The Sun.
London, England, 1842-01-06 00:00:00

PORTUGAL.

By her Majesty's brigantine Lynx, Lieutenant G.
J. B irilem, we have received the intermediate date due
from Lisbon prior to the sailing of the Tagus steamer
of Dec. 19.
LISBON, DEC. 18, 1841.—1 learn that M. Aguilar,
the Spanish Minister, is about to proceed to Madrid
on a short leave of absence, for the purpose of taking
his seat in the Chamber of Senators. M. Soler, the
Secretary of Legation, is to act for him meanwhile.
The new treaty about to be concluded (but happily not
yet so), merely stipulates, if I am correctly informed,
that our trade shall be placed on a footing with that
of the most favoured nation. Now this is perfectly
absurd ; in Portugal there should only be one most fa-
voured nation, and that one should be England. The
fact is, that for the last eight years we have been treat-
ing this country with far too much deference, and in so
doing have gone on weakening our influence by filling
the heads of the Portuguese with the most extravagant
notions of their own political importance. The
system of diplomacy we ought to pursue, in our
dealings with Portugal, is very simple, and requires
none of those astute mancouvriogs employed
by great nations to outwit each other. In out-
ward show let us pay as much ceremonious respect to
the independence of this mighty power as would satisfy
the dignity of the Grand Lama •f Thibet himself ; but
when a point is to be gained, instead of striving for it
by stratagems which here are needless, and arguments
to which the Portuguese always turn a deaf ear, let
the words " you must do it, or we double the import
duties on your wines, fruit," &c., be boldly uttered, and
the effect will be instant acquiescence. This was our
former mode of treating with Portugal in the days of
good old John the Sixth, and it ought to be adopted
again. While on this subject I must not omit to men-
tion that the increased rates of duties on foreign woollen
manufactures, English of course included, began to be
levied on Saturday last. This measure will necessarily
exclude a great many sorts of our coarser woollens.
There has been some very severe weather on this
coast. The Dutah brig Maria, and the Americanbrig Co-
lumbus, were both wrecked near Cape St. Vincent some
day last week. The crews were fortunately saved.
In touching upon the subject of our commercial
relations with Portugal I omitted to notice one evil,
which weighs sorely upon British traders resident at
or frequenting this port, and the removal of which
ought to be insisted upon by our Government in the
new treaty about to be concluded. I allude to the
Custom-house and port regulations, the grinding op-
pression of which has of late years become intolerable.
Of course the Portuguese have a right to make what-
ever regulations they may deem proper for the preven-
thin of contraband ; and were this legitimate object the
only one no foreign nation could have any right to
complain. But when it becomes quit: apparent, as it
really is, that many of the regulations in question
are framed fur no other purpose than to be a source
of emolument in the shape of fines and whole-
sale seizures, there certainly is ample grouad for re-
monstrance ; and where there are negotiations (or a
treaty actually pending it would indeed be folly not to
make the removal of the evil the subject of an express
stipulation. My attention has again been forcibly
called to it by a couple of eases of great hardship which
occurred here last week. The customs' regulation in I
this port is that ale, porter, and wines can only be im-
ported in cases or hampers containing three dozens of
bottles each, on pain of seizure, which, in fact, is the
penalty for every irregularity, however slight. Mr. G.,
a respectable merchant, ordered out from Liverpool a
hamper with three dozens of ale for his own use. On
the passage some person on board contrived to slip his
hand into the hamper and abstract one bottle ; arid for
this deficiency in the number required by the regulation
the other two dozen and eleven were seized. Mr. G.
ventured to say that he thought it rather hard that be-
cause one bottle had been stolen on board he should
be robbed of the rest on shore ; for which piece of
insolence, as the Director-General termed it, he was
turned out of the Custom-house. The other case was
that of the seizure of a boat belonging to an English
merchant schooner, the master of which, who had
never been in this port, and could not consequently be
expected to have the whole of its multitudinous and
complicated regulations all at once at his fingers' ends,
went on board without going through the useless for-
mality of calling at the guard-boat to ask leave to do so.
Her Majesty's steam-vessel, Devastation, having on
board the new Protestant Bishop of Jerusalem, ar-
rived here on Monday last, and sailed again on Thurs-
day in the prosecution of her voyage to Syria. S`►c
came in merely to afford the Bishop an opportunity
of seeing Lisbon.
FALMOUTH, JAN. 3.—The West India steamers left
this port this afternoon, the Tay having 60 sacks of
letters and 30 of newspapers ; and the Thames, which
it appears now will be the first to come home, a pro.
portionate increase for Demerara, Mexico, &c.

The produce of the French Press, during the
last year has been—works of all languages, 6,300 ; plans
and maps, 145 ; engravings, lithographic plates, &c.,
1,163 ; niv,.-dcal pieces, 428,
•

PRICE 5d

SUICIDE AT CHESTERFIELD.

Between one and two o'clock on the morping of Sa-
turday last, the inhabitants of Beetwell-street, Ches-
terfield, were alarmed by the shrieks of a female, whom,
it afterwards proved was the wife of a stockinger named
Gager, who put an end to his existence by cutting his
throat with a razor. Deceased has left a wife and five
children to deplore their melancholy loss. We under-
stand deceased was in the army many years, but had no
retiring pension, and that latterly his health bad given
way very much. Though not in. a state of absolute
destitution, the family have suffered much from want of
proper nourishment.

- At five o'clock on Saturday evening_ an is quest was
held at the Spread Eagle, before Mr: Hutchinson, Co-
roner.

Elizabeth Gager sworn—My husband was fifty-five
years of age. He kept his bed for the last six weeks,
owing to ill health, which was originally caused by
palpitation of the heart. He doseil most on Saturday,
and was quite still, but at dusk hour he became as if
his brain was gone. He got up once or twice in
the nigh and walked about the chamber, pulling him-
self as if he would tear the flesh from his bones. He re-
peatedly said, " What a night this will be What a
wearisome night this will be !" and added, " All this
yard won't hold me, I know !" This was between eight
and nine o'clock. Having some clothes to mangle (for
I earned a few shillings" occasionally by washing), I went
out, leaving my eldest, lad with him. During cry ab-
sence he sent the lad doivn stairs to the youngest child,
which was in the cradle. When I got home again, I
said to my lad, " How comes thou to be down stairs ?"
He said, "My father sent me down." I then went up
stairs to see how he was going on," and found him beat-
ing his hands and jumping out of bed. I reasoned with
him as well as I could; his answer was, " It will be of
no use ! it will be of no use !" He afterwards laid him•
self down, and seemed more tranquil. I asked him
what he would have for his supper ? He said " No-
thing." I tried to persuade hilas to have a bit of
something, and he then said, " Well, I think I will
have a mouthful ;" and I fried him a bit of lean mut-
ton, which he ate very greedily. I went down stairs
to starch a. few caps, and went up stairs again be-
tween eleven and twelve o'clock ; he was then quite
raging mad, and on my entering the room he raised
himself in bed, and ordered me to go out of the room and
fetch somebody. I objected at first, saying I'must not
fetch Mrs. Camomile again, as she was up with him last
night. He then got out of bed and went to the adjoin-
ing room to look at the three children who were in bed,
and on finding them awake he said, " Oh, what you are
• wakened,' I see." He then attempted to push me
down stairs, saying I must fetch some one, for he could
not live. 1 told him Mrs. Camomile was in bed ; but
I went down stairs and pulled the fire together, think-
ing he would be more reconciled. This must be between
twelve and one o'clock. After I bad put the fire to-
gether I heard a dreadful groan, but before I got to the
. foot of the stairs I heard my eldest boy (who was one
of the three in bed) shout " Oh, my father is cutting
his throat, mother !" I could not go further, but ran
out of the house and give an alarm. Mrs. Camomile
and others came. I have not been in the house since.
My husband enjoyed poor health for the last twelve
years, and could not earn much wages on that account.
He has not had sufficient to eat. What little I earned
was not enough to maintain us. I have had four loaves
a week for the last three weeks from the Union, and
last week four loaves ar d Is. 6d. in money. The town
surgeon attended my husband. He kept his razors in a
cupboard by the bed side.
The Juiy having no doubt that the deceased com-
mitted the deed whilst in a state of insanity, re-
turned a verdict accordingly.

CITY OF HEREFORD.
THE NEW TORY MAGISTRATES.

At a full meeting of the Town Cannel' on Saturday
last, it was Resolved—

That the Mayor, having laid before this meeting the
Letter of het Majesty's Secretary of State, that he
(Sir James Graham) had recommended to the Lord
Chancellor the appointment of four Magistrates of this
Borough, the Council respectfully, but firmly protest
against such procedure on the following ground.:--
Ist. That as the present body of Magistrates has been
found fully adequate to the discharge of the Magisterial
duties of the city, the unsolicited addition of four
Justices is a measure not in any degree required by
the exigencies of the Municipality.
2d. That the recommendation of the Secretary of
State was perfectly unknown to the Town Council, as
well as the citizens at large, and that, consequently, it
is not consistent with that course of respect for the feel-
ings of the inhabitants, which the city has a constitu-
tional right to expect.
3d. That the Town Councillors, being the municipal
representatives of the inhabitants, are, in all respects,
qualified to recommend to the Crown, for Magisterial
appointment, those of their fellow-citizens who enjoy a
full share of public esteem and public confidence.
4th. That the Town Council of this city unanimously
regard this extraordinary and unprecedented procedure
of her Majesty's Secretary of State as unconstitutional ;
repugnant to the free and independent spirit of our mu-
nicipal institutions ; and eminently calculated to bring
the scat •f justice, which should always be venerated,
nto popular contempt.

BRIEF RULES FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF
♦LL WIIO WRITE FOR NEWSPAPERS.—Write
Make as few erasures and interlineations as possible. In
writing names of persons and places be very particular
to make every letter distinct and clear ; also in using
words not English. Write only on one side of the paper.
Employ no abbreviations whatever, but write out every
word in full. Address communications not to any par-
ticular persons, but to " The Editors." Finally, when
you sit down to write do not be in a hurry. Consider
that hurried writing makes slow pyintinf.
Yesterday morning the nine o clock railway-
train from Birmingham met with an obstruction about
four miles from Spetchley, by one of the wheels of the
engine breaking. The passengers alighted while another
engine was sent for, and amused themselveS by walking
about three miles into Spctchley. In consequence of the
delay the train arrived at Cheltenham about an hour be-
hind its usual time, =oh to the annoyance of many
gentlemen who had business at the Sessions, and to
whom an hour was of great consequence.--Cheltenham
Examiner.

Mr. Sotheby, for upwards of half a century at
the head of the firm of the same name in Wellington-
street, died on Tuesday morning, at his residence,
Cleve's Lodge, Chelsea, in the 71st year of his age. This
firm, which was the first established in this country fur
the exclusive sale of literary property by auction, com-
menced in the year 1743, and has continued ever since to
be the principal channel through which the most noted
collections of books, prints, and other objects of vertu,
both public and private, have been brought into the
market. _ _

THE WEATHER IN RUSSIA.—ST. PETERS-
BURGH, DEC. 19.—Our winter this year is the most ex-
traordinary that we ever experienced. At this period
last year the cold was excessive, and the frost continued
without intermission all the winter through. This year,
on the contrary, we find in the journal called the Poss-
rednik (Mediator), the following description of the
present December spring :—" In our city gardens
no trace of winter is to be- seen. The grass-
plots
are all green, and the flowers are budding out. To-
day, December 1 (13th), I gathered in asgarden at Was-
41i-Ostrow a nosegay consisting of daisies, half-blown
primroses, auriculas, artemisia abrotanim, and various
other flowers, which I carried to an invalid lady residing
on the English Quay. I rowed across the Neva in a
little boat, the river being as free of ice as in the month
of May." _ _ .

FIDELITY OF A DOG.—A fortnight ago we
announced the melancholy death by drowning of a
passenger on board the Helen Macgregor steam-boat,
.while lying at Oban, on her passage from Glasgow. No
one on board knew him, nor did any of the villagers ; but
his funeral rites were performed by a Christian people,
and the cause of misfortune aroused their sympathies.
They spread the mort cloth over the bier ; but the tassels
hung loosely—unclaimed--and told he was far from his
kinsmen. No fond relative was there to mourn the loss
of a friend—no aged parent to regret his untimely fate—
no orphan boy to weep for the loss of a father ; but he
went not to the grave unmournecl ; in addition to the
general sympathy, he was followed by an unfeigned
mourner—the companion of his toils—his faithful shep-
herd dog, who, though unaccountably absent at the fatal
moment, has given evident signs of extreme attachment
to his master. He howled piteously as they bore him
away, and, on lowering him into the grave, he could
scarcely bo restrained from being buried along with him.
As the funeral party moved slowly away, the faithful
animal remained alone—the mournful imago of fidelity
and attachment. Nor has the cold blasts of gloomy De-
cember f*ced him from his post; there he still remains;
and his fidelity has enlisted the commisseration of the
villagers, who give him the necessary food ; and though
the common green mound alone marks the grave of the
deceased, this faithful animal has supplied him with
mourners, and a monumental effigy more interesting than
the most grave or pompous eulogiurn.—lnifernesi Courier.
HUNTING ANECDOTE.—It is a curious coin-
cidence that the hounds of Lord Emlyn and those of
R. B. Child, Esq., Newton, should both have run a hare
into the water during the preceding week. In the former
instance his Lordship's dotes followed the game through
a large pond of water. and ultimately bagged the hare.
In the latter, both puss and the dogs were seen floating
down the mill lest near Westfield, Rose-market. It
really was one of the most extraordinary sights ima-
ginable to behold the timid little animal as it were fall
into the " silent stream," and her inveterate and inde-
fatigable pursuers dash into the " blue Moselle," swim-
ming breast high down its onward course, and yet unable
to finish the sport. The hare got away from this di-
lemma, but " instant in pursuit, '.these splendid hounds,
never losing scent, followed on, and after two or three
miles hard run " turned her up."--York Herald,