The Sun.
London, England, 1834-11-19 00:00:00

COMMITTEE OF WATCHFULNESS.

Last night the Committee named at thg Crown and An-
chor Tavern Sunday evening meeting, to watch the progress
of events on the removal of the Melbourne and Brougham Ad-
ministration, and if the parties named for the new Adminis-
tration should render such a step requisite, to adopt measures
for the convening of a public meeting to deliberate on what
ought to be done, or what sentiments avowed, in such a
crisis. An advertisement that appeared in our journal, as
well as elsewhere, summoned that Committee to meet at

the Crown and Anchor Tavern, on Monday evening at eight
o'clock ; but the advertisement was " so worded as to lead
to a misunderstanding of it," as Mr. Buller expressed it, and
to collect not the Committee only, but an immense num-
ber of people. What took place thereupon was fully re-
ported in yesterday's Sun ; that meeting was adjourned
and the Committee met last night at Radley's Hote-
Bridge-street.—There was a full attendance of members

!mbers.
Mr. 'WAKEFIELD (the barrister) was unanimously called

to the chair.
The minutes of the last meeting liming been read and
adopted, and some other routine business disposed of,
The CHAIRMAN addressed the meeting, stating that they
had assembled chiefly for two purposes : first, to consider
what resolutions should be adopted to be submitted to the
public meeting, the convening of which had been deter-
mine i upon ; and second, when and where the said puble
meeting should be held. Either might be considered first
—the order was of little consequence, though he suggested
that perhaps the better course would be to consider the re-
solutions first, in order to ascertain whether they had reso-
lutions which they could propose and ought to propose ;
-end then determine when and where they would convene
the public meeting.—(Hear, hear.) It appearing to be
the opinion of the meeting that the resolutions should be
first read, he would adopt that course, and forthwith pro•
ceed to read them ; he must premise, however, that they
had been prepared by a sub-Committee on the preceding
evening. He should read them through, and then take
the opinions of the Committee on them. The Chairman
was proceeding to read the proposed Resolutions accor-
dingly, I when—
The Rev. Mr. Fox interposed. He said, he rose not for
the purpose of throwing any impediment in the way of their
proceedings, nor of complaining of the presence of any Par-
ticular parties ; but to remind them that this was a preli-
minary meeting, and a meeting of the Committee only ; in
order that they might determine whether it was their wish
that accounts of these preliminary proceedings, and of the
resolutions to be proposed at the public meetings, should ge
before the public. He mentioned the circumstance thus
early, because he perceived that there were gentlemen con-
nected with the public press present, and who, of course,
would give some report, perhaps, full reports of all that
took place—resolutions and all—unless some intimation
were given that such preliminary was not desired. Was
that the wish of the Committee ? He thought it would
have a curious appearance to see the resolutions in all the
public papers previously to their being proposed to the pub-
lic meeting ; besides the discussion of them, and, perhaps,
on resolutions that it might be decided on not to propose to
the public meeting. Without meaning to dictate, be
thought it right to call the attention of the Committee to
the circumstance.—( Hear.)
Mr. Meanly said that he could not see any objection to
the presence of the reporters, and to their remaining ; nor
to their giving some account of the proceedings, as he
thought they might safely rely on the good sense of the re-
porters not to publish the resolutions previously to their
proposal at the public meeting.
A good deal of conversation followed, which it is unne-
cessary to detail.
Mr. WAKEFIELD eventually submitted that the best
course to pursue would perhaps be, to declare the fact that
the meeting was a private one, and that it was a meeting of
the Committee only.—(Hear.) A partial publication of the
proceedings would be very unsatisfactory ; and again, though
some might promise not to publish the resolutions, others
might give accounts of them, in order to render the report
full and intelligible. It, therefore, might be most satisfactory
to all parties, and the best way of extricating themselves
from the difficulty, as it would undoubtedly have a very
awkward appearance to see the resolutions in all the papers
previously to their being proposed to the meeting to be con-
vened, to declare this meeting a private one, and a meeting
of the Committee only for the arrangement of preliminary
business.—(Hear, hear.) This, he collected, was the sense
of the Committee.—( Hear, hear.) Such being the deci-
sion of the Committee, he hoped that no offence would be
taken by those gentlemen of the press who were present
and ready to give publicity to the proceedings—no offence
was meant—(Hear, hear)—indeed, he trusted that they
would promptly admit the propriety of the decision.—( Hear.)
The Reporters then immediately retired, on the intimation
that the meeting was a meeting of 4. the Committee only,"
and that they considered it a " private" meeting for the
consideration of preliminary matters, &c. The Committee
then forthwith resumed the consideration of the resolu-

tions.
[lt was mentioned in conversation that the public niec

ing will be fixed for Friday; but notice of that fact will be
duly announced in advertisements.]

TO THE REFORMERS OF GREAT BRITAIN.

REFORMERS OF GREAT BRITAIN !

Your work is but half accomplish ed. Ere a liberal Ad-
ministration could, through innumerable impediments, effect
a thorough renovation of your institutions, the powers of
Government have been snatched from their hands. A Mi-
litar3, Chieftain is again set over you. This man, though
mighty in the field of battle, is mean iri capacity as a states-
man. While formerly directing the Councils of his Sove-
reign, he was chiefly eminent for acting in the very teeth of
principles which he had all his life professed. Is such a
man fit to govern a nation like this ? or is there an honest
individual who can trust him ? The whole energies of the
British people should rouse themseh,es to hurl him from the
seat which he now so unworthily occupies. No one disputes
his talents for military command. But what have these to
do with civil government, or sway ing the domestic affairs
of such a country as ours ?
In this eventful crisis you must rouse yourselves. Do
not expect to accomplish your ends by half measures.
Promptitude and resolution are required of all. Your ene-
mies are vigilant and powerful, and. there are some who,
under the mask of friendship to you, are evidently prepared
to join them for their own base purposes. That most
corrupt of public journals, the Times, already announces
its intention. It not only does this, but in its arti-
cles of this day, it presumes to lecture the people for as-
sembling at such an important moment to deliberate on
the steps to be taken to avert the impending danger. This
is the same profligate writer who, when it suited his own
interests, raised a ferment from one end of the country to
the other against the Duke of Wellington and the Tories,
and actually instigated the people to the use of brickbats
and bludgeons in their election col 'tests. He now, at the
very outset, sneers at your efforts to overthrow the attempt
of the same faction to regain their power. You must be
silent and motionless at the bidding of the Times. Will
you patiently bear to be thbs schooled into submission by
such a profligate newspaper as this ? Now, mark me,
fellow Reformers, that paper will prove your most formida-
ble and vindictive antagonist, unleEs you combine with one
determined effort to crush its power ? Be kut firm and
united, and you may accomplish the task. My advice to
you is this. Let not a single meeting be held in this great
metropolis on the subject that now engrosses all minds,
without a resolution being proposed to the effect, that every
individual present shall solemnly pledge himself rigidly to
abstain from reading The Times. If the Reformers are
true to themselves, they will not separate without such a
pledge, nor will they in a single instance violate it. The
same feeling will spread throughout 4very town and village
in the country, and the journalist shall soon be made to feel
that the British people are more powerful than the The
Times. You have the remedy in your own hands and may
soon extract the fangs of this vicious monster. It is a simple
one, too, which may be easily used by all, and which a mo-
ment's reflection will show you the value of. Let the propo-
sition be once made, and it will spread like wildfire through
the land. This will show a determination on your part which
the Tory faction will tremble to encounter. Let it be done.
I am your faithful friend,
A BROTHER REFORMER,
AND A HATER OF TORYISM.
Lambeth, November 18.

To the EDITOR of the MORNING ADVERTISER.
SIR,—You say you have nailed your flag to the mast—
it is the mast of Reform. Thank God the people have
one friend left—one honest advocate. The Tories are
at their old game—deluding, deceiving, bribing, for the
purpose of preventing the true expression Of public
sentiment.
If the people are now quiescent, it will be said the
Whigs, and consequently all liberal feelings, are extinct.
If they are divided amongst themselves, and we see Whig
opposed to Radical, what has the Duke to fear ?
If they are united, up, awake, stirring,—making known
their sentiments by resolutions, meetings, addresses, and
unanimous sentiments, they must conquer.
The dismissal of the Ministers is an insult to the nation,
from whatever quarter it may have come. It is a procla-
mation that liberal principles, and reform in Church and
State, is obnoxious to the Tories and to the Court.
It calls for the strongest, the most marked, the most de-
cided, the most continued reprobation, from every Whig and
every Radical, every friend to his country and to Reform.
. Will the country submit to military domination ? Are
the people prepared to see Reform blighted—the Church,
and its corruptions continued—corporations and their bane-
ful influence preserved ; or are they anxious to see the nation
in the full enjoyment of political rights, and reform effected
in law, church, and state ?
But it is said, and mark the delusion ! the Duke will ex-
tend Reform ! will give Vote by Ballot ! will shorten the
duration of Parliament ! will purge the Corporations ! will
purify the Church ! will abolish Church rates ! will give ad-
mission to the Dissenters to the national Universities ! and
will effect an economical arrangement in all departments of
the State ! credal judTus.
And why is this said ? Simply because he proposed and
carried Catholic emancipation in opposition to his former
sentiments.
Let it be observed, he has opposed all the former mea-
sures. He cannot grant them without being guilty of the
foulest apostacy. if he is prepared to do so—to say he
will—u hat confidence can be placed in him upon any other
matter ?
A few flattering words and Court promises will be given.
and Reform, in all its branches, will be forgotten. It will
be the Duke and Military government—the Duke and
Toryism--the Duke and no concession to just claims—the
Duke and absolute power—the Duke and no Reform.
Up, then, people of England, in an honest and constitu-
tional manner—be active—be awake and stirring—for if
your liberties are not gone, they are at least in danger.
Nov. 18, 1834. A RADICAL WHIG.

" A NY. 'rative of a Voyage to the Southern A
lantic Ocean, performed in his Majesty's sloop Chanticleer, by
Command of the Lcrds Commissioners of the Admiralty," is
just published. The results of this voyage, which occupied
more than three years, are of a highly important description,
not only to geograplical science, but to our general knowledge
of the wonders of nature and the state of man, in little known
and uncivilized lands. The adventurous voyagers traversed
the most boisterous seas, and sojourned in every clime, from
the Equator to the Pole, having made a series of excessively
interesting pendulum experiments to ascertain the true figure
of the earth, and determined the longitudes by chronometrical
observations. But the researches of Captain Foster and his
officers were not confined to mere science ; their enterprise
led them into wild and unknown regions, and, while it involved
them in striking adventures (now vividly pourtrayed), enabled
the writer to enrich his work with new and remarkable facts
in natural history. The • volumes present one of the most
varied and amusing narratives ever givers to the curiosity of the
public.
CHINA AND ITS TRADE.—The superficial area of
China is about 1,298,000 square miles. The defensive military
resources of this vast empire have generally been supposed to
be proportioned to its population and extent, but the great wall
on the Tartar frontier, about which we have been always hear-
ing so much, is wholly inadequate to resist modern tactics. On
the east its ports are open to any petty maritime power. and
the country through many of its rivers perfectly defenceless.
China is intersected by an infinity of canals, all of which are con-
nected with navigable rivers, so that the natural advantages in
some measure compensate for the absence of an improving
spirit. So extensive a kingdom must possess almost every
possible variety of climate ; but it is on the whole much colder
than any western territory in the same degree of latitude. The
produce of its soil in variety and quality is inferior to that of
Europe. Rice is the principal article of cultivation ; fruit and
vegetables are not numerous, and are all indigenous, owing to
the jealousy of adopting anything foreign. The potatoe is un-
known to the native, as is also our bread, though wheat is par-
tially grown. Tea is not common to all provinces, though
cultivated in many.—Monthly Magazine.
" VILLAGE REMINISCENCES."—Much amuse-
ment might natarally have been anticipated from the relation
of an " Old Maid's " experience. On arriving at a certain age
the lady who obtains this distinction, in nine cases out of ten,
busies herself with the affairs of her neighbours. Is any
elopement likely to take place within twenty miles round,
the old maid is sure to know something about it ; have
certain glances been exchanged between Mr. Brown and
Amelia Tomkins, the old maid predicts it to be the fore-
runner of a tender connexion ; have any disagreements occur-
red in such a family, the old maid alone knows the occasion of
them. We can imagine nothing more entertaining than to
listen to the gossip and the thousand and one anecdotes re-
lated by an " Old Maid," and are not surprised that so ad-
mirable a subject for the delineation of the comic and the hu-
morous, should have been chosen by the present lively writer.
We predict, therefore, that these " Village Reminiscences"
will be extensively read. They complete the picture of " Our
Village," by Miss Mitford.
PERSIAN GEOGRAPHY.—The following curious
extract has been sent us by a friend. It is translated from a
Persian work, entitled " Jamaattowarikh," or Universal His-
tory, by Rashid-ad-din, who commenced it in the year of the
Hijrah 714 ( A.D. 1314.) " Ireland (Irlanda) is an island
in the middle of the ocean. From the excellence of its soil,
poisonous reptiles and rats are not produced upon it. The
people are long-lived, red-haired, tall, strong, and brave.
There is a fountain of water there, into which if a piece of
wood is thrown, in the course of one week its surface becomes
stone. The larger island is called England (Ingleterra). In
it is a mountain which has numerous mines of gold, silver,
copper, lead, and iron. Fruit trees are abundant. Amongst
the wonders of that land is a tree which produces birds. It is
thus : at the time of blossom a sort of bag appears upon the
tree ; within this the bird is attached by its beak. When the
fruit is ripe, the bird makes a hole with its beak and comes
out. They keep it two years, by which time it grows to the
size of a goose or a duck. It is the common meat of the peo-
ple of that country. In both these islands there are sheep,
from the wool of which they make cyprus and scarlet cloths.
The king of both these islands is called Scotland. "—Athenaeum.

FIRE AT THE BENEDICTINE CONVENT AT
HAMMERSMITH, AND LOSS OF LIFE.

About a quarter before five o'clock yesterday morning
an alarming fire broke out in the above nunnery, in King-
street, near the Broadway, Hammersmith.
It was discovered by some of the sisters, whose sleeping
rooms were on the second floor, who on rising felt their
apartments very hot, and on going into the gallery perceived
a strong smell of fire. They immediately gave an alarm,
and ran over to the house of Mr. Gomme, an auctioneer,
residing opposite, who instantly got up and with others of
the neighbours, who had also been alarmed, proceeded to
their assistance. On entering the yard of the building
they discovered the smoke issuing from a large wash-house
on the ground floor, and on opening the door found a
number of clothes-horses and a large quantity of linen in
flames. They also found that the room above, which was
occupied by Miss Margaret Bosville, an aged lady, who
had resided there for years as a boarder, was on fire. On
going up stairs to her room, the furniture and :flooring of
which was blazing furiously; the beat was so great the
were at first compelled to retreat, but there happily being a
plentiful supply of water, the fire was, after much exertion,
sufficiently subdued to allow them to enter the room,
when a melancholy spectacle presented itself, the body of
the old lady being found, burnt in a most shocking manner,
nothing remaining of her but the head, the upper part of
her body from the chest, and the bone of her left leg, from
the knee downward, the foot, with the stocking and shoe,
being untouched. The other parts of the body, which were
burnt to a cinder, had fallen with the flooring, &c., into the
washhouse beneath. It is supposed Miss Bosville, who was
84 years of age, had got out of bed and gone to a chest of
drawers which stood between the windows, and the flame
from her candle had either communicated to her night-
dress, or to the contents of the drawers, which, in her en-
deavours to extinguish the flames, she had pulled over her.
The Hammersmith engine was shortly in attendance, but
owing to the praiseworthy exertions of the neighbours, aided
by a large party of police of the T division, its services
were not required. Throughout yesterday the Convent
was visited by a large number of persons from town, &c.,
who had beard of the melancholy occurrence. An inquest
will be held on the remains this day. We understand the
premises arc insured in the Royal Exchange Fire Office.
The following particulars of the Convent may not prove
uninteresting to some of our readers :
" The Convent of English Benedictines is said by tradi-
tion to have existed before the Reformation, and escaped
the general destruction of religious houses from its want
of endowment ; it was re-established in the reign of Charles

11., and took its rise from the following circumstance :
In the year 1669, Mrs. Bedingfield, a relation of the first
Baronet of that family, in conjunction with another lady,
set up a boarding-school at Hammersmith. for young
ladies of the Roman Catholic persuasion. This school
had been previously established in St. Martin's-lane, and
was removed to Hammersmith on account of the retired
situation and salubrity of the air. There are forty
young ladies educated there. Soon after its institution,
the governesses and teachers having voluntarily obliged
themselves to the observance of monastic rules, it ob-
tained the name of a nunnery, which it still keeps up, many
devotees having from time to time taken the veil, and
doomed themselves to voluntary seclusion. The convent is
of considerable magnitude, and is approached from the en-
trance by an arcade, in imitation of cloisters. In a small
room are portraits of Mrs. Bedingfield and a lady, the first
foundresses. At the eastern extremity is the chapel, which
was rebuilt in the year 1811, at the expense of 1,600/.,
which was defrayed by voluntary subscriptions. It is a
handsome edifice, about 50 feet long and 24 feet wide ;
there are eight windows bordered with stained glass, which
produce a good effect. There is a large garden behind, the
upper part of which is parted off for a burial-ground, the
stones of which are laid fiat on the turf. At the east end
of the burial-ground stands an ancient wooden cross, about
five feet high, on which is represented, in 24 compartments,
the passion of our Saviour. This relic was brought from
France, and is held in great veneration by the inmates.