The Sun.
London, England, 1829-11-20 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS.

We have seldom met with any man who did
not feel a little peevish at being reminded of his
past absurdities ; and, acknowledging some share
of the general soreness which must affect the
great body of our countrymen at the indifference
with which they have at various times submitted
to be gulled, we are loth to turn the attention ( f
our readers to the report of yesterday's proceed-
ings in the Court of Exchequer, connected with

the famous case of the Custom-house. The factc
of the matter few people can have forgotten. Mr.
Peto, an architect, undertook to build, on a spe-
cific plan, a durable Custom-house for 160,000/.
Fie did build a Custom-house, which cost from
first to last not far short of 500,000/.. and
which had the additional merit of being, not a
durable, but a tumbledown one. As the scandal

hen, upon both grounds—viz. the length of the

bill and the short-livedness of the building—was
so obstreperous that it could not be stopped or
silenced, a counter-movement took place by
order of the Government of that day, and a law•
suit was got up against Mr. Peto. We hardly
recollect the precise particulars of the verdict,
but from certain proceedings in equity, we gather
that on a bond, or some effective legal instru-
ment, the Crown has held a claim against Mr.
Peto for 20,0001. or 30,0001., of which that

person is endeavouring to suspend the operation
by virtue of a " bill in equity." The arguments
used on behalf of Mr. Peto, both at the trial
and before the Court of Exchequer, were sub-
stantially these—that his increased. charges
beyond those acknowledged in the estimate,
were caused by enormous deviations from the
original plan ; that such deviations were ordered
by Mr. Laing, the Government surveyor, whom
be (Mr. Peto) was bound to obey ; and. that the
destruction of the building arose from another
circumstance, of which Mr. Peto was altogether
innocent—namely, the exclusion of the river
water from having access to the piles, which
were of beech timber, by means of a wall which
the Government agents erected without Mr.
Peto's privity, and which occasioned the piles to
rot away. Now all this may be very well, and,
though not at all amusing to us who pay the
piper, it will not, we hope, be absolutely unin-
structive to a nation who have been called upon,
time out of mind, to place a liberal confidence in
his Majesty's advisers, acting upon their re-
sponsibility. Let us see what " responsibiliv"
has done for us in this remarkable case. The
King's Attorney-General attacks Mr. Peto, the
contractor, for the downfall of the mighty edifice.
It does not appear that any idea was entertained
of attacking him for the tremendous overcharge,
until the crash of the tumble made such a noise
as caught the notice of every man in England,
and could not be passed over as a mere, item in
Parliamentary estimates. Peto throws the blame
on the Ministerial agents, and between them the
country is choused of its money. If Peto re-
ceived orders contrary to the original specification,
it was his business to demur, without the fram-
ing and executing a new estimate in correspon-
dence with the change of plan. If Lord Liver-

pool sent a message, that he must have Portland,
stone ends instead of brick, there ought likewise
to have been, quoad hoc, another. estimate. Ifa
house•keeper was too dashing a lady to look out
upon Thames-street, preferring to improve her
manners by a contemplation of Billingsgate-
stairs, and dale Commissioners of Customs were
such gallant gentlemen that Mrs. Slipslop,—or
Deborah Wilkins, or whatever name she 'juiced.
in,--must have the house turned upside-down
for her personal " gapeseed" and deli!etatilll,
why still we say that Mr. Peto, ;:s a man of
sense and honesty, was bound to send in a pre-
vious calculation of the expense. But the truth
is, that the builders and their tribe are not

often troubled with many scruples on that score
there is nothing tickles them like a command for
vast and manifold alterations. They are at once,
by such means, released from every fetter imposed
by the original contract, and may exercise the
most spacious and costly imagination, in' in-
venting fresh articles of charge. We do ILA
say that Mr. Peto did so, but we aver, that if
he did not, the Government and its subalterns
have no great merit from his forbearance. Our
view of the case is, that Mr. Peto ought to
have been called to a strict account—a strict
legal account—for every shilling by which the
final expense outran the cost agreed upon,
for every year and hour by which the premature
downfall of the edifice came short of Cfr..te average
duration of buildings of the class of solidity
which he had promised. If tl.-.ls was a hardship
upon Mr. Peto, who only neglected to take care
of himself,—how much harder inust the loss be
considered upon the public, who could not take
care of itself, by being, as is usual on such occa-
sions, kicked out of the room by the might:),
Peto official underlings, whenever the least atte.,pt is
made by the uninitiated, so much a 9 to inquire
what we, the people, are to be 'called upon to
pi
over-ruling equity
wherewith dory,';ad a
the case against him, let
pad.
rth l‘tior. beat b
him turn his equity against the Government
surveyor—the Government Commissioners, of
Customs—the Government First Lord of the
Treasury of that period—or the other old
wornan, the Billingsgate loving housekeeper, if
he will ; but why force the innocent people to
contribute even one shilling to the discharge of
such harpy claims ? The thing is iniquitous—
it has grown, by our habitual and most con-
temptible submission. into a regular piracy upon
the nation::.) purse. Only look back at the
millions out of which this easy nation has been
". done," having to pay the piper, whatever
squabbles may arise between master and journey-
men taste-mongers. Between the collection of
China articles at Brighton% and Carlton-house,
and Buckingham-house, and the Custom, or
more properly, Billingsgate-house,
_and all the
rest of them,—with their raisings up and pullings
down, anti down tumbling, and patchings, deco-
rations, reparations, agglomerations, their masses
of deformity, inconvenience, and confusion,
certainly such a race of gulls as all foreigners must
fancy us for tolerating such rubbish under the
name of " public buildings," and throwing away
upon them almost a guinea for every brick, never
was heard of in this world, We recommend
the last lona paragraph in the report of Mr.
Ku;4it's speech to the serious notice of our
readers. The system of. Subaltern meddling is
there beautifully described., The result of the
whole is as we have said. Enforce the law
against Foto, let him enforce, his equity, if he
it, against the blunderers who interfered and
spoiled his work ; but let not the public go to
the dogs between them. it is not our business
to suggest to. the Beneli what its duty is—we
have no doubt of their upright discharge of their
office ; but we call the particular attention of the
Duke of Wellington to this case, as a sample of
numerous others which demand the application

of all his firmness, all his integrity, and all his
energy, to protect the public from enormous
wrong.—Times.
There is a very instructive instance of the
mode in which legislation is carried on in this
country, in an account in another column of
the proceedings of a Meeting of the Trustees of
the Road from Foxley Hatch to Reigate. Mr.
Alderman Waithman, to whom the public are
indebted for the attention which has been drawn
to the dangerous state of the road in question,
from culpable neglect on the part of those
charged with the care of it, having, among
other things, complained to the Trustees at the
above Meeting of the impropriety of their meet-
ing at a house four miles from the commence-
ment of the road, and eleven miles from the ter-
mination of it, while the Act required the
Meetings to be held on or near the road, the
Worthy Alderman was informed that there was
a recent Act which authorised the Meetings to
be held where they were now assembled. So
much the worse, was the observation of the
Worthy Alderman ; " for if c.ny one Member
had been apprised of it, and had pointed it out,
such a clause never would have passed." This
is the evil—no man in Parliament knows any-
thing of the nature of the cart-loads of Bills
which every year pass into laws. The real Le-
gislators of England are attorney's clerks and
low jobbers of all descriptions, and we are not
to wonder at the use they make of the power
committed to them. Discoveries are occa-

deny. Its merits and defects can only be ascer-
tained by the slow but certain test of experience ;
and the intention to limit its operation to certain
districts will render the experin,:. ::2ss expen-
sive in the outset, and afford facilities for any
modifications of improvement that time, the
great innovator, may prove to be necessary. We
have heard a comparison instituted and much
dwelt upon, between the proposed system and
the plan of military colonisation adopted by the
late Emperor Alexander, in certain frontier dis-
tricts of his enormous territories. We confess
we have in vain sought for the analogy asserted
to exist between the two cases. The class of
society from which the Russian colonist was
taken was exclusively military—the Emeriti of
the war. In the proposed municipal arrange-
ment, we see little probability that military habits
would be a recommendation to the appointment,
at all events, of the higher orders of function-
aries ; but, amongst the inferior grade, the slight
intermixture of men who have been trained to
habits of alertness and obedience, would, under
proper superintendence, be anything rather than
disadvantageous. On this subject we shall pro-
bably have much more to say. We do not, in
our present ignorance of details, affect to pro-
nounce a definitive opinion—but this much we
will venture to predict, that without a pure, firm,
and impartial administration of justice, and a
general national conviction of its purity, firm-
ness, and impartiality, the best devised mea-
sures will be incomplete and ineffective.—lbid.

sionally made in time to prevent the most atro- As some of those nations to which Missiona-
,vious clauses becoming the law of the land, but ries are sent from this Christian country, may
the discoveries are accidental. We remember
... wish to know the
the astonishment of the late Sir Samuel Rolmlly peculiarities of a Christian
country, we copy the following description of
on glancing over the Spilsby Poor Bill, when he
, the population of England, from the third
iecovered that the power of flogging paupers
e._ por-
to the various functionaries of the tion of the Personal Tour of Sir Richard Phil-
was gived lips :-44 As far as
workhouse. How is it that in the nineteenth I had travelled, and had ob-
served the mutual relations of the population, I
century a British Parliament has never attempted
to divest itself of functions incompatible with legi-
had discovered but very partial sympathies
slation,which cannot be properly discharged, and among the various classes of the common human
which occupy much of the time claimed by family. There were the high-bred Aristocrats,
who associated with none but their class, and
its paramount duties ? The Legislators of Britain
who mingled by forced and very casual conde-
tread, year after year, like mill-horses, the same
scensions with certain other classes. There were
unvarying round. Any man possessed of even
the professions, poor
.and proud, or rich and
a moderate talent for arrangement might draw
lordly ; yet without being recognized by Lords,
however much they aped them in style and man-
rious attributes of Parliament nsight be distil-
hers. Then there was the Aristocracy of mere
bated in such a way as to relieve that body and
craft and position, but one generation deep,
to benefit the Empire. But we should as soon
and vulgar though affected ; looking back with
expect to see Dukes and Marquises and over-
horror and contempt at the democratic base
drown Landlords acting in the capacityof school-
or money-scriveners, as occupying whence they had just sprung, yet shunned by
masters,
t
themselves in good earnest with the mode of the descendants of the Norman robbers and of
conducting public business. Parliament is an the plunderers of the Church and its charities.
These classes constituted respectively 1 in 100,
assemble of rich men ; and the rich are born to
15 in 100, and 10 in 100—or 26 families in
be the prey of sharpers and knaves. The only
every 100 in the country. All, however, con-
Reform worth talking of in this country is one
tarred in shunning, keeping under, and enslav-
which should destroy the circumstances which
in the other 74, who seemed to submit with
place the affairs of the nation under the bauardian-
docility to the bridle or the whip. Never did
ship of the children of sloth and luxury.—
Morning Chronicle. there before exist greater incongruities." It
would seem as if the people of this country had
It is very generally, but, as we hope, falsely been as successful in the application of 'fictions
and maliciously reported, that of the Very to religion as to law. The letter of the Law and
Learned and Reverend Body comprising the the letter of the Gospel remain ; but they re-
Chapter of the Cathedral Church of Worcester, main merely as evidence of what is departed
not one of its Members (the whole body con- from. No man can read the New Testament,
gists of a Dean and ten Prebendaries) has even but more especially the Evangelists, without per-
appeared within the walls of the Church for five ceiving that the object of the founder of our re-
successive weeks ; and that the Bishop, indig- ligion was to create a spirit of charity, kindness,
nant at so flagrant an instance of neglect, did benevolence, single-mindedness and community
himself go over from his country residence, and of feeling among men. No man can look at
on Sunday the Bth inst. preach the sermon—a the state of society in this country without per-
duty which some one of this absent body ought ceiving that we are ate up with pride and hypo-
to have been in attendance to discharge. This crisy,the farthest in the world from being sm-
ix
general absence has at orcester been the more gle-minded ; and that so far from kindly or be-
observed upon, because it has occurred as shortly nevolenc feelings
prevailing among us, every
preceding the time of the Chapter's Annual pleasure loses its charm when it is within-the
Audit, when it is usual for the greater part of reach of others. Nothing strikes an English-
this Reverend Body to assemble for the receipt man in travelling in France so much as the sees
and customary division of those preebenda which ing master and mistress, children and servants,
give name to their office. With these reports all contributing to each other's enjoyments, and
abroad, and the consequent feeling excited by animated by one spirit of good-will. The chief
them, the publication of the above statement can- pleasure of an Englishman is not so much that
not but be useful. If it be false, its public denial he should enjoy any thing himself, as that he
will take away the obloquy under which these should keep °there from enjoying. How the
reverend personages labour, and cause them nation has been inoculated with this spirit it is
to be received with more complaisance by their
difficult to discover. But so it is—the first ob-
tenants
and fellow-townsmen, at their approach- ject with every man in power, from the Magis-
ing annual assembling. But if it be true, will trate to the beadle, is to set about narrowing in
not the inquiry become more general now, espe- some way the enjoyments or amusements of
daily when an able discussion is pending be- others—the first object with every man who
tureen a Learned Prelate of the Irish Church possesses property is to have something from
and an accomplished and popular Nobleman, which others are excluded. This is Chris-
respecting the more useful application of the re- tianity as modified in England, but it is
venues of the Church, whether it be cowlocive certainly as unlike the Christianity of the
to the spiritual welfare of the people that 60 Gospel, as day is unlike night. The Si-
large a portion of these revenues should be shared ameee could form no idea of ice. The Turks
among a body who have, on account of them, are astounded when told that in this part of
no cure of souls, and whose duties, such as Europe women are allowed to go abroad un-
they are, may for a period of five weeks be veiled. In like manner an Englishnian, from
wholly dispensed with ; when, in the very dio- seeing such pains taken in Courts of Law to
cese in which this takes place, there are many encourage mendicity, and in religious matters to
parishes, and some, too, where the population is encourage hypocrisy, conceives this is just as it
considerable, where, for want of a suitable pro- should be, and naturally condemns elsewhere
vision for the incumbent, there is no resident what differs from-it. Thus, for instance, Mr.
Minister to attend to the spiritual wants of the Jacob, in his Travels in Germany, finds fault
people, and in one instance (as recently ap- with the reiigioos establishments of the country,
peared)— there may be more—no Church that they did not furnish the Clergy with motives
wherein God can be possibly worshipped. Will for insincerity, which he acorns to think indis-
not the remark be • more general, that the real pensable in a christian Minister. 44 The chief
intention of the Establishment—which was for evil (he says) appears to me to arise from the great
the larger diffusion of Christian knowledge, and equality of ranks among them. It is not that
the better' enforcing of Christian practice—seems the whole revenue of the Church is too small, so
to have been forgotten ? 'That a temporal pro- much as from there being no great inducements
vision for those whom the existing Government, to aim at distinction in their own profession, that
from political or other motives, are disposed to makes them wander into extravagancies. A
serve, is what is principally thought of ?—/bid. Pastor can never rise much higher, and the pros-
The tranquillization of Ireland—that hitherto pect, of rieisig at all is very slight ; hence,
unattained and apparently unattainable object, instead of adlieriog to the faith of his Church,
which the lapse of almost seven centuries of ins_ which he must do if he hopes to rise in it, he
timate connEetion - with- Gri-eat lrrifain seems indulges in speculations which lead hilt to wild
scarcely to have forwarded—is, we are assured opinions," &c. Mr. Jacob conceives that the
by those whose facility of access to the sources of great end of inequalities in the Church is to
information entitles their opinions to attention, at furnish men with constant motives for professing
this moment the primary object of Alinisterial they believe that which without such inequality
solicitude. What the exact nature of the mea- they would not profess they believed. The
sures contemplated may be we do not profess to German Divines are notoriously much the most
know, but we are pretty certain that an early period learned of the Divines of the present day, and
of the approaching Parliamentary Session limas he admits that they are moral and highly re-
clear up the mystery. We hinted some time speeds men, and he does not even insinuate
back cursorily, and almost casually, that, a pro- that they are not patient in their inquiries, and
ject was under consideration to establish, in the sincere in their opinions ; but they are without—
most disturbed districts of the Sister Kingdom, what it seems to him strange. divines should be
an active and intelligent Stipendiary Magistracy, withotgeeee powerful motive in riches for always
composed of individuals selected from Englend professing certe.;„e opinions, whether they believe
and Scotland, and unfettered by the partialities those opinions or nos. There is:nothing in the
and prejudices which are, perhaps, inseparable Evaisgelists indeed, about bribiog men with fat
from local connections and affinities—that a coin- deaneries and bishoprics to profess or retain
stabulary force, composed upon the same prin.' their belief in certaie articles. Our Saviour
ciple, and, therefore, exempt from the tempts- , thought the truth alone a sefficient motive for
tions to indulge- in those clannish or sectarian ! obtaining the assent of a rational being--and
Predilections and antipathies which have hitherto 1 that the truth was eo simple, that he that runs
been found too strong_ for native virtue, was to ' might read. We do not Keen to say that it is
be placed under the direct and immediate con-1 easy to understand why a Bishop elloulcl have a
troul of the Stipendiary Magistracy ; and that hundred thousand acres, and 20,0001. a year,
the unavoidable additional expence of this new ; while the working Clergy are starving. But,
municipal regulation was to fall upon the dis- ! Mr. Jacob, Christianity is a skilfully contrived
tricts whose turbulence had called it into exis- ' engine, for enabling a select few to monopolize
tense. The project has not, we apprehend, the most of the good things, and the faith that
been abandoned ; that it is open to cavil, per- does not promote that object is worth nothing
12ies to solid objection, we are not prepared to
no matter whence it is taken, Mr. 13enthatn, in

consequences of the Restriction Bill, that they
have not been confined to country dealers only—
that the want of accommodation experienced by
them has extended itself, more or less, to every
branch of manufacturing, agricultural, and com-
mercial industry—that it has shortened, as well
as lessened, credits and discounts in town—and,
finally, that while it has grievously augmented
the pressure of taxation, it has also very
greatly diminished the means of meeting it.
These points, we presume, would be very readily
conceded by our evening cotemporary ; and yet
he argues against a return to the former system,
because at the time of passing the measure in
question comparatively few either doubted its
propriety, or did not consider it " due to the
best interests of the country." But let us re-
mind our cotemporary that however unanimously
the measure may have been agreed to, it was
passed at a period characterised above all others
by great excitement and extraordinary panic—
that the time was not, in fact, one peculiarly
well fitted for legislative deliberation—and that
its origin and progress were marked by a haste
and indecision which spewed but too truly what
fruits might be expected from it. These fruits
have since been reaped in diminished trade, and
increased difficulties—not wholly owing, we
allow, to the Small Note Restriction Bill, but,
assuredly immediately caused, and !greatly
aggravared, by it ; and is it not then the duty
of the Legislature to retrace its steps, and to
permit the country to employ that circulating me-
dium, which, under existing circumstances, is
best suited to:its wants ? At the same time, al-
though the country banks were far from deserv-
ing the opprobrium which, at the period in ques-
tion, was cast upon them, we have no hesitation
in observing, that before an issue of small notes
be again permitted, the solidity of the issuers,
and their responsibility to the last farthing of
their property, ought to be insured, as far as
possible, by legislative provisions ; and this, we
have been informed, is the arrangement,
likely to be adopted by Government, in case
of its ultimately resolving to re-establish the cur-
rency on its former footing. Our hope is, that
it will adopt such resolution—and our convic-
tion, that if it does, the country will be thereby
greatly benefitted.—Morning Advertiser.

his Scotch Reform, gives a most amusing ac-
count of the pilgrimage of a Judge of the Court
of Session in Scotland, Lord Swinton, to Eng-
land, with a view to obtain information respect-
ing a measure which lie afterwards succeeded in
effecting—the Act for recovering small debts—.
a measure which, according to Mr. Bentham,
ought to obtain for him the gratitude of millions.
The English Judges were amazed that any man
could be found in the station to which they be-
longed in earnest about obtaining justice for the
people. To use the cant language, they con-
ceived him a flat of the first order. History
informs us of another such flat in the Church.
The following account is given in The Annals
of King George the First, year fourth, under
the head " An odd motion in the Irish House
of Peers."—" A very surprising motion (says
the Historian) was made in the House of Lords
by an Archbishop, viz.—' That for the honour of
Religion, and for the propagation of the Reforma-
tion in Ireland, he was willing to divest himself
of part of the revenues of his Bishopric, to
augment the incomes of poor livings in the coun-
try, and for the encouragement of the inferior
Clergy to do their duty ; but it was coolly se-
conded, and very artfully lost in a few days."
This was a strange Archbishop ! Lord Mount-
cashel may look a long while around him before
he finds such another to second him in his plans
for providing an efficient working Clergy. We
have always indulged the belief that the world is
in a constant course of improvement ; and we
would hope that even in this country, which has
long been the chosen land of hypocrisy and in-
sincerity, the people may one day see the expe-
diency of abstaining from crooked ways. Locke,
in writing to his friend Molyneux, says, " All
fair contenders for the opinions they have, I like
mightily; but there are so few that have opinions,
or at least seem, by their way of defending them,
to be really persuaded of the opinions they pro-
fess, that I am apt to think there is in the world
a great deal more scepticism, or at least want of
concern for truth, than is imagined." This want
of concern for truth has been carefully fostered by
the most powerful of motives. So long as such
powerful motives exist, however, we may be as-
sured that writers will, like Talleyrand, consider
language given to man to conceal his thoughts.
It will be found, however, at last, that people
may do without insincerity. In Germany, the
writers are distinguished for their single-minded-
nets. They are so far ahead of tiro yesterday e English, BOW-STREET.
ay a Spaniard, named Antonio Roderiguez,
that they express the7r opinions frankly on all alias Emanuel Lopez, who, on store than one occa-
subjects, without fear of being blamed for the sion, was charged at the bar of this office with hay-
side they take, or hope of being praised for any ing been found sneaking up the staircase of gentle-
thing beyond their mode of conducting an argu- men's houses under very suspicious circumstances,
ment. Writers give each other credit for ho- was brought before Mr. MINSHULL, by one of the
nesty of intention, which is deemed not more me- new police, charged with having been found in the
attic of the house No. 4, Adam-street, Adelphi,
ritorious than the abstaining from stealing or with the intention of committing a felony.
picking pockets.—Mid.
The prisoner was committed under the Police
An idea is becoming every day more preva- Act, to the House of Correction for six weeks.
lent, but grounded on what authority we know A little boy, about eight years old, named James
not, that Ministers intend to propose to Parlia- Dodd, was brought forward, in order to be ex-
ent the repeal of the whole, or greater part of ine.dedbybthehMagistrate previous to his being ap-
m arhmree-nFt
icelas,
yto t
jaempeasri‘svhaotsffiocoerosf ()Of St.TMartliin's-i 11-
the Assessed Taxes, and the substitution of a mo-
dified Property Tax in their stead. In addition that parish, who carries on the trandee ofnan-cahineyin ieyn
to which, a repeal of great part of the Malt and sweeper.
Beer Duties is talked of, accompanied by what The little fellow, who appeared clean and cheer-
is called a paying off of the Four per Cents., but ful, said he was quite satisfied with the business,
what we should rather describe as a compulsory and preferred it to any other.
reduction of the interest to the holders of that Mr. MINSHULL shook his head, observing that
stock, many of whom are trustees, infants, cha- the poor child, not having had the opportunity of
cities, &c., who cannot, if they would, help trying any other trade, was content with that
which he was about to follow.
themselves. The repeal or reduction of the As- Watson, the master of the boy, assured the Ma-
tressed Taxes has, it must be confessed, many
gistrate that the boy should have every comfort
recommendations ; among which not the least is consistent with his situation.
this, that they fall most heavily upon those who The necessary forms were then complied with,
cannot avoid them, but who are least able to and the parties left the office.
bear them ; we mean persons of large families, M A RLBORO U GH-STREET.
or requiring, unavoidably, large establishments, Several proprietors of stage-coaches that ply to
while they are evaded almost exclusively by and from the White Horse cellar, in Piccadilly, were
wealthy people keeping none, or very small esta- convicted in a penalty of 405., and costs, for ob-
structing the public footway
blishments ; and by that class of people—absen- for a longer time than
tees—whom they have in no small degree con-
was necessary to load or unload their respective
coaclies
tributed to expatriate. Besides, as all socie-
These. convictions were all had at h instance of
ties exist for the protection of persons and Mr. Nichols, a confectioner,
t
whose shope is atthe
property, the latter should be the criterion of exact spot where this nuisance exists, and
who, to
imposts to the necessities of the State, where- suppress it as much as possible, procured himself to
ever it can be made so. Indeed, we know be appointed an inspector of nuisances for that parish.
but of one material objection to the last Property During the investigation of one of the cases, two
Tax—viz., its inquisitorial nature—an objection of the
new police-constables came forward to support
we fear, from which none can be free : for the the defendant's cause, arid gave evidence directly
ground of lenity on which the Legislature same
opposed to that given by Mr. Nichols, and several
• other witnesses ; and while the latter were giving
may be induced to abandon the power of getting
their testimony,
they were constantly interrupted by
at the truth, will open a door to fraud and eva- the
two policemen, until at length;the Magistrate
sion, and in fact become a premium on dis- was compelled to order the latter to be turned out
honesty. We know that it is said the same ob. of the office, declaring that he did not believe one
jectiou does not lie to a Property as to an income word they had sworn. He had every reason, the
Tax. We are aware that it does not exist in the Magistrate said, to approve of the conduct, demea-
same extent. To a repeal and modification of nour, and appearance of the new police force in
a great proportion of the Beer and Malt taxes, general ; but he declared that he never in any men,
no other objection can be urged than the potent even of the very lowest class of persons, to which
one of—Can the Revenue afford the diminution police constables were not supposed to belong, met
which might ensue ? We say mi with such improper and indecorous conduct as in
ght , for it is these two men that day.
by no means certain that a considerable decrease Mr. Nichols assured the Magistrate that these two
of these duties might not be effected without any constables on the day in question, so far from lending
real decrease in their total amount. Indeed him any assistance in removing the interruptions
if there were any fear of this, we do not see why caused by the assemblage of cads and other riotous
an increase might not be laid upon spirits equal fellows, who congregated on the foot pavement, in-
to the decrease upon beer. In both respects this suiting and annoying the passengers, actually encou-
ra.gedd tihose persons to rem.ain on th.e spot, and de-
would be a great and important boon to the lower
em not to move at his (Mr. Nichol's) bidding.
orders, who, besides being taxed in this one article
81
Air. Rots should
certainly
represent the conduct
in the way in which the rich are not taxed, are shut of 1
t iese men to the Police Commissioners.
out from the use of a beverage more essential M AEI' LEBONE.
than any other to a life of labour, while they A short time ago, Miss Marr
a Blomer, the ci-
are driven to the use of one which alike under- devant mistress of a man of fortune in Marylebone,
mines their health, their morals, and, with them, and a young man named Voules, came in concert to
the national character. But though we should, this office, to make a charge of felony against an
in common with the country in general, hail artist, who they said had surreptitiously obtained
these two measures as boons to general comfort from her the portrait of a gentleman.
and prosperity, Ministers will be greatly deceived They appeared here again on Wednesday night
if the imane that even such tubs as these
under altered circumstances, for Mr. Voules was then
y ins brought before Mr. HossaNs in custody, at her in-
thrown out to the whale can any more than pal-
stance, and that of a surgeon in the neighbourhood.
Bate for a moment the great and astounding dif- Miss
Blomer stated, that for reasons which need
ficulties with which the country is surrounded. not be divulged, the friendship between her and
Free Trade and Currency, next to the National Mr. Voules had ceased, and he had taken- away all
Debt, are the two great evils to grapple with. his property from her house excepting one shirt.
While these two nuisances of the theory school After this shirt he repeatedly called in a trouble-
are allowed to block up the path of public in- some kind of way : she told him it was in the hands
dustry and improvement, it is in vain to hold of the laundress, and assured him that as soon as it
from the wash he should have it. He came
out mere placebos as means of cure. No—the e
night d
an made a disturbance about it, arid
skilful surgeon will probe the wound to the hot-
. that
struck
her, and pinched her side, and forced his way
tom. He will not allow
the patient to be sacra- into the parlour. She called for' help, and a gentle-
ficed to professional etiquette ; but, finding him man, who is a surgeon, and who happened to be in the
brought to the brink of the grave by ignorance house, came to her assistance, and Mr. Voules
or empiricism, will boldly say, " this practice struck him upon his eye, and kicked him, and they
must be reversed, or I can be of no use. "-- were obliged to call in a police-man, and give him in
MG rning Herald. charge.
The surgeon was sorry to appear before the public
The Sun of last evening contradicts, though
in such an affair, but the violence of the defendant
somewhat cautiously, a report to which it alludes towards the lady and himself required it.
as being in circulation, that his Majesty's Mini- Mr. Voules told Mr. Hoskins it was necessary to
sters " intend to rescind the law which restrains i his defence that he should be made acquainted with
country bankers from issuing one pound notes. 1 the particulars of his first introduction to this Miss
Without pretending to any exclusive or official ; Maria Blomer, alias Mrs. Palmer.
information on this subject, we consider the re- 1 Mr. HOSKINS said it was not at all necessary, and
port as by no means so destitute of foundation
i f he did not confine himself to what had taken
place that evening, and divest what he had to say of
p y der,
as our cotemorar imagines. The measure, as
sian.,
he should be locked up without a hearing.
is very truly observed in The Sun, has " been , m
. r.Voules charged Miss Blamer with having
productive of a great deal of embarrassment struck the first blow.
among dealers in the country, who feel them- Hiss Blomer denied it, and said he had left her
selves suddenly deprived of that accommodation house in her debt.
on which they were wont to rely ;" and we will Mr. Voules said, in the case of the portrait, she
add to this just account, so far as it goes, of the placed herself under his protection, and he had done

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.