The Sun.
London, England, 1818-09-15 00:00:00

971 High Holborn,

is so conspicuously placed in the centre of the Label, that
they trust an attention to this, and the difference of the
Type, which is unlike all Letter-press, will enable Purchasers
at onoz.to detect the Imposition.
The REAL JAPAN BLACKING, made and sold whole-
sale by DAY and MARTIN, 97, High Holborn, and re-
tailed by the principal Grocers, Di uggists, Booksellers, Iron-
mongers, Perfumers, Boot-miers, &c. in the United King-
dom, in Bottles at 6d :id and Ps. 6d. each.

ASSASSINATION OF MR. COCKERELL

AT BRUSSELS.

(From the Brussels Papers.)
BRUSSELS, SEPT. B.—This morning a terrible
assassination was committed, between nine and
• ten o'clock, in this city. A person, armed with a
pistol which had 0 bayonet, got into the apart-
ments of Mr. Cockerell, a very rich Englishthan,
who lives in the Montague du Paris, and at-
tempted to discharge his pistol at him; but, as
'it missed, he made use of his bayonet, and in-
flicted on his victim several dangerous, if not
mortal wounds. Having committed this crime he
escaped, leaving in Mr. Cockerell's room the pis-
tol and his coat. The Police are in pursuit of
hint; he is generally spoken of as having inha-
bited a lodging in a neighbouring house, and va-
rious causes are assigned fur this dreadful assas-
sination.

SEPT. 9.—The assassination of Mr. Cockerel'
has hitherto escaped all the exertions of the po-
lice. This individual (not a Belgian), was not
induced to this crime by jealousy, as has been
reported. Mr. Cockerell's situation is very alarm-
ing, for of the five wounds which he has received
two are supposed to be mortal. This Englishman
enjoyed the public esteem, and- the crime com-
mitted npou his person has excited in this city
equal horror and indignation.

A Flemish Paper gives the following account of
the attempt to assassinate Mr. Cockerell. The
particulars differ from those inserted under the
head of Brussels Papers :
Mr. Cockerel! purchased some time ago, from M. Vanden
Hoven, pharmacist, the house which he at present inhabits,and
anotheradjoining house, let to the widow Montaud. The pew
proprietor,wishing to enjoythe whole of his aequisition,gavethe
widow notice to quit. She,wa,,however,very unwilling to move;
and to induce the proprietor to consent to her staying, went
to hint on the Ist of this mouth to solicit that favour, and to
.pay her rent. She was accompanied by a Frenchman, a sort
of Factotum, whom her husband had formerly relieved, when
in destitute circumstances, and taken into his service. M.
Cockerel' was in bed; .and, on his refusal to listen to any pro-
position, the Frenchman drew from his pocket a pistol with a
little bayonet. 'flue widow called out to hint, ‘, Wretch, what
are you going to do ?" He attempted to fire the pistol, but it
missed, 11 pOll which he immediately threw himself upon M.
Cockerell, and stabbed hint with the bayonet. He inflicted five
wounds, two of which are supposed to be mortal.
According to another report, jealousy was the only cause
of this catastrophe. The Englishman, it is said, being struck
with the already antiquated charms of the widow, was in-
clined to lend a favourable ear to her request : but the Fac-
totum, whose prior claim had long been established (for the
suicide of the husband is attributed to the chagrin which
this connexion gave him), jealous of the widow's visit,
hovered about Mr. Cockerell's door from five o'clock in the
morning until he saw his mistress come out. He then rushed
in, and stabbed the unfortunate victim in his bed.
The assassin tied; VW kaviog .kit coat at a public-house
in Brussels.

M 15510119.
Certainly, the ready facility which is afforded
by the Insolvent Act to extricate debtors from
legal thraldom, operates as an inducement to many
persons to surrender themselves to that responsi-
bility which the present law attaches to debt and
imprisonment ; and a hope of emancipation en-
courages thernlo meet that responsibility in pre-
.ferefice to expensive and prolonged litigation,
which heretofore often terminated in the disap-
pointment of the creditor, and the hopeless capti-
vity of the debtor ; and the protection which the
same Act affords to the creditors, leaves them
without excuse, if their own negligence is creative
of disappointment. Credit (from Credo, to be-
lieve) is given on the faith of the debtor's means,
and before he can be enlarged from confinement
he must surrender those means for the benefit of
his creditors. The Act was manifestly intended
to caution the Public against giving fictitious
credit, on the presumed power of holding a man
in custody for non-payment. It is true to a Pro-
verb that a. gaol pays no debts. To confine a
man for non-payment of a-debt whicri he is unable
to pay, is like tying his hands behind him, and
then bidding hint to work. If the property or
means of the debtor are not commensurate to the
credit he seeks, such credit ought to be withheld ;
and if he contracts a debt which he cannot pay
according to his engagement, he should be allowed
the opportunity of industrious pursuits to recover
himself. If, indeed, he contracts a debt upon a
false representation of his circumstances, or with-
out probable means of payment, he is precluded
from relief by the express provisions of the Act
itself. And for the discovery of any circumstances
attendant on the mode of contracting a debt, -or
the situation of the debtor at the time, the statute
authorizes the examination of the debtor himself
upon oath, and the admission of other evidence
to skew misconduct or fraud; and thus both his
motive and means may he ascertained.
It must be admitted, that time gaols have been
hitherto much crowded since the operation of the
Act, and this might have been well anticipated ;
for those debtors who have been released under
it, must of necessity have left their creditors in
some embarrassment, and they in turn became
insolvent and required similar relief. Ili< when
the measure shall become more universally known
and understood, caution will induce inquiry, and
information will check indiscretion ; the trading
community will become more circumspect, an'
instead of weighing risk against profit, will learn
to avoid the former, and be less inordinate is
speculating on the latter.
The position of SCIIUTATOR, that imprisonment
for debt, acting in terrorern, would be a pub-
lic good, is untenable. Under the old Law that
system was found unavailable to any good pur-
pose. It tended to induce credit on the ex-
pectation of holding the debtor in custody, from
motives of revenge only, or on a calculation that
his friends would step in and relieve hits, and
submit to an extortion in discharging a debt or
contract to which they were not parties ; and
this is a speculation which the great Lord MANS-
FIELD well described as " an attempt to torture
the humanity of friends to-pay. that which on no
ground of equity-could be expected from them."
The whole tenor of SCRUTATOR'S observations
would lead the Reader to infer that imprison-
ment for debt, with unlimited or uncertain du-
tation, would best accord with the advantages of
credit and commercial dealings, and that, under
the Insolvent Act, many must of necessity become
subject to its operation who would not other-
wise have incurred such liability, and, to confirm
his deduction, be goote4 the Report of the Lords'
Committees on Imprisonment for Civil Debt,
stating, that " the creditor of to-day may be the
debtor of to-morrow." This is assuredly true ;
but the Act is beneficial in providing for such a
consequence, and establishing relief for all debtors
who may become so unfortunate as to require it,
if no fraud is evident. The part to which he al-
hides in the Report is as follows :—" Time view
(of incarcerating the debtor) was restricted to the
direct operation alone of time procedure, without
adverting to its incidental consequences. It WAS
,not considered that the creditrir of to-day may be
the debtor of tomorrow; and that a system which
affects, with exaggerated harshness, in their se-
veral turns, so many of the individuals constitut-
ing the community, cannot be a convenient one
society."

It cannot be denied that many abuses have re-
sulted under the Act, as they always must from
any measure of so comprehensive a nature, until
minutely understood, and vigilantly attended to;
and trusting
that the wisdom and discretion of the
Legislature will be competent to devise means of
prevention or rules of correction, I close this
with another quotalion,from the Report It is
the lot of every human Institution that in spine
of its effects it may bear inconveniently ; and
all that
.the sagacity of man can achieve is, that in
any public regulation the benefits of the direct
object may far preponderate over any possible
consequential evil."

W, M----N.

" We have been much affected in reading the
accounts which have from time to time appeared
in the public paper 3 respecting the peculiarly dis-
tressed stare of the poor people in Scilly, and
the little we can do individually is scarcely worth
mentioning, yet if there remains a necessity fur
further exertions we
.have thought that some of
our friends might be prevailed 'pun to take the
trouble of representing the case amongst their
neighbours, and thereby raise a few pounds in aid
of what may he collected ire parts where the cir-
cumstances, being better known, are likely to ex-
cite more commiseration. I therefore request
you to forward us such printed statement of the
case as may have been published, and just to
mention whether the 5001. promised by Govern-
ment has been received, and how far there is the
probability of their taking up the case and
making more permanent provision for their wants,
and whether there is the expectation of a further
grant being obtained from that source for the sup-
ply of their immediate necessities—what number
of families and individuals are considered to be in
this state of distress—whether they are relieved
by any parochial allowance—how much has been
already raised, and what further assistance is ex-
pected—how the monies collected have been ap-
plied, and what sum it would be desirable to col- ,
lect to answer the purposes which the Committee
have in view.'

" Such are the points on which the public will
naturally look for information, and we trust that
these inquiries will suggest to the Committee of -
Management the propriety of furnishing it with
as little delay as possible.
" We cannot dismiss this subject without re.
commending to tl►e serious consideration of the
Committee an opinion which we know to be en-
tertained by those whose local experience and
habits of business render thr►n much better qua-
lified to give advice than out selves. It is tl►is--

that to ensure the complete success of this bene-
volent measure, the chief Magistrate...of every
town in Cornwall ought to be solicited by the
Commi•tee to convene a public meeting of its
in-
habitants, for the purpose of appealing to ~their
sympathies in favour of their suffering country-
men ; and that in like manner every banking-
house in the county ought to be individually re..
quested to receive contributions for their benefit.
„..

_ .
That such applications would be universally and
cheerfully complied with there can be no doubt ;
and as little can it be questioned that the fhime of
philanthropy, thus kindled throughout Cornwall,
instead of being confined to the immediate vicinity
of Penzance, would be communicated to the re-

molest parts of the kingdom, and speedily enable
the Committee fully to accomplish the object of
its formation."