The Sun.
London, England, 1835-10-02 00:00:00

advanceiiietit of the national interest conjunctively,
with the least possible sactifide of the customary claims
and privileges of individuals. What dintbriabee, human
toil, facilitates social iiiteieaiifse=abridges the time for
the inland conveyance of comme►diftl freight—and
lessens the risk on the removal of all marketable coin.
modities, must be pre-ettiitiently worthy of the patronage
of the most commercial people in t urope. If certain
interests staffer from the establishment of what will cf.
feet all these advantages—fdllfdrids all we can say is,
such suffering is inevitable. That it can be greatly
alleviated, we ticittlit and to alleviate it, is alike the
duty of the Legislature, and of the persons with whom
the schemes for effecting changes originate : but the
world catiliot lie made to stand still, because its motion
may endanger some old IVOitititl'O gtackery.

At the meeting of Middlesex Magistrates, which
took place yesterday at Hicks's Hall, the " Silent
System" adopted in the House of Correction was brought
under consideration. It appears from the Report of the
visiting Justices that, and also from the testimony of the
Governor and Surgeon, that the health of the prisoners
has not suffered in the " slightest degree" from the adop-
tion of this plan, which has been represented as so inju-
rious both to body and mind. We cannot, however, but
regard the power of enforcing silence, thus vested in the
Governor, as one, the exercise of which requires to be
narrowly
iwatched by the public, as it is capable of
being converted into an instrument of great oppression,
nay, even of torture. When we see that any prisoner
speaking day or night, whistling, singing, making any
gesture or sign, looking any other way than straight be-
fore him, has, for the first offence, one meal, or part of
a meal, stopped ; that for the second there is a further
decrease of allowance, and for continued repetition,
solitary confinement on bread and water, and such
further: punishment as the Act provided—when we
find such regulations as these laid down for the ma-
nagement of a prison, the first thought that strikes us
is the incalculable addition that a capricious or vin-
dictive Governor has it in his power to make to the
punishment awarded by a Judge and Jury.
There is one class of prisoners to whom the " Silent
System" must be a source of unspeakable tor-
ment. We need hardly say that we allude to
that portion of the tender sex who have the
misfortune to be found guilty of offending against the
law. We would put it to the humane and gallant
Magistrates of Middlesex, whether they ought not to
be exempt from this extreme rigour. Surely the loss
of liberty is punishment enough for them, without the
forfeiture of speech—that noble faculty which distin-
guishes woman from man, nearly as much as it does
man from the speechless creation. But perhaps we
are unnecessarilyalarmed. Indeed on second thoughts
we are convinced we are so. It is easy to make regu-
lations, but it is not equally easy to carry them into
execution ; and we are very much mistaken if it would
not require more power than all the Magistrates in
England possess to enforce the horrid rule we are ad-
verting to.

The only othersubject of any interest that came before
the Magistrates was the order issued from the Treasury
for reducing the " allowance" made to the Magistrates
under the name of " Justices': Wages," to the old
standard of four shillings per day each, as fixed by the
12th and 14th of RICHARD 11. This curtailment
did not seem to meet the approbation of the Middlesex
Justices. We are happy to perceive, however, that a
resolution was passed, forbidding the appropriation
of the *" Justices' Wages" to private purposes in
future ; which would imply that they have been so
appropriated hitherto.

After the Municipal Corporation Bill passed, the
'Corporation of Bristol met and agreed to take off the
town dues upon imports altogether, (about 1,000/.
per annum,) though they had for years previously
been in vain solicited to modify them. Who shall say
that we gain nothing by the Bill ?

SIIIPPING.-(THIS DAY.)

FROM LLOYD'S.

DEAL, OCT. I.—Wind S.W., strong.—Arrived the Gil-
bert Munro, Duff, from Madras. The outward-bound remain,
apparently all well.
PORTSMOUTH, OCT. I.—Wind S. W.
PLYMOUTH, SEPT. 30.—Wind variable—strong breezes.--
Arrived the Three Sisters, Cuming, out 31 days, from
Gallipoli, with oil, &c., for St. Petersburgb. Also the Ellen,
Armstrong, from Portsmouth, bound to St. Sebastian, with
twenty-six horses for the Queen of Spain ; the Countess
Milton, Thomas, from Yarmouth, bound to Trieste and Zante.
The Fly, 18, Macintyre, will be paid off here on Friday next.
The Hope transport arrived here, yesterday, from Cork, with a
detachment of the 27th depot. The Firefly steamer, Bal-
dock, arrived here yesterday to be docked, preparatory to
taking out the Malta mail.
FALmount, SEPT. 30.—Wind S. E. to W. S. W.—Arrived
the Liverpool steamer from Oporto—sailed the 26th ; Earl,
Caurouse, from Jacmel ; Isabella, Smith, from Galipoli ; and
the Salenia, Aliegas, from London, for Cadiz and Manilla.
POST-OFFICE NOTICE.—His Majesty's brig Espoir, for the
Lisbon mail of this day, the 2d ; letters in time this evening :
his Majesty's brig Seagull, for the American mail of the 7th.
MARGATE, OCT. I.—Arrived off, the Cleveland, —, from
Quebec; and Bombay, Lawson, from the Western Islands.
MILFORD, OCT. I.—Arrived William, Broad, from Smyrna.
LtvaarooL, SEPT. 30.—Arrived Atalanta, —, from Malaga.
WATERFORD, SEPT. 29.—Arrived the Rapid, Miller, from
London. A brig laden with fish and oil is on shore on the
Barrow of Ballyteague.
CORK, SEPT. 29.—Arrived the Argyle, Dodd, from Prince
Edward's Island ; and Sisters, Reid, from Leghorn.
BELFAST, SEPT. 29.—Arrived the Spence, Nicholson, from
St. John, New Brunswick; and Ranger, Smith, from London.
DUNDEE, SEPT. 29.—Arrived William, Meams, front Riga.