The Sun.
London, England, 1829-03-30 00:00:00

(FROM THE NEWS.)

We are glad to find that some inquiry is about to
be instituted into the secrets of the coal trade, with
a view to the finding out why coals, which cost 18s.
per chaldron at the pit, with 103. per chaldron freight
to London, should be charged from 50s. to 60s. per •
chaldron to the consumer. There is we admit to be
added to the above 28s. from 7s. to Bs. for govern-
ment and city duties ; but still we are very far,
allowing every reasonable profit, from the London
housekeepers' charge. There is a mystery in this
which we should like to see elucidated. We agree
with the Duke of Wellington that it does not lay
with the duties, for we doubt much were they all
taken off, whether the price to the consumer would
be proportionably diminished. The reduction of
indirect taxes rarely benefits the public in an
equal ratio to the sacrifice made by Government.—
The taking off the assessed taxes, would come more
home to the pockets of the people than the doing
away with all the indirect taxes put together. Were
such a measure to follow on the Emancipation Bill,
it would be an effectual gag to the croakings of the
alarmists.
THE MtmsTßv.—There is at this moment a sin-
gular coincidence between the Cabinets of France
and this country, with reference to their situation as
connected with the Chamber of Deputies and the
House of Commons. The " Chamber," like the
" House," is divided into three great parties—
which, we may denominate, the Ministerialthe Li-
beral, (occasionally voting with the Minister), and
the Ultra, or direct opposition. Whenever the two
former unite, the latter is, in course, overwhelmed—
but there occur cases in which the Liberal party
disagree with the Minister—then, by an union with
the Ultras, they are enabled to leave him in a mino-
rity. A circumstance of this nature happened in the I
Chamber of Deputies the other day ;—the questionin
dispute was not a very important one, but that arose!
from mere chance; had it affected the existence of the
Ministry, the result would have been the same. No Mi-
ter can keep his place in such a state of things, and
the French Premier must either vacate, or strengthen
himself by a coalition with one or other of the parties
L liable to be opposed to ltifrt. A very slight review

of the state of things on this side of the water, will
theW how exactly similar the Duke of Wellington is
situated. In our House of Commons there are
three parties—the Ministerial—the Whigs and the
Ultra Tories. As long af_' the.ttl•o former agree, the
latter b'a defeated; but if the two last unite, the
Minister must be in a minority. 'rbm hence results
the necesity of the Duke allying himself with one
oi• the other. One would naturally suppose, after
what has been spoken and written of him, by one
of these parties, that alliance with them is out of the
question, and this we believe to be the case. How
far terms can be made with the other party a little
time will show ; for, after the Catholic Bills are done
with, something decisive must be adopted.

LENT ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.

HORSHAM, Mallen 27.
THE KING V. DUKE.

This was an indictment against the defendant,
Stephen Duke, the son of a farmer residing at Arun-
del, for an assault and battery committed by him
upon Mr. George Augustus Coombes, the son of a
Magistrate of the same town.—Verdict, guilty.
In the Crown Court there were no cases of the
slightest interest. In the Nisi Pries, an action for
breach of promise of marriage, for which a Special
Jury was impannelled, Mr. Gurney and Mr. Adol-
phus retained on one side, and Serjeants Spankie
and Andrews on the other, arid which crowded the
Court with ladies at an early hour, was hushed up,
and a verdict of 130/. taken by consent. The busi-
ness of this Assize was finished at three o'clock this
afternoon.

MIDLAND CIRCUIT, DERBY, TLt cx 27.

Paul White, a farmer, about 40 years of age, was
indicted for a rape upon the person of Hannah Key,
at Shottle, in this county.
The prosecutrix, a country girl about 19 years of
age, whose countenance and manner bespoke a mix-
ture of simplicity and cunning, stated that in Fe-
bruary last, she lived in the service of Mrs. Elizabeth
White, the prisoner's mother, at Shottle. Mrs.
White was an old woman upwards of 70 years of
age. Her son Daniel lived with her, and managed
the business of the farm. The prisaner (Paul) was
a married man, and came to his mother's occasion-
ally. One day in the middle of February, when
there was no person about the place but Mrs. White,
the prisoner, and the prosecutrix, she (prosecutrix)
went to feed the fowls as usual, but found no oats in
the oat-tub ; upon which the prisoner told her to
come with him to the corn-chamber, and he would
give her some. She accordingly took the tub, and
followed him to the corn-chamber, which stood about
thirty yards from the dwelling-house across the yard.
As soon as they had got inside, the prisoner let down
the door, and immediately threw the prosecutrix on
some sacks. He then ill-treated her, in a manner
which, according to her statement, constituted the
capital offence, according to the recent Act Of Par-
liament on this subject. She cried out as well as
she could. He afterwards told her she might put
some corn in her bucket out of a sack that was about
half full. She did so, and went out and fed the
fowls. She afterwards attended to her usual busi-
ness for the rest of the afternoon, and milked the
cows. She met a woman, a Mrs. Walker, whom
she had known very well. She did not tell her
what had happened to her, neither did she acquaint
her mistress with it ; but she told the prisoner's
brother Daniel (it was said in Court that these bro-
thers had been on very unfriendly terms with each
other for some time before this) of it the next day,
and Daniel told her mistress. She (prosecutrix)
was for going home, but Daniel told her his mother
could not do without her for a couple of days, and
if she would stop, he would see her righted. Her
father and mother were informed of what had oc-
curred, and they and Daniel accompanied her before
a justice. It was a fortnight after she had been ill-
treated that she first went before a justice to com-
plain of the prisoner.
A verdict of acquittal was returned; and the
prisoner, who had been previously out on bail, was
discharged. He declared solemnly, before he left
the bar, that he had never meddled with the pro-
secutrix; the whole case was the result of a wicked
conspiracy against him.
Samuel Smedley, aged 22, John Collier, aged 22,
and George Warrel, aged 20, were charged with
maliciously killing and maiming sheep. Warrel was
admitted King's evidence, and from his testimony,
corroborated by the evidence, and the prisoners' own
admissions, it appeared thut these three young men,
having been drinking together at a public-house on
the evening in question, sallied out for the purpose of
" doing something to be talked about" (that was
Smedley's proposition), and with this laudable view
they entered a close in which were some sheep, and
driving them into a corner they caught two. Smed-
ley then pulled out his pen-knife, and with the assist-
ance of his two companions, who held the poor
animals down for him, first cut off the head of one,
and then partly did so to the other, and, whilst it
was still alive, cut open its entrails.
The Jury found the two prisoners who were in-
dicted Guilty.
The Learned JUDGE sentenced them to trampor-
tation for life.