The Sun.
London, England, 1844-01-01 00:00:00

GREECE

ATHENS, DEC. 9.—The great and all-absorbing
• subject of discussion and anxiety for the last few days
' has been the election of the Committee for drawing
up the Constitution, in concert with the King. This
did not terminate until past ten o'clock last night—a
very late hour for the National Assembly at Athens,
though at St. Stephen's the business of the night
would only then be commencing. The moderate
party, who are attached to English principles of go-
vernment, have obtained a most triumphant majority.
Upon this occasion, as well as upon the election of
Vice-Presidents, Mavrocordato and Colletti agreed to
support each other; but on both occasions it turned
out that, although the Mavrocordatists, in compliance
with the earnest wishes of t'leir chief, voted against
their own inclinations to a man, for Colletti, the adhe-
rents of the latter, about forty in number, broke the
agreement, and did not vote for Mavrocordato.
Upon the first occasion, Mavrocordato was disposed
to think there might have been a mistake ; but, when
the same conduct was repeated, it then became evident
that it was the bad faith of the Muscomangites, as the
party of Colletti is designated, which had placed him
next to Mavrocordato in the list of Vice-President;,
and above him in the Committee for the Address.
This circumstance has excited a strong feeling of in-
dignation against the treachery of these persons, and
a sense of the impropriety of allowing Greece and
Europe to be deceived as 'to the real state of parties in
this country, induced the adherents of Mavrocordato
and Metaxa to withdraw their votes from Colletti
upon this last great occasion, when those were to be
chosen by whom the fabric of the Constitution is to
be constructed, and thereby to demonstrate that he
cannot reckon upon the support of more than.forty-
three certain, and about twenty doubtful votes in the
Assembly. Mavrocordato and Metaxa, however, in
the spirit •of peace and union, did all in their power
to dissuade their friends from withholding their votes,
declaring that they would prefer seeing him again in
a fictitious majority, rather than risk the disadvan-
tages of disunion. Many would not act upon this
suggestion, and the consequence is that Colletti stands
low in the list; and, if more than forty of the friends
of Mavrocordato and Metaxa had not, at their earnest
solicitation, voted for him, he would have been ex-
cluded altogether.
In the Committee for the Address the French
party, as it is called, is represented by Colletti alone,
or with the equivocal support of Anastasio Loudos.
The proportion is two to five. In the more important
Committee on the Constitution the disproportion is
still more marked, being only four to seventeen, so
that the French party, about which so much has been
written and said for the last three years, has dwindled
to a miserable minority; and well it may be so, when
no better man could be found to supplant Mavrocor-
dato, in 1841, by means of a million of francs, than
Christides, and when he, "the despised of all men,"
finds a fit successor in Riga Palamides as champion
of the party. Neither this personage nor Conduri-
ottis, the President of the Council of State, are in
either Committee, though they made every effort to
be elected.

Tricoupi, the late Minister in England, owes his
election to an accident. General Church might have
been placed at the head of the Commission for the
Constitution, but, having heard that his name was on
the list, he did not rest till he got it withdrawn, ge•
neroosly thinking that none but Greeks should take
part in the solemn office of constructing the Consti-
tutional edifice.

The latest accounts of the state of Earl Grey's health
are rather more favourable:

DIRECTIONS TO POLICEMEN.—The Learned Judge,
Mr. Baron Rolfe, in one of the cases lately tried before
him at Worcester, said; with regard to policemen putting
questions to persons accused, that he was sorry the law
had got into such a tender state on this point. It was gene-
rally laid down that policeman were exceedingly wrong
in putting any questions to persons in their custody
now he thought it was often well for them to do so, fur
he had seen cases in which such questions were most
essential to the establishment of a person's innocence ;
however, as he did not like to differ from his brethren,
he always told policemen not to say anything to prisoners.
PASSENGER DUTIES ON RAILWAYS.—From a re-
turn made to the House of Commons in the course of
last session it appears that the railroads in England and
Wales, 56 in number, have paid in the yoar ending Ja-
nuary, 5, 1843, no less than 152,6631. 13s. qd., as pas-
senger duty. The amazing increase of railway traffic
within the last ten years may be gathered from the fact,
that in the year ending January, 1833, the whole sum
paid to Government as passenger duty was 6391. 16s.
10d. The amount paid in the year ending January,
1842, was 148,204/. 13s. 100, In Scotland, in the year
ending January last, 20 railroads paid 15,1251. ls.
being an increase of 3,468/. Os. Ild. over the preceding
year. The gross amount paid by all the railroads in the
kingdom during the last year was 167,7881. 14s. 71d.
The amount paid in the previous year was 159,861/. 14s.
6d., showing an increase in 1843 of 7,927/. Os. 114. The
ten railroads having termini in London paid 82,4471. 4s.
5d.: the three largest amounts being paid by the Lon-
don and Birmingham, the Great Western, and the South
Western, which paid respectively 25,940/, 14s. Id.,
23,8041. ss. 2d., and 12,0481 19s. 7d., or more than two-
fifths of the whole amount.

THE LATE ASEBTJETON MURDER.—OH Monday
last, Edward Webb, better known' as " Deaf Ned," and
Charlotte Williams, a woman who accompanies him in
his peregrinations, were fully committed to the county
goal for trial at the next assizes, charged with being par-
ties concerned in the foul and horrid murder committed
last summer, near the town of Ashburton.—Somerset
Gazette.

ASTONISHING INSTINCT OF A CAT.—A family in
Swansea, having a favourite cat, but in consequence of
its thieving propensities, they were determined to part
with: Poor Tom was given to, the care of a captain of a
vessel who was about to sail for Cuba. After a voyage
of four or five months, the vessel returned to this port,
about a month since. In a few days after the arrival of
the ship, Tom decamped, and the vessel was about to go
to sea without him. About three weeks since a cat was
heard by the members of the above family about their
premises, mewing most pitifully, and could not be kept
away, despite the threatenings of the servants ; when,
10, to the astonishment of its old mistress, her old friend
came up to her, rubbing against her with all the affection
imaginable. What is most extraordinary, the cat had
to cross the river and pass through the most dense part
of the town to find its old habitation, after a voyage to
Cuba, and an absence of five or six months.—Cambrian.
CULTIVATION or FLAX.—An influential meeting
was held at Norwich, on Wednesday last, the May,: r in
the chair, at which the following resolution was adopted:
—" That this meeting being of opinion that much benefit
may arise from the cultivation and manufacture of flax
in this city and its vicinity, with a view to the remu-
nerative employment of the poor, and the profitable in-
vestment of capital, strongly recommend that a general
meeting should be convened of all persons who are
willing to contribute to the promotion of this very de-
sirable object."
COAL PIT ACCIDENT.--On Tuesday last, as soon
as the colliers at Tonge-lane Coal-pits, Middleton, near
Manchester, went to their work, an explosion of fire-
damp took place in one of the pits, and one of the miners,
named Roger Gregory, was burned in a shocking and
dangerous manner. Several others were slightly hurt,
but not dangerously.—Liecrpool Mercury.
CORONER'S INQUEST.—An inquest was held on Fri-
day afternoon by Mr. Higgs, Deputy Coroner for West-
minster, at the -George' Gilbert's-passage, Clare-market,
on the body of Joseph Corbyn Abbott, aged 69. From
the evidence it appeared that the deceased left his home,
No. 1, Selwood-place, New-road, and proceeded to the
Strand. Whilst proceeding up Drury-lane, on his way
home, he was attacked with apoplexy, and fell to the
ground. A police-constable coming up, he was conveyed
on a stretcher to King's College Hospital, where he was
attended to by Mr. Brown, the acting physician, but
died the same evening. The deceased's son said he
had to complain of what he considered great neglect on
the part of the police. His father not returning at
the usual hour, and supposing that something might
have befallen him, he went to the Bow-street sta-
tion-house and made inquiries concerning him. The
inspector who was on duty answered him sharply, and
said he knew nothing about him, although it was from
that place the stretcher was brought on which he was
conveyed to the hospital. That was between twelve and
one in the day atter,his father was taken ill, and it was
not until two o'clock on the following morning that he
knew where he 'was. Police-constable F 56, the man
who brought the stretcher, said, that he gave in his re-
port of the occurrence to Sergeant Weston, and he
could only account for the son not receiving information
by the pressure of business. The son said, that on
going to the George-street station-house, the inspector
there gave him every. assistance. The Coroner and jury
were of opinion that there was great neglect on the part
of the police, but they could not go into it as it did not
concern the deceased's death. A verdict of " Died from
an attack of apoplexy" was then returned, the Coroner
advising the relatives to write to the Commissioners of
Police on the subject.
THE LOGIC OF A SMUGGLER.—Wherefore is a poor
widow woman like myself to abide by the juggling of
princes and their ministers,—who deal with nations and
languages as with flocks and herds; creating as it were
a line in the air, which they advance or retrograde at
will, and which is to make me French or Fleming,
according to their whims and fancies ? My old grand-
father used to boast of having spoken with those who
remembered the time when Flanders extended half way
into the France of to-day,--the time when Marlbrook
came soldiering here, and for all the great victories we
hear so much of, left the Grand Monarque in posses.
sion of our finest provinces ! Even I,—l, Lottje Van
Kerckx, who am speaking to you,—recollect the period
when the French eagle was the imperial standard for our
'stamps ; when Brussels, which now calls itself a capital,
was but a country town like the rest of us ; and all was
France, France, France, from Rouen to Hamburg!' ;
paying toll and tax to the same Parisian seat of Govern-
ment ! And why, pray—because it pleased the crowned ,
heads of Europe to knock themselves together at Aix-
la-Chapelle, and decide that this patch of ground should
be called Prussia, and t'other patch of ground be called
France—is a poor widow woman to pay mulct and fine
to this new King of ours, for liberty to drink and retail
the French liquors, which in my youth I bought and sold
at prime cost ? I had no hand in their rubbishing
Congress ! My opinion wasn't asked ? And so, without
further ceremony—feeling myself guiltless in the sight
of Almighty God for violating a law which is none of
his making--I make bold- to catch the gendarmes of the
frontier napping, whenever they are fools enough to let
me !—?alt's Magazine.