Star.
London, England, 1831-07-29 00:00:00

BREACH OF PRIVILEGP—OO3:MoNs.

Another unlucky " stranger" was captured ia
the House of Commons last night. He not only
ventured into "the enemy'scamp," het was actuaby
present at, and at first counted in, the disvision re-
specting Cockermouth, little everting that in so
doing he was so noar the /;ores mouth. It appeared
that the luckless gentleman is a very respectable gc
tleman of the name of Wentworth residing in Lower
Seymour-street, that he had been under the gallery,
introduced by a member, that his nominee*throut. t
whose means he gained his seat in the house, was Col
Clements, that, when the division came, by duly mu
ved off with others— that, being neurally stranger'
in the the house (never before haring been there.)
he followed, as he thought, the example of his
betters— that, in so doing, he went along divers
passages and sundry winding staircases till he
found himsel in " the gallery"-- that lie
no difference between tho strangers' galled).
and, to him, the humorous strange gentleman';
or side gallery—that he remained, as he sup-
posed a passive spectator, and only in his proper
place ; but that, in the progress of the division,
he was pointed out as no honourable menthe%
Though, as a resident of Seymour-street, he might
, have pleaded a nominal claim on Col. Seymour,
the ruthless Serjeant-at-arms consigned hint to
durance vile,' and there he was detained till tier
speaker resumed the chair, when the caption was to
be mentioned to him. The stranger's name, perhaps,
strange to say, was strangely enough against hint,
for as there are people so fearful of "an enemy I sing
in the camp," it may have been imagined that he
was a spy from " Wentworth House," or a clan-
destine supporter of all schemes to destroy irrespon-
sible, fickle, and not always very rationally c xercised
power. In sober sadness, m-.y it be asked whether
the privileges of the house, or the dignity of Pa rlia-
ment,would have been in any way comp: o.nised,lf thin
gentleman, who was never in the house till last night,
had been told which was the way out for
strangers, instead of being fidgetted by being
taken into custody and locked up in a tittle room
for several hours, to await the Speaker's resump-
tion of the chair? If strangers are to be acc.. mma-
dated under the gallery, or in the gallery, ought so
obvious a mistake on their part, such clear proof
that no insult or breach of Privilege could have been
for an instant contemplated, to subject them to that
sort of ostentatious capture, which, with many in-
dividuals, might not be attended with the most
agreeable consequences. If the messengers were
to take into custody all those who wander out of
the right paths, and even into the side galleries, they
would daily have " prisoners ;" but the mistako
being discovered, the wanderers are set right, and
the privileges of the House remain unscathed.—
Herald.

CIIOLERA.—A letter has been addressed by the
Privy Council to the Moderator of Scotland, re-
questing him to write to the clergymen of the ma-
ritime parishes of Scotland, directing them to cau-
tion the people as to the nature of the cholert
morbus, and recommend them, on account of the
danger to be apprehended, not to communicate with
any vessels arriving on the coast until they shall
have been regularly admitted to entry by the officers
of Customs; and also that he will be pleased to
notify, that persons having any such communica-
tion will be subject to penalties from 501. to 4001.
CHURCH PERSECUTION.—On Thursday las.,
effects belonging to a respectable merchant on
the South Bridge, were romped at the Cross,
to pay the Ministers' stipend tax. A great
number of people collected to witness the
sale. The goods were bought in, to prevent
their being carried to the weigh house, the
only bidders present being a friend of the props
ir-
tor, and a town officer among the crowd, who
gave a bode to keep up the appearance of a sale,
A laughing faced porter stood in juxtaposition
with the auctiones-, like the devil at a
hwyer's " lug,* beating aloft a huge
board, labelled on each sdo with " Houp
for ministers stipends," This outrage on the
feelings of the inhabitants is going forward
in defiance of a case for resisting this obnoxious
and partial tax, now before the Lord Ordinary." The
taunts and jeers at the sale were so cutting, that
the poor auctioneer himself grew pale, his hand
trembled like an aspin leaf, and his knees smote
together with fear.—Scotsman.
There is no better criterion of the influence of
public opinion than the number and the size of
newspapers. Two newspapets supply the kingdom
of Naples; Portugal has as many; and the Spa-
nish monarchy about four ; France possesses from
150 to 200 ; the British Isles about 400 ; and the
United States 1000. Ten years ago, the Conbti-:
tutionnel was about one-fourth part of the Star,
and badly printed on coarse paper ; but since that
time all the French journals have been extending
their dimensions. The Tensps Paris Paper is so •
larged to a size exceeding the English Times. .1 he
present price is only 80 fr. or 645. per annum, or
two pence and half a farthing for each number.
Such is the result of the absence of paper and
newspaper taxes.
DRY ROT.—The Navy Board having approved
of Mr. Body's proposed chemical method of pre-
paring wood to resist the dry lot, in 1823 some
timber was delivered to him to undergo the process
recommended, which being executed it was
subsequently placed in his Majesty's ship Wind-
sor Castle, that its durability might be proved.
This vessel is recently returned from active service
in the Mediterranean, a station proverbial, with
other hot climates, for prsducing dry rot.
A few days since the timber was examined
at this dock-yard by order of the Navy
board. The orlop beam appeared to be dry, hard,
and well seasoned. On opening the deck of the ski)
above it there was no appearance of fungus, and on
boring into those parts of the beam which usually
become first defective, they were found fres from
rottenness. A report has subsequently been forwarded
to his Majesty's Government, and our townsman
will probablybe allowed a wider scope for the trial of
his remedy,whichwe understand is altogether novel,
the plan being to extract the malignant qualities
from the wood, while others have endeavoured to
counteract the malady by the injuncti.n of nos-
trums. The most valuable part of the new pieces,
is the facility with which the timber can be effec-
tually reasoned.
The Lord Bishop of Exeter has signified his
intention to hold a confirmation at Scilly in the
end of August. This will be without a parallel, no
native of Scilly having ever had an opportunity
of enjoying that rite of christianity on his own
soil.