The Sun.
London, England, 1844-07-11 00:00:00

COURT CIRCULAR.

The Queen held a Privy Council at half-past two
o'clock yesterday afternoon, at BuckinghaM Palace. It
was attended by his Royal.Hightiess Prince Albert, Lord
Wharncliffe, the Lord -Piesident ; the Duke of Buc-
cleuch, Lord Privy Seal ; the Ditke of Wellington,
Commander-in-Chief ; Sir Robert Peel, First Lord of
the Treasury ; Earl of Aberdeen, Secretary of State
for Foreign Affairs ; Lord Stanley, Secretary of State
for the Colonies ; Sir James Graham, Secretary of State
for the Home Department ; Earl of Haddington, First
Lord of the Admiralty ; Sir Edward Knatchbull, Pay-
master of the Forces ; Lord Granville Somerset, Chan-
cellor of the Duchy of Lancaster ; the Earl of Liverpool,
Lord Steward ; the Earl of Delawarr, Lord Chamber-
lain ; the Earl of Jersey, Master of the Horse ; and the
Marquis of Exeter, Groom of the Stole to Prince Albert.
Her Majesty in Council was pleased to declare the
Right lion. William Lord Heytesbury, Lieutenant Ge-
neral and Governor-General of that part of the United
Kingdom called Ireland.
The Hon. William Bathurst was the Clerk of the
Council in Waiting.
The Court was attended by the Marquis of Anglesey,
Gold Stick in Waiting, the Vice-Chamberlain, the
Treasurer of the Household, and the Comptroller of the
Household.
The Earl of Morton and the Hon. Captain Hood were
the Lord and Groom in Waiting.
Her Majesty-and Prince Albert took their accustomed
early walk yesterday in the Royal Gardens of Bucking-
ham Palace.

The Queen and Prince Albert, accompanied by the
Princess Royal, left Buckingham Palace in an open car-
riage and four, at half-past four o'clock yesterday after-
noon, for the Paddington terminus of the Great Western
Railway, escorted by a party of Light Cavalry. Their
Royal Highnesses the Prince of Wales and the Princess
Alice followed in the next carriage, and the Viscountess
Jocelyn, Lady in Waiting, the Maids of Honour, the
Earl of Morton, Lord in Waiting, the Hon. Captain
Hood, Groom in Waiting, Colonel Buckley, Equerry in
Waiting, and Colonel Bouverie, Equerry to Prince Al-
bert, followed in two open carriages and four.
Her Majesty and the Prince were conducted to their
carriage by the Lord Steward, the Lord Chamberlain,
the Master of the Horse, the Groom of the Stole to
Prince Albert, and the Vice-Chamberlain.

WINDSOR, WEDNESDAr.—Her Majesty and Prince
Albert, accompanied by the Princess Royal, and at-
tended by the Vicountess Jocelyn, Lady in Waiting,
arrived at the Castle at 25 minutes before six o'clock
this afternoon, in an open carriage and four, escorted by
a party of the Royal Horse Guards, commanded by the
Honourable Charles Cust,, from the Slough station of
the Great Western Railway.
The Prince of Wales and the Princess Alice, accom-
panied by the Dowager Lady Lyttleton, were in the
next carriage.
The Maids of Honour in Waiting, the Earl of Morton,
Lord in Waiting ; Hon. Captain Hood, Groom in Wait
ing ; Colonels Buckley and Bouverie, Equerries in
Waiting to her Majesty and the Prince, followed in two
open carriages and four.

Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent arrived at
her residence, Frogmoro Lodge, at half-past eight
o'clock this evening, in -a carriage and four.
The Royal Duchess landed at Woolwich Dock-yard
from the Continent from the Princess Alice steam-
packet at half-past four o'clock. Her Royal Highness
was attended by Lady Anne Maria Dawson, Lady in
Waiting, and Colonel Sir George Couper, Bart., Comp-
troller of her Royal Highness's Household.
The Royal Duchess left Woolwich at twenty minutes
past five o'clock, and immediately proceeded to Frog-
more.

Mr. Moon had the honour of an interview with his
Royal Highness Prince Albert relative to the engraving
from the picture by Winterhath, of his Royal Highness
Albert, Prince of Wales.

Mr. Craufurd, Inspector of Prisons, had an interview
with Lord Stanley yesterday at the Colonial-office.
Dispatches from the Governors of Ceylon and New
Zealand were received yesterday at the Colonial-office.
Dispatches were sent off last evening for the Governor of
Gibraltar.

ATTILA PEEL'S VICTORY OVER

THE TRADE OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

DEAR SlR,—Procrustes deems it essential that kis
New Currency Bill should be passed forthwith, " in
order to put an end to commercial speculation." In
spite of his many miserable failures, I can promise
him success in this enterprise ; and, moreover, that he
shall fare like the Asiatic in the fable, who prayed
that Alla would turn the Euphrates through his
lands. The prayer was granted—his crops swept
away by the torrent, and himself lodged in the maw
of an aligator.
" Commercial speculation," which this unhappily
powerful lunatic deprecates and seeks to crush, is but
another name for trade and commerce. " Specula-
tion" consists in making purchases or engagements
under an assumption that the articles bought will
be again sold with a profit.

A:l3, a merchant, orders from France 10,000 gal-
lons of claret, judging that he shall be able to re-sell
it in smaller quantities, at such advance of price as
shall yield him interest on his capital and a fair profit.
C D engages to furnish a customer with 1,000 tons
of West India coffee by a certain day, at a certain
price, assuming from certain facts that he shall be
able to obtain the coffee and bring it to London, at
an expense below the sum which he is to receive
for it.

E F consigns to his correspondent at Calcutta
2,000 cwt. of glass, assuming that it will sell there
to a profit. All these men speculate.
But there is .another case which noodles would not
suppose to come within the category.
G H, a retail tradesman, purchases of a whole-
sale house, in the spring, a thousand pounds' worth
of summer silks. He "speculates ' as much as
either of the other three—that is, he invests his
capital on an assumption that certain events will
hereafter happen.
Again, J K, a manufacturer, makes, in the spring,
a certain amount of goods, for summer wear—he also
" speculates."
In a word, "commercial speculation" is the main-
spring—the vital blood—the soul—of our national
transactions ; and this our lunatic proposes to destroy.
Thanks to the apathy of the public, and the nearly
incredible ignorance of our Legislature, he will suc-
ceed. May the Lord have compassion on his un-
happy victims!
When will men cease to suffer the fate of nations
to be decided by gabblers, and leaders of (or rather
panderers to) class interests ?
COMMON SENSE.

EXPLOSION OF A STEAM-BOILER.—The adjourned
inquest on the bodies of the unfortunate • individuals
killed by the explosion of a boiler at Bolton, was brought
to a close, after three days' inquiry, on Tuesday, when
the jury returned the following verdict :—" We are
unanimously of opinion that the death of James Swift,
Bridget Hart, and James M'Donald, was caused by an
explosion of the steam-boiler at Mr. Brooks's mill. That
the said boiler exploded from the pressure of the steam
being too great ' • and that George Branscome has caused
the explosion. We are also of opinion that due care has
not been used in the general superintendence of the
steam-engines and boilers." George Branscome was
thereupon committed to take his trial for manslaughter.
A subscription was entered into by the jury for the relief
of the families of the deceased, and the sum of 8/. 10s.
was handed to the Coroner, as the commencement of a
subscription for that purpose.
ANIMAL MAGNETISM IN CHINA.—This is under-
stood in the Celestial Empire, and turned to good
account, being practised by the barbers of Canton. " I
observed," says M. Borget, " that the greater part of
the patients slept while they were being shaved, and I
could not account for this singularity. But one morning
I observed a man seat himself on a stool a little apart
from the rest; I began my task of sketching, when the
barber, instead of commencing his operations, placed
himself before his customer, and, first of all, took hold
of his hands, then passed his own several times over the
shoulders, and before the face of the sitter, who shortly
fell into a state of quiet drowsiness, if he did not actually
go to sleep. He then moved his customer's head about
in every direction he pleased, to facilitate the operation
of shaving. When he had finished he shook the sleeper
gently and awoke him. I frequently saw the same thing
practised afterwards."—Captain Pidding's Chinese Olio
and Tea Talk, No. 11.
DUNKELD.—FUNERAL OF THE DOWAGER LADY
GLENLYON.—The remains of this distinguished and
lamented lady were interred in the family vault below
the Chapter-house, on the right side of her husband, the
late Lord Glenlyon, on Thursday the 27th ult. All the
most respectable inhabitants of the place attended the
funeral, and the shops in the town were shut during the
ceremony.
Loss or AN EMIGRANT Sal'.—Recently intelli-
gence has been received from Sydney, Cape Breton, concern-
ing the loss of the Sir George Prevost, emigrant ship, on a
reef of rocks to the westward of Gaberus, and but for
the moderate state of the weather it might have terminated
in a fearful sacrifice of human life, the ship having up-
wards of 160 souls on board. The vessel, which was of
600 tons burden, and commanded by a Captain Savage, left
the port of Newry, in Ireland, in the fore part of the present
year with emigrants and a miscellaneous cargo. The voyage
across the Atlantic was as favourable as could be expected,
when on nearing the coast off Gaberus on the evening of
the 31st of May, it came on a dense fog, so much so, it
is said, that it was almost imposstble to discern anything
beyond the length of the vessel. Instead of her being
brought -to anchor in such weather, the ship was allowed
to continue • her course, and the result was, that at about
nine o'clock she ran on the reef of rocks before men-
tioned. Minute guns of distress were kept firing for
several hours, and two vessels arriving near the spot,
their boats were lowered, in which, together with those
belonging to the Sir George Prevost, the whole of the emi-
grants and seamen were safely landed. Providentially the
wind, during the whole of this trying period, was light ; had
it been otherwise, the consequences, in all probability, would
have been dreadful. At daybreak on the following morning
the ship was lightened and attempts made to get her off;
but she had become firmly fixed, and within 24 hours was a
total wreck. Of the emigrants, 102 were conveyed to
Arichat, where they remain under the charge of proper
authorities.
OXFORD, JULY B.—This afternoon an alarm of
fire was given, and on inquiry it was found to be at a farm,
in the occupation of Mr. Greaves, at Elsfield, a village four
miles from Oxford ; it was fortunately confined to a barn
and some out-houses, where it broke out. Two valuable
horses were burned, and some beans and oats. The damage
is estimated at about 4001. The whole of the property is
insured in the County Fire Office. We are glad to say that
the fire was accidental, and not incendiary, as at first re-
ported. It arose from the carelessness of some boys in light-
ing some straw with lucifer-matches, for the purpose of burn-
ing a wasps' nest.

IMPRISONMENT FOR DEBT.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

Six.,—One error makes many ; the vague language
of the repbrts on insolvency, contrary to fact, and
contrary to right reason, however conformable it may
be to certain grimgribber principles of musty law
ore, hay.. caused much false thinking and acting
thereon. Without any regard to the general good,
without any rational sympathy for unfortunate per-
sons, and with the sole object of relieving the aristo-
cratic classes from the personal penalties due to their
extravagance, sensuality, and dishonesty, a series of
very maleficent changes in the insolvency laws are
persisted in, by which, in the end, all power over the
person of an unfortunate debtor will be removed, and
nothing left to the creditor but the effects, the pro-
perty of the debtor, the apparent increased power
over which had deluded creditors -to allow without a
murmur the removal of every form of imprisonment,
while the power over the effects will be found prac-
tically a power of words, a worthless bit of parch-
ment, only a mere cheat and fraud. Bad as may be
the ill-conduct and insolvency of young divines at
Oxford, or of the gentleman class in general, it bears but
a small proportion to the total of the insolvency of the
country, which is that of merchants, bankers, manufac-
turers, tradesmen, mechanics, operatives, employes,
and the like, who in general have dissipated their ef-
fects. These remarks are suggested by the recent
debates in the Lords, as well as by the objections
made against the County Courts Bill, because of the
penal clauses.. Unless imprisonment of the non-
paying debtor be enacted, those Courts will be utterly
useless. The class of persons who will be summoned
therein, are those who have very few effects. Their
incomes consist, e. g., of wages earned week by
week, and they will have no objection to a sum-
mer's full work and plenty of wages spent week
.by week, and the enjoyment increased by as many
debts as they can contract with small shopkeepers—
in riotous living, gross sensuality, and frolics to
Gravesend and Hampton Court, silk gowns and good
coats ; and then when the winter comes pro-
ceedings in the local courts will take away, for the
benefit of creditors, all of their effects, which have not
been already disposed of in anticipation,i,of some few
shillings or pounds value, and so pay their debts with-
out any inconvenience whatever. Thus live many
thousands of clever mechanics and operatives, whose
really valuable effects are concealed in their fingers
and heads ; whose property consists of their ingeni7
ous handicraft, to whom the boon of non-imprison-
ment for debt, will grant complete imptinity to sen-
sual indulgence, fraud, and folly. Such persons will
roam from one end of the kingdom to the other, and
victimise with impunity the tradesmen of the provin-
cial towns.

I cannot hope to find the columns of a newspaper,
at this time, open to the further discussion of the in-
solvency fallacies, which are so rife abroad, im-
portant though they be. The mischievous errors of
the reports of the various Common-law Commis-
sioners, are evident in the effects they have produced
on the mind of Lord Cottenham, whose two speeches
are made up entirely of the report of 1840, which is
but a specimen of the popular reasoning on the
matters of debtor and creditor—popular reasoning,
but not of the opinions of the people, which are humane
and correct. These reports are full of errors and
false reasoning, chiefly in applying the term " unfor-
tunate" to cases of insolvency-, and then appealing to
the public sympathies on behalf of persons whom they
have so represented. Insolvent debtors are unfortu-
nate, just as all evil-doing persons (criminals) are un-
fortunate, but not in the sense in which the Commis-
sioners (to serve the interests of this class) use the
word. This is a question of evidence, and does not
rest on mere hypothesis. Insolvents have become so vo-
luntarily, by a course of conduct which they pursued
either before or after the contracting of their debts, or
both. They willed to become insolvent, just as, but
not with an equal degree of criminality, the pick-
pocket or the forger willed his deed. Insolvency,
larceny, felony, are each one, only the last acts, the
fruition, the social evil-doing of a long course of con-
duct more or less vicious. Let the causes of insol-
vency be honestly examined, and they will be found
to be, in nearly all cases, idleness, extravagance, spe-
culation, gambling, and dishonesty, vices in which
men will freely indulge, as theyare more or less liable
to punishment. The pickpocket obtains the products
of his neighbour's industry by creeping behind him,
and taking it unawares ; the insolvent does it by a
promise dishonestly and deliberately given, which his
neighbour accepts, and then, as has been above stated,
by a series of voluntary acts, he renders himself un-
able, or he will not fulfil his bargain, a bargain which
it is of the very highest importance to society should
be fulfilled; and, therefore, all men who do not fulfil
it, but who voluntarily break it, are punishment-
worthy, and will be punished in a virtuous state of
society, where the interests of the whole people, and
not the interests of a select class, are legislated for,
The censures about facilities of gaining credit are
absurd, and also much else of the report of the Com-
missioners ; were there space; it could be easily shown
to be idle nonsense, unworthy even a school-boy's
prize essay. However, folly and humanity-monger-
ing will have their course, and when millions and
more millions have been wasted, and illicitly distri-
buted—that treasure which has been created and
hoarded, and thus made into capital by industrious,
ingenious, and self-denying men, perhaps the public
voice will swell with righteous indignation at this
corrupt legislation, and demand punishment due—
exemplary and sanitive— against all public enemies,
whether they be insolvents or pickpockets.
I am, Sir, your obedient servant,
Brixton, June 30. A VICTIM.