The Sun.
London, England, 1821-10-06 00:00:00

BULLION.

Portugal Gold, iII Coin / .0 0 0 pet Oz.
Foreign Gold,,in Bars
New Doubloons
New Dollars' 0 4 9
Si'ver ,r 1 Barg, i4tandard 6 4 WA

.A DUEL took place last week between two
gentlemen from. Bristol, near Calais, in conse-
quence of one of thein having declined to com-
plete a Matrimonial engagement with the sister
of the other: A fter exchanging a brace of pistols
each, without effect, the seconds declined acting
any longer iu the field.

We observe a curious import: from Dublin this
week,• namely, two cases and one trunk of Cow*
dresses returned Liverpool Courier.)
A Sailor, on Sunday last, personally forbade
his banns; in Plyinouth Church, having been per-
suaded to-engage to marry a woman when he was
Lipsey.

One of the invited was Lord Cloncurry : how his Lordship
felt upon this occasion, the reader will perceive by the following
letter addressed by him to a contemporary Journal':—
"SlR—Being named as. one presentat the,Lord Mayor's din-
ner of yesterday, I beg leave to say (in order to prevent misre-
prentation of my conduct), that, when his Lordship toasted
King William, I turned down my glass, and remained seated.
" At table with the Lord Lieutenant and a guest of the Lord
Mayor I felt that it would not be decorous for so inconsidera-
ble a person to take further notice at the moment ; I wish, how-
ever, that the Lord Mayor, when he determined to re-produce
this toast, hEd given notice, not only to the Lord Lieutenant,
but to the Roman Catholics whom he hid invited, and, gette-
rally,'to all those not likely to forget, , in one short mofith, the
benevolent injunctions of our Sovereign.
"Individa:,lly,lhave a great respect for the memory of
King William the Tliird. Ile was a liberal Dutchman—and
intended more good to' Ireland than any King I ever heard of,
except his preSent Majesty ; but as Mayors and Corporators are
not nece.ssarily:historians, they 'generally give this toast from
party motives, 4na it has long become a kind of pass word
among .those who desire by the insult and exclusion of their
more worthy fellow-citizens, to arrogate to themselves those
petty honours and emoluments which want of industry ortalent
render so necessary to them.
" Bad taste and bad feeling received a mortal wound front
the hand of his Majesty—and if for one moment they may raise
their heads, public opinion and the march of events must put
• them down. The King commands, and the times require, be-
nevolence and union. " Your-obtdient Servant,
" Dublin, Oct. 2, 1821." CLONCURRY."
We are able to assert with confidence that Colonel Talbot,
one of the County Members, marked his high disappointment
-and tssatisfaction at the toast in a way as signal and mernon-
ble, having also turned -down his ,glass and remained seated.__
(Dublin Herald.)

SERIOUS QUARREL.-It has been stated to us
that— lIA-YnEN, Esq., son to the lato*principal
partner of the once. distinguished .banking house
of HAYDEN and RIVERS, of Waterford, having
had some altercation, a- few days since, .with
FRENCIi BARRINGTON, Esq. of Tenweir, near
Durrow, fired his foci ling-piece. at that gentle-
man, and lodged its contents in the upper part of
his thigh. It appears that Mr.-HAYDEN claims
a rightof sporting on, the lands of Tenweir, and
bad One there on this occasion in search of game.
He was met on the lands by Mr. BARRINGTON,
who peremptorily ordered him to quit, and on
his reftfsal, fired at and.Shof Mr. HAYDEN'S dog.
Under the irritation arising front this violence,
Mr. ItAynig committed the act alluded
• (Kilkenny Moderakr.)

FOR TILE SUN.

PROPOSED ECONOMICAL REDUCTIONS IN
PUBLIC OFFICES.

Ma. EDlToll.—Having noticed several reports
in your Paper, respecting certain Retrenchments
iu various Departments of Government, said to
be iu contemplation, I could not consider those
repor►s as altogether void of foundation; but until
I saw the " Extract of Treasury Minute, dated
August 10th 1821," :which appeared lately
in THE SUN, I could form no correct notion
of the nature and extent of the proposed Re-
ductions.

Indeed, although seeing is believing, I ettll
scarcely credit my own senses, for it is difficult
to Imagine that a Public Board should put forth
:,uch a crude, undigested, confused plan as that,
44 stating the
.prinCiples- upon which they have
" proceeded," and-still more so, that they should
recommend such a-hodge-podge to the serious
attention of " the -}leads of the other Depart-
" :rents of his INl.v.ii:;Ty's Civil Government,
" with a view to such economical reductions as
44 may fulfil the intentions of his INIAJEstY, ex-
" pressed in his Answers to the Addresses of
" both houses of Parliament." Isis MAJESTY'S
intentions, indeed !!—As if our gracious and be-
neficent Sovereign would countenance so unjust
and so partial a measure as that of curtailing
the paltry salaries of the underlings in office,
leaving the fat appointments of their superiors
altogether untouched.

It would be some satisfaction to ascertain to
whom the country is indebted for this precious
scheme. One of your Correspondents has as-
serted that he does know the instigators of it,
but he does not chuse to mention names ; who-
ever they may be, they are much indebted to
your Correspondent for his charitable forbear-
ance. He calls them " cold calculators,"—a
most happy and appropriate appellation, for
their heads and hearts must be formed of mate-
'
rials as hard and as insensible as marble, and it
is astonishing that a liberal Government should
have attended to their suggestions.
But although it may he no easy matter to
point out the persons to whom this ricketty bant-
ling owes its birth, it is no difficult task to chew
that the Lords of the Treasury had •no share in
its formation. It is much to be doubted whether
any one of them has read the Minute through ;
and I might perhaps venture, without fear of
contradiction, to assert that some Members of
the Board have never even seen it.

Should you consider these observations worthy
of a place in your columns, I shall endeavour in

subsequent letters to spew,
Ist. That the plan is partial, oppressive, and
unjust.

2nd. That it involves a positive breach of faith
between Government and the parties aggrieved.
3d. That its operation, if carried into effect,
will be highly injurious to the individuals af-
fected by it, whilst the benefit resulting to the
Public will be comparatively trifling.
And lastly. That in its present shape it never
can accomplish the object which it professes to
have in view ; namely, a considerable reduction
of the public expences. I am, Sir,

Your obedient Servant,
NIERC:ATOR.

Dulwich, Oct. 4, 1221.

P. S. The foregoing remarks on the proposed
reductions in Public Offices were sent to the
Editor of a Morning Paper, who published them
the day after they were received. This ready
compliance with the author's wishes led him to
expect that the same attention would be paid to
his subsequent communications.—lle was how-
ever mistaken, a second letter transmitted several
days ago has not been noticed. Under these
circumstances the Editor of THE SUN is applied
to ;—and should he deem these introductory ob-
servations worthy of his notice, and feel desirous
of receiving MERCATOR'S further communications
on the same subject, he will be pleased to sig-
nify his willingness to insert them in his highly
respectable paper.