The Sun.
London, England, 1844-02-29 00:00:00

THE CORN-LAWS.

We had, at Bridlington, the other day, the anomaly
or novelty, call it which you will, of a Pro-Corn-law
meeting on Radical principles. The League was re-
ceiving its accustomed round of abuse from some of
the agriculturists present, when a voice exclaimed,
" Let it die ; let the League alone, and it will ex-
pire." This opinion, however, which is a decided pla-
giarism from Sir Abel Handy's notion, " that, perhaps
the fire might go out of itself," did not receive much
support from the assembled farmers, and the following
amusing discussion ensued upon the subject :
" The Chairman begged to draw the attention of the
meeting to an observation of Lord Stanley's, the
other day, when dining with Sir Tatton Sykes. His
Lordship said the Ministers must obey the voice
of the country. If the League alone and its supporters
petitioned the House, and petition they would, for
total repeal, the House must hear that petition as the
voice of the nation; but, if the agriculturists peti-
tioned also, their voice would be heard. The Ministry,
he said, were desirous of supporting the agriculturists ;
but, if the agriculturists intended to support them, they
must let their voice be heard. If, after this, gentlemen
should say ' Let the League alone : let it die,' it would
not be Lord Stanley's fault if the League won the day.
" Mr. Joseph Barough—The Ministry expects sup-
port, and without it cannot stand. Ours is a popular
Government.

" Chairman—Petitions have seemed to do no good;
they have either been thrown over the table or under it.
—(Laughter.) But yet it seems our duty to petition.
" Mr. Barough—The people of England govern them-
selves. If the majority accede to the Anti-Corn-law
League, that majority will carry the day; but, if the
majority are in favour of the corn-laws in their present
state, they will not be repealed."
To use a vulgar phrase, it is putting the issue on the
" pull devil, pall baker" principle. In plain words, it is
making public opinion paramount in the matter, and
leaving the decision to its voice. This is all fair and
very sensible in the farmers, and they do well and wisely
to act upon Lord Stanley's advice. But, at the same
time, the hint, we hope, given by his Lordship, will not
be lost upon the Leaguers and free-traders. Let " the
voice of the nation," which he speaks of as so resistless,
be heard, in a tone of thunder, on this subject."
But, while talking of the sayings and doings of the
agriculturists, we must not omit to chronicle the follow-
ing, which occurred on Monday evening, in the House
of Commons :

" Sir John Trollope presented a petition from Hol-
beach , in Lincolnshire, against the Anti-Corn-law League.
The petitioners prayed that the House would not listen
to the delusive schemes of self-interested parties.--
(Great laughter.) "
We hope the " great laughter" opened the eyes of the
blind Baronet to the true reading and understanding of
" the mote and the beam."—Liverpool Albion.

LICENSING DAYS FOR THE CITY
AND LIBERTY OF WESTMINSTER.

The following are the days appointed for holding the an-
nual licensing meetings for the present year
St. Paul's, Covent-garden, Friday, March 1, at Evans's,
the Grand Hotel, Covent-garden.
St. Clement Danes and St. Mary-le-Strand, at the same
time and place.
St. George's, Hanover-square, Saturday, March 2, at the
Board-room, Mount-street, Grosvenor-square.
St. Anne's, Soho, Saturday, March 2, at the Vestry-room,
Dean-street.
St. Margaret's and St. John's, Monday, March 4, at the
Sessions House.
St. James's, Monday, March 4, at the Vestry-room.
St. Martin's, Friday, March 8, at the Vestry-room.
The following are applicants for spirit licenses :
At St. George's—Richard Ayliffe, of Lupus-street, Bel-
grave-road ; James Bagley, 32, Grosvenor-row, Pimlico ;
Thomas Bingham, Warwick-street, Vauxhall-bridge-road ;
William Bradly, 14, Warwick-street, Vauxhall-bridge-road ;
Philip Parfrey, Thames Bank ; John Turner, 19, Ranelagh-
street, Pimlico ' • Jonathan Turner, 6, Mill-street, Hanover-
square ; and T. Henry Whitmarsh, 12, George-street,
Hanover-square, British and Foreign Institution.
At St. Margaret's and St. John's—Henry Marson, More-
ton-street, Vauxhall-bridge-road ; IN angle, Knights-
.bridge-green.
At St. Martin's—Philip Haskell, for the Old Lemon Tree,
Bedfordbury ; Emilia Leon, 74, Stiand. -
The fresh applications will be considered on the respective
adjourned days.

FRANCE AND OTAHEITE.—" The Ministers," says the
Courrier Francais, " maintain a most unaccountable silence
respecting the affairs at Otaheite. They must have received
long since dispatches from Admiral Dupetit Thouars ; how
does it happen that they have not yet published them ? Does
England refuse to recognise the sovereignty, of France over
the kingdom of Queen Pomare, and is there any fear that the
cordial understanding should split on a rock of the Polynesian
seas? If this be the case the silence of M. Guizot is easily
accounted for. Placed in the alternative of incurring the
anger of public opinion by disavowing the conduct of our
admiral, or the discontent of England by not disavowing
it, he trembles and remains silent. It is always the same
tactigue and the same weakness. When the Cabinet shall
have sacrificed the rights of France to the jealous
ambition of the Cabinet of St. James's, it will
come forward to proclaim the necessity of accept-
ing accomplished facts and extol the great policy
which precludes its quarrelling with a powerful na-
tion for such miserable interests. Thus are matters always
managed, and the language of the English papers prepares
us for that result. The Cabinet must, nevertheless, give the
country some explanations. France has proudly applauded
the resolution of M. Dupetit Thouars—shall his firmness end
in another act of shameless pusillanimity ?"
THE EARL OF CARLISLE.—We are gratified to be
enabled to announce the gradual, although slow, recovery of
the Noble Earl from his recent very serious attack. On Tues-
day the accounts from Castle lloward pronounce his Lord-
ship to be much better, and his improvement was evident to
the family circle. The Duke and Duchess of Sutherland,
Lady Dover, Viscount Morpeth, and the Hon. C. Howard,
M.P., and Mrs. Howard, intend to remain with the Countess of
Carlisle and Lady Mary Howard until such timeas the Noble
Earl is considered completely out of danger.
CONDUCT OF THE MINISTRY.—We understand
that a meeting of many influential gentlemen in the Tower
Hamlets was held last week, at the Court-house, Osborne-
street, to take into consideration the propriety of calling a
public meeting of the electors on the subject of the late con-
duct of the Government towards Ireland, and also the decla-
ration of Sir R. Peel, that he does not contemplate any
alteration in the corn-laws ; when it was unanimously re-
solved to call a public meeting as early as possible to discuss
the above important topics.
The half-yearly meeting of the Proprietors of the
General Steam Navigation Company was held on Tuesday, at
the office of that corporation, 69, Lombard-street. It was
numerously attended. The chair was taken by John Wilkin,
Esq. (in the absence, from illness, of Wolverley Attwood,
Esq., the Chairman of the company), at two o'clock pre-
cisely, when the Report of the Directors, and the accounts of
the year, were read. From these it appeared that, notwith-
standing the continued depression in trade, the Company's
operations for the past year had been attended with success,
and that the general condition of the Company's affairs was
highly satisfactory. The customary dividend and bonus were
declared ; after which the cordial thanks of the Proprietors
were voted to the Chairman and Directors for their continued
exertions in the promotion of the Company's interests.
PONTOP AND SOUTH SHIELDS RAILWAY.—On Tues-
day the Half-yearly General Meeting of the Proprietors of
this undertaking was held at the offices of the Company in
Guildhall-buildings, Mr. Rennie, the principal Director, in
the chair. It appeared, from the report read by the Secretary,
that the tonnage over the line during the past year had con-
sideably exceeded the amount of the four preceding years,
showing a steady and gradual increase every six months ;
whilst the expense of working the line, and keeping the ma-
machinery and engines in order, had not materially in-
creased. The receipts of the past six months were 30,6991.
18s. 5d., and the expenditure for the same period 20,6581.
14s. 2d., leaving a net profit to the Company of 10,0411.
14s. 2d. The Directors were, therefore, induced to recom-
mend that a dividend of 30s. upon each share, being
equal to 5 per cent., should be declared, and paid out
of the capital of the company. Since the last meeting the
Directors of the Durham Junction Railway Company had
contracted to sell their line to the Darlington and Newcastle
Junction for 88,500/., to which the Directors of the South
Shields Company, being the representatives of more than half
the undertaking, had assented. The necessary steps had been
taken for obtaining.power by Act of Parliament, to lay down
a third line over four miles of the Pontop and Shields Rail-
way, to be exclusively devoted to the traffic of the New-
castle and Darlington line. This would render an outlay
of 15,0001. necessary, but the Directors have no doubt the
increasing state of the revenue would compensate the Com-
pany. The report having been adopted, the dividend ad-
vised by the Directors was ordered to be immediately paid.
The officers for the ensuing year having been appointed,
thanks were voted to the Directors and Chairman, and the
meeting separated.

A Man; named Mass 6, sixty-four years of age, the
owner of a house in which he lived at Coincourt, in the Oise,
set fire, a few days ago, to the house, and, whilst it was
burning, went to an adjoining barn, and also set fire to it,
immediately after which he hanged himself to one of the
beams. He had previously barricaded the door, which, being
broken open, his lifeless body was discovered. It appears.
that Masse had been compelled, by his improvidence, to come
to an arrangement by which the property was to go from
him to his children, and that, to prevent their enjoying it, he
had committed this diabolical act. It is reported that some
time ago he poisoned his wife and another female, and one
of his children, but escaped punishment by the want of legal
vidence of those crimes.— Galignani.
POACHING AND ROBBERY.—The neighbourhood
of Strood, near. Rochester, is infested by a gang of desperadoes
—half poachers, half thieves—who have for a long time
eluded the vigilance of the police. On Monday morning
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Samuel Gray, a labourer, who saw the prisoner and his friends
catch i rabbit. He was sentenced to one month's hard labour
at Maidstone. At the conclusion of the case, the superinten-
dent of the Rochester police preferred the following charge
against him :—On the night of the 17th of November last,
the detached shop of Mr. Nash, a wheelwright, at Shore, was
broken into and robbed of a large quantity of tools, but no
suspicion fell on the prisoner. On the Ist of January the
prisoner was suspected of having robbed a barge upon the
river Medway, and in consequence the Superintendent
searched the prisoner'
s lodgings, and there found a quantity
of centre bits and other tools, stolen from Mr. Nash's shop,
which were produced. William N ash, of Shore, identified
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