The Sun.
London, England, 1842-10-19 00:00:00

times plate and other valuables, which were afterwards
taken away, and sometimes provisions and clothes for
the inhabitants. It seemed probable that the head-
quarters of the Chauffeurs was now detected ; but,
instead of attacking the cavern, the result of which
would have been only the seizure of those who might
have been in it at the time, and the alarm and escape of
the other members of the confederacy, it was resolved
to use the child as a means of arresting the out-door
brigands, one by one, and to reserve the cavern for
the last. For this purpose, the child, to whom we will
give, by anticipation, the name of Fiqfin, which he
afterwards acquired by the dexterity with which he
played his part, was disguised by good clothes, and
placed, under the care of a woman who acted
as his nurse, at the corners of the markets
of the towns to which it was supposed that
the brigands would resort to sell the plundered pro-
prety. Whenever he saw a face with which he
had become familiar in the cavern, he gave a sign,
and the person indicated was arrested. At length
the number exceeded a hundred ; descriptions of the
prisoners, and of the property found on them, were
published ; and evidence poured in from all sides.
The trial lasted several days. Every morning the
accused, about 112 in number, were marched in a
long column, guarded by a numerous escort, through
the streets of Chartres, to a church in the centre of
the town, which had been fitted up on this occasion
as a court, and was large enough to exhibit them all
to the witnesses and the jury. M. Berryer dwells on
the horrors of the evidence, particularly on that of
the daughters of an opulent proprietor, three sisters,
whose feet had been destroyed by fire, so that they
were forced to come on crutches into the Court.

It appeared that the cavern, or rather the collection
of caverns, from whence Finfin had wandered, was
situated in the least accessible portion of the forest ;
and formed out of the quarries which had furnished
the stone for the magnificent cathedral of Chartres.
Here a colony of malefactors, male and female, had
been founded, which recruited itself, partly by immi-
gration and partly by natural increase. Like the
Indian associations of Thugs, it had a government,
laws, and police, adapted to the frightful profession
of its members. It had corresponding members, who
indicated the dwellings most fit for attack, and an
executive, which planned expeditions, and appointed
the persons who were to effect them. The whole 112 ,
were convicted. At a subsequent period, it would
have been difficult to dispose of a body of criminals
for whom death was the only appropriate sentence,
and who would have been thought too numerous for
such a punishment ; but in 1795, and in France, men
were accustomed to such scenes, and M. Berryer
passes over their execution without remark.
" Taylor's Edwin the Fair" is a favourable cri-
ticism on a recently published dramatic poem,
whose only defect is, that all its personages too
closely resemble each other, and are too fond of
talking like philosophers, instead ofli ke men of the
world. In this criticism, the Reviewer amuses
himself by speculating on what would be the
works that men of intellect would endeavour to
preserve, in the event " of a literary deluge
sweeping over the land, and consigning to the
abyss our whole poetical patrimony, and all the
treasures of verse accumulated in our own gene-
ration." A good judge of the imagination would,
he thinks, be strongly inclined to walk off with
" Lord Lytteltori's Monody !" This isabsurd. We
should as soon suspect him of an inclination
to walk off with a brickbat! " Madame De
Sevigne and her Contemporaries" is penned in a
most attractive spirit—lively—gossipping—truth-
ful—and discriminating. The Reviewer tho-
roughly appreciates the idiosyncracy of this best
of French letter-writers, who, equal to Horace
Walpole in ease and grace and liveliness, is far
superior to him in earnestness and sincerity of
feeling. Both were Aristocrats, both were fa-
miliar with Courts; but the one was heartless,
and often affected, the other uniformly simple
and natural. Horace Walpole had ever the fear
of criticism before his eyes, and made a point
of studiously respecting the conventional pro-
prieties of style and sentiment; Madame De
Sevigne, on the contrary, was under no such
restraint, but unhesitatingly abandoned herself
to all the impulses of a frank, social, and ardtrit
nature. We admire the tact, polish, and well-
bred vivacity of the one; we love the truth, the
cordiality, the bonhommie, and careless, laugh-
ing temperament of the other. In a word, Wal-
pole delights our understanding—Madame de
Sevigne touches our heart. The former would
have made a delightful acquaintance—the latter
a devoted friend. Of the article entitled " The
Late Session," we need here take no notice,
having already made it the subject of some com-
ments in The Sun.

COURT CIRCULAR.
WINDSOR, TUESDAT.—Fier Majesty and her Illus-
trious Consort enjoyed their usual walk this morning
in the Home Park.
The Prince of Wales and the Princess Royal
were taken airings both in the morning and after-
noon, accompanied by the Dowager Lady Lyttelton.
Her Majesty, accompanied by the Princess Royal,
and attended by the Countess of Dunmore and the
Dowager Lady Lyttelton, rode out in a pony car-
riage, the Maids of Honour following in another
carriage. His Royal Highness Prince Albert was on
horseback, attended by the two Equerries in Waiting.
• His Excellency .Prince Esterhazy and Sir Henry
Wheatley, took their leave this morning.
Her lioyal Highness the Duchess of Kent (who we
are happy to say is quite well), takes daily airings and
walks in the vicinity.
This evening her ..Royal Highness the Duchess of
Kent and Lady Charlotte Dundas, the Dowager Lady
Lyttelton, Lord and Lady Haddo, Sir William Free-
mantle, and Sir Charles Rowley, will have the honour
of joining the Royal Dinner Circle at the Castle.

Their Royal Highnesses the Duchess of Cambridge
and the Princess Augusta of Cambridge, attended by
Baroness Ahlefeldt, honoured the performance at
Covent-garden Theatre, on Monday evening, with
their presence.
Baron de Nieumann transacted business, yester-
day, at the Office of the Secretary of State for Fo-
reign Affairs.
Prince Esterhuy, the Austriam Ambassador, re-
turned to town yesterday, from a visit to her Maje3ty
at Windsor Castle.

JOINT-STOCK BANKING.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

SlR—having perused with —considerable interest
the proceedings of the annual meeting of Proprietors
of the Bank of Manchester, held on Friday last, I beg
to trouble you with a few observations.
_Nothing could be less surprssing than that such an
announcement of disaster and loss of property should
elicit the strongest expressions of disapprobation to-
wards those individuals in whom the administration
of the affairs of so important an institution reposed ;
but, allow me to suggest, whether on taking a more
searching view of the subject, the cause of this, and
other similar catastrophes, may not be found more
deeply seated ; to be, in fact, rather the error of sys-
tem than the effect of unsoundness, a want ofinte-
grity in individuals, many of whom have been well-
intentioned persons, unfortunately for themselves,
placed officially at the head of such affairs in adverse
times.

This Bank, if I am rightly informed, was one of
the first northern banks of magnitude, which com-
menced operations about the period when the manu-
facturing prosperity of its district was at its zenith,
and consequently adopted a system which had in
former and more prosperous' times led other private
banking establishments to fame and fortune. But as
the current of prosperity turned, every reflecting
mind must perceive it would inevitably be fraught
with that ruin which has,
in fact, marked the career
of this and similar Joint-stock Banks of a more re-
cent date. These establishments have commenced by
issuing a certain number of shares, on which an
amount
of capital has been subscribed, sufficient in it-
self, under a judicious system, to command ample
means and credit for all its legitimate banking pur-
poses—the fulleA security to its Depositors and re-
muneration to its Proprietors. But mark its progress
—it is apparent that the infatuation of some of these
last has led them to take upon themselves heavy re-
sponsibility, for the sake of making such a moderate
rate of interest as migal,investment in their own trade
ht after all, be only reasonably
looked for from an equ
or calling; but it is now evident that this single ob-
ject has not been the only inducement to embark in
such undertakings.
To return to the system. It has in each case com-
menced in error by the lure of advancing to Proprie-
tors half the value of their shares, thus neutralizing
one moiety of the amount of the subscribed capital,
before they are supposed to enter upon their legi-
timate operations. In addition to this, it has been
customary to grant on each current account an open
overdrawn advance equal to ten per cent. on the
amount of the gross annual return with the Bank.
Assuming, thereore, a holder of 200 shares of 101.
each, to open an account and make a return with the
Bank of 50,000/. per annum, he at once becomes in-
stead of a shareholder supplying the Bank with capi-
tal to the extent of 2,0001., a recipient from it to the
amount of 6,0001., in most cases without either re-
presentation or security, subject indeed to repay-
ment, if good times, successful trading, and probity,
permit.
Can it then, Sir, be a matter of surprise, that dur-
ing a period f almost unparalleled depreciation and
commercial difficulty, such as the past seven years
have exhibited, such disastrous results should have
sprung out of so fallacious a system, and that without
imputing either want of' capacity or of integrity to
the individuals placed at the head of such establish..
ments ?—I have the honour to be, Sir, your obedient
servant, - AN OBSERVER.
London, Oct. 18, 1842.: