The Sun.
London, England, 1818-10-20 00:00:00

MR. MATHEWS.

KILKENNY, OCT. 14.—Mr. MATHEws, the ce-
brated Comedian, a Gentleman as well by birth
and property as by talents, arrived here on Satur-
day. Our Theatrical Society paid him every at-
tention, and lent him their fine theatre ; and, by
their advice, he issued hills for the performance of
his interesting Medley, on Monday, at three
o'clock, the fancy ball at Jenkinstown that night
preventing an evening meeting. The bills were
printed under the direction of a Member of the
Society, whom every Gentleman in the county
honours, and who is esteemed and respected by
every man that knows him. Unfortunately, the
urgency of the case, or inadvertency, prevented
application for the permission of the Mayor. In
the course of the forenoon of Monday, while Mr.
Mathews was lounging in the library at the Parade,
a City Constable rushed into the library, with
fury sparkling in his eyes, and with a roll of paper
in his band, said, " Is a M— M— M— M
Mr. Mathews here ?" The maniac appearance of
the constable induced several Gentlemen to retire
to the extremities of the apartment, but Mr.
Mathews instantly announced himself. The
constable unfolded his roll, which was one of
Mr. Mathews's bills, and said, " how daredest
you, Sir, put forth them bills without the Mare's
permission ? Hese Worship is mad, and you must
conic along with me to the office directly."
Mr. Mathews, perhaps, remembering that " a
dog's obeyed in office," went to the Mayor's
office. On his return, he entered into no de-
tail of the conversation at his interview, but
ordered a few more bills to be printed, with the
head—" By permission of the Worshipful John
Kinchela, Esq. Mayor," adding, " the Mayor
was very polite, and behaved like, a Gentle-

. _
man ;" but his Deputy, " that ruffian-looking
fellow, by G—, I thought I was arrested for high
treason." The repot.' went instantly abroad that
Mr. Mathews was arrested, and that there would
beano performance, which occasioned a great loss to
that Gentleman, and very considerable chagrin to
the society who patronised him. Some time after-
wards the same constable went to the office at the
Theatre, and stared that the Mayor expected, as
coctomary, nine tickets (54 shillings worth), but
tha► he (the constable) would not be so mean,
throwing down four teupennies for his own ad-
mission. Mr. M. ordered the four tenpennies to
be sent after the " fellow."

THE THEATRE.--The Tragedy of Othello, sup-
ported by the continue!' popularity of Mr. KEAN,
drew a numerous audience last night to Drury-
Lane Theatre. Allowing for the want of a war-
like figure, and the careless dignity of demeanour
which may be supposed to mark the heroic cha-
racter, Mr. KEAN certainly infused energy into the
general support of it, and evinced acute feeling. logo
was restored to BENGOUGH, who gave a respectable
support to it. 117 e know not whether Mr. CLEARY
has withdrawn himself, but if so, the Stage will
lose what would, we doubt not, have become
one of its essential props. Mrs. IVEST gave
to Desdemona all that interesting expression and
simple tenderness which the part requires, and
1)0,4 erfully excited sympathy and consequent ap-
plause. MUNDEN afforded full compensation to
the audience for the mournful tendency of the
Play by his admirable humour in the Farce of The
Rival Soldiers. His Nipperkin was irresistably
diverting.

SURRENDER OF DEAN THE MURBERER..--ThiS
morning, Dean, who committed the horrid murder
bn Saturday night last, on a poor little child
named ALBERT, residing near the Elephant and
Castle; surrendered himself, at 5 o'clock this
morning, at the watch-house of St. Andrew's,
Holborn, and was conveyed to Giltspnr•street
Compter. He was taken before the LORD MAYOR
at 11, who ordered him to be taken before the
Magistrates at Union Hall.—A Coroner's Inquest
is sitting this day at the Wellington Arms, New-
ington, on the body of the child.
LONGEYITY.--Sir ISAAC HEARD, Garter at
Arms, is now in the 88th year of his age ; Sir
PHILIP FRANCIS, in the 85th ; Mr. COUTTS, the
Banker, in the 83 ; and Mr. WATKINS, ill the
76th year of his age. The above distinguished
characters have been for a series of years upon
terms of friendly intimacy, frequently dining to-
gether at Brighton, and in the enjoyment of good
health.

BARBAROUS ACT OP MALICE.--A few nights
ago, some villains entered a field at Maida-hill,
Paddington, and most inhumanly slaughtered a
mulch cow, the property of Mr. Sprang, the cow-
keeper. Whilst the poor animal was still alive,
the ruffians divided the hind quarters, part of
which they carried away, and next morning the
remainder was found by Mr. Sprang's servant in
that mangled state. A reward of 201. has been
very properly offered for the apprehension of the
perpetrators of this inhuman outrage.

INSOLVENT DEBTORS' COURT.

FOR THE SUN.
Mn. EDITOR,—No man, who engages in the
discussion of a public question, can be indifferent
to the observations which tall from labourers in
the same vineyard ; and although I hose hitherto
refra:ned front intetropting the series of An Old
Barrister, I have been quite alive to his well meant
endeavours, and had some hopes of collecting a
few gleanings to aid my own stock of oeficiency.
He has, however, somewhat diseppointed the
hopes which I bad entertained, and I tear he has
trot altogether realized the expectations of the
Public. These are the motives which induce me
to resume the subject, with a view to invite others
to a more ample discussion, mud if the same able
Correspondent should encourage this iovitation,
he will be entitled to my acktiowledgmsnts.
I was interested in his statement, that " the
present Act was one of oppression for the con.
veuience of Parliament, rather than the benefit
of Insolvents, as it obliged nelsons to prefer the
fotmer mode of legislative relief on the spur of ne-
cessity ;" he also stated that, '' under ti e old Acts
of Insolvency, there were no AGENTS but Attor-
nies—no special Commissioners at a large expence
to the Country, cloathed with powers short of
arbitrary; but under the present Act there is a
sort of assumed system of jorisprudence, raised
with a distinct Court, of Counsel, and AGENTS
who are NOT ATT.RNIES, to promote or oppose
the pe•itions of prisoners for debt. Such an Act,
therefore, he could not call wholesome as it em-
braced too much : consequently FRAUD was pro-
duced by the knave on one hand, and OPPRESSION
on the other."
In reply to this . recital, I must refrain from
any reference to Parliamentary motives as alluded
to by the Writer, and confine myself to the abuses
resulting from the Act alone and its Administration.
The evils of an indiscriminate system must in
some cases bear hard. The extension of the Law
of Arrests was intended for the security of credi-
tors in a Commercial Country, and universally
admitted to he indispensably necessary.
The true question is, can the present evils be
diminished and the rights of creditors strengthen.
ed ? The continuance of legal protection is their
just right, and the recourse to expedients for re-
lief of debtors has always been attended with
circumstances disgraceful, and some consequences
most disastrous.
Worthless men of every description seem to
have conspired basely to nip in the bud the just
hopes and expectations of the trailing interests,
and to frustrate the judicious and wise intentions
of our forefathers in favour of honesty and upright
dealing.
'That the present Act of Insolvency has been
pregnant with evil consequences to creditors, and
is an innovation on their rights, cannot be denied.
must, therefore, deprecate the wild speculations
of theory which are offered in opposition to
practical experience.
Your Correspondent has reflected very harshly
upon the disposition and conduct of creditors, and
his remarks may in some few instances be found
to apply; but if creditors are censurable for
selfish and interested conduct, justice complains
also of those debtors who will readily subject
themselves to personal restraint, for the purpose
of defeating just and lawful claims, and -oisplay-
ing their iniquitous determinations in the pursuit
of pertinacious villainy.
Against practices of this description, the law,
under the present Act, has not provided an ade-
quate remedy. If a man owes 1,001. or any
other sum exceeding 3001. and possesses an estate
of 1001. a-year, but is resolved to keep his credi-
tors out of their money, the debtor may quietly
retire to the LIBERTIES of the King's Bench or
the Fleet, where lie will seat himself in the lap of
luxury, and ridicide the creditors' impotent en-
deavours to obtain their right, as there is no com-
pulsory mode under the present Act to secure the
claimant.
It would be impossible in the space of a letter
to detail the many practices of iniquity, plunder,
and artifice, which fraudulent and designing cha-
racters resort to, for imposing on the public and
injuring credit, as daily experience too amply af-
firms the troth of such villainies being practised,
and the inadequacy of the present Act to check
the mischiefs.
Persons of depraved minds very commonly take
up goods to a considerable amount, and obtrude
on the seller bills or notes which purport to bear
a value, butt are frequently drawn and accepted by
fictitious firms, or who are in -a state of insol-
vency, and such securities are found no better
than waste paper ; and although the transaction
originated with a fraudulent intention, the injured
and deceived creditor has no legal remedy for pu-
nishing the conniver and perpetrator of the rass
cally design.

To prove the obdurate disposition of knavish
persons in custody for debt, it lately occurred that
an individual, upon hearing of a petition to Par-
liament for the relief of Debtors, and being asked
to sign it, he peremptorily refused, and stated that
he was not willing to give up his property to sa-
tify his creditors on condition of obtaining his
discharge, nor would he ever make a surrender
unless compelled by law.
The supporters of the present Act have not
given an idea of what was hazarded by the
change—they do not act as wise tradesmen to sit
down and calculate the chance of loss and gain,
but go on at a venture. Innovations are daily increas-
ing, and reformation in the law of debtor and credi-
tor is good or bad, according to the case that offers.
The present Act is one by which we have lost
much confidence and security, and it is now be-
fore the Public under the specious guise of liber-
ty, as all innovations must be which tend to de-
stroy the liberty it professed to strengthen. The
liherty of the country needed no wild speculations
to secure it. . Experience is preferable to theory,
and proves that the present Act is not only defec-
tive in its provisions, as applying to debtors, but
inadequate to the protection of creditors.
Dreadful abuses are known to have resulted
from the conduct of AGENTS practising in the
Court, upon whom I shall offer some animadver-
sions in a future letter, as also my contemplation
as to the best mode of rendering the law of debtor
and creditor more equitable than its present advo.
cates can say it is under the present Act.
" Potestas modn veniencli inpublicdwTh sit dicendi neqcnizinl
tionrecuso.''—cicKsQ. S U TATO.it,

'SOMERSET AUXILIARY BIBLE SOCIETY

(r3•o7n.,7'he Cork .11c1-cantile Chronicle, October 12.)

• TADDY CONNELLAN.
.S% long as the Tweed flows between the south-
`ern and. northern divisions of the sister island,
there . kill be no want of balloons to bring
" Seot o'er the border ;" and so long as the
Channel flows letween this Country and Sumer-
setshire, the low craft nt a liumbthyging Irishman
will lead vow John by the nose. This re-
flection ft reed itself uncalled upon our winds,
after perming the f. article 10 'llw Morn-
lag
Chrwiiele of last Tuesday
" SOMPIiSiT At'XILIARY BIBLEI SOCIL:TY.-011
Friday, the '2sth ult. the Sixth Anniversary of
-lois Society is as held at the A,sizi..s Ilan, in
liridge water ; the Ilon. and Right Rev. the Bishop
f'd Gloucester in the Chair, supported by Win.
Dickinson, Esq. M. I'. and John Evered, Ecq.
High Sheriff of the County. The Chairman,
otter openin4 thy Meeting, which was large and
highly respectable, called upon the Rev. J. Ste-
phenson to read the Report ; after which the Re-
s'olutions were moved anil • seconded by Wm.
Dickinson, Esq M I'., Chitties K. K. Tynte,
Ree. 'l' 'F. Biddulph, Thomas Pool, Esq.
Rev. Joseph linglkes (one of the Secretaries of
the Parent Society), Mr. Thorros Ward, Rev.
Parsons, Rey. J ;Richards,, Rev. M. R.Whish,
Rev. H. \V. Rawlins, Mr. John Edwards, Rev.
Al Dampier, Mr..l.S.Ward; Rev. J Stephenson,
Richard Bell, E•q. Rev. Mr. Jarman, Rev. Ro-
bert TOzer, I\l r. Thaddeus Connellan, After
opening the Meeting, the Bishop of Gloucester
took the opportunity of adverting to the objects

of the Society.
" His Lortkhip was followed by several others,
whose speeches 01It limits will not HilOW US to
ittSVrt ; hot we cannot omit the simple narrative
of Mr. Thaddeus Connehan, a worthy and bene-
volent Itishman, who has spent the last ten years
of his lite going about doing good.' His ob-
ject is to obtain means fir the education of his
poor countrymen, and then.to supply them with
the l-Joly Set iptines. The following is the sub-
stance of his address to the Meeting
I ant an leishmao, and am come here to-day
to thank the Bible Society for their goodness to
Ifeland. Ten years ago 1 had never reada Bible,
and a worthy gentleman it the neighbourhood
gave me a Prayer Book, and 1 read it because 1
liked the Irish language. It was one of the Irish
Prayer Books sent over by the Bartlett's-buildings
Society. and I was prejudiced against it, but read
it because I liked the Irish language. I liked the
prayers, and 1 did not think that people who used
such prayers should be called heretics ; and after
leading the Epistles and Gospels, I got a Testa-
!tient 'and Bible, intl with these three books 1
began to teach my pour neighbours.
" My way was to wile out sentences and chap-
ters, and give them to one, arta when he had
learned them he gave them to another. The peo-
ple liked very much to learn, and the gentry be-
to notice it, and employed me to teach the
poor to read, and the way was this :—I would
not engage to teach any man to read, unless he
prornised that when he had learned he would
teach 24 othets,, and make them all promise the
same. We were very notch persecuted by the
Priests, and the Titular Bishop esconummicated
me, and all that were with me, or had any thing
to do with us ; but we went on and had 150
schools, and the poor would not be hindered from
learning, and they took care of us, and gave us
the best they could, and we were vet y comforta-
ble whh it, and so we went on till about 40,000
bad learned to read. I was sent to Dablin to see
if the good people could do any thing to help us,
and then on to London, and I met with many
good friends, who recommended me to the Bible
Society, and they promised to send us Bibles ;
and 'sow I will tell what made me think the Bible
would be acceptable in Ireland. A lady in' Dub-
lin gave me a small library of 24 books for the
use of the poor ; 1 skewed the' list to a gentle-
Man, and he said there were four of the books
that he would not advise the to circulate in Ire-
land. ' well, Sir,' said I, if you will be
so goodas to mat k them with your pencil, 1 will
put them out ;' so he marked them with his pen-
cil, and then 1 said, Well, Sir, but I cannot
agree to give them up unless yon will give me
eight whets instead of them ;' so he gave the eight
others instead of them, and then 1 sliewed them
to another Geotletiran, and he said there were
seven of the• hooks he would' not advise me to
circulate in Ireland, and I told him as I had
the other Gentleman, and he gave me fourteen
instead of .thrtse. that he disapproved, and so I
went on,, sheering them to different Gentlemen,
until I had got 170 hooks, and there was not one
book of them 4,11 that somebody bad not marked
•
out, except the Bible. In one parish where I
went, there was no Bible but ooe, 'and that was
locked up in the church, and one of the parish-
ioners used to give the Sexton four days in the
year to let him go in and read it,' but thank's to
the Bible SOciety there 'are now two thousand Bi-
bles in that parish."'
" Methinks 1 know something 'of this same
man,"—Thaddeus Connellan indeed not imme-
diately by that name. There was a hale hearty
fellow of the name of 'Paddy connellan Some years
since in this city, who went about 'doing good,
but we profess,' though we knew the fellow to
have done it for himself, we never heard of others
benefiting by his exertions. Teddy has played
Ijis
part admirably. He formerly " shook bands
NVith his spade," but at present tie grasps those
of sage M.P.'s, and venerable Bishops !—Froni
our hearts We commend the fellow.—Poor Jo-
hanna Southcote is no more, and Brothers has
Irist'somehow or other his prophetic mantle.—
What then stands iti the way of ".Thaddeus
Nothing, unqUestionably, if he know how to
play off the drama which he hes opened so bril-
liatitly.
Now really these things- are too gross to be
daily swallowed by " the most thinking people in
the world." Is there no diScrimination eXisting
;Liz:moot so many Reverends and Misters, its swell
the liSt of the Somerset Bible Society I or has
sonic friend of the Archdeacon what's his name
of
.Bath, who ...made sheh'deadly ,blows at the 'Si;.
ctety some mouths past, gut up the unfortunate