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A public meeting was held at Brighton on the 19th ioateet, at which it was resolved to set on foot a shillieg subscription for the payment of the fine of 501., which, in addition to six months' interir enment, the Court of King's Bench imposed upon Mr. Cohen, the editor of the Brighton Guardian, for a libel. 'the extreme and uncalled-for severity of this sentence has formed the topic of much discussion during the week. 'fire libel in question, Mr. Cohen made affidavit, was sent to him by a correspondent, and admitted into his paper inadvertently. We have riot seen the paragraph itself, but its contents are thus summed up by the Times.

"After enumerating some incendiary tires which had occurred about fifteen or twenty miles from Brighton, the writer took occasion to remark the exemption from such fires of those districts in whose neighbourhood certain Magis- trates resided, while the vicinity of other Magistrates had been deplorably tormented by them ; moreover, that in some places the Magistrates had persecuted the people, and would not let them express their opinions by meetings or unions, but had applied the term mob' to parties so applying for a redress of grievances, and had transported them: further, that the oppressed labourers had no way of making their wants known but by burn- ing the stacks of those who were obnoxious to them ; that at Ilorsham the case was difthrent, for there the middle classes had refroqq1 to abet the Magistrates, or to be sworn in special constables, to prevent the labourers front making known their grievances; and that the consequence was, the labourers considering the middle classes as their friends, that therefore the middle classes, instead of as- sisting the upper classes to oppress the lower, ought to make common cause with the peasantry fur the protection of their own property, Sze."

This paragraph was magnified by the Sussex Magistrates into an at-

tempt to excite the lower classes against the higher, to encourage incendiarism, and vilify their own worshipful body. Bills of indict- ment were found against the publisher of it by a Grand Jury, twenty out of twenty-three of whom were themselves Magistrates; and the defendant was found guilty by a Special Jury, composed of men of the same class, and imbued with the same prejudices as his prosecutors. Thus, he justly complains, he was deprived of the "protection which a jury of his peers would have thrown around him." It was allowed that the tone of the paragraph in question was not in accordance with the general tone of the paper; and several affidavits by most respectable Magistrates were laid before the Court, in which the conduct of the defendant as a public journalist, during the time of the fires, was declared to be honourable and useful. These circumstances in his favour ought to have been taken into consideration when sentence was passed; but they seem to have been utterly disregarded.

At the last Cumberland Assizes, the proprietors of the Carlisle

Journal were prosecuted by the Earl of Lonsdale, the proceedings being by criminal information, for an alleged libel upon his character, in his capacity of Governor of St. Bee's Charity-school. The really guilty party, Mr. Steel, was acquitted, owing to a misnomer in the informa- tion; but his coproprietress, Mrs. Jollie, a widow lady with five chil- dren, was found guilty; but recommended by the Jury "in the strongest manner to the merciful consideration of the Court." It was supposed that she would not be brought up for judgment ; but those who were of this opinion know little of the Earl of Lonsdale. His course of pro- ceeding will appear from the following extract from the Carlisle Journal.

" The very able legal advisers of Mrs. Jollie in London gave it as tbeiropinion

that notice would be given to her if it was intended to call for judgment ; that until such notice was given there was no necessity for her attendance in London, and that it would not be prudent on her part to press for judgment. The reader will guess our astonishment, then, when, on Thursday week, we were informed that she was arrested by a Sheriff's officer, and that the warrant was of such a Major- General —, the funeral took place in the ordinary way. LA nature that 1Y/ bad took' be a Matted ! Fully to appreciate the int tires vhicb correspondent of the Times who furnishes this account, contradicts a have led to this proceeding, it is necessnry the reader should nods rat that ts person alluded to ; and that attempts had been made on the part of his were open to the prosecutor,—one to issue a Judge's warrant, to which ,7c family to hush up an inquiry which the Parish-officers intended to in- be put in ; the other is to issue a writ such as that which has been served upos,

Mrs. Jollie, and to which no bail can be admitted. 'Ihe prosecutor has ch..bkm,

o.- ent, • An inquest on the body of Mrs. Bedwell, who, as we related in last five children, was placed in the gaol of .earlish.n, where (unless relieved by tabu motions now pending. in the King's Bench) she must remain until the 8‘-.4' of January next. We dare not trust ourselves to speak of this aer, oar of ela manner in which it has been executed, as our feelings prompt : the public, how- ever, will not fail to see it in its true light."

A large and respectable meeting of landed proprietors and yeomanry,- residing in the eastern part of Sussex, took place at Battle on Monday last, to take into consideration the propriety of expressing their tinned anxiety to have the tithe question settled, and the opinion of that part of the country as to the principle upon which it should be effected. Several resolutions were carried, declaring tithes to be in- jurious to agriculture, to religion, and the best interests of the country: that they ought to be totally abolished, upon a fair commutation ; (fur such commutation should be grounded upon the rental and real value of the land ; and that the landowner should in all cases have it in hi:. power to redeem his property for ever from the burden. The resole• tion which declared that tithes should be abolished by a fair eorcrueo- tion, was opposed by a few persons ; one of whom proposed an amend- ment, omitting the words "by a fair commutation," which was, ()a being seconded and put, lost by a very large majority, and tine originaf resolution was carried almost unanimously.

A very numerous and respectable Vestry meeting, for the purpose of laying a church-rate, ptirsuant to legal notice, was held at Idle, near Bradford, on Wednesday week. Mr. Joseph Hepworth, of Vail Lodge, being unanimously called to the chair, the two Churchwarden: moved and seconded a rate of 4d. in the pound, to cover their estimate of 45/. 9s. ; when the following amendment was moved by the Ileverene Mr. Stringer, seconded by Mr. George Bateson, and carried unani- mously. " That it is contrary to the spirit of Christianity to comp.ve. pecuniary payments to support what we conscientiously disapprove and in hope of a speedy legislative enactment for the destruction of church-rates, that the consideration of laying a church-rat,' for the township of Idle be now postponed to this day twelve mouths." After passing an unanimous vote of thanks to the Chairman, for his very able and impartial conduct in the chair, the meeting separated, highly gratified by this complete triumph over injustice and oppression.— Leeds Mercury.

At a Vestry meeting held on Thursday week, in the parish-eharci of All Saints, in I Icri7ford, it was proposed by the Churchwarriera; levy a rate on the paisirioners for the repairs of the church, ;err; ern salaries of the sexton, organist, &c. A very old rate payer not ea as an amendment, that the meeting should adjourn to that day le; trdgiez. when a committee should be appointed to investigate die elaims n, the rate, and to ascertain what reductions may be effected. The amend- ment was carried unanimously.—Hereford Times.

On Thursday last, a meeting was held at Coventry, for the purpc.) of granting a church-rate of Gd. in the pound for St. Miebniel 's The show of hands wars against the rate, in consequence Of unrinineee getting into the body of the ball who had no vote. A poll use demanded, which closed at three o'clock. The result was a triumpi for the Church party—For the church-rate, 259; against, 3Q4; majority, 135.

The Corporation of Leicester dined together on Thursday %veek, ar the Guildhall in that town. There were about four !minima and fifer gentlemen present ; among whom were Earl Howe, Lord Robert- Manners, Sir G. Beaumont, and Mr. Halford, the Conserrative Member for the Southern division of the county. The health of tin King was given with the usual honours; but when that of the " liana.::, God bless her !" was proposed, the report states, " that innnediately spontaneous burst of applause resounded from all parts of the hall, displaying the utmost extent of enthusiastic loyalty." Ead Howe,. Lord Robert Manners, and Mr. Halford, addressed tine company Anti-Ministerial speeches. The whole affair seems to have been the most violent outburst of party-feeling that has occurred for some time. We hope that Ministers will prove next session, that they deserts ill-will of these foes to improvement in Church and State.

The Sheriffs of Norwich have refused to submit themselves arc their officers to the investigation of the Corporation Comusissicncrs_ Their refusal was conveyed in polite, but peremptory terms : the rea- son assigned for it is the want of legal authority in the Commission.

The Reverend Mr. Salkeld, Vicar of Crosby in Cumberland, brought many actions for the recovery of green tithes, under Lore Tenterden's Act. But as he had riot been in possession of the living a. sufficient length of time to entitle him to recover for the six years for which be claimed, he brought the actions in the names of Mr. Lowry alel of Mrs. Lowry, the widow of the late incumbent. This was d.ale against their consent ; and they accordingly applied to have tin proceeding taken off the file in the Court of Exchequer. The case came on for bearing last week ; when the application was acceded to, and the plaintiff was ordered to pay all costs belonging to the suit- By this proceeding, Mr. Salkeld will be debarred from renewing his suit, the time limited by Lord Tenterden's Act having expired. We trust this will be alesson to all reverend tithe-seekers, end teach them to look twice before they leap once in future, however tempting may be the bait.—Carlisle Journal.

The agriculturists in the neighbourhood of Tiverton are greatly alarmed at the prospect before them ; many of them being obliged to sell the produce of their farms at the present ruinous prices, to meet the demands from their landlords, the parson, the tax-collector, and to pay their lime-bills, together with the enormous poor-rates. It lie much to be regretted, that the generality of landlords oblige their tenants

to pay all rates and taxes, as some for want of ability, and many more for fear of giving offence to the comparative few who generally manage the affairs of the parish, allow abuses to pass unnoticed ; whereas, ie the landlords who have the benefit of superior education paid one bar, they would of course feel interested, and remedy many of the existinc

evils. It must be evident to every cue who is at all conversant with the funning business, that it wilt_be found impossible for many an honest farmer to continue to pay the present rents, tithes, taxes, and rates. Western Times.

A mit serious mistake occurred last Nonday at the Royal Obser- vatory, at Greenwich. The ball at the top of that building has been set up for the purpose of giving mean time at one o'clock every day. This instrument is chiefly intended for the use of persons on ship-board, in the river Thames and the adjacent dock, ; who ascertain by it the rate of their chronometers. It is of the tinsost consequence that the ball should act at an invariable point of time. An error of a second, taken on the day a ship leaves the Thames (end many ships leave every day), would in all probability be productive of the most calamitous results. This error would produce a corresponding error each day of a quarter of a mile in longitude; and the accumulation of such errors would, during a long voyage, amount to a quantity that would altogether mislead the mariner and endanger the loss of the vessel. We do not know the cause of the misfortune ; but on Monday last, the ball was set in motion one minute after the true time. Being an instrument but lately constructed, we may presume it was caused by some unavoidable accident. At any rate, so serious an accident must not recur, or the Board of Admiralty will find the ball of no further use than as an ob- ject of amusement to holyduy people. Those who use it for scientific purposes will lose all confidence in its operations.— Greenwich Gazette.