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

DUTCH PAPERS.

THE HAGUE, OCT. 6.—We have received the Java
papers of 26th and 29th of June, from which we make
the following extracts :
BATAVIA, JUNE 25.—According to the reports,
Lieut. T. H. H. St. Hooft, commander of his Ma-
jesty's brig the Arend, that officer, with the division
under his command, had arrived at Temor on the

13th May, without any further encounters with the
pirates.
his Royal Highness the Prince of Orange returned
to the Hague yesterday, from his journey to Italy
and Germany.
BATAVIA, MAY 10.—Accounts from Banda, to the
sth of February, say that for the last twenty days
there had been remarkable changes in the weather.
Oppressive heat and a dead calm during the day was
succeeded in the night by a dreadful hurricane. A
Boeton junk was wrecked near the island of Swangie,
on which occasion two persons were drowned, and
three proas of Ceram, on their voyage to Banda, were
driven back in a furious storm, and wrecked on the
coast of Ceram.

BATAVIA, JUNE 14.—We learn from Banda that
on the 30th April the English brig the Royalist,
Lieut. Wells, commander, had arrived there from
Port Essington, and also the Hebe, a Bremen schooner,
for the purpose of procuring medicines, which were
very much wanted at Port Essington, where a general
sickness prevailed. They were supplied as far as the
stock at Banda permitted ; but the Hebe would pro-
bably be obliged to go to Amborna for the same pur-
pose. Lieutenant Wells and Mr. Almeida, super-
cargo of the Hebe, who were both very ill when they
arrived, were lodged in the house of the Resident,
and put under the care of the physican at Banda, and
there were hopes of their recovery, as they can be
better attended to than on board their ships.
ROTTERDAM, OCT. 6.—The Giraffe, mail steamer
packet, Captain Stranack, arrived here this morning
at ten o'clock, hiving performed the voyage in twenty-
three hours.

The Dutch papers quoted from the Batavia journals
a very long account (translated from the Friend of
China of 20th April, and the Hong-Kong Register
of the 22d) of the unfortunate expedition of Mr.
Erskine Murray to Bornea.

DUTCH FUND.S.--AMSTERDAM, OCT. 7.
Money. 8111 k
Actual Debt, 2% per rent. 62% 62%
Jitto, ditto 5 per cent._
Aineit Syndie,4% per cent 994 99%
Ditto, ditto. 3% percent. 89% 00
Commercial Company, 4% per cent...„ 147% 148%
Loan 1837, 5 per cent • • —..••• ...... •.....•.....•• ....
Exchange on Londen, Onernonth.......
Two months
Haroburgh, One m'nth 33 &1%
Two months
Dutch Papers, Oct. 8.

THE FIRE AT WELLS.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

SIB,--I was surprised at r;adirig in The Sun of yes-
terday an account, purporting to be furnished by " A
Correspondent," of a " Dreadful Fire" at the mansion of
W. G. Hayter, Esq., M.P. for this city, which, as
alleged, was attended with the loss of the life of one of
his servants. I reside immediately opposite Mr. Ilayter's
house, and am his solicitor here ; and in his temporary
absence beg to state that no part of his premises has been
on fire ; and consequently your Correspondent's report
is a fabrication, and wholly untrue.

I am happy to add there has been no incendiary fire
here or in the neighbourhood, and I think there is no
fear of one, unless your unprincipled Correspondent
should be amongst us—his feeling no right•minded man
can envy. Trusting to your impartiality to insert this
letter, I am, Sir, your obedient servant,
Wells, Oct. 9. RICHARD SHEPPARD.

[The letter, which we believed entitled to credit, was
dated " Wells, 7th October," and signed " J. R. Gibbs,
one of the agents to the West of England." We will
forward it to our Correspondent, as possibly it may help
to trace out the worthless individual who fabricated the
account.—ED. Sun.]

Yesterday Captain Umphraville, of the Preventive
Service, at Greenhithe, made a very extensive seizure of
contraband tobacco on board a vessel ostensibly employed
in conveying fruit to London.
CIRCULATION OF COUNTRY NOTES.—To-day, the
10th instant, the portion of the Bank Charter Act
which relates to the circulation of bank-notes by coun-
try bankers in England and Wales comes into operation.
There are several provisions in the statute having
reference to the subject. By the 13th section it is
provided that every banker claiming to issue bank-
notes in England and Wales, should, within one
month after the passing of the Act, on the 19th
of July last, give notice to the Commissioners of Stamps
and Taxes of his claim, and thereupon the Com-
missioners should ascertain if he was lawfully carrying
on business on the 19th of May last, and then the Com-
missioners should ascertain the average amount of bank-
notes which were in circulation for a period of twelve
weeks preceding the 27th of April last, which
amount is to be certified to the banker ; " and it shall
be lawful for every such banker to continue to issue
his own notes after the passing of this Act, provided
nevertheless that such banker shall not at any time
after the 10th of October, 1844, have in circulation
upon the average of a period of four weeks, to be ascer-
tained as hereinafter mentioned, a greater amount of
notes than the amount so certified." It is by other
sections enacted that the amount so certified to be issued
shall be published in the London Gazette, and that in
case the amount in circulation shall exceed the certified
sum, such banker shall forfeit a sum equal to the
amount circulated. After the 19th of October every
banker on one day in every week, to be fixed upon
by the Commissioners, shall render accounts of the
amount of bank-notes in circulation on every day in the
week, with the average for four weeks, and with the
amount authorised, such account to be published in the
London Gazette; and, if neglect be made, or a false
account rendered, such banker to forfeit 1001. for every
such offence. In order to ascertain the monthly average
amount, the daily circulation for four weeks after the
10th of October is to be taken, such period ending on a
Saturday, and such amount is not to exceed the sum cer-
tified. The Commissioners have power to inspect the
books of bankers, &c., to ascertain the circulation of
their notes, and a penalty of 100/. is provided for dis-
obedience on the part of the bankers.
IMPORTANT DECISION.—THE GREENWICH PIER
COMPANlES.—Considerable excitement was occasioned
at Greenwich yesterday by the announcement that
the long-pending law suits between Sir Richard Dobson,
Knt., and Mr. Sutton, on the one side, and the watermen
of Greenwich on the other, had been finally decided by
Sir John Bailey, Bart., to whom they were referred at
Maidstone Assizes in March last, in favour of the water-
men. The decision of the case of the Queen v. Sir R.
Dobson and others, is not only of importance to the pro-
secutors, but also to the owners of all waterside property.
The facts appear to be shortly these :—The watermen,
by means of barges, placed a floating-pier at Garden-
stairs, for landing and embarking passengers from steam-
boats. This greatly interfered with the profits of the
defendants as principal shareholders in the Green-
wich Pier Company, and after in vain, for the space of
two years, trying to remove the floating-pier, they hit
upon the expedient of, purchasing from the Commis-
sioners of Greenwich Hospital the Salutation Tavern, and
other houses adjoining the stairs. Having completed
the purchase, they then applied to the Corporation of
the City of London for a license to embank the River
Thames in front of their newly-acquired property, to the
extent of about sixty feet into the bed of the river, and
thus entirely preclude the landing of passengers except-
ing from small boats at the stairs. The City granted
the license, and the defendants commenced the embank-
ment, when the watermen were advised that the City
not having the power to grant such license, the embank-
ment was unlawful. An indictment was then preferred,
and the result is, that in accordance with the decision of
Lord Chief Justice Abbot, in a similar case, the arbi-
trator has decided that no such power is possessed by
the City authorities. Thus it will appear that the vast
revenue derived by the City for driving piles, embanking
the river, &c., is illegally taken from the different par-
ties possessing river frontage.
We understand that it was originally the wish of
Louis Philippe to take Brighton in his way to Windsor,
with a view to which a French engineer was sent over
to examine the capacities of the harbours of Shoreham
and Newhaven. Neither harbour being deep enough to
admit a vessel like the Gomer, with a draught of 17 feet,
his Majesty necessarily abandoned his intention.—
Brighton Gazette.
Jt is said that the Queen and her Royal Consort
will accompany Louis Philippe on his return to Gos-
port, and in the Royal Albert and Victoria steamer con-
voy his Majesty to within a short distance of the oppo-
site oast