The Express. — London, England, 1852-02-25 00:00:00

.• Vie Oringeoo. TO CORKS/WON DENTS. •doosd Uhl= of ** The Leprees," intake, the ease peal re's pahlidael sway Urea" bad lrtttaf sten. la Woe ese pet. A. talseded fee "The Lapels:•Leados [yenta( reprr, At 4 .11 the tells% le, Ileaverbeeervet, tiy Two o'coek es the day of pobtrottue. HIGH WATER AT LONDON ARMOR. tuts Day—klursios. U. Ha. —Mtn mos. Sl. 292. am. LONDON, WEDNESDAr, FEBRUARY 23. TUE DESIST lIININTRY, the more we know of it appears to less and less advantage. There seems to be no mistake in the ma:ter; and that Sir Jour PAK tmutom, of all the borouglimungero in England. has been really appointed Secretary for the Colonies! Why, this is worse than the M oats and Forests appointment of Lord JOHN MANNERS, with his never-to-be. forgotten Let lass SU4 lvaraioa, ra.le sod commerce, die— list Uri prrstrse our old sußility ; with his "hook of sports" for the peasantry instead of good cheap wheaten bread, and his repeal of the notated° Laws, that the face of England may be covered with Anglo catholic monkenes and nun neries. Worse than the Board of Control appoint ment of poor okl Mr. IlEamat—the neglected and rejected of Sir HoHERT PEEL in Is4l, despite the fortune he has made in place. Worse even than giving office to Mr. litatut.E. ALLIANPER II %MILTON —with his notice on the books of the Commons for an address to the Crown to abrogate the national school system in Ireland! Why. Sir Jolim I' tottswrox is the incarnation of all the prejudices and faults of the "gnat tittra'd " justices of the country. Under him the spirit of the petty *cookout will administer the colonial affairs of this inspire. Ile will convict the Mauritius of pouching on British Guiana, send the ('ape colonists to the treadmill, and bring British America under the licensing system. It is bad enough to have in the Earl of Mari' a Prime Minister, Mho no longer ago than 141.3, refused the ('ape it constita tioo, and reduced New Zsidand to a state of insol vency t hut Lord Ibt.tinv has some exit( rienee— though it ttachtv him nothing—of the colonies. Ile is familiar with their &tolls; knows their antece dents ; and—though short-sighted—can nevertheless see a little away ahead. AVhereas Sir Jour PARINI:C(IN lots never paid the least attention to colonial affairs; except to promote a monopoly, in which he is personally interested, he never took part in a colonist debate ; he has the very A. B. C. of - our dependencies to learn. Why. Mr. BENJAMIN IIAWEs is a statesman. and Mr. FREDERICK PEEL a learned Pandit, in compari.on with PASINGTON. IRtMsjast look at the measures this Quarter Sessions Pecritary of State has at present in hand in the Commons. First of all, he has a Beer Bill—a bill to restrict the sale of the labourers beverage; to limit the labourers' accommodation; to lessen the con-umption of barley and malt ; to confirm the in- Ilnenee of the great hn:u era ; to increase the power of the piluires ; to bring ail the beer-houses of England under the licensing system;—and as can be readily proved. should nny one controvert the position,—to augment the intemperance (happily on the decline, under the influence of free-trade, and cheap tea, coffee, and sugar) of the United Kingdom. This is his hr.t measure: monopoly at home is its prevailing future. Here is his second, and it involves monopoly for the colonies; thus it stands in the votes and proceed ings of the House of Commons as delivered on Mon day but. appropriately following Mr. G. A. HAMIL TON'S notice already mentioned: Sit; Jolts PARIAL los —That. considering the trulo in Afriean *Lives which is sail e.irried on 1..) Cuba and Brasil, and the unjust competition with the produce of slave labour to which British planters arc exposed, this house will forth with rcsolve itself into ■ committee, to take into considera tion the act 11 it 12 Viet ,e. 97, for the purpose of em- Booing the duties oo foreign and colonial sugar respectively which came into operation on the fith day of Ju:y last. About that there is no mistake. It means the imposition of a fixed differential duty on foreign sugar; as • step (who can doubt it ?) to a still higher differential duty hereafter on the produce of Cuba and Brasil, and—for corn is sugar and sugar is corn—to a substantial fixed tax on our bread. Lord DERBY, well knowing that Sir lons PAKIBOTON has solemnly and deliberately pledged himself to this, makes him Secretary of State for the Colonies; and thereby Lord Dexter has undertaken to fulfil the pledge Sir lons PA RINI;TON has taken. Sugar and coffee, as well as bread, are therefore in imminent danger; or Lord DERBY and Sir J. PAKINGYON are RIMMO men than we now think them to be. Let us try to guar the ignorance of the man by the terms of his motion, and so realise the demerits of his appointment. " Considering the trade in African slaves which is still carried on by Cuba and Brazil." Hid the inditer of this sentence hear the debate on the address? If he did he might have learned, on no less an authority than Lord PALMER IITON himself, that, so reduced in extent is the African slave trade, that in 18;11 only 3,000 slaves were im paled into both Cuba and Brazil, and that, in Lord PALMER/WOWS judgment, the African slave trade was nearly extinct. And does:not this Worcester. shire justice of the peace know, that in Cuba the planters themselves are afraid to import more raw Africans; that the governor is resolute in resisting such importations; and that the court of Madrid now joint England in her anti-slave trade policy? Is he not aware that the government of Brazil, too, has entered on • career of suppression ; that the Brazilian navy is engaged in protecting its own coasts against the trade ; that the Brazilian legislature has passed laws rivalling our own in severity ; that it has already liberated several thousand Africans newly landed ; and that there is a flight of slave dealers, with their unlawful gains, from Brazil to Portugal ? And during what period has this decline of the slave trade occurred—since what date did it com mence ? During the but five years—since we had free trade in sugar—and, we will venture to add, because of that policy; for it allowed reason, moral sentiment, and a fuller sense of national dignity to have lair play in Brazil and Cuba; and their free exercise has taught the Brazilians and the Cubans that their real interests are coincident withthose of humanity. Hence, in Brazil especially, the mighty change that his occurred in public opinion on this question. Next, parliament is asked by the new Colonial Minister to consider " the unjust competition with the produce of slave labour to which British planters are exposed." Why, the PLEL baronet might as reasonably talk of the "unjust competition ' with Californian enterprise and lawlessness to which the Australian gold dmpre are subject, and ask parlia ment to lay a ententeal tax on quarts front the Americas esetiewL The people of England want sugar; bra bads Is the commodity has given it to them is asegenes and abundance; in nine short years their bows of its consumption has been 69 per rent. Let the Act of 11 & 12 Vier. c. 97, run its course, and by July, 15.55, its nee will have augmented a hiumbrahlold. Would there be no in justice in checking this eatemaption ; would there be no hardship, no enmity, is arrasting the use of sugar here in the United Kingdumf Are the welfare and comfort of the minis= bore nothing in Sir J. PARINOTOWS estim • oy sewpared with the en riching of a handful atip wlws in the West Indies? But, would the ertestment of the sugar duties benefit, as ha swum the planters? Nothing of the sort. The probe*. be stupidly . proposes for their advantage would out find its way into their pockets. Any increase is the value of West Indian sugar by means of protection would be absorbed in the in crease of wages to which it would necessarily lead, the supply of labour being deficient. No longer ago than January, 18.51, Governor BARKLY—es wean by the Bluoßook on British Guiana just praseated— pointed this out to the Colonial-office: _ Were any attempt made to keep it (the duty] fixed by act of parliament, besides the danger of checking consurop- Lon, competition for labour] would assuredly recommence on the faith of high prices, wages world renieedentely ►iee, and the 'Austere, iss ecesenteseets, be as badly of ea May were before the recent sessitroottment goat place. What, then, are we to think of a colonial minister who—eartlem of injuring the people of England— proposes a measure of protection for the benefit of the planters, which the governor of our largest and finest sugar colony, himw If one of its greatest proprietors, declares would injure the very planters it was meant to benefit ? Can ignorance go further than that ? Yet, this is the man Lord DERBY has placed over the colonial empire of Queen Vicrolun. lilting protect it; sow that each folly is uppermost. THE EXPRESS, WEDNESDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY 25, 1852. But thrs (=lesions in this resolution are more sur prising than even its aasertions. To read it, one might suppose that the new Colonial Secretary had never heard of such an article as beet root sugar ; that ho is not aware of its enormous over-production on the continent under protection, being tho cause of the present ruinously low prices of sugar ; and that he did not know the vital question for our sugar colonies to he whether the manufacturing from beet can be sustained and extended; or whether, as LIEBIG think., it would be cheaper for France and Germany to present their beet-rout producers twenty millions sterling, and get rid of them. lf, then, Sir Jolts PakiNuroN be so deplorably ignorant and prejudiced on the only set of our colocies to which lie has avowedly paid hts attention, what must be his competence to preside over the g, °Torn ruent of those he has not yet studied? In Earl Ceilv we had at least a minister of intel ligence, and of the proper economical views, if of very Lid temper; in Sir Jolts I'ALINGION we have gut conceit and what Ilse time will show. It is to parliament, then, more than ever, that the ; friends of the colonies must now turn. signalised by the paucity of the guests, as compared with the promiscuous usecablage which held their revels there upon the preceding' occasion. Nubar-Bey, secretary of the Pasha of Egypt, ham arrived in Paris on a special mission. The reports with regard to the mitigation of the law on the press are quite is untotid as those which were recently circulated concerning the inten tion to forbear tho execution of the confiscation de cree. The only point likely to be modified concerns the scientific and literary portion of the press. It has been represented to the President that the stamp ditty on periodicals of this class, both foreign and do mestic, will cause great inconvenience to scientific and literary institutions. Hence a reduction of the tax is expected with reference to this class of publi cations. _ . The 211iniiteur publishes officially the nomination of Admiral Jai:guinea us second in command of the Mediterranean squadron, vice Admiral Dubourdien, promoted. The Bulletin des Luis publishes a decree, dated the 10th of the present month, opening to the Minister of Finance a credit of 300,000 fr, applicabl e t o th e personal expenses of the Chief of the State. This credit is opened as an advance on the sum to be here after allowed to the President of the Itcpubli.i by a senates eolisultuin, in conformity with Art. 15 of the constitution. Another decree opens to the Minister of Justice, from the budget of 1651, a supplementary credit of 750,0001 r., applicable to the expenses of en mina' justice. A decree from the President of the Republic directs that general officers and admirals named senators, and not provided with any command, are to be considered as being en clisponibilit,', and may be replaced accord ing as the wants of the service may require. They remain, however, in such a case, liable to be called to commands on active service, and to form part of the council of admiralty, the council of works of the navy, and to the committees of the army. This ar rangement is applicable to both the sea and land service. A note in tho Munileur directs that the general and special inspectors of police are to take rank, tho former immediately after the bishops, and the latter immediately after the presidents of the Tribunals of Premiere Instance. It will be remembered that it was settled by a decree, on Jan. 21, that the shares of the great canal companies should be purchased by the government. The commission appointed to flx the value of the shares, consists of nine persons, threeof whom are ap pointed by the companies, three by the Minister of Finance, and three by the presidents of the Court of Appeal at Paris. The three commissioners appointed by the companies arc Count Jaubert, Count Daru, and M. Berryer, who have been specially occupied with the question of canals, as minister, as reporter, or as member of parliamentary committees on this subject. M. do Gatti:, an engineer in the navy, was an opposition candidate at Brest, but is now probably withdrawn, for the Arnwrienn says that a govern ment despatch has ordered M. Gasti: to go to 'Loch fort on duty, within 48 hours. At the 'Bourse the Fives rose 10c., closing at 103.80; the Threes rose 5c., and closed at 63.70. The composition of the English cabinet has been favourably received by the speculators. Bank of France shares rose sf. Railway shares were better. Northern and Central rose 3.73 each, and most of the other lines from 1.23 to 2.50. . - despatch's by the Austrian minister, sines that demand was an established fact. It remained to consider whether Count Arnim was justified in asserting that M. Manteuffel, in his eagerness to sur render the policy of the government, had set out for Olmiitz before being certain that Prince Sehwarzen berg would come so far to meet him. This was declared to bo an outrage of the dignity of a minister of state. The court hereupon condemned the count to pay a fine of 200 thalers, or be impri soned four months, and M. Bardeleben to pay 100 thalers, or suffer two months' imprisonment. The substitution of a fine for the absolute imprisonment required by the prosecution, turns upon the fact that the count was found guilty, not of the calumny im puted, but merely of offensive reference to the minister. This is tho first time a minister of state has ever been arraigned in Prussia. An appeal is spoken of. The intention of sending a representative to the approaching Zollverein Congress in Berlin, ascribed a few weeks since to Austria, is again spoken of. l'rinco Schwarzenberg will strain every nerve to pro cure the reconstruction of the Zollverein treaty in such a form as shall make it easy for Austria to ,acquire influence within the body. Bavaria is the power to whom the mediating—or agitating—rote is assigned, and the proposition to admit the Austrians is likely to bo one of the earliest for discussion. It seems now to be acknowledged, even at Vienna, that the commercial situation of Germany is to be decided at Berlin. The aristocratie section of the rcactienist party opposes the bureaucratic section's endeavours to strip the Chambers of all authority; it concurs in every measure for freeing them from popular influence; but instead of nullifying, it is intent on making them a stronghold of aristocratic control over the bureau cracy; it asserts, therefore, in opposition to the ministry, the right of the Chambers to discuss acts of the executive authorities; it only rejects condemna tory resolutions, and proposes, when necessity arises, an address to the crown as the proper form of pro ceeding. In the First Chamber there has been a continu ance of debating on the laws for the organisation of communities, circles, and provinces. On a motion being made, that an amended bill embracing all three points be forthwith brought forward, the Minister of the Interior declared, that three separate bilis would be laid before the Chambers in succession. A billfor organising municipal and rural communitics,withduc care for preserving and enlivening traditional class dis tinctions and interests had nearly passed through the committee, and would soon be brought to discussion; if favourably received, and speedily passed, the go vernment would have time to found upon it, and bring in during the present session, a bill for the organisation of circles, which must form the basis for the constitu tion of the provinces. Before, however, this last can be drawn up the government will assemble again the provincial states, who have a right to be pre viously heard in all matters affecting their own in terests. The Pruaaian government, according to the Leipalc Journal, has proposed to take tho frigate Genoa, captured from the Danen, and the steam fngate Barbaroaaa, in eatiafaction of a claim amount ing to 42,0001. II ESSE CASSEL. The publication of the sentence of the District Court against the members of the Permanent Com mittee of the late Chamber was fixed for tho 19th. Only two of the accused, M. Schwarzenburg and M. Grab, appeared, M. Henkel having escaped. They are convicted of attempting to resist the execu tion of the decrees of September, 1850, incurr:ng thereby the penalties of high treason according to an ordinance of 1795. 'they were sentenced to terms of two and three years' imprisonment, with depriva tion of civil rights. They have both entered an ap peal again►t the sentence. DESTRUCTION OF DA4oB.—ln addition to the pro motions already notified in the Ga:cUe of Friday last, for the destruction of Lagos, the Admiralty have promoted the engina•n in charge on board the Bloodhound and Teaser— vie., Mr. William N. Covey and Mr. George S. Thunder, tint class assistants, to be acting third class chief en gineers ; who will be confirmed on passing the necessary examinations. ANTIQUITIES FROM NINEVEIT.—The Teasel Ap prentice, from Buuorah, has brought, besides the antiqui ties for the British Museum, which have been safely depo sited in that national establishment, a considerable quantity of ancient- marbles from the same interesting quarter, for Sir John Guest, on whose account antiquities of this kind from Nineveh have before been brought to this country. POSTAGE STAMPS POE TUE RoitnNa.—Tho Ro man government have sanctioned the introduction of post age stamps for the pre-payment of postage on letten. Tho stamp is about the size of the English postage stamp • and on it is a representation of the tiara and keys, the badge of papal dignity and power. _ _ - A - TEARER ASTRAY. YeateTday afternoon, a large riddle-wheel steamer, the City of Paris, came adrift from her moorings, and canard much damage in the river. The vessels in the tier were shifting their bertha, for the purposed one putting to sea, when, either by =glut or mistake. the mooring chain of the abase smell lONA wee let go tram the buoy ; being a lengthy vessel, sod the teed tide running very strong, with a strong easterly wind. she swung round athwart hawse of the tier, damaging the Con cordia, and staving a boat belonging to a French seltooner. The tide was so strong that it was an impossibility to run out another chain and as she did not have her steam up she could not be brought to. However, she soon got clear and drifted up the river, coining in contact and damaging other Teasels as well as herself. On the ebb tide she drifted down and came athwart hawse of a tier of vessels off the Custom-house quay, where she remains; bat, it is intended to get her steam up at sleek water, and take her to the mooring buoy. TILE LATE FIRE AND LOU Or LIFE LI WEL , IECL-ailleaT.—Yesterday, Mr. Wakley, M.P., resumed at St. Marylebone workhouse the adjourned inquest on the body of James Joseph Webster, who, having been put into possession of the premises occupied by Mr. Werndly, No. 47, Welbeck-street, perished in the Are which broke l out in the same house • few hours after he went to bed. No fresh light was thrown upon the cause of the Ere by the evidence now adduced, and the jury haring consulted fur about half-an-hour, found "That the deceased was burned to death in the aforesaid he, but how that origi nated there was not sufficient evidence to enable them to decide." The coroner said that was just the verdict he should hare returned had he been a juror. The inquiry oc cupied nearly six hours. FATAL ACCIDENT AT LEEDS.—On Monday even ing Mr. Tilney, a retired marble mason and contractor, residing at York, was killed in Leeds. The deceased hail for some days been on a visit to hie son, the Leeds borough surveyor, and on Monday night was rat • with hum from the country to Leeds in a phaeton. La Really Hill the horse became unmanageable, and shlremi el, at full speed down the hill, and on arriving at a turf k the road, opposite Mabgate, the hone swerved, and was thaws down by the looking of the gilt wheel. Beth the deemed and his sea were thrown out :Ina elehme, Mr. Tilney, Na., being killed on the eget the boon et \is skull, and the son so seriously sheet the bead, that but faint hopes of his recovery are entertained. COUNTY PERMANENT BUILDING BOCIETY.—Last evening 'public meeting of the fiends and promoters of this leckty was held at the Bleseip and Blue Boer, Hol born. The chair was takes by Kr. B. H. Hire, barriste r, whit beiserpoisted at the pesiler advantages of the so ds% millavelentst W eluerradene by statements septa. messy (piths winkles of the inesitntion.—Mr. James Beal, manager of the annonneed that within the nut wish the directors b p swoehr in a ridden to make advances 1 he the berrowleg numbers to the amount of several hundred pm& Tis WOLMINAMPTON CONSPIRACY Calli.—teat mein •gabile meeting of the trades of Lodes wee hold at the ierties' Institution, Boethemplem4eilldings, Chomp. imes de Ole puree of reeding the Import of the Lewin OMNI Beleme Oemmteles, et the mesiesdinm in the eramirmay _ease of the Welverbewitem tin-plate warkme. .lllr Mimes took the chair. Re said be was every to him she merieg that the derison* who had beet keemeeriled. net be present. es _had been ansensmil t they bed boa liberiod. but the desire slime were in welds, eml Weed them for eats, aniewnim WSW, which bed bees ineemed in the ems, and es they were un able to pey that sem they had been taken to Hons. masegephine poi, where they would reemin mil such ems wee psi. He weed these gement le user forward with eitipep so or say dui the mesetsmate rose sheid not remain, away from their homes, their wives, and their fami ill. The secretary then read a very lengthy wiper% giving a history of the case from the commencement to the cad. Oa the motion of Mr. Miller, seconded by Mr. =l4lthe port was received. Mr. Humphrey moved, . re . l llhell seconded, a resolution to the effect that the sighs of e'en to combine and Si the price of their labour lad been fully recognised by the Court of Queen's Bench. This resolution was carried unesimensly ; as was also one moved by Mr. Brown, mid se conded by Mr. Cununieg, for raking the alicesery fends. —The third resolution wee memod by Mr. hes* to the effect that the resent enemas wad powertel attempts of the employers of labour to destroy tads& Isaias, made it incumbent upon the men to have some reeogniaed principle of central association, in unler to concentrate their power to enable each other to resist any such aggression al in future may be attempted by an acknowledged system of combination.—Mr. Antsworth seconded the resolution, which was also earned.—A Inds of thanks to the &air men coadadid the proceedings. TAXES ON KNOWLEDGE. (hoes the 17.41 k Newf.) TO-DAT a meeting is to take place in St. Martin's Hall, to aid the repeal of certain taxes. one of which the new CHANCELLOR of the EICHEQUER last year voted to abolish. Mr. DISRAELI, like a true author and friend of education and of literature, gave his support to the demand for the removal of the duty on paper. He is now in the position to propose 'tie, extinction of the obnoxious impost ; and he will, let us hope, do so in his first budget. The whigs leave in his bands a surplus revenue to be counted in millions. Out of so noble a sum he will surely be able to spare the small amount extorted from the people by the mischievous operAtion of two of the taxes on knowledge—the advertisement duty and the paper duty. The effect of the paper duties, in impeding the increase and circulation of a healthy literature, in checking the progress of knowledge, and in retard ing civilisation, has been made, on various occasions, and by several able publications, so obvious, that it is unnecessary to say an additional word on the sub ject. The completeness of the information succes sively and continuously laid before the public in the course of the last twenty years, convicts the govern ment, indeed, of a charge of criminal neglect for suffering these duties still to exist. It must be aware that knowledge gives skill; that skill makes labour doubly, trebly, tenfold productive; that the increase of knowledge is proportionably rapid as mind com municates with mind, and as the number of communicating minds increase; and that therefore it has been false even to its own limited policy of in creasing the national wealth and the national reve nuo, by not removing every fiscal impediment to the diffusion and increase of knowledge. What the corn laws were to material production, stinting it and making it costly in ever art and every manu facture, by enhancing the price of subsistence, that the paper duties me to the diffusion of knowledge. They stint and stop it in every direction, and pre vent men from obtaining that perfect acquaintance with nature and her works which is at once wealth, case, power, and civilisation. Were ministers us keenly alive to the public good as to party profit, they would have outvied each other in removing from our fiscal arrangements such a permanent obstacle to social improvement. All-important, however, as is this view of the paper duties, it has already been so ably treated, that we peas to the more needful, if less dignified task of pointing out some of their immediate effects on the production of wealth. Paper is an article in universal use, and the raw material of many other manufactures as well as of books. It is a great branch of national industry, of equal importance and almost equal value, take it altogether, from collecting rags to engraving the finest print or making the most elaborate ornament in papier mach.% to the silk or the woollen manufac. tare. It Las the great advantage too of being very little dependent on any foreign supply and of converting, like the beneficent processes of nature, the worst of refuse into a source of life and strength. Such a manufacture deserves, at least, as much deference from the legislature as the manufacture of cottou or wool, from the raw materials of which it has wisely removed every tax and it is quite a mockery for any legislature or ministers to assume the character of free-traders while they maintain an excise duty on paper. For its manufacture England has some singular advantages. Iler vast mercantile marine, and her vast cotton and linen manufactures, supply in their waste and in worn-out rigging, utterly worthless except to the papertunker, an abundance of material, i unequalled n other countries, for manufacturing both coarse and fine paper. To work it up cheaply we have much admirable machinery, much cheap because skilful labour seeking employment, we have clear and gentle streams, and we have a great abundance of capital. Moreover, we have at home and in our colonies, and we had in the United States while they were yet our colonies, and we might still have there an unexampledly tango market of opulent reading people desiring books in the English language, and using paper, as opulent people do, for an immense variety of pur poses. Yet the value of the paper manufactured by the 381 manufacturers, to whom excise laws and ex cise licenses coofiuo it—and their number is de creasing—is not supposed to exceed 2,400,0001. a year; while the value of our cotton manufacture, the raw material of which we import to the extent of 700,000,000 lbs. annually, is estimated at the value of 34,000,0001., and the value of the manufactured cotton exported last year, exclusive of yarn, was not less than 21,000,000!. Now, why is it that paper, which is required in every country for many purposes, is not as extensively manufactured and exported as cotton ? Why did not the manufacture of paper, established amongst us before the manufacture of cotton, improve like the latter, and become one of the great staples of the country? We shall supply our new CIIANCELLOR of the EXCHEQCER with some elements to answer this important question. It was not for the want of raw material, which has increased as the cotton manufacture has increased, and as population has increased. It was not that the manufacture was nnsusceptiblo of improvement, 'for it has in latter times partaken largely of the im provements introduced into machinery generally ; and since the tax was reduced in 1836 tho whole quantity manufactured has more than doubled. It was not for want of a market, for the demand is almost unlimited, and increases very rapidly from year to year. But paper, like malt, glass, bricks, and soap, has always been subjected to excise duties and excise re gulations more objectionable and onerous than the duties from which cotton, with one exception, has always been free; and the manufacture of paper, like the manufacture of other articles subject to the ex cise, till a recent period made comparatively slow progress. Both cotton cloth and paper are modern manufactures of equal utility ; both are ex clusively the results of industry, skill, and knowledge . ; both, as we know from what has presentocearred N n N. t since ury Messrs. DIDOI, FO l n h u it t nn e n s ee E R KiDICKENSON, and others, directed their attention to the subject, are equally susceptible of improvement; but the one subject in all its operations to the minute control of the excise, was for many years almost stationary; while the ther, which escaped its clutches, asto nished the world by its progress. _ _ Ono part of the cotton manufacture was subjected to the excise. Till 1831 printed cottons were liable to an excise duty of 31d. per yard, which yielded to the revenue about 600,0001. a-year, and collected from the ?m.ople about 1,800,0001., the difference being repaid on drawbacks, Rm. Till 1831 the pro- gress of the manufacture, according to Mr. PORTER, was as Mews: GAM' dellipdslimila Yards. 1711 14110 1614 1830 A wonderful increase of more tban tenfold in 30 years, the consequence mainly . of improvements in the unexcised branches of spinning and weaving. In 1836, aocording to Mr. PORTER, double the quan tity of cloths were then printed with the same ca pital, and employing the same amount of labour, as were printed previous to the repeal of the duty in 1831, and the removal of the revenue officers from the premises. Since 1831 no official account has been kept of the quantity, but the quantity exported in 1831 was 44.5,288,838 yards, or nearly 40 per cent, more than the whole quantity manufactured in 1830. If we assume, which is about the proportion, I that the quantity consumed at home is equal to lone-third of that exported, we shall have 647,051, 784 yards u the probable product of 1851, showing the further rapid increase of this manufacture since it was set free from the excise. In like manner great as has been tho increase in the quantity of paper manufactured since 1836, though still subject to the excise, there can bo no question that it would increase much faster were the excise duties wholly' abolished. With what show, then, of right or policy does the government pe rsist in retaining this ruinous clog on the very ingenious and useful art of making papers ? We can show its effects by our exports. Tho value of cotton manufactures exported, including yarn, is 28,000,000/. ; the value of stationery is 407,341/. ; and such words as " paper" or " books" do not appear in the list of exports. We must conclude, there fore, that the whole value of this important article exported is less than half a million, while the valued the article not subject to excise duties is ISO times that amount. The value of cott on ported to the United States in 1849 was 2,011,28e/ a the value of the paper exported, includin 4 h arks everything connected with paper, was 35,114/.,0p the fifty-third part of the sum. Wo ha, e therefore, to clothe the bodies of our form• o esil i ou , to a great extent. Though we import float them the raw material of the cloth we continue also to s upply them with many of the raw materials of literature, and of art ; but of our p t 0... and our actually manufactured books they tale a very m i n quantity. The wants of the inhabitants of (no States for the works of Shakspeare, Byron , Sou r. I fickens &c., their wants of Bibles and Pray. iitg art: almost wholly supplied by New York and Phila delphia instead of London and Edinburg',. At a time within the memory of porwete yet living, every book in tho country nu y the Gaited States was imported from England or I. .1, Europe• the demand there for books in the En g l... Imi gua6 , o l is now very great, but it is supplied by .1, e manu facturers, who are tempted by the e.,r -s of oar materials to steal theta rather than par h the finished article. For continuing and le : muting the trade in books with the United States att. r they had ceased to be our colonies, we had every druntage: but while wo have continued to clothe Ili. ir bodies with our unexcised cotton, we have whorls lost tho trade of supplying them with paper ai*t sitlt the finished manufacture which coustitut. s clothing for the mind. The excise duty, sarying a s Mr. M'eut.tmeit said in 1832, fi.nn 24 or 30 per cent. to about 200 per cent., and still continuing enormous, though since thus n duced, as the cost of making palm- has been in the .near Limo lowered in a greater proportion, suffic..l to destroy the book trade with the states. Mr. KNIGII r, in his pamphlet on the case of the authors, shows that the tat on paper is 10 per cent. on the book ; it is great in proportion as the copies are multiplied, and has always been quite sufficient to make it impossible for our booksellers to think of supplying the wants of the American fur cheap books ns our cotton menu. facturers have supplied them 'with cheap clothing. Gruoually it might have come to puss that tho Americans should prepare books for them-Ares, but the almost sudden, and the almost complete, extinc tion of a book trade front England to lay former colonies is due to the excise duties on paper. They lost us an important traffic, while the goterionent, by bounties and other contrivances, was busily employed in endeavouring to secure for the community otter branches of trade not half HO valuable MA the one it destroyed. The value of cotton goods exported from the United States in 1830 was 4,734.421 dots.; and the value of books, maps, paper, and stationery, was 219,171 dole., or about a twenty-third part, and it is an increasing trade; while the cable of our exports of stationery arc only one fifty-sixth part of our ex ports of cotton. For the manufacture of cotton the Americans have, in the production of the raw mate rial, a great advantage : for the manutaeture of paper the advantages arc all on our side; but on paper the Americans have no excise duties, and their exports of stationery are much larger in proportion than ours. The excise duties arc more than sutlicieut to counterbalance our natural advantages. 'fro what extent the whole continent of Americo, north and south, is supplied by stationery front Ft dice and Germany, wo cannot say; but we know the fact that the paper of those countries finds its way throughout that continent, while the paper of Eng land is very little in use. We command the markets of the world for our cotton ; our paper is almost all consumed at home. 'the exports of stationery aro increasing, and it is only necessary to remove the excise duty to ensure a great extension of the mann facture, and a very considerable export trade. With the manufacture of paper, the best interests of mankind are closely involved, and a tax which impedes the progress of wealth and the progress of knowledge, ought to be immediately abolished. The people want employment, they want education, they want information, and the abolition of the excise on paper is the means of supplying all these w Lifts. To the government the tax yields about titsi,ioool. per annum. It is costly in collecting, it gives rise to in numerable frauds; and fur a sum so paltry in rela tion to the vast resources of our magnificent empire, it is wholly unworthy of the government to inflict such complicated evils on society. Now wo have an author for Chancellor of the Exchequer let us hope the sin and the lolly of the advertisement duties and the paper duties will cease. INLAND Boos Poe'r.—The following notice to tho pubic has been issued by command of the Postmaster-Cle m:eel .—" On and from the let March next, the following additional facilities will be afforded to the tra emaission of books, &c., within the United Kingdom. A hook-packet may thenceforth contain any number of sci.arate books, maps, or prints, and any quantity of pap. r, vellum, or parchment (to the exclusion of letters whether sealed or open) ; and the books, maps, paper, &c., m.y be either printed, written, or plain, or soy mixture of the three. Further, all legitimate binding, mounting, or covering of the same or of a portion thereof will be al:owed, wke ther such binding, &c., be loose or attached ; as also rollers, in the case of prints; markers (whether of paper or otherwise) in the eau of books and in short what ever is necessary for the safe tiansmisaion of literary or artistic matter or usually appertains thereto. The fa lowing are the remaining regulations respecting the Inland Book Post—all previous notices regarding it being can celled. The rates of book postage will be as follow:—For each packet not exceeding 11b. in weight, 6.1. Fur each packet exceeding llb. and not exceeding 2115., Is. For each packet exceeding 2lbs. and not exceeding 31b5., 13.6 d., and so on, 6d. being charged for every complete pound and for any additional fraction of a pound. The po.tage must be pre-paid in full, by affixing the proper stamps outside. Every packet must be sent either without a cover or in a cover open at the ends or aides. It must not contain any letter, open or sealed, nor any sealed enclosure whatever. No packet must exceed two feet in length. The book poetto which the foregoing roles relate, is confined to the United Kingdom, and does not affect the privileges allowed to votes and proceedings in parliament, or to newspapers. Tho postmaster who receives a book-packet, whether directly or from a sub-postmaster or town receiver, must open and examine it to see that the conditions on which book-packets are allowed are all complied with. If he find any letter, whether sealed or open, or sealed enclosure of any kind, such letter cie endwise must be taken out and dealt with as an unpaid letter—the address on the picket being written thereon if there be no other address. And if in any other respect either of the above conditions be violated, or if, for any reason, the postmaster does not think that the packet comes withing the privilege of the book poet, he must put it into the bag for London, if in England—for Edinburgh if in Scotland—and for Dublin, it in Ireland— in order th at the case may be dealt with at a metropolitan office. To prevent obstacles to the regular transmission of letters, any officer of the Post-office may, when necessary, delay forwarding a book-packet for a period Out exceeding twenty-four hours beyond the time at which it would other wise be forwarded." ROYAL INFIRMARY FOR ASTIIMA AND DISEASES OT THIS CHEST.—Yesterday the annual general meeting of the governors of this charity was held at the London Tavern, James Zulon, Esq ,in the chair. The report stated hat since the foundation of the infirmary in ISIS, 39,000 persons had been relieved by it. With A view to more tuUy carrying out tho objects of the institution, several new wards have been opened for the reception of patients, many of whom have been discharged cured or greatly relieved. The number of out-patients during the put year was 1,700, being an increase of 500 on the num ber in the previous year, the larger portion of whom were discharged cured, and of whom about 500 remain on the books under treatment at the present time, while the appli cations for relief daily increase. Tho report was unanimously adopted, some routine business transacted, when the pro ceedings terminated with a vote of thanks to the chairman. THE BANBURY lguanza.—An important link wanting in the chain of evidence against the prisoner lialabergo, who is charged with the murder of his uncle, has been supplied. The pistol, with which it is believed the foul deed was perpetrated, has been discovered, to getter with deceased's great coat, near the spot where his body was found. The weapon has been recognised as the one sold by a gunmaker at Danbury to the prisoner. The trial will take place at Oxford on Tuesday or Wednesday neat. _ _ FIRE IN PlMLlCo.—Yesterday afternoon, between one and two o'clock, a fire of a most destructise character broke out in the stores of Mr. Watling, a pork dealer, in Victoria-road, Pimlico, which ended en the total destruc tion of the premises. The premises were situated in Brewer street, leading down to Elliott's Brewery, and consisted of sale shop, meat and flour warehouse, machine room and bakehouse, used for the manufacture of Vatling's pork pies," with stabling fur several horses and morns over for the workmen who lived on the premises. The intimation lof the . fire was first given by our of the horses plunging in the stall, when a large body of smoke was found issuing into the stable from one of the rooms overhead, and no examination it was found that the chopping-room, in which is a horse-mill for cutting the meat, was in flames. Messengers were instant!" despatched for the engines, right of which were soon en attendance, and a good supply of water being at hand they were successful in checking the further progress of the fire, all attempts to save the premises being useless. Mr. Wat ling was only partially insured, and the damage is can mated at about 1,6001. FRENCH EXILES IN JERSEY.—There are seven French emigrants now residing at Jelly, sictims of the late coup d'etat of M. Bonaparte. One of them is a notary clerk by profession, three are commercial men, the other three are an architect, an advocate, and a surgeon. They art all from the department of Barth,. FRANCE. PARIS, TrIGIDAT EVINING. had almost forgotten that this day is the fourth anuiversary of the revolution of Feb. 24. Indeed you would lark iu vain at the present moment for any vestige of that democratic triumph. Under the auspices of M. de Moray the favourite device of the republic was carefully obliterated from the front of all public buildings; and M. de Persiguy followed up the blow dealt at the symbols of the revolution by proscribing the celebration of its anniver sary. Lost veer, on this day, six thousand republicans walked in orderly procession to lay their votive wreaths at the foot of the column of the Has tile. To-day, perhaps, six thousand republicans are crossing the seas towards various penal colonies in Africa and South America. The coincidence of Shrove Tuesday tends In sonic degree to direct the attention of the Parisian public from the unceremo nious treatment to which the anniversary of the republic has been condeunlasel. At this hour the Boulevards arc thronged with an immense stream of carriages and people, dotted here and there with the rag-fair frippery of the Carnival, and sending up a dissonant hubbub of conflicting sounds from earthen ware trumpets, mixed n ith the roar of wheels. Such arc the pastimes of the multitude; while their bet ters, equally oblivious of politics, seem more intent on discussing trutfied turkeys than the decrees of the Moniteur. Nlcanwhile all official dignitaries are striving, each after their degree, to comply with the injunctions issued from head-quarters by giving balls and dinner parties, and thus atoning in some small measure to the mortified shopkeepers for the rigorous parsimony systematically adopted by the opposition. By dec ree . in the Monsieur, a prize of 30,000 francs is instituted in favour of the discoverer who shall render the Voltaic Pile applicable with economy to industry as source of heat, to lighting, chemistry, mechanics, or medical practice. Scientific men of all nations are admitted to compete during five years for the prize. The government has taken measures to suppress the candidatures of exiled ex-representatives. The elections excite the least possible interest. The newest incident of importance on this subject is the following announcement of the Patrk : The caoilidateship of several ex-representatives now under banishment has been spoken of. It is stated that the necessary arrangements are about to be t Ikea to put an end to such a state of things, which is in direct opposition to the measures of public safety which have been adopted by the chief of the state. This interdiction seems addressed to the Sieck, which pint are aware has proposed the candidature of LamoricUTe and others. Ihe latter journal, nothing daunted, however, by the frown of power, repeats the same list to-day, without condescending to notice the Patric's hint. It remains to be seen whether the fresh provocation will be allowed to pass, or whether the journal of General Gavaignac is doomed to feel the first rigours of the law on the press. It is remarked by some that the candidature of Lamori. ciere is incompatible with the provisions of the elec toral law. This is an error. The law lays down no positive prohibition against the proposal of any paid functionary as a candidate. Only it that func tionary be elected he must make option between his seat in the Corps Legislatif and his employment under the government. Meanwhile, true to his sys tem of breaking upon the heads of his victims the rod which he was spared himself, Louis Napoleon, who was proposed and elected to the National As sembly while in exile, takes advantage of his power to exclude exiles from being chosen members of the Corps Legielalit: I have already stated that the only sort of opposition contemplated in the elections is rather the recording of a protest against the coup dela! and its consequences, than a practical effort to return a legislator unfavour able to the government. In the absence of all means of publicly canvassing tho constituencies, the utmost exertions could only ensure the return of an opposi tion candidate here and there. And it is felt that if even a majority in the Corp. Legis:atywould be im potent for all practical purposes, of cow* a very small minority could lead to no visible result. Hence the elections of February 29 will be the corollary of the election of December 21. The contest was then between Louis Napoleon and nothing. While the electors are prohibited from meeting and organising an opposition candidature the case is pre cisely analogous to-day. Tho national will is sur rendered. People in general, even those who bear the government no good-will, wish the government candidates to pass, if it were only to defeat before hand that absurd lie which is resorted to for the ex planation of failure, that the stoppage of all affairs arises from the factious conduct of the opposition. In conformity with these views, M. Dupin, sen., has ad dressed the following letter to theJetirial des Debats: Paris, Feb. 23. Sir,—Permit me to have recourse to . your estimable Lal to declare to each of my friends is the Nieves .. expressed a wish to return me to the Legislative Corps, that I thank them for their kind intentions, but that I for mally decline Blooding for soy place.—Roceire, &c. Dorzw. M. Gamier Pages has written to the Siegek the following letter, announcing the withdrawal of his candidature far the 4th electoral district of Paris in favour of M. Cannot: On the poldlogisa ed the element dense, I masted Ow eandidataddig of the 4th skenseal .sal of Pads, in which dieted - I meek the Ime yeses el my yak cli c and of my labour; but It has sines beta theight to bring forward us Memorable Mead , it whip I believed to Mee leas a mediate he the 7th M. Cornet hes lar bele Me myeemeleilve et die smeeihmement. Mt sinless, his deeetednies, led bis well bases laded= eseesias him mom= vele k thee seasti a baslea Se aim Mat I witliew we me& Mossidy, brew Mei Se yeresna as est et mid% see 10 She SO SS Masi a testimony el my ammo albsika. , yg °lain bas writ= to tbajoarnale to , . my tha A r e ramemee. his candidates* ter the 12th arrosolimalat of Paris. Bodies the Dieele's list of opposition candidates for Paris the following independent names are spoken of in the Prase of this morning : far the Ist district, Casirner Perier ; for the 2nd, Mortimer Ternaux ; far the 6th, Napoleon Launes, Duke of Montebello • for the 9th, Ferdinand Lastyerie. The latter, in the ; Sieele's list, is a candidate in the Bth district. The manceuvres of the administration to prevent the success of any opposition candidate, are, as usual, bawd on the plea of protecting the public. The prefect of the Isere has just issued a decree, forbidding anyone, from the 26th to the 29th of the present month, from going through the villages and hamlets of any easuonne for the pupae of carrying on lan anarchical yrogsgandism by means of false news, calumnious rays** other fraudulent =ocean... Any seeembhigss of pep* or any public speaking or dimassiou in the istiklmearbsoi oi the electoral ool rtalso tostiddia, under pia of the offender or being imaidiately arrostsd. It is also pro ldbitsd for anywoo to statics themselves at the doors and Isms Mats bearing mamas the electors. The Probst of has puttied as election- =lag dim.% rosamearradiag the govaroment can didmtre. sad elastaling is them wade: Tea mill =aim watt me every modliature except the medlineas abeismeatkesd es a denims thrown down so sad every citizen who may be either the se peemelee el it as hostile to the government of Leslie Nereees. The &ads justly observes that this proclamation is not very consistent with the recent circular of M. de l Pcrsiguy, in which ho said that the Prince President would feel himself hurt in the honour of his govern ment if the slightest obstacle should be put in the Iway of the freedom of the vote. Th. ball gran last aight at the Tuileries was cooly SPAIN. MADRID, Vas. 19. This afternoon at 3 o'clock the Queen held a levee, ' which was numerously attended. Iler health and spirits are excellent, and she appears to feel highly gratified with the enthusiastic reception she received yesterday from all ranks of people, in her processional visit to the church of , our Lady of Atocha. The Gazette contains a de- I crec, granting an amnesty to military criminals of dif ferent degrees and a diminution of punishment to others. It also contains the decree by which the re signation of General Ferdinand de Espleta, Captain- General of the Basque provinces, is accepted, and Lieut.-General Manuel de Mazarredo appointed in his place. The Gazette also publishes a decree, of which tho preamble is as follows: In consequense of the eenvention agreed ttpon between King Feelea sf Spain and his Britannic Majesty on the 211th Ma. di 1111* era arrangement was made with mimes to Wamet eider of the two nations, and a ef eta barked themand_ petted% sterlingwas acknow se being dee ft the doom a sum represented by Fertiecetes of ba rr ing . 6 per cent. per annum interest. The R peetement reserved to itself the faculty of redeeming dome inscriptions within the first four yean, at the rate of If pee cent., payable in cash, and after that period at 60 pee mat., on giving eis months' notice. The government, oemidering the rise in the value of Spanish paper in foreign markets, has determined to make use of this faculty. The capital of 36 millions of reale, which is necessary for this operation, may be ob tained with considerable advantage by the public treasury. There is also another decree modifying the Bank of Ban Ferdinand. ITALY. ROMAN STATES. An order hasgiven to the Roman priests to baptise no more children with the name of " Joseph," as there was reason to fear that the popular partiality for the name arose leas from a c.uliar reverence for the saint or patriarch, than from regard for the dreaded triumvir Maazini. GERMANY. BERLIN, Fes. 21. A political trial to which the high position and abilities of the accused have lent mach interest, has taken place to-day in this city : Count Henry Arnim, a member of the First Prussian Chamber, a titular minister of state, formerly minister of foreign affairs, and who has also represented his Ling at the court of Versailles and in Belgium, was placed at the cri minal bar, and accused of c alumniating the govern ment by his writings. Count Henry Arnim is a leader of the liberal party. When M. Manteuffel went to Olmntz, in November, 1830, and there sur rendered to Prince Schwarzenbcrg every principle of policy which favourably distinguished Prussia from her despotic rival ; when he gave up the Union, and accepted the detested Diet ; when he abandoned Hesse-Cassel, and permitted Austrians to march to Hamburg—Henry Arnim published a pamphlet, called, " The Policy of the Counter-revolutioni two speeches, spoken and unspoken." From this ph let were derived certain passages waybill were based the charge of exciting to hatred mei matempt of the An htr im acore the somasseasment of pressatiings, the esmt nes crowded by as anxious milikey, and at 9 Ain& (heat Amain appeared at the be; wear ing ea his least* the royal - demeadisa of the Iren Crum With him was arraigns& M. formerly editor of the Cbeekhdisessile, l ll .6B reprinted in his journal a pietism at the Mahal natal discourse. The first act of the Kim's A 111 Clem& was topray the court that thie impatutt Z I Z might be conducted with closed detes t prellseding that in proving his case, namely, the falsehood a M. Arnim's charges against the isieistry, he should have to refer to diplomatic doentesete and acts not of a nature to be publicly exposed. This was strongly opposed by M. Ulfert, the advocate for the defence, who yery properly observed that his client, w ho h a d been both a minister and a diplomatist, knew well what was due to official secretly, and was prepared on his part to observe the obligation ; but he must in sist upon meeting in public a charge which was publicly made, and the result of which could not be kept a meet. Notwithstanding, the court decided that it would not be for the public edification to with open doors, so the hall was cleared. Arnim bad summoned, as witnesses to prove the truth of his assertions, M. Manteuffel, M. Laden berg, and other ministers and officials, of whom how ever, none attended, but Justice-Councillor Oeffert, President Kleist-Retzow, and Deputy Ohm. The Attorney General went over the counts of the indict ment, seeking to show that the second had not acted with good faith, and concluded with demanding that Count Arnim might be imprisoned for six months, and M. Bardebeber for half that period. M. Arnim defended himself in an address of two hours' duration, and the court proceeded to deliver its judgment. The remarks of tho accused count on tho violation of the union treaty by M. Manteuffcl were held not to be culpable since the treaty had really been abandoned, nor could he be condemned for stating that the ministry had changed its policy upon the demand of his Ti 'tau( ter& folio' and F. Y say, Lo Adm . Ur, You Ge Yc Tn WAIII CON Ls was whet pledg Anti- T h hour dyad distri MI apt 0 and sist a till 1 p be ki gcsti