The Principality

PRUSSIA. TIIE NEW CONSTITUTION. The long-expected octroyed constitution has at length been promulgated at Vienna, and the Kremsier Diet, which has existed some time past on sufferance, has been summarily dissolved. The Imperial gift is apparently of a very liberal character, indeed some of its provisions are quite democratic. C, Tae complete equality and toleration of ail religious con- fessions, and the independence of every church and religious society in the management of its own property and affairs, are secured. The freedom of the press, the right of associa- tion, and of personal liberty, are also guaranteed. Serfdom is entirely abolished. The Emperor is to govern by means of a constitutional and responsible Cabinet. The Imperial Diet is to consist of two chambers, the first entirely elective (what will our hereditary legislators say to this P) to be chosen by the Provincial Diets. The second chamber is to be appointed by a body of electors, whose title to the fran- chise is the payment of direct taxes varying in amount from one to two pounds. Each state is to have its local consti- tution. The general provisions of the Charter are such as obtain in our own country. These liberal measures for securing constitutional freedom are, however, evidently subordinate to one prevailing idea—that of Austrian unity. Possibly, they may have been conceded in order to render more palatable the radical alterations which it is proposed to make in the relations of the several states composing the Austrian empire to the Central Government. The primary object of the new constitution is to give unity to the "free, independent, indissoluble, constitutional, Austrian hereditary monarchy,"—the cherished scheme of Count Stadion. That it will succeed in banding together as one nation the various tribes which compose the Austrian empire, is not at all likely. A constitution which will prove acceptable to the Austrian- German, will scarcely meet with the approval of Hungary and Croatia. Be that as it may, the new Austrian Charter does homage to the advancing intelligence of the age, and is 11 Z5 a sufficient answer to those who could see nothing but anar- chical tendencies in the recent continental revolutions.— Nonconformist.

FRANCE AND ITALY. A despatch has been received from the Sardinian Govern- ment by the French Minister for Foreign Affairs, announc- ing, officially, the termination, on the 21st, of the armistice between Austria and Sardinia; and, further, that the Sardi- nian army was ready to resume hostilities the moment the said armistice expired. M. Letheriur has been sent to the head-quarters of Charles Albert, to induce him to refrain from hostilities, and allow the quarrel between himself and Austria to be settled by the mediating powers. To take precautions, orders have been despatched to Mar- shal Bugeaud, to concentrate, as soon as possible, the army of the Alps on the frontier. In the event of the Sardinian army being beaten, and the Atistriarisiiivaiiii- the Sardinian territory, it is considered more than probable that the French army will cross the frontier. With respect to the naval expedition, nothing is as yet decided; probably its destina- tion will be in the direction of Genoa 20,000 men are con- sidered as likely to accompany it. The Freucli Govern uein think they have been mystified" by the Austrian Minister. The French Government declare that nothing could exceed the honourable manner with which the English Government z, have acted throughout this very difficult question. The perfect harmony exists between the two Governments. It is stated that the President of the French Republic i- as decided as ever not to interfere. An expression attributed to him would, if correctly reported, shov that that determi- nation remains fixed:—" Point d' intervention mais (jane a ,celu> qui tnichera la Franca It is also reported that he is on the best understanding with England on these points.

TT LEAGUE OF UNIVERSAL BROTHERHOOD, TO THE EDITOR OF THE BRISTOL MERCURY. I P,, _It is well known to many of your readers that one of the grand objects of the League of Universal Brotherhood is to promote the friendly intercourse between nations, as a means to bring about this most desirable end; cities, soci- eties, and various institutions have written letters of friendly greeting to kindred cities, societies, and institutions in other lands. Some months ago a public meeting was convened at the British School-room, Counterslip, for the purpose of adopting an address to the women of Farmington, U.S. To this letter the ladies' committee (in connexion with the Bris- tol branch of the above society) have recently received a response, and believing it to be of local interest, think its publication desirable. If, therefore, you will kindly insert it in the Bristol Mercury, we shall feel obliged. I am, sir, yours respectfully, March 5th, 18-19. EMMA S. MATHEWS, Secretary. From the Women of Farmington, in the state of Connecticut and United States of America, to the IV,)J)wn of Bristol, England. DEAlt FRIENDS AND SISTIOLIS,—After too long a delay we re- turn to you our thanks for your cordial proffer of acquaintance and love, and we reciprocate your desire for sympathy. We thank you for your desire to know us that you may enhance us in your affections, and we also wish" not to mind our own things, but those of others." We thank you, too, covdinl reception with vvhich you have welcomed our countryman, Mr. Bu I-ri: t, and trust that his benevolent efforts will form many new ties of harmony and affection between us and you. You and we of this land may also well turn our thoughts to others, for we are not forced by the sway of despotism to an absorbing consideration of our o n n wrongs; and in this day of change among the naiio is nny we not well exchange our congratula- tions, and express a common gratitude that our institutions need no such overtuvnmg as oppression has at last occasioned on the Continent. We rejoice in every token that the gospel of Jesus Christ, which is love and "peace on earth," is more and more fully accomplishing its mission, and that its spirit is more fully understood; and we anticipate, with joyful faith, that period when His prayer, that all may be one," shall be fulfilled with a completeness and a perfection which we do not yet fully conceive. When all the dwellers on the earth shall not only in the sight of the Father of all be animated by one spirit, but shall, as it wore, no longer dwell apart and in igno- rance of one another, but sharing mutually their feelings and purposes, shall rejoice in the consciousness of unity and har- nony. We welcome, as promoting this unity and expansive- uess of heart, ail that diminishes our ignorance of those whose homes are remote from ours, and that brings thmn forth to us as individuals with the same desires and aims as ourselves. We know, indeed, that we are far from having attained the blessed consummation of the history of this world; for the echoes of war must have died away long before the knowledge and love of one another shall have united all hearts—and these are still sounding in our ears. But by the good providence of God, these bonds that connect the Various portions of our race -the mutual dependence of material interests, the community of intellectual pursuits and pleasures-are becoming so numer- ous, and are so co-operating with the spirit and precepts of our blessed Saviour, that we are sure that all array of public hos- tility oil the field of battle must soon have been done away with; and we find in the sentiments awakene-l in your hearts, and to which our own respond, a new assurance that selfishness in all its forms will give pi tee to ilia ilifkst.,Ltiolis of love, so becoming to those who are tIe children of one Father, and the heirs of a common home in heaven. We arc, your friends and sisters, THE WOMEN OF FARMINGTON. Signed in their behalf, and bv their appointment, SAR VII PORTER, ) ISABELLA B. HOOKER, j Committee. Farmington, Connecticut, August 21, 1818.

FRANCE. The days of the National Constituent Assembly of France are at length numbered. On Thursday, the electoral law was finally adopted, by an almost unanimous vote and M. Marrast, who has succeeded in keeping the President's chair another month, was enabled, from previous conference with the Home Minister, to announce, that the new elections would take place 0:1 the 13th of May, and that the Legis- lative Assembly would meet on Monday the 28th of that month. The execution of Daix and Lahr, the two men reserved for capital punishment, for the murder of General de Brea and Captain Mangin, took place on Saturday morning at seven o'clock, on the spot where their victims were murdered. The sentence of death pronounced upon Choppart, Nourry, and Vappreaux, jun., has been commuted by the President of the Republic, with the advice of the Council of State,, to imprisonment for life, with hard labour. Daix was the first who appeared. On quitting the van lie showed great cou- rage, and cried out, C'est ?noi qui passe le premier. He mounted the scaffold boldly, without any assistance, and, on his reaching the front of tho scaffold, he said, in a firm and loud voice, In the name or the French people, I die inno- cent for having defended the cause of General Brea. I die for the people. Citizens, pray, to-morrow, for me, for my wife, for my children. God receive my soul! He was then immediately seized bv the executioners, and in less than a minute his head was severed from his body. Lahr showed less coolness. He -was gveafly depressed. His only words were, Citizens, I am innocent. I die a Christian." I-lis execution was speedily accomplished.

HOLLAND. DEATH OF THE KING. His Majesty William II., King of the Netherlands, ex- pired at Tilburg on Saturday last, after an illness which lasted only a few days. During the night of the 13th-14th zi his Majesty had a severe attack of inflammation of the lungs, which obliged the physicians to take a quantity of blood from his arm. During the night his Majesty had a second attack which rendered a repetition of the bleeding necessary, after which his Majesty was rather better. The severity of the symptoms continued to increase, not- withstanding the utmost efforts of the physicians, and on Saturday his Majesty expired. The King had completed the 57th year of his age in the month of October last. The la:e King was educated in England, and had been in every relation intimately connected with this country. Having been driven from Holland, with his father, on the foundation of the Batavian Republic, he was placed under the charge of the late Archbishop of Canterbury, and re- ceived his education from that distinguished prelate. At the age of 19 he was appointed, as Prince of Orange, a lieu- tenant-colonel of the British army, and served as extra aide- de-camp with the Duke of Wellington in the Peninsula from 1811 to 1814. He was present at the sieges of Ciudad Ro- drigo and Badajoz, and the battles of Salamanca, Vittoria, Pyrenees, and Nivelle. He commanded the Dutch troops in the campaign of 1815, and the 1st Corps cVArmee at the battle of Waterloo, in which he was severely wounded, after having taken an active part in the preceding engagements. In 1816 his late Majesty married the sister of the Em- peror Nicholas of Russia. His eldest son and successor (now King William III.), who is married to a daughter of the King of Wuriemberg, is at present in London. His late Majesty William II. succeeded to the throne on the abdica- tion of'his father in 1810.

GERMANY. THREATENING ASPECT OF AFFAIRS. Affairs have taken a new turn at Frankfort. Mr. Welcker, leader of those thirty members of the Right who, to af- ford Austria some participation in the Imperial Govern- ment, had stood out for a Directory instead of an Emperor, has now abandoned this cherished opinion, and given notice of resolutions asserting that the Empire is in danger, and declaring that the hereditary dignity of Emperor of Ger- manv, as determined in the revised Code of Constitution, shall be conferred on His Majesty the King of Prussia;" inviting His Majesty the Emperor of Austria, as Sovereign over the German-Austrian lands, and the kindred races in- habiting those lands, singly and collectively, to enter into the German Federal State;" solemnly and eternally protest- ing •'against any and every right assumed by the Govern- ment of the German-Austrian lands, or by those lands them- selves, to detach itself or themselves from the German fatherland, and from the Constitution resolved upon by its collective will." This move has been occasioned by the unsatisfactory tenor of a new note from the Austrian Foreign Minister, but espe- cially by the Austro-Imperial policy of the young Emperor, as indicated in the Charter he has granted, and by his close family and anti-Germanic alliance with the Autocrat of the North. The effect of these indications upon the Austrian party at Frankfort may be judged of from Baron Schmer- ling':) resignation as Austrian Plenipotentiary at the seat of the3 Central Government. "Austria," pleads Prince S hwartzenburg, Place 1 upon her own power and constitution, cannot tear her provinces away from that close union which alone makes the '.Monarchy one single body. If Germany should prove blind to this argument, the Imperial Government would grieve, hut it woul.1 not on that account resign the first conditions of i existence. The Imperial Government has already expressed us views on the question of the Head of the German Empire. Those views comprehend the division of the empire in large bviles, represented within themselves by popular elections, placTn" their Deputies around the central power, and consult- ing and fostering the interests common to all. They compre- hend, therefore, a house procee ling from indirect elections, an 1 unrestrained by a popular representation above its head at its side. Austria is prepared to be one of the said bo- dies, ani to take a seat in the committees elected by the Go- vernments and their Diets, and to promote the common interests by w >r I and deed. Bar, if her views are not acceded to, Aus- tr-i,t is determined to fly from the dangers with which the con- fi ct of the powers mast necessarily threaten the. whole e The committee to which M. IVelckel"s motion was referred had reported in its favour, anil it was to be discussed on Sa- fiirdayt the 17th, with every prospect of being_ adopted by a large'majority. An indication of the manner in which suclt R resolution would be received by the King of Prussia has been sought for in the reply given by Count Brandenburg to a question respecting the r no of policy which the Cabinet iu fended to pursue with regard to Germany. The Count the policy of the Cabinet had been, was, and would henceforth be, "based upon the principles laid down iii the Prussian Circular Note of the 23rd of January. In a subse- quent sitting, however, he announced, that orders had been issued, at the request of the Central G overnment, for 12,000 Prussians to take the field against Denmark should hostili- ties re-commence. u <- i The great question will, moreover, be materially ahected bv the more definite attitude now assumed by Russia in re- ference to European affairs. A note has been received by the Cabinet of Berlin from St. Petersburg, declaring the intention of the Czar to interfere in Germany in favour of menaced sovereignty, on the ground of the treaties of 1815. The Prussian Government are stated to have answered, that the first step of Russian interference will be the signal for a declaration of war on the part of Prussia. The Russian re- ply, peace or war, was expected by the 20th. Meanwhile, all necessary orders for the movements of troops were ready drawn up and signed, waiting only the insertion of a date. Putting these circumstances together, the inference is, that Prussia is bent upon baffling all intrigues for the destruction of German independence.

NAPLES AND SICIT.Y. NAPLES, MARCH 6.—•The two admirals, who went to the King at Gaeta all Saturday, returned early the following morning, having accomplished their object in the most satis- factorynLmner, and on Sunday evening, a few minutes before sun-down, Sir William Parker, in the I-liùerllla. accumpanied by the Qlteen, the PUilJeJ:fitl, and the Te¡TibÚ steamer, bade adieu to Naples. The French Admiral, with, I believe, the whole of his squadron, left Baya in the morn- ing. Both squadrons are bound to Palermo to talk" soft sawder" to the insurgent Junta, and if these gentlemen accept of fair words in lieu of promises unfulfilled, Sir Wil- liam will take his ships down to Malta, and Admiral Baudin his fleet to Totiloi. A letter from Toulon of the 12th instant states that should the conditions offered by the British and French Admirals to the Sicilians be rejected by them, hostilities were to commence on the loth.

SARDINIA AND AUSTRIA. The armistice was denounced at noon on the 12th, at Milan, and nearly at the same time at Turin. Hostilities were expected to be recommenced on Wednesday the 21st. On the 13th the Sardinian Minister of Foreign Affairs notified the denunciation of the armistice to the Ministers of France and England in a detailed note. M. Ferrari concluded by saying, that the mediation of France and England would be more efficacious in future, when new hostilities would have taught Austria the necessity of treating on the basis of an honourable peace. The Lombards have been placed in the advanced ranks, at their particular desire. The Ticino Gazette of the 12th instant states from Turin (7th instant) that the Ministers of France and England are said to have declared to the Turin Cabinet that if hostilities were recommenced with Austria they would demand their passports. Report speaks this morning of an engagement at Civita Vecchia between the Neapolitan troops and the Romans—of the retreat of the latter from that city, and of the loss of three batteries of artillery.

HUNGARY. DEFEAT OF THE IMPERIAL AIDlY. The last news from Hungary bears witness to the late reverses of the Imperial troops, who, it appears, are not able to a Ivance, while the Sældcl's and the other Magyar forces are daily increasing in numbers. T le details of the battle of,Kapolna have not arrived. It was known that the insurgents had stood out for two whole days against the fire of a disciplined army, with unflinching resolution. 0>\ the 5th there arrived an immense train of artillery in Ofen, and Wiudischgratz removed his head quarters once more to Pestl1, Îlaving received a wound, re- ported to be slight. The Austrians lost at least 3,000 men. Dembinski allowed Zeisberg to advance as far as Poroslo, and then made ah attack upon him frolll both sides. The Austrians were completely beaten; it is even said-that Zeis- berg was made prisoner. At all events, the Austrians lost a great many officers. On the 5th a corps ot the Hungarian army marched from Czibakaza towards Zelnok, where an engagement took place between it and the Austrians, in which the Austrian brigade, Grammonf, was completely de- feased, and lost great numbers of men, especially the batta- lion of Chasseurs. Windischgratz has transferred the com- mand of the army on the to General Schlick and a decisive battle is 'expected between him and Dembinski in the neighbourhood of Godollo. Bern has beaten Puchner twice in Transylvania, and has again laid siege to Herman- stadt. Comorn and Peterwaradein still hold firm for the Hungarians. Letters from Mitrovitz state that General Theodovic had concentrated at Sxegedin 30,000 Servian troops. In the saute town there are now gathered more than 40,000 Magyar tr The Servians are deficient in cavalry but have 60 cannon, and handle the bayonet with a resolution almost British. PESTII, MARCH 9.—The Ban left on the 8th, at four in the morning. Windischgratz has lIloved all disposable troops, and even a good portion of the corps employed to besiege Ivomorii fortress, towards the fneiss, to stop the march, if possible, of the victorious Hungarians. On the 8 til a fight, must have taken place in the direction of Szol- nok; for during the night a great many waggons arrived with wounded. Also, the lines of the Danube by the bridge of Pesth were filled with troops, evidently in the of covering a precipitate retreat. ltie odicers ot the Oieu garrisop have sent away their wives. Iu_the first encounter at Szolnok the Grammont brigade, of'5-,000 strong, was com.iL'telv surrounded by the Magyars, and part cut down, -o ia i part taken prisoners. Grammout-was- amongst the taken. The general of the cavalry, Ottinger, died of his wounds at Pesth on the 5th inst. In another engagement, on the 3rd of March, the General Zeisberg was taken pri- s >ner, with his whole division. In this affair the Austrians lost 60 pieces of artillery and 9,000 men. '1 iie Magyars hac passed the Danube at Tolna, and threatened the main corps in the rear. Hence the precipitate retreat to Pesth. It was in contemplation to make a* stand at Ofen, and to alun- don Pesth. The retreat of the Austrians was little less tnan flight. It is even said that Ofen will not be held 1Jllger than is necessary to cover the retreat. General Ottingei, Colonel Jellacliich (brother of the Ban), and the Prince oj Hoistein were killed, and Field-Marshal Grammont wat made prisoner.

TURKEY. We have great satisfaction in being enabled to lay before our readers an authentic and most interesting dispatch from a correspondent at Constantinople. The subjoined is a hurried translation CONSTANTINOPLE, FEB. 25.—The question which is pend- ing amongst us has been brought to no decisive conclusion since my last communication. Neither party evinces any inclination to yield, and war becomes every day more im- minent. The Porte, strongly backed by the English and French Ambassadors, has summoned Russia to evacuate the Danubian principalities aiid although Russia offers no de- cided refusal, she is evidently solicitous to obtain from the Sultan his signature to a treaty still more pernicious to the interests of Turkey than that deplorable treaty which can never be forgotten, the treaty of Unkiar Skelessi. As you may readily conjecture, the Seiblime Porte has no great in- clination to sign his own death warrant. The Divan has, moreover, rejected at once, and indignantly, the ultimatum insolently tendered by M. Titoff; and, to hold itself in readi- ness for any emergency, has pushed forward the armament with the utmost energy and rapidity. The reserve forces have been all called forth into active service, and the whole of the effective army of the Ottoman empire, comprising the contingents from Servia and from Egypt, will very speedily have reached a grand total of 300,000 men. The Turkish marine, meanwhile, consists of 24 vessels of the line, 26 frigates, more than a hundred corvettes, brigs, bomb-ships, and schooners, with 20 steam-boats—all in admirable con- dition. The only deficiency is in regard to officers of sum- cient ability to cope successfully with the maritime strength of Russia.

AMERICA. The North American steamer Europa arrived in Liverpool on Tuesday with accounts from New York to the 7th inst. The Inaugural address of the new President was delivered to Congress on the 5th. It renews the various pledges heretofore made by General Taylor to follow in the footsteps of Washington in the ad- ministration of the Government, to exercise no proscription against political opponents who may chance to be holders of public offices, to regard not merely local interests, &e. He also makes the declaration that his country will preserve a strict neutrality in any national disputes or convulsions that now exist or may hereafter arise in Europe. At the same time he proclaims a deep sympathy with all struggles for the rights of the people and the extension of the blessings of liberty. The commercial and money relations are easy and tranquil.

THE ftE V. JAMES SHORE. (From the British Banner.) The crisis has at length arrived, and pjwer has -tviu-mpHed over conscience. The man who was recently the occupant of a pulpit in the diocese of Exeter is now the occupant of a cell In its prison. The meeting at Exeter IIall, to sympa- thise with the victim of cruelty in Exeter gaol, exhibited, we presume, a fair specimen of what will be found to charac- terise every assemblage of Englishmen that may, in con- nexion with this object, be called together. The tone of the meeting, like the tone of all such meetings, was intensely strong as against the bishop, who seemed to be viewed as a ruthless oppressor, a prelntic tyrant, a man who merited exposure to public scorn. He was spoken of as an individual who stood alone, without either sympathy or support in the high places of the earth. According to one speaker, there can be no doubt that both Houses of Parliament were arrayed against him, that the Premier with his cabinet, and even the Queen with her court, were on the side of the as- sembly, and against, the Diocesau of Exeter. The great truth seemed lost sight of, amid the laudable fury of the assembly, that the blame is not with the bishop, hut with the law. When it was assumed that a Parliament, a cabinet, and a court would surely be against the bishop, and with the persecuted priest, it seems strange to men coolly lookiug on, with all their wits about them, that, while the views of these several bodies were a mere matter of specula- tion, the state of the law and the ,iews of the lawyers were matters of absolute certainty. Why was it not observed that the Court of Arches and the Court of Queen's Bench, with the Privy Council, from which there was no appeal, were at one and entirely with the Bishop ? M ieli, in the course of the day, was said of the liberties of Englishmen, and of the constitution of the country but it. appeared to be hidden from the speakers that this very incarceration, [ instead of being against the constitution, is actually the re- i sult qf it What is it but the fair and free action, under given circumstances, of the ecclesiastical element of that con- stitution ? What the Bishop of Exeter is now doing to Mr. Shore, could not every Bishop of every diocese of the Eii"- lish Church, for centuries past, have done to every man that ever sustained the character of an English clergyman and became a Dissenting minister? Even Mr. Burnet himself, for the moment, we submit; was at fault when lie said, this is not a question of Church and State, but of liberty." In our humble judgment, it is both. It is wholly and solely a result of the union of the Church with the State-a union thus demonstrated to be at utter variance with both civil and religious liberty. Would not separation between Church and State work a cure of this and all other evils of a kindred cnaracter ? Could such an event occur in the United States? It may be desirable to take this view of the matter, in order to obtain the co-operation of one or two clergyman but we hold that it is to mis-state the case, and virtually to com- promise a great and fundamental principle. Sir Culling Eardley advises, first to insure the co- operation of the noble-minded among the clergy of the Church of England." Bless the Baronet! and is he still in the dark, notwithstanding the opportunities the Evangelical Alliance has furnished in the way of illuminatiou ? It would have been very obliging, and have saved the Committee now forming-all the roll of which we perceive we have our- selves the honour of standing—some perplexity, had Sir Culling Eardley been good enough to have given the ad- dress of the noble-minded clergy" in London. Where were they on the occasion of Mr. Shore's recent meetings in London? Where were they last Monday, morning Where will they be at the forthcoming public assemblage ? Who is the seer that can tell us where? We are no pro- phet nor prophets' sons, but we fearlessly predict that their number will be small, and they will be found, if they speak to speak with bated breath and if they act, they will act as men with the gaol before them! We doubt much whether that excellent man, Mr. Craig, will not stand all but alone in his glory, and whether he will not speedily become a vic- tim for what he has already done. Where was the noble- minded" liev. Thomas Mortimer last Monday morning ? With our own ears we heard that warm-hearted and "-ene- rous gentleman say, uwhen Mr. Shore goes to prison, I will clress myself in my canonicals, and with gown and bands, ac- company him." Ah it is easy to be brave in the absence of danger. It has come to our ears, from authority on which we can perfectly rely, that, like Ptolemy, calling to mind the boast ot Cicero, on the scene of conflict where Home and Liberty fell, the Hev. James Shore last Saturday, on setting out on his journey to the felon home of Exeter, said, with a smile, to a friend with whom he walked, Where is Mr. It is, we doubt not, in Mr. Mortimer's heart to do all he said, and iiiore but Mr. Mortimer is only a pri- soner at large, notwithstanding the boasted Constitution under which he lives, and such a deed as he promised, or threatened to perform, would be performed at his peril Charles J ames, of London, is a man who knows his power, and will use it,—a Bishop who rules his own house, and'that his servants know right well. » It deserves to be recorded, to the credit, or otherwise, of the Times, that, last Saturday morning, on the letter of Mr. Thoresby being presented, announcing the arrest, it was stated, that it could only be admitted as advertisement, and that the cost would be X5. At length, X-4 were accepted and on remonstrance, after the appearance of the Paper in the morning, when the smallness of the space occupied was seen, a sovereign was returned! A piece of Cby tom- foolery,—a felony or a murder would have been welcomed, and even paid for; but a case of ecclesiastical inhumanity was not to the taste of the spirit that governs the establish- ment of Printing House-square; and, therefore, more than a ransom price is exacted for permission to announce the ar- rest of a British subject, and his incarceration for conscience sake. SECOND MEETING AT EXETER HALL. A public meeting was held on Tuesday, in the large room of Exeter-hall, with a view to adopt such measures as may lead to the liberation of the Itev. J. Shore, M.A., now imprisoned in the gaol of St. Thomas, Exeter, at the suit of the Bishop of Exeter. 1 U'he cu;rr-^„0.token \>y OWloe Ivuchington, Esq., M.p. 1<ey-. L" limuey proposed the iirst resolution liilt this meeting, having fully considered the case of the pro- secution and imprisonment of the Rev. James Shore, affirms that he has strung claims to the cordial sympathy of all the friends of civil and religious liberty, and resolves that an affectionate address irom this meeting, signed by the chairman and the committee, be presented to linn at Exeter by such deputation as the Committee shall appoint" (cheers). The rev, gentleman, in a speech of considerable ability, which we regret we are precluded from giving, said he considered the head and front of Mr. Shore's offending was the preaching as a Nonconformist. ° The Earl of Ducie seconded the resolution, and in doing so smd he thought the simple way of showing his sympathy with r* shore was to come down to the meeting and contribute his mite to the fund for liberating Mr. Shore. This proceeding was a great attempt to oppress the consciences of the people. & The Rev. George H. Stoddart spoke in support of the resolution. The resolution was then put to the meeting, and carried with i acclamation. A letter of condolence to the Rev. Mr. Shore was read by the Rev. Mr. Ainslie to the meeting, and signed by the Chairman on behalf of the meeting. The Hon. and Rev. Baptist Noel rose to move the second resolution amidst loud cheers He had first to thank them for their cordial reception. Mr. Shore, he begged to remind them, was a minister of unolemished reputation in that church over which he had presided for ten years, and which was gathered together solely by his labours. He had been himself in his pulpit, and witnessed the prosperity of his congregation. After ten years of public exercise of his ministry, to which he was introduced by a prelate, who asked him if he was called by the Iloiy Uuost to the ministry, and believing he was so called to that Church, a stranger arrived in Berry-Pomeroy, and as- samed the management of that parish, who had no'sympathy with the parishioners, and announced to them that Mr. Shore j must resign the oversight of that flock which he had gathered from the wilderness, when this gentleman refused to nominate his reverend friend (Mr. James Shore). Would persecution be likely to make Mr. Shore review the decision to which he had come ? That was exceedingly unlikely to be the result of summoning him before the Ecelesiistical Court. For his part he would never resist the operation of law which inflicted pe- nalties upon him for doing right; he would suffer it with the meekness of a Christian. No other charge was laid to Mr. Shore than that he preached as a Nonconformist minister. lIe hoped that a retrospective clause would be inserted into the Bill recently introduced into the House of Commons, which would prevent not only all ministers who had acted like Mr. Shore, but also himself (Mr. Noel) from being shut up in pri- son .(cheers) Perhaps there was only one man on the bench of bishops who could say that while ne nao, m nature, buuu LU appear OelOie His Clod, he had shut up one of Christ's ministers in prison (cheers). He solemnly trusted there would be a noble monument raised to this the last act of religious bigotry and persecution and if the costs were to be paid, let every true man in this country subscribe a shilling a-piece to a Bishop of Exeter fund." He concluded by mov- ing the following resolution :— That this meeting learns with unqualified dissatisfaction that the canons of the year 1603, with all their strange peculiarities, have still, in their application to the clergy of the Established Church, the force of law and that, although such a procedure- as the Bishop of Exeter has taken upon him stands almost alone for nearly two centuries, the successive decisions of courts have only confirmed the hopelessness of Mr. Shore's case as a sufferer, and shown the liability of every clergyman who may secede from the Church of England, and subsequently preach the Gospel, to the loss of personal liberty, and to the enormous expense of a process by which his imprisonment would be ultimately secured" (cheers)- The resolution was seconded by the Rev. Mr. Brock, and carried with acclamation. The Rev. Mr. Burnett moved the third resolution That as a Bill, under the care of tile Hon. Mr. Boavcrie, ha* been already read a second time in the House of Commons for th15 relief of all clergymen who may come under the oppressive opera' tion of the penal canon, and as it is understood that a clause will bt> introduced into that Bill having a retrospective regard to the ca-c of Mr. Shore, this meeting cordially adopts a petition to both House- of Parliament, that some measure of righteous provision for the full liberty of the British subject may be carried through all its succes- sive stages, and be made statute law with the least possible delay-' The Rev. Mr. Craig seconded the resolution. (J The Rev. Dr. Beaumont, Wesleyan minister, moved a voto of thanks to the chairman, which was adopted with acclama- tion, and the immense assembly, amounting to nearly 4,00° persons, separated at three o'clock.