Star.
London, England, 1831-05-26 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF THE JOURNALS.

TIMES—It Is stated in the foreign journals, that Dwernicki is
not to be allowed to return to Poland, unless he gives his parole
that he will not fight against Russia during the war; and that a
similar engagement Is to be exacted of all the officers who com-
manded in his corps. This, of course, we cannot believe without
efficial proof. Whatever Austria may attempt, or the Powers of
Europe permit, on this occasion, the laws of neutrality, to which
the Poles can appeal against the partitioning despots and their ac-
complices, cannot for a moment admit of doubt or misapplication.
It is laid down as r first principle by every writer on the laws
of nations, that a neutral has a right to prevent fighting on
his territory. The consequence of this principle must be, that
be disarms the weaker party, who demand the rights of hospi.'
tatty. in order rot to provoke the stronger to abuse them. Vat.
tel, alter having enumerated at considerable length the cases in which
it is allowable for a belligerent to demand n passage through a neutral
territory,—after having mentioned, that when an army is exposed to
manutent destruction, and cannot rctnrn home but by passing through
;Lich a territory, it has the right of doing so sword in hand,--adds, that
CO belligerent right can he exercised on neutral ground—" Il West prol
" pc+.71.15 d'afiacuer son ennesni dasts tan pays• seetetre, ni fry cry-seri
cum (mire nate d'hostilite." lie then mentions the attack made'
by the English on the Dutch fleet in a Norwegian port in 1666,
it a breach of the law of nations, and praises the conduct of the
Datlith Governor, who, though an ally of England, Gred upon the
alailants. What would Its hare said to the conduct of the Russian
General, who attacked an unrcsistin,e,- foe Ina neutral territory, and was
410 wed to depart, not only without opposition or remonstrance, but
k:th a body ot pr ot:ers and n promise of the arms belonging to the re.
fugiet ? suit toes this acute and honest publicist imagine that a
astral ):assesses the right to detain the troop. wbu take refuge in his
''rtitlry as prisoners of war, that ne thinks they ought to be sera:l
Oat sme as soon as possible, and by the shortest route; taking are,
they do net commit damage in their passage, and that they
'emit uo new strength against the other belligerent. 1. Logs
" done gut, ti.cs enactnis ballot se retirod chez tan teetstre, ai la eka. '
rife ne hd permia pas do lcur refuser passage et aurae. it dolt lei
' fain. issuer outrc le pistol passible, ei ne point tourrir gulls se
• *uncut flux aguas four healtaquer de nouveau." If it did no:
4near like pedantry to cite any other authority on so plain a point, we
-Ight quote the whole of ilia 13:11 section of the second chapter of the
id bask of Grotius, do Jure Belli at Pacis, in which this topic is
.iscusted with his usual display of learning and accumulation
aecient examples. It may therefore be laid down as an
arable rule, that a neutral cannot, in humanity, deny refuge to a
'Alszerer.t fleeing trout its enemy of superior force; that be may dis-
4rat the fugitives for his own security, and is bound to refine them
advantages of marching In a body through his territory, or re.
Tc':ng disciplined and united in his dominions, in order to attack
enemy ; that Its he prevents them from defending themselves.
1. mutt likewise prevent them from being attacked by the enemy
'2rl,llllldt ; that he may send them home in separate bodies or as
••••',:als, but that he has no right to detain them as prisoners; and
"" tt they are the forces of an independent power, their arms Sault be
--ct up to the tiovernment to which they belong.

POST--Upon further inquiry respecting the Pitt Club Dinner, I
fixed for Saturday next, we find that circumstances will prevent it from
being a mating of that general nature, which, from its first announce-
ment, we had anticipated.lt has been found, that as the Drawing
Room will take place on that day, it would not be convenient far macy
gentlemen to attend who would wish to take part in any general
manifestation of the feeling of die Tory party ; and L is, there-
fore, positively determined to confine the meeting strictly to
the Mamba* of the Club and the celebration of the birth-day
of the illustrious man in whose honour it was estaldished. We trust,
however, that although this occasion may not have been found
conve-
nient for a general meeting of those persons, influential how their sta.
dons and talents, who are opposed to the revolutionary principles of the
day, another day will aeon be fixed, when an opportunity will be given
for all the leading men of the conservative party to come together, anti
make it apparent to the friends of the British Constitution through-
out the Empire, that the great and good of the land are still ready to
put themselves forward in its defence.
HERALD.—AII public and private accounts which we have seen
11 concur in representing the distress among the peasantry Ln the county
of Mayo, and a great part of the county of Galway, as most eppallitir.
Instead of being diminished, it is rapidly increasing in extent and
severity, attended by malignant disease—tile usual concomitant
lof the last stages of misery and famine. The relief hitherto
afforded appears to have had but a momentary effect in checking
the progress of calamity, which exposes its victims to the most cruel
sufferings that the hand of misfortune can Inflict on human nature.
To such a pitch has starvation reached in some place.:, that
the peasantry ate represented as driven to the desperate expedient of at.
tempting to appease the ravening, of hunger for the present by antici-
pating their Future mains of subsistence—tearing the seal potatoes from
the ground, and eagerly devouring the scanty stock which they lad
committed to the earth as their defence against future fa•mine. We
hope that the meeting appointed to be held this day, upon this mau-
-1 choly subject, at Exeter Hall, will be well attended—particularly by
such Irish absentee landlords now in town as have been draining Large
revenues from Ireland, to spend any where out of it, while their tenantry
' are a prey to the most wretched destitution.
PAST.—There are so army propositions connected with the question
of Refonu, which the new House of Commons, notwithstanding all
the ministerial influence, and all the rabble violence and excitement
that have been brotmht to bear upon the election, will, we arc per-
trawled, be well dispUsed to affirm, each of which the present 'Ministers
will be compelled to oppose to the utmost of their power—either
because its affirmation must shatter their Bill to pieces, or
because they cannot concur in it without sacrificing the mob
popularity upon which they rely for support—that a series
of decisive triumphs to the Opposition are, in our judgment, already
secure, provided that the latter shall conduct its Parliamentary warfare
with ordinary tact and unanimity and discretion. What, for instance,
would become of the Altnisterial measure, if the House of Commons
should resolve that it is inexpedient to commit to a Cornmiesion of the
Privy Council, or to any authority emanating from the Executive Go-
vernment, the division of counties, the augmentation of boroughs, or
any other operation by which the character of the House of Com-
mons can be permanently affected I, What again more reasonable
or just, what more likely to find favour in the new House of
Commons, or what more incompatible with the rabble popula-
ZzZawhich the present Ministers are essentially end ir-
bly the slaves, than the proposition, that men, the mar-
ketable value of whose property is in any manner Impaired by a urea-
sure of Parliamentary Reform, shall be compensated by the nation
which the measure is intended to benefit, or the proposition that an in-
terval of three or four years ought to elapse between the enactment of a
measure so important, so complicated, requiring so much of local regu-
lation and of new machinery, and the moment when it is first to come
into operation ? Never, we venture to say, since the House or Com-
mons existed, did it offer a more promising field to the labours of a
I conscientious, patriotic, and united Opposition.
- - 41

THE GENERAL ELECTION.
MEMBERS RETURNED TO THE NEW PARLIAMENT.
Donegal (County)—Sir E. Hayes, Ban Colonel Conolly.
ofAntrim (County)—Major.Oeneral Hon. J. B. O'Neill; the Ear
Belfast.

Belfast (Town}--Sir Arthur Chichester, Bart.
Menem (Connty)—Dtuican Davidson, E.•q.

STATIC OP POLLS.
PEMBROKE (COUNTY) MAT 22.
Owen .. ... .. .. 1812
Greet He.. ... .. .. 172 b

PEMBROKESHIRE ELECTION.

The majority on the gross poll amounted en the 12th day to
87. This is owing entirely to the conduct of the Sheriff; and the
way it operates is this—.(which will, by the way, serve to show
the manner the machinery of the present system of elections is
being carried on) s—ln the booths of the hundreds where Sir John
musters strong, the Under Sheriffs refuse cues, and expedite
the poll. In those booths—the Dewsland booth, for instance—
where the reform candidate is strong, the shabli suffer the
poll to be delayed, by the most insulting and extraneous rms.
dons being allowed to be put to the voters. Apropos—a Toys
Is asked, if he be a madman 10 If he holds a situation under a
Minister of State P And questions of a similar tendency, ad
bulkily's. Then they grant eases in almost every instance ;
and refuse mess spine 8k John Owen. In the Dcwaland booth on
Monday last, but nine voters were polled, and out of these six were
made cases undetermined. Only nine men polled, while 100 men had
been waiting for days to be polled. This will serve to show how a
weaker side, by management end a partial sheriff, may secure the re.
turn of a member. Mr. GrevMe, from the hustings this evening,
pledged himself himself to a scrutiny before the house of commons, and
verily do we hope that it may be successfully redeemed.

Dr. Bowring is said to be canvassing Manchester as a
candidate for the Reform Parliament.

Mr. Denison has declined the representation of Liver-
pool, and accepted that of Nottinghamshire. Lord Palmerston, Mr.
Hyde Villiers, Lord Molynenx, Mr. Backhouse, one of the Under.
Secretaries at State, and Mr. Buckingham, are the only persons at pre.
sent talked of to fill the vacancy. Mr. Buckingham has proposed
himself in a long printed address; and a public meeting is to be held
Co Friday for the purpose of potting some gentleman in nomination.

The state of Parliamentary business, it is not► supposed,
will prevent their Majesties Coronaden taking place this year.
Lord Viscount Falkland is a candidate for one of the
sixteen representative Peers of Scotland.
Major Wayland has made his election for Oxfordshire.
The Reform party bring forward a candidate of his principles to
occupy his place; and it is also said the " moderates" will contest for
the seat.

The Marquis of Lansdowne entertained a distinguished
mat dinner yesterday, at Lansdowne House, Berkeley-square.
e Marchioness of Londonderry has arrived at Holder-
nest House, from beland. _

It is announced, that M. Laporte will not undertake the
engagement of the King's Theatre after the present season.
The Duke of Cambridge has become a member of the
Royal Sailing Society.
The paring of the new London Bridge is proceeding
with great activity, and in a manner which looks as if it would
be of a most enduring deecription, the granite stones being tint
bedded in a (inn foundation, and then grouted with cement, similar to
the pavement in Chespaide.
Notwithstanding the severe frost of a fortnight since,
green peas are already become abundant.
The Earl and Countess of Aberdeen, with the younger
branches of their family, were prevented attending her Majesty's ball,
by the severe indisposition of one of his Lordship's daughters, Lady
A. Gordon.

The late proceedings of the Bank, in drawing in the
circulation, begins to be most severely felt in the great scarcity
of money, and the consequent fall of the Colonial and other
produce. Money is now worth five per cent. on the Royal Ex-
change, and four per cent. has been paid upon Treasury Bills.
In the Stock Exchange money is exceedingly scarce; it is worth
Ave per cent. In all descriptions of :English securities, If we
except Consols. We understand that one hundred thousand pounds
were lent to-day, at the above rate of interest, on English
' Stock, till the middle of July. One of the first acts of a reformed
Parliament will, of course, have reference to the regulation of the
circulating medium.
When many virulent libels were brought to Cromwell,
in the hope that be ;might be induced to kmmeetas the authors,
his reply was "lf my Government is made to stand, it is not these
paper ;bullets that will throw it down."
It is very generally reported that the Earl of Munster is
destined to succeed Lord W. Bentinck as Governor-Gene-
ral of India.—We have heard, though not in a way which
lye deem official, that Friday night's Gazette will announce
the Noble Earl's elevation to the dignity of " Duke of
Clarence and Rothsay," and that the said elevation is pre-
paratory to his appointment to the Governoi-Generalship.