DULL TIMES.

How fade, without fruit, the anticipations which blossomed so gaily last autumn and winter, of a brilliant season in London this spring! The Morning Post announced extensive preparations in the fashionable world. Rents, in general, have been well paid ; and from no small portion of the landed property of the kingdom a larger income may reasonably be expected than in any former year since tbe peace. The aristocracy and gentry, therefore, it was sup- posed, would flock to London in high feather : balls were to have been abundant ; dinners daily ; and young heirs and old bachelors so eager to "settle," that a spinster in May was to have been quite a refreshing rarity. But, alas! the fulfilment answers not to the fond prediction. Never was London more "stupid." The Duke of 1D/EVONSIIIRE is in the Levant, and the Duke of BUCCLEUCII "no- where e' the Ladies LONDONDERRY and SALISBURY WO ill to think of dissipation, and Lady JERSEY fascinating Cardinals at Rome.

"The fact of there being but two balls a week," says the Morning Post," and one of these a 10s. 6d. one, (Almack's,) is a sorry recompense' to mammas and pawl who strain every nerve to give their daughters 'time advantage of a London season.'" On the same unimpeachable authority, we mentioned last week that not a single Cabinet Minister or Foreign Ambassador has this season a private box at the Opera—her Majesty's Theatre is de- livered over to unfashionable demireps. The deplorable state of affairs at the Palace has deprived even the Royal parties of the greaterportion of their beauty, brilliancy, and attraction. In short, the town is dull—dull in May—in the very height of the season. Instead of long lists of fetes and dances, we read in the newspapers such pleasing paragraphs as these.

"The remainder of Lord Suffield's carriages, horses, ponies, together with the wines and a selection of furniture, are advertised in the Norfolk papers to be sold by auction, on the 6th, 7th, and 8th of May. The late Lord was a great connoisseur ; and the cellars, altered by his Lordship's directions, are considered the best in England."

" In the Bail Court, Sir F. Pollock moved for a rule to show cause why the plaintiffs in the matter of the Earl of Oxford should not be restrained from issuing execution against the defendant, or why judgment should not be en- tered tip on such terms as, after a discussion of the case, shall seem proper to the Court. Lord Harley, it appeared, passed two bills of exchange for VAL to Storr and Mortimer, jewellers, of Bond Street, for value received; soon after which, he went over to Boulogne : on the non-payment of the bills at matu- rity, Lord Harley was arrested Lord Oxford On the occasion gave a warrant of attorney conditionally to give up the person of Lord Harley in the event of any action being subsequently brought against him, or pay the amount of the bills."

" Thomas T. Jones applied to the Insolvent Debtors' Court to be released on hail until the day of hearing his case. The insolvent had been proprietor of it Brighton coach. Sir Bellingham Reginald Graham, Bart., and Mr. Charles Vaughan, pawnbroker, of the Strand, were the proposed sureties. They gave hail in the sum of 3,000t, and were accepted by the Court."

[Mr. JoNEs, we believe, is a member of a Shropshire family with large landed possessions.]

A long account is published of an attempt to swindle the Earl of SHELBURNE out of 5,0001., which that young nobleman, son of the Lord President of the Council, wished to borrow at usurious interest from advertising money-lenders. It appears also that an- other loan of 10,000/. was required by Lord SHELBURNE, who re- sides with his father at Lansdowne House.

Perhaps these circumstances are symptomatic of general pecu- niary embarrassment among the fashionable aristocracy.

The fact that the chief necessary of life has been at an exorbi- tant price, is sufficient to account for dulness of trade in the Me- tropolis and the Provinces. Drury Lane Theatre is closed ; Covent Garden is about to finish, after a brief season ; the Adelphi and the Lyceum are shut up ; and we fear that the Haymarket audi- ences are not always overflowing. The shopkeeping classes sup- port the London theatres ; and they are suffering from the strait- ened means of the great mass of consumers. Go where you will, in city or suburbs, there is nothing but grumbling at the " dulness of' the season."

The Provinces are not prosperous. Read the following letter from Manchester, which appeared in the Standard two nights ago-

" We are here in such a condition with respect to trade, that many of our large manufacturers are reduced to the necessity of stopping their mills and

discharging their bands; and before a fortnight has passed over our heads, many thousands of our manufacturing population will be out of work. What is to follow, Heaven only knows ; but the general impression is, that unless

vigorous preventive measures are adopted, we shall have every thing to fear from the influence of those wild, lawless people, the Chartists. The naked unadorned truth is, that before trade can revive, and confidence be restored in the commercial world, we must have—a change of Ministers!!! [we admire

that stroke of genius !)—and this opinion is generally felt and acknowledgets The Globe of the same evening had this-

" The reports of the cotton-market at Liverpool, and of the condition of the manufacturers in Lancashire, become worse and worse. It appears probable, that the ridichfous speculation in cotton wool, which has been carried on by the American banks for many months past, is about to explode."

Thus the Tory charges the distress on bad Ministers, and the Whig on American speculators. Few reflecting men, whether

Tory or Whig, were unprepared for distress in the commercial and manufacturing classes, as soon as the effects of an efflux of gold in payment of corn began to be seriously felt in the money-market.

" Dull times" are associated with dear bread. Now is seen the error of those who imagined that an increased expenditure by the agricultural "interest" would compensate for the scarcity and high price of food. " Give us back our millions !" the people may cry aloud to the aristocracy ; who will reply, that the millions have disappeared—that they have received but a pittance of what the community at large has assuredly expended. And this is true; for, such is the beautiful result of the Corn-law juggle, that the benefit it confers upon a class is diminutive in comparison with the injury it inflicts on the mass.

But dulness of trade and pressure in the money-market inevi- tably me-render discontent. There is not the slightest expectation of relief from the Legislature : it is seen that they spend whole

nights in idle brawls, without attempting improvement of the phy- sical condition of the people. But perhaps the time is coming when there will be but one question for Parliament to discuss—the means of procuring employment and food for the working popula- tion. It is indeed matter for serious thoughtfulness, that at a

season when the Metropolitan retail trade should be best, and the Country manufacturer should be fully employed upon foreign orders for early autumn customers, there is one uniform complaint of

"dull times.