Star.
London, England, 1830-02-04 00:00:00

HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY.

A very numerous Meeting of the members of this Society was
held yesterday in the Council-Room of the Society, in Regent-
street, for the purpose of taking into condderation the state of the
fends of the institution. The greatest Interest was attached to the
proceedings owing to certain statements having been put forth re-
cently relative to the great debts of the Society. There were pre-
sent at the Meeting Sir 3. &bright, Sir J. Paull. Bart. Pascoe
Grenfell, Esq. M.P. Mr. Ellis, M.P. Mr. Gordon, M.P. and many
other scientific men.—The Great Room was crowded to excess.

Dr. Minimums took the Chair.
Mr. Lamar read the requisition ailing the Meeting.
Mr. Goanow, M. P. immediately afterwards rose, and apoligised
for trespassing on the time of the Meedng. He confessed that his
attention was aroused to the affairs of the Society, in consequence
of a statement publicly made that the Society was in debt to the
extent of £19,000. As that communication should form the basis
of his remarks, he would take the liberty of reading it to the Meet-
ing. (The letter was then read.) He confessed that he was not
alone in his alarm—for, having had sundry communications with
ether Fellows of the Society, they felt precisely in the same way
with himself. He would ask of those panics who ought to be able
to inform the Meeting, whether the amount of debts, as stated,
were correct, and whether the panics who bad acted as auditors
bad signed their reports without Inspecting the accounts? Indeed
the Hon. Secretary had al eady admitted that the amount was cor-
rect. There were other charges which he might bring forward ;
for instance, that if the officers at the Garden* were applied to for
grafts of pines, they would send those of apples. But be would
confine himself entirely to the matter of debt, and move, in terms
of his previous notice, for the immediate appointment of a Com-
mittee to examine the books and accounts, and report thereon to
the members. _ _

Mr. Dyes, • Vice-President, seconded the motion, and con-
gratulated the Society on the businen having fallen into the bands
of the Hon. Member who bad just sat down ; the result of the in-
vestigation could nut be anticipated. If the funds were wasted as
represented, he was afraid the breaking up of the Society must fol
low. He hoped for a better result. In the prosecution of the in-
quiry be was certain the Council would conceal nothing.
Mr. &sante said that the appointment of a Committee was moat
desirable. Hr had often wished to retire from the Council, but
had as often been requested to stay in it.
Sit J. Seamus did not dispute but t►at the Society was a use-
ful on. He bad been told by some of the Council that the aeons
were suilident to meet the debts. That might be good informa-
tion for the creditors, but it ought not to satisfy the members of
that Society to be told by the Council that they were £19,000 in
debt, but had a garde•, &c. as a set-off. It was quite clear too,
that the Society, since 1823. bad got into debt instead of getting
out of it. It appeared atm, and he was sorry to mthe the obser-
vation, that no member of the Council, of hie own accord, told
the members of the Society the real state of ita pecuniary stairs.
--(Hear, hear,)
A letter was read from the President, stating that his residence
in the country precluded his attendance at the meeting of the Coun-
cil, and thought that the finance matters did not come within his
department. The letter concluded with a hope that the Society
would get over all its &Scabies, and attributing them in a peat
degree to the large gardens at Chiswick.
Mr. P. GIIIIIIIIII.L, Mr. M. STATTLTOS,4Od elle( al other mem-
bers addressed the Meeting, after which a Committee of 13 was
appointed, and the Meeting was adjourned.

WELLS OF SALT AND OF FIRE IN CIIINA•—A
French Missionary, M. Imbert, has forwarded to Europe
a description of certain wells of salt and of fire, at Ou-
Tong-Kiao Kiating-fou, and at Ise-Lieoe-Tsing, in
China, which rank among the most singular natural phe-
bomena on record. The wells are perforations about five
or six inches in diameter, extending to the depth of as
much, in one case, as 3,000 feet, ordinarily from 15 to
1800, in the solid rock ; from which, in the one case,
water is drawn by means of a hollow bamboo and the
labour of oxen, which yields from one-fifth to one-fourth
of its weight of salt ; and, in the other, an inflammable
gas is discharged in very large quantities, which serves
to boil the pans in which tho salt is prepared, as well
as to supply the means of illumination. The method by
which these wells or cylinders are made in the reek is by
attaching a steel head, weighing about three or four hun-
dred pounds, by a cord, to a beam, which has a motion
on a horizontal axis, when, by depressing the oppqpite
end of the beam, and suddenly dismissing it, the steel
head, which moves up and down in a stone cylinder,
pounds, the rock beneath, and the perforation so made
being properly moistened, the pulverized rock, in the
shape of nand, lodges above the steel head, and is, when
necessary, drawn out and rejected. At least three years
are required to make one of these wells, though some-
times, when the rock is good, the workmen can perforate
two feet in 24 hours.

MEASUREMENT OP THE LARGEST PATAGONIAN, IN
A TRIBE OF ABOUT 150 IN numeza.—Height, 6 feet
2 inches ; circumference of the chest, 3 feet 11 inches ;
ditto of the loins, 3 feet 5 inches ; ditto of the pelvis, 3
feet 10 in. The limbs of the men were finely formed,
but the muscles were not so strongly marked, and did not
exhibit those elevations when thrown into action so much
as in stout sailors or other athletic Europeans who have
been accustomed to muscular exertion. There was, seem-
ingly, in the whole of them, of both sexes, a thickish
layer of adipose substance, under the common integu-
ments, covering the whole of the body, which seemed to
fill up the hollows of the muscles seen so distinctly in
most hard-working persons. The shortest man in their
party was five feet ten inches and a half high : the ge•
nerality of them appeared to be about six feet, with large
bodies. The women, he thought, were larger in propor-
tion to the men than is observed in civilized moiety.
That some changes in Church matters are brewing,
we suppose no man who has his senses can doubt. What
the nature of the changes may be is still in the bosom of
those gentlemen who have so handsomely vindicated to
themselves the title of the " Inscrutable, ;" nor are we at
all inclined to approach the depths of their mystery. We
have no fear that the matter will sleep; nor that, when
all is ripe, there will be any great modesty of conceal-
ment. The Whitehall preachers are gone ; a very pro-1
per performance, for any thing that we can venture to say.
The Commission for altering the Ecolesiestical Laws may
be moving with the deliberate majesty of church-work ;
or sweeping on with the brilliant rapidity of the pas de
charge. But of this, too, we say nothing. The order for
the return of all the members of all the multifarious sects
,that " rave, recite, and madden through the land," is in
full action ; and we shall, of course, have it on the table
of Parliament, and aformidable muster-roll it will be I
Monthly Magazine. •
INCREASE OF POPULATIOW.—II is new somewhat
more than half a century since Mr. Coke came into the
possession of the estate at Holkharn, in Norfolk. At
that time the population of the parish was less than two
hundred persons, and rye almost the only kind of grain,
that was raised in it. The produce now is wheat saiii
tenfold in qiuunity. The farm-yards on the lOadifts• Mr.
Coke's own bands (4,000 acres), originally only three,
are more than twenty. This land was at first shied,
in pasture, and maintained 800 sheep ; at present half
the extent of the ground maintains 3,500 *beep !

LAW INTELLIGENCE.

COURT OF KING'S BENCE!. Fn. S.
11111110•111 TAAIIe-WACIEIFT V. MOM

This action was brought by Dr. Mackey, a phylictan, against the
defendant, • Spanish Merchant, and Envoy from the Government
of Mexico, to recover £1.500, advanced by the authority at the
defendant, and paid for his use. It appeared that the defendant
was sent by the Government of Mexico, in 1823, for the purpose
of negotiating • loan in England. The plaintiff, wise lead been
travelling In Mexico, applied to the defendant, and as a friend In-
troduced him to Mr. Brnaghton. at that time a elett is the
Foreign Office. He was also introduced to a gentleman named
Hayworth. and some valuable papers, being the credentials fur-
nished the defendant by his Government. found their way into the
bands of Mr. Hayworth as a banter. A treaty for a loan was first
entered into with Mr. Ward, the Member of Parliament for Lon-
don. but it was taken from him and contracted with Mr. Gold-
amide. It became necessary to get the papers from Mr. Hayworth.
who was urged to give them up, but be refused without a com-
pensation for trouble and expense in attending upon Mr. Ward.
The plaintiff and Mr. Broughton, who had some wish to have
part of the loan, advanced to Mr. Hayworth £1,500. and obtained
the papers. It was said the money was advanced upon the autho-
rity of the defendant, and the plaintiff now sought to recover it.
Mr. Cannata., on the part of the defendant, contended that no
authority bad been given to advance the sum claimed. and fa fact
that it bad not been paid at an for the interest of the foreigner
who defended the action, bat to obtain a large portion of scrip for
themselves. The Learned Ginn& read several letters sent to the
defendant, end co,,tended that It was Impossible lapse the face of
the correspondence to say the plaintiff bad any valid claim.
The Jury, under all the circumstances, found a verdict for the
defendant.—The cave occupied several boars.
Lord r11311111111.P, being in, did not take his seat this day arm
the Bench.