The Sun.
London, England, 1844-08-02 00:00:00

itening )ItIL

LONDON, FRIDAY, AUGUST 2, 1844.

-
In .the House of Lords a brief conversation, begun
• by the Marquis of CLANRICARDE, took place relative
to the proceedings at Otaheite. Lord ABERDEEN
said all these.proceedings must have taken place with-
out the slightest knowledge of the French Govern-
. merit ; and he had reason to believe that the unfor-
tunaxh affair would be arranged without any serious
consequences. He believed that at the present mo-
ment queen POMARE was restored to full power.
The Railways Bill went. through Committee, and
was ordered to be read a third time this day.
The Poor-law Bill was read a second time, and
ordered to be committed on Monday.
The House adjourned at an early hour.
The Commons met at Twelve o'clock, when the
was passed.
Savings' Banks B 11
The House went into Committee on the Presby-
terian Marriages Bill, and all the clauses were
agreed to.
• The Bishop of Loncirm's Estate Bill was read a
third time and passed. This is a very suspicious
measure, as will be seen from the Parliamentary
report.
Sir J. GRAHAM moved the order of the day for
going into. Committee on the Charitable Bequests
13111. The Bill went into Committee, 'when a
lengttened discussion and several divisions took place.
Clauses up to 19 were agreed to, the House re-
' turned, the Chairman reported progress, and obtained
leave to sit again this day.
The other business on the paper was then disposed
l'ci;.-%,,k4 And the House adjourned at a Quarter-past Eleven.
And I

• . 1 ~ --...'-
7 , ,----iThe--btriiness of dog-stealing, as carried on in this
`:S.: ' ---tkighty,, moiopolis of ours, where talent of every
(:, ' '9410rt..... 'abounds- )n profusion, is, if we may believe the
--
- : AI"P.?-ttof its"
'Parliamentary Committee on the sub-
- -lectc"-"Mtikt, ttcha trade s science—and a science,
1 (1,.:

i

too, that requires. on the part of its professors, the
utmost tact, readines, self-possession, and knowledge
of character. A man may be a very excellent
lawyer, who would make a very indifferent dog-
stealer ; but' the latter, if he be an adroit prac-
titioner, is already in possession of many of the re-
quisites that tend to establish the reputation of the
former. The legal system of " refreshers" seems to
be thoroughly understood and appreciated by the
honourable and ancient fraternity of dog-stealers.
An experienced professor purloins one of those inoffen-
sive quadrupeds ; straightway negotiations are opened
for its recovery, but the sum being deemed insufficient,
its abductor makes a point of forgetting to return it—
in the hurry and multiplicity of business, how could
he be expected to remember such a trifle ?—and it is
not until his memory is jogged by a " refresher" in
the shape of an increased offer, that he recals the
whole circumstances of the case, and returns the kid-
napped animal to its legitimate owner. The negotia-
tions respecting these " refreshers" are sometimes very
edifying, and if they do not come up to the just ex-
pectations of the professor, he pockets the affront, but,
as a matter of course, the dog is stolen again. Cap-
tain AkEXANDER, as appears by the Report,
has paid at various times not less than twenty-two
pounds—his Royal Highness the Duke of CAM-
BRIDGE, not less than thirty pounds—and Miss
BETHELL not less than ten pounds, for the recovery
of their canine property ! Mr. BISHOP, an intelli-
gent man, whose evidence is well worth reading, has
given the Committee some curious particulars eluci-
datory of the science of dog-stealing, and mentions,
in particular, the case of a lady whose dog was twice
stolen, restored, and re-stolen, which so alarmed her
sensitive nature, " that she has since then left Eng-
land"—adds the deponent—" and I'realTy do believe
for the sake of keeping the dog. She has left the
country because she could make more of a certainty
of keeping the animal in foreign parts than'in Eng-
land, if that was not the sole cause of her leaving.
She prayed for the- time to come when she
might leave this country, which she has
done, and taken the dog with her !" This excess of
sensibility is really very touching, and -we can
imagine the holy fervour with which the fair peti-
tioner offered up her prayers to Providence for the
preservation of her four-footed favourite. But con 7
ceive a lady self-exiled from her native home on ac-
count of a pet lap-dog ! Separated by seas and con-
tinents from her friends, her relations, her acquaint-
ances—and all by reason of her nervous apprehensions
for the safety of " Beauty," " Chloe," " Fanny," or
whatever else may be the dog's patronymic ! This
solicitude may possibly appear to many of our readers
exceedingly amiable and virtuous, but to our thinking, it
savours not a little of the maudlin. We would far
rather see a tear drop from a fair lady's eye for the
sufferings of the poor and the friendless—and more
especially for the helpless, over-tasked, under-paid,
and under-fed milliners' apprentices, than for a mere
lap-dog, however exemplary the qualities possessed
by this darling quadruped. And here, while on the
subject of dog-stealing, we cannot but express our
astonishment that the professors of this science have
never yet been tempted to vary their practice,
and turn their attention to man-stealing.
Much might be done in this line, and a
very handsome competency achieved by it, if
. . _ _

carried on with due skill and spirit. Imagine, for
instance, Sir J. GRAHAM kidnapped from Downing..
street by a party of ingenious practitioners, and
safe locked in a coal-shed, till a reward was adver-
tised for his recovery ! Can any one doubt the im-
mense sums that would be immediately offered by
his anguished colleagues for his ransom ? Why, the
very paupers in the union workhouses throughout
the kingdom would, in the excess of their
gratitude, subscribe each his mite; and the
remainder of the demand would no doubt be cheer-
fully made up by Messrs. DONCOMBE and Mazzo' !
We throw out this suggestion—having no immediate
intention of acting on it ourselves—for the benefit of
expert practitioners in dog-stealing ; for they
may rely on it that were they to enlarge the
sphere of their operations, and experimentalise on
the Home Secretary instead of on ladies'
lap-dogs, not twenty-four hours would elapse
from the period of the Right Honourable Baronet's
abduction, but the following advertisement would
appear conspicuously in the Times, Post, and Sun
newspapers :—" Lost, stolen, or strayed, a stout
middle-aged gentleman, answering to the name of
GRAHAM. Whoever will restore him to his discon-
late owner, Sir ROBERT PEEL, shall receive a reward
of ten thousand pounds, payable out of the Income-
tax. N.B. The last time the missing individual was
seen in public, he was peeping into a private letter
at the General Post-office." Verbum sap.

According to accounts from Madrid of the 25th
ultimo, an alarming commotion took place in the
capital on the previous night, but the cause of it is
not explained. The whole garrison were suddenly
summoned to arms. The Puerto del Sol and Post-
office were occupied by regiments of cavalry and
infantry, and patrols and picquets watched every part
of the capital, through the streets of which the
authorities, civil and military, had been seen hasten-
ing with great anxiety. Some reports state that all
this display was in consequence of a communication
from NAEYAEZ, that a republican plot was about to
break out—a very probable occurrence. Private
letters announce a probable change of Ministry, and
the downfal of the Dictator. One of them thus con-
cludes :—" Be assured that though we have had several
years of civil war, the revolution has not commenced."
The Bourse was closed on the 25th.

Dispatches and private letters have been received
from Otaheite at Paris, giving numerous details of
the disturbances there, and the expulsion of Mr.
PRITCHARD, the English Consul. The contents of the
dispatches had not transpired, but nearly all the let-
ters throw the blame on the English. The remarks
of the writers, however, and the conclusions to which
they come, must be received with caution. They
betray a strong feeling against this country, and
absurdly assert that our Government attaches great
importance to the occupation of the islands by the
French, and infer that underhand means are adopted
to deprive them of the protectorate. They throw the
entire blame on Mr. PRITCHARD, and assert that he
had formed a plan for a general insurrection against
the French. The following is an extract from one
of the letters, dated March 19th, and in the state-
ments which it contains most of the other writers I

concur :

" If we wanted any proof of the great importance attached
to Otaheite by the English, we need only refer to- the at-
tempts made by them to impede our occupation, since we
took possession of the island. Mr. Pritchard, the missionary,
who acted as English Consul, at once protested against our
occupation. This example was soon followed by. Queen Po-
mare, and she withdrew to an English vessel, to remain un-
der the protection of the English flag. An insurrection, of
which Pritchard was the ringleader, was then organised. He
represented the French to the natives as an insignificant
people, whom a great chief had long led to victory, but that
the English had at last placed that great leader in chains, to
prevent further disorder. He declared also that a vast fleet
would soon arrive from England, and burn the French ships
at the islands- Proclamations announcing these fine things
were placarded; and, as soon as they appeared, the inhabi-
tants of the peninsula of Taiaraba, either more credulous or
more courageous than the rest, took up arms. The Go.
vernor himself got on horseback, and endeavoured to put
down this revolt at its commencement, but the insurgents
marched on Papeiti, and were constantly increased by mal-
contents from the neighbouring islands. The-chiefs who
were most devoted to us .then declared that their wives
and children would not be; safe, if they remained longer
near us. Whilst the Governor was endeavouring to put
down the insurrection which was extending round the
island, and approaching towards the centre of our establish-
ments, news was brought that 3,000 armed men were at
about three hours' march from Papeiti, which they proposed
to take and burn. The rain fell in torrents, which circum-
stance would tend to baffle part of their plans, but it would
also render it difficult for our troops to use their fire-arms.
The Commandant of the Society Island, M. d'Aubigny, was
informed of this intended attack, and at once declared the
bay in a state of siege ; the other energetic measures taken
under the circumstance, and executed with vigour, proved
to the insurgents, and to those who incited them, that they
had no mercy to expect from us in case of a sanguinary
struggle. In the afternoon of the 3d of March we expected
to be attacked; all our measures of defence had been
taken, the plain of Papeiti had been cleared of all the
trees which might impede the firing of the soldiers and the
marines who had been landed ; at five o'clock in the evening
Mr. Pritchard was at the landing-place ready to escape
in an English boat to the Cormorant steam-vessel, when the,
chief of the police arrested him as the instigator of the disor-
ders. lie was immediately placed in confinement in a
blockhouse, and the Commandant d'Aubigny, in an order
of the day, declared that his head and his property
should be guarantees for what might take place. On the
19th of March, the day on which I write, we are still on
the defensive, but tranquillity appears assured. The Go-
vernor has returned from Calaraba ; Pritchard is exiled, and
the English steamer has been requested to keep at a dis-
tance. Queen Pomare is still here on board an English cut-
ter, and must at length despair of ever returning with her
perfidious advisers to this land which she has so foolishly
abandoned."

We apprehend that not much reliance can be
placed on these assertions. Sir ROBERT PEEL would
not have denounced the conduct of the French autho.

rities; in regaid to ttleEnglish Consul, as" a gross
outrage, accompanied by a gross indignity," without
information on which he could implicitly trust.
Most of the papers refer to the unfortunate acci-
dents which occurred on Monday. Those of the
Opposition blame the police for' allowing such vast
crowds to assemble in one spot, and assert that the
numbers killed and wounded are far more numerous
than the authorities are willing to admit.

A ToUlon letter states that the vessels which are to
proceed to Cherbourg, in order to escort the Knro to
England, will be the Ocean, commanded by Admiral
PARSEVAL, and the Inflexible, by Captain GRAEI3.
Another letter says that twenty squadrons of ca-
valry, and twelve battalions of infantry, are to be
successively embarked for Algeria.
The Journal des Debuts has a long article on the
state of crime in France, in order to show that a great
moral improvement is going on throughout the
country. The following extract will be read with
interest :

"The account of the year 1841 shows a considerable dimi-
nution in the number of crimes compared with the four pre-
ceding years. This decreasing movement has continued
during the year 1842. In 1840, the number of defended
causes tried by the Courts of Assize was 6,004; in 1841,
5,528 ; and in 1842, 5,104, showing a reduction of 900, or
nearly a sixth part during the two years. Another progress
not less remarkable is that, in 1841, the decrease only bore
on attempts against property, the number of crimes against
the person having on the contrary increased. But in 1842
both crimes had decreased in nearly equal proportions. A
third result still more striking is, that the number of pri-
soners comprised in the cases tried in 1842 was but 6,953,
being 509 less than in 1841, and 1,273 less than in 1840. It
will be necessary to go back to 1834 to find so small a num-
ber of persons accused of crimes. The cause of this ameliora-
tion is the power given to the jury, by the law of 1832, to
find extenuating circumstances. Whatever may be the
particular instances of abuse which arise from this system, its
salutary effects must be admitted to be incontestible. It is
this tempering of the law which quiets the consciences of
the jury, at a time when everything is decided and regulated
by a middle course. It is a support given by the law to the
mildness of our manners, to that sentiment of humanity
which inspires us with a feeling of invincible horror for irre-
parable rigours, and tends more and more to substitute tem-
porary inflictions for capital or perpetual punishments.
Thanks to this expedient, justice is less rigorous and less
pitiless, but at the same time more sure and more firm."
THE BOURSE—WEDNESDAY, JULY 31.