The Press. — London, England, 1855-05-19 00:00:00

MAY 19, 1855. under low duties, notwithstanding the increase of population and wealth, the average annual consumption was not more than 0,474,029 gallons, and the revenue 1,727,6441. In other words, the decrease of revenue has been 24.5 per cent., whilst the increase of consumption has been only 15.6 per cent. Sir Emerson Tennent further remarks that the highest amount of revenue has been invariably realised at the highest rate of duty, and that inter mediate reductions, so far from uniformly replenishing the public income, have, in the majority of instances, failed to replace the amount of duty surrendered. With these data, which are tabulated and discussed most elaborately and appositely, how then can we entertain the proposal which some have ventured to broach for a reduction of the wine duties to less than a fifth of their present amount; or what shall we think of the financial wisdom of Mr. Gladstone, who presumed to coquet with such an extravagant proposal? Sir Emerson Torment, allowing that an ad valorem duty is unattainable, shows that, to compensate revenue, consumption must be stimulated sixfold, and he examines in detail the facts which militate against this most improbable hypothesis. Where is the wine to come from even when the wine disease has abated, and all the wines adapted to the English market have, after the interval which must necessarily elapse, been cultivated to the utmost extent possible? As M. Thiers remarked in 1850, and as the French Emperor has since stated to the petitioners of Bour deaux, no reduction of duties will induce the English people to drink generally the thinner class of wines—wines not equal to their beer, yet at their lowest cost exceeding it in price. At the present moment, even taking into account champagne, 86 per cent. of the wine consumed in England consists of port, sherry, and marsala; and national tastes must be overcome, as well as nature exhausted, to raise the consumption to the requisite standard. A more remarkable impediment must be met in th 3 fact that with the increase of population the use of wine of any kind has by no means increased, and the same quantity has sufficed for the twenty-seven millions of consumers between 1840 and 1855 as for twenty-five millions between 1825 and 1840. We are daily becoming less of a wine-drinking people ; and while the consumption of tea, coffee, cocoa, and tobacco, have increased gradually, but enormously, our individual consumption of wine has as gradually ebbed downwards, even cinder a scale of reduced duties Thus, from 1791 to 1800 the ratio of bottles to each person per annum was 2 5-10ths ; in 1851 it was 1 .3-10ths; so little encouragement is there for experiments on the national palate, or prospect of inducing John Bull to increase .his allowance of the grape. Even supposing that the calculated increase In the consumption of wine were possible, the question remains, is it to be calculated on in addition to the present consumption of beer, spirits, and cider, or is it to supersede in the same proportion the present consumption of those articles? In the former case we must take into account the demoralisation which would keep pace with the augmented use of Intoxicating stimulants. In the latter we have to consider the further consequences to the revenue. The reduction of the excise tax on British spirits, and the abolition of the malt tax, are the just and admitted corollary of this increased competition. British spirits would, in deed, have to be relieved for another reason, that wine would be imported at its low duty for the purpose of distillation. And then upon what plea could we retain the present rate of duties upon colonial spirits, or would it be tolerated that we should give this direct and obvious preference to the foreigner? Disturb the present arrangement, says Sir Emerson Ten neat, and our entire system of taxation on fermented and spirituous liqours must be re adjusted. And what is the gross amount with which we should be thus tampering? Up• wards of nineteen millions ! Speaking loosely, nearly one-half the imperial revenue of Eng land. Here is a little item for the pensive theories and playful experiments of Messrs. Oliveira and the late Chancellor of the Ex chequer. THE PRESS. Sir Imerson Tennent has considered inci dentally to this vast question the probable effect of minor modifications of these duties, and his conclusions, though open to discussion, are equally founded on the comprehensive survey which, as we indicate, he has taken. It may sound strange in these times to be discussing any remission of duties whatever; and distant enough may be the day in which these financial warnings may practically come home to us. But our author has, neverthe less, performed excellent service in putting them upon record. It is essential to the pro sperity of the wine trade that settled views should prevail as to the proper mode of dealing with it, neither seller nor consumer being willing to invest in wines when their value is presumed to be liable to diminution. To set agitation at rest by timely inquiry is a work for which many will be thankful, and by which a greater number will benefit. It may abash certain financial experimentalists, or sanguine growers of untried vintages, to learn before. hand the obstacles in their way. But it will confirm the judgment of the public by endors• ing the views of our most eminent statesmen. This essay does, inffact,justify the apprehensions expressed by Sir Robert Peel when reconstruct ing the British tariff in 1842, and the still more emphatic declaration of Mr. Disraeli when Chancellor of the Exchequer, that "no Go " vernment which was ever likely to exist in " this country would entertain the project of " reducing the import duty on wine to one " shilling per gallon." It discounts some crude hopes and ambiguous biddings for popu larity by teaching us what we may expect, and in whom we may confide. A Tar of the Last War. Being the Services and Anecdotes of Sir Charles Richardson, K.8.C., Vice-Admiral of the White. By the Rev. C. E. Armstrong, M.A. London : Longmans. A FRIENDLY memoir of ono of our gallant heroes of the last war. Sir Charles Richardson entered the navy in 1787, and literally fought his way up to dis tinction and rank, for he had but few powerful friends to patronise and help him on. He served almost uninterruptedly throughout the whole of the last war, and was present at several of the great naval actions fought in those days ; but the event of his life, and one which his biographer tells us Sir Charles never forgot, was his personally taking De Winter prisoner at the battle of Camperdown, a de tailed account of which is given in these memoirs. The following sketch of Sir Charles and his old coxswain in their latter days recalls My Uncle Toby and Corporal Trim : The captain had a favorite coxswain, named " Bob," who had retired from the service with a good pension and a wooden leg. He always spent some months of the year with his old commander, whose life had been saved, at the battle of Alexandria, by Bob's cutlass warding off certain death. The first of June, Lord Howe's victory, Camper down on the 11th of October. and the other days which commemorated triumphs in which Sir Charles took a part, were observed with due honour. The admiral ap peared in full uniform ; the Flushing cannon were polished np, and the flagstaff in front of the house was covered with trophies taken from the enemy, while Bob thundered forth his innocent broadsides at the church steeple. The old sailor was an inimitable pattern of obedience to his com manding officer, and watched his countenance for a kind look as much as a faithful dog does that of his master. He never contradicted the admiral, but had always the same ready answer—" Yes, sir " to whatever was said to him, although the reply was often so misplaced as to call forth the ire of the person to whom it was given. He had raised and rigged out a high mast, and half a dozen times in the day he might be seen hurrying up the rope ladders, making signals, and altering the flag, at the stentorian word of command from his captain. The next minute he came down like a cat, and stumped away to the battery, where the guns came in for a share of his attention, since be considered himself part owner, from being one of the captors. An interesting anecdote is also told of the gallant Admiral's knighthood : On that occasion, the sword with which the Queen per formed the ceremony was accidently forgotten, and never remembered until the moment when it was required. In this dilemma the Duke of Wellington unbuckled his own sword, and, presenting it to her Majesty, observed : " Admiral Richardson will not obje c t to mine being used to confer the merited honour of knighthood." The book is well suited to the times. Such records of the gallant deeds of a generation scarcely passed away, and still within our own recollection, prove most engaging to young minds ; and this memoir of "A Tar of the Last War" may advantageously find a place in every midshipman's sea-chest. 4'79 Sharpe's Handbook for the Rail. Loudon : A GUIDK-BOOK for the rail adapted to passengers who may de-,ire to know something of the country through which they pass. It does not pretend to rival Bradshaw, or any other kind of time-tables, as it gives no information respecting the departure of trains or their fares, but it is, as described in the preface, " an adaptation of the old road-book to the " new system of locomotion, with this advantage, " that the mileage being laid down to a uniform " scale, the road side or tabular portion of the work "is almost equivalent to a map." Thus, as the line runs in the centre of each page, and the villages and towns to the right and left are indicated, the traveller can see at a glance at what station it may be most convenient for him to stop. Some informa tion is appended on places of most note in connection with each line. For the convenience of purchasers, the book is in two divisions, one containing lines west of the parallel of London, and south of the Thames; the other lines to the east and north. The plan is good, but the details might with advantage be more elaborated and greater completeness be given to them. As it is, however, the book is a groat improvement upon any railway-book we have yet seen, and from its nature may be permanently useful. NEW MUSIC. Andante Expressivo and Allegretto Vivace. (In A.) By Cyprian Kextix. WE can say with truth that we have seldom looked over a more promising little production than the one at present under our consideration, just published by M. Kextix. The allegretto is fresh and spirited : in it are treated three several subjects, all sufficiently well marked to secure their individuality, yet inter woven together with much skill and contrivance. There is, perhaps, too great a display of musical science, resulting in a disregard of the performer's convenience, manifested throughout this work; but this is a fault that time and experience will cure. Almost all young composers (and to this class we imagine M. Kextix to belong) run into the error of making their first productions more than necessarily difficult, mistaking excessive elaboration for origin ality. We warn M. Kextix against this weakness. Stilted phrases in music please neither performer nor auditory. The Siege of Sebastopol. Grand March. By W. R THE style of this march does not appear to us of sufficient strength or grandeur to commemorate the siege of Sebastopol, it being much too light and trifling for a march, and more resembling a polka, which, in our opinion, would, not be at all consistent at the seat of war. There is very little variety in it, the same passages being constantly repeated toque ad nauseant. The march is in the key of E flat. PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED. BOOM Essays, Ecclesiastiral and Social. W. J. Conybeare, M.B. Longttiaaa. A Vacation Tour in the United States and Canada. !Charles Richard Weld. Ditto. The Calendar of Victory. !'he Poetical Works of Thomas Moore. May Flowers. " Achet.a." Ditto. Ditto. Lovell Reeve. The Philosophy of the Cross. H. G. Cooper. tiruombridge. Narrative of a Campaign in the Crimea. Lieutenant George Shuldham Pearl. Bentley. Vindication of f.uther. Julius Charles Hare, M.A. J. W. Parker. Every Boy's Book. George Forrest, Esq, M.A. Routledge. Pictures from the Battle Fields. The Roving Englishman. Dtito. Job. A Course of Lectures. John E. Kempe, M.A. Skeillngton. The Hour, and the Man. (Parlour Library.) Routledge. Widow• Burning. Henry Jeffreys Bushby. Longmans. Selections from the Best Italian Writers. James Philip Laeaita, LL.D. Longman.. The Philosophy of the Fall and its Remedy. Rev. E. C. Topham, M.A. Bosworth. Cleave Hall. The Author of " Amy Herbert." Longman.. English Battles and Sieges in the Peninsula. Licnt.•(;en. Sir W. Napier, K.C.B.H. hi urray . PAMPRLZTS. War. Ile Erils and Datim Skeffington. B(fle Practice. Major John Jacob, C.B. Smith and Elder. Lay of the Crimea Riringtons. On the Future Destinies of the Celestial Bodies. Henry Drummond. Bosworth. An Account of the History and Manufacture of Ancient and Modern Terra Cotta. Weale. Speech of Sir Erskine Perry on the Indian Army. Richardson, Brothers. Smith and Elder. Universal Decimal Coinage. THE MAY EXHIBITION OF THE AUSTRIAN ART Utaow was opened on Tuesday, the Ist instant. Seventy-one pictures are exhibited, fifty three of them oil colours. Of these seventy-one, sixty-three are painted by Austrian, and eight by foreign artists. ~._..~.....~1