Star.
London, England, 1831-02-26 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF THE JOURNALS.

HZRALD.—There is no part of the Chancery system that more
quires reform than that which appertains to the guardianship of lunatics.
Of this most helpless class of human.sufferers, it appears, from the
Lord Chancellor's statement, there are no leas than 4410 under the ac.
tual protection of the Court—if that can be called protection which hi.
lows, as we can now affirm, on the authority of the same exalted ler,
sonage, such treatment to be adopted towards insane persons as is cal.
culatedito make them less sane. It is a curious coincidence that toe
Court, whose practice seems most admirably devised to drive I, co,
mad, should have the care of lunatics ; and that its mode of providing
for the comfort and security of those whose reason it had, in ti.e nee
instance, unsettled, should tend to make them madder than before.
Csanwicnn.—The States which have succeeded in teroluiturdente
themselves in Italy contain a population of nearly two millions. ne.,
extending as they do, one side to the very frontiers of the AUSOILO
sessions, they cut off the rest of Italy from Austrian interference : ;,,.d
thus a free course is left to the people of the various States to giv..
to their wishes. It is said in some of the Paris Journals ::..e a„,.
tria has announced a determination to put down the revolts:hill .
Italy. If there be any foundation for such a report, e,
must view it as the signal for war. It ni.ey be very era
that a rigid adherence to the principle of non-intervention till the
of the rest of Italy should be revolutionised, might render the posse:tow,
of Lombardy exceedingly precarious. But, because the people of L ,tat.
hardy are impatient of the Austrian yoke, ought the rest of Italy to L.
condemned for ever to languish under governments they detest ? How.
ever, be this as it may, the principle of nonintervention having bee:,
made the order of the day, the Austrians, in such a case, would Le, la
course, the aggressors in an European warfare.
Trains.—There are various rumours in circulation, and opinien.e
formed, as to the stability of Ministers. It is difficult to touch tape.:
a subject, whist new facts are starting up every huur which essentially
alter its aspect; but we see no reason why the Ministry, as a Mithstrj,
should not stand. There is nothing but the Ito:form Bill whin
need overthrow it ; and we know that its overthrow, it it were
for no other cause than that it would suspend reed put .0
hazard Lord Brougham's great measure of Chancery Reform,
would be an infinite national calamity. But the shier of Theseus,
at Athens, was changed piece by piece, as the timbers Wen
remarked to be unsound, till it was made wholly new, and still :it:
identity ofthe vessel was preserved; son partial change might be begun
by the removal of sonic members from the present administration, sue
the whole, as a whole, would gather strength. Lord Grey knows...-
he must know—what the public opinion is wish respect to
the number of his connexions associated with him In place,
and be ought to respect that opinion, or it will be too strung
for him. His Lordship cannot be so sordid as to wish to
concentrate a mass of public wealth in his own family; but what might
have been inadvertence at first, will assume a different character if per-
severed in aft r it is exposed, aid the disgust which it occasions stated,
There is one person, in particular, unfavourably known in the city tin
his connexion with the celebrated Greek Loan. This person should
have shrunk from public life altogether; but particularly he should
not have been placed in a situation connected with the revenues
of the country ! Lord Althorp's financial plan has so ma:.)
redeeming qualities in it, by the removal of the taxes in
coals and candles, that we regret it should not have been
more palatable. But it will be observed that its good parts are obvitiab
and simple : they spring from the heart, and not from the head. Tie
discovery of them required no particular penetration or sagacity. Be.
yond these all is perplexity, obscurity, Crotchets, and Poulett Thou:-
son. Our people are to emigrate, and tobacco to immigrate: we woo ti
Poulett Thomson would emigrate from the Ministry, and some better
man immigrate into his place. Still, were these changes made, the
Reform Bill would be the touchstone of the Ministry. Had there
been no Reform Bill in agitation, the changes proposed might save tie
Ministry. Even with the changes, were there time to bring them about,
the Reform Bill may overthrow it. We have heard that the gnut
mass of opposition mean now to meet Lord John Russell's
bill by some reform plan of a less extensive kind, some minor or
partial reform. If so, they can hardly have the Duke of Wel.
ling:on with them. His Grace is not very well able to make
himself intelligible, when he attempts to manage an argument, or to
bind together a train of reasoning ; but nothing can be clearer or more
decisive titan his deciarttion that he was an enemy to all reform : he
cannot be mistuken in a simple assertion. We contemplate with tea:
the future state of the country, if the people's just expectation of a re.
form in Parliament be disappointed. We fear we shall have to &sale
something more than the dissolution of a Ministry.

VICE-CHANCELLOR'S COURT.

MANI:MILEY V. MANCIIESTER CANAL COMPANY.
_ __ _

This day Mr. KNIGHT moved for an injunction to restrain the de.
fendants from prosecuting their petition, at present pending in Par.
'lament for a bill for leave to change part of the canal into a rail.rocd.
Sir CHARLES WETHERELL was heard in reply.
The VICE.CHANCILLOR.—It appears that the question was agit.a.
ed in the company so early if Sept. last, and certain resolutions passed
on the 13th January ; and on the 15th of February the petition was
presented. On the 9th Feb. the plaintiff purchased five of the shares of
a Mr. Fletcher, who had been present at the meeting of the 13th
January. It also appeared that the plaintiff' purchased those
shares solely for the purpose of thwarting the object of the company,
and serving a rival company of which he was a shareholder. Under
these circumstances, and as the plaintiff was cognizant of the previous
facts, the injunction must be refused with costs.

XAV.4L INTELLIGEXCE.

MAILS Anne= Tins Day.—Dublin, ; Waterford, 1; Holland, I ,

Leeward Islaid% 1.

Drat, Fn. 9.s.—Wind N.W.—Arrived from the River, the La.'y
Nugent, Wimble, for Bombay.
PORTSMOUTH, FIR. 25.—Wind N.W. to W.—Sailed his tje-ty'
ship Childers, for Lisbon, and his Majesty's ship Onyx, on a crui,e
As rived the Arachne, Munden, from Leghorn.
TOPSHAM, Fss. 24.—Arrived the Ebenezer, Holman, from St. Se-
bastian.

Hamm., Eta. 25 —Arrived the Portia, Martin, from Odessa ,
Lady Emma, Dodd, from Denia ; and Hawk, from Genoa.
_ _

Livaarooc, Fes. ,2.4.—Arrivid the Olinda, Robinson, from Per-
nambuco; Vernon, Duffel!, from New Orleans; Murcia, Henson,
from Savannah . and SeaHower, from Trieste. Off the port, the
Caledonia, from Virginia, and Nies Merrilies' front Afrlcr.
Coleus, Fes. 25.—Arrived the Ranger, Robertson, from Matinzat.
Maros!, Fn. 23.—Arrived the Jessie, Wilford, from Charleston.
and Triton. Owens, from London.

Newer, Fan. 24.-:-Arrived the Billow, Elder, from SG John's, N.B.

PROM OUR CORRESPONDENT.

FALMOUTH, FED. 24.—Wind N.Y.—Arrived the Camden packet.
Tilly, from the Leeward Islands—sailed from Barbadoes January 9th,
Antigua 13th, Tortola 17th, and S.. Thomas's the 28th, with mails.—
Jan. Bth, his Majtry's packet Emulous arrived at Barbados*, and
sailed the 9th for Jamaica. Jan. 24th, his Maimey's packet Orsum
ase;ved m St. Thomas's from Falmouth. Doc. 118th, the Cam 1, in
lat. 18. 43. long. 32.32. W. spoke the American be* Man, 72 days
from Hamburg h for Philadelphia. Feb. 15th, lat. 44. 49. long. 27.33.
spoke'the American brig Roscius, of Boston. Feb. 23d, in lat. 49. 40.
long. 7. spoke toe hark Asia, of London, for St. Vincent's. Also sr-
rived, the Andes, Burton, from Dorchester, N.B. in 37 days, for Lon-
don, with:lois of bulwarks, sails, and several things off the deck—boats
stovtd, and otherwise damaged, having experienced very heavy gales of
wind on the passage. Sailed the Andes. Burton, for London.

Despatches were received yesterday at the Colonial-office,
from Lord Aylmer, the Governor of Lower Canada.
The Prince Talleyratul, the French Ambassador, Prince
Fsterhazy, the Austrian Ambassador, the Baron de Wessen-
burg, Minister from Austria (on a special mission), and M.
Bermudez, the Spanish Minister, had interviews with
Vi--
count Palmerston yesterday, at the Foieign-office.
Their Majesties entertained a select party at dinner on
Thursday evening, after the Drawing-room, to celebrate the
Queen's Birth-day. The Landgravine of Hesse Homburg
land the Princess Augusta were present.
The Duke of Wellington gave a grand dinner in honour
or the day, at Apsley-house, to a party of 26.
Her Majesty received visits yesterday from the Duchess of
Northumberland, Countess Munster, and the Marchioness
of Londonderry. The Marchioness presented her infant
child, about seven months old, to the Queen.
The Duke of Devonshire, as Lord Chamberlain, gave a
grand entertainment in honour of the day at Devonshire-
house, Piccadilly, to a very numerous evening party.
The King gave audiences yesterday to Earl Grey, the
Duke of Devonshire, the Duke of Bedford, and Lord Fain.
bo rough.
THE lalswmAitt.—A new weekly paper appears in
London this day, under this title ; and we have every cause
to believe that the Conductors of it are well qualified to
produce such a periodical with great credit to themselves,
and with advantage to the cause which they avowedly ad-
vocate. They are gentlemen favourably known, for some
time, in the republic of letters, and, as Mr. JEFFREY would
say, the public may look for something refreshing at their
hands. We bear that the first number, on account of its
containing Mr. O'Cow eet.L's First Letter to the People
of England, is looked for with no inconsiderable degree of
interest.

IMPERIAL PA RIAAM ENT.
HOUSE OF LORDS, FEB. 25.

Pentions were presented by Lord Clowsa, from the Staffordshire
potteries, ',raying to have Representatives ; by the Duke of NOZ7OLL
fr„Ri New Shoreham, for the remission of the duties on seaborne coal;
be die Bishop of Winchester, from several places, against slavery; also
;petition from St. Olave's praying their lordships not to pass the
Loudon Bridge Approaches Bill without attention to their into.
rots. The Reverend Prelate also presented a similar petition from
st. John's. Southwark.
Petitions were also presented by Earl SrexcEit, from the mer.
harts and Bankers of London, in favour of Parliamentary Reform ;
be Mc Earl of RoaSLYN, from Dumfernline, against slavery; by
bortl IVusaNctirrs, from several patishes in York, for the re.
real of the assessed taxes ; by Earl DUDLIBY, from Wolverhampton,
air t the truck system, and from Dudley, praying for Reform;
rr ,he Bishop of BATH and AVELcs, against slavery; by the Earl
raj CARNARVOH, from Carnarvon, complaining of extreme distress,
ti praying for immediate relief.
Lord KING rose at the same time with the Lord Chancellor, far the
•urpose of presenting some petitions ; the call being for the Noble and
Learned Lord, the former gave way, and
The LORD CHANCELLOR row, and observed that if the Noble
Baron (King) intended to accompany the presentation of his petitions
with remarks on Church and State, when there was no question regard.
ing either before the House, as he had been in the habit of doing lately,
he (the Lord Chancellor) should suggest the propriety of the Noble
Ilanm's deferring his petitions until the regular business of the House
for that evening had been disposed of, especially if the Noble Baron
had no new statement to make. He (the Lord Chancellor) had a tno.
tier' before the House, with which he should be obliged to detain their
Lordships for some short time; he was entirely in the hands of the
Noble Baron, to whose discretion he left these remarks.

Lord KING said, that he had certainly intended to accompany his
petitions with a few remarks ; and it was his intention at the same time
hove brought a new grievance under the notice of the House. The
Nobk Baron immediately sat down, and shortly after left the House,
tarrying with him the whole of his immense mass of petitions. On the
Noble Lord's return to the House he was without the petitions.
Petitions were then presented by Earl Garr from Titchfield, praying
,r reduction of taxation, from Bristol and Berwick-upon-Tweed,
•nyi•tg for the right of election and vote by ballot, together with seve•
r,t't petitions from different places, to the same effect ; from Devonport,
=„rcur of Reform, and several places against slavery ; by the Mar.
~ts of CLAWRICARDE from several places in Ireland against slavery ;
.‘y the Marquis of Laxsnowsz from Southampton, Ayr, and several
niter places, in favour of Reform and vote by ballot, also a place in
Ireland against the Repeal of the Union.

MESSAGE TAOM THE COMMONS.
Sir O. WARNENDEZ and others brought up five private bills.
Mr. Danvers from the East India House, brought up several
Nyers.
'file LORD CHANCELLOR rose to present a petition from the
r.itabi:a:tts of Leeds, signed by upwards of 17.000, in favour of reform.
la doing so the noble lord observed, that he felt greatly honoured by
king intrusted with the petition, coming as it did from persons whom
tit Should ever honour and revere, the people of the county of York :
some parts of the prayer of the petition, he could not, however,
grec, but the general drift of it met with his entire concurrence.—
tio‘e parts with which he did not concur he recommended strongly
tic attention of their lordships, believing them to be highly deserv-
.c (t it.