The Sun.
London, England, 1829-12-25 00:00:00

THE KING'S COURT.

Ills MAJESTY held ‘a Court at two o'clock yesterday
afternoon, at his Palace at Windsor, which was attended
by:tile LORD CHANCELLOR, the Fit st Lord of the Treasury,
the Secretaries of State for the Home and Foreign Depart-
ments, &c. The Recorder of London was introduced into
tl.e.presence of the KING in Council, and made his re-
port of the convicts capitally convicted at Justice-hall, in
the Old Bailey, of the case of JOHN TISLEY alias HARRIS
(from the June Sessions), and the six unreported at
former Council from the September Sessions, and also the
whole of the October Sessions, when the law was ordered
to take its course upon WILLIAM NEWITT (for sheep-
stealing), Titoxas MomAs MAYNARD, for forgery on
the Excise department ; STEPHEN SANDFORD and WIL-
LIAM LESLIE, for a burglary in the house of Mr. STULTZ,
in Clifford-street, who were ordered for execution on Thurs-
day next. The report occupied the attention of the
KING in Council between three and four hours; it com-
menced before four o'clock, and did not conclude till be-
tween seven and eight o'clock, some of the trials being of
considerable length. His MAJESTY gave audiences to the
LORD CHANCELLOR, the Duke of WELLINGTON, and Mr.
SECRETARY PEEL.

The Duke of WELLINGTON, the Earl of
Amiume, and the Earl and Countess of VERULAM,
took their leave of Prince Laororm on Wednesday evening
at his residence at Claremont, where they had been stay-
ing on a visit to his Royal Highness for some days, and
proceeded to their- respective residences. His Royal
Mighness came to town yesterday morning, and visited the
Duchess of KENT and the Princess VICTORIA, at their
residence in the King's Palace, at Kensington. His Royal
Highness returned to Claremont in the afternoon.

Lord GLENGALL'S new cOtnedy of the
" Follies of Fashion "; is,.":it.eppears; to be published imme-
diately. We understand that it is intended, to be adopted
by several of our leading fashionahles, for their private
theatricals, during the present festive season.

THE COURT JdUßNAL.—lndependently of
various other papers of peculiar attraction for the fashion-
able world, next Saturday's Number of this new and popu-
lar Weekly Journal, will contain a most humoious article,
entitled "The Christmas Musings of a Younger Brother;"
and another Paper relative to that mysterious Society, " The
Exclusive," whose proceediuge were veiled in such im-
penetrable secrecy, -until the appearanee of the Novel which
bears their-name.

Some weeks ago Mrs.. WARD, wife of Mr.
G. WARD, •landlord of the Barge, in • this town, being
afflicted with a severe pain in the face, purchased a penny-
worth of laudanum, most of which she used. The small
quantity which remained, and which was not more than
a tea-spoonful, was kept in a wine glass which stood upon
a chest of drawers in Mrs. WARD'. bed-room. Between
twelve and one o'clock on Sunday morning one of Mr.
WAnn's children, an engaging boy, about three years old,
somehow obtained access to the glass, and tasted of the
laudanum, but finding it nauseous went to a domestic,
and spitting some out, told her had taken nasty stuff. She
immediately surmised what he had done, and going to the
place discovered a few drops missing. The child was put
to bed, and from tie very trifling quantity he swallowed
it was hoped that no serious consequences would ensue.
But this hope was unfortunately fallacious, for a drowsi-
ness crept on him, and at four o'clock he went to sleep ; it
was the sleep of death ! Hour after hour passed on, but
still the deep slumber continued unbroken—the healthful
sleep changed into a feverish torpor, the symptoms became
alarming, and surgical assistance was called in ; the medi-
cal gentleman succeeded for a moment in rousing the
child, but it relapsed again into sleep, and expired about
midnight. An inquest was held upon the body yesterday,
befode Cuarturs RICE, Esq.,
Mayor, and the jury returned
a verdict of Accidental Death.—Roston Gazette.

ACCELERATION of the LONDON MATT,.

On Saturday a Meeting was h, IA ►n the Coined
Chamber of the conveners of Committees of public
bodies in Edinburgh and adjoining counties, inte-
rested in the acceleration of the London mail—the
Lord Provost in the Chair. Among the gentlemen
present were, Baron Sir Patrick Murray of Och-
tertyre, Sir John Dalrymple of Consland, Sir John
Hay of Smithfield and Hayston, Adam Hay, Esq.
M.P., Sir Henry Jardine, Mr. Gibson Craig of
Riccarton, Mr. Trotter of Ballendean, Mr. Hope
Vere of Craigiehall, Andrew Clephane, Esq. She-
riff of Fifeshire, Mr. Heriot of Ramornie, Mr.
Sandeman: of Springlands, Perthshire; Mr. Small
Keir of Kininmont, Mr. A. Murray, advocate,
Mr. Clerk Rattray, Mr. Nairne of Claremont, Mr.
Mackenzie, Depute Keeper of the Signet, Mr.
Allan, Master of the Merchant Company, the con-
veners of the other public bodies in the city, &c.
The LORD PROVOST said, he understood they
were met to consider the best mode for accelerating
the mail from London to Edinburgh, and the con-
sequent necessary acceleration of all the cross
mailS. As he had not hitherto taken part in any
previous proceedings, he suggested that some gen-
tleman better acquainted with the subject should
state to the Meeting what had already been done in
reference to it.

Mr. ALLAN said, he had been present at most of
the Meetings held in Edinburgh, and would state
shortly how the matter now stood. The'acceleration
of the London mail was a subject which had en-
gaged the attention of the public bodies for ten years
past, but it was only recently that it had been
brought into a tangible shape. Various applications
to the Post Office had been made from Edinburgh,
but the principal one was in the shape of a memo-
rial and petition to the Lords of the Treasury, from
all the public bodies and bankers of the city, for-
ward on the 20th of December last. That petition
was a long one, and contained a variety of matters.
It requested that Government should interfere not
only in procuring an acceleration of the mail from
London to Edinburgh, but also that a second or
night mail should be established—and likewise some
alterations made on the roads which that mail
should travel. The petition was transmitted by their
Lordships, along with various others on the same
subject, to his Grace the Duke of Manchester,
Postmaster-General, and a report was made by his
Grace, a copy of which was sent to Edinburgh.
This report, however, being applicable to all the
memorials transmitted to the Treasury, it was diffi-
cult to discover in how far it was applicable to the
petition sent from this city. It complained of the
expence of a double mail which had been proposed
in the Edinburgh petition, but stated that the mail
at present travelled some parts of the road so as to
cover ten miles per hour. Consequently, when his
Grace's report reached Edinburgh, the committee of
public bodies resolved again to present themselves
to the Lords of the Treasury, with a petition con-
fined entirely to the acceleration of the present
Edinburgh mail; and as his Grace had admitted
that on some parts of the road it already travelled
at the rate required, the petitioners prayed that it
might be made to proceed at the same rate through-
out. the whole road. By this means, the mail would
arrive in Edinburgh in forty hours from London,
and, if allowed to come directly by way of Wooler,
that road being nearly twenty miles shorter,.two
hours more would be saved : by this route it would
be in Edinburgh by ten o'clock forenoon. In this
event, six. hours of business might be had for an-
swering letters from London, on the same day
.they
were received, and thereby greatly curtail the course
of post between the two cities. To this last appli-
cation no answer had yet been received, and he
(Mr. Allan), therefore, thought, the Meeting
might solicit the influence of Lord Melville to ob-
tain the sentiments of the Treasury upon the subject.
Sir JOHN DALRYMPLE said Lord Rosslyn, Lord
Aberdeen, Lord Melville, and Sir George Murray
were all favourable to the views of the Meeting ;
and he lately, also, had assurance of support from
the Duke of Buccleuch and bir George Warrender.
But as. no answer had--yet-been received-to the last
petition from the public bodies,it would be a matter
for the consideration of the Meeting whether they
should immediately take further steps on the sub-
ject. In the mean time he (Sir John) begged to
state that some excellent observations upon the
Duke of Manchester's report had been drawn up
by two Members of the county of Edinburgh Com-
mittee, in his absence, namely, by the Earl of
Rosebery and Mr. J. A. Murray, advocate, and for-
warded to the Lords of the Treasury, which he
would take the liberty to read to the Meeting. The
following
_seemed to be the most important points
alluded to in that document:—
In
reference to the Duke of Manchester's ob-
jection of " unprecedented speed," the Committee
expressly denied that any such was required, and
stated that all that was sought for, was, that the
mail should travel throughout the whole road at
the same rate at which it already did through a
considerable part of it ;—that no double mail from
London was contemplated by the petitioners, but
only a branch mail to Edinburgh from Morpeth or
Newcastle by Wooler, so as to secure one by Ber-
wick and another by Wooler. With regard to
the objections founded on the interests of the
revenue, the Committee thought it quite un-
tenable, and that it could not be argued with justice
or propriety that the Post Office, unlike every
other source of public income, was not to be
charged with the expellees of its own receipt;—
that the Post Office was established for regulating
the conveyance of letters only, and had nothing to
do with that of passengereand parcels, which ought
to be abandoned, if instead of forwarding, it served
to interfere with the primary object of public ac-
commodation. As to the objection with regard to
timing the mails, the Committee observed, that at
10 miles an hour the mail would reach Edinburgh,
by the present road, in 40 hours, which was all that
was asked for, and should the present contractors
object to this, the Committee expressed a belief
that the difficulty would be instantly removed by
throwing open the contracts to general competition.
The Committee then remark, that the views of the
Edinburgh petitioners being now clearly under-
stood, both by the inhabitants of York, and by the
interests on the Alnwiek, Berwick, and iladdington
road, all opposition had ceased from those quarters,
so there was no longer foundation for the objections
urged-by his Grace on that head. The Committee
denied that any injury or inconvenience would be
sustained by any one place, by the prayer of the
Edinburgh petition being granted; on the contrary,
not only the city of Edinburgh and the adjacent
country, the south of Scotland, and the north of
-England, derive material benefit by the acceleration
-of the mail, but great advantage would also accrue
in the communication with all those parts of Scot-
land north of the Forth and Tay. The Committee,
in conclusion, stated, that they felt themselves the
more called upen to press for the proposed change,
in consequence of the removal of the Boards of Ex-
cise and Customs from Edinburgh, by which the
principal part of the business in both these depart-
ments was now conducted in London; and, as the
mail at present arrived in Edinburgh after these
offices were shut, great public inconvenience must
frequently arise, from a lapse of 17 hours after the
arrival of the post, before any business could be
transacted.

Sirva ti JOHNthat the receipt of these ob. -
ser
oisha
dt
be
en e said, id,
acknowledged by Mr. Planta ire
a letter, dated September 19, but no answer to them
had yet been received. He (Sir John) l'ad talked
over the matter, a day or two ago, with Lord Rose-
bery, who expressed his regret that he would not be
able to attend this meeting. His Lordship took a
de,p interest in the matter, and would attend to the
subject when in London, His opinion, however,
was, that they should not press the subject farther
at present, but that it would be advisable to appoint
a small Committee, and to have another meeting
before the assembling of Parliament, to consider
‘vhat was then best to be done,' In this
hP (Sir John) coincided, and, in the mean time,

offered for 0,- approval of the Meeting a series of
resolution., ,‘ were to the following effect :
" That it is of die eatest importance to the best
interests of the cfmwry, t lint the mail should be trans-
mitted from London to Edinburgh with the greatest
speed, consistent with safety, and along the best
line of communication.

" That if tic improvements in forwarding the
mail, sugge,ted in various memorials that have been
presented to the Postmaster-General, and the Lords
of his Majesty's Treasury, were adopted on the
whole of the present line, it might arrive at Edin-
burgh at twelve o'clock noon, and a general delivery
of letters take place at one o'clock.
" That the answer not having yet been received
from the Treasury to the memorial presented by the
Lord Provost, the Conveners of the different public
bodies, and by the banks and all the bankers of
Edinburgh, on the 21st August last, and to the me-
morial by the county of Edinburgh, some farther ap
plication should be made, and that a Committee
should be appointed, consisting of the Conveners
of the respective Committees named, and to be
named, by the different burghs and counties, and
the following noblemen and gentlemen :—The Earl
of Rosebery, the Lord Register, Sir George Clerk,
Sir Patrick Murray, Sir John Hope, Sir John Hay,
Mr. Galloway, and John A. Murray, Esq. The
Lord Provost of Edinburgh and Sir John Dalrymple,
to be joint Conveners; five, with one of the Con-
veners, to be a quorum, with power to add further
members to the Committee, and to take such
measures as they may deem expedient for the ob•
ject in view.

" That a general meeting be held in January, to
which all the Royal Burghs and Counties interested
in this improvement shall be invited to send Com-
missioners, and that any answer which may be "re-
ceived from the Lords of his Majesty's Treasury
shall be submitted to that meeting.
"'That an application should be made to Parlia-
ment to appoint a Commission for the improvement
of the road from London by York and Newcastle to
Edinburgh.

That these Resolutions shall be forwarded to
Lord Melville, Earl of Aberdeen, Earl of Roislyn,
and to Sir GeOrge Murray."
Sir JOHN HAY, in seconding the Resolutions,
said, he thought they were conceived in very pro-
per terms, and displayed great moderation.
" The Resolutions were then put seriatim, and
unanimously approved. Thanks were voted to the
Lord Provost, and the meeting separated.—Edin-
burgh Courant.

THE IMPROVEMENTS AT CHARING-

CROSS AND IN THE STRAND.

The (ollowing is an Official Statement to the sth
of January, 1829, of the Receipts and Expendi-
ture of Monies, part of the New Street Fund, for
the Improvements now in progress at Charing-
cross and in the Strand :

X. 5. d,

X. s. d.

409,179 10 0
3,714 0 0

17,719 7 01

121,065 18 3
419 2 0