The Sun.
London, England, 1846-11-23 00:00:00

OPENING THE PORTS.

On Saturday, at half-past four o'clock, according to
previous appointment, Lord John Russell received, at
his official residence, the members of four different
deputations, appointed at recent metropolitan meetings;
got up in favour of opening the ports to the free admis -
sion of foreign food, and at which memorials were agreed
to be presented to his Lordship by the deputations in
question. The meetings referred to were held in the
Borough, at the London Tavern, the Crown and Anchor,
the Riding School, and John-street Institution, in the
parish of St. Pancras. Mr. Lea Stephens was entrusted
with the Borough memorial, the Rev. W. Stoddart with
the one from the Crown and Anchor, and Dr. Bird and
Mr. Alexander Campbell were entrusted with the others.
In addition, there were present Mr. Charles Cochrane,
Mr. Knighten, Mr, Ellis, and Mr. Savage. His Lordship
received the deputation with his usual urbanity, and
having requested them to be seated, the different memo-
rials were presented in succession.
Mr. Cochrane, as the spokesman of the deputation,
impressed on his Lordship the importance in the present
state of the country, and, with every prospect of a
famine, the necessity of conceding to the prayer of the
memorialists. He cited a number of instances in which
the greatest privations had been suiThred through the
high price of provisions, and especially recalled to his
Lordship's recollection his declaration contained in his
address to the city of London, delivered about this time
last year. His Lordship, having listened with great
attention, said that should there be any emergency
requiring extraordinary measures, he would be prepared
to advise his colleagues to adopt them, and when Par-
liament met he would be prepared to justify his conduct.
Mr. Cochrane expressed himself dissatisfied, and wished
nii Lordship to be more precise in what he would con-
sider "an extraordinary emergency," but his Lordship
said that he could give no further explanation. The
deputation then withdrew.

THE ROYAL SOCIETY AND M. LEVERRIER.—We
hear, with pleasure, that the council of the Royal So-
ciety have awarded the Copley medal to M. Leverrier,
for his investigations relating to the disturbances of
tUhrearnatipsi.dity ofThls prompt action of a body not famous for
its movements in the distribution of ho-
nours, will do much to remove from the minds of French
philosophers the suspicion of English scientific jealousy
or unfairness, and to silence the French newspaper
writers who so scandalously assumed them.—Athemeuni.
CAUTION.—BA D HALF- SOVER EIGNS.—The public
should be on their guard against the passers of bad
money. A number of bad halt'-sovereigns, composed of
a sort of metal resembling zinc and gilded by the elec-
tro-plating process, are now in circulation. They are
not easily to be detected by the ring,
.and they are well
executed. The deficiency of their weight, however, im-
mediately shows they are counterfeits.
.THE AIURDERESS OF THE - POLICEMAN.—It is
rather an extraordinary fact connected with the case,
that when the murderess after committing the deed,
rent in a fly to the statiun-house for the piirposo of
surrendering herself, she was driven there by her os n
brother ; the sergeant who received her was her, step-
father ; and the housekeeper at the station-house was
her own mother.—Bristol Times.