The Sun.
London, England, 1834-01-25 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JCURNALS.

The Tory* papers, we remark, are glorifying,
themselves and their Conservative brethren, be-
yond measure, because of a meeting of clergy-
men, supported by some respectable laymen of
the Church of England, which has been held at
Cheltenham, for the general purpose, as it
would seem, of defending that venerable ,
esta-
blishment against the attacks of " its enemies."
It has been our sincere and earnest endeavour to
add our mite of protection to that afforded by
other disinterested friends of the Established
Church, as we have proved by a number of ar-
ticles to which we gave the most anxious consi-
deration, and the largest portion of time that
we were in any manner enabled to withdraw from
the mass of subjects which must inevitably press
upon the minds of daily journalists. In the
proceedings of the clerico-lay meeting at Chel-
tenham, we have looked for matter whereof to
avail ourselves on behalf of the common cause,
—namely, the defence of whatever is tenable in
the temporal fabric of the Church of England,
but we have been severely disappointed. The
Rev. Gentlemen who assumed the chief part in
the proceedings appear to have shown extra-
ordinary solicitude for the frustration of pur-
poses which few or none amongst the whole
body of church reformers entertain, and for the
prevention therefore of non-existing dangers.
They, generous and magnanimous Ministers,
pass by those questions by which the rest of the
world are agitated ; they breathe not a syllable
about commutation of tithe, about abolition
of church sinecures, about the exorbitancy
of some preferments, and the inadequacy of
others, or the enormity of some episcopal
revenues, as compared with those which would
best become a bishop, or the inefficiency to
all religious purposes of the corporations of
" dean and chapter," or the nuisance of plu-
ralities. No ; upon these points, which are
really touched by the Ithuriel spear, and are
displayed in all their native hideousness by
the searching spirit of reform—upon these
pcints, which with the bulk of statesmen, and
of the more respectable and powerful classes
of Englishmen, comprehend the main sub-
jects of the wished for alteration—upon these
the champions of the Church at Cheltenham
preserve a silence, which we would gladly, but
dare not, construe into a tacit concurrence in the
necessity of that approaching change. Unhap-
pily, the bitter and pugnacious temper which
animated the majority of the persons present,
deprive us of the gratification of any such con-
jecture. They talked fiercely and vindictively
of the enemies of the Church, yet almost inva-
riably confined their notice of the hostile dispo-
sitions of those enemies to a supposed attack
upon the Liturgy of the Church of England.
In this there is either foolish affectation or subtle
and extreme hypocrisy. Let us try. Nobody—
or none of the least influence in the country—
meditates any serious or destructive assault upon
the Liturgy of the Established Church. Nor,
on the other hand, is it by any threatened cor-
rections of the Liturgy, for purely religious ob-
jects, that the violent exclamations of w hole bodies
of clergymen have ever been called forth. Such
novelties they can afford to discuss in a calm and
deliberative spirit. It is only, we grieve to say,
where temporals bid fair to be affected, that real
alarm, and acrimony, and tempestuous fury,
become visible. Now it is just possible that the
Cheltenham divines may have bethought them-
selves of making a stalking horse of the Liturgy,
to frighten by that false fire the minds of un-
thinking enthusiasts, for the spiritual integrity of
the church,—to get up resolutions and associa-
tions, and all the other apparatus of religious
conflict, and under the old warwhoop of " the
church is in danger," to organize a sweeping
and wholesale resistance to every species of
reform, in doctrine, discipline, finance, and ad-
ministration. Under such a manceuvre, before
now, the most noxious grievances of both
Church and State have been for a time protected.
The cry of Jacobinism long saved old Sarum
from purgation, as that of infidelity will now,
we presume, be set up as a scarecrow to guard
the perpetuity of tithes. The people of England,
however, are by this time too well taught for
the success of such machinations. If the cle-
rical gentlemen of Cheltenham or elsewhere
would discover the " enemies" of the Church,
let them read the list of her abuses. They are
the most fatal of all foes, for they have got
possession of the sanctuary; and if the more
enlightened of the people of England, with the
more moderate and conciliatory of the dissenters,
be serious in their desire for such qualifications
in the Liturgy as would insure the comfort and
produce the accession of a greater number of
believers, let them begin by pressing for a com-
plete reform in the temporal Church of England,
when they may rely upon it that the worldly-
minded and intolerant—the factious and time
serving among its Ministers—those who are ever
foremost in contention where anything is to be
got by it—will find that their occupation is
gone, and will give the country but little trouble
as to the adjustment of doctrinal or disciplinarian
differences.— Times.

At the Court of Common Council, on Thurs.
day last, Mr. Charles Pearson presented a peti-
tion from the potatoe salesmen, complaining of
the enormous expense attending the landing of
potatoes in the port of London, which was re-
ferred to the Committee of General Purposes.
In our report of the proceedings of the Common
Council, we merely mentioned the presentation
of the petition. We understand, however, that
she statement produced a considerable sensation.
The petitioners complained, first, of the metage,
which was ls. 4d. a ton. Another item of
which they complained was the excessive amount
charged by the porters for landing the potatoes,
who had a monopoly from the corporation.
Every porter pays 34/. Hs. for his freedom, be-
sides other sums, amounting in all to from 451.
to 501., and for this he indemnifies himself at
the expense of the community. The petition-
ers stated that, in Liverpool, Hull, and other
outports, potatoes could be landed for ls. a ton,
and there was, therefore, no reason why more
should be demanded in London. As the
quantity of potatoes imported into London was
not less than seventy thousand tons, here was
a burden on a necessary of fife of 3,7001. for
metage, and 9,0001. for porterage, amounting in
all to upwards of 12,0001. A scene followed
the presentation of the petition which deserves
some notice. Mr. R. Taylor rose and said he
thought the grievance complained of by the pe-
titioners was one which ought to be removed,
and the petition should, therefore, have
support. Mr. Taylor then referred to the
readiness which had been shown to afford in-
formation to the corporation commissioners on
all matters connected with the corporation,
with a view to obtain the correction of abuses,
which there was no disposition in that Court
;cs protect; and, therefore, he could not but feel

indignant at statements which had been made on
that subject in the Morning Chronicle by
several members of that Court, who ought to
have known better. On this Mr. Williams
arose, and requested Mr. Richard Taylor to
name the members of that Court to whom he
alluded. He was not the author of any of the
statements in the Morning Chronicle, with
the exception of one to which his name was
attached, but he had read them all, and his
impression was that they were all true. He
wished Mr. Taylor would, however, point out
any of the statements which were calumnious,
that he might be able to give a positive answer.
Mr. Richard Taylor, however, remained silent ;
and on being further pressed to name the
persons to whom he alluded, he answered,
" the Editor of the Morning Chronicle."
Mr. Williams animadverted on the dif-
ference between " several members of the
Court " and " the Editor of the Morning
Chronicle ;" but Mr. Richard Taylor here came
to " a lame and impotent conclusion." When
we find individuals in the city receiving lordly
incomes from such sources as the metage of po-
tatoes, we need not be surprised that hitherto
city patriots have carefully avoided interfering
with city abuses, which have been, as it were,
" tabooed." The commerce of London has
already suffered greatly from many heavy charges;
and though, in consequence of the notice of the
subject during the discussion on the coal trade,
and on some other occasions, an improvement
took place, yet there is much still to be remedied.
A man who receives 3,7001. a-year, must have
many friends, and candidates for city honours
will think twice before they come across him.
There are many large incomes in the city de-
rived from the public ; though it requires consi-
derable local knowledge to ferret out the various
sources from which a single income may be de-
rived, as the same individual fills often a variety
of apparently incongruous offices. However, as
an effectual demand from without has been made
on the city, reform can no longer be staved off ;
and it is gratifying to know that the conventional
silence, on certain topics, which so long prevailed
in the Common Council, is now at an end ; and
that independent men have found their way,
who have no other desire than to put an end to
the abuses, from which two millions of inhabi-
tants now suffer. When we are on the subject
of abuses, we cannot help reverting to the sub-
ject of Farringdon market, which, when it is
thoroughly understood by Members of Parlia-
ment, will, we trust, be made a subject of serious
charge against the last Ministry. Improvement
is a specious word. Almost all the municipal
corporations throughout the country were great
patrons of improvement. We are not prepared
to say that there may not be cases in which it is
allowable to devote public money to improve-
ments, though we believe the most of the cases
in which public money has hitherto been so ap-
plied are little better than jobs. The pretext for
cutting the Caledonian canal, was finding em-
ployment for the Highlanders, that they might
not be forced to emigrate. The pretext for ex-
pending millions in canals in Canada, was the
military security of the colony. In Ireland large
sums have been from time to time expended
in public woks, to furnish relief for the
poor, whom the landowners turn out to starve.
But though the justification of such expenditure
may be very questionable, there is still some-
thing like justification. But we are utterly at a
loss to know what justification Government can
have for advancing money for aiding the citizens
of London to job a new market. We trust
Mr. Hume, and other vigilant guardians of the
public purse, will inquire into the history of this
advance, which is curious. But before further
observation, we will just state what was the ad-
vance of Government to the City for the Far-
ringdon Market, and what is the return received
for the advance :-250,000/. was borrowed of
Government for erecting Farringdon Market and
the improvement of Farringdon-street ; which
latter consisted of pulling doiin Fleet Market,
repairing the sewer, and repaving the street in
which it stood. This sum, within a mere
trifle, was expended upon these objects. A very
large portion was expended in buying up the
houses which stood upon the site of the new
market, and in giving compensation to the oc-
cupiers, for loss of trade, &c. The compensation
Government is to receive for the 250,0001. is—
For 27 years, from 1831, per annum £11,500 0 0
Arising from pumps or aqueducts
Half the profit of the market, in 1832 ... 2 6 11
Which was represented to Government as
certain to produce at least 1,500/. per annum.
After the expiration of twenty-seven years, no
more money is to be paid, either in the shape
of interest or the principal. By this transaction
the Government has sacrificed 250,0001. of the
public money, on the consideration of receiving
for it less than 44 per cent. interest for twenty-
seven years.
The new FarringdonMarket produced,lin 1832 £1,430 3 8
Deduct for various expenses, repairs, and outlays 1,425 9 10

Leaving a net profit of only 4 13 10
Old Fleet Market produced in 183, which is}
3,032 0 5
an average of former years
Deduct for various expenses, repairs, and outlays 714 15 10

Leaving a net profit of _ 2,317 4 7
_ _

So, then, we find the Duke of Wellington
has been so liberal to the city as to make
it a present of 250,0001., for an annuity of
11,5001. for 27 years, and 3501. a-year, and
21.65. Ild. Nothing is so easy as to calculate
the value of an annuity of 11,5001. for 27
years, and the value of the two rents of 350/.,
and 21. 6s. 11d.; and whoever makes the cal-
culation will find that the Duke of Wellington
has made a present of a large sum of public
money to the city. It is no justification of
his Grace that he was duped by the city
jobbers. He was, no doubt, assured that the
Farringdon Market would turn out a more pro-
fitable concern than the Manchester Railroad ;
but we humbly submit that it is not the business
of Government to speculate in investing money
to advantage. No more money should be taken
from the people than what is absolutely necessary
to carry on the public business of the country
and the charge on. the Debt, and what remains
after paying the interest should be applied
towards the discharge of the principal. But
we have heard that the Corporation of London
is not the only one to which questionable ad-
vances have been made by the late Government.
We have stated merely in gross that a sum of
250,0001. has been literally thrown away.
But there is a proverb, that fools throw away
money, and wise men pick it up. Now
though we cannot say much for the wisdom
of the Duke of Wellington in making a pre-
sent of so large a sum to the Corporation
of London, yet we should be surprised if
the money did not find its way into the
pockets of very shrewd people. It some-
times happens that the application of money
throws light on the motives of projectors ; and
in order that no necessary information, calculated
to elucidate the subject, which we can obtain,
may be wanting, we will, on a future day, lay the

particulars of the application before our readers,
observing, by the way, that we do not mean to
blame the wise men who made hay while the sun
was shining. The City of London had large
revenues of its own, and the magnificence of its
establishments might be justifiable so long as it
was supported out of its own estates. But
having exhausted its legitimate income on im-
provements, its magnificence is now, like many
other burdens, thrown on the inhabitants of the
metropolis and surrounding country. Let us
inquire, for instance, into the sources for meeting
the expenditure connected with London Bridge.
The Bridge House Estate was mortgaged for
building New London Bridge, and making the
approaches thereto, for 750,000/. After this
sum was expended, 1,000,0001. more was bor-
rowed for making the approaches, for which four
per cent. interest is to be paid. The payment
of both interest and principal is secured by a duty
of Bs. per ton for coals brought into the port of
London, which amounts to from 70,0001. to
80,0001. a year, and the levying this duty is
secured by Act of Parliament. These are large
sums to be at the disposal of a City Parliament.
The whole population of the City does not ex-
ceed 100,000 ; and a majority of the Common
Council was returned by three or four thousand
individuals. The representatives, then, of
three or four thousand individuals, have, we see,
a tax levied from two millions of people at their
disposal. This is a matter that demands inquiry ;
and it cannot be treated with indifference.—
Morning Chronicle.

There are reasons for believing that Lord
Howard de Walden's residence in Lisbon will
not be the most agreeable, in case his Lordship
should go there. Don Pedro will not venture
to do as the Emperor Nicholas did with another
of Lord Palmerston's envoys , but, as regards
inclination, of that, we believe, there is no want.
The situation of the Whig Government with
Don Pedro is peculiar. The present Ministers
encouraged him to undertake the conquest of
Portugal for his daughter, relying on his judg-
ment and integrity, and, as they thought, secure
of his gratitude. An expectation was entertained
that this enterprise would be accomplished in
two or three months at furthest, as it was sup-
posed that the Portuguese were ready to
receive the Brazilian outcast with open arms.
In Downing-street that was a.day of exultation
on which Don Pedro landed at Oporto. It
was hailed as the commencement of a new
era in Portugal—a new connecting chain
to British interests. We are now in the
third year of a civil war, instigated by
the folly and wickedness of the British
Ministry, and not one of these anticipations has
been realised. Desolation in the interval has
spread its ravages over the fairest portion of the
Portuguese coast, that part of the country only
being quiet and prosperous, to which the foot-
steps of the invaders have not reached. Don
Pedro has been foiled in his hopes, and those
who supported him disappointed, both as re-
gards the achievements which he was to have
performed, and the sincerity of his professions.
Liberated from external influence, and left to
himself, it has been discovered that Don Pedro
would be a tyrant in that country, the burdens
of which he pledged himself to lighten, and in
the end would prove ungrateful to those who
considered themselves his best friends. His
public career indicated that he wished the
crown for himself, and intended on the earliest
opportunity, to declare the abdication of the
Emperor of Brazil, in favour of his daughter,
to be null and void. Alarm was felt when he
was seen placing himself at the head of the Revo-
lutionists; and those who had abetted him up to
that moment, began to entertain just apprehen-
sions that they might be involved in the conse-
quences of his tortuous course. In this di•
lemma what was to be done ? After serious
deliberation a plan was devised to withdraw him
altogether from Portugal, and confer the Re-
gency upon another; but as he held the cotn•
mand of the army, and in the places he occupied,
was supported by public opinion to a certain
extent, it became evident that this measure could
not be carried into effect unless he himself be-
came a consenting party. The negotiation was
assuredly an arduous one when it was his ac-
quiescence to such a proceeding that was to be
obtained. The expedient of insisting upon Don
Miguel's also quitting the country, and renounc-
ing those rights which the laws of Portugal and
the consent of the people had given to him, was
then hit upon. In the sequel the whole of
this delectable plan, however, fell to the ground,
and matters remained in statu quo. Still was
the object too great and too pressing to be aban-
doned. To worry or shame Don Pedro into
the sacrifice of his present Ministers, with a view
to the introduction of M. de Palmella, Lord
Palmerston's favourite bird was next employed,
and in its success we have been assured that the
British naval officers employed in the Tagus
avowed a very lively interest. So explicit were
their manifestations that theYedroite organs in
Great Britain denounced them as active enemies
to the existing Government. The men, how-
ever, whom it was wished to pull down, have
stood firm, and shown themselves properly and
honourably jealous of this new and underhand
species of foreign interference. They have re-
jected with just scorn the advice and admonition
sent to Lisbon. Don Pedro remains there,
Silva Carvallto is in power, and Palmella still
on the shelf. If Lord Howard de Walden is
to renew negotiations which have at once been
stupid and arrogant, or if he be not instructed
even to offer some excuse or explanation, to
extenuate, if it be possible, the baseness and
insolence of our past diplomacy at Lisbon, how,
we ask, can he expect to sit comfortably down
in that capital, and transact business with men
whom his employers have shown a meddling and
impertinent desire to turn out?—Morning Post.

Yesterday, in the Sheriffs' Court, Red Lion-
square, an action was brought by a tradesman, named
Bacon, to recover Si., for articles supplied to Lord Louth,
in November and December, 1628, at which time his
Lordship was a Gentleman Commoner of St. John's Col-
lege, Cambridge. Mr. Dowling stated the case, and
proved that in 1828 the plaintiff sold the defendant a snuff-
box for 11., a Merchaum pipe for six guineas, and tobacco,
snuff, &c., making altogether 8/. Mr. Hill, for the de-
fendant, said it was singular, if the goods were supplied in
1828, that the action had nut been sooner brought. This
young nobleman was then abroad in Italy, and those who
represented him in England had no means of contradicting
the statement ma 'e ; and the only defence they could offer
was that of minority. The register of the baptism of
Thomas Oliver, son of Lady and Lord Louth, at Charles-
ton South, August 9, 1809, was put in ; and Mr. Rich-
ards, clerk to Mr. Stephens, Lard Louth's solicitor, said
he knew Lord Louth's christian name to be Thomas (li-
ver. In reply to Mr. Dowling, he said there were a great
many other actions pending against Lord Louth. Mr.
Appteyard, another clerk, gave similar evidence, and said
that upwards of 2,000/. had been paid, through Mr. Ste-
phens, for debts contracted by the defendant during the
six months he was at Cambridge. Mr. Dowling con-
tended that there was no evidence that the child, a copy
of whose baptismal register was produced, was the present
defendant. The Jury, after consulting about twenty mi-
nutes, returned a verdict for the plaintiff—Damages 8/.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.

G UILDHALL.

James Brunt, the driver of the omnibus No.
184, attended to answer the complaint of John
Griffiths, of Oakley-street, Lambeth, for driving
furiously through Newgate-street about 11 o'clock
on Sunday forenoon, whereby his life had been en-
dangered.
The complainant, it appeared, died about seven
o'clock yesterday morning of the injuries he received
by being driven against, and the complaint was
therefore made by his son.
Mr. Cronin, a surgeon in Holborn, was standing
near the Post-office, when he saw the omnibus go
by at a fast trot, and he also saw the old mar.
Griffiths fall from being struck by the pole or the
horses while crossing from Panyer-alley to St. Mar-
tin's-le-Grand. He fell upon his back, with his
heels up in the air, just out of the line of the
wheels, but his arm was lacerated by being struck
by the pole, and he died yesterday morning of the
injuries he sustained. Witness accompanied him
home in a cab, and had attended him daily since
then. The driver did not stop till he was compelled,
and soon went on again, the conductor giving the
usual " All right."
The defendant was very deaf. He was only
driving for the day. As he entered Newgate-street
the conductor cried out " Hold hard," and he
looked round to see what he wanted. When he
turned his head again he saw the deceased close
under the horses' heads, and he did his best to pull
up, but he could only turn the horses towards the
pavement, and almost upon it, to prevent the wheels
from running over the man. The man said he was
mere frightened thin hurt, and the conductor im-
mediately promised to make him every compensation
in his power.
__

Mr. Alderman VENABLES thanked Mr. Cronin
for attending, and said everybody must feel that he
had manifested great kindness to the poor old man.
With regard to the prisoner, he should detain him
till the Coroner for Surrey had held an inquest on
the deceased.