Comment 1 for bug 610659

We need a copy of the log file /var/log/apt/term.log in order to investigate this issue. You need root access (sudo) to copy this file; once you have a copy in a world-readable location, please upload it to this bug report (click the "add attachment or patch" link near the bottom of the bug report's page at https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/xemacs21/+bug/610659) and we can take it from there.

In the meantime, if you don't have any strong preference about which Emacs version to try, you may want to look at emacs23 which is similar but better maintained and supported.