The Sun.
London, England, 1844-08-05 00:00:00

COURT CIRCULAR.

WINDSQB, SUNDAY.—The Queen and Prince Albert
took their usual early walk this morning in the pleasure-
grounds of the Castle. Her Majesty and his Royal
Highness also took an airing in the afternoon in a pony
phaeton, the Prince driving.
The Hon. Rev. C. Leslie Courtenay performed Divine
service in the private chapel of the Castle to-day.
Their Royal Highnesses the Prince of Wales the
Princess Royal, and the Princess Alice, were taken
airings this forenoon. In the afternoon the Royal
Family were again taken out in the gardens.
Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent took an
airing this afternoon in an open carriage, from her resi-
dence, Frogmore Lodge.
Yesterday her Majesty and Prince Albert prome-
naded on the terrace of the Castle in the forenoon.

Their Royal Highnesses the Prince of Wales and the
Princess Royal, accompanied by the Dowager Lady
Lyttelton, were taken a drive yesterday morning in an
open carriage.
Her Majesty's private Band was in attendance after
dinner at the Castle on Friday, and performed during
the evening.

The Duchess of Gloucester came to town on Saturday
from Kew, and paid a visit to the Duke and Duchess of
Cambridge.
The Duke of Cambridge left town on Saturday morn-
ing, attended by Baron Knesebeck, for Cashiobury Park,
the seat of the Earl of Essex. The Royal Duke re-
turned to Cambridge House yesterday evening.
The Duchess of Cambridge, the Hereditary Grand
Duke of Mecklenburgh Strelitz, and the Princess Mary
of Cambridge, attended Divine service yesterday morn-
ing, at Grosvenor Chapel, South Audley-street.
A Cabinet Council was held on Saturday morning,
at twelve o'clock, at the Foreign-office, Downing-street.
The Ministers present were Sir Robert Peel, the Duke
of Wellington, Lord Stanley, the Earl of Aberdeen, Sir
James Graham, the Earl of Haddington, Lord Wharn-
cliffe, Mr. Gladstone, the Chancellor of the Exchequer,
the Duke of Buccleuch, Lord Granville Somerset, and
Sir Edward Knatchbull. The Council remained in de-
liberation above three hours.

Mr. Wakley, M.P., had an interview with Sir Robert
Peel, on Saturday.

Lord Stanley arrived in town on Friday night from
Goodwood.

His Excellency M. Dedel had an interview with the
Earl of Aberdeen, on Saturday, at the Foreign-office.
His Excellency had also an interview with the Noble
Earl on Friday.
Dispatches were sent off from the Colonial-office, on
Saturday, to the Governor-General of Canada.

THE MINISTERIAL WHITE BAIT
DINNER.

On Saturday last her Majesty's Ministers had their
annual white bait dinner at the Crown and Sceptre,
Greenwich. The Waterman's steamer, No. 12, was
specially engaged for the occasion. The party em-
barked at Hungerford about six o'clock, and pro-
ceeded down the river, receiving a salute on passing
the General Steam Navigation Company's-yard at
Deptford, and arrived at the tavern in twenty-eight
minutes, where an excellently arranged floating pier
led into the house, by which means landing was
effected without inconvenience from the weather,
which was squally. There were present Lord
Hawarden, in the chair, Sir R. Peel, the Chancellor
of the Exchequer, Mr. Henry Baring, Mr. Pringle,
Mr. John Young, Secretary of the Treasury; Lord
Arthur Lennox, Sir George Clerk, Sir Thomas Fre-
mantle, Sir James Graham, Hon. H. Manners Sutton,
Viscount Canning, Lord Stanley, Mr. George Hope,
Sir Geo. Cockburn, Hon. Captain Gordon, Admiral
Bowles, Right Hon. Henry Corry, Hon. Sydney
Herbert, Sir George Seymour, Colonel Peel, Captain
Boldero, Sir E. Knatchbull, Duke of Buccleuch, Earl
of Beverly, Earl Jermyn, Mr. Bonham, Sir Fred.
Trench, Earl of Dalhousie, Hon. Mr. B. Baring,
Mr. Emmerson Tennent, Mr. Gladstone, Lord Geo.
Somerset, Earl of Lincoln, Right Hon. John
Nichol!, Lord Eliot, the Attorney-General for Ire-
land, Sir Frederick Thesiger, Lord Ernest Bruce,
Right Hon. Col. Dawson Darner, Earl of Warwick,
Earl of Hardwicke, Viscount Hawarden, Captain
Meynell, Lord Redesdale Sir A. C. Grant, Mr.
Horace Twiss, Mr. Charles Ross, Mr. Holmes,
Viscount Castlereagh, Mr. Pemberton Leigh, Viscount
Sandon, Earl Bathurst, and Mr. Greene. The party re-
turned to town at half-past ten by the same con-
veyance.

INSOLVENT DEBTORS' ACT
AMENDMENT BILL.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
would respectfully call your attention to
the above measure, which, although calculated to do
a great deal of good in the cases of honest debtors, is
likely to work cruel injustice to creditors in cases of
dishonesty, for whilst the Act will offer every facility
to fraudulent debtors, it will afford no protection to
creditors.

"A debtor, if he acts fraudulently, may be indicted
for a misdemeanor, and, if convicted, be imprisoned
for three years." This would seem sufficient to pre-
vent fraud ; but will it have that effect ? Who will
indict ? Will there be found a creditor so ultra-
anxious to punish fraud in his debtor as to pursue
him into a criminal court, and at his own cost ? Every
one conversant with criminal proceedings knows how
difficult it is to convict on an indictment for fraud;
it is seldom that such an indictment succeeds from the
difficulty in proving the animus of the defendant ; and
should the creditor fail in establishing guilt he would
not only be subject to his own costs of the proceed-
ings, but would expose himself to an action for a
malicious prosecution at the suit of his debtor (a
pauper), and who, suing as a pauper, would protect
himself against the payment of any costs. On the
other hand, should he succeed, he will probably have
expended double the amount of his debt in purchasing
the " gratification" of punishing his debtor.
I again humbly submit that the constituting a
fraudulent debtor a criminal will afford no protection
to creditors, and henceforth roguish debtors will pass
unpunished, and, in many cases, retain, in defiance of
his creditors, a fund for his future maintenance.
Yours obediently,
Aug. 3, 1844.
,A
CREDITOR.

PORTSMOUTII.—Van Amburgh has been here since
Monday, exhibiting his splendid lot of horses, lions,
and tigers. His amphitheatre is erected on land
adjoining Southsea Common, and has been filled to
overflowing. The sagacity of his elephant is wonderful
—every day this noble and tractable animal (an Asiatic,
one of some twenty years' growth) has been, brought
down to the beach, opposite the Ring's Rooms, to bathe
in the sea, where he seems to enjoy himself in his ablu-
tions amazingly, rolling and wallowing about in the surf,
occasionally going entirely under water, and swimming
out for a short distance. He generally remains in the
the water half an hour. This novel sight has attracted
thousands of people to the beach, many of whom come
provided with fruit and biscuits, with which they feast
the poor fellow, who is so quiet and careful that we
observed children running about under his legs at play.
Van Amburgh leaves on Saturday morning for Chi-
chester.
It is a fact worthy of notice, that during the last
eight days, in the extensive district of North Shields,
comprising
a population of 30,000 persons, death and
the sexton have bad no employment,— Tijnemercury.