632 Affairs in General. [Dre- 
demanded. The little gentleman was tenacious of what he deemed his 
rights, and distrusting Mr. W.’s generosity or justice, he refused to 
re-deliver but upon payment. After a good deal of wrangling and con- 
tradiction, an act of robbery was sworn to, and the article being valued at 
three-pence, the poor fellow was actually committed to prison. Yet 
theft there could be none—at the utmost, the man detained what had’ 
been voluntarily put into his hands; and the remedy was by action. 
Criminal the act could not be ; and we trust he will be able, by himself, 
or by some friend of justice, to take up his cause, and demand and 
obtain reparation from all concerned. The magistrate—the one to 
whom we allude is full of indiscretion—ventured in the course of the 
examination to speak of the little man as a miscreant, at which he 
naturally fired, and read the magistrate a lecture. In another paper, 
the little man is represented as calling the complainant a rascal, and 
when the magistrate haughtily checked him for his want of respect to 
the court, he replied, rascal was not so bad as miscreant. It is asto- 
nishing, after all the talk we have of the correctness of reports, and 
rather discreditable, to observe how unfairly they are often given. 
They depend, manifestly, on the temper or views of the reporter. 
The Times makes the story tell against the magistrate ; and the Morning 
Herald against the little German; though the main facts are still 
essentially the same, and nobody can doubt but the poor man has had 
hard measure—the case cries aloud for satisfaction. 
The rectorship of Glasgow has of late years become an object of 
ambition among literary men. Poet Campbell, every body knows, was 
chosen rector two years ago; and he is again a candidate, and with him 
Lord John Campbell, Sir Walter Scott, and Lord John Russel. Even- 
tually Lord John Campbell gave way to Scott, and the other Lord John 
to Campbell. The election, the reader will remember, is in the hands 
of what is, ridiculously enough, called the four ‘ nations’—constituting 
the body of the students. Scott and Campbell had each two, though, 
in point of individual votes, Campbell had 263, and Scott 200 ; but 
the votes go by ‘ nations,’ and each, as we said, had two. The casting 
vote lies with the last rector, that is, in this case, with Campbell him- 
self ; but custom has so settled it, that he shall not exercise his privilege 
to his own advantage, and the right was then supposed to devolve on 
the Vice—who has decided for Scott. But according to an act of 
royal visitation in 1727, it is expressly stated, that if the last rector be 
absent, or, we suppose, disqualified by custom, the penullimate rector 
shall have the casting vote; and that is Brougham, who will probably, 
replace his friend, and Scott must retire—which we are not sorry for ; 
for why should he, or any one else, oppose Campbell, when it was 
manifestly the wish of the majority to keep him another biennium? 
