The Sun.
London, England, 1844-02-19 00:00:00

LIEUTENANT MAHON.

The Naval and Military Gazette directs attention to a case
published therein on the 3d instant, respecting the examina-
tion of Mr. Mahon, an Irish gentleman, before the Insolvent
Debtors' Court, and the circumstances, which were peculiar.
It seems this gentleman had served in the Royal Marines
with the greatest credit. Having experienced kindness. from
particular parties, he was induced, in return, to back halls to
the amount of 6,0001., which bills, however, were dishonoured.
To meet engagements in which he was thus unexpectedly in-
volved, he became deficient in, his public accounts to the
amount of 2501., and being peremptorily called upon by the
Admiralty to make good the deficiency, he was advised to
resign. The Gazette then says—" Lieut. Mahon being thus
deprived of his commission, thrown penniless upon the world,
and quickly incarcerated, was compelled to take the benefit of
the insolvent Act. The Chief Commissioner (Reynolds),
who presided at the hearing of the case, said in his concluding
address that during his many years' experience in that
Court, he had invariably remarked amongst the number of
persons and various classes of society which came before him
(and there were some of all classes), he always found the
officers of the navy were more tenacious of their honour than
any other class of men, and he was happy to say that, in the
present case, he saw nothing mean, nothing shabby nor dis-
honourable, and therefore the Court considered the insolvent
entitled to the benefit of the Act, and ordered hiin to be dis-
charged forthwith.' Although we consider Mr. Mahon, like
all other acceptors of accommodation bills, highly blameable,
still his case seems to be deserving the consideration of the
present liberal Board of Admiralty, and we hope to find him
reinstated in the service." [We cannot but echo this opinion,
especially as we have seen most honourable testimonials
possessed by Mr. Mahon from Colonel Laurence, C. 8., and
from Colonel Fergusson and Adjutant Heriot, and also his
passing certificate for an Adjutant signed by a Board of Field
Officers composed of Colonels Laurence and Wright.]—
Morning Advertiser.

The nature of the intelligence from Peru, which is
generally known. in the City, is of itself almost sufficient to
show that the price of Peruvian stock is kept up by specula-
tion rather than by any substantial ground. The army of
General Vivanco, under the command of General Guards, and
composed of 3,000 men, infantry and cavalry, has been de-
stroyed by the opposing army under Generals Castillo and
Nieto, 300 men only escaping. The letters state that the
Vivanco Government cannot last; there Js every appearance
of anarchy, and yet the stock still maintains a high quota-
tion in our market. The accounts from Ecuador represent
that Republic as suffering great poverty under the military
despotism of General Flores ; so that, whatever may be the
prospects with respect to New Granada, .there seems but a
slight chance of any arrangement being made to settle the
Ecuador portion of the old Colombian debt. Even as far as
the New Granada portion is concerned, the rumour alluded
to yesterday is without official authority, since the Spanish
Americp committee have heard nothing of the projected
mission of an agent to this country, or of a consent by the
Government to the terms of the bondholders. Whether M.
Mosquera has anything to communicate remains to be seen.—
Times.

In the course of the Irish State trial, Mr. Whiteside
quoted an extraordinary figure once used by an advocate—
" I smell a rat—l see it brewing in the storm—and I ' will
crush it in the bud."

We are informed that Mr. R. V. Richards, Queen's
Counsel, of the Oxford Circuit, is retiring from the bar, and
will not again go on the Circuit.