Star.
London, England, 1831-06-07 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF THE JOURNALS.

MORNINti CHRONICLE—Letters were received
from Merthyr Tydvil yesterday on the subject of the riots
in South Wales, adding considerably to the number of the
killed and wounded in the affray on the 3cl inst. at Merthyr.
Mr. William Crawshay, second son of the wealthy iron-
master, most providentially escaped the effects of a musket
bun, which whizzed close to his ear. A large body of
the rioters attempted to get ;possession of the castle in
which Mr. Crawsbay resides : but himself and his con-
fidential people, aided by the military. gallantly repulsed the
misguided, but most ferocious assailants, and drove them
of Two hundred of the Swansea troop, which had come
in aid of the civil power, had all their arms taken from
them by the mob, and were driven back to Swansea. The
country round is in the greatest state of alarm, but the Go-
vernment are sending reinforcements of soldiers from ve-
nous districts, in the hope of putting down the rioters,
who have, it is said, been kindly treated by their masters.!
Iltecontagion is supposed to have ban caught from the north.'
Is the account which we published yesterday of the disturb-
saes amongst the workmen at Merthyr Tydvil, it was aro.
seemly stated, that the militia there aartembled was not eM.
dent, and could net be made available in quelling the riot.
We are info:med, on good authority, that this assertion is
wholly unfounded, and that the detachment of the Glamor-
ganahire militia present at Merthyr was animated with the
best spirit, anti behaved admirably, showing the greatestzeal
and most cordially co-operating with the party of the 99d
Regiment, in repressing disorder, and protecting lives and
property against the brut.ll attacks of the mob. We rejoice
to make this amende to so respectable a body, as the Glamor-
gaeshire militia have, as we believe, always proved them-
selves to be.

TIMES.—We do not know whether it may be prudent
to notice—we are sure it would be quite otherwise to en.
courage—any of those schemes of reform which au drat.'
hied, some perhaps with honest views—many indisputa-
bly with views the reverse of honest, but all of which
discard, ins manner more or less_ peremptory, the principles
of the present or Ministerial BBL Take the thing in
the most favourable sense, soy very important deviation
from the principle of a measure of reform on behalf
of which the minds of most men are ahaddkart: may
ray, eager and unanimous, would tend to that
unanimity, to unsettle the bearings of the whole gins.
don through the country, and to overcloud the now cheering
and animating prospects of complete guesses with Wilds there
• is no doubt that the understood plan of his Majesty's Go-
vernment will be immediately attended. But there is no
doubt that the great proportion of " schemes," " prospec-
tuses," " outlines," Ike. of Parliamentary reform, whichisre
sow afloat, have been launched from Tory slips, and sent
into the world on Tory missions. Their purposes is.to de-
throne the bill of refrain from its eminence in public opi-
nion, or at least to des& and oonfound the public eye, by
presenting many objects at the sense moment, in the
gab and under the banners of reform, with like pre.
tensions as the bill, but inviting support to themselves, as
more worthy of countenance 'from the Minds of reform on
the very principles assumed by Ministers, of miming acees.
stops to the constituent body, as well of property as of
numbers. All these quackerks ought to be fang aside at
once : they mean nothing but pure mischief—they have
no object—they dream of nothing but to defeat the
bill. When women of rank drive about, from house to
hoes, violently that " they would rather see
England, " with blood than the bill carried,"
we may guess at the bitterness sod inveteracy of spirit
with which certain portions of the old Tory coterie
regard this great ainiagamadog immure. The fact is, that
the effect on society, es well as on state policy, will be most
renovating. Every desaiptios of escluivenme—all sorts of
coteries—the Almada ofq‘ie, as well as of biles—it will
destroy. Fashion, which Mire power, wM no leapt be
monopolised, whets prom mews to be maispolied. The
rices and follies whit hive hitherto bus se letpedbasas--
it they have not, indeed, boa halides—to swam Is high
but narrow circles, will be lashed at or vaned when tits
circle in which they exhibit theasivisibmll be ast st b.
lie opinion. The lose share Ilfe boils emerpedias, which
they never yet hove bees, it Iggir a wised favour,
mast cultivate these wades ladslisimammL(flog Islet/
approve. This willipsomd to their wives and
the moral character of the isle wdeaceacy will7—Gsemeded.
HERALD.-11 Spoil earabeises sod missilery pu-
nislimeou were the Met asses to subdue the wins, and
omen the habits of a people, there is no teens why Ire.
hod should not now be the mast peaceable and the most
civilised country in the world. Igo people to the face
of the earth have had more of the discipline of rigorous
Ms, and few have bad so muds--and no are
more ready to set upon warm and impetuous Wings,
under a real or imaginary same of wrong, without any
regard to the consequences of an intemperate or illegal
'lndication of what they consider their violated rights.
Under the Whiteboy Acts, a threat of violence to induce a
man to enter an unlawful combination, or to induce him to
do injury to the lands of another, is punishable with Death.
Leaving the morality of such an enactment out of the ques-
tion, we are of opinion that Its impolicy requires its uoli.
tietn. Where no disdnetion is made in the puaisianent which
the law assigns to moat of violence and actual murder, the
Pnpetratitio of the latter aims will become of more memo=
occurrence than it otherwise would be. Wins s met knows
that be may be hanged for a threat, or other indica-
tion of violence, and can only be hanged for patting
that dues io execution, to the destruction of life,
be will the lees hesitate to gratify his revenge by destroying
an enemy, or to amok fos his safety by putting a witness
out of the way. Under such laws we are pot surprised that
revenge should so frequently terminate in homicide. In
Clue, the number of persona charged with murder, to be
trial at the present Commission, are forty.one ember a
strong illustration, we think, of the unhutnanising inflame,
of violent taws,—We observe that two persons—namely, U.
Devitt and Michael Stovin, have been capitally convicted at
Limerick, for feloniously threatening one Martin Kelly with
the words " break your head, and split your skull," to
induce him to join as illegal association. We trust we have
shown cause why the law should not he eonled into Snell-
hos in those eases. The law which confounds violent words
with sanguinary deeds is in barbarous opposition to the feat
principles of justice.
POST.—We will take upon ourselves to assert, that the
change which is meditated in the administration of the Book.
ruts Laws is the reverse of useful or just. There ere plenty of
goodsatured friends who are gaping for places, and tifty new
uses at one dash is no small godsend to a Minister who has the
Cravings of so many to satisfy. There is a story, too, on
soot nose, that Lond Lyndhurst means to give the men.
*are his support. We doubt the assertion. We believe
that a very intimate friend of his Lordship has succeeded to
the appointment of King's Counsel in the Ducky Court of
orns/411; but to say, as we have heard it said, that there-
fore Lord Lyndhurst will support the Lord Chancellor's
Bankrupt Bill, is, in our opinion, to libel that honourable
gotkman, He knows that the present system works wed
and that, with some rqulations, as to a few points of
Practice, and with, probably, some curtailment of the
number of the Commimioners, the present plan and the
existing Bankrupt Laws are much better calculated for
Practical benefit, than all the new-fangled notions Ohio Ma.
Attorney.Genersi, or Lord High Chancellor. The
~ileitor•Gennal has admitted the utility of it ova sad ever

again, in his esaminaden beton the Chancery Clio.
Weeklong ; sail as be was himself foe 11 years a Ccen-1
missioner of Bankrupts, must have hest sstly essahant
of the subject en which be was haft an siphise---
When the new plan shall how nnihrgess the
criticism it is thetined to meet with, him est Una per-
son, Sir R. B. Sadao—whet Sr Janis s._Lit shall have
exposed its anomaliss.—and wina lie Medea illethurall
shall have *hewn k raptly tip—ire shall he Owl ea use the
effect produced upon the Hew ay she in of
those who know nothing sir haltraptcy Unkrupt
practice, but who nevertheless presume to say that
the present law and peados in bankruptcy are
wrong. The Commissioners of Bankrupts have
been very ill used by the Lord Chsacellor, and have never
been properly defended in the Hausa Commons. We hope,
however, that justice, though tardy, may at length be dealt
to them, and that they may be shown to the commercial
world in particular, and to the public in general, not to be
that place-hunting, fee-sinking, meeting-making, mischiev-
ous race which the tongue that talked of " compensation. for
fear of turning useless drones into stinging hornets," misre-
presented them to be.