The Press. — London, England, 1855-09-01 00:00:00

SEPT. 1,1855. Volitual anb General. MR. JANES RUST, of Alconbury, has addressed the electors of Huntingdon as a candidate to supply the vacancy caused by Lord Mandeville's accession to the dukedom of Manchester. He professes himself a Conservative, but ready to aid in rendering our insti tutions more perfect. He is in favour of a vigorous prosecution of the war, and says :—" However little general confidence I feel in the present Ministers, I should always support them in the vigorous prosecu tion of the war until the objects for which it has been undertaken can be obtained, and the blessings of peace restored to us on safe and honourable terms." Mr. C. H. BRACEBRIDGE AND MRS. BRACEBRIDGE have returned to this country from Scutari Hospital, where for some months they have been actively en gaged in assisting Miss Nightingale. BY an act of the late session, the Chancellor and Council of the Duchy of Lancaster obtain extended powers of selling or purchasing land on bebalt of the Crown in right of the duchy. THE FIRST Son of the Silloth Railway was to be out by Sir James Graham at Drumburgh, yesterday, the 31st of August. MR. J. D. FITZGERALD, M.P., has offered 1001. towards establishing a public library in Ennis, under the new act for promoting free public libraries and museums in Ireland. THE DOWAGER MARCHIONESS OF LONDONDERRY, previous to leaving Wynyard-park for her seat in Ireland, laid the foundation-stone of a new church at New Seaham, in affectionate remembrance of the late gallant marquis. The marchioness has also announced her intention to give a bounty of 21., in addition to the sum offered by the Government, to every person upon her estates who may join the North Durham Militia regiment. A PARLIAMENTARY RETURN of all correspondence in 1854 between the Governor and Deputy-Governor of the Bank of England and Mr. Gladstone, as to providing means for the payment of the dividends on the public stocks, has just been issued. The corre spondence is very lengthy and very important, as it introduces anew system into the management of the dividend payments, and one which bas not met with the approbation of the Bank of England. It appears, however, that whatever may be the merits or de nerits of the system introduced by ➢lr. Gladstone, his successor has intimated his intention of carrying it out. AT the late annual meeting of the Somerset Archaeological Association it was stated that the remains of a rhinoceros and other extinct animals bad lately been discovered in the neighbourhood of Taunton, in connection with the trees of a forest in which they lived. These trees were of existing species —viz., oak, alder, hazel, &c., thus showing that the climate of the country, when it was inhabited by the rhinoceros, bear, tiger, elephant, hyena, &c., was much the same as it is now. THEEg NEW MEDALS have just been struck at the Paris Mint. On one is placed the portrait of the Emperor, with the following inscription on the oppo site side :—" Victoire de Tractir par les Armees unies de France, d'Angleterre, et de Piemont, 18 Aofit, 1855." The second is in honour of the Queen of England's visit, and gives on one bide the portraits of the Emperor and the Empress, with the legend, " Napoleon 111., Emperor; Eugenie, Imperatrice ;" ttpd op the reverse, portraits of the Queen and of Prince Albert, with the inscription, "La Reine d'Angleterre et le Prince Albert visii,ent la France, 'tout, 1855." THE VACANCY FOR TOTNEqS, occasioned by Lord Seymour becoming Duke of Somerset, will probably be filled by John Laurie, Esq., late M.P. for Barn staple, who has been invited by the majority of the electors of the borough. THIC CRYSTAL PALACE was visited on Tuesday by the Ancient Foresters, who came, to the number of many thousands, from various parts of the country for that purpose. In the course of the afternoon the archers assembled on a shady spot beyond the north wing of the building, and targets having been erected, some members of the body displayed their skill with bow and arrow. The day passed off pleasantly, and all its enjoyments were fully appre ciated by the vast numbers in attendance. TUE officers and men of the 25th Regiment have made an offer of a fine elephant to the Zoological gardens, Edinburgh, and the directors have decided on accepting the gift. THE money so generously subscribed towards the defence of the ex-lieutenant Perry has just been paid over to his account in Australia, through Messrs. C. R. and W. M'Gregor, the army agents. Captain Perry having failed to procure for his son a commis sion in the Turkish Legion, Lieutenant Perry is, therefore, determined to proceed to Australia. The total sum collected was 2,6321. Rs. Oct., of which the expenses on account of court martial, advertising, Atc., were 4721. 10s.; cash and interest previously paid to Lieutenant Perry,l49l. Os.; leaving a balance of 2,0101. 3s. 3d, THE PRESS. Qi;orrtspnnttnte. SLAVE LABOUR. TO THE EDITOR OF " THE PRESS." Sir,—Having just now been reading Mr. Murray's book, "The Lands of the Slave and the Free," I copy the following from its pages, showing the pro fits of slave labour as compared with our English free labour : Let us now fix our attention on the actual facts of the case, which all parties admit. First, we have a slave po pulation of 3,200,000. I think if I estimate their market able value at 804. per head, I shall be considerably below the truth. This gives us in human flesh 2450,000,0001. Secondly, let us take the product of their labour. The slave States raise annually— Rico 215,000,0001155. or nearly 96,000 tons. Tobacco Cotton 1,000,000,000 „ „ 445,952 „ Sugar Molasses Indian Corn 360,000,000 bushels, „ 45,000,000 q. = 5,‘,40,4,00tn. Estimating these at a lower value than they have ever yet fallen to, you have represented 80,000,0001. sterling of an nual produce from the niuszle and sinew of the slave. With reference to the foregoing, I have seen the average price of the slaves in 1854 estimated at 750 dollars, or 1501., and healthy young people to sell as high as 1,500 dollars, or 3001. Now, if we take the average of 1501., instead of Mr. Murray's 801., it gives us in human flesh 480,000,0001., something like half the amount of our National Debt. Mr. Murray also calculates the value of the pro duce of the 3,200,000 slaves at 80,000,000/. annually, for the above mentioned articles, to which we may add for sundry others produced and manufactured by these slaves, but not enumerated, at least forty per cent., and in consideration that he has, to use his own words, "put their value lower than they have ever yet fallen to; and whick would make the annual American income from the slaves' muscle and sinew 112,000,0001., or, according to Porter, who puts it at 3(K),000,0001., more than one-third of all the agricul tural produce of Great Britain, employing some 18,000,000 of free labourers in its production. Assuming 1,200,000 of the total number of slaves to be employed in the various manufactures and handicrafts, as waiters in hotels and domestic ser vants, women kept for breeding, and who do little or no work, children under seven years of age, and the aged, decrepid, and diseased, there will remain for employment in agriculture 2,000,000 of able hands. Now, I know, from practical experience in the West Indies, that an able slave hand could be made to cul tivate with ease, and manufacture its produce, two acres of land annually; in cases, three and four acres have been stated by various parties as the task in America, where agricultural horse implements can be more easily used. These two acres will produce, on a moderate average, two tons of sugar and ono ton of molasses, which, at the low price of 201. per ton for the sugar, and 101. per ton for the molasses, gives you 50/. as the product of an able band, or 100,000,0001. of income from the whole. But, as Americans know well enough what is most profitable to cultivate on the different soils, and supposing each able hand to cultivate and produce one ton only of cotton in the year, and that it sold on the average of (id. per pound, it gives 50/. per slave, or 112,000,000/. of income. Of tobacco, Indian corn, and rice, we may fairly assume that the value of the production per head for each able slave is pretty much the same. Therefore, I conceive I am below my estimate in 112,000,0001.—bearing in mind, also, that of the 1,200,000 employed in manufactures and handicrafts, Sm., many bring large revenues to their owners; and the breeding-women, who produce the most valuable product of' all, the slave, of which the State of Vir ginia alone exported 100,000 between 1840 and 1850, which, at the low value of five hundred dollars each, gives us 10,000,0001. in human flesh. But to continue, it is evident that if 3,200,000 slaves can produce an income of 112,000,00 W., the labour of 18,000,000 of freemen ought to produce nearly six time as much, if these productions are of anything like relative value ; and our beef, mutton, pork, butter, and cheese will bring on the average as much per pound as the slaves' cotton, tobacco, sugar, and mola , -ses, and our cereals are quite as valuable as the slaves' rice, and Indian corn; therefore, our income ought to be nearly 672,000,0001., instead of the 300,000,0001., as was stated by Porter to be, prior to the advent of free trade ; and if you allow the slaves' produce to be worth only 80,000,000/., our agricultural produce ought, proportionably with the number of labourers, to be worth some 480,000,0001., even then leaving us in the rear to the tune of 180,000,0001. Here, then, I conceive, is a subject well worth the serious national consideration of those who aided in perpetuating slavery, doubling the price of ',he slave and of slave lands, by admitting slave produce into our markets on the same terms as that of the free labourer, for it is evident that the free labourers of the United Kingdom cannot compete successfully with the slave labourers of America; and if ever the free man is to be encouraged, and slavery and ite 881 horrors discouraged, no more certain mode of dis couragement and gradual abolition could be adopted than by levying a differential duty on its produce, when brought to any land inhabited by the free, and unpolluted with slavery. —yours, sir, most obediently, August 13. AN TI- SLALVE BY. PS.—The 360,000,000 bushels of Indian own all equal to 45,000,000 quarters, or upwards of 0,640,000 tons, putting it at 60Ibs. to the bushel, and would be worth, at 10s. per quarter, 22,500,0001. ; and if you allow each of the slaves 31bs. per day—lndian corn being the staple of their food—there would remain for sale, or export, upwards of 7,900,00 i tons, to purchase other food, such as salt fish, and pork, and clothing for these slaves, who thus produce annually, among, all their other products, upwards of three tons of Indian corn each upon the average, and which feeds and clothes them. Does not this show that the Yankee's know the reason why the slave, who can be coerced, is so valuable ? Mr. Ingersoll, at the agricultural meeting at Gloucester, in July, 1853, stated that the total pro duce of maze or Indian core in the United States was 000,000,000 bushels, which, at only Ms. per quarter, would be worth 37,000,0001., and the price here is from 30s. to 40s. per quarter. TORTURE IN INDIA. TO THE EDITOR OF "THE PRESS." Sir,—l have been reading the report of the com missioners appointed to inquire into the practice of torture in the Presidency of Madras. Nothing can be more disgraceful or damaging to the Honourable Court of Directors than the state of things as shown in the appendix. Such a disclosure must go far to have all dominion over people taken from the Court of Directors ; few, after reading the appendices, but will agree that the rulers of India are partieipes eri minis. With rare exceptions, the poor ryots could get no redress from their European rulers—their petitions were referred back to the parties who were their aggressors ; sometimes the collectors got angry and tore their petitions in pieces; or more frequently, if the ryot did travel to the head quarters of the col lector, after being kept there for days and weeks, he was told to go home, or when he related how lie had been ill treated, the answer was that if he had paid the money such would not have been necessary. The whole state of things disclosed is frightful; and now that we know such things to exist, how can we have confidence in what we do not know ? Lord Harris M an honourable man, and has behaved honourably; and I think thanks are due to the commissioners for the rapid manner in which they have produced this remcrkable and extensive report. Never was such a thing done in India. It' left to the Court of Direc tors it would have been years before the report was produced, but now at Madras, through the straight forward conduct of Lord Harris, any one may buy it for ten ahillings.—l ain, sir, your obedient servant, NEmo. Aug. 20, 1855. THE MEETING OF THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION AT GLASGOW this year will be one of the most interesting which has ever been held. His Royal Highness Prince Albert has been obliged to decline the invi tation of the committee, but several members of the Imperial Family of France will, it is said, attend the meeting, including the Prince of Canino and two of his daughters, and possibly Prince Louis Lucien Bonaparte. The list of foreign visitors is likely still to receive large accessions, from the cif• cumstance that the meeting of the Association of German Natural Philosophers, which was to have taken place at Vienna in September, is postponed till next year on account of the cholera. Th e Duke of Hamilton will take an active interest in the ceedings, and as the Duke of Cambridge wil enjoying the hospitalities of Hamilton Palace this period, he will accompany his grace to Glasgow. The Duke of Hamilton will receive the distinguished at ' upwards a ton, pedestal of polished I plinth also of polished granite, resting upon a sub-plinth of grey stone. The whole is placed upon an octangular platform, from which the railings and lamps spring. The total -. simple inscription, from the platform to the top of the statue will - be about twenty feet. The pedestal bears the simple • inscription, " reel," in bronze. The statue will be placed with the face looking down New. street. - • I excursionists when they present themselves at Arran on Thursday, the 20th. The great dinner will take place in the City Hall, under the presidency of the Duke of Argyll. Tas formal ceremony of inaugurating the statue of the late Sir Robert Peel took place in 13irrningh am, on Monday morning, in the presence of a vast con- course of spectators, headed by the mayor and the Hon. and Rev. Grantham Yorke, the chairman of the committee. The statue, which is by Mr. Peter Hol- lins, and Cast by Messrs. Elkington and Mason—the first colossal work of the kind ever produced in one piece in Birmingham—is in bronze, and stands eight feet and a half high. It weighs upwards of a ton, and is placed upon a square pedestal of polished Peterhead granite. There is a plinth also of polished