’ ae e\ a ek We erro mares THE <B> AMLNER. POS FS ae TR PET et ae POT Oe a eT ‘ ; . ’ ; ? . . » ere * grattop oljecers, baving on poara inv steerage Massouers { i Families, aud six cabiu passengers ; he v, inelahay master and officers, numbering fifty-four. She passed through tie Downs on the Gch Nov., and progressed on het voyage, al- though somewhat tardily, and on the Lith of March she was spoken with In lat, lo 3., and long. 52 W., a considerable | stance southward of the Cape. Since then not the least tidiugs have beew heard of the suip, or of any of her numer- ous passengers, She has already been, posted as a missing ship, and tae principal unlerwriters have paid the insurauce effected with them on ship and freight. Lt has been stated tuat she was laden with railway trou, but that turns out to be incorrect. Se wa > = aaa Che Exa —————_—_ oO CNARLOTTETOWN, PL E.L., OCTOBER II, 1858, SN LEN RNR FRR NN LN RES FRET THE PUBLIC FINANCES. Ss Tas state of the publio finances has again been made the subject of a leading article in the Js/ander, which is unpar- alleled for wilfal and dagrant misrepresentation. We have frequently felt it our duty to correct the misstatements of our contemporary in reference to the public debt and expond iture ; but though we have convinced every impartial and intelligent reader of his mendacity in this line, and silenced him for a time, the editor of the Jstander returns to the subject to fabri- cate new falsehoods as soon as he thinks his old ones are forgotten. If he would only practise some uniformity in his misrepresentation, and repeat the old lies with ail their at- teadant nonsense, thero would be no necessity for our occupy- ing the attention of our readers by referring to thom more than once ; but the old charlatan shakes up his budget every tire he secks to impose on the eredulity of his readers, and at | each succeeding shake or turn pretends to reveal something | more astounding than that which awaited en his provious per- formances. In his last appearance he has represented the public debt considerably greater in amount on the dist January last than it was according to his previous statements. Wo are now told that the debt of the Colony amounted at the time mentioned to the enormous sum of £57,240 Os. Od., which is nesrly double the sum it ever attained in the worst of times. He makes up this sum in the following manner :— * Warnente \.. 65. oe et eestcessaeeaee 0 8 DNs wid kev etgebbsick os 20,550 0 0 Balance due on Worrel Kstate,...... 6,100 0 0 £57,244 0 0” We aro surprised that the Is/ander did not swell this amount by the addition of the £11,500 Treasury notes. He passes over the important fact, that there were Bonds in the Trea- surcr’s and Attorney Gencral’s hands at the same time to the -| quite ay sour as when he first appeared in print the self-ap- > ‘xER? “A QRADUATH OF A SCOTTISH UNLYERSITY AGAIN! | ‘Lue sanctified scribbier who flourished some months ago in the Opposition Press, pompously styling himself “ a Graduate lof a Scottish University,’’ has again presented himesolf, be ‘’ ‘smeared with printer's ink, for the amusement of that small | portion of the public whose atteution can bo attracted by his | fanatical ravings. He seems to have become sensible of his former folly when addressing His Excellency the Licatenant Go- vernor, for, having delivered himself of his late rant, he cannely abstained from the labour of preparing a copy of it a8 a con- tribution to the waste paper-box of the Secretary's Office, But the ** Graduate”’ of the un-English University does not appear to have grown wiser or better in any other respect after his long repose from epistolary labours, for his temper scoms to be pointed champion of the political parsons ; and his performance of clerical duties has evidently not impressed him with a higher regard fur the eighth commandment. His late per- formance in the newspaper line is an angry remonstrance ad- dressed to the Lieutenont Governor—who will, no doubt, be spared the trouble of its perusal, from the fact of its being confined to the columns of a paper which His Excellency, we believe, is not in the practice of reading—against a letter which appeared in the Examiner some months ago from the Hon. Mr. Coles. The latter gentleman is accused of having made several false statements in the letter referred to, but the ‘* Graduate’? merely says that such and such things are false, without producing a particle of proof in sapport of his denials. Indeed, it is clear that if he could he would gladly rebut Mr. Coles’s statements, for they seem to have established an ugly raw in the mind of his clerical opponent. Amongst other stuff, the ‘‘ Graduate ”’ informs His Excel- lency that it is éketr inteation—(meaning, we suppose, himself and his brother political parsons) to attack the Government from other ‘‘ points ’’ than those whence they have been hurl- ing their poisoned but futile arrows. The new * points’’ have not been designated by this pious and sweet-tempered Graduate, but we may infer from the style and spirit of his second letter that they are all to be comprised in personal abuse of the Lieut. Governor, because he will not destroy the constitution of the country and govern it at the behest and for the advantage of a defeated and disappointed faction. Forced to adopt the conclusion which every intelligent man in the [siand has long since arrived at, that the Government will be sustained by a majority in the new Hous, the political Graduate of Belfast recommends that the minority of the electors should petition some authority or other for the aboli- tion of our local institutions and the annexation of the Colony to another Provincial Government. This mode of repairing a amount of £28,223 16s. 2}d.—besides cash to the amount of £4,550 1s. 44d.—making altogether the sam of £32,773 17s. Td., a3 a trifling set off against the £3),50fin Treasury War- | rants then afloat. ‘The Jslander knows that these assots were fully acknowledged by the Opposition in the House last Ses- sion, and are credited to the Governmont in the report sub- mitted, on the 30th March, by the Hon. Mr. Ilaviland, as an amondment to the report of the Committee on Public Accounts. Then with respect to the second item in the Islander's fallacious statement, viz: ‘* Debontures, £20,550 Os. Od."’ we havo to remark, that it is not showa for what purpose these debentures wero issued, but our readers are well aware that this charge was incurred for the purchase of the Worrel Es- tate. Against this chargo there were, at the time mentioned, monies tho paymeyt of which was secured on the very land for which the debentures were issued to the amount of £15,000, according to Mr. Jiaviland’s statement as before referred to, and that there wero besides unsold lands to the extent of 45,- 000 acres. Mr. Haviland adimitted in debate, (see his speech in the Hougo on Wedaesday, 31st March), that it would not be fuir to charge as an item of public debt the £20,550 for de- bentures without giving the Colony credit for the amount secured on land sales and for the land unsvld ; but his opinion was, that neither tic debs nor credit transactions in referance ta the purchase of the Worrell Estate should appear in the public accounts until the debontures, issued for a stated period, stiould be actually paid off. W ith respect to the third item quoted by the Islander, viz: ‘« Balance due on Worreil Estate, £5,100 Os. Od.,’’ we have only to remark, that the vondors of the Estate themselves don't claim that amount, and that whoa the affair shall have been settled, it will be scen that not much more than one-third of it is due to them. Tho Islander, as if ashamed of its monstrous falschood in stating the public debt to amount to £57,240 Os. Od., says that “the Government partizans’’ ‘‘ a/leye’’ that there are assets ** to the amount of £32,773," ** which will reduce the debt, bearing interest, to about £24,000." Now, the ‘‘Guvern- ment partizans’’ do not admit that the debt of the Colony, bearing interest, amounts to anything of the kind; and the qimount of assets referred to is not merely claimed by the ** Goyérnment partizans,’’ but it was frankly acknowledged by the Hon. Mr. Haviland, as leader of the Opposition, as well in his spseches ag in his amendment to the Committee’s Re- port on Public Accounts, that the Government was entitled to eredit for cash and bonds to the amount of £32,773 17s. 7d., which, according to his view of che cass, would leave the debt of the Colony to amount to no more than £29,870 48. 39d., aad taking from this sum £11,500 Treasury Notes, which bear no interest, would roducs the actail debt of the Colony to the | uthers—passing aside even false and calumnious assertions, to political defeat has not the small merit of originality. It has been the ery of the Tories, lay and clerical, for the last seven or eight years, whenever they found themselves worsted in an election contest, that they would, should or might petition the Parliament of Great Britain to destroy what they had failed to destroy themselyes after all their attempts—the inestimable boon of self-government. We hope the political parson will speedily betake himself to his new employment. We want sume new excitement, and some fresh amusement for our long winter evenings; fur, duly sensible of the mirth he has af- forded us by his recent antics in the political arena, we dunt know any man who is capable of furnishing more food for laughter than the * Gradaate of a Scottish University ;’* and we have nv doubt the cause of religion may be advanced if he will give us, in the way he proposes, a few additional proofs of his unfitness for the office of a Christian minister. Passing over many impertinent allusions to ourselves and refute which would be only imparting to them a factitious importance, but which nevertheless prove the author of them to be a person of exceedingly loose principles, and unfit for the sacred calling into which some freak of fortune has thrown him—we shall present our readers with a few speci- mens of the p2culiar style of composition adopted by this conceited graduate of an unknown Scottish University, who affects to be shocked at the defective literary attainments of others. In proof, however, of the reckless manner in which he scatters his libels broadeast, we shall give one instance. He says that the editor of the People’s Journal has ‘‘ neither cha- racter, property, nor religion,’’—and immediately after admits that he does not know who the person is whom he thus calum- niates !—Referring to Mr. Coles’s letter, to which his was in- tended as a reply, he says:—‘‘ As regards a specimen of British Minister for the Colonies,’ &e. We were not aware, | indeed, that there was any other than a ‘* British Minister for the Colonies,’’ but we should like to know the name of that excellent University in which our elerical friend gradu- ated; for if we did, we should be tempted to favour its directors with acopy of Ais letter, and ask why such an empty and pretentious blockhead should be allowed to disgrace the character of any respectable institution by claiming to be a graduate of it? In the first passage we shall quote, the writer pretends to discover a leaning towards Catholicism in the conduct of Mr. Coles, becauss that gentleman does not happen to be a gloomy and intolerant bigot like himself; and it will be observed that female innocence is not secure against his rude and unmannerly touch :-— ‘‘Nor can we disevver, since he considers his ‘ fair ones’ ean obtain the most refined polish at the Nunnery, why their father cannot obtain the training most suited to his taste, under the guardians of the same instruction, unless he hangs amali sam of £18,570 4s. 331. But the ‘Government parti- zans’’ (we thank thes, Jew, for teaching as that word), claim a3 an offset againSt the above £13,370 4s. 334., securities on land sales, as before roferred tu, to the amvant of £15,000, acknowledged to ba due to the Government by the leader of the Opposition at the tims he prepared Ais statement of the Pablic Accounts, and which would reduce the debt bearing in- terest to the small amount of £8,370 4s. 344., against which the * (iovernment partizans? place asa furthor offset 45,000 acres of land on the Worrell Estate, and a very considerable tract of the Lot Ll property. When tho editor of the Islander again attempts to misrepresent the views of tho ‘Government partizans’’ with respect to the public accounts, we hope our readers will boar these facts in their remembrance. Ther aro seyeral other misstatements in the article under eonsideratioa which wo cannot notice at present for want of space. _ tee 2 ta (t is roperted iu town that several Amorican fishing vossvls were driven ashero betwee the North Caye and the entrance of Rishwond Bay, in tha heavy gale on Saturday might, the 2d inet.; and that one vessel was driven on shore at the west side of the North Cape, and ail hands on board | .s Lesisi i> i< pi iies 4 between the two for Jesuitical purposes, that ho may the more successfully bait the more calm Protestants.’’ ** Unless ha hangs between the two.” What ‘two’? It is a pity the learned graduate did not hang somewhere before we were called upon to put him in the pillory of journalism for his impudence and slanders. ‘« Neyer were the entire body of the true hearted Episco- palians and Presbyterians, Baptists and Methodists—ever of one mind in reference to the sacredness of the infallible rule of faith and practice—more determined to proye themsclyes the worthy descendants of our noble ancestors, who did not count their lives too dear to secure imperishable privileges to their posterily.”’ We have a faint idea of tho meaning of the wordsitalicised, and that is all. ** Let not then your first minister think that he can drive sensible and intelligent men from the great interests at stake by shouting ‘ political parsons’ and * Tories,’ and such like, which sums up the amount of his logic.”’ **Such like’?! The learned ‘‘ graduate’? has evidently plagiarised this phrase from one of our town-criers, who, in enumerating for sale various articles of merchandize, invari- ably concludes bis catalogue with the words, *‘ and such like.” Ow IIA Ie English composition, this letter deserves to be sent to the | subject from our pen, for the present at Jeast, we shall point — : ie = ee eesaeeees = a representations to the home Government, to raise @ body of \arimod men, to be the menials of your Government, and that, too, at the axpense of the Colony ?”’ | Apart from the blundering mannor in which the above short sentence is expressed, it contains just three falsehoods—nearly one for every line. Her Majesty's soldiors were not “ dis- banded” from this Colony nor in this Colony, either by the Lieut. Governor or by any body else,—they were withdrawn before His Excellency came hero. Ne * false representations” were madg to tho home Government ‘ to raise a body of armed men ;’’ nor was the force sought to be organized ever intended to be the menials of any government. «© What was the object of your Excellency in calling on a trusty person in éhis city, because adverse to your Government, to surrender the arms entrusted to him by Her Majesty for his Militia-men? And what can bo the cause of your Excel- lency declining, at the request of the Mayor, ¢o refuse to make suitable provisions for the maintenance of the peace, at the late publie meeting, though the Editor of the Government sought to collect an excited mob, and succeeded in doing so, to that extent that those for whom the meeting was ially called, had, for tho sake of peace, to retire from the platform to which they were entitled.” There isan amusing jumble of nonsense in the preceding extract. The letter of ‘‘a Graduate,” &c. &c. &ec. is dated at the ‘ Manse, Belfast,’’ and the writer says His Excellency called on a certain ‘* trusty person in this city.”” What city? The city of Belfast? but His Excellency called upon no person for the object above mentioned. With respect to the Mayor's application to the Governor, the information is new to us that His Excellency declined to refuse compliance with the Mayor's request. We thought he did refuse it. ‘* The Editor of the Government’’ sounds magnificently large. ' We know some- thing about the editors of the several papers in town, but the ‘‘editor of the Government”’ is a new officer with whom we have not the honor of acquaintance.—** Those for whom the meeting was especially called!’? We were under the im- pression that the meeting was called to ascertain the opinions of the whole electors of Queen’s County with respect to certain Government proceedings ; and if one portion of them ran off to make room for another, the act must be attributed to their cowardice, or folly, or both. ‘* And now that the ordinary means of protection has been sent from the country, it was but right that they should ap- pear in tho city as a constabulary of peace, in a case of im- minent emergency, since this was refused between your Ex- cellency, George Coles, and the Sheriff.” The above almost inexplicable passage has reference to the irruption of the Belfasters at tho public meeting in August last, and its grammatical construction, as every reader can see, is inimitable. The Bolfasters were ** the means” of pre- serving the peaco that ‘* has been sent, and /Aey appeared in the city,”’ &e. Yes, and a more stupid looking set could not be gathered from the four quarters of the globe. But what was that which was -‘refused’’ Letween Llis Excellency, ‘George Coles and the Sheriff?’’ 1t must have been the ‘(imminent emergency’? that was refused, because in @ pre- vious passage we are told that the Governor declin 1 to refr'ay the ** constabulary of peace.’’ It would be worse than waste of timo to givé any further extracts from this, the most silly, illogical, and trashy letter that ever disgraced the columns of any paper—nearly every sentence of which betrays ignorance of the plainest rales of English Grammar. The “‘ Graduate’? would not be honoured with this lengthy notice, only that he has the immeasurable vanity and conecit to think himself a very clever fellow, and that there are other fools in the community who pat a little faith in his ridiculous pretensions. We want to check this bad propensity in the unfortunate man ; and seeing that he is a Minister of the Gospel, would be glad to make him as usefal a3 it is possible for one of his limited capacity to be. At a)! events, common sympathy for a wretched specimen of half- demented humanity enjoins that he should be shut up, if he has no bosom friends who will do this kind office for him, and throw all his pens and paper in the fire. He seems, however, to be a bad case of typophobia; and the only way we think he can be drilled into decent silence and obscurity is to let him print away until the journal which may publish his lucubra- tions shall be universally used for shaving paper; or if the publisher has an eye to business, let him charge the communi- cations as advertisements, and we will be bound that the ‘* Graduate of s Scottish University’? has enough of s8eotch wisdom in him not to stand that very long. +~<1de a>» -*ooco+ IMPRISONMENT FOR DEBT. No. 4. In the present article, which we design as the last upon this out some of the absurdities which impart a peculiar character to our laws. When, in previous numbers, we had stated that we were alone in the maintenance of the system, we meant not to con- vey the idea that imprisonment for debt was not in force in other countries; but that no people would tolerate the pecu- liar principles which are embodied in our laws, and daily put in practice. By our laws it is provided that any man owing a debt, ex- ceeding in amoant the sum of twenty pounds, can have his personal liberty within the precincts of Charlottetown, its Common and Royalty. A person so situated is not only in a pesition to remain with and work for the maintenance of his fumily, but on shewing, to the satisfaction of the Judges of the Supreme Court, that he is worth no property, can compel his creditor to pay him a weekly allowance, varying in amount from four shillings during the summer to five in the winter months; and, after receipt of it for three months, is entitled to be discharged for all time from any limitation to his free- dom at the instance of the party who sued him. Now, while ‘‘old father antic, the law,’’ looks with such favor on the lordly debtor, whose creditors may be clamerous for thousands, it treats in very different fashion the unfortunate, the necessi- ties of whose fimily may have compelled him to obtain, it may be, a barrel of flour or a quarter of beef on credit, should he be unable to pay at the time appointed, our just and beau- tifully consisteat law provides the following sensible and hu- mane relief. After prescribing tho mode in which the goods of the debtor can be seized and sold under exeoution, it enacts: “And for want of sufficient goods and chattels whereon to levy, then, and in such ease oaly, the said constable is hereby authorised and re- quired to arrest the body of the debtor, and take him to the common jail in the county whereia he shall be arrested, there to remain, if the amount of levy shall not exceed forty shillings, for the space ef two months; and if above forty shillings, and not excecding turee pounds for the space of three months; and if above three pounds, and not ox- ceeding five pounds, for the space of four months; and if above five pounds, and not exceeding eight pounds, for the space of six months; and if above eight pouads, for the space of eight months, (each of said imprisonments to be computed from the day on which the debtor was first committed); and after any of the ssid imprisonments, ia cases where tho debt does nt exceed ten pounds, the debtor shall be freed debt and costs exceed ten pounds, then, after euch imprt ae aforesaid, the debtor shall be freed aud discharced therein MSOnMent : ten pounds of the debt for whieh such impriconnont by a 8d from but nevertheless the goods and chatteis of such debtor. whether Plas. veng Nira or acquired after his discharge froin imprisonment, aij etilt | Bens liable to be takew: in exeeativn for the balance or surplus i "eMain over the sum. of ten pounds so discharged as aforosaid, and ¢ = debe { ete: the plaintiff, in any such just mentioned case, shall be entitles time thereafter, to take out exccution or alias executions — At tay goods and chattels of the defenlant, for the amount of such gainst Diélanog te surplus and costs, so always that the pergen of any euch dei fendant so having suffered eight months’ imprisonment as ara” de. - which Me Wee outro Ropeisonstent, or ia any” adtod af C3 tad upon such judgment.” Proceeding Now, on what principlo can tho distinction betwooy the cases of the debtor of a large sum, and iin who owes but 9 trifle, be justified? Surely, if debt is to be treated criminal) the greater the amount of debt the greater should pe the punishment; but this law recognizes the fact of indebtedness to a trifling amount asa crime, nulla virtute redemptyy and extends its protecting wgis over him whose misfortune cs Ge. honesty may have involved hundrods in @ common ryip. It is much as though it were enacted that a pickpocket should be executed, and a murderer ehould be sentenced to three months’ imprisonment. But the absurdity doos not stop here. The law, os wo have quoted it, refers to cases (riod aud decided in the respec. tive Courts of Commissioners for tho recovery of Smail Debts The Supreme Court has concurrent jurisdiction with ns Courts in all cases involying amounts over ciyhy pounds; and on all executions issued from it in such cases the dofendait has the privilege of the limits and his claim for weeky support. We shall be truly thankful to any one—judge, lawyée or layman—to furnish us with a reason why the eame facts should involye such different consequences, according to the tribunal before which they may be diselosed ; and would like to be informed of the grouads on which the inferior court has the power of inflictins s heavier punishment for that whieh the supreme tribunal can make a cause of bonefit to the same individual. We trust that the admirable device of enabling a debtor to pay a debt absolutely by a tariff on his period of jp- carceration—and that only to the amount of ten pounds—yil] not pass unobserved by our readers, who will not unnaturally wish to know what magic exists in the particular amount which prevents the application of the principle to eleven or twenty pounds. We shall now bring our reflections on imprisonment for debt to a close, hoping that the ideas wo haye hurriedly thtown out may induce such modification of the present law as, while it will protect the just rights of the creditor—which at present are daily evaded—will affurd that protection to the honest debtor which will be at once the best security to the creditor that he will be paid, and tho most efficient meane of enabling his debtor to discharge his obligation cheerfully and in full. That no ditliculty exists in providing such remedy, the legislation of the Mother Country, the groater part of Continental Europe, the United States, and the neighboring Colonies, affords abundant proof, and we have but to selecs from their different codes those portions whiéh we may think best adapted to the circumstances of our peopie. Qin » *=--o?-+ THE MISSING MONEY LETTER. NoTWITHSTANDING the publication of the letter from the Postmaster at St. John, which appeared in our columns Jast week, fully accounting for the safe arrival of the missing Mail of the 10th August, there are porsons in our midst who have been found malicious enoug) to insinuate that the money letter enclosed in that mail was still missing. Now as that letter was registered, it was oasy for the Postmaster to ascertain whether it reached its destination or not; and in order to set all doubt at rest, Mr. Davios wrote to the Post master General, enquiring if the lotter had been received at St. John, and received the following anewer :— ‘*Generat Post Orrtce, Fredericton, Oct. 1, i858. “Sir, —f am directed by the Postmasier Genoral, in answer to your letter of the 28th ult., to inform you that tho Rewietered Letter, No. 685, addressed to Messrs. Spencer, Vila & C Bankers, 18 Congress Street, Boston, U.S., was reeviye St. Juhn, and forwarded to its destination. ‘* | have the honor to be, Sir, Your obedient servant, ’ ‘* F. B. Mircureson. **The Hon. the Postmaster General, Ch. Town, P. £. I.”’ 7) ea at on We suppose the gossiping Svarlers will set their wits to work to fabricate a now tale about something clee, now that their Post Office hobby for the last month has beer rid- den to death. de tap + eee ‘Oh ! for a Forty Parson-power to chaunt Thy praise, Hyprocisy.”—Brnow. Were it not at the foot of a very vulgar leticr published in last week’s Islander, the writer of which styles himself “ Graduate of a Scottish University, and ordained Minister of the Church of Scotland,” &e, we should have fancied the hero of it to have been a tailor, and its unity would haye been better preserved by dividing it into nine paris, Its machinery would then have been better conducied by Atropos, who holds the fatal shears, and Vertumaus, the god of cabbage ; and the victim of Michaelmas day, instend of the bird of Minerva, invoked to shed a quill from its pinion, and inspire the imagination of the writer. One remarkable coin- cidence between the prurient writers of his mation and calling is, the common hypocrisy and cant with which they set themselves up for tmoralists and saints whenever they are about to be particularly scandalous. We could mention certain Mawworms who never venture upon an indecent or abusive article without « preface of pretended horror at the irreligion, indecorum, an persovality of some unacceptable contemporary. Brom the phraseology and grammar displayed in Mr. Alexander Me!sy’s most Christian letter, we infer that if he graduated (1: Scotland at all, it ovust have been in Edinburgh, at the Univorsity of the Cadies, although we sincerely think that eveu ‘hose blackguards would be ashamed of their chum, We have reason to beiieve that the reverend compilers of the Sanctified Press were ashamed of, and refused to publish Mr. Alexander McKay’s letter, and that he bad great diffi- culty in persuading the Eiitor of the Js/ander to do so, and was very nearly being compelled to explain the still unsolved problem, for a solution of the old metaphysical crux of the jack ass between two bundles (of types) of hay. We observe that the Rev, Alexander McKay, Graduate of a Scottish University, is blessed in the ion of a perfect knowledge of Latin and the Classics, but he shou!d correct the proof- sheet of his productions in that Janguaze, and not allow of two errors in his only two quotations, typographical errors no doubt, but his onws probande does not read classically, nor does the quotation Pro Curia inversique mires, display the grammarian. Ilis letter proves him to be a literary phenomenon ! a gevius of the first order! a prodigy, and ne one bit of a political parson; and if we be not grieviously mistaken, he must have burst his bonds from some Dumfries stone-cutter’s establishment, and set himself to work with his ss What can be meant by dishanding her Majesty's soldiers | from this Colony, and immediately thoreafier secking, by false | and discharged froin such imprisoninont, and also altogether from the debi and costs fur which it bastaken place; and in casce where the head instead of his hands, for the especial benefit and respect- eel i