The Sun.
London, England, 1826-03-23 00:00:00

[BRITISH PRESS.]

It appears by an extract of a letter from the
Agent of Lloyd's at Hamburgh, that extensive
frauds have been practised on the underwriters,
which we are happy to state have been recently
detected. Seven persons were under arrest at
Ilumburgh, charged with these crimes, and four
at Oldenburgh. In the investigation that has
already taken place, it seems that a foreign ves-
sel, from Hamburgh and Altona to London, was
sunk by the Master off I3orkum; on board of
which fictitious packages were found, for the
purpose of defrauding the London under-
writers, by whom policie4 to an immense amount
had been subscribed. There are few
persons
more liable to have frauds practised upon them
than the members of Lloyd's Coffee-house ; and

we should' say, take them as a body, there are
none who less deserve such treatment. In a large
corps like that of the London underwriters, there
must necessarily be exceptions to this general
rule ; but we know that the leading members in
the room, whose example is followed by the great
mass of the subscribers, not only uniformly show
a most honourable anxiety to settle any losses on
policies that they may have underwritten, where
the case is clear, but even to adjust them under
equivocal circumstances, when they can do so
without grossly compromising their own inte-
rests. We do hope that the Committee for conduct-
ing this most important branch of our mercantile
system, now that they have a tangible case before
them, will thoroughly investigate it ; and that
the same energy which has been so often exerted
for national purposes, will be now employed in
defending for the future the property of the
members of this highly important establishment,
as far as the punishment of the criminals who
have recently invaded it can effect that desirable
object.

[THE REPRESENTATIVE.]
On the motion of the Lord Chancellor' yester-
day, in the House of Lords, Mr. John Lee
Wharton was ordered to attend this day, to an-
swer for a breach of privilege in writing an offen-
sive letter to Mr. Fonblanque, in consequence of
words spoken by that gentleman in the exercise
of his professional duty at the Bar of the House.
In the Commons) a Petition was presented. byLord Palmerston, con'plaining that the law
of Patents did not afford the same protection
to works of invention that it gave to the copy.
right of literary property. The Attorney-Gene-
ral expressed his anxiety for the encouragement
of works of genius of every description, and
thought that 14 years, the usual duration of
Patents, might be in some cases, too short. An
interesting discussion took place, on the motion
of Mr. P. Moore, relativelo the Welch Coal and
Iron Company, which shows that the new Joint
Stock Companies are gone'out of favour. The
present Company, it was admitted, was not one
of the bubbles of the day; and the House ap-
peared very shy of it. Mr. Stuart Wortley and
Mr. Caicraft opposed it, as giving an advantage
to the present over similar Companies; while
Mr. Baring conceived that the privilege of suing
and being sued, by the Secretary of the Com-
pany, which was partly the object of the bill,
was for the benefit of the public, and should be
extended to all Companies. The Chancellor
of the Exchequer and Mr. Iluskisson, however,
observed, that the King was vested with a power
to grant limited Charters, and that the Company
should have adopted that course. The motion,
though negatived, is likely to do some good, as
both these Right Honom:able Members lamented
the deficiency in the law of partnership as it now
stands, in consequence of the absence of such a
provision. In the Committee of Supply 9,0001.
was voted for the purchnse of three pictures of
extraordinary merit for the Collection of Paint-
ings intended to form a National Gallery. The
vote gave universal satisfaction.—The Silk Duties
Bill was committed, and the Report ordered to
be taken into consideration on the 17th April.—
Mr. Bright said its object was to limit the im-
portation of silk to the port of London, and was
confined to a duration of two years, but post-
poned any further explanation. Mr. Herries
gave notice of his intention to move an adjourn-
ment this day to the 7th April.