, he married her ; but he
died when she was yet a young woman and left her a
large fortune. The business of the brewery was
dropped, and the young woman was recommended to
Mr. Hyde, as a gentleman of skill in the law, to settle
her husband's affairs. Hyde (who was afterwards the
great Earl of Clarendon), finding the widow's fortune
very considerable, married her. Of this marriage there
was no other issue than a daughter, who was afterwards
the wife of James 11., and mother of Mary and Anne,
Queens of England—The Patrician.
NARROW ESCAPE.—On Saturday evening last,
about five o'clock, a cat was seen to run into a drain near
Mr. Ratcliffe's mill, Oldham, when a man standing by
sent in a favourite dog after it. As the dogindiadn d notfc
fetch
him. the man offered a lad fourpencs toe
go
d gone a few
him. This the boy did, but when
steps he appears to have fallen into
out. It was found
and to
have gone on, thinking t.nahlower drain,
necessary to open the
h d in
he had been in five
hdertiwitais .gneotridegr to girt him out,
which was not accomp..3-'_inct, but, by the use of pro-
hours. Life was almost
llelrestored, and is now in a fair
per means, be was p
way 'of recovery..--'
Lansdowne (Lord
artiachYester Guardian.
President)returned
The Marquis of Lane
to town yesterday.

[PRICE SD.

THE REFORM LEAGUE.

BIRMINGHAM, WEDNESDAY.—A meeting of the sub-
scribers to the declaration in favour of household suf-
frage, triennial Parliaments, vote by ballot, and electoral
districts, was held this morning in the Town Hall. In
consequence of the universal suffragist meeting held on
Monday, and the differences which have occurred
between the Chartists and the more moderate Radice,
Reformers, this meeting was looked to with the greatest
interest. It was said to have its origin in the recent
movement in London, of which Mr. Hume, Mr. Cobden,
and other Members of Parliament have taken the lead.
The declaration of the subscribers, by which the present
meeting was composed, was signed by upwards of 8,000
persons. The hall to day when fullest might contain
about 3,000.
Mr. Alderman Weston was called to the chair ; and
amongst the gentlemen by whom he was supported were
Mr. Muntz, M.P., Messrs. Douglas, Pet kins, Blythe, G.
Edmonds (Clerk of the Peace), Ashmore, J. Webster,
W. H. Smith, and other of the more influential class of
tradesmen in the town. There were also many Chartists
in the organ gallery.
The CHAIRMAN, in opening the proceedings, shortly
stated the objects of the meeting, and sail it was ex-
pected that those who had not signed the declaration
that or to
some
dmeefe amt
Therewould
was
t na ko
etasheurnre.
of reform was necessary—the greatest distress prevailed
e any
question, steps
h toe thought, frustrate
persons thought that the
throughout the land—and he had no doubt that many
measures now proposed did
not go so tar as to confer upon the people those privi-
leges to which the rights of man entitled them. But
he put it to them, whether or not, if they obtained
household suffrage and triennial Parliaments, they were
not likely, if these measures did not secure their liberty
and prosperity, to obtain still further concessions ; and
by God's help, if the objects of the present meeting did
not succeed, that would and should be the case. It was
not to be endured that the people should be going on in
intelligence and that Government should stand still, or.
rather, retrograde.—(Cheers.) After some further ob-
servations the Chairman called upon the meeting to listen
with attention to the various speakers who would ad-
dress them.
ch Mrs MUNTZ, M.P., then presented himself amidst loud
, and commeced in the first instance by apolo-
gising for the absence of his friend Mr. Scholefield. He
was unavoidably detained in London, but he (Mr. Muntz)
merle After the supeecallY
the subject whichn'hatdo say
anything
mwhpiacthhiisleedhaind
dtheelivperreesdenitt move
After be easy for hi
excuse him,
had previously alludeda
then,
if
he called them together. They must
new with regard to
gain went minutely into points he
First, then, what had brought
them together e—snat wtao's
two years ago, he believed nfif small consideration—for,
persons could not have
been brought together inltthwataitstit'll for similar purposes.
What was the cause?
what
hen ruin stared
make themselves comfortable. itthe want of means to
some, was to be done.
wives and children called for breadvas Only
when their
theh distress
them in the face—that they asked
By
There must be a reason for this.
others, it epiandof the people at the present moment had
attri-
buted to the Irish famine; and, by
been
still more recently attributed to the state of the foe
market. But no remedial measures had been pro rosTcin
p
True, a committee had been appointed, and was now
sitting for the purpose of inquiring into the state of the
currency, and he had refused to be examined before
such a humbug.—(Cheers and laughter.) He had been
named by the Hon. Member for Shrewsbury as a mem-
ber of the Committee, because he believed that he (Mr.
Muntz) would not be humbugged.—(Cheers.) He
could ;not, however, have acted upon that Committee
without a great sacrifice. Ho should have to sit two
days a week, and at the end of the session his labours
would have been thrown away, inasmuch as the majority
of the Committee had made up their minds before the
commencement of the inquiry. Then came the great
Chartist meeting in London, and for the prevention of
which such extraordinary means were adopted by the
Government. The military called out—special constables
called in—and all this ho (Mr. Muntz), believed was
done for the express purpose of carrying the Crown and
Government Bill.—(Cheers.) He (Mr. Muntz), in the
first instance, voted for the introduction of that Bill,
seeing, as he did, the dreadful murders committed in
Ireland, believing, as he did, that it would be accom-
panied by remedial measures ; but none had been
brought torward. With the Crown it had nothing to
do, and he was now convinced that the only object of
the Crown and Government Bill was to give power
to a weak and vacillating Government.—(Great cheer-
ing.) The people, then, wanted redress from the
grievances under which they were suffering, and the only
way to obtain this was by an increase of political power,
by which they should be enabled to select such a num-
ber of Members of Parliament as should consult and se-
cure their interests. It was true thp.t no extension of
the suffrage would relieve their immediate distress; but
let them unite, soberly and constitutionally, for the pur-
pose of obtaining the power to elect a majority of Mem-
bers of the House of Commons, competent, by honesty
and talent, to protect their liberties—let them say that,
until they obtained this, they would not cease their exer-
tions.—(Cheers.) He implored them not to be divided
—their enemies knew that if they were not divided
they would be omnipotent.—(Cheer..) When they
had obtained the objects which the present meeting
Wad called to promote, he would plainly tell them
that they could get more. Let them not be led away
by party, which was the bane of the many for the
gain of a few. Mr. Muntz concluded by moving the
following resolutions :---‘"rhat this meeting is of
opinion that the present critical state of the country ren-
ders an immediate reform of the electoral system neces-
sary ; and that this meeting is prepared to advocate an
extension of the suffrage to every one holding a distinct
tenement, whether part of the house, or the house itself,
and who shall pay a bond fide rent for the same, and
who shall have occupied the same at least six calendar
months prior to the election of a Member of Parlia-
ment ; that as a protection against bribery, this meet-
ing considers vote by ballot indispensable ; and, that the
country may be more fairly represented, this meeting
proposes a division of the country into electoral districts,
consisting of an equal number of registered voters, sub-
ject to a revision every ten years, according to the last
census ; and this meeting is further of opinion that
these reforms will be best ensured from abuse by li-
miting the legal duration of Parliament to three years."
Mr. G. EDMONDS (Clerk of the Peace for the
borough), in rising to second the motion, said ho at-
tended the meeting for two great objects—the advance-
ment of the liberty of the people, and to preserve the
monarchy of the country: so that both monarchy and
liberty might go down to posterity hand-in-hand in
perfect safety.—(Cheers.) Mr. Edmonds referred at
some length to his early efforts in the cause of reform
in Birmingham in the days of Major Cartwright, and
after that quoted a paper, from which he pointed out, as
an argument in favour of Parliamentary reform in this
country, the extraordinary manner in which England
was taxed in comparison with continental nations.
In the United States the taxation was 9s. 7d. per head
per annum ; in Russia, 9s. 9d. ; in Austria, I Is. 6d. ;
in Prussia, 12s. 4d. ; in France, 245.; and in
England, 52s.—(Cries of " Shame, shame.") Now,
Cobbett had truly said that the whole was a money
question. The speaker proceeded to argue in favour
of household suffrage.—(A Voice—" Why not go for
universal suffrage?") He (Mr. Edmonds) would tell
them, because for years, with all their exertions, without
the aid of the middle classes, they had nut been able to
get it.—(Hear, bear.) But they had in their proposition
of all others the most important—he alluded to the divi-
sion
of the country into electoral districts.—(Cheers) This he (Mr. Edmonds) esteemed the most important Of
the several measures for which they were now contend-
ing. Mr. Edmonds concluded an energetic speech by
seconding
Mr.At h resolutions.i
Ae
NTa
Chartist,
W.
presentedhimself, and
was about to speak, when ho was asked whether or not
he bad signed the declaration. He admitted that he had
done so on the previous day for the express purpose of
obtaining a hearing at that meeting. Upon this state-
ment the speaker was allowed to proceed, when, although
he had signed the declaration in favour of household
suffrage, he argued in favour of universal suffrage.
At the conclusion
_of Mr. Mantle's speech,
Mr. MASON, another Chartist, presented himself at
the meeting, for the purpose of speaking, when he was
asked whether or not he had signed the declaration.
He declared that he had not, when the Chairman took
the sense of the meeting as, to whether or not Mr.
Mason should be heard. This was decided in the affir-
mative by
a majority of at least 3 to I.—(Loud cheers.)
Mr. MASON then spoke at considerable length. He
advocated universal suffrage, but would not interrupt
the exertions of those who were now contending for
household suffrage. He would not, however, compro-
mise his own feelings. He was certain that in threetle
months after household suffrage was obtained the battle
would have to be fought on the question of universal
suffrage .—(Cheers.) There must be no co
and
and he called upon Mr. Muntz, Mr. Scholefield,
that,be with them no
other Hon. Members to bear in minddt
to what they now met for, there must
that good
compromise.—(Loud cheers.) Hetrusted
now, with regard
when the work-
faith would be observed, and that
assistance in the struggle
they would render them equal as
ue —(Loud cheers.)
ing classes rendered assistance tto the middle classes,
which must ultimately ens
..
addressed the meeting in
last speaker. He could have
a similar strain to the
the
4,
franchise upon man, the
wished that they had put
Mr. SEILL, another Chartist,
help, too, but think that Mr. Muntz, Mr.
noblest work of God," and not upon bricks and mortar.
He could not
Scholefield, and others would be taunted by the Tories
with not having taken the same manly course of sup-
universal suffrage, instead of household suffrage,
portingwhenthey had given in their adhesion to the former.
Mr. Muserz said, in reply, the two last speakers were
labouring under a mistake. He and those who thought
with him, had not for a moment imagined that ahus
was superior to a man. He (Mr. Muntz) was as fondooef
principle as any man, and he and his friends did not ask
advocatesslightest
eghtest
degroefe utnhievierrs
opinions
isnuiffo
nr suffrage eu compromise in the
subject.—
(Cheers.) All they wished was thatptoo nthetybasthonldassist
them—the advocates of household suffrage—in getting
nineteen-twentieths of what the y (the Chartiets) wanted,
—(No,no)—then twelve.t'wentieths, and:was that neoathing ,
—(Cheers.) Was it not better to hale half a loaf none at all?—(Cheers.) The
hall amidst loud applause. ROD. Member.then left the