The Sun.
London, England, 1842-09-19 00:00:00

THE: SLTN, LONDON, MONDAY EVENING, SEPTEMBER 19, 1842.

times, for those who do not. If what the
present Prime Minister of this country has
stated is true—namely, that the experience of
late years shows us outgrowing our means ofsub-
sistence—then precarious doubtless must he
the condition of that part of the people who
find themselves, in years like the last four,
beyond the margin of those means. Nobody
has grown food tin• them in return for the pro-
ducts of their labour. The home-grower has
confessedly fallen short. The foreign grower
has supplied us at scarcity prices—prices, the
payment of which has drained the funds for
manufacturing employment, contracted the de-
mand for its products, and deranged all our
commercial transactions. Thence the wise land-
scribes have jumped to the conclusion that,
because commerce has been deranged—because
manufactures have been slack—because opera-
tives have been out of work and bread—there-
fore commerce and manufactures must them-
selves be the sources of their own suffer-
ings. We repeat what we have before as-
serted--that it is not because we are too
commercial, but because we are too anti
commercial—because we have not called com-
merce in aid precisely of those wants where its

powers of adaining, supply to demand were most
requisite —that it is just so far as we can act in
defiance of the known principles of regular corn-
merce—just so fur as we legislate expressly to
baffle its operations—that we suffer the conse-
quences imputed by the land scribes to our trading
over-much. The phenomena, such as the crash
of American credit, which appear to counte-
nance their notions--are, in reality,-only addi-
tional proofs of the madness of anti-commercial
legislation. America has always been deficient
in the power of making
.returns to the full
amount of the imports which; till now, she has
wished to take from us. Her natural occupation,
agriculture, offered the sole means of enlarging•
those returns, and thereby placing American
commerce on a safi: and well-balanced basis. We
rejected those means; we would not suffer
our customers to be solvent to the best of their
power. When we were last flush of money, we
lent the Americans our money to buy our goods
with. Evil days followed to us and to them : ,
here semi-starvation to hundreds of thousands;
there private and public bankruptcy—and at
length a desperate copy of our restrictions. All •
this mischief; as far as it might have been obvi-
ated by simply permitting the natural exchanges
between a new country and an old one—raw
produce for finished goods—all this mischief is
thus far traceable, not to the manufacturing
system—not to bloated millocrats—no, no, bnt to
bloated monopolists, wno dreamed of their ruin
from our abundancs. The vast supplies which
America might afford of agricultural produce
were actually held up in terrorem in the last
Corn-law debates in the House of Commons, by
certain respectable country Members, to whom
we won't wish worse than—immort alinfamy !

CONSPIRACY TO DESTROY THE
QUEEN.

[We do not vouch in any degree for the credibility
of the subjoined story, which we transfer to our co-
lumns from the Hants Advertiser. Nevertheless, it
would be unwise not to submit to the perusal and
judgment of our readers.]
An investigation into circumstances of the most
alarming character, connected with a Chartist con-
spiracy to destroy the Queen, has been secretly going
on before the Magistracy of Southampton for some
time past. We have taken all imaginable pains to
obtain correct information- on the subject. We be-
lieve our account to be correct in the main, though,
from having been denied permission to look at the
depositions, we may slightly err in the details.
The party through whom the notice of Govern-
ment has been directed to the investigation, is named
Peirce, a grocer in Canal-walk, Southampton. Peirce
was considered some time back the leader of the
Chartists in this town, and frOm his having made
himself very conspicuous in that character, was doubt-
less thought by the chiefs of the London Chartists
as a fit person to enrol in their secret band.
This band, the existence of which has been long
suspected by the London police, seems to consist
of a select number of the most desperate characters
among the great body of the Chartists. They
direct the movements of the uninitiated, arrange the
principal meetings, send delegates to disturbed districts,
and, as it will be seen, are sworn to attempt the ac-
complishment
of their treasonable designs, at all
hazards, even if by the assassination of the Sovereign.
It would seem that the secret conclave we
have referred to considered that the destruction
of the Queen would have the effect of overthrowing
the Government, and that they should, in the general
consternation and confusion that would ensue, be able
to carry out their particular ends. About five months
since, as we are informed three men called on
Pierce at his shop in Canal Walk, and after snaking
themselves known to him as leaders of the London
Chartists, and by communications which, to him, were
convincing, and after going into details with which
we are unacquainted, proposed to him to take the oath
binding him to assist himinthe destructiunofthe Queen!
Pierce was horror-struck at the proposition, being one
of the crowd of deceived persons who believed the
acquisition of the five points to be the be -all and the end-
all of Chartism. The parties left Peirce with a threat
of fatal consequences to himself if he divulged their
visit to any party. He, however, did communicate
his secret to a brother Chartist, and for the credit of
that person, we hope it is true that it was owing to his
counsel that Peirce communicated with the Government
on the business. Peirce was sent for to London, and
was examined at the Secretary of State's-office, and
being taken to N,swgate to see Francis, the regicide, at
once pronounced hp to be one of the three men who
had paid him the visit spoken of! 'lt was deemed
advisable by the Privy Council to let the matter rost
for a period, in order to see if any further movements
were in contemplation. The fact, however, of Peirce's
revelations had probably come to the knowledge of
the Chartist leaders, for on the evening of Friday the
3d instant, as Peirce was returning to Southampton
down the London road on the common, a fellow
suddenly appeared before him from among the trees,
and presented a pistol at him, uttering at the
same time, some 'expressions relative to his
having betrayed somebody, but at that moment a
carriage approached, which from the softness of the
road had not been heard till then, upon which the
ruffian ran off amongst the trees towards a place
adjoining, called Highfield. Peirce made his
way home, and was too much alarmed to com-
municate the matter to the police. On the following
Tuesday, Peirce was returning home across the
lioundwell (an open piece of ground near the
High-street, Southampton), about eight o'clock
in the evening, when he found himself dogged by a
man whom he recognised as the ruffian who assaulted
him on the Common. At a moment when no person
was apparently near, the fellow fired a pistol at Plum,
and the bullet passed through his hat, doing him no
injury. The assassin fled and escaped. Peirce com-
municated the facts to the Home-office, and a gentle-
man (Mr. Hay) from thence, and subsequently, we be-
lieve Sir J. Graham, have attended the examination
of Peirce before the Borough Magistrates. No clue has
been at present obtained, but a Government pro-
clamation, offering 100/. reward for such information
as may lead to the apprehension of the assassin, will
be issued forthwith. As before stated, we have been
refused a perusal of the deporitions, or any informa-
tion, by the Magistrates, who, however, seem fully
impressed with a belief of the fact of Peirce having;
been shot at, a police• constable and a woman, in the
vicinity, having heard the report of the pistol a
the time.

INCENDIARISAI AT SYSTON.—We regret to state
that a stack of barley, belonging to Mr. M. Sheffield, of
Syston, was discovered to be on fire there on Tuesday
morning last, and that there is but too much reason to
consider that it was wilfully and maliciously occasioned.
Indeed we learn that the person in custody, John Bel-
lamy, has admitted the fact. Ile was fulry committed
for trial on Wednesday by Mr. Ileyrick. We are cre-
dibly informed that the prisoner has stated that he was
prompted to the deed by feelings of revenge, as he as-
ierts that a son of the owner of the stack maintained an
illicit intercourse with his wife, under the roof, and with
the connivance of her own father and mother.—Leices•
ter Journal.

IMITATION PUNISIIABLE.—Five paupers were sen-
tenced to fourteen days hard labour, at Leicester, lately,
fur " laughing, braying, and making a noise as if they
were driving cattle." Such amusements aro practised
by legislators in the House of Commons with impunity.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.
(SATURDAY.)
MANSION-HO V 6 F,.

William Smith, alias Michael Onions, was brought
before the Lord Mayor, charg2d with having forged
the acceptance of Gaze and Co.
Mr. Clarkson, the barrister, and Mr. Hobler, jun.,
appearbd for the prosecution, and Mr. Curling for the
prisoner, who' had been a bankrupt, and outlawed, and
uncerti fkated.

Mr. James 'Whitaker, of Broad-street, surgeon,
stated that he knew the prisoner by the name of Wil-
liam Smith. He had been given to understand that
he was a brother of James and John Onions, the lat-
ter of whom had been a partner in the firm of Gaze
and Co. for a short period, and although not in cus-
tody, was charged with having been concerned in the
conspiracy. Theprisoner, on August 27, brought witness
the bill, now produced, for 171. 15s. in payment of an;
account incurred professionally by the prisoner and
one of his brothers, who he said authorised 'll6 to
pay it. At that time there was no acceptance upon
it; in every other respect it was the same as at the
present time, except that it had no address upon it
of the person upon whom it was drawn. Upon seeing
that the bill was not accepted, witness mentioned
that fact to the prisoner, who looked foolish, but