The Sun.
London, England, 1826-10-09 00:00:00

EXCHANGES.

AMSTERDAM, OCT. 6.—One mouth, 40. 5. ; Two months,
40. 2.

ILAZIBURGIf, OCT. 6.---36. 11. ; Two months, 36. 8.
PETCRSIMAG, STITT. 19.-10.
98.—Three months, 6. 171.

BERLIN, SEPT. 30.—Three months, 7. t.

BRUSSELS, OCT. 6.—lt is reported that the Austrian
army will be organized in a different manner, and be divided
like the Russian and Prussian armies into corps, which
will be kept at the full complement even in time of peace,
and ready to march at the shortest notice. These corps
will be stationed, without division, in the several provinces
of the Empire.
M. Liefmans, chief clerk in one of the offices at Ostend,
who hung himself on the 2d, is said to have left on his
table a note, assigning as a motive for his suicide that he
had deposed to some circumstances relative to the catas-
trophe of the 19th of. September, which, though true, he
could not prove. The fear of being prosecuted on this
account seems to have led him to this desperate act. The
following is given as a copy of the note :
" Dear Parents ! I have declared more tban I can prove ; though
innocent I ran the risk of being prosecuted; yet I saw all I have
stated. Forget your unhappy son.
(Signed) _ "H. LIF.FMANS."
The Courier des Pays Bas says, all the latest letters
from Ostend agree that it is at length proved that the catas-
trophic which has plunged that most unfortunate town in
mourning was the work of malevolence. Reports say
that the match which caused the explosion was placed
there a few minutes before it took place. The suicide of
M. Liefinans is calculated to confirm these reports.

It appears by the Quarterly Naval List, published
by Mr. MURRAY, that the following promotions of
Naval Officers took place in the quarter ending the
30th Sept. Many of these promotions have been be-
fore mentioned in our Columns, but we give the whole
of the names as they appear in the List:--•

To be Captains—Rodney Shannon, Chas. Howe Fre-
mantle, Lord Henry John Spencer Churchill, Michael
Seymour, John Pakenham.
To be Commanders—Henry Gossett, H. M. Love, W.
Smith (e), Chas. Keele, Thomas Fraser, Hon. G. J.
Cavendish, Fred. Chamier, Allen F. Gardener.
To be Lieutenants—Edward Jervis Hopkins, John Sum-
mers, Duncan Frederick Campbell, James Maitland, Philip
Hast, Jocelyn Waller, George Windsor, John Evans,
Charles Serjeantson, George Frederick Westbrook, Ed-
ward Holland, George Woodberry Smith, Noah Dalway,
James Mure, Sam. Rosser Protheroe, Berrie Haines, John
Tom, John Nete . Nott, Charles Cornwall Birkett, Jas.
Dalyell, John Julius M'Donnell, Geo. B. Love.
To be Masters—John Thomas, John Pasley Luckraft.
Surgeons—S. Mackey, A. Savage. •
To be Assistant-Surgeons—S. Wicher, W. Hutchin-
son, B. Jones, M. D., Thos. Johnson, F. Osborne, J. C.
Hamilton.
To be nurser—J. L. Jones.

The Committee of the Foreign Stock Exchange met
again on Saturday on the affair of the alteration of the
price of French Renter, by Mr. J. H. ISRAEL, iu
WETENti A LL'S List, and passed the following vote
of censure :

" Resolved, That the conduct of Mr. Israel, in inducing
the clerk of Mr. Wetenhall to mark a price of French
renter, after the regular hour of business (four'o'clock),
and contrary to the rules and regulations of the Stock
Exchange, and after a refusal to mark the price by Mr.
Wetenhall himself, is highly censurable, and that Mr.
krael he reprimanded accordingly."
By the forms and rules of this body, it is necessary
for the resolution to be submitted to a subseqUent
meeting for confirmation. No doubt, however, is en-
tertained as to the result ; for there seems but one
feeling, which is to mark with reprobation an act which,
whatever was its motive, was characterizeil by some
very unjustifiable circumstances. The firmness of the
Committee is spoken of,as it deserves to be, with gene-
ral commendation. Mr. WETENITALL appears also
to have exonerated himself completely from blame, and
throughout the whole business has conducted himself
with integrity and firmness.

Every season has its peculiar sports, and every
crime its established punishment ; but no sooner had
the season for nutting come in, than some of our
Country Magistrates thought proper to enlarge the
bounds of their committing jurisdiction, by making
uvr iNo,that ancient privilege of the people, a crime—
that autumnal recreation, in which these worthy Magis-
trates had in their younger days frequently partaken. So
strangely indeed has the transition from the tree to the
bench affected their heads, that these worthies have now
actually declared nutting a crime. They are too old to
crack nuts, and hate to hear so many reports cracked in
their ears. Nothing afflicts an uneasy conscience so much
as the shadows of past misdoings. These worthies hav-
ing stept into the chair of justice are probably anxious
to make atonement for their own errors, by visiting un-
merciful severity upon the waywardness of others.
But we can assure them, that the harmless recreation
of nutting is no crime—far less a misdemeanotyr---pu-
nishable with a tine of five pounds, at the tender dis-
cretion of a convicting magistrate. To constitute
nutting a crime, it must be proved that the intruder,
broke down branches or committed depredations tea-
fully or with a malicious intent, and at the utmost,
the law only inflicts a penalty of 'five pounds,
but leaves it to the magistrate to fine the offender
in the
the amount of the damage actually sustained
byaggrieved party, and that amount would not in
ft thousand
eases exceed sixpence. But etas unfortunate
aixpence affords the Magistrate and his clerk a plea
for laying
peaces on eleven shillings and sixpence ex-
on the, which makes nuttin the most lucrative crime
Magistrate's But that. eveono,a_,simipitelinceee,
could not be demanded ist
•
will be
seen from without this r
.1 °I
the Trespaas A the statute touching this sn.bje.ct—..
Act, Geo. 4. cap. 56,
which are—
any person or persona shallwilfully
" That from and after th
e peering of Act [July 1820], if
or mrni.any the swrds at
any damage, injury, or fipoil,to or nla ICIOUJ y
hedge, gate, stile, guidevost, mil
orchard, garden, nursery-ground "thn a, tree, wood, under
laor
or other matter or thing grovain , crop vegetables, plants, di
or sing or upon
l building,
thereon or to,
real or personal property, of Cog
be thereof convicted within foury
committing of such injury, beforea"ar months next. after the
ire or kind soever, and shall
confession of the party offending
credible witness or witnesses, or of' the oath of one or more
threlbpjy;t4yt eage'g 6iecv.eedithinerthbec the

rri;ses, every person so offending, and being thereof convii

aforesaid, shall forfeit and pay to the person or persons aggri
such sum of mousy as shall appear to such justice to be a

sonable satisfaction and compensation for Mt desMaStes or injuqh
or spoil so committed, not exceeding in atty.case Ms sum of five
pounds."
We sincerely wish that MagistrateiBvere compellSO
read the statutes before they attempt to act up%
If they did, and could comprehend their egis ative
meaning and spirit, we should have fewer. committals,.
but more convictions ; for it is notorious that two-,
thirds of those committed by are declared
--er7F,
innocent by Juries, But the ialge..af the dog in,
,
manger was never better exemplified than in tne O.
spirit now carried on by those in rural authority against
the poor people, who in these hard times beguile their
cares by gathering a few nuts.
We really think that the Gentlemen of England
ought to be ashamed of themselves by countenancing
this unmanly attack upon the bold peasantry of. their
country, for they should recollect that by ,hrt_.,(lr: ng
the comforts and privileges of their countrymen} `.t.
subdue their spirit, and destroy that national ride of
independence, which is the peculiar boast of English—
men. But the greatest anomaly in these summary
convictions of the Magistracy is, the fact that they set'
,
their faces against any report of their proceedings
being made public, as if they were ashamed of their
own conduct. Is it not preposterous that a man
should be committed to prison for a month for
taking a few nuts from the woods of a gentleman,
who happens to have a neighbouring lkWristri*:
for his friend ? Suppose the " offend ''
pened to be his own son, how would the. case be
reversed ! The freedom of our country wotad then be
in danger, and the rights of the people in,,iipeedy,
by the unconstitutional acts of magistrates ! Now,
this only proves that, if there be any justice in the
law, and impartiality in the breasts of those who ad-
minister it, the poor man should fare as well as
the son of the rich, and the affections of the people
would thereby be increased for the tribunals of the
country, instead of being alienated by every petty act
of oppression, which they are daily compelled to wit-
ness--nay to suffer. Once but abolish the recreations
of the people, and you will destroy their manly pride
in the institutions of their country, and with it their
reverence for the laws as well as their respect for them-
selves.

Quebec Papers to the 4th September have been received ; they
do not contain any important intelligence. Miie Kelly had ar-
rived from New York at Montreal, and Mr. Kean was also ex-
pected at Quebec from Montreal, on 2d September ; he was ad-
vertised to appear on the 4th September. An alarm had been
raised,, without foundation, respecting the solvency of the
Bank of Upper Canada, which was intentionally excited
by some Canadian speculators : it is added, that the knaves
were successful. The Editor of the York Observer
dulges in some ill-judged exultation, that the knavery was equals
to a Yankee trick. Canada has suffered much from droug!tti. 11 m
the warmth of the summer in Quebec ; they say there has not been
more than four or five inches of rain since the middle of May.

Newfoundland Papers of the 12th Sept. have been received, but
their contents possess no interest.
We have received this morning Charleston Papers to the '2d
September inclusive; but their contents are quite unimportant.

THE FUNDS.

CITY, Twelve o'Cloek.

Consols opened this morning at 80k, buyers, and have scarcely
had the most trifling alteration ; the appearance of the market is
rather heavy, the price for Nov. account being 804 1 ; Exchequer
1104.18.494444 *lie Bands. SI 9 pin. ; In the ,Foreign Fonds,
since the opening, Mexican'Bends era vmy flat at 61/ It Colom-
bian, 341 6 ; and Chilian, 3'7 R, SWires are rather higher,
particularly Del Monte, which are 70 60 dia. ; United Mexican,
15 14 ; and Anglo Mexican, .62 50 die.
Three per Cent. Console for 12th Oct., 801, buyers; Ditto for
28th November, 804 # ; India 4 per Cent. Bonds, 31 3 pm. ;
Exchequer Bills, 17 19 pm.
Foaxiciti Foxes.—Brazilian, 63 4; Buena; Ayres, 61 3;
Chilian, 97 8 ; Colombian, 1824, 343 6 ; Mexican 5 per Cent.,
61 2 ; Ditto 6 per Cent., 611 ; Danish, 561 '7; Greek, 14 4 ;
Russian, SS ; Peruvian, 271 81 ; Spanish, 101 1.
Minn.—Anglo Mexican, 55 50 die. ; United Mexican, 15
14 die. ; Pasco Peruvian, 141 131 dis. ; Brazilian, 121 131
pm. ; Tlalpnzahua, 20 30 pm. ; Bolivar, 1 3 pm. ; Colombian,
6 6 per Share ; Real del Monte, 70 60 die. _ _ _

Si/Amts.—Alliance, Fire and Life, (101. paid) 71 per Share
Ditto Marine, (W. paid) 4 per Share; British Iron Company,•
28, 74 dis. ; British Iron and Coal, 19 17 dis. 4
Two o' Clock.
Consols, 801 buyers ; and for Nov., 804 4 ; 4 per Cent. 954.
THREE O' CL o CK.
Consols, 80k I, nothing doing.