1831.] Devonshire, Cornwall, Somersetshire, Sussex, 



351 



more perfect representation of the peo- 

 ple, and that the present critical state 

 of the country, and the general progress 

 of opinion, combine in rendering it 

 highly dangerous to delay the adoption 

 of such a measure. Petitions were 

 voted, embodying the resolutions to both 

 Houses. 



DEVON SHIRE. At the 15th annual 



general meeting of the trustees, ma- 

 nagers, and subscribers of the Devon 

 and Exeter Savings' Bank, held Janu- 

 ary 31, last, it appeared that there had 

 been accumulated from its institutions, 

 1,363,580. IDs. 9d., from 124,386 de- 

 posits, and that last year no less a sum 

 than ,100,590. 4s. 2d., had been re- 

 ceived. 



CORNWALL. A considerable de- 

 gree of discontent has been manifested 

 by the miners, in consequence of the 

 shipment of corn for some of the eastern 

 ports. A body of stream-tinners from 

 Luxullion, Roche, and the adjoining 

 parishes, collected on Friday last, and 

 proceeded to Wadebridge and Padstow, 

 where shipments of corn were being 

 made for Plymouth and other parts of 

 the kingdom. The poor men conducted 

 themselves in an orderly manner, and 

 returned without offering any violence 

 to those engaged in shipping the corn. 



On Tuesday last, about three hundred 

 miners of St. Just, entered Penzance in 

 a body, and proceed to the quay there, 

 for the purpose of preventing the expor- 

 tation of a quantity of barley, then in 

 course of shipment. The two resi- 

 dent magistrates of the town, with seve- 

 ral of the inhabitants, repaired to the 

 quay, when they found that the shippers 

 had promised that they would not ex- 

 port the corn, which was accordingly 

 taken back to the warehouses. This 

 measure completely satisfied tlfe miners, 

 and they returned at once to their 

 homes West Briton. 



SOMERSETSHIRE. The efforts 

 of the Bath Employment Society, con- 

 tinued to be attended with highly bene- 

 ficial result ; no fewer than 64 persons 

 are now employed in making artificial 

 gravel in the Society's yard; 24 men 

 have been set to work on the Bathwick 

 Improvements ; 18 in Charlcombe 

 Fields ; and on Monday 14 were sent 

 to labour in the Bath Park, amounting 

 altogether to 120, for whom employ- 

 ment has been provided by the Society. 

 Most extensive good has thus been ef- 

 fected in a very short time. 



SUSSEX. Great good has been ef- 

 fected in this county, by the formation 

 of " Labourers' Friend Societies." 

 These Societies are founded on the con- 

 sideration, that as there is a surplus of 



labour in the country, which its low 

 price sufficiently proves, the most effec- 

 tual relief would be to enable the 

 peasant to labour for himself, or to assign 

 him land, at a fair rate, to cultivate 

 with his own hands. The members pro- 

 pose in the outset, to apply themselves 

 to the obtaining correct information of 

 the situation of the agricultural labour- 

 ers, and they will promote by all pos- 

 sible means, wherever it may be deemed 

 eligible, the allotment of land, and the 

 building of cottages for them ; other 

 objects relative to the moral condition 

 of the peasanty, are also included in the 

 plans of the Societies. 



WARWICKSHIRE. At a meeting, 

 lately held at Warwick, of the Nobility 

 Gen try, Clergy, and Land-owners, resolu- 

 tions were entered into, for establishing 

 an Agricultural Association, to be called 

 " The Warwickshire Agricultural So- 

 ciety." The 7th resolution states : '. 

 " That the first and chief object of this 

 Society be, to encourage the Agricul- 

 tural Labourer in his habits of industry, 

 by offering premiums for the cultivation 

 of his garden, for skill and diligence in 

 his agricultural service, and for general 

 good character : and also to assist him 

 in his exertions to improve his condi- 

 tion, and to render his home comfortable 

 and happy I" 



The Birmingham Political Union now 

 consists of upwards of 9000 members, all 

 of whom pay to its funds from 4s. to 40s. 

 per annum. 



A detailed statement of the inves- 

 tigation into the circumstances and ori- 

 gin of the late destructive fire at St. 

 Peter's Church, Birmingham, has been 

 published. The referees give it as their 

 opinion that the fire originated from the 

 excessive heat thrown into the smoke 

 flue from the warm-air apparatus. 



SCOTLAND. February 1, 1831, 

 will, we fear, be a memorable day through- 

 out Scotland. On that day we were 

 visited by one of the most violent snow- 

 storms within our recollection, exceed- 

 ing as we think it does, in magnitude, 

 the storms of 1823 and 1827- This, 

 however, was but the prelude to the 

 brooding and gathering tempest that was 

 impending over it for early on Tuesday 

 morning, the wind, which was from the 

 east, and. which had been moderate during 

 the preceding day, suddenly increased 

 to a perfect hurricane, accompanied by 

 a still heavier and more continuous fall 

 or rather drift of snow. Raging through- 

 out the whole of the day with great 

 fury, the storm towards* evening as- 

 sumed a most terrific aspect the wind 

 became, if possible, still more outrageous 

 its tornado-like violence rendering i,t 

 exceedingly dangerous to be out of 

 doors. On Wednesday morning, Edin> 



