Star.
London, England, 1831-01-05 00:00:00

BIM FOR PRESTON INTO LONDON.

(FROM A CORRESPOIDZNT.)
It has been arranged that Mr. Hunt shall enter London
this day week publicly, and his friends have determined that
a concourse of people shall be ready to receive him about
five miles from town, to the number of 100,000. On Tues-
day he was conducted into Blackburn by 50,000 persons,
numbers of whoa bore flags, with complimentary inscrip-
tions, on the occasion of the election. He was afterwards
magnificently entertained at a public dinner, to which up-
wards of 200 sat down. After dinner the wives and daugh-
ters of the gentlemen who dined were admitted, and the
largest room in the town was crowded almost to suffocation.
He addressed the large party thus assembled, and expressed
himself most happy in seeing the ladies of Blackburn, who
had on former occasions shown so noble a spirit, before Re-
form had gained its myriads of advocates all over the world,
testifying to the truth of the cause be bad always em-
braced. He was delighted to find that the march of the
political intellect was not confined to the one sex, but that
the female mind was co-operating to produce those changes,
without which England would be ever the land of disap-
pointed virtue and successful profligacy (loud cheers.) He
hoped that all ranks and ages of society—men, women and
children—would join in the vehement appeal for Reform.
The existence of Reform would be felt in the immediate dif-
fusion of health through the whole frame of society. Its
absence was manifested in the diseased condition of every
city, town, village, and street in the kingdom (cheers.)
He should, with all his might, oppose himself to the enor-
mous system so long upheld by every Minister, who ever had
the power to thrust his bands into the pockets of the people,
and to strip them to the skin, if they bad not wherewithal
to purchase off the penalty (laughter and loud cheers.) It
was supposed that the great talent and skill and legislatorial
tact of the House of Commons would be too much for him.
He considered that those who enumerated those reasons did
not think of throwing in honesty amongst the rest (laughter).
No, no, the days were gone for empty complaints, and who-
ever robbed the poor deserved and received the names of foul
pickpockets, by whatever splendour they might be surround-
ed and in whatever place they might assemble to conspire
against " the very means of life" (continued cheers.)
At Bolton, Oldham, and other places, Mr. Hunt was re-
ceived with great enthusiasm, and public dinners were given
to him at each town. At Wolverhampton a public breakfast
was got up, to which he was invited. From thence be went
to Birmingham yesterday, to dine publicly with the Council
of the Political Union. A wish is entertained at Bristol that
the new member for Preston would visit that first arena of
his political exertions.

APPREHENSION OF A DEFAVLTEE—The young man 'I
named Bradshaw, a clerk in one of the Manchester Coach
Offices, who absconded with upwards of 100 L belonging to
his employers in October last, was apprehended in Tothill-1
fields prison, to which place be had been sent for not being
enabled to pay a fine of 4s, for breaking a lamp.
REVERSE OF FORTUNE.—Among the persons applying,
at Guildhall yesterday for relief, was a reepectable-lookingl
aged man. who was formerly an eminent Dutch merchant,
and kept his carriage for many years. He stated his name
to be George Ferguson, and that his father, a native of Kelm,
was brought up by Ferguson, the astronomer. Being ques-
tioned by Sir Peter Laurie as to the cause of his falling into
distress, the applicant stated that be was established as a
merchant at Amsterdam in 1810, when Holland was united
to France, and in one day he saw 220,000 francs' worth of
his goods publicly burnt. He succeeded in escaping to
an island near Helvoetsluys, from whence he reached
in an open boat the fleet Under the Admiral off that
station, by whom be was landed at Aldborough.
He remained in England till the year 1814, when he
returned to the Continent, and was engaged by Mr.
Thomas Holland, as his steward upon his estates in the
South of France, and here he remained till that gentleman
broke up his establishment, His salary was but 501. a year,
and having a wife native of Antwerp) and six children to
support, he bad been unable to save money, and upon
being discharged, fell immediately into the most destitute
state. He went from Tours to Nantes,and on his way to Paris
his wife and eldest daughter died of fever at Angers. At
Paris the Ambassador relieved him with a napoleon, and
gave him a letter to the Consul, who furnished him with the
means to reach London, where he arrived by a boy from
Dover yesterday morning. He had applied to the overseers
of the parish to which he belonged, in Chancery-lane (by
being born in Bream's-buildings), and not obtaining assist-
ance, he came before the magistrates. He had expended
thousands in Sheffield and Birmingham between 1784 and
1810, but he feared he should find no friend there now. He
had with him a fine little girl and boy (born at Tours),
who spoke the French and Flemish languages, but were un-
acquainted with the English. He said be was treated with
great hospitality in his progress through France. Sir Peter
Laurie gave him a trifle for his immediate relief, explained
to him that the parish to which he belonged was not within
the jurisdiction of the city magistrates, and pointed out
what course he should pursue to obtain assistance.