The Sun.
London, England, 1844-06-19 00:00:00

whipped schoolboys, to be assured th at for the powe
" to have thus been exercised is for the public good."
Mr. DUNCOMBE complained—and with reason, too
—that such proceedings were worthy of foreign
despotisms, only—not of an enlightened monarchy
like this :—that not one man in 20,000 was aware
of the "power" thus smuggled into the Act,
1 VICTORIA ;—that in times of peace espeCially, there
could be neither excuse nor reason for its being put
in action. He affirmed (and Mr. WALLACE con-
firmed his statement by some remarkable facts) that
within these two years the practice of opening and
detaining letters at the Post-office had largely in-
creased. We cannot concur in Mr. LABOUCHERE'S
defence of his own conduct in 1836-37, in incorpo-
rating such a power as that complained of in his Bill,
on the mere principle that it already existed in pre-
vious statutes, and his was but a Bill of consolida-
tion. No Englishman ought to consent to vest such
a power in any hands, except under much more strin-
gent restraints and control. If necessary in time of
war, or under strong cases of suspected treasonable
correspondence, let the detention and opening be
made matters of previous specific communication to,
and authority from, Parliament. Dr. BOWRING, we
suspect, was not far from the truth in his suspicion
that the letters of the petitioners had been opened,
"not for an honest English purpose, but for a discre-
ditable foreign one." With Mr. Humes spirited re-
probation of the practice, and its assumed authority,
we cordially concur. But Mr. WATSON brought the
affair to its true constitutional, and Sir JAMES him-
self may find its true responsible, bearing. From the
Right Hon. Baronet's having given no answer to Mr.
WARBURTON'S inquiry " whether he had issued a se-
parate warrant in each case in which a letter had been
opened," Mr. WATSON read the words of the 9th
ANNE, C. 10, s. 40, which were—" Except by express
warrant in writing under the hand of one of her MA-
JESTY'S principal Secretaries of State for every such
opening, detention, or delay." Now these terms
could never be satisfied by "A" warrant, to be kept
in force till revoked, to open all letters coming in a
particular handwriting to a particular individual.
But in Mr. LABOUCHERE'S Act—of " simple conso-
lidation"—the words gave a power "to open, detain,
or delay letters in obedience to an express warrant,"
&c. These are certainly strangely altered in the pro-
cess of consolidation. But, as Mr. WATSON ob-
served, "In all matters we must look back to sta
tutes which existed before, and, in doing so, it would
be found they made an express warrant necessary for
each opening." The production of the warrant, or the
warrants, one and all, we trust, will be sternly insisted
upon. Parliament can then form their own construc-
tion of the Home Secretary's construction of an Act
of Parliament. In the meanwhile, her MAJESTY'S
Government must have discovered that in taking Sir
JONAH GRAHAM on board, they have shipped a de-
serter -who is sure to sink every vessel that may carry
his unlucky person

the present Minister of Public Works, to become
Minister of Justice. M. VITET to be Minister of
Public Works, and M. DE MONTALIVET to be Mi-
nister of the Interior.

EAST INDIA HOUSE-(THIS DAY).
The quarterly general meeting of the Proprietors took place
at the Last India House this morning. The chair was taken
at twelve o'clock by Captain Shepard.
Certain returns, laid before Parliament since the , last
meeting, were ordered to be laid on the table; also an ac-
count of the superannuations granted since the last annual
meeting.
Mr. TITENENG brought up the report of the Committee on
Bye-laws. Committee reported that the bye-laws had been
duly observed and executed during the past year. , They
expressed their regret at the decease of one of their body;
namely, Sir James Shaw, by which the Company had been
deprived of the services of one whose upright and manly con-
duct had deserved and obtained for him the respect of all his
colleagues. The Hon. Proprietor said it might be expected
that he should add a few words to the report, so far as re-
garded the death of Sir James Shaw. He could not but
express the respect and affection with which he had uni-
formly regarded him. There had never been a man in the
city of London who enjoyed more of the respect and con-
fidence of the public at large. As a magistrate, he was
uniformly zealous, mild, and firm in the discharge of his
duties; as a member of the Committee, he had been distin-
guished for his upright conduct, and for the courtesy of his
manners.

The CHAIRMAN said it could hardly be necessary that he
should assure the Hon. Proprietor that the Court of 'Directors
entirely concurred in tile tribute of respect which had been
paid by him to Sir James Shaw.
The Committee was then appointed for the next year, and
Henry Sullivan Graham, Esq., was chosen to fill up the
vacancy created by the death of Sir James Shaw.
Mr. lOYNDER withdrew his motion with respect to the
payment of 6,0001. a year to the temple of Juggernaut, on
the ground that no answer had been received to the dispatch
of the Directors on that subject. The Hon. Proprietor com-
plained strongly of the delay which had taken place.

Madrid papers of the 11th state that the conferences
between the Finance Minister and certain loan con-
tractors still continued, and some of them add that
the parties were not likely to come to terms. The
fact is the Government is bankrupt, and can give no
security either for the payment of interest or princi-
pal without annulling some previous contract, and
thereby lowering still farther public credit. Letters
from Barcelona announce that the French Minis-
ter was urging the Government to reduce the
tariff duties, and that he would probably be suc-
cessful. Mr. BULWER had a long conference with
the Marquis of VILUMA on the 10th, which was
said to refer to the same subject. The Court still
remained at Barcelona, where the Turkish Ambas-
sador had an interview with the QUEEN, and presented
his credentials.

The Three per Cents. were done at 27 26i for cash,
and 274 at 60 days, and the Five per Cents. at 20i at
50 days.

We learn from the Paris papers that the differ-
ences between France and Morocco will in all pro-
bability be amicably arranged. According to accounts
from Algiers of the 10th instant, the EMPEROR had
disavowed the conduct of the chief who had at-'
tacked the French troops, and the affair was con-
sidered at that place, as settled. The French Go-
vernment however intend to demand something more
than an apology, and will require the EMPEROR to
give a guarantee that he will no lotwjer affoni
refuge to A nt-EL-KADER. when_clrivc,..,,:k, ftigeria.
This, we believe, was the main object of the expedi-
tion to the frontier, under the command of General
LAMORICIERE. The Journal des Debats contains an
article on the subject, which, from all accounts, ex-
presses the sentiments of the Government. " War,"
it sass, " has not been declared by either party. A
corps of Morocco troops has; it is true, committed
an act of aggression on the French territory, but there
is every reason to believe that this act will be fol-
lowed by the most prompt reparation. The chief of
that empire cannot have the presumption to provoke
hostilities, the
_issue of which cannot be doubtfuL
If lie should fancy that he can rely upon the aid of
other forces than his own, upon the support of a
foreign Power, we are convinced he will very quickly
be undeceived. However this may be, even though
the aggression upon the French frontier, may prove
to have been no more than an act of indiscipline, com-
mitted by fanatical soldiers, the Government of the
country to which they belong is responsible, and must
bear the consequence. A provocation of this nature
cannot be suffered to remain unpunished, and the
Consul-General of France at Tangiers has been in-
structed to demand the most complete reparation.
This; we do not doubt, the Government of Morocco
will at once grant, knowing well that it cannot resist
its being enforced. France does not wish to snake
reprisals, being sufficiently assured of her own
strength to render any such useless exertion of it
necessary. When demanding reparation for this ag-
gression, the French Government will also take mea-
sures to prevent a renewal of such acts. It will not
suffer its frontier to remain exposed to the incursions of
bands of fanatics, whose chiefs cannot restrain them,
and will insist upon the recal into the interior of Mo-
rocco of those troops which now occupy the province
which adjoins the Oudjah. But the principal com-
plaint France has to make is against the protection
which ABD-EL-KADER finds on the frontier ofMorocco.
France will no longer tolerate the making the fron-
tier of a neighbouring country an asylum for the
most dangerous enemy to her domination in Africa.
She cannot—she will not suffer that the Ewa should

after every defeat find not only an inviolable refuge

in a neutral territory, but come forth from it again
after every defeat with renewed forces and other
resources, under the abusive protection of an inter-
national right daily violated. The French Govern-
ment will insist upon the Emperor of MOROCCO,
entering into the most unequivocal engagements, to
repel ABD-EL-KADBR from his territories, and the
Morocco Government will find this the surest means
of avoiding that war which France does not seek, but
into which she may be driven." .
This is all very fair no doubt; but if the French
Government had acted towards Spain on the same
principle, NARVAEZ and the other refugees, including
Queen CHRISTINA would not have overturned the
Government of EspAßretto. The Prince DE. Jozx-
VILLE left Paris on Monday morning for Toulon. A
letter from that place of the 12th, says a telegraphic
dispatch, "has been received to-day at the Maritime
Prefecture with orders to recal immediately from
the Islands of Hyeres the Suffren, of the line, and
have her fitted out with all dispatch for the reception
of a Rear-Admiral and his flag. This Rear-Admiral,
we learn, is the Prince DE JOINVILLE, who is expected
at Toulon about the 25th, to take the command of the
squadron destined for the coasts of Morocco."
On Monday a discussion took place in Committee
on the Education Bill, which the Government intend
to press forward this session. There seems, however,
to be a strong feeling against it in the Chamber, as
being too favourable to the Church, for of the nine
Members selected to report upon the Bill only two of
them are supporters of Government, and seven are
determined friends of the University, namely, MM.

THIERS, ST. MARC GIRARDIN, SALVANDY, RE-
MUSAT, QUINETTR, ODILON BARROT, and the elder

DUPIN.

The Conrrier Francais states that M. MARTIN
(du Nord) and M. LACAVE LAPLAGNE are to leave
the Ministry, the one to become President of the
Court of Requests, the other. " Procureur-General du
Cour des Comptes," and that their removal will give
rise to the following changes :—M. DucHATEr., the
present Minister of Justice, to succeed M. LACAVE
LAPLAGNE as Minister of Finance, and M. DUMON,

THE YUN, LONDON, WEDNESDAY EVENING- JUNE 19, 1844.

tody, The female defendant told the sergeant that she had
as much right in Rochester-row as he or any one else.
Mr. BOND—And so she might, for anything I know to the
contrary. He should discharge the defendants, but had any
additional evidence been offered in support of the charge, he
should have felt it his duty to detain them.
The defendants then left the Court without having been
called upon to answer the charge, and after having been in-
carcerated for eleven hours for an offence which the principal
witness was not in attendance to prove.
Mr. BOND appeared indignant at the conduct of the police,
which, to say the least of it, appeared unjustifiable.

CLERKENWELL.-(THIS DAY.)
A ruffian, named Kent, was :charged with assaulting Mr.
Francis.

It appeared from the evidence, that on the previous night
the prosecutor went into a house of ill fame in Cliiirch-street,
St. Giles, to pay the rent (as he stated) for a young female
who had once prevented him from being robbed. He was
standing in the parlour when the prisoner came in, who im-
mediately recognised him (prosecutor) as having given evi-
dence against one of his associates some years ago. The
prisoner ran out, and seizing a shovel, cam running into the
room with it, brandishing it in his hand. He aimed a des-
perate blow at the prosecutor, who, however, succeeded in
warding it off. The prisoner then struck him on the face
and cut his mouth, from which he bled profusely. Police
constable Allen fortunately came in, and prevented further
violence. The prisoner applied the vilest language to the-
prosecutor.

He was fined 21. or a commensurate term of imprisonment

UNION HALL.-(THIS DAY.)
George Mugglestone, a man of respectable appearance, was
charged before Mr. Cottingham with committing the follow-
ing fraud.

Mr. Folkartl, the pawnbroker of the London-road, stated
that the defendant came to his shop on .the preceding after-
noon, and producing what he termed a gold guard chain, said
that it was fine gold and asked the loan of 50s. on it. His
shopman, examined the article and discovered, by the usual
test, that it was of a very inferior description ; and as the
prisoner had succeeded in pledging one of a similar descrip-
tion previously, and which was since ascertained to be what
is called jewellers gold, he was given into custody.
The defendant, in reply to Mr. Corrnicaram, said that he
was a chemist and druggist (nit of business, and that he pur-
chased the chains, and thought they were worth the money
he asked upon them. . . .

Mr. Corimaxa3t said that it was a fraud, for which the
prisoner rendered himself liable to transportation on convic-
tion ; and as some inquiry would be made into his character,
he should, therefore, adjudge. him to enter into his recogni-
zance of 100/. to appear on Wednesday next.
Ann Musgrave was charged with stealing a valuable gold
ring, the property of Mr. Bradberry, pawnbroker and sil-
versmith, of the London-road.

It appeared that the prisoner went into the complainant's
shop the preceding afternoon to pledge a shawl, and while
there she contrived to steal a gold ring, by reaching over and
taktbg it out of the window. When charged with the
offence, she denied it, and dropped the ring on the floor at
her feet.

The prisoner persisted in her innocence, before the Ma.gis-
trate, and in reply to his questions, said that her husband
was late quarter-master sergeant in the 54th regiment, at
Gibraltar, from which garrison they had only recently re-
turned home, and that he had no pension, as he retired from
the service before the expiration of his time ; that they had
five children, all dependent on them, and that two out of the
number were afflicted with illness.
The MAGISTRATE remanded the prisoner.