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

TO THE HIGH SHERIFF OF THE COUNTY

OF SUFFOLK.

January 11, 1850.

We, the undersigned owners and occupiers of land in
the county of Suffolk, feeling deeply the distresses under which,
the agricul ural interest is now labouring, request you to cab a
Genetal Meeting of the County, at the earliest opportunity, to
consider of the propriety of petitioning both Houses of Parliament,
to take into their consideration the unparalleled distress under
which all classes dependent on agriculture at present labour ; and
earnestly to press on their attention the necessity of providing such
relief as, in their wisdom, they shall think meet.
(Signed) STR A DBROK E, HU NTI NG FIELD,
T. S. GOOCH, CHARLES BLOTS,
And upwards of one hundred others, blagistracs, owners, and
occupiers.

To which the Sheriff returned the following answer :

Ido hereby, in compliance with the above requisition to call a
General Meeting of the County of Suffolk, appoint Saturday, the
6th day of February next, for the holding of the same, at Ipswich,
at the hour of 12 in the forenoon, In the Mirket.place, o► other
place, at Ipswich, that may hereafter appear adapted to the accorts-
modation of the same ; when, and where, the freeholder and In-
habitants of the county at large, or such and as many thereof s
may be desirous of a public expression of their sentiments upon the
present critical position of the agricultural interests, ate required to
give their attendance, with the view to preparing a petition to
both Houses of Parliament, in such form and terms as may he
then and there resolved on.

Given under my band and seal this 25th day of Jan.lB3o.
JOHN RUGGLES BRISK,
IBA Sheriff of the County.

REFORMATION OF GIN SHOPS.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE STAR.
" The Town has tinged the Country."
Sea—l entertain a hope that you are so much tik-
gusted with the demoralizing effects produced by the
cheapness of gin, that you will allow your Paper to be
made the channel of giving publicity to the enclosed
" Suggestions to Magistrates for reforming Gin-shops,"
sustained by the observations on that subject contained
in this Letter, and communicated to me by a moat intel-
ligent and active Magistrate of a neighbouring county.
I am struck with surprise, and feel the deepest regret
when I see that almost every man, when he becomes an
ale-house keeper, from that moment seems to consider
only bow he may get most money, and is utterly regard-
less of the destructive consequence to his customers. Tho
vigilance of the magistrates should, however, correct this
unfeeling apathy, and control such men in the abuse of
their licences. My friend informs me that
" In a town In the country, containing 40.000 inhabitants. and
00 public-houses, several evils of great magnitude have ; ro-
reosively taken place in licensed Houses. The principal one
wives from hotel-keeper., innkeepers, and publican., having
=t(some before and some since the last licensing day), separate
ad often at • distance from the from general entrance into
pisses entitled Shades or Spirit Rooms, or cabins or cellars, and
Inunetimes without name, and such places are u.ed as gin-shop..
Drunkenness and turbulence have by this means increased con.i-
derably, and among a class of women superior to the lowest order
In many of these houses there is no
.public tap-room, and
licensed pima receives more profit from the gin-shop titan frog
the hotel, ion, or victualling house."
And he notices, that by 9 Geo. IV. cap. 61, the p e -
sent " Ale-house Licensing Act," it is enacted,
" That, when (at any of the licensing meetings) any question
torching the granting, withholding, or transferring of any license,
or the fitness of the person applying for such license, or of the
house intended to be kept by such person, shall arise, such question
shall be determined by the majority of Justices not disquablird
who shall be present when such question shall arise."
This clause points out the particular power and duty •
of Magistrates (in additidtt to their authority when sit-
ting in judgment as to penalties incurred for offences
against the tenor of the license,) as follows
Ist. As to granting licences.
ad —• withholding ditto.
ad. transferring ditto.
4th. the fitness of the person applying for the lice. ce.
sth. the honor intended to be kept.
So that if the Magistrates should find that a licence has
been granted to a man making an application fur one pur-
pose, and who applies it to another ; such as substituting a
gin-shop for an hotel, an ale-house for a boarding-house,
or if a licensed publican has allowed people of Beth
sexes to assemble and dance and sing in places untie.-
ground, and at night, I allege such a man must be
deemed unfit to be trusted with a license any longer,
and, in many cases, the place considered to be unfit to be
licensed at all. I hope the Licensing M gistrates 163
agree with me in the magnitude of the evil, and vigorously
apply the remedy.

I am, Sir,
Your obedient Servant,
London, Jan. 29, 1230. ROBERT BROWNE.
VENaz ! VOYEZ ! ST Jiro zz !—The best el en it.;
lounge or place of rendezvous for the theatres, is tie
Grand Cigar Divan lately opened at 102, Strand—di-
mensions of Saloon, .51 by 30 feet. We thtre meet
good comFany, relish genuine Havarnahs, sip most ex-
cellent coffee, enjoy an undisturbed Lout of chess ; and
when within the magic halo of the Divan, we feel as if
we had left Loneon and all its cares behind us at the en-
trance. How often are the squares redolent of lla-
Tannish from some leckle-s peripatetic gentleman com-
pelled to smoke the weed in the t.pen air, and who can-
not condescend to enter into an alehouse or mix with the
brawl or riot of a tavern. It is to them that we should
recommend a peep into the Divan, because we are smokers,
and know the power of the propensity. Atour next vicit we
shall be happy to receive the thanks of those of our
readers whom we have been the means of introducing to
this truly elegant place, and as we generally betake our-
selves to the Ottoman in the centre of the room, they may
challecge us to ammo, and tell us what they think or the
Grand Gm Dina.

NSW FARRIN6DON MARKET'—TIIId DAY. •
Veal was id. per b. &wet at this musket today, and went
warm. Of Beef, Illestost, and Pork, titers was a plentiful
supply. Prices per lb.
Vaat.--64. to dd. Bess--Itoastips pans (chatted cut.), did.
Bolling ditto, 41d. Squat tptaiWty, Warta" Slums—.
laddk, dd. tad did. lei, IV !Smock id. Skoolder. 56d,
Noe!, 41d. Brow, 4d. Posa—sid. to sod.
,Iz the up tbent was a good supply of Rabbits, Fkla.Vegetabk%
and halt&