The Sun.
London, England, 1844-01-06 00:00:00

THE ART UNION.

This periodical commences tile new year witft
• a Number of g► eat merit,both in its literary and
pictorial departments. The proprietors announce
several improvements in their plan, which will
be developed immediately, and of which sots: •
are visible in this Number. The first article,
On the Mercantile Nidue of the Fine Arts," is
of the kind exactly c eulated to produce a good
efii,ct among a mercantile community like this,
and we arc glad to perceive that the subject is to
be followed up. The Number derives a general
and permanent value from a very spirited litho-
graph of one of Wilkie's sketches in the Holy
Land, ►► Hebrew women reading the Scriptures
at Jerusalem," a beautiful subject admirably*
treated. It also contains a portrait of Overbeck,
the historical painter of Germany, and two fine
specimens of the finished outline illustrations to

the new edition of the song of the Nibelungen.
The Number is a credit to our periodical litera-
ture.

THE PEOPLE'S PHRENOLOGICAL
JOURNAL.

Mesmerism, as connected with Phrenology,
is attracting much attention at present, and these
whu have engaged in,.the controversy on either
side will find sonic interesting information its the
present number of this Journal.

THE CURRENCY.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
SIR,--The appearance of an article in 77se Sun, signed
" Beirniard," has led to the following questions. Can your
Correspondent answer them satisfactorily, the question of "de-
preciation or no depreciation" may, perhap, be considered as
decided.—Your obedient servant, GERMANICUS.
A, a banker, issues notes of the value of twenty shillings
each, promising to repay them, on demand, in gold, at the
rate of 123 graMs, standard fine, per note. Presently war or
political circumstances, •r a demand for gold, causes geld to
advance to 61. per ounce. A, the banker, during the advance
of the precious metal finds his stock of gold continuant dint-
nishing, until at length necessity compels him to petitron the
State to restrain hint from laying his notes in gold according
to the original contract. The State grants the prayer of the
petition. Now if 11, the holder of a nee of twenty shillings,
cannot exchange it at any of the London bullion offices, for
more than 8(1 grains, standard fine, or 12-114, does 'rot Ore
difference, namely, 43 grains, cause a loss to the holder of the
note, and is not the banker's note thereby depreciated?
INlancl,ester, Jan. 5, 1644.

The whole county is groaning with gold. It
requires a perfect spendthrift power of squandering to get rid
of a sovereign. Peel, ever changing in his principles ,has, by
way of counterpoise, taken all power of change out of the sove-
reign. On all sides we hear the most bitter complaints •t
tradesmen, whose interests materially suffer by this lingering
embarrassment. One would have thought that a strong Go-
vernment could at least have settled this question at once. But
twelve months have passed over since the annoyance first began.
—Westrot Times.

ROYAL. ARTILLERY.—Major-General J. Webber
Smith, C.B, has been appointed Director-General of Artil-
lery, vice Major-General Sir Thomas Dowman, C. 8., wko
has succeeded to Colonel Commandant of the ijid battalion.
Major-General 1. W. Smith is expected to assume his dirties
at Woolwich on Tuesday next.
AFFAIR or llosoun.—lle following raysterifras
communication has been received:—" An afair of boom
took place at an early hour on Thursday morning, within Ic)05
miles of town, between a Mr. D--- and a Mr. P—, in gLit-
sequcnce of Mr. P— having made some remarks in a billi
room reflecting upon the character of a young lady to 'tin
Mr. D— is much attached, when Mr. D— hall passed
through Mr. P—'a hat, within three-quarters of an inch of
his head. lam authorised to state, the same parties had bad
a previous quarrel about the same matter last spring."
LovE AND AIURDER.—OR Wednesday night
young man named Sumner, who was paying his addresses fu a
girl named. Shelton, both of Arnold, was talking with his lady-
love in the town street, when her father came to therm and
told his daughter to go home. She refused, when he went and
fetched a bill-hook or hand-bill, and inflicted suck a savers
wound upon Sumner as to fracture his skull. The brutal get-
low has absconded, and his victins now lies in a most dangerous
state.—Nottingham Journal.
CURIOUS WAGERS.—On the 15th inst., a bet came
off at Downham, the Isle of Ely. between a farmer of that
village and a fenman, living in the Third Drove in Fodder Fen.
The bet, which was for a sovereign, was, that the feania.n
should find his way home from a certain house in the Second
Drove blindfold, a distance of about three furlongs, across
several fen drains, one of wl.ich was ten feet wide, ditches,
&c. ; the widen drain he accomplished with a jumping pole—
this wager wa cell won. The second bet, for another Kert-
reign, was, that he was to start from the same place, blind-
folded again, without a pole, to his home rgain. About half-
way on his journey he was at fault, being out of the litre of
the ditches some ten or twelve yards ; but he again faced the
wind, and retrieved his place, and won his second wager.
The second time he performed his journey on his hands and
knees all the way, using the sides of the ditches as his guide,
some of which were eight feet deep arid full of water. 11* was
accompanied by above a hundred spectators, anxious to see the
performance of so novel a feat.

CAUTION TO HOTEL AND TAVIJRN-KEEPERS.—
On Tuesday evening, the 2d instant, a person of most gentle-
manly address and appearance, entered the York Hotel, corner
of the York-road, Lambeth, inquiring if he could be accent-
modeed with a bed. After partaking of refreshment in the
coffee-mom he retired to bed, and in the mottling when about
to kare, the waiter requested payment, when he stated he had
agreed with the proprietor to occupy his bed for several nights,
and was only going out to breakfast with a friend. When the
chambermaid entered the room it was discovered he had, with
instruments, attempted to force open a chest of drawers, but
the locks being very superior, had resisted his efforts, but he had
much inured the wood.

ThE ',ATI: LORD N EDOCIL—The mortal re-
mains of the late venerable and gallant Lord Lynedoch were
disembarked on Friday morning last at Dundee. Mr. Robert
Graham, who inherits the deceased Nobleman's property, and
Mr. A. Murray, also related to the late Lord, having, in the
performance of a duty of respect, accompanied the body to
Scotland from London. In going through Perth in the after-
noon, as the mournful cortege approached, the city minute goes
were fired, and the bells of St. John's tolled. Many of the
inhabitants closed their houses, in testimony of their regard for
the memory of the gallant deceased. 'I he body remained in
state until Monday evening. On Tuesday, shortly before
twelve, the customary religious ceremonies were performed by
the Rev. Messrs. Buchanan and Listen; and all the necessary
preparations for the interment being competed, the funeral
procession formed. On the funeral cortege leaving the grounds
of the cottage, a large body of the principal tenantry, who had
assembled at the home farm, joined in the procession, and at-
tended it to Methven, where it was the will of the late Lord to
be buried. A vast. concourse of persons from all parts of the
county had gathered at the remantic village, and as the funeral
passed to the cemetery, a general feeling of regret fur the de-
parted pervaded the entire congregation. Although cc many
persons had net, not the slightest confusion arose, and the be-
haviour of all classes was characterised by becoming decorum.
This exemplary county of Devon hath been much
scandalised by a young clergyman, who, baying paid his ad-
dresses to a young lady, broke off the match, in order, it is
said, to take to another of a larger fortune. The case is Said
to be one of scandalous cruelty, as he obtained the yonng laity's
affections before he began to inquire about her fortune, And
cough d with his religious professions, it has raised a great
utery against ore who, in the garb of sanctity, goeth b ard
fro as a l edlar trading for gain on his own personal attractiorsy.
it estern Times.

The _Duke of Manchester and Sir W. Robinson
have adopted the allotment system, the one at his estetel is
Huntingdonshire, and the other at Stretton Hall, to the Society
of which district lie has given 100/. for the benefit of the agri-
culturalroor.
_ _ _

On Tuesday an association was formed at Dunmow,,
in Essex, for the protection of agricult.ire from fire, when a'
letter was read from Sir James Graham offer-in.. 1001. reward
for the detection of persons supposed to have been concerned
in the late incendiary fires.
The Council of the Royal Agricultural Society
of England have just appointed Dr. Playfair consulting chemist
to the Society. Dr. Piayfair is about to establish a laboratory
at the Royal Institution, Manchester, for the study and practice
of agricultural chemistry.
To prove thirt the monopolists do not monopolise
all the agricultural talent, the Aylesbury News mentions the
fact that oil Wednesday last, at the annual meeting of the
Tring Agricultural Association, the prize of a silver cup to the
occupier of the best cultivated farm, was awarded to a Mr.
Law, a staunch free trader. , .