The Sun.
London, England, 1850-03-25 00:00:00

reckon upon seeing the national mirror a national
theme of congratulation to Mr. Kidd and his new
process, we deem it equally certain that whoever sees
the tasteful and elegant application of engraving to
glass, as executed by Mr. Kidd, will consider no
drawing-room as furnished, no boudoir as complete,
no collection of works of arts as pei feet, unless he has
some such specimens to boast of as those we had the
gratification of viewing.

ASSAULT ON THE EDITOR OF A
PROVINCIAL NEWSPAPER.
A considerable sensation has been excited in roe
county of Cornwall by an assault committed by the
late high sheriff of the county on the editor of the
West Briton, an influential newspaper in the West of
England. An exaggerated account of the occurrence
has appeared in some of the local prints, but the fol-
lowing has been ascertained from careful inquiry to
be a correct statement of the facts. It appears that
at the county meeting of the 12th of February, called
in favour of agricultural protection, there was only
one of the county members present, T. J. Robartes,
Esq. The other three members were attending
their duties in Parliament, and sent letters ex •
pressing their sentiments on the subject. Two ( f
these letters (from Sir C. Lemon and W. 11. I'.
Carew, Esq) were read in full; the other, from E.
IV. IV. Pendarves, Esq , the oldest of the county re-
presentatives, and a gentleman held in high esteem by
all parties, was only partially read to the meeting, the
part suppressed being that in which he exposed the
falsity of some statements made in the requisition cal-
ling the meeting. Mr. Pendarves complained in a letter
to the county papers, of the discourtesy of the Sheriff
shown to himself and his constituents by the suppres-
sion of a part of his letter at the county meeting. Sir
S. T. Spry, the High Sheriff, replied to this in ex-
traordinary terms; the letter was published in one
of the county papers, and the other (the West Briton)
commented on it in severe language. The West
Briton appeared on a Thursday evening, and on
the next morning, Sir Samuel Spry called at the of-
fice with a solicitor. The editor was not there, and Sir
Samuel and the solictor went to his residence. Some
conversation took place on the subject of the com-
ments in the paper; Sir S. Spry was much ex-
cited, and on the editor refusing to withdraw the
comments he had made, Sir Samuel raised a short
riding whip which he had brought with him, and
struck at the Editor. The latter caught his arm
and wrenched the whip from him, and a kind of
scuffling fight ensued between the parties, until the
solicitor, recovering from his astonishment, went
forward and parted them. There was no great per-
sonal damage done, though the editor's face was
somewhat scratched by Sir Samuel's nails. The
proprietors of the paper conceive it necessary that the
editor should be protected in the discharge of his
duties; and in consequence a bill of indictment for
the assault has been preferred against the late Sheriff
at the present Lent Assizes for the county.—West
Briton.

INDEPENDENT ASSURANCE CoMPANT.—On Friday
the Master in Chancery, Tinney, appointed Mr. G.
Hutton, accountant, official manager, to investigate and
wind up the affairs of this concern, which, according to
the statement of the petitioners presented to the Court,
was established in 'lB4B, with the view of extending the
benefits of life assurance among the poorer classes by
granting policies for securing the payment of sums of
money and for receiving premiums thereon by weekly,
monthly, and other instalments. The directors were—
Lord Teynham, chairman; Alderman Farebrother, Mr.
Murton Cooper, Lieut.-Colonel Dean; and Messrs. R.
Williams, W. Holt, F. J. Clark, N. Hagan, U. Swift, J.
11. Thompson, and W. Baring. The proposed capital
was 100,000/., and each of the petitioners subscribed for

150 shares. The shares taken amounted to 2,070, but no
deposit was paid on 543, nor the first call on 692. Having
rated a capital of 6141. only, and borrowed 1,0004
frem their bankers, the company commenced business,
Petitioners allege that the affairs were managed in a
costly and extravagant manner that there was an unne-
cessarily large staff of officers, at unnecessarily large
salaries; that the expenses of the company far exceeded
its means ;_ that the directors had liberal allow-
ance, and that shortly before the company
failed it was urged that they should receive
no remuneration until the concern was in a
condition to afford it, and that they should forthwith
refund what they had received. Policies were granted.
and the premiums payable thereon received; but the paid
up capital and money borrowed had been exhausted in
carrying on the business. The subscribers declined to
pay the deposits and calls, while policies to the amount
of 3,0001. have become payable, and others to a large
amount are daily expected to fall in, and there are no
funds or assets wherewith to meet them. The managing
director was dismissed, and others either neglected the
business, disqualified, or became absentees. As twenty
qualified shareholders could not be got together nothing
could be done, and in August last the coopany Ivied
to exist, with creditors threatening, encumbered with a
large amount of debts, and with no existing assets.
FOREIGN SHIPS.—On Saturday a return to Par-
liament obtained by Mr. Weave, the Member for North
Shields, was printed, stating the sums paid for foreign
vessels alimitteci under treaties of reciprocity. The
t tal amouLt paid to the end of 1849'was 741,5891. 6r. sd.
of which 39,29.5/. 178. 4d. was paid in the year 1849.
EDINBURGH, MINDER, AND PERTH RAILWAY.—
At the halt-) early meeting ut this railway on Friday,
at Edinburgh, Mr. John Balfour, of Balbirnie, the
chairman of the company presiding, the directors' re-
pert, with the accompanying resolutions, was adopted.
The amendment of Mr. Morro, W.S., in favour of a
committee of investigation, having been negatived by a
large majority, Mr. Heriot moved that no systematic
traffic should he allowed on the lino en the Sabbath; but
there were only 132 votes fur that mi tion, while there
were 356 for the previous question.
THE TRUCK SYSTEM—Fur the lest month or two
there have been a great many prosecutions in East Wor-
cestershire and Staffordshire against parties chiefly con-
nected with the coal and iron mines of that district for
paying their workmen in truck. The war against the
s) stem has la( en taken up by gentlemen and tradesmen
of Dudley, Wolverhampton, Walsall, Wednesbury, &e.,
and a great many convictions have taken place, which it
was thought would have a very salutary effect. Another
case has, however, just been tried at the last-named
place with a different result. The defendant in this case
is a butty collier, named Thomas Lawrence, and he was
defended by Mr. Sergeant Allen, who succeeded in
showing that the tickets given to the complainant were
in the form of cheques, and thereupon it
was contended
that this was a legal payment, authorised by Act of Par-
liament, and the magistrates dismissed the case.
ARTISTS BENETOLENT FUND.--The anniversary
dinner cif this institution took place on Saturday evening
at the Freetnaaons' Tavern, and was presided over by
Mr. Baring Wall. About sixty gentlemen partook of
the good cheer provided on the occasion. The institu-
tion has now been established for forty five years, and
during that period has proved cf great benefit to the
widows and orphans of artists left in impoverished
circumstances. During the past
year it appears from
the report that the dividend allowed to the reeipents of
the Enid, has been increased to 181. in the ease of widows,
and 51. in that of orphans. The proceedings of the
dinner did not vary much from the usual roufne on
similar occasions—the secretary announcing in the
course of the evening
subscriptions amounting to about
50e/. In the list of toasts proposed and duly responded
to by the company the different societies formed in the
metropolis for the promotion of art and the encourage-
ment of artists were included. Reference was made by
several of the speakers to the approaching Exhibition of
1851, and its probable effect on the permanent interests
of the fine arts in England. It was also strongly urged
that every means should be taken to extend a taste for
art :among the masses cf the people, and to draw
more closely together the connexion between art and
manufactures. The evening passed off very agreeably.
THE EMIGRANTS IN THE BARQUE INDIAN.-1
number of
gentlemen, members of the Stock Exchange,
have subscribed 80/., which his been sent to Caroline
Arnold, as an acknowledgment of her moral courage in
exposing the outrages committed on the female emi-
grants on board the barque Indian, and in overcoming
the difficulty of getting the case inquired into by the au- 1
thorities in Australia.

INCREASE OF Sums AT SHIELDS —Though the
first quarter of the year has not yet expired, no less than
forty-six vessels have been added to the port of Shields
since New Year's Day, making an increase of nearly
13,000 tons to the previous tonnage of the young port, a
considerable part of which are new vessels and other
ships that have recently been purchased by our fellow-
townsmen, the remainder consisting of vessels that have
been transferred from the port of Newcastle. Should
this immense accession of tonnage to the port continue
in a correspondiiag ratio with that of the last twelve
months, we shall soon bo able to raise our customs' eats-
blishmsnt to a second-class port.—Newcastle Guardian.

LuccoLN.—The very beautiful oriel window which
lately adorned the south end of the ancient city palace of
John o'Gaunt has been removed, and having bean put- ,
chlsed by the county magistrates, is to be placed between
the entrance gates to the Castle.—Stamford Mercury.
A. M. d© Lagniou, a journalist and dramatic au-
thor, and according to his own account, an active mem-
ber of the Legitimntist party, was, some time ago con•
demned, by the Tribunal of Correctional Police, to
thirteen months' imprisonment for swindling. Ha had
ordered some shawls to be sent to him by the Villes de
France, and made use of the name of M. do Laroche-
jecquelein, and other noted legitimatists. The inquiries
made respecting him not bring satisfactory, only one
shawl, worth 200 f., was sent with a receipted bill. Toe
shopman not being able to obtain the morey took hack
tie shawl, but by mistake left the bill. At the foot of the
bill was a note that if the shawl should not suit the money
would be returned. A few days later the prisoner went
to the Villes de France with the bill, and producing a
shawl, which he pretended he had bought, demanded
that the money should be returned. Supposing that the
shawl was one which had been sold, the director of the
establishment received it back and caused 200 f. to b.?
paid to the prisoner. It subsequently turned out that
the shawl was an old one, not worth 801: Yesterday the
prisoner appealed to the Court of Appeal against his
condemnation, but, ufter hearing the facts, the Judgment
was confirmed.— Galignani.
A Recu PAUPER--A widow woman named Nanny
Mole died last week at Bewdley. She had tor many
years received relief from the parish, and after her death
the family were aareeably surprised to find that she had
amassed a sum of 1701., part of which was found in an
old stocking, and 1001. in the Becrdley bark—Manches-
ter Chronicle,