The Sun. — London, England, 1852-05-13 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT HOUSE OF COMMONS, May 12. (Continued from our Afternoon Edition of yesterday.) ABOLITION OF THE PAPER DUTY. ADJOURNED DEBATE. On the t e r ler of the day being read for resuming the adjourned debate on this subject, Lord DUNCAN presented three petitions from Rochester and other places in favour of the repeal of the taxes on knowledge. Mr. COWAN said ho had been engaged for about thirty years in the mentefacture of paper, and for the last twenty years he had done all in his power to induce various Administrations to oonsider the propriety of re moving the restristions imposed upon that manufacture. He found, however, that though on all occasions a very civil reception was given in Downing- street to the depu tations, no progress whatever was made towards the abolition of those restrictions. Of late years a very considerable redaction had been made in the number of exciscable articles, and paper was, he believed, the only article which could properly be termed a manufacture still subjected to an excise duty. A very !ergo num ber of individuals was employed in the manufacture of paper, which seemed to have been specially selected as the subject of harassing cud vexatiou3 restrictions. Not only were manufacturers of paper compelled to submit to a protracted survey, but it nay required that every parcel of paper should bear upon it a label describing the weight, the name of the supervisor, the place of manufacture, and a variety of other de tails ; and this process of labelling consumed a great deal of valuable time. He complained also of the delay which took place before paper could be removed after the istspection of the Exci.e officer. Formerly paper was allowed to be removed in twenty-four hours after the time at which the Excise officer commenced his survey, but an order was issued some twenty years ago providing that twenty-four hours should elapse after the officer had completed his survey before paper was allowed to be removed from the place of manufacture. Ihe effect of this regulation was that a delay of two days took place before paper could be removed. He was bound to say, however, that within the last year the Board of Excise had considerably diminished the period of delay. To show the vexatious nature of the restrictions on the manufacture of paper, he might men tion that some five or six years ago a very extensive mill was established in Gloucestershire for the purpose of manufacturing paper or pasteboard from straw. The proprietors accepted a contract to supply a large quan tity of pasteboard, but objections were made by the Board of Excise to their obtainicg a supply of a finer description of paper necessary for the completion of their manufacture from other mills. [So we understood the Honourable Gentleman, who throughout the greater portion of his speech turned his back to the reporters' gallery.] A delay of eleven months took place be fore the difficulties raised by the Board of Excise were adjusted, and the consequence was that the proprietors of the mill were unable to fulfil their contract, and were subjected to a loss of some thousands of pounds. The tendency of the present law was to prevent all improve meat. Before the year 1836 every papermaker was obliged to make up his manufactured goods in parcels containing certain quantities. He might mention, as an instance of the inconvenience of this regulation, that he was applied to some years ago to send a quantity of paper to South America, made up in a particular manner to suit that market, but three weeks elapsed be fore he could obtain permission from the Board of Ex cise to make up the parcels in that parcilar form, and then the permission was limited to the particular case. To show the effect of the existing restrictions he might mentine that straw had been very successfully applied to the manufacture of cards for loom-weavers. Now, fur every pattern worked at the Jecjuard loom ho believed about 100,000 cards were rrqaisite, and the amount of duty upon that number of cards was nearly 231. He knew there was an establishment at Paisley at which it was found necessary to keep 1,000,000 cards in stock, and the proprietors were obliged upon that number to pay a duty of about 2301. A very large quantity of sewing thread was exported from this country to the United States, packed in small paper boxes, each containing a certaiu number of balls. The paper required for each box weighed 11 ez. There was an ostabilehment in Glasgow which used weekly three tons of paper for the manufacture of these boxes. Noe upon that paper a duty of 14 guineas a ton was imposed, so that this one firm paid upwards of 40 guineas a week as duty upon paper alone. The duty also pressed with great hardship upon the manufacturers of hardware, cu.lery, and o:her articles which were wrapped in paper for exportation; and he knew that some manufacturers paid as much as 3001. or 4001. a year merely in duty upon paper used for such purposes. The expense of collecting this excise duty upon paper was not less than 6 per cent.; he believed it to be much larger; and the labour of writing and labelling each parcel of goods threw at least the same expense upon the manufacturer. The effect of these restrictions was to confine the trade within the narrowest possible limits, and to render it es• sentially a hums trade. He held in his band a book con taining some most valuable and interesting statistics on the subject of the manufacture of paper, which was printed so long ago as the year 1800, upon paper manu factured solely from straw; and, but for the crushing effect of the excise duty, that manufacture would by this time have extended probably throughout the whole country, because paper manutaetured trom straw might be applied to many most useful purposes. Straw could be brought generally at 2/. a toy, and be was told it could be obtained by the proprietors of the establish. went to which he had b,,f,)re r,ferred in Gloucestershire at 303. a ton. But, before a paper-maker could make an experiment in mvlurlctuting straw lero paper, he must pay a duty sf 14 guineas a ton. The mine was the cis. with regard to flux, which would also be most valuabl in the raaete . iacture of papr. The n;ght Hon. 1:i-caber for Halifax (Sic C. Wood), wh , n he occupied the past of Ch incelior of the Exehever, had repealed the duty on bricks. Ile (Hr. Coss-en) might remind the House that 3 very interesting uatiou were once required to make bricks without straw; and he thought the n ind age is which the paper manufacturers were placed by the existing law was of a somewhat similar character. He hoped the present Chancellor of the Exchequer would complete the week his predecessor had commenced, and that, as his predecessor had reduced the duty on bricks, he would reduce tree duty ou p iper; and would thus abo lish a tax which was in effect a duty upon straw. He hoped the Chancellor of the Exchequer would take the proposition of the Right Honourable Member for Man chester (Mr. M. Gibson) into his favourable considera tion. He (}Jr. Cowan) was very glad the debate on this subject had been adjourned, for he certainly would not have wiebed to see any duties repealed this year, even although the surplus had been much larger than it really was, becau e he did not think there would have been time to do justice to the various claiissants.—(Hear, hear.) The object cf the R'ght Hon. Gentleman (Mr. Gibacm) was to convince the Howe - that those restric tions mast be viewed both by the friends of native in dustry and by the - supporters of free trade. as c (pally impolitic and mischievous. He found that when the Right Hon. Member for Manchester brought forward, t wo years ago, a motion similar to that now before the House, the present Chancellor of the Exchequer, re ferring to the existence of a surplus, express e d his °pi nkie in these words,--'` Could they, then, do better in the present state of the revenue, with the resources nilthey had at their command, than to assent to me. r r ch ,,t proposition of the Right lion. Member for (Ic ?" That was a propositionto repeal the Disraeli) Par", The Right lion. Gentleman (Mr. La hic%entinaci— beneficial In Tnion it was a prudent, a politic, and a from assenting to Were they to be prevented, then, so beneficial reso!ir ion so justified by circum stances,the ensaugei u n e e q tl in its character and its results, by phantom of a revolutionary republic being corspof iree tastr he c eentercea a up before them, or by the possible ca o dimly hinted at in at in Delphian H might be safl as sured that they w ere Lut e kind." near ouse any misfortunes of the He hoped, therefore, thet the Ci s uer might give his' v4eabie Chancellor of the Exche to, support to this , motion. he was tsi do tat in promoting the ?ic (Mr. Cowen) hal been repeal of the paper duty what was very prejudicial to his own interest, e aeau u s g e pollen , if the tax should a great number of be repealed, . 3 would enter ioto the trade, and increase the competition ; but, even if that wero the case, he held that he Ought to s way him Open not to allow his own private interest kind, but that it was h is duty to consider Whether w as likely to conduc e to proposed measure the welfare and advantage of the p e ople at large. submit that ?mull mit that a case had been made out. Mr. GLAD 3 TONE said—l will not detain the Hous e for many minutes, but there is one portion of the subject upon which I am anxious to make a few remsrks. As regards the duty upon paper in general, I must ray I shall be heartily glad when the time comes that it can be repealed.—(Haar , hear.) No dou bt it is ver y im pra. dent for Ikl em b ers o f Parliament, when they are mein a strong impression as to the diaadvantagee of a panic's. lar tar, to pledge themselves beforehand in favour of its repeal—(Uear)—we ought to have the whole case —the State of the revenue before Il3—(Gear, hcar)—and, for the preseat, I hope it is clearly understood and in tended by the House that we shall rally round the Chancellor of the Exchequer upon this occasion, and for this year, at any rate, steadily set our faces ag ainst any of these proposals f or th e romiacion of taxation. — (Hoer, hear.) Bat it seems to me that there are such a number of interesting circumstances connected with the operation of the paper duty, and w ith the constiroP" don of paper in the various branches of the demand for it, thet this is a question which may usefully occup) , the alteration of the House at this moment.—(Hear, heir.) There is one branch or the paper manufacture, no doubt, of the utmost importance—where it is employed in the packing of manufactured commodities•, and, so far as that is concerted, the question comes before us simply in the same category with the legislitive reforms relat ing to commerce which the Heine has latterly enter tained with so much favour. There is another branch which concerns the consumption of paper, in the pro duelien of periodioal4, whether newepapers or not; and this must he interesting and mast important al s o. B u t there . ,.. o is a t hi r d b ranc h t. ) which wish to draw atten ii n• sad to which think w e lees attention hea been given 7. I mean the literary a T.. ° eistimptien or paper in the printing of importance tha t hear.) I hold it of the utmost against throwirtp-'" should be always on our guard .pensing it for th'eaawral the public revenue, w ainst dis trust that, not only n. • t interested combinations, and I propitious moments, when the it moment' but at more the Chancellor Of the E zos may be in the power of a proposal for the reductionver seriously to entertain duty, he will tette into his vie; the of the paper Connected with the consumption of paper state of the trades Of its consumption to which I refer-- paper in that branch that, so far as the influence and hear)—and veruwect can extend, so far as the deliberations of the Go- Howevan eerciie ilifitionco: ,_ .. (l _ !talons of this Publics opinion, and upon the proceedings of trades through the medium of , public opinion, care will be taken that the public revenue I shall not be given away for the profit of. these particu lar parties.—(Hear, hear.) It is probably within the knowledge of many whom I am addressing that a most interesting, and, I think, a most impertant struggle, is now in progress in the book trade—(Elear, hear)—that, as I think most unfortunately, a large number of the booksellers of London and of the country —some say using the publishers of books as their in struments, others say led on and authorised by the pub lishers—are attempting by restrictions, as it seems to me, of a most imprudent and unwarrantable character, to prevent the price of books, which is so enormously high, from being mitigated even to the extent of a few shil lings per cent. by the enterprise and energy of those among the retail traders who are disposed to give the public the advantage of that enterprise and energy,— ( Hear, hear.) I think it would be very unjust at the present moment to bear hard upon this body of publishers and booksellers, because, in a spirit which I think does them honour, they have consented to refer the question to the judgment of some distinguished persons—(llear, hear)—and at this moment Lord Campbell, with Mr. Grote and the Dean of St. Paul's, is engaged in the coneideration of this question; and they have, I believe, kindly undertaken to give their judgment upon it.-- (Hear, hear.) To that judgment, I believe, the London traders in books are prepared to submit.—(Hear, hear.) I must confess I cannot much doubt what it will be.— Clear.) The House should be aware what is the exact na'ure of the question. The publishers of books ere in the habit of supplying the retail traders at a Jived price, that price being usually (with the excep tion of the case of wholesale purchases) at a dis count of 25 per cent. upon the publishing price. The custom of the retail trade is, not to grant the public who purchase a greater discount than 10 per cent., leaving 15 for the retail trade. Some retail dealers say they can give a greater discount than 10 per cent.; but then this combination steps in and says, " You shall give no greater discount than 10 per cent. to the public, and if you do not come under an engagement to that effect, we, by combining among our selves, will exclude you from the trade in books; ' that is, deprive you of the means of livelihood in the vocation to which you have devoted yourself. This restriction is in my view a great evil.—(Hear, hear.) I do not pre tend to compare the price of new publications with that of articles of bodily subsistence in regard to the urgency of the questions they raise; but I do say, that it is a very great evil that the price of books should be raised above what may be called the natural and legitimate amount.—(Hear, hear.) And further, I venture to say that the state of the book market, except so far. as it is partially mitigated by what are called cheap publica tions, is a disgrace to the present state of civilization.— (Hear, hear.) The controversy now going on with cer tain retail traders, who in my epinion deserve great credit for the energy with which they have struggled against the power they have endeavoured to cope with, is but a part of a system.—(Hear.) I wish the House were aware of the facts in regard to the pro duction and the sale of books in this country. The , truth ,is, that monopoly and combination have been so long applied to the whole subject, that they really have gone near—l do not say to the extinction of the trade, — bat to reducing it to its minimum. —(Hear.) We have a country that has by far the largest educated class in the world. (A Member—" There is America.") I was thinking of Europe, but, even taking America into ac count, we have a country in which the class that ought to be purchasers lof new books is the largest in the world; I mean the educated class in that sense—the men in possession of such fortune as ought to make them the natural purchasers of new publications. That class in this country is counted by twenties, and by fifties, I might almost say by hundreds of thousands. But what is the fact with regard to the state of the book-market? It is, that with the exception of certain very highly esteemed and distinguished authors—with the exception of such cases as Mr. Macaulay's " History of England," what are called new publications, not only in a majority of cases, but in an enormous majority, scarcely ever pass a sale of 500 copies. An immense proportion of those that are published do not pay their expenses at all; and I believe the proportion of them passing the sale of 500 copies in this country, with its enormous means for the cheap production of books, and for supplying an extensive demand for them, is not more than something like 5 per cent.; or, at any rate, not more than 1 20th to 1-10th of the whole number produced.—(Hear, hear.) Now what is the consequence? It is a matter within our personal experience. The purchase of new publications is scarcely attempted by anybody individually.—(llear, hear.) Yon go into the houses of your friends, and un less in the case of books for which they have a profes sional want that must be satisfied, or unless they happen to be persons of extraordinary wealth, you do not find copies of new publications upon their tables, purchased for themselves; but you find something from the circu lating library, or something from the book club.—(Hear, hear.) But what aro these book clubs and book societies, which are engaged, with such an enormous loss of time and waste of machinery, in the distribution of books throughout the country ? They are the ingenious ex pedients which, under the pressure of necessity, men have adopted to mitigate the monstrous evils they experiecce from the enormously high price of books, and satisfy in some degree their own demand for that description of mental food—(Hear, hear.) Let the House observe too how, in cases of this kind, one system of combination generates and maintains another. It has been the practice of the book trade to combine (I do not use the term offensively) against the public; and what is the consequence? The printers combine against the book trade—(Bear, hear)—and very naturally.— (Hear.) Ask a publisher why the price of books is so high; he will tell you one reason is, "the printers have entered into a combination against us"—(dear)—and is it not perfectly natural, that if the journeymen printer sees the publishers and booksellers combine against the public, he will say, "I will step in and get a share of the fruits?" and so it is. -([fear.) I hold in my hand a paper which has trashed me, and other Members I suppose, signed by two persons on behalf of the London Society of Compositors, and they say, " We draw your attention to Mr. T. M. Gibson's motion for the repeal of the taxes on knowledge; we believe that those taxes present unne cessary obstacles to the spread of useful knowledge among the public generally." But I should like to know whether it is not also the case, that the London compo sitors, who have so genial a sympathy with the Right Honourable Gentleman, and so anxious a desire for the spread of useful information, are and hive been for some time in strict combination together, and that the terms and effect of the combinations are to raise the price of printing per sheet in London, and Oxford, and Cam bridge, and I believe some other places, at least 25 or 30 per cent. above the price at which it can be executed anywhere elan.--(Hear, hear.) Now I hope, whenever the Chancellor of the Exchequer may be in a condition to propose to the House a remission of the paper duty, these matters will be well looked into—(Hear, hear) — and that we shall take care that the public revenue is ' not given away for the purpose of facilitating or promot ing the extension of these combinations.—([fear.) Th e Government, no doubt, can do a great deal for the relief of this immense evil; individuals cannot do it. If a particular person who has a work to publish chooses to say, " I will fix the pricy at one-half the ordinary amount," he merely makes a victim of himself, without acting in the least upon the state of the market or acting sensibly upon the demand for his own book, because the con sequence of a bad system has been to machinery nots e n a s d i a b p l y t adapted t c o t e it, d b yantdhebtho priceoek opera tion clubs of a end d e s r o a c te a ieties are book being more or less—(Hear, hear) — and of the natural and healthy p l ay of the deman d which ought to regulate the price, and of p rin ciple the that a book ought to sell for what it will fetch, n e ither more nor less, is totally intercepted by the system which has been so long in action.—(Hear, hear.) The Govern ment has been ecdeavouring to do something for pro moting the book trade in this country. Fur many years negotiations hare been going on with foreign countries for the prevention of piracy abroad. I had the satisfac tion when I was at the Board of Trade with my Hon. Friend the Member for Glasgow (6lr. Macgregor) of conducting negotiations with Prussia, and handing them over to Lord Dalhousie, who was able to put his hand to the first treaty of international copyright. There has been a treaty since with France under the late Govern ment, and treaties have likewise been made with other parts of Gcrmsny. That is most important to the book trade of England, because, undoubtedly, the sale of piratical publications is very injurious, and, by nar rowing the market, tends to force the elevation of price in this country.—(Hear.) But as, by means of the in fluence of the State, we have opened foreign markets to the English book trade, we have some right to expect that efforts should be made by those who direct that trade to produce books upon reasonable and moderate terms with a view of supplying that domande—(Hear, hear.) The case of the colonies is a most remarkable one. We attempted to vindicate the rights of English anthers in the celonies; but, owing to the monstrous price of books published here, the grievance in the colo nies was felt to be so oppressive, that I believe it was f ound necessary again to r e la x th e l aw , an d not attempt to prevent the entrance of piratical publications.—( dear, hear.) I believe there is hardly any article on which ase o thhieghpaabplircare called upon to pay a price that bears so the c proportion to the actual coat of pr o d uc tion a 3 in of rod et book`'—(Bear, hear.) But the actual cost books tha ja il itself is not a proper s t an da r d, b e cause that cost n O e n normously enhanced, more perhaps on nature of the any other commodity, by the restricted of dernand ade and the narrowness of the that in this country circle —(Elear, hear.) I do conceive for the production Yaw have the greatest facilities Un der the disadvantages cheap books.--(Hear, hear.) ie quite plain, from the which ior the paper duty imposes, it by enterprising and succeessf t i ts which have been made we can produce, quality considered,upublishers, that even now as cheaply as any country in the world.—_(gear.) am convinced, if the the it ch you to resign the finances of the State wouldhap paper duty, you ought to you h av e the greatest advantageult, Wake in the world.—(Hear.) B as producers, cheapest producers of than any other ought to hooka of the naurket and the dema n d th e scope , m r t reitt,taltscloort ~!'facts s t o e u r g a n d t va tt n ) tbaegetsh lo s r :_ n ae i t ytouhtive the chc aper here and the_ sale larger than in any g t oth be r country whatever. On the contrary, the state of facts is, that so fur as new publications are 'concerned, the demand far book s is narrower and th e price higher th a n i n h any t other ucountrywillforgivegood intheW7rid seas© .".... (H ear, hear.) I hope drawin g attention t o this important and and public i n teresting subject.--(Hear, hear.) I am happy to e th a t feel ing have already acted so powerfully upon that intelligent and respectable body, the London publishers, as to induce them to refer this matter to arbitration.— (Hear, bear.) I trust when that combination breaks down, all other combinations afft:cting the b oo k trade will break down also.—(Hear, hear.) I am sur e th e judgment expressed here will act materially upon public opinion, and through that upon the book trade ; a nd do trust, that before a great lengt h of time, rue eircum. stances to which I have adverted, and which I say again I are a scandal to the country, will disappear.—(Hear.) Sir W. CLAY did not wish the debate to turn wholly , upon the first of the three resolutions—that for the re peal of the paper duty; he thought the strength of the case, at least with reference to immediate legislative ac tion, lay in the other two—for the repeal of the news paper stamp and the advertisement duty, and he would suggest that it would be well not to divide on the first resolution, the decision upon which would not be a just indication of the feeling of the House, but would be influenced by reasons apart from the real merits of the case. There were, indeed, very strong reasons for taking off the duty on paper, but that might be said of many other, and especially of Excise of duties. When, too, the paper duty was classed in the reso'u tions with the rest of the " taxes on knowledge," it must be recollected that a large proportion of the paper made was not used for the diffusion of knowledge, but in ma nufactures, or fitting manufactured articles for exporta tion. Then, again, the House should not express an opinion upon the paper duty, if (which he believed) the Government could not fairly be expected to prom d to act upon it in the present state of the revenue.— (Hear, hear.) The paper duty should be ono of the first duties taken into consideration with a view to re-- dueler); but it ought to be considered fairly with reference to other duties and upon a ge neral vies of finance. These reasons for doubt or hesitation did not exist with reference to the other two duties—on newspapers and on adver tisements; the resolution as to them might fairly be pressed, nor could ho see why they should not be repealed.—(lll3ar, hear.) If the newspaper duty were removed, a moderato postage duty would probably, in a very great degree, supply the loss to the revenue; and the extreme doubt as to the law with regard to the ques tion " what was a newspaper?" would warrant the House in incurring a greater risk of lose. The repeal of the advertisement duty would extend the circulation of newspapers and the diffusion of knowledge among the people. One of the very ablest men he ever knew said he only read the law reports and the advertisements, which he thought gave the most complete view of the times. No one could doubt the great ability manifest in the leading articles in the Times, or its admirable arrangements for the collection and prompt diffusion of news from all parts of the world ; but if you went into the shops and warehouses and counting houses of men of all shades of political opinion, and asked them why they took the Times, you would find them all concur in one reason. After paying a just compliment to its talent, they would tell you—Whig, Tory, and Radical—that it was indispens able to them to take in a paper in which they found such a vast amount of information as was supplied in its ad vertisements.—(Hear, hear.) Ho would repeat that the repeal of the advertisement duty would increase the cir culation of newspapers and the spread of information; it had been said that he would be a very well informed man who should every day diligently read several of the daily papers.—(Hear, hear.) A friend of his, just re turned from America, after a tour in some of its wildest portions, told him that in a log hut on the very borders of the primaeval forest he had found persons, in more than one instance, better informed with regard to the Great Exhibition, and the character of the articles ex• hibited, and number of persons attending, than would in most provincial towns of England, or perhaps in many houses of the lower class in London. Mr. MO WATT believed that it took years, and con stant repetion, to .obtain from Parliament the removal of evils, however gross; and therefore he was not sorry the debate had been adjourned. But it was for the Chancellor of the Exchequer or his colleague to explain the motives that induced him to suggest an adjustment, and to represent that, on the eve of the budget, it would not be advisable for the House to express an opinion upon this subject. It was now clear that that sugges tion was not made with any bond fide intention of meet ing the grievances complained of.—(Hear, hear.) The matter before the House touched, perhaps, two of the most important questions of the age—the education and employment of the pe )ple. We professed to be anxious for the education of the people, but we gave 250,0001. towards this object, and took from dem 1,400,0001. Messrs. Chambers were obliged, mainly by the paper duty, to give up their Miscellany, when it was circulating 80,000 a week.—(Hear, hear.) The well-known pub- Hiller, Mr. Charles Knight in a work entitled Struggles of a Work against Excessive Taxation, showed that no less than 32,000/. was paid for paper-duty on account of the Penny Cycloperdia. In consequence, he obtained no return. The penny stamp nude a larger amount of capital necessary for a journal than would otherwise be required. With respect to tie advertise ment duty, what could be more cruel and unjust than to throw difficulties in the way of people who had to struggle for a livelihood announcing their wants, and so having recourse to ono of the most available means of obtaining employment? Hon. Gentlemen opposite, who had been getting up protection associations, slowed the inconsistency of their conduct in raising tie cry that native produots were not protected when tiny sanc tioned such a gross interference with native industry as the tax under discussion involved. France read this country a practical lesson in the employment it gave by the manufacture of articles of luxury from paper. 'I he manufacture of paper itself was kept in a stationary condition, was yet in its in fancy, owing to these vexatious duties. France and America were outstripping this country daily in the paper trade; and America actually bought at the doors of our cotton manufactories the dross and refuse., which wero conveyed across the Atlantic, made into paper, and sent to our colonies, where he had seen that Ame rican paper. It was said the revenue could not afford the reduction. So long as the particular impost under consideration could bo shown to press unfairly in a sense apart from its peculiar pressure, a case was made out for a reconsideration of the impost. The Government were bound, for the reasons stated, to remove the paper duty, oven if a deficiency should arise. There never was telt any difficulty in making good a deficiency from any other cause. The true reason for refusing the pro po.ied reduction was, that the pressure from without bad not sufficient influence; the class who had most in fluence were not sufficiently represented in that House. What was it the Chancellor of the Exchequer took credit for in the budget? Was it not that be admitted in substance the great truth that, by continually re ducieg import duties and Excise duties, succes sive Governments had been able to give an impetus to the public prosperity? The Right Hon. Gentleman ought to have s :id, " That was the course adopted in spite of my denunciations, and I will follow the same policy." But the budget of the Right Hon. Gentleman was a stand-still and do-nothing budget. The Right Hon. Gentleman had interposed on this very topic, holding out inducements to the belief that he would con sider the imposts which were the subject of discussion; experienced and crafty, ho said he did not mean this one or the other in particular; but, if he did not mean the House to understand that ho had a bona fide intention of dealing with those imposts, why should ho indulge in mysterious and vague enunciations? Mr. REYNOLDS, in stating his intention to support the motion, wished to caution the Right Hon. Member for Manchester against taking the advice of the Hon. Member for the Tower Hamlets, not to divide on the first propo sition—namely, the repeal of the paper duties. That was the most valuable; it would emancipate labour, add to the employment of the people, and prove the means of re lieving the pressure of distress. They could not well educate the hungry. The paper duty was a war tax introduced in 1711 by Sir Robert Walpole. As an Irish representative, he (Mr. Reynolds) complained of the continuance of that duty. From 1711 to 1798 there was no such tax in Ireland. In 1798 a tax was imposed on the machinery employed on the manufacture. Ireland having been politically married, by a sort of forcible ab duction, a charge of 31. per lb. was imposed on paper of all qualities, which in 1837 was confined to wrapping reported paper, id. being then char g ed on th e fi ner qua liti es . A theyoug ht t o on be commission appointed in 1834 to i nqu i re i nto th e p o licy of con t continuing u t i h n a g t the duties leather, repealed; gla easy; and that upon paper, paper now alone remained. He asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (who had put him off, as the orgep of the Irish aistillers, with a mouthful of moonshine, by saying his questions co u ld not b e answered t i ll the bud get) how the policy of continuing to charge 70 per cent. ad valorem on the conversion of rags into paper could be justified, when the Right Hon. Gentleman permitted the Manchester manufacturer of cotton to convert cotton into every imaginable kind of fabric without a duty at all, and the woollen manufacturers of Yorkshire to convert wool into all kinds of woollen manufactures also without a duty? If there was one part of the united kingdom which would reap more benefit than another from the repeal of the paper duty it was Ireland. Hon. Members might think, but abstain from sayiag, that Ireland abounded in the raw material for rags; but on , the contrary, rags were imported from Germany. The fibrous portion of the bogs would be found the beet fabric for brown paper; the best foolscap could be ma nufactured from straw; the fibrous material of flex, worthless for other purposes, could also be converted into paper; but these materials could not be manufac tured into paper because of the Excise duty. The col. lection of the paper duty coal 12 per cent. in England and 20 per cent. in Ireland, on the amount collected. In 1850, 30,000/. were collected in the district of Dublin' at a cost of 6,0001., or 20 per cent. on the amount collected. In 1837 the Irish paper manufacturers manufactured 3,700,0001 b. weight of paper; the duty was altered that year, and the result in 1849 was that the quantity had increased to 6,500,0001 b. In 1837 the quantity of paper that paid duty in Great Britain was 77,000,0001 b. ; in 1819, 127,000,0001 b. Tho eman cipation of trade had increased the quantity manufactured. The Thames and Mersey hed :been opened for the reception of food from ell countries , and Ireland had received no equivalent benefit on the repeal of the core-laws, at which repeal he rejoiced. But the superiority of French grain and of French millicg had set the Irish millers idle; and he asked the House to grant this small pittance of justice. Ho asked them to let the Irish flour. miller apply his mill, on which in some instances 50,000/, had been expended, to the con version of the peat of the bogs into paper. He asked re lief for interests which were paralyzed. The total paper duty paid in Ireland in 1840, was 23,1601.; in 1843, 30.9951. ; in 1846, 38,55 9 / 4 in 1849, 41,1631. In 1846 the paper manufacturers of Ireland were forty; how many were convicted of breeches of the excise-laws?— thirty -two. The effect of the law was not only to man acle labour, but to hold out a premium to manufacturers with elastic consciences. Ho had presented petitions for a repeal of the paper-duty, signed, not by owners of mills, but by the men and women there employed. The total signatures amounted to 1,219. Although he was favourable to a repeal of the duty on paper and upon ad vertisements, yet be had great doubt of the necessity, and a greater doubt of the wisdom, of repealing the stamp-duty on newspapers. So long as they charged ld. for the transmission of a letter through the Post-office, they ought to continue the stamp as a charge for the transmission of newspapers. Mr. J. L. RICARDO hoped his Right lion. Friend would toot withdraw any part of his inotioD, foe he did not consider that the budget of the Chancellor of the Exchequer showed that the repeal of these taxes could not be afforded. The Right Hon. Gentleman had most ingeniously, to serve his own purposes, made the sur plus appear as small as possible; but ho (Mr. Ricar do) was of opinion that the surplus would be quite su ffi cient to meet the deficiency that would be occasioned by the repeal of these duties. But he rose principally for the purpose of pointing out to the Government the necessity of affording some relief to the Attorney-General, for it was quite impossible for any law officer of the Crown to be in a greater strait than the Hon. and Learned Gen tleman was in respect to the stamp duties upon news papers. The papers were upon a sort of sliding scale. There was a swap on the daily papers, and, as the weekly papers interfered with the daily, it was but lair that the weekly should be stamped; then came the fortnightly, which interfered with the weekly; they, therefore, were stamped; but Government had recently found that there were monthly papers which interfered with all the rest, and it therefore was held to be only fair that the monthly should be stamped also, and they had accordingly dug out a clause from an old Act of Parlicment—the 60th George 111., for the purpose of carrying out this new discovery. But that Act was not passed with any re fereece to revenue at all. It had nothing to do with the stamp duties. It was one of the famous Six Acts, and had no other object than the repression of the liberty of the press. The A torney-General, however, had found that even that Act would not answer his purpose; the consequence was, that the threatened pros ec ution against the proprietors of these monthly p u bli ca ti ons were sus pended. Ho wished to ask the Attorney-General whe ther he really meant to prosecute those parties or not? If he did, there was no reason why he should not prose cute the publishers of quarterly publications. Nay, if he insisted on having monthly publications stamped, there was 139 reason why a stamp should not be imposed on the publication of the " History of England." He would repeat the question—did the Hon. and Learned Gentleman intend to prosecute these monthly publica tions, or not? The ATTORNEY-GENERAL—I do. Mr. J. L. RICARDO proceeded to address the House for some time under the impression that the Attorney- General had said that he did not intend to prosecute, but having been informed by Hon. Gentlemen around him of the mistake he had fallen into, he discontinued his remarks on that point and made the following state ment to the House:—A gentleman of the name of Clark commenced the publication of a paper at Wisbeach, and issued it without a stamp. The solicitor of the Stamp office wrote to and informed him that it he continued to publish it without a stamp ho would be prosecuted. Alarmed at a prosecution in which, oven if successful,he would have had to pay his own costs—for the Crown re ceived costs although it did not pay them—Mr. Clark had his paper stamped. Finding afterwards that a pub lication called the Stoke-upon-Trent Monthly Narrative of Current Events was advertised to be published with out a stamp, he communicated that fact to the Govern. ment, and asked whether he was himself really obliged to publish with a stamp. The solicitor of the Stamp office immediately wrote to the proprietor of the pro posed publication, informing him that if he issued his paper without a stamp be would be prose cuted. His (Mr. Ricardo's) constituent (Mr. George Turner) was not, however, so nervous as the gentleman of Wisbeach, and he wrote to Mr. Timm, the solicitor of Stamps, referring him to his (Mr. Turner's) solicitor. The solicitor of Mr. Turner wrote to Mr. Timm, saying that he wra instructed to receive any process which might be issued against his client. Mr. Timm, in reply, stated that he had received no instructions upon the matter. Now, could, there (be would ask) be an act of greater tyranny and oppression than this? Here was a man who, having his capital invested in a publication, was threatened by the law officer of the Crown with a prosecution unless he discontinued that publication, and when that man alleged that he had not disobeyed the law, and was prepared to prove it, the law officer refrained from prosecuting, leaving him and hundreds of others in the unpleasant alternative of withdrawing their capital or of having it invested in a business which it was illegal to carry on. He hoped the Hon. and Learned Gentleman would take notice of the statement which be (Mr. Ricardo) had now made. There was another question which he would put distinctly to the Hon. and Learned Gentle man, and it was this—Dld ho intend to prosecute the proprietors of the Art-Journal, the Musical Times, Tails Magazine, the Evangelical Magazine, and several others of a similar character—all monthly journals, and published exactly under the same circumstances as the Household Narrative? Then there were the weekly journals, such as the Friend of the People, Kidd's Ex positor, the Literary Gazette, the Lancet, the Legal Ob• server, and last, but not least, our friend Punch, who also was very fond of alluding to current events.— (Laughter) He hoped the Hon. and Learned Gentle man would give him an explicit answer to this question, in order that all those who were interested in the publi cations he had named, and others, might know whether they were to undergo prosecutions from the Government or not. _ The ATTORNEY-GENERAL would endeavour to answer the question put to him by the Hon. Gentleman, but he extremely regretted that he should have been so entirely misunderstood. In the first place, he did not think the Hon. Gentleman understood precisely what were the duties of the law officers of the Crown. When the Hon. Gentleman asked him whether he purposed prosecuting the proprietors of certain newspaper publi cations, he appeared to suppose that the Attorney-Ge neral instituted proceedings whenever he found any paper unstamped, or considered that there were other grounds for prosecution; whereas the course pursued was thi.:—lf the Stamp-office found that there was a publi cation issued without it stamp which they thought ought to be subjected to a duty, they instituted proceedings against the parties, and that, very frequently, without any communication with the law officers of the Crown, who would know nothing whatever of the proceedings until the briefs were placed in their hands for the purpose of conducting the prosecution before the court. Where any doubt existed as to the liability of parties, the opi nions of the law offieers might be asked, bat it rarely happened that their opinions were consulted before the matter was ripe for trial. With regard to the proceed ings in the ease of the Household Narrative, in the first place he had to observe that those proceedings were that he m eant no reflection on h i s prede ee i ns tituted by his predecessor i n office, and not by him; but s s u n , ca b sa e yin u g se he thought h e s h oul d h ave d one prec i se ly what his Hon. and Learned Friend h a d done. If his 111 opinion bad been asked whether the question should be brought into a court of law, he should have been of opi nion that it was desirable to have the law on the question settled. Proceedings having been instituted against the Household Narrative ative (which was considered, pro bably, the representative of a class of publications), it was arranged that the facts necessary to raise the ques tion of law should be turned into a special case. H (tsh a (the s f Attorney-General), course knew nothing what ever)l; of were arranged, but, inasmuch a framed in .order to obtain the e e t t at o hi re special termse y e - a G s a s v y r e h r a a i se l opinion of the court, it was impossible, whatever the judgment fu o r f th th e. Theercourt might have been, to carry the judges were divided in opinion u pon the subject; the majo r i t y were o f op i n i on t h at th e Household Narrative was not liabl e o stamp duty; but Mr. Baron Perko was of a diff e r en t opinio n . When he case any (the Attorney-General) came into office the opinions of hi s predecessors and of the present Mr. Justice Cromp ton were placed before him for his opinion as to what was proper to bo done under the circumstances, they being of opinion that the judgment of Mr. Baron Parke was one which was more satisfactory to their view of the case than the opposite judgment of the majority of the court. Now, if he (the Attorney-General) had not himself entertained some doubt upon the subject, he confessed he should have been considerably influenced by the opinion of his predece3sors, and should have felt it his duty not to leave the law in so unsatisfactory a state as that of having the opinion of the law officers opposed to a judgment pronounced by a court of law without the pos sibility of taking the opinion of a superior court upon it. In answer to a question put by the Right Hon. Gentle man the Member for Manchester, be (the Attorney-Ge neral) at an early period of his coming into office stated that it would be necessary to obtain, if we could, the opinion of a superior court upon the question; and that he did not wish the law to remelts in so unsettled and un satisfactory a state. There had been a misunderstanding as to the coarse which it would be necessary to adopt. It was supposed that ho would carry the case of Mr. Dickens to a court of appeal, whereas the nature of the proceedings rendered it impossible for him to do so. What he proposed to do was to institute Another prosecution; and he distinctly stated that the Court of Exchequer would in that new case of course, and without argument, confirm the judgment it had already pronounced, end then that that judgMent would as speedily as pos sible be taken to a court of error, in order to have a final decision upon the subject. The Hon. Gentlem an had put th e question to him over and over again, as if he (the Attorney-General) were afraid of answering it, as to what was the course he intended to pursue. He begged distinctly to say that the course which he had pointed out as the one which he should adopt had boon already pursued; that another information had been filed; that that information would result in a special v erdict, which was di st i nc t f ro m a special case, a special case terminating in the court where it was decided, while a Special verdict admitted of an appeal. To show how extremely desirous they were to have the question fairly raised and disposed of, there being some dispute as to the terms in which the special verdict should be drawn up, it had been arranged between the junior counsel for the Crown and the counsel on the part of the defendants, that Mr. Baron - Martin should settle the terms of the Special verdict, he being ono of the judges who decided in favour of the defendants. With respect to the case mentioned by the Hon. Member for Stoke upon-Trent, he (the Attorney-General) assured the Hon. Gentleman that he never heard one word about it until it was alluded to by the Hon. Member for Montrose. With regard to the ques ti o n of coats, that he admitted was one of very great importance. The Hou. Gentle man was not perfectly correct in stating that the Crown received costs, but never paid them. The Crown never received nor paid costs. But it was a subject which had not escaped hi s a t tent i on . H e h a d b een ver y a exious about it for a considerable time, and was particularly de: irons that in cases of this description the defendants should be protected in the matter of coats.—(Hear, hear.) He was extremely desirous of introducing some measure which would give the defendant costs where the verdict should be in his favour. With regard to the whole mat ter, he would conclude by saying that he bad in this case followed th e course of his predecessors. He did not wish to shrink from any responsibility which attached to him. He had done that which ho was sure his prede cessors, if they had been his successors, would have done, and had adopted the course which he considered the best, with a view to obtain a satisfactory decision on the law bearing on this important qu estion. Mr. MACGREGOR considered the paper duty to be cue of theeory first cases to which the Chancellor of the Exchequer should turn his attention, with a vim? to its repeal. Wo wore the only people in the world who im posed a tax upon paper. Mr. HUME wished to remind the House that the question was not that they should immediately rt pal the paper duty, but that financial arrangements ought to ba made which would enable Parliament hereafter to dispense with that duty. The next proposition was, that the newspaper duty ought to bo abolished. The Chan cellor of the Exchequer had shown a balance in hand of 460,00 a. What he (Mr. Hume) proposed to do with that balance was to rep,- al the advertisement duty, not the duty on paper, nor even the stamp duty on news papers, because he would transfer that latter duty by making it a postage charge. How did the Chancellor of the Exchequer, howevt4r, propose to appropriate the surplus? Why, by paying a bounty to 80,000 militia men. That was au appropriation of which he (Mr. Hume) did not approve. There were about 60 papers now published with or without stamps—that is, they were stamped if intended for the country. They were not stamped if intended for local circulation. He was pre pared to show that the increased amount derivable from the revenue if a stamp were put on all papers going by post would enable the duty to be reduced without any great loss to the revenue.—(Divide, divid. I) They had but 2,000,000 of advertisements in our papers, as opposed to 10,000,000 or 12,000,000 advertisements in the United States; but he was satisfied if there was an alteration in the duties the advertisements in our papers would be trebled or quadrupled. Considering newspapers as the best possible instructors, he would be sorry to see any restriction placed on their circulation. In the United States every log cabin had its paper full of various mat ters of news or instruction, and sold for one cent each. In the United States there were 16} newspapers pub lished to every man, woman, and child; in E gland the re was only one paper for every 12. If the Chancellor of the Exchequer would only risk 600,0001., he woul I find that in the end the revenue would not lose. He oould tell them there were at this moment persons ready to embark 20,0001. in a daily newspaper to be circulated throughout the whole country, to pay the same rate as the best papers, and to have the same amount of talent to furnish political, historical, and general information for every class. The Right Han. Gentleman (Mr. Dis raeli) having had so much to do with literary matters, the country expected he would be the first to patronix) the spread of literature, and ho (Mr. Hume) was satis fied, if he, as the Chancellor of the Exchequer, agreed to the change, he would lose nothing by it.—(Cries for a division ) Mr. itER SEY SIER objected to the paper-duties, in the first place, as being Excise duties, and in the second place, as interfering with the circulation of cheap publi cations; but considering that it had been agreed among the Honourable Gentlemen opposite that the whole question of taxation should be left to the conside ration of a new Parliament, he should now oppose the present motion. Mr. WAKLEY taunted the Honourable Gentleman for having voted in favour of this proposition when Lord John Russeli's Government was in power, and voting against is when his own friends sat upon the Treasury benches. The motion did not pledge the House to any immediate arrangement; it was simply an affirmative proposition. Out of doors great anxiety was expressed upon this subject. It was anticipated that a literary man holding so high a position as the Right Honourable Gentleman would have looked at this question with an earnest desire to remove every obstacle from the educa tion of the people. The House and the country were left completely in the dark as to the intentions of the Government. He thought that the conduct of those in authority was extremely reprehensible in renewing the prosecution against the Household Narrative. Instead of expressing their gratitude to the man who amused andinstructed the people of this country, he was se lected by the Government for punishment.—(Hear.) Instead of giving bin the benefit of the doubt, he was now to be driven into a court of error. There was no doubt upon the minds of the jury, there was no doubt upon the minds of the judges. And who was this man selected for persecution, he could not call it prosecution —Charles Dickens.—(Hear, hear.) He thought that the author of " Vivian G re y" oug h t to bl us h a t s uch a proceeding.—(Bear.) Th e so li c i tor f or t h e S tam p-office stated in his letter that the Queen's Speech was news, but that the Chancellor of the Exchequer's speech was not news; and also that a price current was not liable to penalty for being publish e d w ith ou t a stam p. S uc h were the absurdities of the present system. Mr. KNIGHT admitted that booksellers and paper manufacturers would be entitled to the abolition of the duty if the duty on the importation of foreign books and paper were repealed, and it th e y were pl ace d in the same position as that of the farm e rs i n r egar d t o the importa tion of corn. Farmers were subject to free trade and had great burdens to bear, but the particular inte rests aff cted by this question were not so, and yet it was proposed to relieve them from taxation. Mr. MILNER GIBSON said, in conformity with the wish of an Hon. Member, he would add these words to the original motion—" Tnat such financial arrangement ought to be made as would enable Parliament to dispense with the duty on paper, as early as may be with refer ence to the safety of the revenue." The second division would be taken upon this question—that the newspaper stamp ought to be abolished, because there was an ade quate surplus. The third division would be taken on the abolition of the advertisement tax, which amounted to 160,0001. To meet the deficiency occasioned by such a loss, there was also mere than an adequate surplus. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER might perhaps be permitted to say a single word in answer tease Hon. Member for Finsbury, who had represented to the House that he (the Chancellor of the Exchequer) had stated that these particular taxes were under the consideration of Governmeut. What ho stated was that they were being considered as parts of the general system of taxation; be guarded himself from sayieg they were being specifically considered. — (Hear, hear.) As he was on his legs, he might remark upon the charge made against him, that he had made a diversion from the decision of the House by stating that he would give his opinion on the subject when the budget was produced. The same charge was made by the Honourable Member for Dublin with respect to the spirit duties. The Honourable Member seemed also under the impression that be (the Chancellor of the Ex chequer) had engaged to give a specific answer on that question when he made the financial statement. What he wanted to convey to the House, and what he believed f he did convey to a majority o the House, was that he could not state in detail the v iews of . Government upon any particular tax until the financial statement was made—meaning that Honourable Gentlemen would re ceive an answer with the financial statement, because it would prove that, instead of a larga surplus, which existed only in the imagination of those gentlem e n who were urging the rep eal of different items of taxation, there was a mere nominal surplus. With regard to the margin , for ho could scarcel y call it a surplus, in the statement he had mails to the House, he thought the statement of the Minister s o f th e C rown ought to be received with some consideration. —(Hear, hear.) Any gentleman might get up and say, " The Chancellor of the Exchequer tells us there will only be a surplus of 300,0001. or 400,0001, but I can prove the surplus will be double or treble that amount." But he (the Chance llor of the Exchequer) said the statement he had made as the person responsible for the financial condition of the country ought to b e rece i ve d as a statement which had been mat ure ly we i g h ed.— (Ch e ers.) He might sate, in vindication of that state ment, how it was received by the per son w h o wou l d have been moat e p t to criticise, and wh o p ossesse d the mos t knowledge on the subject—his predecessor in office? (Hear.) The Hon. Member for Halifax had said the only fault in that statement h _ was, that it pl ace d t h e sur plus at much too high a pre.—(Hear, h ear. ) That w as the criticism of the late Chancellar of the Excheep ier , and he warned the Ho u s e not to come to any precipt ate ' conc lusion in the manner proposed, un d er the impres sion that it pledged . the House t o not hi ng. It d i d pledge the House in a most imp ortant respect, and m ight exercise a most inconvenient effect upon the state of the finances of the country.—(Hear.) Three divisions then took place:— The first, upon the resolution as am3nded, with regard to the paper duty— .Ayes ... ••• ... 107 Noes ..• ... ... 155 Majority against the resolution ... —BB The second, upon the resolution with regard to the stamp duty— Ayes ... ... ... ... 100 Nor's ... 199 Majority against the resolution ... --09 The third, upon the resolution with regard to the advertisement duty— Ayes ... 116 Noes ... ..• ... 181 Majority against the resolution --65 TRUSTEES' ACT EXTENSION BILL. This Bill was read a second time. COUNTY COURTS FURTHER EXTENSION PRICES OF SHARES IN BANKS, ASSURANCE, AND OTHER COM- PANIES' STOCK. From the O f ficial List. CUBLISIIED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY EVENING. L )NDON, TUESDAY, MAY 11. SOINT-STOCM ILAITIZEI. THURSDAY BILL. The House then went into Committee on this Bill. Clauses from 1 to 24 were agreed to. The House then resumed. Sir W. CLAY mentioned that ho had voted in the wrong lobby on the second division, ho having intended to support Mr. Milner Gibson. It being Six o'clock the House adjourned. LONDON HOSPITAL MEDICAL SCHOOL. The annual distribution of prizes took place on Tuesday, William Cotton, Esq., D.C.L., vice-president of the hos pital, in the chair, in the presence of a large body of the governors and friends of the hospital and school. The hospital gold medals were awarded by the governors to the following pupils, for zeal and intelligence in their at tendance on the patients in the wards:— Medical—Frederick Hall, Lincoln. Surgical—Alfred Adams Mantel!, Bitten. Medicine—Senior class, gold rnt.dal: F. Hall; hono• rar y certificate: harry May, The Potteries. Junior c l ass , silver medal: Robert Walker Jenkins, London; honorary certificate: Joseph Porter, Rotberhithe. Surgery—Senior class, gold medal: R. W. Jenkins ; h o norary certificate: F. Hall. J un i or class, silver medal : Samuel Pratt Woodfull, Footscray. Anatomy and Physiology—Senior class, gold medal Horace K.'rsey Debenham ; honorary : certificate John Charles Robertson, Purbrook. Junior class, oily( r meld : James Hedger Edmunds, Burnham. Midwifery—Gold medal : Robert Brudenell Carte, Leytonstone ; honorary certificate : J. C. Robertson. Chemistry—Silver medal : Alfred Pliipos, Dalaton ; honorary certificate : Alexander Hobart Kilroy, Ply mouth. Miteria Medica—Silver nude), R. W. Jenkins; hono rary certificate, H. K. Debenham. Forensic Medicine—Silver medal, R. W. Jenkins; honourary certificate, William Henry Carter, Billericay. Botany —Silver medal, R. W. Jenkins; honorary certificate, IL K. Debenham. At the conclusion of the distribution, the clams were ably addresse4 I,)y Mr. Cotton. XNEME.A.NC7II CO7V/CP.A.NXES. Dividend Ainoun t Name of Company. per of- Paid. Price Annum. Share. - ---- £ 8. d. £ s. d. Albion ............ • • EL 10s. 500 0 50 0 0 gg Alliance flrit. and For. 71.118.6d.b5. 100 0 11 0 0 2234 Ditto Afarine. ••• • • • 61. p.c. & be. 100 0 25 0 0 41% Atlas .. ... .. Argus Life .. .. •• •• 41. per cent. 100 0 16 0 0 -_ British Commercial • • 7s. 6d. 50 0 5 0 0 6; Cleriel,Med.& Gen. Life spr ct. be. 100 0 10 0 0 193 County .............. 41. 100 0 10 0 0 100 Crown •..•...... •• .. 14s. 60 0 5 0 0 16 1 4 Eagle ...... ...... •• • • ss. 50 0 5 0 0 734 Eqity and Law •• 434 per cent. 100 0 5 0 0 5 4 European Life •• •• • 10s. 20 0 All paid. 12 General ............ - 5 0 ~ 5% Globe ....... -•••• • • 61. per cent. Stock. 141 Guardian .......• •• • • 51. per cent 100 0 0 45 0 0 56 imperial Fire .. .. •• •• 121. per cent. 500 0 0 50 0 0 256 I•nperial Life •••• •• •• 12s. 100 0 0 10 0 0 19% Indemnity Marine.- 11.5 h.& us. 100 0 0 20 0 0 50 Law Fire . .....• ••.• 25.& 2s. bs. 100 00 ; 210 0 3% Law Life............ - 100 0 0 lO 0 0 46% Legal and General Life - 50 0 0 20 0 5% London Fire .....• •• 10e & be. 25 0 0112 10 0 - London Ship ........ 10s. & be. 25 0 0112 10 0 - Marine .. ..... • • •... 15s.per share 100 0 0 15 0 0 154 Med.lnvlid &Gen. Life 4341. per ct. 50 00 1 20 0 2% Monarch ............ - 5 0 0 1 0 0 19s. ed National Lean Fund.. 5/. per cent. 20 00'2 10 0 2 34 Palladium Life 5l. per cent. 50 0 0 20 0 234 P Icculx •••• • • ...... • • 3/. p. eh. & be. - - - Professional Life 5l. per cent. 6 5 0 010 0 155.0 d Provident Life •• •• Rock Life ss. 60 0 010 0 7? Royal Exchange 6l. p.ct. & be. Stock. all 22533 Sun Fire ...... •• - 91 213 DlttO Lif e ..... - 55 United Kingdom Universal Life lO% ct.& bs. 100 0 0 lO 0 0 3534 Victoria Life ....... • • 51. per cut. - i 412 6 514 BRIDGES Dividend Amount Name of Company. per of Paid. Price. Annum. Share. -- -. Ilungerford •••• • • .... - X. s. d. X. a. 41. - - _ Southwrk .......... Ditto Nw of 7% p.c. 70s. - 100 0 0 - - per cent. 50 0 0 - 16 Waterloo ............ - 100 0 0 - 334 Ditto Old Ann. of 81. 2/. Bs. Od. - 60 0 0 244 Ditto Nw ditto of;71. 2/. 2s. Od. 40 0 0 22 Vauxhall .... „.. A.,. , - 21. 70 10 8 - WAVER-WO/I.3L$. Name of Company. Dividend Amountper of Paid. Price. Annum. Share. --....---_. - i £ s. d. £ s. d. East London-- .. .• •• 1 g/. per cnt. 100 0 0 - 156 Grand Junction •... •• 41. per cnt. j 50 0 0 - 6534 Kent... ••••••• • • • • •• 4/. per cnt. 100 0 0 - 80 Lambeth •• .. •• •• •• .• t 51. per cnt. 1 100 0 0 - 97 , New River Company.. I 21 . lOs. I - - 60 Southwark & Vauxhall i 51. per cnt. 1100 0 0 - - West Middlesex -• • - ,61. Os. pr cnt.l - - - ---- DOCILIN• Dividend Amount Name of Company, per of Paid. Price. Annum. Share. , ---- ----- ,--- --- X s. d. X a. d. Commercial •••• -•• .. 4/. pr cent. Stock. - 9634 East and West Ind' a ... 639 1. pr cent. Stock. - 15734 E3st Country -...• •• . 20s. per sh. 100 0 0 - - London .• • • •••• • • • 5/. pr cent. Stock. - - Ditto Bonds.. .....• 41. per cent. - - - At. K atharine ........ 3 34 per cent. Stock. - 8333 Ditto Bonds •• .... •• 1341. pr cent. - _ - Southampton •• .• .. - U. per cent. 50 0 0 50 0 0 2r, 114 C.A.Zit.A.X.S. ... .; Dividend Companies. A Names of 4 , Dividend Names of . ~ per per Price. Companies. .e A nnum. Price. c Annum. V 2 1 ...................., - ....-------....-. - -.......--...._ -...... Z £\ Ashtn& Oldh 98 71. p. ct. 140 Macclesfield • 1001 21. 10s• 50 Barnsley.. • • 160 - - Neath ••• • • • 100 161. - Itrknk&,Abrg 150 Si. ea Oxford• ••• • • 100 ' 131. tab Birmingham 40 41. 10034 Peak Forest. 78 3!. is s . 70 Coventry.. - 100 251. 200 Regent's .• • • 33 N. Si. 16 Derby ..... 100 61. 63 Rochdale.... a 5 21. 42 EllsmreBr , Chs 69 2% p. ct. 3344 Ssmrset Coal 1 5 0 i - - •IrandJunctn 100 Si pr. ct. 4814 Do.Lk Fd St 12 - - :Do., 6 pr. Ct. 10 6/. pr. et. 1134 Stffrd &Wore 140' 28 1. 405 Grand Surrey 100 2/. Os. 3234 Shrewsbury.. 125 - - ..irand Union ,100 1/. 10s. 24 Stourbrldge., 145 201. 290 Ilennt & Avn I 39, 4e. Od. b% Severn andi . Lancaster . 1100 1 - - Wye Rail. 4 26 1 21. Os. 24 Geeds&Livrpiloo 201. 455 Warwick& / i,eicester ...• 100; Si. 66 LlirMing. .1 100 41. 40 I,eicstr &Nth 831 41. 44% Warwick& } 1 0 0 31. Lowrhborogh 142 701. 510 Napt on ..2B Vonmouthsh 100 - - Worcstr & Nlntrmrysh I 100 - - Bir m i ng. j7B 81. 33 AfeltnMwhry , loo - - Wilts & dirks -I 1 ls. 6d. Ili Ile. 6, - GAS-LIGHT AND CO=E COMPANIES. ---- Dividend Amount Name of Company. per of Paid. Price. Annum, Share. ---- __.-__'- British .• •• •• ...... £. a. d. £. s. d. _ 11. 11. 85. 40 2 0 0 2 1 0 8 00 0 115°1% Ditto Provincial.... Brighton - ........., 5/. 20 0 0 - 16 City of London - .... 61. 100 0 0 I:50 e 0 125 ContinentalConsolidat. 503. 175 0 0 31 5 0 45% Equitable...... •• •• .. 50s. 50 0 0 50 0 0 27 Great Central. -.• ... 51, 0 0 0 10 0 0 13 imperial ...... •• •• •• 31. & bonus. 50 0 0 50 0 0 70 Independent .......•• 61. 40 0 0 40 0 0 46 Condon •.._ - „ .... - 50 0 0 50 0 0 - Do., Parl. Preference 61. 25 0 0 710 0 - P 110 1111 2( ••• •• •..• •• .. 311. per cent. 50 0 0 49 0 0 263 n Ratcllfl•• •• • .. •• .... 51 . - United General .... _ 11. 1100 0 0 90 0 0 50 0 0 50 0 0 2e u Westminster Chartered Si. per cent. ,50 0 0 - 39% Ditto, New .... -• .. 51. per cent.l 50 0 0 10 0 0 734 sagr or SCOTTISH COMPANIES' PRICES Name of Company. Dividend Amountper of Paid. Price. Annum. Share. - £ s. d. £ s. d Bank of Scotland British Linen Company U. per cent. 100 0 0 100 0 0 202 Caledonian Bank ••••• Si. per cent. 10 0 0 210 0 31.115. City of Glasgow Bank Si. per cent. 10 0 0 10 0 0 10% Clydesdale Bank •••••• 635 per cent. 20 0 0 10 0 0 IV 3s Commercial Bank ...• 71. per cent. ,500 0 0 100 0 0 1801., Eastern Bank •• •• -• • 61. per cent. '25 0 0 10 0 0 10 Edinb.kGlasgow Bank U. per cent. 15 0 0 50 0 3% Esehawreßnk of Scot.. - 'lOO 0 0 38 0 0 4% National Bank 634 per cent. '5O 0 0 10 0 0 1512 Northnf Scotlandßank 51. percent. 20 0 0 210 0 2; Royalßank of Scotland 5/. per cent. 100 0 0 ',lOO 0 0 132% Union Bank of Scotland 81. por cent. 100 0 0 50 0 0 89 52 Western Bank.. -.• •• 71. per cent. 50 0 0 50 0 0 69% Alliance Fire and Life 43rLpr cent 10 0 0 10 0 0 2135 British Guarantee Caledonian Fire Insur. 'apex cent. 100 0 0 10 0 0 25 City of Glasgow Lite 6l. per cent. 25 0 0 2 0 0 41. 6s Colonial Life Edinburgh Life Insur. 6/. per cent. 100 0 0 15 0 0 22 Eng.& Scot, Law Life 51. per cent. 50 0 0 217 6 384 Life Assoc. of Scotland 61. per cent. 10 0 0 11 0 0 31. 155 National Fire and Life 5/. per cent. 10 0 0 1 0 0 285.6 d North British Incur 6l. per cent. 200 0 0 20 0 32 . Scottish Union Insrnce. 7%1. pr cent. 20 0 0 1 0 0 3032 Standard Life •• -- • . 5/. per cent 50 0 0 7 0 0 1234 United Dep.Assurance 51. per cent. 10 0 0 1 0 0 20s ed MISCELLANEOUS. Dividend Amount Nsme of Company. per of Paid. Price. Annum. Share. -._............. Assam Tea .• .• •• •• •• - 20 0 0 20 0 0 S% - kuctien Mart •• •• .• .• 21. ss. 50 0 0 26 11. 100 0 0 35 0 0 1634 T Ar r ti t cul . t . n . r . l 6/. per cent. - 35 0 0 21 k ng l o -Mexican Mint.. 11. 10s, 10 0 0 10 0 0 23% rnst t r r a a lt il a a n n Ditto, Half Shares.. - - 2 10 0 British American Land - - 38 10 0 - Canada ... •• .. •••• _ 61. percent. 100 0 0;32 10 0 50 Do. 5 per cent Bonds - - - - Ditto, 6pr ct. Bonds 61. per - cent. 113 City Navigation Bonds 31 per cent. - I __ - 96 Gen. Rovers. Sz Invest. 5 p.c.lz, bs, 2/ 100 0 0 'lOO 0 0 94% Equitable Reversionry 51pr. cent. 100 0 0 100 0 0 119 Ditto Now ........ - 50 0 0 ! 710 0 - Gen.SteamNavigation 10 p. ct. 15 0 0 14 0 0 29 Hudson's 8ay........ - Stock. - - 206 Hungerford .... ..... 2/ . 5 9. - 100 0 0 47 London Institution ... - - New Zealand Company - 78 15 25 0 0 215 0 0 5 0 - Ditto. New ...... _ - 25 001210 0 Em ._- elt Institution.... ' 26 5 0 - Peninslr&Orient.StM. 81 .p.o.Sobs. 50 0 0 50 0 0 82 Reversionary Int. Soe. 41. pr cent. 100 0 0 100 0 0 104 Royal Mail Steam.... U. p. share. 100 0 0 60 0 0 7634 South Australian sl.per share. 25 0 0 25 0 0 2435 Vac Dieman's Land - pep 0i290 0 A - chaAriDtyUL was heldOßPn ASYLI33I.—On Tuesday a special meetinggeneral of the friends and subscribers to this useful in the board-room of the institution, Regent's -park, for the purpose of electing three candidates into the House, and upon other business • the Earl Blanvers in . the chair. R ear -Ad m i ra l B ow l es s t a ted that since the last election at Christmas, when four candidates were elected, one of those then successful had, through serious illness, been unable to entcr the institution, and as there was now no prospect of her being able to pursue the studies necessary if she did so enter, he would move that her electio n be declared void. The resolution having been seconded, was carried item. con, and thereby a fourth vacancy was created. The number of inmates, including the four elected yesterday, is now forty. The total income of the society for the past year, exclu iva of a balance in hand of 890/. 13s. Id., was 2,841/. Is. 81. ; and after all the necessary expenses had been defrayed, the balance in the hands of the treasurer was reduced to '3B/. 14.. 3d. Some routine business having been transacted, the —Holloway's To O Professorinnient and meeting separated. my notice, Wybo . rn [ADVERTISVNIENT.] Pills the most effectual Remedies ever km wn for Gout and Rheumatism.—Extract of a lett , e c r om fr e om un .:l e r r . druggist,Hol loway. , A deaatseed has April lately 2 I think should be publicly known. It is that onfoalepeo,orwmhiaenh who suffered so dreadfully from chronic rheumatism that he e s unndduerreddiffinecreensstarnntepdaicinal, t and rea t lost finm yenoi t n h utc, e ruaron u ad s ibn e latet o m. f N o r e n s e t side. m n ter t h e os w p a i! oanwdeyplerilgthhies n t a o l t the f e a a e s u e l , ty fo p r r h o y n o t u h n e ce u d s ehei was ”___Soelnd lit by all Druggists, has b e en restored to health and crength. and at Professor Holloway's Establishment, 244, Strand, London. IMPORTATION OF CORN Fsojf - Irt•ELA..,.. ."Til ing to a return just issued, there were imported of all sorts of grain into Great Britain, from Ireland l 3,206,4% cimuttls its 160, ad ill I$5X 1 , 324,63 b quia.tterd• Same of Company, Australasia .......... Britsh North American Commercial of London Colonial.. Gloucestershire ...... lonian • • • • • • .. London and County .. Londn and Westinlnstr London Joint-Stock... Vrovincial of Ireland.. Ditto, New......... National of Ireland .. Nat. Provncial of Eng. Ditto, New. . Oriental flank Corpora. South Australia •..... Union of Australia—. Ditto .• •........... Union of L0nd0n..... Union of Madrid ..... Dividend per A.IIIIIIM. 51. per cent. 51. per cent. 6/. per cent. 21. per cent. 15/per cent. 6/. pr cent. 61. per cunt. 61. per cent. 61. per cent. 81. per cent. 81. per cent. 41. per cent., 61. per cont.l 6/. per cent. 61. p ct.& bs. 6/. p. et. & hs. 61. per cent. 61. per cent. 71. per cent. A.moan t 01 Share. 1! s. d. 40 0 0 50 0 0 100 0 0 100 0 0 25 0 0 50 0 0 100 0 0 50 0 0 100 0 0 10 0 0 50 0 0 100 0 0 20 0 0 25 0 0 25 0 0 25 0 0 50 0 0 tO 0 0 £ I. d. 40 0 0 50 0 0 20 0 0 25 0 0 25 0 0 20 0 0 20 0 0 10 0 0 25 0 0 10 0 0 22 10 0 35 0 0 10 0 25 0 0 25 0 0 25 0 0 2 10 0 10 0 0 40 0 0 THE IRON TRADE. BIR3IINGIIAM, MUNDAI'.—The general aspect of the iron trade remains unchanged. A slight improvement i . rs the price o f ra il s h as h',2en obtained, both in Staf tordshire and other disricts, to the extent of 51. per ton, with a considerably increasing demand; and we hear that several fresh contracts are now in the market, in con sequence of the makers holding out for 19s. advance. But sheets, nail roads, rounds, and use iron meet with a rather more limited sale at home, and without a shade of ten dency to better figures. In the pig trade very little is doing, and that without alteration. Both manufactured and pig iron still exhibit the same extreme latitude of variation in prices, and consequently, it may reasonably • be supposed, in quaiitrals.o; the former extending from net to 6/. tor bars, and other descriptions after the same r.roportion; and th e l at t er f rom 425. 6d. to 70 s. per ton. Notwithstanding th e gr i evous comp l a i n ts of the want of remuneration in that branch of th e t r ade, we hear that instead of a reduction of th e num b er o f f u rinces al ready in blast, more are about t o b e ac t t o wo rk. The two at the late unfortunate Our Farm Works are men tioned as far progressed in the requisite prepartvi oll3 . D:ily experience more thoroughly confirms th• opinion that nothing is to b.) expected or f eare d at Birmingh am from the itoro 'tiction of the Nerthampton s hire story*. Whether as to cost, per tentag e of i r on, or the peculiar properties it contains detrimental to the furnace, it seer" alike undesirable. Indeed, it is g , ncrally supposed that the parties most interested in it will be found to have considerably burnt their fixers.—Aris's Birreilngharn Gazette. PREPARATIONS FOR A NEW PLAGUE. The pestilence has rgain bruken out in the Easc pre; cisely as it has done cn previous occasions. It is fnll time, therefore, that the met'', politan public were up and stirring. The gas of their graveyards, their oess pools, their sewers, is doing its work in preparation for the scene o f h orrors . E very year i t i s intensifying more and more, as every year its fruits are multiplYlag• The general mortality or the metropolis of late years has immensely increased, and we are fast retrograding to the state of things before the time of the grea t plague, when the pop u l a ti on o f t h e metropo li s woulrl haveactually becom e ext i nct i n a b r i e f ser i es o f y e ars had it not bee n for constant replenishment from the pro-_ vinces. Nay, the time has already come, according to statisticians, for " London, if not refreshed from th°.• country, would be a d eser t i n fif ty years. " D id we IT say with truth, some time ago, that if over Macaulay a civiliz d New Zealander stood on the ruins of London bridge and beheld nought but a solitary, uninhabited waste—the poisonous filth from graveyards, cesspool! , and stagnant sewers, with which the metropolitan site 15 saturated, must alone have done it all? The deatbs (.) 1 the London born already exceed their births. Their blood is poisoned. Their stamina is sinking. They sra, even dwarfed in stature and dimensions. And not all the healthier blood infused into London from the country can prevent its rapid decay unless the site be cleared of those abominations which breed disease and death and new abominations even in the midst of death to intensify the hideous fermentation of mortality.—Builder. THE COUNTRY MARKETS• LIVERPOOL, MAY 11.—Large arrivals of wheat and bo a t from America, and influenced by dull account s f r om Wa r ' . lane, the trade opened flat, and the value of both these articles rather lower. Spring corn, owing to continued dry weatbe,f' fully as dear. Indian corn in limited demand, at 6d to is per qr. LEEDS, MAY 11.—A good sh ow of w h ea t t o -d a y. -r sde still depressed and declined, but fine sorts are withdrawn fret); market rather than submit to the reduction demanded , an little business done. Barley steady. Oats and beans fully la dear. Other articles as be'ore. NEWCASTLE CORN MARK E T, M A Y 11.—The arrivals Of wheat were small and sales free, at about last Tuesday's pric es ,: In foreign business limited. Grinding barley scarce ; Wea l ; very scarce ; oat , were ,low of sale, but prices the same ; beau' in moderate demand, and prices unchanged. NEWCASTLE CATTLE MARKET, MAY 11.—Nine bad; dred and thirty-f o u r h ea d o f cat tl e o f super i or qua li t y ; tr of was tolerably active at former rates, and all sold. :.‘lumber sheep, 3,B'H , ; business brisk, at a slight advance in rield Beef, 3s 8d to 5s 8d per stone; mutton, 4d to Ed; lambs to Sd per lb. EDINBURGH MEAL MARKET, MAY 11.—There were in the meal market to-day 7 sac k s oatmea l , each weighing 2801bs. imperial, whereof 6 sold at 11 10s Od. and 4 at 1/ 10s Od ; average price of the whole 11 10s 4d 0-12ths. 1 sack pot-barley, which sold at 29s Cd. EDINBURGH HAY AND STRAW MARKET, MAY Oat straw, from 7s Od to Is 6d per kemple of 16 stones tro% wheat ditto, Es Od t o 7 s 6d ; b ar l ey di tto, Es O d t o 70 6d. Hay, from 9d to I ld per stone. CORK, MAY 10. Barrels. Cirreney. O White wheat 00s Od to 00. Od ON Od-20 stse3 O Red wheat oos Od to 00s Od O Ditto oos Od to 00, Od} 00a Od-20 do O Ditto oos Od to ON Od 27 Barley 12s 4d to 13s Od 0 Ditto ON 00 to ON Od} 00s Od—.oo d• O Ditto oos Od to 00s Od O Bere Oils Od to 00s Od 01 Od 13 Oats. 10s 10d to 11s 2d O Ditto oos Od to ON 01- 00, Od-0 de O Ditto ... OO9 Od to 00s Od O Pigs. 00, Od to 00s Od ON Od per cid Quantity sold at the Highest Prices:- 0 barrels white wheat ; 0 red ; 7 barloy ; ( 1 1. , .1 ; I °tit" U pigs. Quantity of Grain and Number of Pigs sold last weeks...* Wheat, 49. Barley, 711. Oats, 917. Pigs, 26 PRICES OF BUTTER. CANT. First quality Second quality Third quality Fourth quality Fifth quality Sixth quality CURRINCY. First quality ...... 75 ii 0 Second quality .............. . Third quality ............... 431 I Fourth quality ............ 45s Fifth quality ............ 32. Sixth quality .................. 211 Return of Cattle sold for week ending May 1. Pig 400. Sheep, 567. Cows, 116. CORlC.—Flour—First 12s 6d to 13s 6d ; extra 14. 6 seconds, 10.0 d to 12s Od; household s 9. to 10 1 Od; thirds, 71 , t0 . i , per cwt. Oatmeal 10a 6d to lls; Indi an mea l 73 6d to 8.0 d; c,„"„ meal, 9,6 d to 103 6,' per cwt. India n c o rn 71 5. t o 71 15. pc' ''''"; Bran 87s 6d t 092. 6d ver ton. Hay—Farmers 151 to 225; gie rs l; 20s; dealers 38s to 40, Od; average 34i per ton. Straw—Far me a ; 14: Od to 24s Od ; average 20s ; dealers 223 Od to 3 3, average 00. Od per ton. Bread—Wheaten loaf 6kd to 0 ‘ „ ; household loaf Sid to 0,1 per 41b. Fresh butter, Sai 1, 10d per lb. Eggs-3s 4d to 33 6d per hundred. Cc, g . ,T,. Newport 153 Od ; Lydney 15s ; Landore 00s ; 12. 6d per ton. Tallow 37s Od to 38 3 per c:i Whisky, 25 o. p., 5. 9d per imperial gallon. l‘' .le to a —Beef 4id to 7d ; mutton 5d to 6f f d ; veal 5 ( 11 „ oPs 7d ; pork 4d to Od ; bacon 6d to 7d ; sausages 6d per lb. 81 Ss to 910 s per cwt. Bangor slates 2/17s 6d to 310 s pc, Bark, Bark, red 71to 8110 s per ton. Fleece wool 141 to 15s per et ° A Hemp 291 to 34/ per ton. Fish—Scotch herrings 19. to 000; ditto, 243 to 00s per barrel ; Newfoundland, 1010 s to 111_11o, ton. Timber—Memel, 703 per ten; red pine, 31 55 ' ditto, 21 15s per ton ; deals, 151 to 181 per 100. Market 184 to 255; salted 201 to 26s per owt ; calf 3id to Od per lb. Potatoes, white 8d to 9d ; Ih" lOd to 12d. Guano—Peruvian, 10! 10. to Ill; lehaboo. to 910, per ton. Tar—Archangel, 191 per barrel. COAL MARK ET.—YESTIADAY. Davison'sWestHartl e y ll s 6d St ewar t' s .. Prices of Coal pe r t on a t th e c l ose o f the market :•••• d . 16i ° —"" 153 91 Redheugh Main 5, d Townley... West Wylam Wylam Wall's End, &c. Backhouse. ll3 „i d Peareth (uns.) Harvey Wylam ( uns.) 113 Od Cowpen Hartley 1.13 6d Eden &lain .. Hetton Lambton Russell's Hetton 153 9 d Skiborwen Merthyr... 183 °''' Richmund lss OW Shia at market, 157 Sold, 37. ' RAILWAY SHARE MARKETS. BRISTOL, MAT 11. STOCK Exc - HANGE.-_There was little or nothing done is the share market to-day. The only sale reported via 3-.. Great Western, LIVERPOOL, MAY 11. STOCK EXCHANGE.- The share market has been 0. tremely firm to-day, but there was very little business doll The transactions re p or t e d were—Birkenhead,Lancas hire, an Cheshire, 11 1 , dis.—Ditto (late Cheste r and Birkenhead) , —Caledonian, Preference, I:3 l ,—Eastern Counties, 9 3- r . „, East Lancashire, 171 , —Lancashire and Yorkshire, 73 1 7 1,. - g , Lancaster and Carlisle, 8014—London and North -We-n; New Quarters, 5: 1 ,A p.—Ditto, Fifths, 416 p--- 31 i d '4 70 %,—Newcastle and Carlisle, 80%—South-Easterz t Dover, 21:%. MANCHESTER, MAY 11. STOCK EXCHANGE. —We have no improvement to nodes to-day. The transactions have been very limited, and P r l as e 't varied little from those which have been quoted for the few days. The sales reported were—Blackburn (No. I). , ,,Y ri ' s —Lancashire and Yorkshire, 73 1 ,1—Ditto (West 1 11 ",` Union), 4% dis.—Ditto, Preference, 6 per cent., 147 ,1; - ; Midland, 70 yB—North Staffordshire, 7 1 , 3 dis.—South-Ea s ` and Dover, 21 11-16. BIRMINGHAM, MAY 11. 111 1 ' STOCK EXCHANGE. —The share market presented an , proved appearance to-day, and prices generally had a 'ell a_ dency upward. The shares of some lines of railway'. „„. cidedly improved, and Midland, Shrewsbury and Birmlail;„ ham, and South Staffordshire, among others, continue ..'„" favour. Shropshire Unions advanced, and were done at 3 cio• A STEAMER ON FIRE. —On Monday the Britis? Queen screw steam-ship, M r . B e lt, mas t er , b ou nd from r verpool to Constantinople, was scuttled in Holyhead ht., bour, after having a very na rrow escape f rom d es truction i t fire. It appears that she l e f t th e M ersey in the c , urse . Saturday, and, on nea r i ng t hi s po i nt, it was d i scove red tTh':: she was on fire, the packing of the shaft, as it is stated , bi ll , ing ignited. All exertions failing in subduing it, th e 138 f rn t er having communicated to the cargo or some part of the C d hold, she was run i n t o th e har b our, where she wag mit t ' in shallow water. The damage the steamer has sustained bee not been correctly ascertained. BIRTHS. OF On - On the Bth A inst., th e l a d y of 11. 11. H. Ifungerford , of an heir. Nortlitleet, Kent, the lady of T hoin On the 9th inst., at the Cedars, Windlesham, the wife of Robert H. Carew, Esq. lOP A DAUGIFITEZ. Oa the 9th i ne t., in Lodge-road, St. John's - wood , of James C. Brown, the la Y q• MARRIED. On the 10th i ns t., a t S t . John the Baptist's, Isle of T hanet, John Ans e ll Brown, Esq., M L.S.A., of RicbrOond Surrey, to M argare t, eldest daughter of John Brown, F' 54 ." of Marine -terrace, Margate, Kent. DIED On the 9th inst., at Ormesbv-hall, Yorkshire, Sir WlWain Henry Pennyman, Bart., aged 88. of On the 4th inst.. at Jersey, aged 59, Major James 1 ig late of the 26th (Cameraniacs), and St. Helena Regi ments On the 10th inst., at Hastings, the Rev. Robert Elealhi, M.A., rector of Saddington, Leicestershire, and chaplain e the London Orphan Asylum, Claptou. London: Printed and Published MIIRDO No. 112, Strand, Printer, at The Sun Office, No. 1!1 Strand, in the Precinct of the Sawa,', itt 4)4l"46f aidcliVitSt TAUt4aAYI Itay 13,1852, Price. THE SUN, LONDON, EVENING, MAY l3, 1852. Paid. i