The Sun.
London, England, 1844-10-31 00:00:00

PENNSYLVANIAN DEBT.

The following is the conclusion of Mr. Webster's
speech, at a general meeting of the Whigs of Phila-
delphia, on October 2. We are glad to find that the
Pennsylvanians are not altogether lost to a sense of
honour :

"The Government of Pennsylvania has sought, by
various means, and some of them at great sacrifices,
to cherish these great interests of Pennsylvania. To
assist in the development of her resources, the Go-
vernment of Pennsylvania has contracted a great debt
for the purposes of railroads and canals, and other
public works, to the end that she may bring for-
ward and bring out into operation those means of
wealth which at present lie hidden, and offer so much
of useful occupation to men. Now, gentlemen, it
cannot be doubted that the Government of Pennsyl-
vania, as a government, must desire the development
of these resources to the general improvement of all
its population, and to the end that it may better con-
duct its operations in finance, and pay that debt which
rests upon it. Allow me here to say that Pennsyl-
vania needs no assumption by the United States to
pay her debts. She has contracted them herself.
She is able to pay them herself. She desires, lam
sure, no assumption of any debt of hers by the
general government out of the sphere of its consti-
tutional duty. But then, there is one thing that
neither the Government of Pennsylvania can do
nor the people of Pennsylvania can do. The Go-
vernment can make roads ; it may construct canals;

it may establish works of internal communica-
tion. - The people may open the mines and work in
them, .and bring their products to the surfaCe. But,
then, for all these interests there is one thing to be
done that the Government and people of Pennsylvania,
separate or together, cannot do, and that is to protect
these interests by just and, well-considered custom-
house regulations. Pennsylvania does not possess
that power, and the whole world knows that they
and other similar works of domestic industry—the
great interests of human society—cannot be arranged,
and controlled, and regulated successfully but by the
operations of custom-house duties.- Pennsylvania has
parted with that great regulating power. • She gave
that up on the establishment of the constitution.
She gave up the power of laying duties on im-
ports into Pennsylvanis, and she gave it up with a
clear understanding, which the whole history of those
times proves—she gave it up with a clear understand-
ing that the power with which she thus parted and
consented to place in the hands of the general Go-
vernment should be so exercised as by discrimination
to protect American Pennsylvania labour.—(Cheers.)
And the general Government, I undertake to say,
violates its obligation to every other State when it
has taken this power out of their hands, so that
they can no longer use it, and yet will not use
it itself. That is the very pinch—that is the
very exigence—the demand of duty which is
made on the Government of the United States.
Massachusetts and Pennsylvania cannot protect
their own labour by dusties at the custom-
house—they cannot lay those duties—they have
parted with that power to the general Government,
and they have parted with it under the plainest un-
derstanding and expectation on both sides, that the
power would be so exercised as to favour home pro-
ductions. Now, gentlemen, we may do what we
'please about domestic industry—Whigs may
do what they please—and individuals may do
what they please—but unless it be protected by
the general Government, by a wise, steady,
and stable system of 'legislation, there will
be no security—no permanent prosperity . amongst
you. I have said that this debt was incurred by the
State of Pennsylvania, to do its part towards the deve
lopment of its own resources. I suppose everybody
expects—l am sure that I expect that this debt shall be
paid, not by the national Government, but by Penn-
sylvania herself.—(Partial cheering.) Why I should
despair of the great cause of self-government—cease to
be a defender of the practicability of high and elevated
popular communities and popular government, if Penn-
sylvania
should sneak away from a payment of her '
debt.—(Cheers, and cries of " No—never—never !")
There may be, I suppose, between here and the
Ohio river halfa dozen repudiators.— (A voice "None.")
There are spots, and black spots on the sun. But
the general effulgence of that golden orb hides and
covers all that darkens and blackens.—(Loud cheers.)
And there may be a man in Pennsylvania whose poli-
tics and whose morals lead him to think that a debt
honestly contracted had better not be paid. But who
could hear such a voice amid the thousand shouts in
favnnr of honest and just policy, that would fill the
air from one extremity of the State to the other ?"

SUICIDE OF A LITERARY CHA-

RACTER.

NEWCASTLE-ON-TYNE, MONDAY NIGHT.

A melancholy suicide has just been discovered in
this 'town. Mr. William Gill Thompson, a name
well known as a poet, and the author of some excel-
lent pieces in our periodical magazines, has just been
found in the water-closet of the Literary and Philo-
sophical Society, in our town, with his throat cut in
several places, and evidently bad been dead for
some hours. Mr. Thompson was reporter for the
Newcastle Chronicle, and had held the situation for 20
years or more, and on the occasion of Mr. Hutt being
entertained at Gateshead the week before last, he was
required to attend and report the proceedings. He
attended, but after the dinner was over he repaired to
a public-house and enjoyed himself, so that he was
incapable next morning of copying his notes. That
day and the following passed over without his pre-
paring copy, and as the paper is published on the
Friday morning, the proprietors were under the ne-
cessity of procuring a report of the proceedings else-
where. Thompson was accordingly discharged. He
subsequently applied to be reinstated, promising
amendment, but his application was refused; and on
the Monday following he left the office of his former
employers, the Messrs. Hodgson, of this town, went
to a public-house, known by the name of Hill's
Kitchen, where he drank some beer ; from thence he
proceeded to the Literary and Philosophical Society,
and, having taken out a book, went home with it ;
returned again to the Society, and obtained the
key of the water-closet from the librarian. He re-
paired thither, and with his pen-knife inflicted several
deep wounds on his throat, which caused his death.
He lay from Monday night, last week, till to-night,
when he was discovered through his daughter hav-
ing returued the book, and the librarian asked her for
the key of the water-closet, saying her father had taken
it away a week before. The child replied her father
had been missing for a week, and then the suspicions
of the librarian were excited, and search made, when
the body of the deceased was found in the water-
closet, dreadfully cut about the throat, and the blood
flowing in all directions. A jury was immediately
summoned, and after viewing the body the inquest
was adjourned till the following day.

MONUMENT TO THE LATE ADMIRAL SIR T. M.
HARDY, GOVERNOR OF GREENWICH HOSPITAL.—Monday
Oct. 21, being the anniversary of the battle of Trafalgar,
was appropriately selected as the day for the commence-
ment of this national and county testimonial. Long
before the hour fixed (one o'clock) numbers were seen
wending their way to the summit of Blagdon-hill, the
site determined on. All being ready the first stone was
laid in duo forai by the esteemed lady of the High
Sheriff, John Floyer, Esq., amidst the cheers of the
numerous assemblage, among whom we noticed the
Iligh Sheriff, the Mayor of Dorchester, Lieut. Criswick,
R.N.' Arthur H. Dyke Acland, Esq., Robert Williams,
jun., Thq., John Hardy Thresher, Esq., T. Balston Esq.,
the Rev. Lundy Foot, the Rev. F. J. C. Trenow, Messrs.
Hawkins, Symes, Samson, Dunning, J. Wood,- Hodges,
&c. There was also a goodly array of ladies present,
which added much to the animation of the scene. An
elegant cold collation, with choice wines and strong beer
in profusion, was provided in a spacious marquee erected
on the hill, of which the company were liberally invited
to partake. The arrangements 'of the Committee gave
general satisfaction; good cheer was also supplied in
abundance to the poor. Mr. Henry Goddard, of Brid-
port, is the contractor for the erection of the monument,
wlich, from its elevated position, will be seen at a great
distapce both by sea and land.—Sherburne Journal.
EXTRAORDINARY CASE OF STRANGULATION.—On
Monday last a fine child of ten months old, named Ca-
therine Ford, came by her death under the following
circumstances :—The deceased was the child of a rope-
maker, residing at No. 5, Globe-court, Ratcliffe-high-
way, and it appears that her father went to his work On
Monday morning as usual. The mother also went out
at six o'clock to carry about milk for a person in the
Minories, as she was accustomed to do ; but before
going, she took the precaution of placing two chairs
with their backs to the bed, so as to prevent the child,
who was asleep at the time, from falling out. The child
must have rolled from the place it was lying to the edge
of the bed, and got its head through the small rails of
the chair. The body then must have fallen from the
bed, for the child was afterwards found by a young girl
named Fitzgerald, hanging in the way above described,
and quite dead. Information of the circumstance has
since been forwarded to Mr. Baker, the Coroner, by Mr.
Overton, the beadle of St. George's-in-the-East, and au
inquest is appointed.
GUANO.—In the Shipping and Mercantile Gazette
of the 23d inst., under the head of "Produce Markets,"
in that paragraph which touches upon guano, allusion
is made to the probability of a substitute being shortly
found near home ; may not this have reference to those
immense beds of coprolithes said, to exist in the neigh-
bourhood of Bath, Clifton, and other places, pointed out
by Liebig in his " Familiar Letters on Chemistry," see
page 180, and might not these antediluvian remains be
obtained in a similar way as coal ?—Correspondent.