The Sun.
London, England, 1844-07-06 00:00:00

PROMISSORY NOTES.

The followinz comparative Returns of the Circulation
of the Banks of England, Ireland, and Scotland, are
for the four weeks ending the 22d ult.:—

ENGLAND.

Bank of England, Last time
Now

Decrease
Private Banks, Last time
Now 4,743,057

Decrease
Joint-Stock Banks, Last time 3,680,413
Now 3,665,104

Decrease

15,309

SCOTLAND.

Chartered, Private, and Joint-Stock Banks,
Now
Last time

Increase .. 76,909
IRELAND.

Bank of Ireland, Last time
Now 3,488,300

Decrease - 175,200
Private and Joint-Stock Banks, Last time 2,241,722
Now 2,080,277

Decrease

161,445

Bullion in Bank of 'EnBland, Now 15,898,000
Last time 15,572,000

lecrease .

£326,000

SPIRIT of the PUBLIC JOURNALS

FROM THE EVENING PAPERS OF THIS DAY.

GLOBE.—Sir Robert Peel is fortunate in escaping from a
storm which was fast gathering, and threatened to burst
upon his head at a moment when he would be ill-prepared
to meet the explosion. The Bill of Lord Powis, for preserv-
ing' the dioceses of St. Asaph and Bangor from being rolled
into one, and which the Lords were prepared to pass, malgre
the Duke Of Wellington's endeavours to reduce the insurgents
to submission, is disposed of—strangled at the moment
when it seemed certain of a safe passage to the other House
of Parliament. The " manoeuvre," as the Du(le of Newcastle
appropriately designated the Duke of Wellington's mode of
extinguishing the measure has succeeded.. The "State trick"
has-been successfully played off, and the Premier is restored
to that composure of face and feeling which has, of late, been
seriously disturbed, and was threatened to be yet further
ruffled, if ' not incurably demolished. When all hope was
gone of 'inducing the Lords to reverse their vote in favour of
the Bill ' • and there seemed no means of escape from the
mischiefs it would inflict on the Governinent in the House of
Commons—where Cabinet Ministers were fettered by pre-
vious pledges and promises, from which they could
not escape, to support the measure—a ray of light
penetrated through the thick darkness. Could 'it not be
shown that the royal consent was essential, in order
to allow the Bill to be discusssed in Parliament? True; the
objection, if taken at all, ought to have been taken on the
introduction of the Bill. But, then, who would have thought
that the Peers would contumaciously refuse to obey the high
behest of the Great Duke, whose province it is to enforce
order and discipline among them? Better late than never.
The Bill must be kept out of the Commons, or the Cabinet,
sorely pressed from without, would exhibit the symptoms of
internal dissension, which are the certain precursors of dis-
solution. A Committee was appointed to search for prece-
dents. The journals were examined with lord-like diligence.
No precedent of such a Bill having been introduced without
the concent of the Sovereign, first obtained and communi-
cated, could be found. So far the "manoeuvre " wrought
well. Another step, and all was safe. The danger threat-
ened by the Bill to the official existence of the Cabinet would
be averted. The session would then close —without the
dreaded debate and division on this most embarrassing mea-
sure, to oppose which, with all the means at his disposal, the
Premier had pledged himself. The Select Committee, to
whom the second search was intrusted, dispatched the deli-
cate business intrusted to it with a rapidity truly gratifying.
Lord Wharncliffe, a Cabinet Minister, was Chairman of

the Committee. This may account for the expedition with
which the Committee brought its labours to a close, and
might have some effect on the result of the inquiry. Be
this as it may, certain is it, that the Noble President of the
Council, as chairman of the Committee, last evening '• re-
ported, from the Select Committee appointed to inquire as to
the necessity of the royal consent being given to the above Bill,
that such consent was necessary, and that it had been the cus-
tom of the House to receive snch consent atvarious stages of the
Bill." The Bill was therefore withdrawn from their Lordships'
further consideration. Whether the Noble Lord who intro-
duced the Bill, and the Peers who enabled him to carry its
Second reading, will consider the " manoeuvre" which has de-
feated this pet project for preserving ono of the two Welsh
bishoprics from extinction, as worthy treatment from the Go-
vernment. of which they have hitherto been supporters; or
whether there will be aschism among the Lords who occupy
seats on the Ministerial side of the Woolsack, as threatening
as that.swhich exists among the Conservatives in the Com-
mons, we take not upon ourselves to predict. Mr. Glad-
Stone, however, preserves his place ie the Cabinet,
which he would have lost by voting consistently
with' his known and avowed approval of the Bill. Mr.
Goulbourn is saved from the necessity of flying in the
face of his constituents, and being subjected to a fate
similar to that which befel his chief when he was re-
Ucted from being representative in Parliament for the same
University, for conceding Catholic Emancipation, which he
had, during his previous life, opposed and denounced. The
ministerial barque has again got into smooth water; and,
though sadly shaken by recent storms, if no sudden squall
bursts upon it, may weather the session. The crew which
man: it have had several narrow escapes, by getting off the
Welsh rocks; that which has just occurred, though it has
excited less sensation out of doors than the deliverance from
foundering on the West India quick sands, did not cause less
apprehensions to those best acquainted with the dangers of
the navigation.

STANDARD.—Lord Campbell's Libel Lily Amendment
Bill was last night rejected in the House of Lords by a ma-
jority of 33 to 3. The Bill was supported in argument by
the Noble Mover and Lord Brougham, and opposed by the
Lord Chancellor and Lord • Dorman. Strong as
are and ever have been, our opinions upon the
subject of the libel laws, and 'sincerely grateful
as we are to Lord Campbell', 'for . his Libel Law
Amendment Bill of last year,- '0;1 cannot regret the
failure of the present measure, which was a Bill to en-
able parties charged with seditious libeL, to produce 'evi-
dence in support of their seditious allegations. It seems
to us, that in treating seditious libels as having any-
thing in common with what may be called personal
libels, a great error is committed. In personal libels the
gist of the offence is the making that public in print which it
would not be so injurious to communicate privately,
and; therefore, it is very proper to allow proof of the
truth to justify the publication by showing that the
truth has been told, and told without malice, and
solely from a good motive. But sedition, excitement
to crime, is never innocent; and even if mixed up
with truth, it cannot be on that account the more permitted.
The printing of his incendiary suggestions may supply evi-
dence against the disturber of the public peace, but it scarcely
aggravates his offence; for this reason we have always con-
sidered, and often argued, that publications hostile to the
public peace, to morality, and religion, ought to be taken out
of the category of libels, and prosecuted respectively as
sedition, corruption of morals, or blasphemy eo nomine. But
would it be endured, or ought it to be endured, that the in-
cendiary corrupter of morals, or blasphemer, should make a
court of justice the theatre in which to vindicate, by the
mouths of witnesses, and by arguments of counsel, his dan-
gerous or detestable doctrines? Or, is a jury a competent'
tribunal to decide upon such an investigation ? These
views, if they are correct, show the impossibility of ever
adopting a law
.like That proposed by Lord Campbell. The
Noble Lord has done much for the press; we heartily thank
him for what he has done, and we intreat him to persevere
in the same line in which he has succeeded, butfin which we
assure him there is still much to reform. On Thursday we
communicated the case of a Cheltenham journal put to the
expense of nine hundred pounds costs in a case where the jury
returned one farthing damages. Ought such a thing to be
possible?

• THE DERBY DISPUTE. •
Wool) v. PEEL.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
SIR,—I am, as the solicitor of Mr. Alexander Wood, the
plaintiff in the 'above issue, desired by him to beg you will
insert in your Journal the follow ing exculpatory statement :
Mr. Goodman being the owner of the horse called Running
Rein, and indebted to Mr. Wood in a considerable sum of
money, sold the horse with his engagements to Mr. Wood,
in consideration of the debt, and of a further advance, upon
the terms that if the horse should be the winner of the
Derby, Mr. Wood should, in addition thereto, pay Mr. Good-
man, or his nominees, so much of the stakes as should exceed
the amount of the debt, the advance, and subsequent ex-
penses. This transaction occurred after the horse had been
proved, to the satisfaction of the stewards at Newmarket, to
be Running Rein, and Mr. Wood was assured by Mr. Good-
man that there were numerous other witnesses who could
prove that fact, besides the one who was examined at Irew •
market. The horse having been entered for the Derby in
the name of Mr. Goodman, was, upon the sale taking place,
transferred into the name of Mr. Wood ; the horse being
afterwards alleged to be four years old, Mr. 'Wood caused him
to be examined by an experienced person, who pronomaced
him to be three, and not four years old. I refrain from
mentioning the person's name, as, after he found the tide of
public opinion to set in strongly against the horse, he at first
wavered in the opinion which he had given, and afterwards
retracted it. This and a similar occurrence—of which the
public are well aware—respecting Leander, and the assertion
of one of the highest veterinary surgeons, published in the
sporting journals, that the mouth of a horse is a fallible cri-
terion of its age, induced Mr. Wood to believe such to be the
fact, and that an examination of the horse's mouth would not
further the ends of justice. Immediately, however, that it
appeared upon the trial, that the production of the horse; was
desired by Colonel Peel's advisers, for the purpose of identity,
and not the mere examination of his mouth, Mr. Wood de-
termined that be should be produced if the trial proceeded,
and his firm resolution on that point produced the sudden
termination of the trial.
Mr. Wood's beneficial interest in the stakes being but
small, he endeavoured to avoid a lawsuit, and to have the
dispute decided by the stewards. But the instant that Col. Peel
commenced the action, in which the issue Wood v. Peel was
framed, Mr. Wood refused, in my presence, and with my ad-
vice, as his solicitor, to litigate a matter in which he had so
little interest, but being most positively assured, and believ-
ing that the horse was Running Rein, he, upon receiving a
bond of indemnity, permitted those who had a greater inter-
est than himself in the stakes, to use his name for the pur-
pose of trying the question, and to employ theirown attorney,
the use of Mr. Wood's name being necessary for the purpose.
In conclusion, I beg to contradict an erroneous impression,
which I hear exists, that Mr: Alexander Wood is the same
person as, or related to, or. connected with, the plaintiff in
the action, Wood v. Ledbitter, which was tried a few days
since.
Mr. A. Wood is a corn chandler and coal merchant at
Epsom, where he has resided and carried on that business
nearly 20 years, and where his real character as an honest
and upright man is well known.
Mr. A. Wood has been at my office every day this week,
for the purpose of seeing and consulting me on the above
Matter' but I have been unavoidably absent, otherwise I
should have been present with him at the trial, and have of-
fered this explanation at a much earlier period.
I am, Sir, your very obedient servant,
1, Lincoln's Inn-fields. A. R. STEELE.

THE REAL METHOD OF SEAL
BREAKING.
Public attention has been of late very properly directed to
the odious system of espionage which has been long prac-
tised at the Post-office, under the authority of the British
Secretary of State ; and many of the journals have pre-
tended to describe the agency by which the operation of
taking fac-similes of seals has been accomplished, but evi-
dently with little knowledge of the subject. Some of them
have stated that the imitation seal was produced by placing
a plate of lead on the wax impression, which, when smartly
strut*, presented a perfect fac-simile of the original; but this
is a palpable absurdity. The operation is much simpler;
and by the ,process adopted at the Post-office, a score of
spurious seals can be produced in a few minutes, and with
the utmost precision and certainty. The spurious seal by
which it is intended to reseal the opened letters, is taken in
plaster of Paris, and with so much accuracy as to defy de-
tection. It is, in fact, the process by which our beautiful
casts of medals and coins are taken, as well as that by which
the lower gangs of coiners are enabled to cast exact fac-
similes of our silver coinage in base metal.
It appears that in the secret, or inner bureau of the Post-
office, the appropriate apparatus for casting is always in
readiness. It simply consists of a small cylindrical, annular
brass mould, about an inch in height, which opens and shuts
like a bullet mould. After the seal has been oiled,.to prevent
the plaster adhering,. this mould is placed upon it, and
the plaster of Paris, mixed in the usual way, is poured upon
it. In about five minutes it hardens, or sets, as it is teclini-
cally called ; and in about as many minutes more is fit for
re-sealing the letter, which has been opened by the applica-
tion of a hot iron to the seal, and a copy of its contents duly
taken. If a wafer should have been used, a little hot water
or steam will soon remove the obstruction.—Atlas.

A number of Welshmetn arrived at Seghill cu
Tuesday afternoon, to take the places of those pitmen for-
merly employed at the colliery, but who are at present on
strike. A number of persons assembled, but there was nt
inclination to a breach of the peace.—Wewcastk paper.

STATE OF
FOREIGN WOOL TRADE. 'tdpi.._
been an active demand for irfo glt
wool during the past week, 1:4-.A,S,100.11i4•411
has been extensive. Prices Vit.: g;e4A.lgilgit
ENGLISH WOOL MARKET,
-234:
has been a greater firmness i i
present week, and sales have bee e
prices, but the latter are still INagiaitiKAßliiii by
the growers for new wool.

WAKEFIELD WOOL MARKET, JULY s.—The prices
of wool continue much as usual, and we have nothing
different to report this week in any description.
LEEDS.—We have this week had two brisk markets
for goods of all descriptions, with the exception of thin
summer Tweeds. The supply of goods still continues
very light at the Cloths Halls, in consequen:e of many of
the principal manufacturers being engaged in delivering
goods to order. In low goods there is a trifling advance
in price, but in fine qualities there is no alteration. There •!
have been several of the leading London buyers in the
market during the week, ana•the foreign houses con-
tinue busy. On the whole there is more business doing
than usual arthis season, in the warehouses.

BRADFORD MARKET, TECURSDAY.—There is a COD-
sideable difference of opinion amongst the manufacturers
tc-day as to the state of the Piece Market ; some are:
complaining of a difficulty in effecting sales, while others
state there has been a fair amount of business done.
Merinos are scarce, and as they are only made in limited
quantity, they command full prices. Orleans and Para-
mattas are better of sale, and prices firm. Contracts for
yarn for the month of July have generally been taker
at an improvement upon the current rates of the pre-
ceding month ; this is to be attributed to the advance
which has been effected on wool. The wool fairs in the
country have gone off more briskly than was anticipated,
and tl.e prices realised by the growers range higher.
The of has been to produce more activity in this
market. Old stocks have been cleared off freely, and at
better prices

MANCHESTER. THURSDAY EVENING. - The advices
received by the Indian mail are not very flattering as
regards the sale of cotton piece goods. Though sales
have been made to a fair extent, prices are by no means
satisfactory, and the consequence is a continued dull-
ness for those kinds of fabrics, and the market closes
with a further downward tendency. Printing cloth
is still an exception, the demand being good as
well as higher. Had the printers been supplied
with water, so as to have enabled them to work full
time, these goods must have gone still higher than they
are ; many printers are not working more than three or
four days a week. The home trade is improving—a
sign that in the agricultural districts a fair average har-
vest is expected. Yarns meet ready sale, but without
any sensible change in value.—Leeds Mercury.