The Sun.
London, England, 1846-09-14 00:00:00

THE DUKE OF BEAUFORT AND

HIS TENANTS.
The Duke of Beaufort is, we have every reason to
believe, a very good landlord, that 'is, after the good
old feudal fashion—he does not grind his tenants down
by extravagant rents ; but he likes them to know their
places, and to remember that they are retainers of a
Duke, and portion of his ceremonial, state, and political
high-mightiness. At the grand hunting gatherings,
they must therefore be present, and be mounted as be-
comes the followers of so important a personage ; and at
the day of a county election they must be prompt and
willing to shout " true Blue," and vote for his Grace's
candidate. Farmers arc not a rebellious race, and the
Duke has seldom experienced any difficulty at the hands
of those who cultivate the many broad acres of his very
magnificent estates. At length, however, a case has
arisen which has demanded, so his Grace thinks, a sig-
nal example—flogging is not allowed in the tenant
armies of Dukes, but the " drumming out" of refractory
farmers, who presume to disobey, or to forget the rules
of the service, is found to be equally effectual in pre-
serving discipline in the ranks. The place where the
Duke has found it necessary to show that he is deter-
mined, after the fashion of his Grace of Newcastle, to
"do what he likes with his own," is Monmouthshire,
where a very singular political spectacle is at present
exhibiting itself ; where brothers, and cousins, and
uncles, and nephews, are pulling each other to pieces
in a manner which, if the actors were of a lower rank
in life than dukes, and marquises, and lords, would be
considered rather_ unseemly. Dr. Watts is, we presume,
much too plebeian and anti-orthodox an author to be
put into the hands of little "my lords" and little "my
ladies ;" and, therefore, they can scarcely be expected
to have been taught such homely rhymes as
" Birds in their little nests agree,
And 'tis a shameful sight,
When children of one family
Fall out, and chide and fight."
The representation of Monmouthshire (or at least
half of its representation) as our readers well know, or
ought to know, belongs by a species of right divine to
the Duke of Beaufort for the time being; and it is only
one of those amusing fictions which the English laws and
constitution occasionally exhibit, to say that the " in-
dependent electors," as they are facetiously termed, have
anything to do with the choice of Members of Parlia-
ment, at least in counties where great dukes are the
lords of the soil, and are therefore the proper parties to
take upon themselves the trouble and responsibility of
seeking eligible candidates. To be sure, these candi-
dates, when elected, are called the " representatives of
the people ;" but this is only one of those pleasing
fictions to which we have before alluded. For a long
series of years it has pleased the present Duke of
Beaufort and his father before him, to nominate and
appoint Lord Granville Somerset to be a member for
the county of Monmouth, and as his Lordship does
really possess more tact and talent than usually falls to
the share of sons and brothers of dukes, who, in all re-
verence be it spoken, are not on all occasions blessed
with too great an abundance of intellect or common
sense ; and as moreover Lord Granville Somerset has
uniformly conducted himself towards his supporters
with suavity and politeness, the ducal yoke has sat
lightly upon the shoulders of the constituency, and their
votes have been given with much willingness, and for
so long a period, that " use has become second nature."
It has, however, pleased the Duke to take umbrage at
his younger brother thinking for himself on the subject
of the corn-laws, and has given him public notice that
he must render up his seat to another member of the
family who will be more docile. Now it happens that
some of his Grace's tenantry have become personally
attached to his Grace's now-to-be-disgraced brother, and
cannot so easily break asunder the links of gratitude
and esteem with the same ease as dukes can disregard
the ties of fraternal affection. They have accordingly
allowed it to be suspected that they have a mind to vote
as they have been accustomed to vote, and have been
heard to give hints that as Lord Granville is no fool, it
is very likely that free trade is right after all. Now, of
course, this is a rebellion that must be nipped in the
bud—tenants have no right to think except as their
landlord directs them ; and therefore sundry of these
refractory vassals have received notice to quit their
farms—a salutary and timely measure which will no
doubt teach others not to chafe at the new harness
that has been made for them. It is also necessary to
show as publicly as possible that Lord Granville Somer-
set, although the brother, is na longer kin in the
affections of the Duke. The Duke's son, therefore, the
Marquis of Worcester, is sent down to Monmouth at the
Assizes, where for time out of mind almost, Lord Gran-
ville Somerset has presided as chairman of the grand
jury. Well, his name is, as usual, called over at the head
of the list, and he is again installed in his old office,
of foreman, upon which his nephew, the Marquis of
Worcester, gives his juvenile moustaches a curl of rage
and scorn, and with a number of his partizans marches
out of court :—a very seemly spectacle, of course, to
the lower orders, who are thereby taught that young
aristocrats are happily released from those shackles of
decency and polite behaviour to which " the vulgar" are
of course very properly expected to conform themselves.
It seems that there is a newspaper in Monmouthshire
called the Marlin, which in its innocent simplicity
thinks that these things ought not to be, 'and that
tenants ought to be expected to cultivate their farms
and to pay their rents, and if they do these things
they ought to be allowed to vote as they please. We
do not know where the Merlin editor got his " brought.
ings-up," but it is very evident he is an ignorant man,
and as mischievous as he is ignorant. It is, however,
" right divine" of dukedom, that there is another print
in the same county, yclept the Beacon ; and a shining
light it is, as its name testifies. That paper, which
may be taken, we presume, as the Duke's mouthpiece
upon this occasion, has come forth, and has done battle
against the heretical notions which it seems have begun
to find favour in Monmouthshire. That paper, in most
valorous' fashion, maintains " the right, the expediency,
and the justice, of a landlord taking care that his
tenants be his friends," It grants that " notices have
been served upon tenants to quit their holdings," and
it says, "it Served 'em right"—" the Duke of Beaufort
has acted in a straitforward way, and has shown that
he will not tolerate, as his tenants, men who have not
firmness enough to stand by the principles they profess
in the hour of trial ;" and it winds up its encomiums
of the Duke by—" We honour the Duke for his manli-
ness and consistency, which is infinitely superior to the
mawkish sentiment and liberal twaddle of the Merlin."
Well, the Duke, in the midst of his trials, is a happy
man—ungrateful and refractory tenants may annoy him
for a moment ; but such a devoted liegeman, and such a
clever one too, as the editor of the Beacon, is a jewel
beyond price. We cannot help thinking, however, that
a visit or two from Mr. Cobden, in Monmouthshire,
would do no great harm, if he could spare the time.
Agricultural serfdom, is, after all, a mighty fine thing
for Dukes of Beaufort, but is, as far as human nature
and " English manliness' is concerned, a lamentable
picture to contemplate in the year of our Lord one thou-
sand eight hundred and forty-six.—Gloucester Join nal.

THE POTATO DISEASE.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

SlR,—The prevailing (and I think well-grounded.)
opinion in this county, as to the potato disease, is, that
it was caused by some blight of the air; for, wherever
this most useful vegetable is covered by a tree not the
least damage has been done, whilst all other parts of the
crop is gone. In the same field where several portions
of the crop have been covered by trees, not a top of the
potato is touched, all the rest being totally black,
Notts, Sept. 11, 1846. BASSETLAW.

PROGRESS OF THE NEW PALACE.—In the House of
Lords, to which, more particularly, attention is now di-
rected, the works are making rapid progress. The ceil.
ing and upper part of the walls are finished, and carvers
and joiners are occupied in every corner of the place in
fixing the wainscot fittings, both in the House and
lobbies. Those in the former aro most elaborately
carved out of the solid, and reflect great credit on the
workmen. The decorations will be gorgeous—dazzling.
The ceiling, formed into deeply-sunk panels, is covered
with gold and colours. Under each wall-piece, from
principal timbers, is a sculptured canopy and niche,
solidly gilt, where finished, between which occur the
windows, to be filled with stained glass (six on each
side) and compartments for fresco.
I ICURIOITS APPLICATION TO A MAGISTRATE.—At
Clerkenwell Police-court on Tuesday, an old woman, a
fruitseller, who had been deprived of her basket by the
police, applied to the magistrate to give her 2s. to buy a
new one, as her only. means of support was selling fruit.
Mr. Combo, the magistrate, ordered an officer to go with
her to the workhouse to make inquiries into her case.
METROPOLITAN FREE HOSPITAL.--The Lord
Mayor, as one of the Vice-Presidents of the Metropoli-
tan Free Hospital, in Carey-street, Lincoln's Inn-fields,
will take the chair at the anniversary festival, to be held
at the Freemasons' Tavern, on the 17th instant. His
Royal Highness Prince Albert, and his Royal Highness
the Duke of Cambridge, are the Presidents of this very
useful institution, which is situated in a densely popu-
lated neighbourhood, where hospital accommodation is
very limited. In this institution, as that in Gray's Inn-
road, no letter of recommendation is necessary, and
every sick poor applicant is admitted. The hospital has
been opened for nine years, during which time upwards
of 70,500 patients have been under medical treatment,
and the number last year was 9,989.
POST-OFFICE ARRANGEMENTS.—The inhabitants of
the south-eastern suburban districts of the metropolis
were most agreeably surprised on Thursday morning by
receiving their country letters before nine o'clock, instead
of as heretofore, between ten and eleven, or even later.
This alteration will give great satisfaction, and add ma-
terially to the convenience and interest of large numbers
engaged in business.
STEAM-BOAT ACCIDENT.—On Thursday night,
about nine o'clock, as the Locomotive, from Hampton-
court, was discharging at the pier near London-bridge, a
large freight of men, women, and children, the Sons of
the Thames, a Gravesend steamer, ran foul of her, and
one of the passengers was knocked overboard by the
concussion. He was saved with great difficulty, and
taken ashore in a most exhausted state. The rudder
was completely torn away, and the collision excited great
alarm among the passengers.
In 1820 there were 51,014 acres of land employed
in hop cultivation ; in 1830, 45,426 acres ; and in 1840,
only 40,000.

EFFECTS OF RAILWAYS.—The extensive range of
stabling and coachhouses attached to the Bell and
Crown Inn, Holborn, are being converted into dwelling
places, the introduction of railways having taken all the
coaches off the road that used to stop at this inn,
NEWSPAPER CORRESPONDENTS.—AssuredIy they
are a curious class ; but we have seldom received a richer
communication than the following, which we print ver-
batim et literatim :—" Sir,—when I send you anything I
should Like you to print it nearly the same and not to
do as you did respecting the anneversity of the odd
fellows Such blunders is not approved off"—Notting-
ham Journal.

RAIL WAY INTELLIGENCE.
MANCHESTER AND SOUTHAMPTON.
A meeting was held on Thursday afternoon, at the
Town-hall, Rclasey, in pursuance of a requisition to the
Mayor, signed by a large number of the inhabitants.
The Mayor, Mr. PEPPER, commented at some length
on the prejudicial effects the rejection of the Bill would
have on the business of the town.

Alderman GEORGE said he had attended the Commit-
tee of the House of Commons to which the Bill on this
railway had been referred; that Committee had devoted
46 days to the patient investigation of every detail con-
rected with the proposed line, and, reported favourably
of the scheme. The Bill had been referred to a Commit-
tee of the House of Lords, composed of five Peers, who,
after four days of hasty examination, set aside all that had
been so cautiously attended to by the Committee of the
House of Commons. No line more consistent was brough t
forward, though opposing counsel did designate it to
their Lordships as a bubble line, and unable to be car-
ried out should the Bill be obtained. His own opinion,
and that of commercial men in general, was, that
there is no line out of the metropolis that would com-
mand a greater amount of traffic. Let any one refer to
the map, and it would be found that t',e route taken by
the Manchester and Southampton Railway had a very
superior degree of importance. The fact of its embrac-
ing the whole of the manufacturing districts would en-
sure a large traffic, the goods from whence would be
greatly delayed by the Great Western branches in com-
parison to this line. Not only Ramsey, but every town
on the road would be great sufferers.
Mr. C. J. TYLER felt that the loss of this line would
be of the most serious consequences.
Mr. W. STEAD said he was greatly surprised at the
decision of the Lords, after the successes already ob-
tained. Unless the Bill passed, they would be entirely
shut out from the north, but if obtained, the ancient
trade of the town would not only be revived, but greatly
extended.
Mr. CoLcorr, in seconding this resolution, gave it
his most cordial good wishes; but would be glad to be
informed how the directors stood with regard to funds.
Alderman GEORGE said that they had nearly sufficient
in hand to go again before the Legislature. A meeting
of shareholders would take place on Tuesday next, when
any one wishing to withdraw, by announcing their inten-
tion, might do so, and receive a fair proportion of the
balance in hand.

GLASGOW, KILMARNOCK, AND AYR.
GLASGOW, THURSDAY AFTERNOON.--The 19th half-
yearly meeting was held this afternoon in the apart-
ments of the company in Bridge-street. Mr. James
M'Call, of Daldowie, the chairman of the directors, in
the chair.

Mr. J. F. SMITH, the secretary, read the report, from
which we make the following extracts :—" The traffic
account shows that the revenue for the half-year ending
the 31st of July last, amounts to 55,1914 12s. 7d.,
being an increase of more than 8,000/. above
the receipts of the corresponding period of last
ear, and leaving a fiee balance of 32,266/. 13s. 3d.
The expenses are greater this half year, in
consequence chiefly of several additional trains having
been run between Glasgow, Ayr, and Kilmarnock, for
the better accommodation of the public. The prices of
the different articles necessary for the working of the
traffic, together with the wages paid to mechanics, &c.,
still continue at a high rate. Your directors are prepared
to recommend you now to declare a dividend at the rate
of seven per cent. per annum, under deduction of income-
tax, payable on 21st September next ; for this purpose,
they place at your disposal the sum of 34,079/. ls. 6d.,
leaving a balance on hand of 1,5541. 3s. Sd., which has
been carried to the credit of next half year's account.
In terms of the resolutions under which the 401. shares
were created, this stock now participates in the general
dividend, according to the amount paid up ; and on this
occasion the sum due is 9s. per share. The works re-
quired by the alterations on the Kilmarn-Jck and Troon
line are proceeding satisfactorily, and it is confidently
anticipated that the railway will be opened for traffic in
November next. The calls on the 40/. shares have been
well responded to, and there are no engagements under-
taken by this Company which are, under any circum-
stances, likely to affect its prosperity."
The CHAIRMAN, after some general remarks on the
report, proposed the usual resolutions, such as fixing the
half-yearly dividend at seven per cent., &c., which were
agreed to.

-Mr. STENHOUSE then stated, that at a former period,
when the line only paid a revenue of 2i per cent., the
directors had reduced their annual allowance from 6004
to 4001. per annum. Now, in the period of their pros-
perity, he moved that the allowance be again 6001. per
annum.

Mr. CLAPPERTON seconded the motion, which was
unanimously agreed to.
The CHAIRMAN then moved a series of resolutions,
the purport of which was, that the sum of 703,125/.
should be raised by the creation of 28,125 new shares of
251. each, the first instalment of 21. 10s. to be paid on
the 19th of October next. This sum was necessary to
complete the new works for which Acts had been ob-
tained.