The Sun.
London, England, 1834-01-09 00:00:00

CORTES BONDS.

Some gentlemen who form part of the Committee of
Spanish Bondholders, had an interview last week with
the Chevalier de Vial, the new Ambassador from the
Spanish Court, at which some friendly discussion took
place relative to the claims of the English creditors under
the Cortes loans, the views entertained by the creditors as
to compensation, and the probability of those views being
met by the Spanish Government. The whole of the
conversation was strictly unofficial, the Ambassador dis-
tinctly stating that he had no authority to confer with
them on this subject, and the members of the committee
being also without instructions from the body at large ;
but the purport of it necessarily interests so many persons,
that it becomes highly proper to make it more generally
known. The objects of the deputation were to show the
impolicy of the course pursued by Spain with respect to
financial matters ; the validity of the claims, over and
over again established, of the bondholders; the fairness
of the loans made with the Cortes, proof being
offered of their being as favourable as the early
loans with France under less critical circumstances, and
of the extent of the remittances under them to Spain ;
to state the distressed situation of hundreds of English
families, original subscribers to those loans, and reduced
to poverty by the bad faith of Ferdinand ; and, finally,
to urge the Chevalier de Vial to make a forcible repre-
sentation to his Court of all these circumstances, and to
claim on their behalf the relief sought. Their reception
was extremely kind and encouraging, and the Ambassador
undertook without delay to transmit to his Court the
particulars of the interview. On being pressed to state
the nature of the arrangement which would, in the opi •
nion of the deputation, be acceptable to the bondholders,
they intimated their belief that they would be satisfied
with a recognition of the debt ; the payment of interest
immediately at the rate of 3 instead of 5 per cent. ; an i
a funding of the arrears of interest in a S per cent. de-
ferred stock, on which interest should become payable at
the end of tea years. The conversation, which was tf
some length, turned on various other matters, only worth
notice as proving that Spain is now represented at this
Court by a man who entertains just and enlightened views
of the policy which ought to be pursued in this ques-
tion ; that the English creditors are placed in a very dif-
ferent situation by the death of Ferdinand, and that
they may feel morally certain of having their claims
favourably entertained by the Queen's Government. The
state of the country may delay the final settlement, and
the condition of its finances may make it fall short of
their actual claims, but that they must, at no great dis-
tance of time, be finally disposed of, seems all but certain.
The restoration of Spanish credit, now that the dispo-

(Continued from The Sun of yesterday.)
Mr. Williams stated, that at a -Court, held on the 19th
December last, a motion was made to the effect that the
officers of the Corporation might give evidence to the
King's Commissioners in the present inquiry. This motion
was adopted, yet the Lord Mayor refused to put it, and
did not dissolve the Court, as had been stated was the
practice, but directed that other business should be pro-
ceeded with. The motion was altered, and again put, after
considerable confusion bad taken place, and the amended
resolution shared the same fate with its predecessor.

Mr. Woodthorpe believed that the first resolution was
withdrawn.

Mr. Williams was of a different opinion.
Mr. Woodtborpe, in continuation, stated that the Lord
Mayor might refuse to put a motion, if he considered it
improper, until a motion is put by the Recorder. The
Lord Mayor may refuse to sanction it, and so pass to other
business. Such was exactly the case cited by Mr.
Williams.
Mr. Pritchard contended that this was not the fact.

Mr.Woodthorpe said, that in points touching regularity
or irregularity the Lord Mayor had the chief power, and
could stop any motion, but it was at his peril.
Mr. Pritchard had a very different view of the case.
The Lord Mayor stood in the same position with the
Common Council as his Majesty in Parliament; otherwise
the Lord Mayor would possess absolute power.
Mr. Woodthorpe never knew a Chief Magistrate ac-
tuated by private feeling refuse to put a question. There
were, however, instances of questions, not of order merely,
being rejected b) the Lord Mayor for the time being. The
Court of Common Council did not possess exclusively
the power over the funds of the City, although that body
exercised, to an unlimited extent, the power of drawing
on the City funds for the purposes of the City ; this
power had been so exercised for the last century. There
were no City officers absolutely under the control of
the Court of Common Council. 13y.laws for the
government of the Companies may be framed by the
Court of Common Council, should the particular Companies
desiring the by-laws present petitions to that effect. He
was not aware that the Court of Aldermen bad the power
of drawing on the city funds in consequence of an order
of Common Council ; such an order might exist. Two
hat
thundred
Commonye arsc agoou an
Council
il should order was
be
e consulted,passed
consenteffect t
ob-
Lined, before any money should be disbursed out of the
chamber. The Court of Aldermen was the executive
government of the city, in which capacity it had a treasury
and power over the funds thereof. The Common Coun-
cil had the right of applying the common seal to all
instruments where it was required. The Common Coun-
cil had had this power since 1778. Previous to that pc -
clod the power was vested in the Court of Aldermen. It
is now affixed by order of a court of Common Council. It
is kept in a chest having three locks and keys. One key
is kept by the Lord Mayor, one by the Court of Aldermen,
or one of its members; and the other by the Court of Com-
mon Council, or one of its members. It was by an order of
the Court of Aldermen that this power became vested in
the Common Council. Before the change, the seal was
affixed by the Court of Aldermen, the officer presenting
the instrument being in some degree responsible for its
contents. At the period he bad mentioned Alderman
Harley, he believed it was, who, from some cause or other,
threw down the key of the chest in a fit of passion. A
Member of the Common Council took it up, and said be
should never hold it again. This circumstance occasioned
the change in the keeping of the Common Seal, the legend
on it is—" Sigillam Baronum Londiniarum." The Seal
is usually affixed by the Town Clerk, and the docquets
recorded in the minutes of the Court. He did not say
that the Court of Common Council had not the power
of refusing the Seal.
Mr. Galloway observed that there were many cases of
such refusal.
The Court then adjourned.

STEEPLE CHASE AT ASHBORNE.—MateIt
for 1001.—Friday a Steeple Chase came off over the Ash-
borne course, two miles, between Captain Barton's mare
and Captain Dawson's horse, both of the 14th Light Dra.
goons—.the mare ridden by Mr. Knox, of the sth Dragoon
Guards ; the horse by Captain Deltne. On arriving at
Ashborne much difficulty ensued in procuring the course,
and poles to mark it out could not be found ; however,
owing to the suggestion of some of the gentlemen, it was
agreed the horses should start and have their own line,
giving them an object to run to and return. Both horses
went away at a furious pace, the mare taking a good lead,
when at the fifth fence she rushed so furiously that she
came on her bead, but was quickly pulled on her legs by
her rider, and again went away; she again came down
crossing a stubble-field, was again pulled and kept her
place, but was evidently much blown and abroad ; in
attempting to leap a river she was unable to clear it, and
went in. Captain Delme's horse cantered over the course
and won easily.—Derby Paper.
On Tuesday last we were visited by a dread-
ful storm of wind and rain, which continued without
intermission during the greater part of the day. We much
fear that severe losses at sea must have occurred from the
heavy squalls, which have been productive of so much
damage on land. One of the pinnacles of St. Thomas's
church, on Brampton Moor, was blown down and fell on
the roof, which it perforated, and split one of the main
timbers. The pinnacle had been secured to the tower b y
an iron bolt of great strength, which it brought away wit'i
it, and, after damaging the roof, it fell to the ground.
The pinnacle of the church in Dailey Dale, on which
was placed the weather vane, was also blown down. In-
numerable windows were blown in, and much damag's
was done to the roofs of houses and other buildings by the
falling of chimneys, &c. At Park Hall, near Barlborough,
the residence of Mrs. Chandos Pole, one of the chimneys
was blown down, and about 40 large trees in the neigh-
bourhood of B. Bowden, Esq., of Southgate House, were
levelled to the ground by the violence of the wind. At
Stockport the interposition of Divine Providence has been
signally manifest in one instance. In St. Peter's-gate, the
residence of Dr. Turner, a stack of chimneys was blown
down. It crushed in the roof, and made its way through
the floors to the apartments below, where the family, with
several visitere, were about to sit down to dinner ; and
although several articles of furniture were destroyed, nut
one of the party was injured. We have nut heal CI of any
p,rsonal injury having been sustained,—Derblisbire
Courier.

BRUSSELS PAPERS.

A list of candidates is drawing up for the distribution
of Crosses of the Order of Leopold among the Civic
Guards of Brussels.

GHENT, Jew. 6.—Some of the workmen of Ghent have
to-day returned to their work in the manufactories of
Messrs. Poelman, de Coek, and Bast de Hert. The others
continue to bold out against the reduction of wages, and
guards are still stationed at the above manufactories.
A Flemish pamphlet, with a plan of an association, is
circulated among the workmen of Ghent, and is in the
hands of all the heads of manufactories. The object is to
establish for the workmen of each manufactory, a fund for
the relief of the sick, the disabled, and unetnployed, as
well as for their widows and orphans.

The town of Namur has just paid 'Cue 14,000 fsdnes
to
M. E. Coppeaux, being the sum adjudged to him by the
tribunal of that town for the. damage kne to his property
in the riots of 1831.

Mr. J. Cookenl: addressed to the journals a protest in
consequence rf, the publication of the list of persons who
received knds from the late Government, in which his
name inserted as having had large sums. Every body,
says Mr. C., knows that the Government of the Nether-
lands became my partner, and also that the Government
'which proceeded from the revolution tnok the place of a
partner, and to which lam bound by contract. It was
not, therefore, the house of John Cockerell, but the
partnership with the Government that received the funds.
A Flemish Journal of Antwerp, of the 4th, entertained
its readers with an account of an insurrection at Utrecht,
and thence proceeded reports of troubles in various parts
of Holland. It is now become the general subject of con-
versation, but little credit was attached to it. Nei-
ther the letters -nor the newspapers that have been
received from Hr,lland say a word of such an event.—
Brussels Papers, Jan. 8.