The Sun.
London, England, 1844-10-22 00:00:00

EARTHQUAKE IN THE WEST

INDIES.

Ou the 291 of August an earthquake was felt in
several of the West Indian islands, including St. Vin-
cent's, Grenada, Trinidad, and British Guiana. The
Trinidad paper says :
" We would record the occurrence of one of the se-
verest earthquakes which we have ever experienced,
and, we believe, that has been felt in Trinidad since that
of 1825. About ten minutes past three o'clock in the
morning we were roused from our sleep by the violent
motion of the house in which we reside, and the loud
noise of the creaking beams. The violence of the shoclg
continued to increase, and terminated by a long oscilla
tion of so alarming a nature as to lead us to expect the
immediate destruction of the house, as well as of the
whole town. Had it ended, as has been the case in for-
mer earthquakes, by a sudden jerk, nothing, we are sure,
could have prevented that catastrophe. The motion,
though very violent, was of that kind to which the build-
ings subject to it would, according to the well-known
laws of motion, have accommodated themselves without
being thrown down or disruptured. This renewed in-
stance of a merciful Providence in arresting the
awful convulsion will, we trust, be devoutly and
gratefully acknowledged by every individual in our
community. Our deepest anxiety is now felt on behalf
of our neighbours in the adjacent islands—may
Heaven have been as merciful to them ! There were
local causes i•ufficient, we apprehend, to have produced
the effect, and, perhaps, to have made our island the
focus of the powerful agency. The highly electrical
state of the atmosphere, the gale, the floods of rain, the
sultry weather of the preceding afternoon, and the spring
tides, may have had their separate and combined influ-
ence in its production. At the time the shock occurred
the sky was cloudless, the full moon shone in all its ef-
fulgence, and the air was cool and pleasant at 72 degrees.
It was one of the most brilliant of those nights with
which the tropics are so freely favoured. When we
looked out Venus had just risen like a blazing meteor,
and added greatly to the calm grandeur of the scene.
There was nothing at the moment to indicate the awful
visitation that had just been realised. As might be ex-
pected, the inhabitants of Port of Spain were generally
roused, and many persons were out making inquiries
after the safety of their friends and relatives. 'We have
not yet heard whether any damage has been sustained
by any buildings in Port of Spain."
And a British Guiana journal thus speaks of the oc-
currence :
" A strong westerly or land wind, transmitting the most
unpleasant sensations through the bones of the invalid,
prevailed until about sunset. After dark a vehement tem-
pest of thunder and lightning came on. Every other mi-
nute the. horizon was one blaze of blue light, of intense
brilliancy, which cast an unearthly aspect over the belated
wayfarers in the streets, anxious to gain the shelter
of the humblest home. Calms succeeded, separated from
each other by light, variable, and warm gusts of wind.
After the moon had risen, the squalid face of nature in-
dicated a distempered condition. The luxuriant boughs
of our intertropical trees drooped heavily. Had the
brute creation been awake, it was just such a season as
would have overwhelmed them with instinc-
tive dread of some unknown calamity near at hand. In
different parts of the town some watch dogs howled
mournfully. This is no overwrought description. We
detail what multitudes witnessed, who were unable to
enjoy their wonted repose during those hours of antici-
pated horror. About half-past three o'clock in the morn-
ing the earthquake occurred.
" A curious effect observable was that produced on
water set aside for domestic uses. Vats and tubs, in-
sufficiently covered over, lost so much by what was
spilled from the top during the vibrations, as to be nearly
emptied of their contents.
"'This earthquake, as was to have been anticipated,
was felt with the most severity at the penal settlement,
the site of which is rocky. The concussion of the
buildings themselves and the heavy iron fastenings of
their doors and gates created a tremendous uproar, high
above which, however, rose the screams and bellowings
of the prisoners, praying to be released. One of them,
an obdurate ruffian, told the guard who opened his eel:
as the day dawned, that he had never before known that
there was a God Almighty. While the fit of terror
lasted, an infant might have led him."

NOVEL MODE OF SMUGOLING.—On Saturday after-
noon, a seaman from on board the Berkshire, a ship re-
cently arrived in the St. Katherine's Dock, presented
himself at the gate for the purpose of being passed out
with his luggage and bidding, and though it is not usual
to inspect very minutely such articles the gate-keeper was
induced to examine the bed rather closely, when he
found very neatly stowed away in various parts, a large
quantity of nutmegs, tea and other articles, besides a
very pretty, .workbox of Indian manufacture. The man
was immediately taken into custody on a charge of smug-
gling, as they were evidently concealed with the inten-
tion of defrauding the revenue.

METROPOLITAN DRAPERS' ASSOCIATION.—EARLY
CLOSING OF SHOPS.—A public meeting of the Chelsea
branch of this association was held in the Temperance
Hall, Exeter-street, Sloane-street, on Friday evening,
the loth. Mr. Lilwall was called upon to preside, and
stated that the object for which they met was to induce
the assistants in other trades to form similar associations.
Mr. Cooper, the district secretary, then read the report,
from which it appeared that, though one of the smallest,
this was the most flourishing district in the metropolis,
and, owing to the active exertions of the committee,
evening trade was very much diminished. Mr. St. Clair,
a member of the central committee, moved the adop-
tion of the report. In doing so he observed, that to
abridge the hours of business was not, as some imagined,
the sole object of the association ; but they had an
ulterior object in view, towards which this was but the
stepping-stone. This object was to elevate the character
of trade, and to improve the moral and intellectual wel-
fare of the shopman, to do which it was absolutely ne-
cessary to secure a pertion of time from the demands of
business. The cause .was daily growing in Itrength,
public opinion was decidedly in favour of the movement;
none opposed it on principle, but all were glad to wit-
ness the success attending the exertions of the committee.
—(Loud cheers.) In carrying out these measures, the •
committee had avoided all constraint towards employers;
they had ever used a mild, persuasive tone, and to this
might their success be attributed. There were three
ways in which the assis'ant might support the com-
mittee :—First, by pecuniary contributions ; secondly,
personal exertions ; and, thirdly, by acting uprightly to
their employers. In conclusion, he remarked, that if
only one hour each day was obtained by the exertions
of this association, it would amount to 300 hours per
year, or one year of ten hours per day in every twelve
years. Mr. Greenfield seconded the adoption of the re-
port, which, being put from the chair, was carried una-
nimously. Resolutions in accordance with the address
were put and agreed to, and the meeting separated.
'THE MURDER AT DOVER.—Thomas Clark, the
man for whose apprehension Government has offered a
large reward, for killing a policeman at Dover, was in
Maidstone on Monday week. He then went into the
Queen Anne public-house, the landlord of which (Mr.
Yelling) had lived at Canterbury ; and after ordering
some beer, went away without having it, but asked for a
pipe of tobacco, which was given to him. He was ob-
served to look hack several times on leaving the house
for the direction of the Huntsman. The landlord thought
he knew him at the time, but did not recollect, until
after he had gone some time, that it was the an for
whom the reward had been offered. He then set out in
pursuit of him, and found that he had lit his pipe at the
Artichoke ; and traced him some distance in the direc-
tion of Hollingbourne, where he lost all further traces of
him. The fellowing, is the description of him given in
the Government bills :—" He is about 27 years of age,
stands about tive feet six inches high, stout built, of dark
sallow complexion, dark full eyes, straight strongly
marked eye-brows, dark bushy hair, dark full whiskers
meeting under the chin, and a round full face. When
last seen had on a pepper and salt blouse, blue cap with
leather peak, and boot- shoes laced up in front. Is sup-
posed to haya changed his dress to a blue jacket and
trousers."

THE LATE FLEET PRlSON.—Tuesday next is the
last day appointed by the Commissioners of Woods and
Forests for receiving tenders for the purchase of the late
Fleet Prison. Strange things have happened in the
Fleet, and it is now about to pass away to some better
purpose, it is hoped, than the confinement of persons for
de'a. The present building is sixty years old, having
been built after the destruction of the former prison
by fire in the Gordon riots of 1780, when the mob
was polite enough to send a message of their
intention, and to defer their visit until the fol-
lowing day, on account of the lateness of the hour, which
would not suit the convenience of the prisoners. The Fleet
Prison, it would seem, has been destroyed three times
by tire—once by the followers of Nat Tyler. It is men
tinned as early as the 12th century, and in the 16th and
17th centuries it was used as a place of confinement for
persons who were persecuted by their brethren, for their
religious opinions. It was, consequently, the Star
Chamber Prison, and, on the abolition of the Star Cham-
ber, used exclusively fur the confinement of persons for
debt, and for contempt of the Court of Chancery, &e.
In the former prisons great atrocities were committed on
the inmates, and several Parliamentary Committees, in
their reports, described the miseries which had been
endured. It was proved that the warden, in 1690, had
let the place for 1,500/, on the understanding that 2,000
persons were confined, and in order to reimbui se the
tenant, great extortion was committed ; and, subse-
quently to that period, persons confined for debt were
ironed. Great alterations have gradually been made in
the law of debtor and creditor. Persons cannot now be
confined for years at the caprice of their creditors, and
if they remain long in prison it is the result of their own
misconduct. Among the prisoners removed to the
Queen's Prison, when the Fleet was closed last year, was
one who had been in custody upwards of thirty years.—
Suridey Times.
IMPORTANT SEIZURE OF ADULTERATING DRUGS
IY A BREWERY BY TEE EXClSE.—Within the last few
days a seizure of a most extensive and important cha-
racter has Leen made by the Excise officers in an ale and
porter brewery of considerable standing, but in rather
an obscure district of the metropolis. From information
received, two of the surveying
ttexaminers general, and an
oflicer .of Excise, vro
to, and upon obtaining admission they
above alluded
wn they made a most
diligent search, and the result proved that their infor-
mation was perfectly correct, as they found alarg e
e quantity of the ingredients commonly used in th adul-
teration of beer, and which may almost be consideredasa substitute, though a most pernicious one, for both malt
and hops ; viz., Coculus indicus, grains of paradise, li-
quorice, &c. ; the whole numbering six descriptions of
unwholsome drugs, the whole of which were seized, and
samples taken and sealed in the presence of all parties, I
besides samples of the beer. This case, it is probable,
will be defended by counsel, and will be heard at the
next sittings of the Court of Commissioners.
The number of sick in the military hospitals of
Algiers is at this moment 2,400. Diarrhoea and dysen-
tery are the prevailing maladies.

THE LATE ATHENEUM SOIREE.

Every day brinks forth the most gratifying proofs
of the interest which this great meeting _ has univer-
sally created, not only in this country, but also on
the continent. The London and provincial, as also
the Scotch and Irish papers, have almost without ex-
ception given reports of the proceedings at considerable
length, and have nearly all accompanied them with
laudatory comments. Most of the leading French jour-
nals have mentioned the meeting in terms of the warmest
commendation; amongst others Le Commerce, which
after a very lucid resume of the benefits which such
institutions are calculated to confer on the commu-
nity, strongly urges the establishment of an Athe-
rmum at Paris and the principal towns of France.
We may expect to see the example generally fol-
lowed in this country. Letters couched in the most
congratulatory terms, upon the success of the
soiree and the flourishing condition of the Athe•
nxum, have, we understand, been received in
large numbers from many literary institutions in
various parts of England and Scotland, and from
numerous distinguished individuals throughout the
country. We are also gratified to learn that in many
instances these flattering communications have been
accompanied by some very substantial tokens—speak-
ing volumes for the good effects resulting from such
periodical gatherings. Amongst some liberal donations
received by the Directors subsequent to the soiree,from
parties at a distance, we may enumerate -one from
Montague Gore, Esq.,M.P. for Barnstaple, who has sent
Edmund Burke's Correspondence, from 1744 to 1797 ;
edited by Earl Fitzwilliam and Sir Richard Bourke ;
just published, in 4 vols. exquisitely bound, with a
most complimentary note; 51. from the Rev. James
Hildyard, of London, per Mr. D'lsraeli; and last,
though by no means least in interest, a valuable
commercial work from Monsieur Coffy, of Paris,
written by that gentleman, who in a most interesting
communication writes, that having seen from Mr. D'ls-
raeli's speech (upon which he bestows a well-merited
eulogium) that the library was deficient in commercial
works, "he has much pleasure in forwarding a con-
tribution, an example which he hopes to see exten-
sively followed, and by which means the desideratum
of having, in a commercial town like Manchester, ac-
cess to the best and most authentic works on trade
and commerce, will speedily be attained."
We are glad to hear that the Directors of the
Athenaeum, anxious to testify their feelings of grati-
tude to Mr. D'lsraeli and the principal guests of the
soirée, convened a special meeting of the Board last
week, at which, a cordial vote of thanks was unani-
mously passed to Mr. D'lsraeli, for the important ser-
vices rendered by him to the Athenaeum. The Directors
also, at the same meeting, elected that gentleman
a life member of the Institution. A similar compli-
ment was conferred upon Lord John Manners, M.P.,
the Hon. George Sydney Smythe, M.P., Thomas M.
Gibson, Esq., M.P., Rowland Hill, Esq., and S. C.
ilall, Esq. Mr. D'lsraeli has sent a very handsome
letter in acknowledgment to Messrs. E. Watkin and
P. Berlyn, from which the following extract may in-
terest our readers :

" I have great pleasure in acknowledging the re-
ceipt of the resolution of the Board of Directors of
the Athenaeum, which has made me a life member of
that institution. lam very much honoured by this
expression of their confidence, and very much grati-
fied by the terms in which it has been conveyed to
me. It is satisfactory to find that the effect of the
meeting, not only in Manchester, but throughout the
country, and indeed on the Continent, has been such
as to assure you that your toil and zeal have not been
thrown away."
The lion. Mr. Smythe thus acknowledges the
honour in a letter addressed to Mr. P. Berlyn :
" Harley-street, London, Oct. 16, 1844.
" My dear Sir,—Will you be good enough to con-
vey to the Directors of the Manchester Athenaeum my
most grateful thanks for the honour which they have
conferred upon me? I never shall forget the sympathy,
the kindness, the hospitality, with which I was
entertained at Manchester, and this last distinction is
the more flattering and welcome, that it is connected
ith so many agreeable reminiscences. Pray remem-
ber me most cordially to Mr. Watkin, end always
believe me, dear Mr. Berlyn,
"Yours most sincerely,
" GEORGE SYDNEY SAIYTEIE."

Suitable replies have also been received from the
other gentlemen, for which we have not room at
present.—/Ilanchester Guardian.

FLIGHT OF A POOR-LAW UNION OFFICER: It is
with regret that we learn that Mr. Richard Lowe, for-
merly- of this city, but who for nearly five years has filled
the situation of collector of the rates for the townships of
Stourbridge and Cradley, in the Stourbridge Union, last
week suddenly absconded from his trust, and, as there is
reason to believe, has taken his departure fur America,
leaving a considerable deficiency in his accounts. It
seems that Mr. Lowe quitted home on Tuesday se'nnight,
for Halesowen, to prepare the account of the different
hamlets in that parish for the audit, to be held on the
day following, informing his wife he should not return
on Tuesday night, as he had business to transact at Bir-
mingham, but should return on Wednesday. On that
day he did not attend the audit, as was his duty, but he
had left every document ready for the purpose. Not re-
turning home at night, his wife became alarmed at his
absence, naturally supposing some accident had befallen
him. As he did not return on Thursday, it was thought
desirable to send to Birmingham to make inquiries, and
Mr. Bristow, a brother officer, proceeded thither. Be-
fore his return a partial examination of Mr. Lowe's ac-
counts was made by Mr. Simkiss, the auditor of the
union, and it was soon discovered that in the township
of Cradley he had received considerable sums of money,
which he had not paid over to the account of the
union, thus furnishing a reason for his absence. Mr.
Bristow, on reaching Birmingham, made diligent in-
quiries, and after much trouble ascertained that Mr.
Lowe had taken tea at the Crown Inn, Carr's-lane, and
left about eleven o'clock on Tuesday night, saying he
was going to Halesowen. Mr. Bristow then proceeded
to the railway station, and found that a person answer-
ing Mr. Lowe's description had left on Tuesday night
by the mail train for Liverpool. On Friday morning
Mrs. Lowe raceived a letter from her husband, dated
Liverpool, but containing no information as to what
course he intended to pursue; Mrs. Lowe immediately
started for Worcester, to endeavour to induce one of her
husband's sureties, both of whom reside in this city, to
accompany her to Liverpool in search of her husband;
but it was a fruitless search, as on Saturday an unsealed
note was received, written in pencil on a scrap of paper
torn from a memorandum-book, and without a date, as
fellows:—" I have sailed this morning, and will write as
soon as I can.—R. L." It bore the Liverpool post-mark
of the 10th inst. It thus appears that he left on Friday,
and it is probable that nothing more will be heard of
him till he reaches his destination. An universal feeling
of sympathy is manifested for the situation of his wife
and four children, who are thus unexpectedly aban-
doned by their natural protector.—Worcester Herald.
WILL OF LORD KEANE, G.C.B.—The will of Lord
Keane has just been proved in Doctors' Commons. His
Lordship by this instrument gives to his wi!'e, Charlotte
'Maria, his mansion, carriage=, wine, several articles of
plate, and the sum of 10,0001. To his daughter Char-
lotte, 5,4001. He observes :—" As my son, Edward
Arthur Wellington Keane, is entitled to a pension 01
2,0001. a year from Government, I consider him suffi-
ciently provided for, and bequeath him my Gliuznee
sword." To his son Ge.)rge Keane he gives " the sword
given me by the King of Caubul, and the Lahore match.
locks and artillery models brought from India." To hi*
son Hussey Fane Keane, his " Cutch sword and Sinde
ride." He observes :—" My collar, ribbon, and badge
of the Order of the Bath will have to be given up to the
Herald's-office, but my other stars are my own property,
and I bequeath them to my wife." Ile gives to his sons
bend of Lord Vivian for 10,000/. To his executors
he gives 2,0001 to purchase a company in one of her
Majest) 's regiments for his son John, and directs them
to apply an additional 2,0001. for his benefit till such
company is obtained. Te his " faithful servant, Richard
Hyman' 200/." The remainder of his property is be-
queathed to his wife and two sons, Hussey and George
Keane. The executors appointed are Ronald Macdo-
nald, Esq., George Keane, Esq., and Charles Hopkin-
son, Esq. (the banker). The property is sworn under
45,0001. The will bears date July, 1844.
DEATH OF A PAUPER IN THE ACT OF REMOVAL.—
Mr. Baker, sun., on Saturday last, held an inquest at the
Cumberland's Head, City-road, on the body of Mary Ann
(iatheard, aged 35, a sempstress. It appeared from the
evidence, that illness had rendered deceased incapable
of working, and reduced her to a state of great destitu-
tion. Her malady of course increased, and though
she had been at first medically treated by the parish
surgeon, she received little benefit, and it was resolved
on Thursday afternoon last to remove her to the in
firraary of St. Luke's Workhouse. She was accordingly
rcluoved thither in a cab, and as they were taking her
into the sick ward, she expired. Verdict—`• Natural
death."

It is fully believed that in consequence of her Ma-
jesty's aquatic excursions, and the late visit of the King
of the French, that certain promotions will take place in
the Royal Navy ; but at present the names of the officers
rest upon conjecture. It will probably be several weeks
before they are gezetted, as it will take some time for
the Board of Admiralty to consider the claims of those
~tiho have been recommended for advancement.—United
Service Gazette.
FOOD FOE CATTLE.—The Lords Commissioners of
the Treasury have given permission for upwards of 20
tons of the Lotus nut to be admitted without payment of
any duty for Earl Spencer, which ho is about to import
for the purpose of the article being tried as an experi-
mvnt as food for cattle, which is expected to arrive in
the sloop Peace, T. Bidwell, master, and will be denomi-
nated by the I'ortuguese name Aliaroba.
COLONIAL MisLazEs.---A Barbadian journalist puts
prominently forward, among his " leaders," this pithy
and pathetic paragraph:—" The want of rain is now, we
believe, pretty generally felt by our country friends.
The dust n the city is exceedingly troublesome to mer-
chants and householders. Tho heat unfits us for any-
thing like mental labour.
The kindness of Vice-Admiral La Susse in issuing
vie
thoroughly
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rst
Englishei
tzn doi splendid sthheip Ginogm individualscanbr
cards of admission, through the Consul at this port, for
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Frenchyg l ass osmese
in
The
steiaiT
ghsalaner—iffliaamndP efro.r the county
of Hertford have conferred the appointment of governor
t.) the Gaol and House of Correction of
that county on
Mr. Samuel Hatchard, deputy-governor of the P emten
tiary, Millbank.

SPIRIT of tb. PUBLIC JOURNALS.
THOM THE EVENING PAPERS OF YESTERDAY.
GLOBE.—The case of Mr. David Salomons is
likely to be the last of its kind. The spirit of the
age is, happily, hostile to religious tests, as qualifi-
cations for secular offices. The manifest inconve-
nience of the practice, no less than the flagrant in-
justice of the principle they involve, requires
that they be expunged from the statute-book.
In the present instance, a worthy citizen, whose
public and private virtues have obtained for him
the respect and confidence of the public ; who
has been selected by the citizens of London for
the office of Sheriff, which he served with honour to
himself and advantage to the community, and who
worthily fills the office of magistrate in two counties
—was elected as alderman of one of the City wards.
His election is pronounced void by the Court of Al-
dermen. Why ? He is a Jew ! The law—which
has been changed and modified, in order that profes-
sors of other religious sects may be admitted to office
in corporations--sets a mark of degradation on
a Jew, as such. A Jew may be virtuous, wise,
wealthy, charitable ; esteemed by all for his private
worth, and venerated fur his public excellences ;
the community may deem him worthy of trust, and
his Sovereign may select him as a fit subject for
honour; but corporations will bar their doors, and
refuse toadmit him to office within their halls. Though
the magistrates of two counties actually receive him
as their equal, and concede to him the precedence in
their sessions, those of the city of London will
exclude him, as ineligible to be their associate, and
stretch the law to prevent him from occupying a seat
in their assemblies ! Such is the monstrous exhibition
which the public is compelled to witness and deplore
in the middle of the nineteenth century, but of which
it will exert itself to prevent a repetition. It may
not be either uninteresting or unavailing, if a brief
retrospect be taken of the course by which the pre-
sent invidious and injurious state of the law has
been arrived at. The injustice of the principle, and
inconvenience of the practice, will be thus clearly ex-
posed. The declaration which Mr. Salomons was
unable to subscribe, and for which inability he was
ousted by the Court of Aldermen from the office of
alderman, to which he had been elected, was in-
tended to protect the interests of the Established
Church. By binding those who are not members
of that Establishment under a declaration, made
" upon the true faith of a Christian," not to use
their influence, as members of municipal corpo-
rations, against its interests, a security, it was sup-
posed, had been obtained against the machinations
of evil-minded Dissenters who, if members of cor-
porations, might plot its destruction. When the
Tory Government of 1828 was compelled by
the progress of liberal opinions, to repeal the Test
and Corporation Acts, this declaration was imposed
upon all. Thus, while professing to abolish all tests,
it contrived to create a new test—lest repulsive, but
not less invidious and insurmountable than the old.
The practical operation of the new declaration was
loudly and justly complained of at the time. Many
persons, who had no objection to bind themselves
against offering injury to the Established Church, had
conscientious scruples about oaths. These regarded
the declaration of 1828 as partaking of the nature of an
oath ; they consequently objected to this form of de-
claration. To meet the case of such persons, the Le-
gislature, in 1837, passed an Act making a special
exception in favour of three descriptions of persons,
and professing to relieve them alone. It left all the
rest in the same position in which they were placed
by the Act of 1828. The sects relieved by the Act
of 1837 are Quakers, Moravians, and Separatists. The
Jews, and all persons not of these comprehended sects,
hut who have conscientious scruples respecting oaths,
are still excluded. The words of the declaration, or
test, of 1828, " on the true faith of a Christian," ex-
cluded the Jew; it excluded also the Quakers, and
others ; the latter objected to it, as partaking of the na-
ture of an oath, which it certainly does ; the Jew, who
does not object to any oath, however formal, was excluded
by the substance, though not by the form, of the
ords. The new test, or declaration, substituted by
the Act of 1837 for that of 1828, leaves out these
words; but contains a declaration that the party
making it is either a Quaker, a Moravian, or a Sepa-
rarist. This necessarily excludes all, whether Chris-
tian, or Jew, or Gentile, who belong not to these three
excepted sects.
STANDARD.—An Evening Contemporary has
admitted an article upon the insolvent laws, the
spirit of which may be easily apprehended from the
following passage, with which it commences :—" All
persons in the land (i. e. all the honest) are indignant
at the laws which have been growing up of late
years respecting insolvency, and which have reached
the very top of vice and error in Lord Brougham's late
Act." In this strain the writer proceeds through
a full column of " money lenders' lament ;" but,
though our Contemporary has thought the composi-
tion deserving of the -distinction of leaded lines
and large type, we must decline proceeding to
examine its trite fallacies. According to the
writer, money lenders are all suffering inno-
cents, debtors all knaves, a view very different
from -what we should collect from the doctrine
of the Scriptures, and from the opinions of
moral writers. The truth is, that the old debtors'
law was so monstrously oppressive as to compel its
mitigation. Sixty-four years ago, as Mr. Burke
declared, at Bristol, its " savage operation " had
reached those physical limits that it could not pass;
there were not in the kingdom gaols enough
to hold the debtors whom the merciful cre-
ditor class would consign to dungeons ; and
hence some insolvent Act became necessary.
During the 64 years of interval the insolvent laws
have been gradually ameliorated, with the constant
accompaniment of unparalleled improvement in the
moral:; and in the commercial credit of the country.
At length these laws have reached that point,
that character, and character only is the
foundation of credit. The man of substance,
or of known probity, industry, and pru-
dence, can now certainly obtain credit as easily
as when the debtor law was in most savage operation ;
nay, ntore easily, for the money formerly staked in
others ise desperate credits, relying upon the security
of the debtor's body, is now turned into that channel
in which it can be lent upon the security of character.
The moral importance of this change can hardly be
overrtsted ; but its effects are not as obvious as soon
they must be. Many persons who gave credit
upon the security of the creditor's flesh and bones,
find themselves losers by the loss of that security, and
complain, with some plausibility, that they are
cheat md. For example—the writer to whom we have
alluded tells a story of a creditor, who, " after immense
difficulty and expense," procured the arrest of a debtor
who owed him 2001., the debtor obtained an interim
crier, and escaped to Antwerp. " The immense
difficulty and expense," fixes the date of the debt
at son le period prior to the late insolvent Acts.
Now this may be a hard case, though we
confess that our impressions are not in
favouv of one wbo bestows immense expense
upon the capture of a creature so very poor as
to fly his country for 2001. Be this, however, as
it ma,y, such cases are not likely to recur in the
present state of -the law. Creditors will not
inconsiderately trust men so dishonest or in such bad
circu instances as to be likely to fly to Antwerp from
debts of 2001. The present wrong must therefore be
submitted to, for the sake of a far more extensive
exercise of justice, and a far greater good. One
knay.> has escaped to Antwerp; thousands of
honest and industrious, though unfortunate men,
have been rescued from the cruelty of hard-hearted,
cr vindictive creditors. The Jew has lost " his
pour :1 of flesh," but the pecuniary value of character
has been greatly enhanced—almost the greatest bles-
sing that can be conferred upon a nation.
ConsOed 'by this reflection, we turn to an-
other matter connected with the subject. Sixty-
four years ago, as we have said, Mr. Burke
indignantly declared that all the gaols of the
kingdom were insufficient to contain the vic-
tims with whom relentless creditors would load
them.... And now we find our Contemporaries en-
gage d in a hot dispute as to the disposal of
the oldest, and we believe the largest, debtors'
prison in England, the Fleet, which has for more
than a year been unoccupied, and is now "to
let." This we must think a salutary and even
a glorious change • but our immediate subject
is tilt s disposal of the prison. The Times takes up
the 1 iroposition to convert the late prison into baths
and laundries for the poor, and bestows more
than. a column of highly animated rebuke
upon: those who hold the site and buildings
are too valuable to be applied in specie to that
objeot. At the risk, however, of incurring share of
the :ensure of the Times, we must agree with those
who think that the locality is not well adapted
to the proposed object ; and, further, that even were
the 1 ocality a more indifferent matter than it is,
there-e would be a great want of true economy in
converting the Fleet into baths and laundries.
Every one knows that the value of ground
varios greatly in this metropolis, and the value of
ground, to say nothing of the building, is perhaps six
or e•fen tenfold greater in Farringdon-street, than in
the Less affluent districts, the very places where baths
and laundries for the poor are most wanted. Supposing,
then, that there was good ground for saying that the
valu e of the Fleet is in an especial manner due
to the poor, it is plain that the economical way
in which to go to work is to sell the old prison, and
from the proceeds provide baths and laundries for
the poor in the several quarters in which they can be
at once most cheaply and most usefully provided. Even
if tbe neighbourhood of Fleet-ditch be desirable, a
gremat deal of waste ground in the neighbourhood
of that agreeable stream can be had within a few
hundred yards northward of the prison, in the
middle of a much poorer neighbourhood than that
pthreol )ablyxiines
as
of Lower Farringdon-street. We are, however,
wrongrealliyn
relating
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