The Sun.
London, England, 1845-12-17 00:00:00

te111,31 tut

LONDON, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 17, 1845

THE

NEW MINISTRY.

The following appeared in our Third Edition of

last night :

The meeting of the Liberal party, held at Lord
JOHN RUSSELL'S, in Chesham-place, remained in de-
liberation for several hours. The result is believed
to be, that Lord JOHN RUSSELL will undertake to
form a Government.
Little doubt can be entertained that, arriving at this
conclusion, he has weighed the probable support and
opposition he will receive or encounter from
the different sections of the Tory party, and
the line which the leaders of the late Cabinet
will pursue.

No details can be given until the QUEEN has
approved the arrangements proposed, but if no
difficulty, at present unforeseen, should arise, the
particular positions of the new Administration will
very shortly be announced.

(FROM A CORRESPONDENT.)
The political meeting at Lord Jour/ RUSSELL'S
residence broke up soon after three o'clock this
afternoon, when the whole of the Noblemen and
Gentlemen present took their departure.

In estimating the difficulties or facilities of form-
ing a new Admnistration in this country Ireland must
always form an important item in the calculation.
The difficulty which Sir ROBERT PEEL foresaw he
should have in governing that country made him
more backward in taking office than he would have
otherwise been, and throughout the whole of his four
years' administration it was his manifest and constant
wish to reconcile the Catholic population, or at least
abate their antipathy to a Tory Ministry. Ills
plans were in general well laid and judicious,
but still there were several members of his Ca-
binet to whom the Irish never could be recon-
ciled, and this circumstance, together with the
strong feelings displayed in this country on the May-
nooth question, did much to neutralise the-good effects
which might otherwise have ;been anticipated. Mr.
O'CONNELL never could bear Lord STANLEY : even
after condonation, he continued hostile to Sir JAMES
GRAHAM, and the Duke of WELLINGTON, from some
inexplicable cause, was always the object of his most
virulent attacks. In these respects, therefore, Lord
JOHN RUSSELL has a great advantage over Sir
Ron fan' PEEL. The Go.vernmentof Ireland during
IV
the greater part of the hig Administration was on
the whole considered satisfactory, the names of Non_
MANBY and MORPETII were venerated by the people,
and at no former period was the country
so peaceable and the laws so much respected. It will
be seen from the report of what took place at the
weekly repeal meeting, held at Dublin, on Monday,
that the old attachment is not forgotten, and that
Mr. O'CONNELL promises Lord J. RUSSELL his cor-
dial support in regard to several measures, and espe-
cially the great measure of the day—the repeal of
the corn-laws. He pronounced every man an enemy
to Ireland who would not join COBDEN and BRIGHT.
As Lord J. RUSSELL was pledged to advocate the
repeal of the corn-laws, he would therefore support
the new Administration in their efforts for that pur-
pose. "I will feel it my duty," said he, "to attend
in my seat in London, from day to thy, to fight the
battle of the League ; and every Irish Member
Rho does not wish to see the Irish people in a state of

starvation will do likewise." Lord JouN, therefore,
may reckon upon the support of the whole of
that section which absented themselves from Parlia-
ment during the Administration of Sir ROBERT
PEEL, and made ceaseless exertions in their
own country to bring it into contempt.
Of course Mr. O'CONNELL does not give up
repeal. The consummation of that great event must
not be compromised for the sake of any party, but
possibly it will be allowed to sleep in the mean-
time, till some other measures for the relief
of Ireland are disposed of. Mr. O'CONNELL pro-
posed several, and with, perhaps, one exception,
they appear to be judicious and well adapted for secur-
ing tranquillity. Of those we may mention—employ-
ment for the people in constructing railways. What
he proposed on that point was, that whenever 100,0001.
was subscribed, that the Government should put to it
a like sum, and by that means set the line at work,
and be satisfied with one per cent. on it for three
years, after which they should have four per cent., if
it remained unpaid. This plan he said would give
abundance of employment to the people, and it could
be done at once ; and, if adopted, he would sug-
gest that the contracts should be entered into for
lengths of line not to exceed 15 miles, in order to
give employment to the people resident in each par-
ticular locality. He proposed also that the Govern-
ment should get mortgages for their advances. He
did not want a gift—he wanted only a loan to be
duly paid. Could some scheme of this kind be
adopted it would have the most beneficial effects in
spreading civilisation, and furnishing employ-
ment—the great want of the Irish people, and
without which they never can be obedient to
the laws. Another point of equal importance was
adverted to—namely, the fixity of tenure—not in
the usual acceptation of the word, but by granting
leases on certain conditions. Without leases, it is
evident, no tenant can improve his farm, for he has
no security for his outlay, and is in Ireland entirely
at the mercy of the landlord, or, what is worse, tha
middleman. We give the plan in Mr. O'CoNNELL's
own words :
" The statute law enabled landlords to distrain the
tenant who had no lease. He wanted to take this
power from the landlord, and prohibit him from distrain-
ing, unless the tenant had a lease for 21 years at least.
He would give the landlord the power of suing his tenant
as any other creditor, but not distraining him • unless
the tenant had a lease he would not allow the landlord
to distrain him, and thus would he compel him to give him
a lease. Then as to the ejectment for non-payment of rent,
he would require the landlord to give the tenant a
lease for 31 years, to entitle him to bring an ejectment.
He wanted to stand by the poor people ; he wanted to
support the laborious and industrious, and he desired to
have a good Government working for the good of the
poor and the hungry, who were at the best of times upon
the verge of starvation. If Lord John Russell did these
things he would be popular, and he supposed that he
would have to transfer his green cap to him."

Some remedy of this kind is wanted. These
ejectments are the bane of Ireland, and the horrid
system of letting land may be pronounced as the
most intolerable of all grievances. Should Mr.
O'CONNELL thus devote his time to such praise-
worthy labours, and endeavour to assuage the suffer-
ings of his countrymen, in place of inflaming their
passions and urging them to demand what they never
can obtain, he would establish a name, not among
his countrymen (for with them it is already suffi-
ciently ;high), but with foreign nations and distant
posterity, which would far eclipse that of every Irish
patriot, and shed an imperishable lustre on the close
of a long and active life.

Our readers will probably remember the com•
pulsory resignation of Mr. PARKER, the Assistant
Poor-law Commissioner, who conducted the Andover
inquiry, shortly after that inquiry was closed.
Mr. PARKER has published a letter to Sir JAMBS
GRAHAM in his own vindication, an attentive
perusal of which has convinced us that Mr. PARKER
has been extremely ill-used by the Poor-law Com-
missioners, and that the Poor-law Commissioners
have some reason to fear Parliamentary investigation
(which there can be no doubt will take place) into
their conduct with reference to the Andover inquiry.

As regards Mr. PARKER'S dismissal (for virtually
it was a dismissal) it appears to have arisen from his
recommendation of a Mr. PRICE to fill the office of
master of the Andover Workhouse temporarily, on
M'DOUGALL'S resignation. We will give Mr.
PARKER'S own account of his recommendation.
M‘DouGALL, our readers are of course aware, is the
master whose conduct was the subject of the Andover
inquiry.

- - " " Having been informed on returing into the Board-
room, from which I had been called, that the guardians
had determined to allow Mr. M'Dougall to remain in
charge of the workhouse for a month, when his successor
was to be chosen, I rose to address the guardians; and,
after adverting to the Commissioners' recommendation
to them to suspend Mr. M'Dougall during the investiga-
tion, I proceeded to urge upon the guardians that the
Commissioners' objections to Mr. M'Dougall continuing
in the workhouse pending the inquiry was much aug-
mented by his resignation. Whilst I was addressing the
guardians, my observations were interrupted by expres-
sions of contempt for the Commissioners, and one of the
guardians said the Board knew no one to whom the
care of the workhouse could be entrusted, if Mr.
M'Dougall were to leave it. I replied that, if there was
no one in the town whose services were available, that I
knew a workhouse master then out of employment—Mr.
Price, formerly master of the Oxford House of Industry
—who possessed high testimonials, and observed that Mr.
Price had written to me offering his services. I then
went on to enforce the propriety of Mr. M'Dougall's re-
moval from the premises, but the chairman, vice-
chairman, and guardians left the room, and so dissolved
the meeting."

Mr. PARKER had formerly been Assistant Poor-
law:Commissioner for the district including Oxford,
and had thus known PRICE officially ; both he, and a
former Assistant Poor-law Commissioner on the
Oxford district, Mr. MOTT, had highly approved of
PRICK'S conduct as master of the Oxford House of
Industry. PRICE had high testimonials from Lord
BARRINGTON, chairman of the Faringdon Board of
Guardians, from three successive chairmen of Coe Ox-
ford Board of Guardians, from th 3 chaplains of the
workhouse, a testimonial signed by nearly 200 inha-
bitants and rate-payers of Oxford, and several others :
he had produced these, at the beginning of the present
year, when candidate for the mastership of the work-
house of the Swindon and Highworth Union, and Mr.
PARKER hal then seen them. PRICE did not obtain
that appointment, and Mr. PARKER had since (in May,
1845,) recommended him for other employment to
the Poor-law Commissioners ; and lastly, PRICE,
who was still out of employment, hearing
during the progress of the Andover inquiry
that M'DOUGALL was to be suspended, had
written to Mr. PARKER, offering his services tem-
porarily in Mr. M4DOUGALL'S place, and Mr. PARKER
recommended him to the Andover guardians. But it
appears that in 1844, after Mr. PARKER had left the
Oxford district, some charges were made against
PRICE, which were investigated by Mr. AUSTIN, the
present Assistant Poor-law Commissioner for that
district, and that PRICE resigned his office. Mr.
PARKER was not aware of this. In consequence of
PRICE'S resignation, Mr. AUSTIN never sent the
papers relating to the investigation to the Poor-law
Commissioners : so that there was nothing recorded
against PRICE in the Somerset House archives. But
after the excitement of the Andover inquiry, and Mr.
PARKER'S recommendation of PRICE being reportad
in the papers, scandal raked up the charges made
against PRICE ; and for having thus recommended a
man of whom everything that he knew was good,
and of whom he knew much good, but in connexion
with whom there was one unfavourable incident,
which he did mot know, Mr. PARKER has been dis-
missed from his office of Assistant Poor-law Com-
missioner.

"I attended to all Mr. Lewis's reproofs respecting Mr.
Price, and received from him directions, conveyed in a
tone and manner which our relative positions by no
means entitled him to employ, to read no letter on this
subject to the Rev. C. Dodson, Chairman of the Andover
Union, until I had produced the draft to him. Such a
direction conveyed in such a manner is the only instance
that I am aware of wherein an Assistant-Cornmisioner
has been so treated. I promised compliance with his
directions, and undertook to show him the draft of a let-
ter to Mr. Dodson on the following day. The next day
I was confined to the house by indisposition."
When Mr. PARKER again saw Mr. LEWIS, who, our
readers of course know is one of the Poor-law Com-
missioners,

opened thetL,ondversation by reproaching
" Mr. Lewis op
iorattnftedletter to Mr. Dodson
me for not attending with
to him. that illness
on the previous day, and I e
the
to show
compelled me to remain at home, and
theourse of the
(tat I
him the draft letter to 31r. Dotinor, in
m Andover
afternoon. Mr. Lewis then adverted to c
acti:;:f
oise generally, and having ascertained from
had informed Sir Edmund Head, prior to the 2e
Sa-
t tuber, that I had mentioned Mr. Price's name to Sb°-
. Dodson, he observed ' that I had been guilty of an
maliscretion, which the Commissioners must notice in

some marked manner.' I then stated to him that I first
saw Mr. Price at the Oxford House of Industry."
[Here follows an account of his knowledge of Mr.
PRICE, and of his testimonials, as we have detailel
above.]

" Moreover, I reminded the Commissioners that Mr.
Price's name had been mentioned by me to them shortly
after I bad seen him at the High worth and Swindon
Union, as a person who, having formerly farmed the
poor at Faringdon, was likely t' be a competent person
to undertake the care of boys in a school on board ship,
an institution recommended by me to be established
under the sanction of the Commissioners, in a report
transmitted by me to the office on the Bth of May, 1845,
and that the Commissioners, in consequence of such
mention of Mr. Price's name, had desired an interview
with Mr. Price, who had attended them on the 17th of
May, 1845.

" Having reminded Mr. Lewis that this was the same
Mr. Price, and that he had frequented the office not only
for some months, but for some years, and that no one,
either in or out of the office, had ever said a word to me
in disparagement of his character, Mr. Lewis again ob-
served, in a tone and manner which could not be mis.
taken, that I had been guilty of great indiscretion in
mentioning the name of Mr. Price to Mr. Dodson and
the Board of Guardians, and that the Commissioners must
mark their sense of my conduct. Mr. Lewis repeated his
remark a third and fourth time, and I then observed that,
when all the circumstances were taken into consideration, I
did not think the indiscretion amounted to more than an
untoward event. Mr. Lewis repeated his remark for the
fifth time in tone and manner more offensive than before,
and I then replied, have no doubt that I shall have an
opportunity of showing that the indiscretion is not so
very serious. My friends tell me it is certain there will
be Parliamentary inquiries into the case in both Houses.
It is my interest to court inquiry, but whether it is the
Commissioners' interest that the whole of the case should
be investigated before Committees of both Houses of Par-
liament is. very questionable.' Mr. Lewis threw himself
back in his chair, as if he was greatly offended, and, as
I retired from the room, said, Then, Mr. Parker, we
require you to show us the draft letter to Mr. Dodson
before it is posted.' "
We confess to astonishment at Mr. LEWIS'S idea of
a great indiscretion. The draft letter to Mr. DODSON
was shown, and passages in which the Commissioners
and Mr. AUSTIN, Assistant-Commissioner, were men-
tioned, were struck out.
" The letter, as altered, having been read, Mr. Lewis
made some observations respecting the relative official
station of Commissioner and Assistant-Commissioner, in
all of which I readily concurred, and Mr. Lewis added
that if I had sent the letter to Mr. Dodson as it originally
stood, the Commissioners would have dismissed me next
morning. To this I only replied, for he addiessed me as
if he expected an answer, that I should always be pre-
pared for the consequences of my o.vn acts. Such was
my last interview with the Commissioners."
This was on the Bth of October. On the 16th
Mr. PARKER received the following letter from Mr.
Nicnou.s, one of the Poor-law Commissioners :
"My dear Sir,—Looking at the importance and
peculiar nature of the functions delegated to an Assistant-
Commissioner, we have, after full consideration, come to
the conclusion that we cannot, consistently with our
public duty, retain you any longer in your present
office. It is, therefore, incumbent on us to request
that you will send your resignation to the Commis-
sioners.

" We wish to assure you that we take this step with
the utmost reluctance ; and we willingly acknowledge
the zealous and efficient services which you have, on
various occasions, rendered to the Commission. .
"I remain, my dear Sir, ever yours faithfully,
" GEO. NICHOLLS."

" Soft words butter no parsnips." .bir. PARKER
has for nine years been a laborious servant to the
Poor-law Commission, for three years as assistant
secretary, and for the remaining six ha(
Assistant-Commissioner. He left the bar in 1838,
and has now to return to it, after having lost some
of the best years of his life, with a view to advance-
ment in his profession. We think the public will
say with us, that there ha; been no sufficient reason
for Mr. PARKER'S dismissal, and that Mr. LEWIS
appears to have acted arbitrarily and tyrannically.
It looks as if there were some reason behind of
wounded vanity or pique. Lest any persons should
have been imposed upon by attempts to represent
Mr. PARKER'S publication as of a crouching cha-
racter, we think the following extract from his
preface, addressed to the Bar of the Home Circuit
will be a sufficient answer to such a charge :—" One
circumstance connected with the case, which is not
alluded to in these letters, has excited in my mind
emotions of scorn and indignation. It is this : Mr.
GEORGE CORNWALL LEWIS, one of the Poor-law
Commissioners, has sent me an authorised message,
`that the Commissioners do not wish to injure me,
and will give me a recommendation for other em-
ployment.' "

The remarks on the subject of Oregon, which we
have transferred to our columns from those of the
Boston Atlas, of Nov. 22, are understood to express
the opinions of Mr. EVERETT, the late Ambassador
from the United States to this country. Thus
we see that Mr. EVERETT joins with Mr.
WEBSTER in deprecating the intemperate
and reckless line of conduct which President POLK
has, it would appear, determined to recommend Con-
gress to pursue with regard to the Oregon question.
From all that we can gather, Mr. CALHOUN also is
opposed to the rash proceedings recommended
by the President, and Mr. POLK is unsup-
ported by any American statesman of name
or talent. 'We believe also that the majority
of the American people, as well as of the American
statesmen, are against President POLK on this ques-
tion. That the semi-savage squatters in the "far west,"
the enemies of all law save Lynch law—xhose only
argument is a thrust with a bowie knife, and who,
having nothing to lose, have everything to gain from
a war, which, as far as they are concerned in it,
must be of an essentially predatory character—that
these men would, to use a phrase of their own, " go
the whole hog " with President POLK, we' are will-
ing to admit; but that they constitute the majo-
jority of the American people, we cannot believe.
The sober, industrious, law-regulated, orderly inha-
bitants of the northern and southern States outnum-
ber far the plunder-seeking Lynch law-loving despe-
radoes of the " far west." The north and south are
fully aware of the awful responsibility which
those will incur who shall needlessly plunge
America into a war with England. They
feel that England would make any sacrifice,
except her honour, for the preservation of peace be-
tween the two countries ; but they also know that
the sleeping lion " will not allow either a Monarch
or a President to tread .in his toes without rousing
' himself to action and to vengear.ce. 'We are rejoiced
to find the leadera of the American nation thus
coming forward to put a curb on the insane
and selfish ambition of President POLK, who
would, for the miserable gratification of secur-
ing for himself the Presidentship of the United
States for another term, involve his country in a war
which must exhaust her resources, and " drive her
back in her career of prosperity quite beyond the
point from which she started at the close of the last

war."

We have received Madrid journals of the 9th, but
we find no news in them of the slightest interest.
The Chapter of the Knights of the Order of Charles
111. had been held with great magnificence. Her
MAJESTY was resplendent with jewels. Near her
stood the INFANTE, Don FRANCISCO DE PAULA and
his son, the new Dukes DE RIANZARES and VALENCIA,
and the old Duke DE BAYLES and M. MARTINEZ DE
LA ROSA. Sixty Knights were present. The Grand
Crosses distinguished themselves by the white fea-
thers in their caps. The other Knights wore blue
feathers. The Archbishop of TOLEDO officiated on
the occasion. On the 9th the Three per Cents. closed
at 36k at 60 days ; and the Five per Cents. at 23Z
for cash, and 24i at 60 days.

The downfal of the PEEL Ministry has been a most
fortunate event for the writers in the Paris papers
For the previous ten days they appeared to be abso-
lutely starved out for matter to comment upon, and
were forced to have recourse to the expedition to
Madagascar, or the dismissal of a Receiver-General,
or the paltry dispute between M. SALVANDY and M.
QUINET about the University lectures. The crisis
in England came, therefore, opportunely, and they
are resolved to make the most of it. M. TRIERS'
paper, the Conwtitutionnel, is extremely cautious and
moderate in its remarks, and evidently shows
a disposition to cultivate friendship with a
Whig Ministry, and even Lord PALMERSTON.
The National writes in a different strain, and trios
to excite prejudice against the late Foreign Secretary,
as well as his colleagues. The Journal des Debats of
Monday contains an article, written in a manly and
friendly spirit towards England, and displaying con-
siderable knowledge of the position of affairs :—" We
persist," says the writer, " in thinking a conflict be-
tween the two Houses inevitable. The Lords will
not consent to yield without a prolonged combat. In
the House of Commons the issue of the contest is more

doubtful. It is possible that, with the support of Sir
ROBERT PEEL, and with the impulse communicated
from without, the total abolition of the corn laws
may find a sufficient majority. Naturally the
attempt will be made. Lord JOHN RUSSELL will
keep the present House of Commons, and. ivill not
have recourse to the extreme measure of a dissolution
unless he meets with insurmountable obstacles. But
in either case, whether he can go on with the present
House of Commons, or be obliged to summon a new
one, if the Lords persist in their opposition, the
situation is a most grave one. What renders it par-
ticularly so, is that the measures to be taken admit
of no delay, and that each moment's postponement
adds to the danger. Why has the Tory Govern-
ment, so powerful a few days since, fallen all of a
sudden ? Because it was forced to immediate action.
It was not with men, not with parties :and their
systems, that it had to struggle, but with a. superior
power-with the rain, with the sky, with the earth,
with GOD himself! The new Government arrives
at power, carried in, as it were, by a cry of
famine. It must respond immediately to that
popular cry ; such is its sole mission ; other•
wise what was it called upon to effect ? Let it
be understood that we regard this great crisis:
without any other sentiment than the sincere desire
to behold England get out of it happily. We can-
not rejoice at the misfortunes of a country which is
our ally. We have not in our policy a question like
that of the Oregon, which may cause us to behold a
source of advantage in the domestic embarassments
of England. We desire simply to point out here the
differences which distinguish the present crisis from
those which preceded the Catholic Emancipation Bill,
the Reform Bill, and the Negro Abolition Bill. At
these various periods there were great popular agita-
tion, and a prolonged and desperate resistance of the
various interests involved in the question. But these
reforms, although ripe for a length of time, could
without danger wait for the hour of realization. This is
not the case at present. Questions of food do not belong
to the class of those which can take patience. That
the fears of famine or scarcity have been exaggerated,
we certainly believe ; but there must have been some-
thing of truth at the bottom of these alarms, since
they have been sufficient to overturn the strongest
Government that England has seen for a great length
of time. When the matter under discussion was re-
ligious exclusions, or electoral corruption, or the ini-
quities of the slave•trade, however crying were the
abuses, one, or two, or three years could not visibly
augment the danger. But it is hunger which now
speaks, and who will say to those who have no ears,
wait ? Who will tell corn to germinate, and harvests
to ripen ? Perhaps it is in the very imminency of
the danger that will consist the strength of those who
are assuming the reins of Government."
The National, after adverting to a report that the
Earl of CLARENDON was to be substituted for Lord
PALMERSTON in the Foreign-office, in order to please
the 'Court of France, draws the following character
of the late Foreign Secretary :-
" In England it is in general not easy to find a man
who is fit for all trades, who can put on any coat, and
wear it with equal ease as another. People have a mis-
trust of these encycloptedic minds, believing that to be
master of foreign affairs a man must hare special ac-
quirements, and be initiated into all the complicated re-
lations which exist between different nations, from
having studied treaties, and obtained a notion of the
rarely interrupted traditions by which England inter-
prets treaties, according to maxims of her own, the
beginning, middle, and end of which is how to turn
them to her own: benefit. Lord Palmerston has,
more than any one else, a sense of this peculiarity
of British diplomacy. He adds to this, no doubt, the
fatuity of his habits, the presumption of his opinions, and
the petulance of his character. But as he is insolent to
the foreigner only, this is a defect which the national
spirit will easily excuse ; and even when Lord John
Russell shall have greatly corrected it, enough will re-
main to render the new Minister of the Foreign Affairs
at times very pertinacious. This, moreover, is a pre-
sentiment which: M. :Jarnac has felt and: not con-
cealed, and we learn that M. Guizot has received a com-
munication from London of great significance. He has
been told that the bonds of friendship between England.
and France will be held as tight by th© new Admi-
nistration as by the last, and that 'Lord Palmerston
will do nothing that may tend to disturb the entente cor-
diale. Lord John Russell takes pleasure in repeating
expressions of estoem for M. Guizot, and, as well as his
colleagues, entertains a sincere desire of preserving
those relations of friendship with France which are so
necessary for the peace of the world:, Such a declara-
tion is well calculated to subdue the alarms and hie: s the
new marriage. Unfortunately, as much was said to M.
Guizot himself on the very eve of the signing of the
treaty of July 15th, and that eminent Ambassador fell
into the snare. Age and experience render us all less
credulous, and the Ambassador whom Lord Palmerston
thus deluded has in the Vote years since passed had
time to learn enough of diplomacy to become less easy
to deceive, because he has been taught to mistrust.
If he wishes to know what Lord Palmerston thinks of
the French Government, and the little faith be believes
it to possess, M. Guizot has but to read the speeches
delivered by his Lordship since he has beenln the Oppo-
sition. To talk again of the entente cordiale, to play over
the same game, when he it is who holds half the cards in
his hand, would manifestly excite the derision of the
whole world, and be the very saddest of political tricks,
being one of those which make no dupes. Nothing is more
easy than to disguise one's meaning by language, and
the power of speech has been given to Ministers for this
purpose alone, but ideas, sentiments, opinions, and charac-
ters never change. Lord Palmerston is convinced that
no reliance can be placed in the French Government, and
that to frighten it is only necessary to make it pass
through the needle's eye. He has not only expressed
and repeated the firmness of his convictions-he has
done more-he has proved it by his acts. That be may
talk hereafter of friendship is very possible; but that he
will be believed here is what we can never persuade our-
selves. If then the Whig Ministry enters into commu-
nication with that of France through this intermediary,
our external policy must be modified unless it is wished
to demonstrate to Europe that it has lost even the
semblance of dignity and shame. This is so far as re-
gards us."
The French Funds improved considerably on Monday.
The Three per Cents., which were quoted on the previous
day at 80f. 80c. closed at 81f. 15c. ; the Five per Cents., at
117 f. 70c. ; the Orleans Railroad Shares, 1,147 f. 50c.;
Rouen, 925fi ; Northern, 6921. 50c. ; Havre, 750 f.; Avignon,
8501 ; Vierzon, 630 f. ; Bordeaux, 5901. ; Boulogne, 4971 ;
Basle, 2301.; Dieppe, 845 f. Spanish Three per Cents, 383/.
Theibllowing are the quotations for other lines:-
Paris and Lyons Railroad (Laffitte), 51. premium ;
ditto (Colon), 4f. 50c.; Union, 121. 50c.; ditto (Ganneron),
4f. 50c.: ditto (Lapinsonniere), 3f. 50c.; Messageries, 3f.;
Ardoin, 2f. 75c.; Receveurs-Generaux, 3f.; Paris and Stras-
bourg (Ganneron), 2f. 50c.; ditto (Bechet), 50c.; Tours and
Nantes (Mackenzie), 5f.; ditto (Drouillard), 4f. 50c.; ditto
(O'Neill), 41 50c.; ditto (Carette), sf. 50c.; ditto (Lefevre),
4f. 50c. ; Lyons and Avignon (Talabot), 7f. 50c. ; ditto
(Lecointe), par; ditto (Compagnie Meridionale), par ; Bor-
deaux and Cette (Mackenzie), par ; ditto (Espeleta), 4f. ;
Creil and St. Quentin (Kysaens), par; Charleroi (Kysaens),
495 f. The Lyons Definitive Shares sold at 65f. premium;
the Strasbourg ditto, 201.; Tours and Nantes, 401.
MARSEILLES, DEC. 11.-Marseilles and Avignon, 855 f. ;
Boulogne, 510 f.
LYONS, DEC. 13.-Marseilles and Avignon, 870 f.; Paris
and Orleans, 1,1451 ; Paris and Rouen, 935 f. ; Orleans and
Vierzon, 6201.

BUSINESS DONE IN FOREIGN RAILWAYS AT THE
LONDON STOCK EXCHANGE, DEO. 16.
_ _

Anglo-Belgian _—
i Madrid and Valencia...
Bal-badoes
. '
Boulogne and Amiens.. 81/ 4 :Namur and Liege —
Bordeaux &Nlediterran LNorth Jamaica . . —

Bordeaux and Toulouse Orleans and Vierzon .. 15
Do. & Cette (Espeleta) Orleans and Bordeaux
Do. (Mackenzie's) .. lOverYssel
Callao, Lima, and Pa- Paris& Lyons (Lafiitte) 2
citic Coast
Central of Spain — Ditto (Calon's)....- .H/ /
/ii
Ceylon .
Demerara
Dendre Valley
Dutch Rhenish ... ...... Paris and Strasburg
Dieppe & Paris hind. (Gannerods)
- - L' 9;

. • •
Dijon and Mulhouse ... 'DO. (Compe de _ Est) l:4
East Indian
Eampoux & Hazebrouk Paris and St. Quentin.
Grt Northern of France Rouen and Havre__
Constituted ll Royal North of Spain.
Do. Pepin le Halleur — Sambre and Meuse .... _
Great Paris and Lyons — Strasburg and Basle ...
Great Western Bengal Tournay,Jurbise, Lan-
Great Western Canada den, and Hasselt ... _
JamaicaS. Mid. Junction Tours and Nantes
Do. North Midland — (Mackenzie's)
Do. Extension
Jersey — De. (O'Neill's) _.
Louvain and Jemappe.. Trinidad —
Lyons and Avignon.... Verona and Ancona —
Luxembourg

GENERAL WASHINGTON v GENERAL THUMB.--
We understand that. General Tom Thumb visited the Lion
King this morning at his private residence,!And remained with
him till precisely three o'clock, when Thumb stepped into his
diminutive carriage, and went with all possible speed to hold
a levee at Egyptian Hall. We do not presume to be possessed
of Thumb's secrets, but when so many Cabinet and other im-
portant rumours are afloat we may mention one that was cir-
culating pretty freely at the clubs today, to the effect that
little Thumb, finding himself entirely overshadowed and
eclipsed by "General Washington," offered the Lion King a
heavy purse for his mammoth rival.
CHARGE OE POISONING.—NEWCASTLE, DEC. 15,--.
At a late hour on Saturday evening a body of police appre-
hended Ralph Joicey, a hind in the employment of the Duke
of Portland, at Cockle-hall, near Morpeth, on a charge of
causing poison to be administered to his father, from the
effects of which he died. The prisoner was immediately
conveyed to Morp-th, and will be examined by the county-
magistrates on Wednesday. It is rumoured that he has
made important disclosures as affecting himself, but they
have not yet been made public. The poison, it appears,.'ias
Procured at the shop of Mr. Crighton, in Morpeth, about two
months ago. . _

A letter from Hanover, of the Bth, states ti at the
Prince Royal has been indisposed for some time, but not so
seriously as some of the journals had represented. His
Itoyal Highness is now convalescent, and is able to take vat•
door exercise.