Star.
London, England, 1831-03-18 00:00:00

at Indere and others, who will of necessity be discharged by the opo-
man it the Bill, will receive penalties proportioned to the length of
disk anises.
Tbs aessuspbasa extension of the privilege of sending Members to
Palleassa, which includes Gateshead, North and South Shields, Sun-
derland, ac. bas produced a lively sensation in this neighbourhood.—
Mr. Advised and Mr. Ellison have been mentioned as candidates for
Gateshesd, bat the general feeling appears to be in favour of Mr. Att-
weed.
aesof Kirkley Hall, and Mr. Ingham, of Wester., are
for South Shields. Mr. John 'handling, Mr.
and Mr. M. De C. Lawson, have also been named as candi.
ales North Shields. We have not beard any gentleman men.
dad as Sunderland. Mr. Ellison end the Hon. H. T. Liddell are
spleen of as likely to offer themselves as candidates to be the new
members for the county of Durham, and Lord Howick Is named u the
third member for Northumberland.
W. R. C. Charm, Esq. has offered himself as a candidate to Tepee.
sent the city of Durham in Parliament, in the room of Sir Roger
Greeley, who has been declared nut duly elected. The Hon. Arthur
Trevor is also a candidate.
Nranz, Clerk, v. SlinCIEELL.—This was an action brought by the
Lecturer of Sr. Hild's Chapel, South Shields, against the proprietor of
the John Bull newspaper, to recover compensation for a libelous
attack upon his character, which appeared in that journal on the 27th of
December last. The imputed libel was contained in a letter purport.
ing to be written by a Colonel Parrot, of Fair Acres, near Hexham,
(Which was altogether a fictitious address), and which wed
him with having received COL from the Society for Pe
the Gospel in Foreign Parts, for writing a " venetneus=t-cf
on the Bible Society, and which he was said to have procured
the senior secretary of the former Institution to enter in the ac-
counts of the Society as having been disbursed for " contingent
expences." The defence set up was a most extraordinary one—namely,
that the libel was written by the plaintiff himself ! In support of this
assumption, a letter, subsequently written by him to the editor of the
Buil, in reply to the libel, and another letter to a gentleman in Shields.
were put in. Several witnesses were examined on this point ; those
called on the part of the defendant, who knew the plaintiff, alleging
that the libel appeared to them to be in his hand-writing--one of
them, the Rev. Mr. Kennicott, of blonkwearmouth, with whom Mr.
Neale bad been for some time an assistant, positively swore that he
had no doubt of it ; the two gentlemen who were examined for the
plaintiff expressing their opinion that it was not. The letters them-
selves, with respect to paper, folding, seals, and superscription, bore
a very striking resemblance to each other. Mr. Cresswell, in reply.
log on the part of the plaintiff, urged the jury strongly to give
large damages after such an aggravatory defence; but the jury, after
being absent foe above an hour, though they returned a verdict foe the
plaintiff, gave him only one shilling damages.
Current Prices.—Wheat, Northumberland white, new, per quarter,
88e to 76s ; do. red do. 64s to 745; Berwick, red, 58s to 65$ ; white,
fffis to 655; Scotch, white, 58s to 68e ; Dantsic, 74s to 765; Foreign,
fed, 66s to 74s ; Rye, Norfolk, 36s to 48s ; Foreign, 42s to 484 ;
North Country, 36s to 42s ; Barley, Norfolk, new, 38s to Oils; Ber-
wick, do. 38s to 39s ; Malt, Norfolk, pale, 66s to 72s ; Oats, potatoe,
new, 28s to 31s; common, new, 22:1 to 29s ; Foreign do. (free), 24s to
17s; Beans, 38s to 42s ; Peas, boilers, 50s10541; Grey or Hog, 38s
to 42s ; Flour, fine, per sack, 53s to 575.
MARRIED.—Mr. C. Roach, of the Retreat, South Lambeth, to
Eleanor Ann eldest daughter to B. E. Stagg, Esq. of Rampsback
Lodge, Ulswater.
DIED..—Io Pilgrim-street, much respected, Mrs. Reaveley, widow
of Cuthbert Reaveley. Esq. of Centon—W. Smith, eldest son of the
I Bev. J. Tyson, in his 21st year—At Eden House, near Sunderland,
L Markham, Esq.—At Durham, Rosette Ann, daughter of the Rev.
J. Carr—At Howick Rectory, the wife of the Rev. O. Head—At
Marley Hill, Mrs. Fenwick, wife of R. Fenwick, Esq.—At Cocker.
mouth, Dr. Jonathan Peil, aged 79.
EXETER ALFRED, MARcir 15.
A meeting was held at the Guildhall, Exeter, on Thursday last ; and
the object of it being not only of great importance, but highly popular
at the present moment, a very large assemblage of persons met together,
the hall, indeed, was crowded to excess. The Mayor having, in reply
to a requisition for the purpose, given his sanction to the proceeding,
took the chair. T. Northmore, Esq. of Oren, addressed the meeting
in his usually ironic strain, to the following effect—My excellent fellow
citizens, we have for a long time had great cry but little wool ; it is
row time we should have a great deal of wool and little cry. We can
now address a patriot King and a patriot Ministry. Mr. N. at MIL
arable length proceeded to eulogise the character of that venerable
pstriot, Major Cartwright ; and attributed the taxes with which we
have been burthened, nowt only to the French and American wars, but to
drecarmpt borough factions, in order to preserve their own power. He
thingbe that, if reform did not take place, Englishmen would not
was taxation any longer.
Mr. N. humourouly detailed the circumstances of BubbDoddington,
et
Bridgewater, having offered six votes, all good "marketable ware,"
he the consideration of being created Baron blelcomb and Treasurer of
du Navy. Mr. N. concluded with describing the patriotism of Andrew
Martel, who had a shoulder of mutton roasted one day, a remnant of it
hashed the following day, and the bone griddled on the third day; and
then read to the meeting a petition, of which the following is a copy :
" That our petitioners, being convinced that the measure of Reform
by his Ma' 's Ministers, and now before your Honourable
Hesse, will, if into effect, be the means of giving the people of
this realm confidence in their representatives, of attaching them more
firmly to the form of government under which they live, and of preserving
end ensuring the peace and prosperity of the empire, most earnestly en-
treat your Honourable House to give it the sanction of your branch of
the Legislature.
Captain Buller, R.N. (Whimple) never addressed his fellow-citizens
with greater satisfaction than on the present glorious occasion, now that
they were met to support the just claims of bOO,OOO of their fellow
subjects, whom right had been usurped by a few individuals. He midi
not take up their time in discussing various plans of reform. The pas
of Lord John Russell had the advantage of combining the views of ails
(Much cheering.) He had hailed it with pleasure, be met it with gra.
titude, and he hoped it would be received by the whole kingdom. The
discussion had occupied five days—five minutes was sufficient to filly
state the question. Two hundred persons had hitherto returned the
majority of the House of Commons, and 200 speeches had berm he off
in endeavooting to show that they bad used this privilege, not fa thus.
selves, but for the people at large; and that nobody understands isle
Interests less than the people themselves. That it would be utter dmis.
ladon for the people to return their own representatives ; but a
nays month, would not be too long to rove this ; but this emb=
not a word of sound sense or argument—indeed it was an insult to cam
mon sense. But let them not forget that these 200 persons held the
majority of the House of Commons, and that that majority was against
the interests of the people. Will they venture to oppose this measure
of justice ? Will they dash the cup of grace from this lips of a whole
nation ?
A petition in the same tone was then carried to the King, and it was
decided, on the motion of Mr. Tyrrell, that Mr. Norihmore and Capt.
Truscott should present it, and the meeting separated, after having oc-
cupied about four hours ands half, with three cheers for the Mayor and
three times three for his Majesty's Ministry.
The inhabitants of Liskeard and Penzance have sent petitions to Par-
liament in favour of the Reform Bill ' • and similar petitions are in pre-
paration, in different other towns and parishes.
Though the whole of the twenty boroughs of Cornwall are to he af.
feeted by the Ministerial plan of Reform—it being proposed to dis-
franchise twelve, and to deprive the other eight of one Member each.
the measure has been received with the most lively satisfaction by as
friends of Refonn—that is, by the great majority of the county.
The excitation on the Reform measure continues unabated, as is
amply proved by the numerous meetings that are taking place—first
to address the Ministers, for bringing the question before Parliament;
and secondly, for congratulating the King on having a Ministry that
seems disposed to promote the wishes of the people. The anxiety
manifested by the public during the seven nights' debate is, of course,
appeased, though the result, strictly speaking, is not such as to calm
all apprehensions upon the subject among those who have been most
sanguine that the bill, as produced by Lord John Russell, will be
carried into effect to its full extent.
By the proposed bill for parliamentary reform, it will be seen that,
while the borough of Saltash, which, together with the parish, contains
1173 inhabitants, is wholly disfranchised, the borough of St. Germans
is to retain one of its members, though that town and parish contain
only 2404 inhabitants. This and similar discrepancies arise, no doubt,
from incorrectness of the returns, which will, as the measure passes
through the house, most probably receive amendments.
Notwithstanding the information we gave last week, that the duty on
coals was to be continued three months longer, we are now enabled to
state, that the collectors of customs in the western ports have received
directions to cancel the former order, and that the duties are to discon-
tinue from the Ist of March last.
A melancholy accident occurred on Thursday week, which has plunged
three families in the deepest distress ; the sloop Betsey, C. Lake was.
ter, belonging to Barnstaple, on her return from Wales, with a cargo of
coal, was discovered on the afternoon of the preceding day, in Barnstaple
Bay in distress, when a boat from Appledoce went out to render her as-
sistance, but through the violence of the surge was unable to meet her,
and on endeavouring to aces the bar she capsized, and the master, his
brother. and a mariner, unfortunately perished.
On Monday last four of the Excise officers of Dorchester seized at
Overmoigne, 60 tube of Foreign Brandy ; and they were proceeding to
Dorchester with the tubs in a waggon, when, at Warmwell Cross.
about eight o'clock, a gang of smugglers, to the amount of forty and
upwards, armed with bludgeons, made a furious attack upon them,
knosbed and dragged them from their horses, disarm. d them, and
evenlosny sum-eeddeedd in carrying off the tubs.
am are forty-four prisoners for trial at the ensuing Assizes
imingy—Three for murder, doe cutting and wounding, two horse.
stealing, two sheep.steslin, six burglary, two bonse.bresking, two
highway robbery, and mumps!: for other offences.
Sir H. Davie, having taken into consideradon the actual coodition
of the agricultural labourers, and feeling convinced that the present rate
eif spew is not adequate generally to their support, without their being
eseapelled to have recourse to the parochial funds, has rope, d every