The Sun.
London, England, 1842-04-11 00:00:00

INCOME TAX.

A paper published in Birmingham recommends that
every man shall be required to make a return of his
income within the range of twenty-five per cent., more
or less, of what he believes it really to be ; for example :
—a man returning his income "400/. within the range of
twenty-five per cent., more or less "—it cannot be known
by the public whether his income be 3001 or 5001, or
any intermediate sum ; or
500 returned may be any sum between 375 and 625
900 ditto ditto 675 to 1,125

1,200 ditto ditto 900 to 1,500
2,000 ditto ditto 1,500 to 2,500
and so on : thus great facility in making the return, and
a liberal margin diminishing the obnoxious exposure
consequent on a rigid and exact return, would be provided.
The per centage is to be charged on the amount stated
in the return, except in cases where the Commissioners
have good reason to suppose that the real income actually
exceeds, by one-third, the amount so sated.
It may be objected that every one would assess his
income twenty-five .per cent too low. This is an erro-
neous conclusion, the probability being that many per-
sons would avail themselves of the 'latitude given, to
determine on an average, to prevent the necessity of
altering their returns annually, * in consequence of
fluctuations in business, &c. ; but grant the fact, the
worst that could ensue would be that the Minister would,
for the first year, receive a smaller amount of revenue
than he had calculated on ; the defalcation would be
made up the next year by a proportionate increase of
per centage, without unfairness to any individual, every
one having had the opportunity of determining the
average on which to make his return within a liberal
range.
[This might• be very well if an income tax wer
necessary for the service of the State, but it is only
necessary to keep alive monopoly, and, therefore, ought
not to be supported or recommended in any shape. lt• it
were in lieu of indirect taxes, we might say something in
its favour ; but it is an addition to them, intended to
perpetuate the indirect taxes on sugar and corn.—
ED. Sun.]

* Whether the returns be made annually, or on an average
of three years, the principle above laid down would be equally
applicable.

THE " TIMES " versus SIR R. PEEL.
It has been our misfortune several times to differ from Sir
Robert Peel, on questions of precedent and privilege. We
wish he were not so great a stickler for such matters—his con-
duct with respect to them constitutes one of the chief blemishes
of his Parliamentary life. Nothing detracts more materially
from the influence and moral position of a Minister than the
habit of appealing to the mere arbitrary traditions or esprit de
corps of the House of Commons, in opposition to reasonings
founded upon the principles of constitutional liberty and jus-
tice. Nor c n anything be a greater mistake than to suppose
that such a course of proceeding tends, in an enlightened age,
to maintain the dignity or respectability of the House of Com-
mons itself. " Sic volo, sic jubeo, sit pro ratione voluntas"
is not the tone in which those should address the country, who
were elected to be the Representatives, and not the masters,
of the people.
Parliamentary privilege is tolerable only so far as it is neces-
sary for the due performance of the legisla.ive and deliberative
functions of the Houses of Parliament. When carried further,
it is a breach of trust, and a gross abuse of the opportunities
of an irresponsible position : instead of consolidating the system
of constitutional government, it tends directly to its disturbance
and corruption. It was on such grounds as these that we felt
and spoke so strongly as we did, when a former House of
Commons assailed the liberties of the subject in the ease of
the Sheriffs of London. And on similar grounds we may be
prepared to urge (if the new system of Election Committees
should justify our anticipations of its failure), that no pretence
of privilege ought to stand between the people and the pro-
tection of a settled law in the exercise of their electoral fran-
chise. On both these points we have unfortunately differed,
and probably may hereafter differ, from Sir Robert Peel,
Parliamentary precedent, even in matters purely indifferent,
can be of no value except as facilitating the due performance
of the functions of Parliament. Whoever can show that it
operates as an impediment rather than an assistance to public
business, makes out a sufficient case for departing from it.
There is no sanctity in the thing itself, apart from the reasons
on which it was founded. Much more, when it has been
established in derogation or restriction of any popular right,
must there be very strong reasons of expediency indeed to
snake it justifiable in the first instance, and the moment those
reasons cease, the justification for maintaining it is gone.
We have been led to make these remarks by the debate
which took place in the House of Commons on Thursday on
Mr. Duncombe's motion " for discontinuing the practice of
the House which precludes the presentation of petitions upan
the subject of any tax or duty under its caniideraton." Our
first impression, when we saw this notice and the name of the
mover, was, that it was a factious proceeding, designed for the
sole purpose of embarrassing the Government ; and we may still
be permitted to doubt whether it would have been brought for-
ward by the Member for Finsbury, or supported by Mr. Mac-
aulay or Sir G. Grey, if the proposal for a tax presumed to be
unpopular had emanated from a Whig instead of a Conserva-
tive Ministry. But, from whatever motive, the motion was
made and argued, and we have risen from a perusal of the de-
bate with feelings of regret that it should have been resisted
en the part of Sir Robert Peel. We scarcely ever remember
a discussion in which the preponderance of reasoning was more
clearly or more strongly on the side of the minority. To ar-
guments which proved that this practice,' so manifestly diffi-
cult to defend upon any ground of principle, was founded upcn
the apprehension of an inconvenience which, under the present
rules of the House of Commons, could not possibly arise—
nay more, that, under existing circumstances, adherence to it
will have a tendency to produce that very inconvenience against
which it was meant to provide—Sir Robert Peel thought it
enough to answer, that the practice was 144 years old, and that
lie " should consider himself as departing from his duty," if he
did not oppose " a departure from the constitutional usage of
the House of Commons, established at the period of the Revo-
lution, and uniformly adhered to since."
One thing seems to us pretty plain—the usage in question is
a most unconstitutional usage, unless it can be shown to be ne-
cessary or highly expedient for the due performance of the
functions of the House. Sir G. Clerk admitted as much,
when he acknowledged "that the doors of the House should
be thrown open as widely as possible to the petitions of the
people, and that no rule established fee the convenience ofthe
House, or of Members of the Rouse, ought to stand in the
way of that which was the undoubted right and one of the
most valuable privileges of the people." If there is any one
class of subjects on which, abstractly speaking, the people would
seem to have an a fortiori right to be heard, it is that of pro-
positions for the levying
.of new taxes. Taxation, as Mr.
Macaulay well observed, is a matter within the peculiar pro-
vince of the House of Commons—and why ? Because the
House of Commons represents the eople, and the theory of
the Constitution is, that the people should tax themselves. How
absurd, then, to give the House of Commons an exclusive con-
trol over taxation, because it represents the sentiments of the
people, and then to debar the people from access to the House
of Commons in the usual constitutional way, for the purpose of
expressing their sentiments upon this subject ! •
Prima facie, the case is so strong, that the usage seems
hardly justifiable under any circumstances. But under the old
practice, which suffered petitions to be presented, and speeches
to be made and deba'es taken upon them, at any or every
. Atting of the House, the inconvenience of receiving petitions
against new taxes, would have been se great, that it was an
absolute matter of necessity to exclude them. In the words
of Mr. Fox, as quoted en Thursday by Sir G. Clerk, " if it
were allowed to any man in the country to present petitions
against any new tax by which he might be affected, it would be

perfectly impossible for the business of the country to go on."
Why ? Because, as Mr. Macaulay said, every member of the
Opposition might have made a speech upon every petition,
and it could never have been known when general business
would commence. But now the case is totally altered. The
House now sits for two hours in the afternoon on purpose
to transact private business and receive petitions ; and
no petition can be presented when the sitting is re-
sumed for general business. Every individual in the
nation might now petition separately upon every subject which
comes under discussion in Parliament without involving any
impediment whatever to the public business. Speeches cannot
now be made, or debates taken, upon any petition, except by
special motion, of which previous notice must be given ; and it
would be easy (should that be thought expedient) to receive
petitions on the subject of taxation in the ordinary course,
_without permitting them to be afterwards made the subject
of motions. There could, therefore, be no inconvenience in re-
ceiving these petitions; but, on the contrary, there may be great
inconvenience in continuing to reject them. " See," said Mr.
Macaulay, "what will be the consequence—the repre-
sentatives of those constituencies which are opposed to the
tax, prevented from presenting their petitions, will be induced
to introduce them into their speeches. They cannot, of course,
be interdicted from reading any petitions in their speeches.
Many will do this; I, for one, will do it on the first opportu-
nity ; and thus petitions, denied reception in a legitimate and
regular way, will be forced into notice in an irregular and ille-
gitimate way."
We are sure that Sir R. Peel, in the course which he has
taken in this matter, has no other object in view than to main-
tain a long-established Parliamentary usage. But to maintain
a Parliamentary wage without a reason, is a kind of Conserva-
tism cf which we do not appreciate the value.

The New York line-of packet ship Quebec, Capt.
F. H. Hebard, left the St. Katherine's Deck on Friday morn-
ing for America, with 200 cabin and steerage passengers emi-
grating to the United States and Canada via New Yotk. The
emigrants are chiefly from the agricultural districts in the home
counties, with a few tradesmen and mechanics.
FRACTURE OF A MAN'S LEG BY AN ELEPHANT.—
On Thursday afternoon, about four o'clock, John Glascott, a
groom in the service of Mr. Turner, of Dean-street, Commer-
cial-road East, accompanied by his master and three children,
entered a caravan and booth in a piece of waste ground oppo-
site :Philpot-street, Commercial-road, in which an elephant
has been exhibited for some weeks past, for the purpose of wit-
nessing the feats of the animal and other performances. The
elephant, which is described as ten years old, and one of the
most harmless and docile that has ever been in this country,
was marching about the booth with three men on his back,
and perfectly quiet. The moment the animal had espied Glas-
cott, who at the time had his child, a boy of about four years
old, in his arms, it became exceedingly restless and out of tem-
per. This latter fact was evinced by his bellowing out loudly
two or three times, and then stretching out his trunk, wound
it round the left leg of Glascott, lifted him off the ground, and
dashed him with much force to the further corner of the booth.
On being taken up, it was found that Glascott had received a
severe fracture of the left leg. He was instantly removed to
the London Hospital.
GATESIIEAD.—A meeting of the Town Council
was held on Friday, the Mayor in the chair, when resolutions
against the income tax were agreed to unanimously. Another
meeting was held in the evening of the same day, in the Town-
hall, to petition the House of Commons, and to memoralLe
the Queen, in favour of " a full, fair, and free representation
of the people ;" in other words, for Universal Suffrage. There
was a crowded attendance. The first resolution, moved by
Mr. Alderman Brockett, and seconded by Mr. James Clephan,
was as follows :—" That by the constitution of this country
the House of Commons , should be the representative of the
great body of the people ; but that, in practice, it is the
creature of a class, the majority of its members being elected by
the aristocratic interest, already more than amply represented
in the House of Lords." Another resolution described Par-
liamentary Rerorm, on the basis of Universal Suffrage, to be the
only efficient remedy for the grievances of the nation : but the
Chartists moved an amendment, annexing the remaining points
of the Charter; and the resolution was passed as amended.
This day (Friday) the Town-Council of Newcastle will hold a
special meeting, to petition against the income tax ; and the
High Sheriff of Northumberland ( Sir M. W. Ridley, Bart )
hal convened a county meeting on the same subject, to be held
on Wednesday next, in Morpeth. The requisition to Sir
Matthew bears 271 signatures.
21 he nomination of Sir George Arthur to the Go-
vernment of Bombay was very unwillingly confirmed, it is
said, by the Court of Directors. The appointment is most un-
popular in the City amongst the houses connected with India,
and has given very general dissatisfaction to the Conservative
party. _ _

LIBEL UPON THE QUEEN.—Messrs. C. Phillips,
Clarkson, and Doane, have received retainers for the prc-
secution against Mr. Gregory, editor of the Satirist, in a
matter referred to in our Marlborough-street police report,
but it is not expected that the trial will come on at the present
session, as the defendant will doubtless enter into recognizances,
and very probably remove the case by a writ of certiorari into
a superior Court.

CRUELTY TO COMMON-COUNCILMEN.—It appears,
from a complaint made by Sir Peter Laurie on Friday
at Guildhall, that the members of the Common Connell,
at the meeting on Tuesday, were locked in for three
hours. It must have been 'a sad punishment for the
Tories to be compelled to listen all that time •.-o speeches
against the Corn-laws ; and Mr. Taylor, therefore, ought
to be severely fined for such wanton cruelty.
THE OFFICE or TOWN CLERK.—On Saturday
the Committee of Clerks and Office.s assembled at Guildhall
for the purpose of making arrangements relative to the office of
town clerk. Mr. Richard Lambert Jones was in the chair ;
and some details with respect to the duties of the office were
entered into, and some regulations were made. It is now
quite certain that the present City Solicitor will be elected to
the vacant office. The contest for the office of City Solicitor
will, it is expected, be a spirited one ; and Mr. Dobie is ecu-
fidently spoken of by many of the members of the Corporation
as likely to be the successful candidate. He is very strongly
supported by some of the most influential men of both Courts,
who are fully aware of his high capabilities, and appreciate his
character and general claims. Mr. Ellis, who was a partner
in the house of Alderman Thomas Wood and Ellis, is also a
candidate, and so is Mr. Jackson, but it. is supposed that the
latter will not go to the
We are sorry to say that we have not as yet seen
any such symptoms of a revival of trade as would lead us to
hope that employment is becoming more plentiful, or that the
destitute poor who arc out of work can as yet safely be thrown
altogether upon their own resources.—Manchester Paper.
REDUCTION OF IVAGES.—We hear on all hands of
reductions in the wages of manufacturing workmen. Yesterday,
we believe, the hand-loom weavers in the employ of Ales,rs.
Fielden Brothers, of Todmorden, had an abatement made of
about 20 per cent. on their previous earnings.—Munehester
Paper.
PROJECTED MARRIAGE FOR THE QUEEN OF SPAIN.
'—We (Post) have received the following very important com-
munication from a source to which we and our readers have on
many previous occasions been indebted for valuable and accu•
rate information :—'' We are enabled to inform you that the
marriage of Queen Isabella the Second of Spain—a question
which threatened to produce serious dissension between the
French and English Cabinets—is on the point of being defini-
tively settled. The two governments have arrived at the con-
clusion, that in order to avoid any collision between the great
European powers, a consort should be selected for her Majesty
from amongst the pi inces who are totally unconnected with
either of these countries, in order that neither England nor
France should be enabled to exercise any undue preponderance
in the political affairs of Spain. For these cogent reasons,
England has abandoned her project of marrying the Queen to a
Prince of the house of Coburg, France has withdrawn her
claims for a Prince of the Orleans' family, and Austria has
renounced her hopes of an alliance between the youthful Queen
and an Austrian archduke. We are enable Ito state, upon the
best authority, that the combined choice of England and France
has at length definitively fallen upon a Prince of Bavaria; and
M. Fageut, who has recently returned from London, has just
been sent or, an extraordinary missiun to Vienna, in order to
obtain the sanction of Austria to this marriage, and also her
mediation with the Courts of Berlin and St. Petersburg for
their consent and approbation.
THROWING ORANGE PEEL ON THE PAVEMENT.—
Mr. Pemberton, the City Surveyor, brought this dangerous
practice under the notice of the Bench, citing two or three in-
stances in which very serious falls had been the consequence.
He wished to know whether the Magistrates would feel them-
selves warranted in granting a summons for the apprehension o
offenders. Having examined the City Act, the Bench replied
in the affirmative, and consequently steps will be taken to put
a stop to this nuisance.— Worcestershire Chronicle. We wish
the London police would follow this good example. Scarcely a day
passes without serious accidents, caused by the wicked practice of
throwing pieces of orange peel on the foot pavement. If the
police were ordered to pack them up, they would soon find the
offenders, and put an end to the nuisance.'
MANCHESTER, APRIL 7.—The following requisi-
tion, agreed to at a public meeting of the electors, held in the
Town-hall on Friday, has received between three and four
thousand signatures • it is addressed to the Members for
the Borough—" Showeth, That, in the opinion of your
requisitionists, being electors of Manchester, the proposell tax
upon the profits of trade is calculated to aggravate the difficul-
ties under which the cotton manufacturer is labouring, and to
increase the sufferings of the working classes, by diminishing
the fund for their employment, and lowering the wages of la-
bour. That the deficiency of the revenue has been caused by
theoperation of baneful monopolies, especially the Corn-laws,
which are undermining the trade of this district ; and that to
attempt to maintain the national income by taxes upon the
profits of capital, and to leave virtually untouched the chief
source of thepresent commercial distress, must speedily destroy
the fund from which the revenue of the State, the employment
of the people, and the income of all classes, are mainly drawn.
That your requisitionists hereby call on you, Mark Philips and
Thomas Milner Gibson, Esqs., Members for the Borough, to
oppose the imposition of any new taxes, until all the mono-
polies on food are abolished ; and that, in accordance with the
above resolution, a requisition to the Members be prepared for
the signatnres of
the electors."__

BRUSSELS, APRIL 6.—To-day, at two o'clock, a
great solemnity was performed in the new town of Leopold.
This evening the Cardinal Archbishop of Malines laid the first
stone of the Church of St. Joseph, erected by the Society for
the enlargement and improvement of the capital, which has
founded the new town. General Vandermeere has obtained
permission to see his mother, who is dangerously ill. Ile went
to her residence on Monday in a carriage, accompanied by a
police-officer.
DUBLIN, APRIL 6.—Sir Edward Blakeney, the
Commander of the Forces, met with a serious accident today
from a vicious horse, which bit him in the face, and inflicted a
grievous wound. Sir Edward was about to be sworn in as one
of the Lords Justices to act during the absence of the Lord
Lieutenant in England, but it is apprehended that he will not
be able to undertake the duties of the office, nor attend to any
business for some time.

ABSURDITY OF PEEL'S INCOME TAX.--ASIIBY DE
LA ZOUCH.--( From a Correspondent.)—My annual income is
1511., my neighbour's 149/. ; Sir Robert's proposition imposes
upon me a yearly tax of 4/. Bs. Id., and upon my neighbour
no tax whatever,thus leavingme anet income of 1461. 11s. 11d.,
being 21. Bs. Id. less than my poorer, but more fortunate
neighbour.
MALT.—A return has been made to the House of
Commons of the quarters of malt made during the year'
ending the sth day of January, 1842, together with the
amount of duty payable thereon, from which it appears
that the total quantity of malt charged with duty was
4,520,541 quarters, and the receipts amounted to
4,889,2431. 17s. Bd.
FIRST PLAY-BILL ISSUED FROM DRURY-LANE
THEATRE.-April 8, 1663, is the date of the first play-bill
that issued from Drury-lane Theatre :—(Copy)—" By his Ma-
jesty his Company of Comedians, at the New Theatre, in
Drury-lane, This day, be ing Thursday, April 8, 1663, will be
acted a Comedy, called The Hvmovrovs Lieetenant, The
King, Mr. Wintersell ; Demetrivs, Mr. Hart; Selerivs, Mr.
Burt ' • Leontvs, Major Mabon ; Lieytenant, Mr. Gl)n ; Celia,
Mrs. Marshall. The play will begin at 3 o'clock exactly.
Boxes, 4s. ; Pit, 2s. 6d. ;Middle Gallery, Is, 6d.; Upper Gal-
lery, Is."
A PosEß.—As a teacher of the " young idea" was
employed, the other day, in his " delightful task" of learning
a sharp urchin to cypher on a slate, the precocious pupil put
the following question to his instructor :—.“Whare dis a' the
figures gang tiil when they're rubbed ea ? "

FRANCE.
The leading articles of the Paris Journals of Wed-
nesday are, with only two or three exceptions, upon
the discussion of the day before in the Chamber of
Deputies, and, independently of their being almost
a repetition of what was said by the different speakers,
they are too much in the way of analysis to offer any-
thing for extract. We find an article in the Debats
on the war in China, which is not without interest, as
showing the view taken of it by that journal. There
are in it some facts which have already been before
our readers, but we could not separate them from the
comments of our Contemporary without risk of giving`
the latter unfaithfully. The Debats says :
" The marvellous facility of the victories hitherto.
gained by the English is easily explained by the im-
mense superiority of the arms they use. In every
action they have yet fought, excepting one, they com-
menced Ihe attack with their vessels of war, whilst,
with their thirty and eighty pounders, they destroyed
at leisure the miserable fortifications of their enemies.
To disembark, then, and finish the rout was a mere
amusement. During the two years that the war has
lasted, the Chinese have made extraordinary im-
provements in their gunnery.. In 1839, Commis-
sioner Lin promised enormous sums to any one who
would produce a 30 pounder, for it appears that then,
perhaps, not a single one could be found in the whole
of China. At present the English find in abundance
pieces of this calibre, and even greater. It is also in
vain for them to destroy ; the Chinese Government,
which is represented in the English accounts as altoge-
ther without resources, repairs and renews with won-
derful facility. If the private letters which arrive are to
be believed, there cannot be less than 400 pieces of can-
non in the fortifications which the Chinese have erected
neighbourhood of Canton, since the month of May in the
last. With respect to portative arms, the superiority of
the English is the same as for the larger pieces. What
can an unfortunate Chinese, embarrassed with a huge
bow six feet long, a heavy quiver, a useless shield,
and often a lance, whose only effective weapon is the
matchlock, what can such a being do against the
musket, with bayonet and percussion lock of the Eng-
lish soldier? But, on this point, the Chinese are
also making efforts to place themselves on an equality
with their adversaries. The Government of Canton
possesses at present, it is said, 15 or 20,000 muskets
of European manufacture, which will doubtless serve
as models to Chinese industry, whose wonderful powers
of imitation are so well known. As to the source from
whence the arms are obtained, we can believe
without much difficulty the report that, for the most
part, they have not been brought directly to Canton
or Macao by European traders, but have been pur-
chased in India, Batavia, or Manilla, for the Chi-
nese, by some of those numerous colonists which are
in the habit of constantly communicating with China.
It is also said that they have got up the cannons of
the French vessel Magicienne, lost last year on the
Palavan bank, near Manilla, and that these pieces are
at present on the ramparts of Canton. In everything
relating to the art of fortification also, the same im-
provement has taken place. The English officers who
have lately: visited those works recently raised about
Canton, declare that they are infinitely superior to
everything hitherto done by the Chinese. In place
of granite walls, of which the splinters are so dan-
gerous for the defenders, the ramparts are con-
structed as in Europe of earth, in which the bullet
disappears. In place of a continued wall, presenting
one line of fire to the enemy, they have now erected
works with projecting and retreating angles, al-
lowing a great mass of fire to be poured
from cross-batteries on the same point. The
report is, that these works have been con-
structed under the direction of European officers,
whose names even have reached us. To judge by the
Hong-Hong Gazette, which mentions the names of
Van Schulte, Van Bralam, and Van Schruick, these
officers must have belonged to the Dutch engineering
department. All these circumstances, joined to the
deplorable state of commercial affairs, excite serious
reflections respecting the future, and increase to the
highest degree the ill-humour of the English who are
established in China. Sir 11. Pottinger, who was
welcomed, a few months ago, with such lively demon-
strations of joy, is now no better treated than was
Captain Elliott. During 1841, only fifteen millions
of pounds of tea were exported for England, whereas,
in former years, the exports amounted to 32 or even
34 millions."

The Constitucional of Barcelona, of the 30th ult.,
states that a person named Valleron has denounced to
the Alcade of Molla the existence of a factious band
organised in France by a Carlist named Ninbo, and
consisting of nine Frenchmen, who reside at San Lo-
renzo de Cerdas, whilst their chief has a house near
the frontier. It also states that another band of
Frenchmen had carried an inhabitant of Tordella into
France, and kept him there a prisoner until he had
paid a rimsorn of twenty ounces of gold. The Con-
stitucional, which is excessively annoyed at having
received notice of prosecution for its offensive attacks
upon the King of the French, asserts that the facts,
the authority for which is, to say the least, doubtful,
are connived at by the French Government, and ex-
presses its astonishment that the Spanish Ministry
should think of prosecuting journals which denounce
such conduct.

A letter from Madrid states that the Queen, on the
occasion of Good Friday, and according to annual
custom, commuted the punishment of death in favour
of three criminals.

A letter from Stockholm, March 22, in the Ham-
burgh Gazette, says:—" A scandalous scene has taken
place here. Mr. Scott, an English Methodist preacher,
who for some years past has been endeavouring to
propagate the doctrines of his sect, was lately ordered
for trial for certain illegalities. On Palm Sunday
the crowd flocked to his place of worship, and inter-
rupted him when performing divine service. They
loaded him with abusive epithets, and broke the win-
(lows. An inquiry has been ordered, and the en-
lightened classes of society express the greatest regret
at the occurrence.

The complete edition of the works of Frederick 11.,
now preparing fur publication at the expense of the
Prussian Government, will be enriched with a nume-
rous collection of letters written to the King by the
celebrated Landgravine, Caroline de Hesse-Darm-
stadt. llis letters to her are in the archives of the
Count of Darmstadt, enclosed in a casket sealed with
the arms of the Landgravine. Application has been
frequently made to obtain copies of these communi-
cations, but without success. The letters of this
Princess, however, are said to contain much valuable
information respecting the King's relations with the
Governments of the time. He was fond of opening
his heart freely to her, for he esteemed her highly, as
is proved by the inscription he placed on the monu-
ment erected to her memory—" Woman by sex, but
man by talent."
The Leipsie journals mention the arrival in that
city from Russia of a German who has attained the
great age of 119 years. He was born near Friburg
on the Unstrut, in Saxony, but when only 19 went
to St. Petersburg, and worked as a locksmith. He
was afterwards admitted into the Royal Manufactory
of Arms, where remained he until a short time ago,
when the Emperor noticed him and promised to con-
fer upon him any favour he would ask. The old man
desired permission to return to his own country.
his Majesty not only granted his request, but sent
him in a private carriage attended by a physician.
After resting at Leipsic a few hours, he hastened on
to his native place.
A letter from Dunkirk states that the ships fitting
out for the cod-fisheries are more numerous this
season than they were in the last, and that seventy-
three have already been entered at the marine-office.
A naval court-martial was held a few days ago at
Toulon, upon Lieutenant Brun, late Commander of
the Brandon steamer, for the loss of the vessel some
time since by shipwreck. It being proved that no
blame was due to Lieutenant Brun, he was honour-
ably acquitted.
The Journals of Chartres notice the appearance
there of a man, who, though he will complete his
1034:1 year on the 4th of August next, walks with
ease about the town, viewing all its objects with his
own eyes, which as well as his hearing, remain per-
fectly good.
At the annual general meeting of the Societe des
I.uteurs Dramatiques, held on Sunday at the Tivoli
d'Hiver, M. Viennet in the chair, M. Arnould, one of
the Secretaries, read the Report of the Committee for
the last year. It announced that the Minister of the
Interior had officially promised that a second Lyric
Theatre should shortly be opened. The Report also
gave the following statement of the general receipts
of dramatic writers from their privileges during the
last five years at Paris and in the Departments, viz. :
In 1837, 712,722 f. ; in 1838, 769,032. f.; in 1839,
758,348 f. ; in 1840, 885,454 f.; in 1841, 842,394 f,
making a total of 3,967,950 f. The meeting then
elected its officers for the present year, and broke up.
An English gentleman was passing two days ago,
wrapped in his cloak, through the Passage des Pa-
noramas, which was very much crowded, and had
reached the Boulevart:Montmartre without suspecting
any attempt on his pocket, when a police officer ac-
costed him and inquired if he had not been robbed.
A moment enabled him to ascertain that his purse,
with 35 Napoleons, was gone. The officer, however,
immediately quieted his alarm by producing the
money intact, and inviting him to go to the office of
a Commissary, before whom an old offender named
Berowy had been taken, being caught in the act of
receiving the purse from a confederate who had
escaped.

VESSELS SPOKEN WlTH.—London, Java, 'to Table
Bay, Dec. 15, lat. 24 S., lon. 33 E. ; Anna Catharina,
Batavia to Amsterdam, Jan. 2, lat. 34, lon. 28; Glanmire,
4, lat. 34, lon. 24 ; Veremingino, Batavia, to Amsterdam,
6, lat. 35 ; Henry Davidson, London to Bombay ; Tho-
mas Coutts, London to China, Feb. 13, lat. 1 S. lon. 21
W. ; Barbara, Mauritius to Liverpool (the master and
to New York, 26;18.5,
several of the crew laid up with scurvy), 7th ult., lat. 33,
lon. 33 ; Gladiator, London to. New York, 26$ 1at.;45,
lon. 22 ; Marquis Bute,. Cardiff
48, lon, 17, by the Waikato, (waved of