ebt Countri).

The approaching vacancy for the borough of Leeds has set all par- ties in motion. Mr. M. T. Sadler is, of course, the favourite with the Tories. Mr. Joshua Bower of Hamlet, is expected to be the nominee of the Radical party ; and the Whigs are directing their attention to Mr. Fawkes, son of the late Walter Fawkes, Esq. of Faruley Hall. The name of Fawkes must ever be dear to Yorkshiremen, and to all friends of rational and effective reform.—Halifax Express.

P Mr. Banks of Leeds, candidate for Bradford at the last election, Mr. J. C. Ramsden, Mr. James Stuart Wortley, and Mr. Sadler, are all mentioned as likely to start for Huddersfield, as well as Mr. Black- burne the barrister. The last named gentleman has been called upon by the Liberal party to represent them. A requisition to that effect, numerously and respectably signed,. was presented to him a few day's since.

Lord Western is alarmingly ill at his country-seat. His cousin, Mr. James Western, and Dr. Warren, went down on Thursday afternoon, by the particular request of his Lordship.

ItMr. J. Brougham, M.P. for Kendal, is dangerously ill at Brougham IL—Carlisle Patriot. [This account has been contradicted. Mr. Brougham has been ill of the jaundice, but not dangerously.] On Thursday week, a procession of an entirely new character took place in Birmingham ; being a congregation of the United Trades, for the purpose of assisting in the ceremony of laying the first stone of the . Operative Builders' Guildhall. The foundation-stone had the follow- ing inscription.

" This foundation-stone of the Operative Builders' Guildhall was laid on the 28th day of November 1833, by Joseph Hansom, architect. The cost of the structure is in- tended to be defrayed. by the equal contributions of all members of the Builders Trades' Unions in Birmingham. The objects sought to be attained are—first, to give perma- nency and efficiency to the efforts of the working builders, to obtain and secure suffi- cient wages and full.employment for every member of their body ; secondly, to provide for themselves schools of instruction in all the branches of the art of building, and also a good, sound, and practical education for their children; thirdly, to encourage in them- selves and families habits of temperance, peace. order, industry, charity, and good-will, and to insure a competent provision against times of sickness and accident, and a com- fortable retirement for the aged and infirm." A. model of the intended building was exhibited. The principal i00114 which is intended for meetings, lectures, school, &c. will be 75 feet by 30 feet. A number of smaller rooms, for committees, classes, fitc, are arranged above and below. The expense is estimated at near

.20601.

About a hundred of the members of the Birmingham Polish Asso- ciation dined together last week, at the Assembly Rooms, Old Square, to commemorate the breaking out of the late Polish Revolution.

The Tory Corporation of Maidstone have refused to submit to the Corporations Commissioners ; alleging the same reasons for their con- tumacy as their Leicester brethren.

The visit of the Corporation Commissioners to Shropshire has brought to light some of the practices of the Great Unpaid in that county ; an expo- sure of which would appear to be highly natessary. We noticed in the

Spectator some weeks since a transaction respecting the false imprison- ment of two Bavarian girls, on a warrant which was given by the Ma- gistrates of Wenlock to a constable, to fill up with such names as he

thought proper. Complaints were made at the Home Office, of the conduct of the Magistrates ; but Lord Melbourne refused to interfere, on the ground that they acted under an exclusive jurisdiction, and were not appointed by Government. The constable was examined by the Corporation Commissioners ; and some additional circumstances, ex- planatory of the mode in which Shropshire Justices of the Peace some-

times abused their authority, were elicited. it appeared, that a prac- tice has long prevailed among the Magistrates of Wenlock, of permit- ting persons like Walter, the constable, to appear and swear to an in- formation, in the name of another ; and then, after allowing this perjury, granting executions, under which the property of the alleged debtor was promptly sold by the officer. Walter admitted that he continued this practice for a whole year ; that he recovered Dr. Forester's arrear of tithe in this way ; and procured warrants of distress against the Quakers, for their church-rates, without troubling the Wardens to go before the Magistrates. He acted as agent for Dr. Forester ; and the Magistrates never objected to his swearing the informations, though they were granted in other people's names. During the last two years, they would not, however, permit him to swear the informations. This fellow, who seems to have been the worthy factotum of the We/dock Magistrates, obtained a warrant of distress for church-rates upon a farmer in the neighbourhood; which he put in execution, although he had never de- manded payment of the rate, and the farmer heard of the demand for the first time when the execution was in his premises. This was the farmer's statement ; to which the constable laughing, replied- " It's a lie. I asked you often for it." Commissioner—" How dare you, Sir, standing before us, with one of the blackest characters I ever knew a man to possess—bow dare you call the evi- dence on oath of any man a lie, and laugh at conduct at which every one who hears you shudders ? Be more sensible of your situation, Sir." Walter—" I acted as auctioneer, and sold the hay ; I also printed the bills; I took three stacks of hay in execution, and let the company choose which they liked best. I did not appraise the hay before I sold it. I levied the distress at once."

Commissioner—" So that, in fact, you swore the debt, served the summons, levied the distress, printed the handbills, sold up the goods, and put the money in your pocket without paying any one a farthing. Is that the case? " NValter—" It may be so, for any thing I know : I don't deny it." Well may the Morning Chronicle, in commenting upon this affair, re- mark, that "of all conceivable nuisances, the Corporations of England seem the chief."

An application was made last week to the Chester Magistrates, to compel Mr. Johnson, late Overseer of St. Oswald's parish, to give up to the Board the sum of 2/. 5s. 6d. ; which he retained in his hands, for the purpose, as lie said, of remunerating him for his trouble and loss of time in registering the names of freemen and county voters in his parish last year. Mr. Johnson, in reply, said there must be something invidious in dragging him-under the notice of the public in this way, when there were individuals belonging to other parishes who were m office that retained sums of money to themselves in the same manner as he had done, and they were not noticed. The Town Clerk said, all Overseers were bound to pay the registration shilling into the hands of the parties authorized to receive the poor-rates ; and, according to the 76th clause of the. Reform Act, if they neglected so to do, they were li- able to a penalty of 500/. Neither Overseers nor Assistant-Overseers could retain any of the monies so collected for their trouble ; but the parishes, in vestry, could make them an allowance, if they thought pro- per. Mr. Johnson, on hearing this, paid down the amount.—Chester Chronicle.

Mr. Lamprell, Chairman of the meeting of the Friends of the Liberty of the Press, at Brighton, states that he has already received 653 shillings, subscribed towards paying the fine of 501. inflicted upon Mr. Cohen, by the Court of King's Bench, independently of the sub- scriptions now going on in different parts of the kingdom for the same

purpose. The unlimited subscription entered upon, for defraying the expenses incurred by Mr. Cohen on account of the prosecution, is going on most prosperously.—Brighton Guardian. Within the last six months the Welsh Independents have subscribed upwards of 17,000/. towards liquidating the aggregate debt of 30,000/. at present remaining upon all their places of worship in North and South Wales.—Bath Gazette.

The following extracts from a letter addressed by a clergyman of Warwickshire, to the editor of the Warwick Advertiser, give a strange account of the conduct of a Magistrate of that county; and, if the facts are truly stated, make out another case for the interference of Lord Melbourne; but we question whether his Lordship will deign to no- tice it.

" An attempt has been made by a Magistrate of this county, and five other of my parishioners, to intimidate me from retaining a house I have lately taken, lest thereby I should gain a parochial settlement, by threatening, in case of my refusal to comply with their proposal, to deprive me of my curacy I This threat was conveyed to me by the said Magistrate ; and I certainly conceive it to have expressed the sentiments and resolution of the meeting, which, if not exactly within the church, was held at the open door thereof, and was summoned by sound of bell. At all events, the threat has been twice since repeated by the same person, even in my own house. By my own fire-side.- the Englishman's sanctuary—I was told that it would be realized ; and when my wife mildly and affectionately appealed to him if it were possible that he could harbour the thought of depriving her and her children, then standing, round her, of their bread, he sternly and haughtily, regardless of her sex as a woman—her rank as a lady—her feel- ings as a moth •r—replied, yes, and you may rest assured it will be done—no meats left untried to accomplish it. Now at neither of these interviews did he cast the slightest imputation on my character ; nay, at the first, on my saying that his conduct might arise from some prejudice he had taken, he declared that he had never heard a word. against me; yet, on our last conference upon the subject, he informed me that it was designed to pursue their object by preferring a charge against me of slovenly per- formance of the duties ! • • • • • " Why, at the gavel th hour of my service in these parishes, should this charge (never heard by ate Wore) I e advanced? The why is plain ; had 1 consented to compromises my rights as a housei older, the sloven might have sloveued on, and the slumberer might have slumbered at his ease. The sole reason I have heard, is bteaase I will not give up my I ouie, or sub-tenant it from the parish, at a rent under 101. per annum, that I may not obtain a parochial settlement I for that is the " head and front" of the busi- ness, and nothing else. In resisting the proposal I was actuated by several considera- tions. It was an insult never, I am sure, offered to any other clergyman ; it was ac- companied by intimidation to which no Englishman ought ever to submit ; it was cal- culated to injure my credit through life, to destroy my respectability and influence in the parish. which a Magistrate ought to support, and not to diminish. Nor has any human being a right to intrude. as Mr.— has done, on my domestic hours, shocking nay ears with insult, and wounding the feelings of an amiable woman, as he has done. She has been ill from the day it was first mentioned, to say nothing of myself; and if proceedings like these are tolerated, who is safe? Parish officers will readily take the ,precedent, and a man might be hunted through the kingdom. • • • * " All the charges urged against me are false. All that 1 have advanced I solemnly state upon oath. Whatever else may be urged against me I will meet. Truth and Justice are on my side ; and, by them supported, I will—keep my house.

I am, Sir, yours, " Rineton. 13th November 1833. G. M. Jontraer.

" We, the undersigned, do hereby swear to the facts above-stated,-as far as we are . respectively concerned. G. M. JOHNSON.

SARAH JOHNSON.

" Sworn before me at Warwick, this 13th day of November 1833. JOHN MORRIS, Mayor of Warwick."

Appearances'indicate an approaching struggle between the operatives of Derby and their employers; which, we are afraid, will be attended with an almost total suspension of business for a time, unless a com- promises take place. During the past week, it is said that upwards of eight hundred of the workmen have joined the Trades' Union, and entered into engagements with each other, under the sanction of an oath, which is imposed on every member; but the terms of this compact are kept a profound secret. Their object, however, is. understood to be the pro- tection of labour; and for this purpose they have adopted the forms and ceremonies of the Freemasons or Odd Fellows. These proceed- ings, connected with what has transpired at Manchester, Leeds, and other places, have aroused the attention of the manufacturers, who have had several meetings during the week, but nothing has transpired respecting their intentions. It appears, however, the workmen them- selves are apprehensive their employers will follow the example of the Leeds manufacturers, and try to break up the Union by refusing to em- ploy any of the members.—Derby Reporter.

The total population of Liverpool is estimated at 220,974, of whom 62,051 are Roman Catholics.