The Sun.
London, England, 1848-01-14 00:00:00

THE IRONMASTERS'QUARTER

MEETINGS.
BIRMINGHAM, THURSDAY EVENING. The prin-
cipal quarterly meeting of the ironmasters for the
present quarter was held in the Town Hall of this
town to-day; but, although considerable interest, in
consequence of the present state of the mining dis-
tricts, was attached to. the proceedings, nothing oc-
curred worthy of an extended notice. The reports
of the Dudley and Wolverhampton meetings have
anticipated almost all that can be said of the meeting
of to-day. There was a very large attendance of
ironmasters from Wales, South Staffordshire, Shrop-
shire, and London, and also of persons directly or
indirectly interested in the iron trade from various
parts of the kingdom. Still little or nothing was done ;
and, moreover, little inclination was evinced for
doing. It is sufficient to say that prices remain, as
far as the heads of great firms can determine them,
the same as those fixed at Dudley—viz., a reduction
of 2/. upon last quarter's quotations. The strike of
the men is daily becoming more general ; the mas-
ters, who declare their stocks to be small are content
to bide their time ; and, in all probability, before an-
other month has passed over, unless some unexpected
counter-movement occurs, the iron works of this im-
mediate neighbourhood will be at a complete stand.

A VISIT TO MADAME CATALINI.—We called upon
Madame Catalini, who leaves her palazzo, on the side of
the mountains, in the winter months, to reside with her
son Malabrcque, in Florence. She presently made her
appearance, with that vivacity and captivating manner
which so much delighted us in England. After a short
conversation with Madame 0--, I spoke to her in
English, coupling my name with Mrs. Loraine Smith, of
Leicestershire, at whose house I spent a week with her
thirty-six years ago. The incident directly flashed
across her mind, and with obvious pleasure, she began to
recount the honours paid her on that occasion, especially
a banquet of Mr. Pochin's, at Barkby. She retains her
English, and was pleased to talk to me in my own lan-
guage. I observed that it was forty years since I first
heard her at the Opera, in London. She instantly re-
plied,—" Thirty-nine. I was in Portugal in 1807, and,
though the war was raging, I ventured to 'nuke my way
to England through France. When at Paris I was denied
a passport. However, I got introduced to Talleyrand,
and, by the aid of a handful of gold, I was put into a
Government boat, and ordered to he down to avoid being
shut; and, wonderful to relate, I got over in safety, with
my little boy seven months old." Great suspicion was
attached to foreigners who arrived from the Continent
at that time. Viotti, I remember, was absurdly ordered
out of the country, and Kelly, who was a manager in
the Opera House, officially announced from the stage,
that Madame Catalini and her husband Valabreque, were
not objects of suspicion to the Government. I was sue,
prised at the vigour of Madame Catalini, and how little
she was altered since I saw her at Derby in 1828.
I paid her a compliment upon her good looks. " Ah,"
said she, " I'm grown old and ugly." I would not allow
it. " Why, man," she said, " I'm sixty-six!" She has
lost none of that commanding expression which gave her
such dignity on the stage. She is without a wrinkle,
and appears to be eo more than forty. Her breadth of
chest is still remarkable; it was this which endowed her
with the finest voice that ever sang. Her speaking voice
and dramatic air are still charming, and not in the least
impaired.—Gardiner's Sights in Italy.
FOREIGN PROVISIONS.—The frost on the Continent
provisions from
hasnol
laaffn,d,c
at endd tGh
eer
apnpyl asicattle
rgahndis inaccessible at
present in consequence of the state of the Elbe, the
steamers trading to and from the metropolis and that
place, and conveying the mails, being obliged to put into
Cuxhaven, for which reason they are prevented from
bringing any cattle or provisions, other than a few
packages of merchandise which can be readily shipped.
One vessel (a steamer) arrived on Saturday from Rot-
terdam with cattle and provisions and a general cargo,
and of the numerous arrivals of the kind usually due on
Monday, one only took place from Harlingen, but none
from Rotterdam, the steamer Rainbow reporting from
the Dutch port of Scheveningen, with a quantity of yeast
and fish, and a small Dutch craft of 27 tons burden only
arrived at Blackwell with a cargo of live stock from
Nordwyk. The Calais, Boulogne, Ostend, and Antwerp
boats have arrived in due course. The:steam-ship Vene-
zuela, which arrived from Cuxhaven with the Harnburgh
mails, bringing numerous packages of general merchan •
disc, besides pork and grain, reports that the captain was
uncertain as to the contents of the packages, being
driven out to sea before bills of lading could be obtained,
in consequence of which, application was made on the
part of the company for the unshipping of the cargo on
arrival without the usual formula being throughof
gone
at Lynn, having received .
JOSEPH ADY AGAIN.—A gentleman wj,(ll):prhesAid(elys
taking the official account, in order that the vessel promising, as usual, some
remittedinforn
might take her departure at the appointed time with the receipt of a sovereign,
ikdfor the promised infor-
mauvnaiti,Caagned ocsnri
the Hamburgh mails, which was, under the eircum- his arrival in town called on Ad} for
him he
was soon
eon-
mation. After an interview with
stances, complied with.
ation
PUBLIC HEALTH Or EDINBURGII.—Dr. Stark's object to get the sovereign. The return of the
report of the mortality of Edinburgh and Leith for De-,as thatoaf
wreff,ssolutely demanded, under a threat, if re-
vineed that Ady had no information to give, and that his
eernber, unfortunately confirms the opinion we expressed fused ~‘e making the tint
osition known to all the ma.
in a notice of the November report, that no great de-
'stratus of the metropolitan police offices. Ady obdu-
crease in the general amount could be expeoted in the rg.itely refused to return the money, and it occurred to
returns for December. Unprecedentedly large es the the gentleman that a summons from the Whitechapel
amount of mortality was in November, the present re- county Court might enforce that justice which Ady
port shows it to have been still larger last month. It is denied him. A summons was accordingly obtained, and
gratifying to learn, that the period of severest trial seems e few days afterwards the gentleman received notice that
to be now past. The mortality, Dr. Stark informs 11,, the money had been paid into Court. If this plan were
had reached its climax on the 30th November, nod front generally adopted by those who have been duped, the
that date it has " slowly but steadily declined," thoughub.., rosteeelee solicitor would be materially assisted in put-
still during the last two weeks greatly above tnhe_or-tV ring an end to the nefarious system so long and so sue-
average. But when we look at the totalr,reetunrumfber
of cessfully practised by the notorious Joseph Ady,
month, the result is extremely gin :any. In
her (579) in the THE LINENDRAPERS', SILKMERCERS', LACEMEN'S,
deaths (1,030) was nearly double the num,
,ar,
and
mare It AIIEnDeSIIERS', AND HOSIERS' INSTITUTION.—The
corresponding month of the pr0..iv0,,,,,r51,3t: (331). Fzq: annual ball in aid of the funds of this institution, which,
than treble the usual monthly,
refer to the report i:sef, to accommodate its numerous supporters, it was at one
more particular information
which is drawn up w.esrse'rls'e usual minuteness time confemplated should be held at the Royal Italian
and care. The public of le with
Drsdinbur. h ere d D‘( Opera, Covent-garden, took place, as usual, at Willis's
Remus last eight. The annual party mustered upwards
deleted to Dr. Stark for these very Naluahle
and iust►'us
of 500 parsons, atil Mr. Adams. v,ith his efficient bans,
tive returns, which form the only record of the fluetue-
afforded entire satisfaetien. Mr. Younghushand pro- •
tions in the health of the town, and which must be
eided, with his usual iiberelity, the refreehusents of the
collected and arranged at 0, serious expenditure of time •
CYCDIDg..
and labour.—,Scotsman.
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