The Sun. — London, England, 1866-02-06 00:00:00

Russia and the United States. On the 19th ult. General Clay, the American Minister in Russia, while travelling in the interior, was entertained by the Corporation of Merchants at Moscow. On alighting at the Mercantile Academy, where the dinner took place, General Clay and Mr. Curtin, his Secretary of Legation, were received by the directors of the Academy and some members of the committee of reception. Having been conducted to the banqueting-hall, the guests were again for mally received by the committee, and the more eminent among the company presented to them. The latter consisted of 127 Russians, among whom some of the great dignitaries of the city are men tioned as having been present. The company having seated themselves, the orchestra played " Yankee Doodle" and a Russian national air amid universal applause. M. Ryasonoff, the President of the Corporation, proposed the first toast. He said-- ' pentlemen,—The first toast at every Russian dinner is The health of the Emperor.' It is but paying him the natural tribute of our boundless love and devotion to wish him health and a happy reign for many years to come !" The American " Hurrah !" and the Russian " Oorrah !" which responded to this toast mingled with the sounds of the orchestra striking up the Russian national hymn. M. Lyamin, the Pre sident of the Imperial Exchange, next rose to ad dress the company in the following terms : " Gentlemen,—For mercantile men entertaining the Minister of the United States in this country nothing would be more natural than to speak of our wish to enter into more direct and intimate commercial relations with the great commonwealth he represents. Much, indeed, might be said on the mutual advantages likely to attend an alli ance between our rising industry and America, a country abounding in raw materials of every description. But in inviting our honoured guest we were actuated by motives other than commercial. About a year ago a Russian squad ron cast anchor on the American shores. On that occasion our sailors met with a most cordial reception on the part of the Americans. To be a Russian, in the eyes of the Ame ricans, was the best title to a friendly welcome; and that at a time when we were looked upon with adverse feelings by certain other nations in different parts of the world. Gen tlemen, a Russian cannot but love his country with enthu siasm, and for this reason foreigners loving Russia and the Russians have a claim to our gratitude and esteem. Now, the Americans, setting aside all considerations of minor importance, and paying no regard to the changing aspect of politics, have ever shown themselves friendly to this people and Government. Let us, therefore, gratefully ac knowledge their amicable disposition towards this empire, and let us drink to the health of the worthy and highly esteemed Andrew Johnson, the President of the great Power on the other side of the ocean—the President of the United States of America." Protracted " Oorrahs !" followed this toast, the band joining in with " Hail, Columbia." At the request of the committee, General Clay permitted the following telegram to be sent to the American Consul at Liverpool, for transmission by mail to the addressed : " To his Excellency Andrew Johnson, President of the United States of America. " The merchants of Moscow, welcoming to their city the Minister of the United States, drink to the health of your Excellency. " THE PRESIDENT OF THE COMMITTEE OF RECEPTION." General Clay then returned thanks in English : " Gentlemen,—lt is quite unexpectedly that I find my self paying a visit to your ancient capital, the cradle of the Russian nation. Indeed it was before my arrival that you had arranged this dinner in honour of Mr. Jeremiah Cur tin, my esteemed friend, who does not regret the pains he took to learn yourmagnificent language ; nor should I have accepted the invitation you kindly sent me unless I knew that in the generous Russian heart there is room enough for friendship and goodwill towards both. I gratefully receive and acknowledge, in my name and in that of my country men, those expressions of friendlyesteem which the citizens of Moscow have been pleased to employ in regard to the people of the United States. I am proud at finding the name of our President joined with the name of Alexander IL—that glorious monarch, whom God gave to the living generation as a guarantee of prosperity to Russia and as an honour to humanity feral! time to come. Fate had reserved it for these two rulers of two great nations to devote them selves to the work of freeing the slave and making all men equal before the law. I cannot look upon this coincidence otherwise than as a special dispensation of Provi dence, which, both in monarchies and republics, in its own mysterious way, steadily and unceasingly promotes the liberty and civilisation of the human race. Let us bow reverentially before the Divine will. Let us, in obedience to this will, maintain, foster, and consolidate that friend ship between the Russians and Americans which lie him self has inscribed with inde:ible characters in the records of history. Let us love each other as we love our own domestic hearths, as we love our country and national honour. Let us keep up those feelings of amity and good will, and remain true to them as wo mean to remain true to liberty, which, though it may often require the blood of martyrs and heroes to water its course, will yet be cher ished for ever." The words of General Clay elicited much ap plause. He was succeeded by M. Gorboff, a Mos cow manufacturer, who, as his countrymen had done before him, spoke Russian : " Your Excellency— I have been charged with the agree able commission to welcome you in the name of the Mos cow merchants—to welcome you as our guest and as the representative of a country which has so often and so so lemnly expressed its sympathies with Russia. I sincerely regret my being unable to address you in your own lan guage, and can only wish that the foreign sounds falling upon your ears at this moment may convey to you the sympathetic feelings which we, the Russians, shall ever harbour for the honour, the interests, and the greatness of the country whose Plenipotentiary you are. We, the citizens of Moscow, the most Russian of all Russian towns, congratulate ourselves on being able to repay a small portion of the debt of gratitude we owe to your com patriots for the hospitable reception they lately gave to the Russian mariners in New York. The sympathies we feel and utter are real and heartfelt. They are based upon a similarity of interests and peculiarities, which will come out more and more strongly as the development of both countries progresses, and which will, we trust, affect the destinies of the world. I do not mean to indulge in vainglorious phraseology. What I say I believe to be true— it is my political creed, it is the political creed of all Russia. Here are two immense colossi—Russia and the United States. With their unmeasured extent, inexhaustible re sources, and peculiar population they confront the ancient kingdoms of Europe like beings of another kind. They are two riddles which have not 'been solved as yet, but whose mot, we confidently hope, will become one day apparent, when Russia and the United States will have attained to a more prosperous, powerful, and influential position in the world than any of the older and earlier developed States. Both you and we may proudly point to those proofs of irre pressible vitality which we have given whenever we were left to our own unfettered genius and the promptings of the people's heart. Just now both of us have issued from a Period of the greatest difficulties. Our troubles were com mon, and so is our triumph. It is the consciousness that the power of both countries is unshakable which is the source of our mutual sympathy, and causes both peoples to look upon each other with feelings of unqualified respect, jus tice, and esteem. Either people confiding in its own energies naturally admires the other which is equally powerful. It is the love of the strong for the strong which binds them to gether. Our interests, too, are not likely to clash. But lately we (the Russians) had to negative the absnrd demand of our German neighbours, who wanted us to reduce our tariff for the benefit of their own manufactures. Such an egotistical attack on the benefits of our industry the Amer icans have never made. They have never envied, never im perilled the growth of Russian manufacture. They have never offended the feelings of the Russian merchant, but al ways behaved in a way which allowed us, and even made it obligates. upon us, to honour and support their cou n t ry and their flag. To quote your President in his recent Mes saawgaeitte Congres s , b o th o f us are in a position quietly to events,' and both of us may entertain h o p es that comingue hethich seems difficult in our internal affairs, and is calculated to awaken doubt, will be eventually settled by the force of eire quistm I begppo o ces. Animated with these feel ingsa double to as t— a t oas t w hi c h w ill b e t o readily responded by all present, and re-echo in the heart of every man livin g in the boundless expanse of both our empires—a toast to the s teady aggrandisement o f the Prosperity indivisibility, and And glorious United St a tes of America, and to the p great e rpetu a l we l fare of our own The passages relative to the alleesciuniiiialraritybe tween the two countries and their institu tions" were greeted with thunderin g aPpiaus e Th e o rchestra having played the " Star spangl e d b an _ ner," Mr. Curtin, the American Secretary of Le , , _ tion, begged leave to address the company in their awn native Russian : "Gentlemen,—General Clay, my respected chief, being unable to express himself in Russian, it becomes my gratif y _ ing duty to thank you for the friendly welcome you have gi ven:us in your own language, a language which lam happy to say is no longer unknown to me. From the depth of my heart I thank you for all yon have said in honour of my country. Being fully aware how ardently Russia is beloved by all present, I am convinced that the toast in which you blended her name with that of America was not only an act of courtesy towards your guests, but also a friendly greeting offered them by sincere and faithful well-wishers of their country. To m e , an d t o a ll my coun t rymen, no thing can be more satisfactory, more gratifying, than that brotherly toast which 1 have just heard proposed and jubi lantly received in the ancient capital of the Russian Czars. In the history of their foreign relations Americans have been ever in the habit of regarding it as the most auspici ous fact that the Russians have been always amicably dis posed towards them. We value your support and rejoice in your friendship. We are aware that they were granted us also at a time of trial and anxiety ; we al e aware that from you we have heard nothing but words of sympathy and approval. Those words have sunk deeply into the hearts of the American people. We shall not forget them. I, too, am of opinion that our friendship is neither acci dental nor even spontaneous. It is founded on the most simple and natural principles of political life, and of such a kind that we may confidently reckon upon its continu ance and further development. We are bound toge ther by pleasant recollections, by the sympathies of our souls, and the common aspiration to great intellectual objects. You are aware that at this moment an orthodox church is building at New York. Both Russians and Ame ricans have joined together to erect it. On the field of the practical arts I may point to the Russo-American telegraph asa common achievement of the two nations, and as a work of world-ride renown and importance. I was in the United States when that brilliant conception was brought before the public. I remember well the general enthusiasm it awakened, and I venture to say that no enterprise ever enjoyed anything like the popularity which rewarded the scheme of binding the two countries together. My country men patiently await the moment when, giving expression to their feelings of respect and gratitude, the President of the United States will profit by the completion of the new line, and despatch the first salutary telegram to the Czar. You have spoken of the past and future of Russia and America. To this I reply that both of us have nothing to be ashamed of in the past, and nothing to fear in the fu ture. In the past, Russia and America, firmly relying upon God, have both battled for their independence, and anni hilated foreign influence in their midst, whatever shape it might assume. Thus far we have been successful, and we wish for nothing better than that God may be as gracious to us and our children as He has been to our ancestors. As regards the future, the two countries will be only more intimately connected, having learnt to know each other in the past. I am convinced, gentlemen, that the more intimately acquainted my countrymen shall become with you, the more they will love you. The year I have passed in Russia has been one of the most pleasant in my life. I wish I was sufficiently conversant with your language to be able to embody all my thoughts and sympathies in words, and to tell you what my sentiments really are ; but I must be content to say only what I can express, and to leave untold much that I feel. lam happy, however, that here, in this time honoured Moscow of yours, the centre of Russia and of Rus sian hospitality, I can just pay you my respects, and bid you God speed in your own tongue. It will be a gratifying event to remember for the rest of my life that I have been the guest of one of the most celebrated and heroic towns of which history relates. Thanking you once again for your courtesy and hospitality, I close by quoting the words of one of our American poets God bless the great Empire that loves our great Republic. Success to its people, and long life to the Czar !' " . Fresh enthusiasm, fresh hurrahs. The majestic tune of " God save the Czar" again resounded in the hall. Mr. Curtin, the Russian reports say, had been so deeply affected by the solemn import of his words that his voice trembled, and he could not suppress other and more significant signs of the emotion he experienced. His every passage was received with prolonged applause. When he had ended he was embraced, according to the re ports (and kissed, according to the Russian custom, if I may be allowed a conjecture), by every one present. M. Ryasonoff, the first speaker, then proposed the health of Gen. Clay, who was presently surrounded by his hospitable entertainers, and loaded with a hundred compliments in Russian, English, and French. Prince Shtsherbatoff, the head of the mu nicipal authorities of Moscow, thanked Gen. Clay for the honour he had conferred upon the inhabit ants of the city by spending a day or two among them, and proposed " The continuance of the good and mutually advantageous relations between Russia and America." After this M. Torboff (the same who had previously declared that for the strong to love the strong is both the most natural and profit able way of bestowing their affections) rose at the request of the committee to propose the health of Mr. Curtin : " Gentlemen, Never did I wish so much to be a good speaker as now. But, perhaps, it is least necessary to speak well when one has a theme• which is sure to appeal to the sympathies of every one in the audience. Moreover, whatever pains I might have taken to prepare myself for this rare and joyous occasion, I should never have suc ceededin expressing myself with that force, that warmth, and that heartfelt cordiality which we have all admired in the words of one of our gu9sts, who so flatteringly spoke of us in our native tongue. (Applause.) I have risen to thank this our guest—this guest, who, to the common satisfaction of all present, will understand my addressing him in Rus sir, as Jeremiah Davidovitch Curtin. (Immense applause.) Gentlemen, your enthusiasm hurries me to the end of my speech. I will imitate the example of our guest, who closed his magnificent address by quoting American poetry. Sir, Jeremiah Davidovitch ! Neither I nor any of my friends would be able to thank you according to your deserts. Therefore, permit mo to give you a Russian verso in re turn for your find American quotation : " The more we feel, the less we speak.' Gentlemen, fill your glasses and drink to the health of Jeremiah Davidovitch Curtin !" The scene which followed this toast the Russian reporters declare their incompetency to describe. This time we may be quite sure they kissed him. The rest of the speeches were chiefly devoted to a curious and semi-political discussion of the old controversy between Free-trade and Protectionism. M. Tchetverikoff, a member of the Committee of the Imperial Exchange, thus dilated upon the manufac turing interests of the two countries. lie said : " It was not political interest alone which riveted the alli ance between the two countries. Their manufacturing into rests, too, were identical. They were quite peculiar to them, and had no resemblance to the commercial wants and require ments of any other country in the world. Russia and Ame rica were the two only countries which, while they abounded in raw materials, were also large enough and in every way fit to develops an industry of their own. Both, therefore, were Protectionist, and both had been made the object of incessant attacks on the part of the theoretical Freetraders, as well as the manufacturing communities of those other countries in the world which had a highly developed in dustry, but no raw material to draw upon at home. Of course, those countries wanted to obtain the requisite sup ply of raw produce from Russia and America, and to resell it to them in the shape of manufactured goods. The Ger man Zollverein had just addressed to Russia a formal ap plication to that effect, and he had been among the mem bers of the Moscow committee charged with reporting on it to the Government. He had come to the conviction that Carry, the American economist, was right in saying that agriculture would never prosper in a country where there was no industry ; and that to develops the latter was the only means of promoting the former, of enriching all classes of the people alike, and, as regards Russia and America more particularly, of restoring the balance in their national budgets. The consequences of adopting freetrade would be terrible in both countries. In Russia the corn that was not required for home consumption had to be sold below cost price even now, otherwise it could not be exported at all. It was but stating a plain fact to say that they had 11,000,000 of freedmen among them who chiefly depended for their ex istence upon agriculture, and this when agriculture had not yet become a p%ying business in the country. But even were it ever so profitable there would be always the long winter months to fill up with some industrial pursuit. It was useless to deny that at present they were idled away by the largest portion of the peasantry, and that the tariff might be amended in some respects. The construction of railways alone would never enrich the agricultural popu lation. The Americans had had those railways for many years past, and the price of corn in the West had still been exceedingly low. Indeed, the railways had been obliged to reduce the freight for corn to render its exportation at all possible. He therefore hoped he would meet with the approval of all present in proposing the protection and in creasing activity of the Russian and American manufac tures ; and as he also held that direct commerce between the two countries should be as much encouraged as pos sible, he would include in his toast the reconstruction of the American mercantile fleet and the creation of a mer cantile navy on the shores and in the shipyards of their own beloved Russia." General Clay, the American Minister, replied to the above (which must have been briefly trandated to him) in an energetic speech : " Gentlemen,—Among all objects of natural science man is the most curious, as well as the most complicated. But a much more complicated organism is a State, comprising in itself so many different human individualities. Political science, therefore, is the profoundest of sciences, and at the same time the most grateful of all. In the remarks we have just heard, the speaker drew a faithful picture of the commercial condition of our respective countries. The Russian and American industry being but young, require to be protected against overwhelming competition. It has taken France and England many centuries to collect the c ap i tal, the skill, and the experience they now employ in their mills ; they, too, wero Protectionists, while they had to fear foreign competitors; and it was only when they had reached the top of the ladder that they turned Preetraders, throwing op en their markets to all th e world, and requesting all the world—the non-industrial countries included —to do the same in return. Russia and America, were they to comply with the request, would, it is manifest, become tributary to Franco and England for all time to come. We, the Americans, should never cease to furnish them with cotton and tobacco, while they would always sell us their calico and cigars at ten or a hundred times the price they paid for the raw material. Just look at the migrations of a single pound of cotton, and you will easily understand how it is that England, that diminutive island, should have rendered herself the money market of the world and the centre of all commercial activity. The plant is grown, say in Louisiana, and sent to be spun—in England. For this purpose it must be first placed in the hands of some commission agedt in Louisiana; then de spatched to a seaport town ; then shipped and conveyed over a considerable portion of the globe to Liverpool, sold and sent on to Manchester, and, after years perhaps, car ried back to Louisiana and sold at ten or a hundred times its original cost. And now let us imagine that spinning and weaving machines had been put up close to the plan tation in which the cotton was grown, and we shall be ob liged to admit that nine-tenths of ninety-nine hundredths of the price at which the manufactured article was even tually sold in Louisiana might have been saved by the country and its inhabitants. The same remarks equally apply to a bushel of wheat ; under the rule of free trade the farmer, as well as the planter,uniformly sells cheap and buys dear. By imposing high duties upon articles manufactured out of your own produce you benefit your manufacturers and your farmers alike. On these principles, and under the guidance of my celebrated relative, Mr. Henry Clay, has the American system been recently established—a system so called in opposition to the free-trade doctrine, which is nothing but an invention for the purpose of protecting British interests. By means of oar tariff we have become the competitorsof England, not only on our own Continent, but in the entire world. It was in consequence of the pre valence of slave labour in the South that our tariff has hitherto benefited the North alone. The South, down to the beginning of the rebellion, continued to produce raw material alone. The consequence of it all is that the South, at the close of a four years' war, is ruined, while the North is as prosperous as ever. A wise politician will not embrace one theory in preference to another, but em ploy either according to circumstances. The fundamental rule, however, must be that each people work the raw materials produced by themselves and export them to other countries. Such a system of trade, being profitable to each individual nation, cannot but promote the com mon good of all. From foreign countries we should not import anything except what we cannot manufacture ourselves, and this I conceive to be the real and legitimate task of Free Trade. Thus, I should like to order my er mine from Russia, my dates from Smyrna, my tea from China, my pepper from Java, my silk from Italy, my truf fles from France, and my philanthropical phraseology from England. What America wants is to educate the masses and to make them equal before the law, to build railways and canals, and to develope her internal commerce. On these conditions depends the acquisition of technical skill by our mill hands, the increase of our capital, the density of our population, and the extension of our foreign trade. It is from one and the same source that we shall derive affluence in peace and power in war. In Russia social and political arrangements may be different, but she will derive the same advantage from remaining true to the same principles. Our politics and our destinies are linked together. May Russia grow and derive ever-increasing vitality from the roots of her old civilisation ! May she have one God, one Czar, one language, and one undivided nation in all futurit3 !" This speech, having been delivered in English, was intelligible to but few among the audience. M. Tchijoff, a director of the Yaroslaff Railway Com pany, then drew a comparison between the United States and Russia : " They were very much like each other in many respects. As early as 30 years ago, M. do Tocqueville, in his Demo cratie en Amerique," had said that the Russian and Ame rican colossi were the two empires which had been destined by Providence for the solution of some of the greatest po litical problems in the world. Both empires were of im mense extent, and both had been formed without foreign assistance. Both were regarded with feelings of envy and ill will by Europe, though they had never thought, of in terfering with its politics, or conquering a slice of its terri tory, or indeed asking its assistance in any way. Both offered their lands to the immigrant, and had long been an excellent market for the sale of foreign goods. Both—and this was a point which he (the speaker), in his former ca pacity of editor of a commercial paper, had been specially prompted to study—had previously entertained very dif ferent views on the great question of political economy from what they did now. They had adopted other views simul taneously, and now adhered to a new and peculiar creed in matters financial. There had been a time when, venerat ing whatever doctrines had been invented by :Western Europe, both Russia and America had consented to be the hewers of wood and the drawers of water in the household of civilised nations. But they had got over that, and dis covered that science was young, that political economy in particular was not as perfect as it might be, and that learned Europe was occasionally as mistaken as themselves. The doctrine of Protectionism might be regarded with a mingled feeling of pity and contempt in Western Europe, but, thank God ! it gained ever fresh proselytes in both Russia and America. A few years ago they had the hon our of seeing in their country Mr. Carry, the renowned American scholar, whose deep investigations had estab lished the fundamental principle of their economical creed in its modern form. lie would give them " The health of Mr. Carry, the valiant defender of national labour in its every form and aspect.' " The cheers accompanying this toast were cutshort by M. Aksenoff, a Moscow manufacturer, begging his mercantile friends to remember that Protection had been advocated by Mr. Carry as a temporary measure only, and one which ought to be superseded as soon as possible by the great and far higher prin ciple of Free Trade. He hoped both the Russian and American industry would make such rapid strides as to be able to dispense very soon with the protection they enjoyed. This speech does not seem to have called forth any applause. M.Yakuntchikoff, the President of the Mercantile Academy, proposed " The Progress of Education and Enlightenment in our Commercial Classes ;" M. Gorboff gave " The Improvement of the Moral and Intellectual Condition of the Mill Hands ;" and M. Tchijoff, who closed the long list of speakers, recited a poem of Aksakoff in honour of the city of Moscow. By way of musical epilogue, Russian national songs were performed by.a choral society at the end of the dinner. Gen. Clay declared them to be very excellent in their way, begging to be favoured with copies of all songs that were in print. On rising from the dinner table the General was presented with a photographic album of Moscow buildings and a history of the Mercantile Academy in Russia. The whole ceremony lasted three hours Melancholy Disaster at Sea.—Eating a Black Cook. Tho Cunard steamer Scotia, which arrived at Liverpool on Saturday, brings intelligence of the loss of the schooner Pattie Martin, and the dreadful sufferings of the crew. It appears that on the night of the 7th ult., the schooner, which was bound to Hatteras Island, from New Jersey, struck on the shoals just outside Hatteras Inlet bar, and immediately filled. The captain and crew were compelled to seek shelter in the rigging. They had hardly been there three hours, when the captain, Denis M. Smith, a native of Camden, New Jersey, was frozen to death, and in about half an hour afterwards the cook, a black man, perished from the same cause, leaving two more men, the mate, named Steeleman, and a sailor named Tolison, in a most miserable condition. For five days these two unfortunate men, exposed to the most inclement weather and without food or water, clung to their frail support. On the evening of the third day their cravings for something to eat were intolerable, and they agreed, as the only means to alleviate their hunger, to devour a portion of the body of the black cook, which was done, and upon this they managed to sus tain themselves until the 12th, when they were rescued from their perilous position by some Cape Hatteras pilots. The poor fellows were in a sad plight, being fearfully frost bitten about the legs and feet, as well as, to a certain ex tent, mentally deranged.lon reaching the shore, however, they gradually recovered their reason, but it is feared that they will lose several of their toes and fingers. The body of the captain had been recovered. It is feared that but little of the cargo of the schooner will bo saved. The great influx of emigrants into lowa during the past few months has caused an advance of $25 to $35 an acre on timber land in Mitchell county. The Osage lowan states that such lands now sell at $4O to $5O per acre. . [ADVERTISEMENT.] — That the fearful annual mortality of 60,000 young chi!dren and delicate persons of all ages may be arrested, if, instead of flying blindly to pills and medicines, which, though apparently relieving the patient, have in reality no other tendency than that of increasing debility, and with it the danger of life, we were simply to study how to increase the vital force by imparting new and pure blood, upon which the harmonious development of the whole frame depends, has been successfully proved by Du Barry's inva lids' and Infants' Food, the Revalenta Arabica, and its thousands of cures annually. It yields three times as mush easily assimilated nourishment as the best meat, slid for children it is the best substitute for human milk. Dr. Routh, physician to the Samaritan Hospital for Women and Children—the best authority on such matters —in his admir able publication on Food, says—Amongst the vegetable sub stances, that which comes closest to milk in its composition is, without doubt, Du Barry's Revaienta Arabica Food, con aining both phosphoric acid in abundance and chloride of potassium ; it also includes casein, the same principle which is found in milk in its constituent part. No wonder, there fore, that under its influence many children affected with atrophy (wasting away of the body), and marked debt ity, have completely recovered. I have given it with the greatest advantage in such cases ; and so far as I may judge from my own experience, practice fully carries out what theory, from a knowledge of its composition, led us to anticipate.— In tins, ilb., 2s. 9d.; 21b., 4s. Cd ; 51b., lls. ; 121 b., ; 241 b. 40s.—Barry Du Barry and Co., No. 77, Regent-street, London;, also Phillips, tea dealers, 8, King William-street; likewise at 61, Graceehurch-street ; 4, Cheapside ; 49, Bishopsgate street Within ; 63, 150, and 298, Oxford-street ; 330, Strand ; 54, Upper Baker-street; 103, 'Tottenham-court-road; 96, Upper-street, Islington, N.; Harvey, Notting-hill; Close Brothers, 65, High-street ; and Stubbs, Queen's-terrace, St. John's-wood, London ; and all respectable grocers and che mists.—Beware of spurious imitations. THE SUN, LONDON, TUESDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY 6,186 G. The Foundering of the Ship London. • Yesterday, at the Greenwich Police-court, the official inquiry instituted by the Board of Trade, into the melancholy circumstances attendant on the loss of the ship London, in the Bay of Biscay, on the 11th of January, was resumed before Mr. Trail, the stipendiarymagistrate, and Capt. Harris, and Capt. Baker, the two nautical assessors. Mr. O'Dowd continued to conduct the case on behalf of the Board of Trade ; Mr. W. M. Hitch cock was present on behalf of Mr. Cutting, whose daughter was a passenger en board the vessel ; Mr. C. Wigram, of the firm of Messrs. Wigram and Son, chief owners of the ship, was again in attend ance. The first witness examined on this, the seventh day of the inquiry, was— Daniel Thomas Smith, of the Bull's Head, High street, Shadwell, who was examined by Mr. O'Dowd and said—l was boatswain's mate on board the London on her last voyage. I have been 17 years at sea, chiefly on foreign voyages. When we left Plymouth the weather was very fine, and so it con tinued till Sunday, the 7th, when the wind fresh ened and increased in violence till Monday, and then it blew half a gale from the SW. We were going under steam, head to wind. To Captain Harris—lt was treble-reefed-topsail weather. Mr. O'Dowd—At six p.m., it blew a gale, and we were under mizenstaysail, foretopsail, maintop mast staysail, and reefed spanker. We were on the starboard tack. About eight o'clock the maintop sail was carried away. Nothing more of conse quence occurred till Tuesday morning, when at nine o'clock, the jibboom was carried away, and at the same time the vessel pitched and further carried away the foretopmast, foretopgallantmast, and main royal mast. No injury was done to the ship by this loss. The jibboom went overboard on the starboard side, and the masts hung down abaft. We tried to cut away the wreck of the masts, but only partially succeeded. We got ropes and secured the foretop mast to the foremast ; the mainroyal was left hang ing, but not in a situation to do harm. In the after noon of the *following day (Wednesday), we got in the jibboom, which had been' floating alongside all night. We tried to get the jibboom in on Tues day, but we did not succeed till Wednesday even ing. After we got it on board we lashed it to the after part of the rigging on the port side. We lashed it to ring bolts. The flying jibboom was got in shortly afterwards, and lashed by the after hatch way on the port side. The length of the piece of flying jibboom that was on board was about 25ft., and passed the engine room hatchway. The cir cumference was 28 or 30 inches. I lashed the after end of the flying jibboom myself. I took five turns with a 2i-inch rope, and fastened it to the after stanchions of the staircase of the after hatchway. I did not see the vessel's head turned. Ido not know when she was turned round. I saw the flying jib boom the same evening quite safe. I did not see it loose at all. I did not at any time see it sweeping and striking against the combings of the engine room skylight. Mr. O'Dowd—l have a statement here taken down from you by the clerk, from which it appears that you said you saw the flying jibboom flying about on the deck, and striking against the comb ings. Witness replied that he did not see this, nor did he say that he did. Pressed on this point by Mr. Traill, the witness repeated again and again that he never did see the spar flying about the deck and striking against the combings of the engine-room hatchway, and that he never said he did. Examination by Mr. O'Dowd resumed—l did not see the jibboom again, after 7 o'clock on Wednes day evening, till about an hour after the engine room hatchway had been carried away. This was on Wednesday night. I then saw the jibboom put endways down the hatchway in order to support the sails and tarpaulins. I did not see it unlashed. The men had it adrift on the port side, and I assisted them in putting it down the hatchway. Mr. O'Dowd—l believe the ship was making a considerable quantity of water at that time ? Witness—All the water she made was taken down the hatchway. The scuppers were blocked up with coals before the hatchway was knocked off, and afterwards. Some of the coals were thrown over board. 'The scuppers were open to the deck. Two of the after starboard scuppers were obstructed by the coals, and I tried to put them right with a piece of bent iron. I believe the ship had no water ports to discharge water from the deck. The flying jib boom having been put down the hatch Way we stuffed sails and mattresses in as well as we could. We did this as well as we could ; but the sea drove us away from the hatchway. We could not put a tarpaulin on. I was not on deck when the jibboom was put on the board deck. I went below at twelve o'clock at noon, on the Wednesday, and the ship was then on the starboard tack. I returned to the deck at four, and she was then on the port tack. I then remained on deck till the next day at two, when we left the ship, going down occasionally to gs. The ship remained f o e n t c t h h e u s p a sailsm same t tack kd till other one thin o clock on Thursday, an hour before we left in the boat. At that time she' wore round on the starboard tack. Mr. Train—Are you sure of that ? Witness—Yes. To enable you to lower the port cutter ?—Yes ; her head came up to the wind. To Captain Harris—l don't know how the wind was. We went away before the wind. Our course was NNE, but we had to keep the ship to the south ward and eastward, to keep her before the sea. The wind was then dead aft. On Monday, the Bth, the ship was under sail ; and I believe the steam was also up. I believe the steam was stopped at four in the afternoon of Tuesday, to set the maintopsail. I was on deck when the jibboom was carried away. We were then on the starboard tack. Prior to that the ship was pitching very heavily. The jibboom went overboard and shifted from one bow to the other. I suppose the ship tacked while I was be low. The watches ceased to be kept regularly after four o'clock on Wednesday, when we were all turned out to get in the wreck. The lashings of the jibboom were sufficient to hold. At the time the stern lights were driven in I was below getting up sails. I never saw a sail rolled up and pitched into the hatchway instead of being opened and spread over the aperture. I never mid so that I remember. There was a great deal of water in the after saloon of the main deck. I did not notice the stern dead lights; and cannot say whether the water came in through them. As soon as the hatchway was carried away pumps were set to work. Fire was lighted in the donkey engine to work the pumps, and it was going when we left the ship. The flying jibboom was lashed to the deck as soon as it was brought up ; it was not lying about the deck loose for 24 hours. To Mr. saw no loose spars knocking about on the deck. I saw the skylight on the deck just after it was knocked off lying on the starboard side. An attempt was made to replace it. I as sisted, but it was smashed to pieces. We could not get it on on account of there being so much sea on deck. In a quarter of an hour it was smashed. I did not see the tarpaulin. I don't know what the skylight weighed. Mr. Wigrarn, in reply to Captain Harris, said the skylight might weigh a couple of tons. To questions of Captain Harris, the witness re plied that, to the best of his belief, the ship was not making water before the hatchway skylight was carried away. He assisted in putting a sail over the aperture and nailing it down to the deck. To Captain Baker--I cannot say that I saw the yards squared so that the ship might be kept before the wind to get back to Plymouth. I do not re*- member the ship being before the wind except for a short time before we left. The ship was on a wind on the port tack when the maintopsail was split. I was on deck when the sail was set. When it split one half was blown away. the engines were going when the jibboom pitched away. I had never been a voyage in the London before. The ship did not appear to labour more than other ships in such weather. The weather was very rough, with a cross high sea. This was my first voyage in a steam ship. To Mr. Traill—When the ship wore she went round easily, She answered the helm readily although so deep in the water. Whenever I wags on deck the ship was close hauled. To Captain Baker—The crew rendered every assistance they could on Wednesday night till they were worn out. Master Walter Molesworth Edwards examined by Mr. Dowd. I reside at Bedford. I was mid shipman on board the ship London on her last voyage. I joined on the 28th of December, the day of her departure for the docks. It was my first voyage. We left Plymouth a little after midnight of the sth January. The weather was quite fine and calm, and so continued until four in the after noon of Saturday, the 6th, when it began to blow hard. From that time till Wednesday we were continually on deck, with the exception of a short time on Tuesday and Wednesday, when we went below. I heard of the jibboom being carried away, and subsequently it was brought on board. At 11 o'clock on Wednesday I saw it on deck, just aft the funnel on the port side ; the thickest end was aft. It was first washed against the bulwarks, and then against the hatch and skylight. Mr. Traill—lt was fastened, then? Witness—Yes. To Mr.O'Dowd—l saw it again in the afternoon, between three and five o'clock, and it was still knocking about. I saw no attempt made to secure it. I never saw it secured. It was beating against the framework of the hatchway. It was beating sideways. Mr. Traill—lt has been stated that the jibboom was secured at four in the afternoon ; when did you see it secured ? Witness—l never saw it secured at all. To Mr. O'Dowd—lt might have been lashed at four or five. I was below when the engine -room hatch skylight was carried away, and I did not come upon deck till Thursday morning at ten o'clock. I saw the skylight on the port side. It was quite whole. It was not broken at all, not even the panes of glass nor the frame work. To Mr. Trail—l am certain about this. I cannot be mistaken. The captain must have seen it. I did not speak of it to the captain, as he saw it aswell as I did ; and he might have thought that I was in terfering in what did not concern me. To Mr. O'Dowd—l saw no attempt made to replace the skylight. I saw the pinnace lowered and capsi zed. The passengers all came to see her lowered. When she was capsized they all went down again into the saloon. I think I heard one lady say it was of no use to go into the boat. Mts. Owen was going into the boat, and the captain dis suaded her. The skylight was washing about a little. It had been carried a little farther forward than where it had been washed off. To Mr. Traill—An attempt might have been made to replace the skylight during the night. Mr. Traill—lt is stated that an attempt was made during the night, and that the skylight was smashed by the sea. Witness—l saw it at ten o'clock in the morning. And you mentioned what you saw to no one No. I once spoke of something else to Mr. Angel, one of the officers, and he told me to mind my own business. To Mr. O'Dowd—l was saved in the cutter. I was not told by the captain to save myself. I jumped into the boat from the wizen shrouds. I asked King, Smith, and Daniels if I might come in. They told me to jump in. I jumped in amongst them, a fall of ten feet. The other midshipman was told to jump in also, but he was afraid ; he remained be hind, and went down with the ship. Daniels was my hammock man. There were a bag ship biscuits weighing two cwt., and two bottles of brandy, and two bottles of champagne, and some turnips and carrots, placed in the boat. There was some water, but it got mixed with salt water, and was thrown overboard. I picked up three bottles and placed them under my coat. Mr. Greenhill, and Daniels, and Quin knew I had them. King and Quin each placed a bottle of brandy in the boat. A little spray came over the boat at the ridge of each wave. At three in the morning a great sea broke over us, and nearly half filled the boat. One of the passen gers baled continuously. Another sea came over us as we came within about forty yards of the Italian barque. We had to turn the stern of the boat to every sea, and commence pulling again at the crest. But when we neared the barque the men became excited, and did not escape a sea. By Capt. Harris—One of the stewards was saved. When I last saw the captain he was on the poop. It was about one o'cock. Mrs. Owen was going into the boat with her little child; and I believe she would have gone had not the captain dissuaded her. He said there were several drunken seamen who would get into the boat, and that she would only be chang ing from a sudden death to a lingering one. At 5 o'clock on the Thursday morning the captain came into the saloon and said, " Ladies, I am afraid there is no hope for us ; nothing short of a miracle can save us." The passengers had their meals regularly up to Wednesday evening ; but the captain was not down to dinner Qither Tuesday or Wednesday. The fire in the donkey engine was put out by the sea on Wednesday, and the pumps were worked by hand all that day. On Thursday morning the fire in the donkey engine was again lighted, and the engine continued to work till the ship went down. From 5 o'clock to 10 I was below in the saloon. The passengers were praying and sobbing. There was no screaming. After he told the passengers there was no hope the captain came down once and took something out of the cupboard. After the boat was lowered many of the ship's company came round and stood ready to jump in. Smith, King, and Daniels told them to go to the other pinnace, and while they were so engaged they entered the cutter and we shoved off. The captain retained his self-possession to the last. His feelings only overcame him once, and that was when he told Mrs. Owen it was no use for her to go into the boat. Mr. Harris, the sailing master, behaved exceedingly well. Mr. Grant also exerted himself to the utmost. Every one attended to his duty. Mr. O'Dowd—Did you recognise Mr. Brooke, the actor ? Witness—No. Mr. Trail! askedif heknew any of the passengers ? Witness—No, except Mrs. Owen. Her cousin was my schoolmaster. Mr. Traill—l have received numerous applications for details of the last moments of the passengers. Witness—All on board expected immediate death. And what were your own feelings ?—I felt sorrow for my mother. I feared nothing for myself. On Monday I felt some fear, but after that I became accustomed to look death in the face. To Captain Harris—On Wednesday afternoon a ship crossed our stern and nearly ran into us. We saw a ship two hours after we left in the boat. There were no signals made by the London ; no rockets or blue lights. John Ring, of the George Hotel, Aldermanbury, examined by Mr. O'Dowd—l was an able seaman on board the London on her last - voyage. I have been at sea 13 years, always on foreign voyages. The day after we left Plymouth, on Sunday, the 7th, the wind freshened, and in the evening it was very severe. The wind was blowing, I should say, from the N.W. The ship was on the starboard tack. Our staysail sheets fore and aft were set on the port side. We were also under steam. On the Monday the wind increased till it blew a gale. On that day I was employed in lashing cases on the poop—plants and flowers that were going out to Australia. On the Monday night, I think it was, our spanker blew away. Captain Martin and my self tried to recover it and succeeded. The spanker split as we were on a tack. On Tuesday our fore topmast staysail, and the main staysail blew away. About nine o'clock on the morning of Tuesday, the jibboom was carried away. We lost the starboard cutter and another boat the same day. On Wed nesday morning I fell off the poop and hurt my back. I could not move. I was not on deck all night. About half-past eight on Thursday morn ing I went again on deck. I was not on deck when the hatch was washed away. On Thursday morn ing I did not see the skylight, nor did I hear that it was on deck. I heard that it had been washed away, but did not see it. I noticed that the sky light was gone, but the combings were there. For a quarter of an hour I attempted to stretch some sails over the engine-room hatch, but finding my efforts unavailing I desisted. The ship was never before the wind, except - when she wore round for a few minutes at the last. I went to the starboard pinnace, and was in her when she was lowered. Five others were in her. I lowered her. I told Smith to take his fall, and that as soon as the ves sel tacked to the leeward we would try to get clear of the ship. Captain Martin had given an order to lower the boat an hour earlier. The five of us de termined to try and save the boat and ourselves, of course. The boat would have carried 50 passengers. I letgo, Smith held on, and the boat went down head foremost and sank. This was at one o'clock. We all saved ourselves. The next thing we did was to clear away the port pinnace. No one would assist Smith and me, they thinking it was of no use. After we left this boat others tried to get her out ; but there were not enough to do it. After this Smith and I agreed to go in the port gig. We put a bag of bread in, her, and a beaker of fresh water, hold ing aboilic a quart, and three bottles of brandy and two bottles of champagne, and then we were ready to go. I then went to Captain Martin, and asked him if he was going in her. He replied, "No, King, I am not ; I am going to remain on board." I then asked him the course to the nearest land possible. He replied, " E.N.E., to Brest." I asked how many miles I was off Brest. I understood him to say " 90," but it was 190. Captain Baker—Why do you think it was 190 ? Witness—From what was told me by the captain of the barque. We were before the wind for 20 hours, and we were more than 90 miles from land when we were picked up. To Captain Harris—Our course in the boat was directly before the wind. Ido not know the direc tion of the wind. I steered by " the pointers" (Ursa Major) all night N.E. It was starlight. To Captain Baker—A few minutes after the boat left the London I saw her go down. At half-past four o'clock the court adjourned to twelve o'clock this morning. SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS. TRIES.—So even is the tenour of a peaceful and well-governed country, that its most important ceremonials are apt to become dull by repetition. Such novelty of circumstance as there may happen to be is lost in the uniformity of the pageant. It is far otherwise to-day. The Parliament is new, and it is near seven years since the first meeting of its pre decessor. About 200 members of the House of Commons are new to their work, and have to be initiated in the routine of forms, and the play of parties indoors. The work before them is new, for besides the necessity of taking instant measures with a grievous murrain that will not be stayed, there is the self-imposed task of Parliamentary Re form. The chief personage of this day's spectacle is new from her great grief and long seclusion, and there is novelty in the simpler taste which to-day, and probably henceforth, rules the Royal proces sion. There is a novelty, most welcome to all be holders, in the Royal pair who will to-day sit next to the throne, suggesting alternate memories and forecastings. The House of Commons has to give its confidence to a new Premier, and accept for itself a new leader. While many of us are hugging the past as a long-tried and faithful friend, a younger generation is springing up that knows it not, except by hearsay or by duller and scarcely less deceptive records. The young men who witness the pageant of to-day were children at the date of the last. Thus rapidly has all and everything changed since our political rivals first began to bid for power in the coinage of reform. The same interval has seen, indeed, more startling novelties elsewhere. We can not pretend to vie with the spectacle of a President, in the place of a murdered predecessor, opening half a Congress to deliberate upon the readmission of the other half ; nor is this the case of a new King meet ing an old people reunited after a separation of some 1,300 years. But the fruit of events often swells them hereafter to an importance beyond the first seeming. If half the designs of the present hour have their ful filment, the coming age will have good reason to re member the day when Queen Victoria for the fifth time pronounced the doom of that reformed Parliament with which she had worked successfully for twenty nine years. Considering how little appearances are to be trusted, and the large experience we have now had of political intentions—when reform is con cerned—the most substantial novelty of to-day is the House of Commons itself. It contains one hundred and ninety-six members who had no seat in it last July. This unusual crowd of novices has been carefully scrutinised by those who wish to know the quality and temper of the house, and how far it has been affected by the new mental. The result of that scrutiny goes some way to explain the very moderate tone of Reformers. The new Parlia ment is said to be characterised by great independ ence of feeling, great wealth, and an earnest desire to do its duty. Its wealth is a thing that can be computed. Its independence of character may be inferred from independence of position. A. desire to do their duty is, at least, natural to the youthful ness or new Parliamentary life of two hundred new members. Of course they have yet to learn what their duty is, but it is better to have to learn than to be hampered by party ties and pledges long re pented of. The house has suffered lamentable losses, in one way or another, and in this restless, expectant age, the mere love of change, after a period of seven years, has had its weight with many constituencies that could give no better reason. But if the change has not always been for the better, it is impossible not to see that under the present system a Parliament can largely recruit itself, and not be the worse for its raw levies. Indeed, the levies are not raw. Every English gentleman is bound to some form of public business, and has to practise in his own neighbourhood the qualities that con duce most to political efficiency. The present constituencies, as a general and almost invariable rule, know a gentleman, and can judge of his quali fications for public life. Even the Manchester Reformers are not able to complain of the actual selection so much as of the fact that everybody has not taken part in it. if, then, this be indeed the last Parliament in the series commenced by that of 1832, the Reform Act has done its work well. The fact of an ever-increasing weight, independence, and patriotism is honourable to the country, and to the cause of representative government. Instead of a descent step by step towards democracy, the Reformed Legislature, maintained by frequent ap peals to the people, has risen in the course of 34 years to such a character, and such - a hold on the national confidence, that its unquestionable success becomes the reason for a fresh experiment. The argument is that we may and ought to have ano ther Reform because the first has succeeded, and because the experience of a whole generation esta blishes the absolute safetyoand eventual wisdom of fresh extensions of the constituency and acces sions of the popular element. • With the mighty task that looms before us, and that impends like a phrophetic doom over the House of Commons, we cannot but tremble for the ordinary work to be done, and which is said to exceed that of any for mer Parliament. Will it be possible to satisfy that portion of the public which has bills to pass, or laws to be amended, while another po r ti on wishes to recommence legislation on some entirely new basis, and with a total change of deliberative agency ? However, there are matters that cannot be put off. There is a good deal to be done at once, and in a few weeks we may begin to under stand better than we can now the position in which we are left by the conflict of political pledges and actual necessities. HERALD.—The influential demonstration in fa vour of the repeal of the malt tax made yesterday by a crowded meeting of the farmers and country gentlemen of England, at the Freemasons' Tavern, must convince Mr. Gladstone and the rest of her Majesty's Ministers that this question, too long in abeyance, must not be trifled with any longer. Unless the forthcomng Budget shall include some proposition for the reduction, at least, of this most obnoxious impost, a strong array of members of the House of Commons may be combined against it. The representatives of the agricultural constituencies were, many of them, returned to Parliament on the distinct understanding that they would insist on the abolition of this tax, or on its reduction with a view to such abolition. Those who were not so pledged cannot be ignorant of the strong feeling of those who returned them. Their opponents on the Libe ral side, if true to their principles, can only defend the tax apologetically, and as a matter of present ex pediency rather than of principle. Its maintenance is utterly inconsistent with the theory of free trade, whose supporters have constantly pronounced them selves opposed to taxes which may act as checks on native produce,especially on articles destined for the food of the people. To tax luxuries rather than necessaries has been generally the practice of the so-called Free-trade party. Yet Mr. Gladstone has made successive reductions in the duties on wine and tea, which are articles of luxury, leaving beer, which is the food of the working man as much as his bread, and malt, which is the staple of beer, and an admir able food for cattle, taxed with an excise duty which amounts to 70 per cent. on the value of malt, and a far higher per-tentage on the price of beer. The apostle of free trade, Mr. Cobden, admitted that the producers of malt had an equal claim with the foreign growers of wheat to a re mission of taxation. Sir Robert Peel, as Sir Fitzroy Kelly reminded his hearers yesterday, " 1 , ..'' tally declared that if the corn laws were to be repealed, it would be impossible to give an answer to the farmer, who would ask, ' If you take awaY the duty on foreign corn, on what pretence tail" you maintain the duty on barley or on malt?' Lord Russell, n ow Prime Minister, stated years ag o, after the repeal of the corn laws, that if he had then been in power the first tax he would have repealed would have been the malt tax. When Mr. Disraeli in 1852 proposed t o t a k e o ff on e-half of the malt tax, he was certainly not carrying to an extreme the policy which had been so broadly indicated by the Liberal statesmen who had pronounced the im post indefensible. If the members of the Conser vative side of the house are bound to consider the interests of the ill-used class which they represent, if the Liberal party and the Freetraders are con strained by their principles to make some beg n" ping, at all events, by way of a reduction o f this impost, those who profess to be the spokesmen 0' the working men must feel it due to their clients to do what they can in cheapening their favourite_ beverage and reduci ng th e i r d a ily disbursemen t o their hard-won earnings. It is, doubtless, very bard f , upon the Chancell or of the Exchequer that is should be called upo n t o l e t s lip through his fing er these five and a h a lf millions of money so easilY ob tained, or even to forego a half or a third of the an nual produce of the m a lt t ax . He has !given, the clerk his claret a t a s hilli ng th e b o ttle, why eu°'iid he be so soon c a ll e d upon t o g i ve the poor ma his beer at twopence a quart ? Somebody,_be n3a o l i argue, must pay taxes ; why not the producer malt and the dri n k er o f b eer ? If two or more are to be deducted from the credit se: of his account how can he hope to make figure by taking another penny off the ince% tax, reducing a number of small imposts w hie n press on nobody i n p ar ti cu l ar , or payinguP me infinitesimal po r ti on o f th e na ti ona l debt ? e:7 O quite aware of his difficulties and willing to mm'. every allowance for them; but'still the fact rernin_Zi the fact of t a hea v y b ur d en on the agrieelt u ;- Quar t and the consumer, which has been unfairly e looked while other burdens have been renli t :7„, An error has been committed in the past ; a 'lt: remains for the future. It was an error tba_ ; „ l ductions of taxation we r e ex t en d e d to paper, vim -4 tea, and sugar, while malt and beer, more ilur r. taut to large classes of th e commun ity, w ere entirei 1 overlooked. It is the bounden duty of any Ch 8 , 1 ,1 30 ccllor of the Exchequer to place malt now ` foremost place among articles on which the duty 10 to be partially, if not wholly, remitted. The tar s an evil which has grown by degrees to such gigan proportions that we seem urged by the necessitY. ° o the ease to deal with it gradually. What e d es ,l is that it should at least be admitted to be ail e' — e d If .half of it were taken off the largely illere, a , s i n use of malt in brewing and cattle feeding migr„ of one air two years be found to make up the defiele,,m in the revenue. Many honest opponents of the d i°- among whom were some of the speakers yeee r 1 ,1 tell us that they will be satisfied with nothing„ - e i r than its immediate and total abolition. 5- m av danger is, that in grasping at too much they 111 4. 4 5 lose all. A partial reduction, with a view, to ; be ultimate extinction, would do much to allaY m id growing discontent of the ag r i cu lt ur ists. It vi— A ss ' be an experiment in the r i g ht di rec tion, the su° e- 08 of which would, we think, embolden theinure Minister to venture next year o n a larger mee ly of relief. A proposal which seems re 9l- o ,e able, thoughtreceived with disfavour by present at the meeting, was made yeeterl by Mr. Scla,ter Booth. It is not new, th e & it has seldom been put so prominently forwar" t b e an opponent of the malt tax. If money rall s ,ai, raised, why not tax beer directly instead of jai, a rectly ? A tax , of one halfpenny or a penny %id quart of beer, leaving malt free from duty, w e , be lead to a cheapening and a large increase it consumption of the popular beverage, vill_ mi lle os t would yield an annual sum to the revenue "' - ",,, a 1t if not quite as great as that produced by the — i t 0 0 tax. Such a tax would go far to meet an obje° tiy to the excise duty on malt, which is put prom Oro forward by the advocates for its repeal. In the 0 ,,,„ of petition which the repealers recommend for ! vs nature and presentation to the House of Corane h u ie f it is very properly set forth as one of the. j n flits grievances complained a, " that the duty great injustice upon the consumer of beer, a opposed to the first principles of sound taxatioube. the effect of a heavy tax upon the raw material far ing to enhance the ultimate selling price of beerret by „ beyond the mere amount paid as duty, the ii taking out of the pocket of the consumer a In to larger sum than reaches the Exche q uer." 13-, a . upon beer would be a relief to the grower of . I), ‘er ley, and far less onerous to the consumer of nu o than a tax upon malt, which is quadrupled by time he has to pay it. COUNTRY MARKETS. NORTHAMPTON—FEB. 3. hic h About the usual supply of wheat, the demand for v i A fa ir ruled quiet at recent currenci es f or b es t qua lities. a t show of barley which maintained its value. Oats n top prices. Beans steadily di s p ose d o f a t higher Pr ice ola New white wheat, 43s to 48s ; new red, 40s to 46s L id white, 48s to 51s; old red, 45s to 48 s per 36 stone. r 3O for malting, 37s to 40s per qr. ; gr i n di ng , 26s to 3 7 s q a „, stone. Oats, old, 30s to 34s ' • new, 20s to 28s per 24 Beans, old, 46s to 50s ; new, 36s to 40s per 3 8 stone. -1 34s to 39s per 36 stone. COLCHESTER—FEB. 3. Bil l The supply of wheat was small, and the trade vral l .„u t ia at last week's prices. Barleys of all descriptions 219 ' 1 their value. Beans and peas as before. 35 6 Ana Wheat, white 40s Ms Beans, Mazsg.an••.,•••• 3Bll 3 5. ~,- red 36s 48s Middle and snsali•-,, 41• Barley ..... ... 0 8s s 25 40 5 s Peas, g w r h e i y. ............ ..... ...... 40S Oats CHELMSFORD—FEB. 2. ll 0 04 Wheat was in fair supply, but business waswas du ..,, wi te to so much of it being out of condition. Spring Nl' inactiye at about former rates. os VI o Wheat, old white 45s 52s Peas, Partridge ...... tt soo .If new 435 605 White ...... ..• • 39 2: 0 old red 394 43s Boiling .••• • • ' '3lO 3.: o new. 358 398 Dun.... ..... •"_..4 s Barley .. 248 31s ditt o , new. • ** s o 37 0 I,hevalier 27a :.,94 Beans, Tick, old. •••• • . ...0 '• : Grind.ng '3s 65 new% • - go -; Malt 58s £OB Harrow Ticki'....o ~..,0 Chevalier 60s 624 new. •• • 1 20 3 ‘ Oats GRANTHAM—FEB. 3. There was a middling show of wheat to -day , g D n d o% demand was slow at rather under recent rates• were in request at quite last week's prices. H o ff Old white wheat, 55s to b9s; old red, 48s to . 52° ; white, 52s to 57s ; new red, 44s to 47s per 36 storte• nos per ley for malting, 36s to 40s per qr. ; grinding, 28s too r .24 30 stone. Oats, old, 28s to 30s ; new, 20s to 265 0 5 0 0 e. stone. Beans, old, 46s to 50s ; new, 40s to 44s per a° Peas, 35s to 398 per 36 stone. ABERDEEN—FEB. 2. sn d There was a fair attendance at our market to-utt4ero a considerable business done at late rates. Tho del l are only moderate. White wheat 40s Od to 45s'Od Red wheat 40 s Od t o 428 Od Potato oats 23s Od to 24s Od Common oats 22s Od to 22s 6d Bere 28s Sd to 29s Od . Barley 29s Od to 30s Od Oatmeal 17s 6d to 18s Od Flour, fine 37s Od to 38s Od 621 b 11 bushel. 5430 b 03 1 b 111 V bil lis sil ljc ei : boll of 14° b• 1 1 ,1 sack °i 2801 KIRKCALDY—FEB. 3. /A me st 1° Good supplies of wheat, barley, and oats. per qr cheaper ; barley 6d up ; oats at previous OW' Wheat. Barley. Oats. First...— 446 Od ' 31s Od t 2 3 s 6,1 458 Od I 326 6d 'As Third 478 Od 34s Od 251 6d COAL MARKET. Price per ton at the close of the market. 0. di s. d. Hetton N.Staffordshire Shaw's Hartley lll B B7 6 0 0 w8Hua1tdr1iyeera5wm01.e..5..t..u....a....r..t..i..0..y.... 1 06 7 7 3 00_ Holywell Mein l7 0 West Lambtou ......... 1 6 5 , West Hartley i , Tanfield Moor Butes 15 3 East Hartlepool ..... 15 7 Tees Ships at market, 70; sold, 42, Births. ro of 0. FOWEES.—On the sth inst., at Sydenham, the }lift R. G, Fkes, Esq., of a r. NEWLING.— ow On the 31st ult., th daug e wife of Mr. B. V -°vilius : RA o y f m l E 9 N 2, T ß .— is o h n op t s h g e at 2 e d , E ili e sz oaftaodaakufigehidterknuse, j",,00.00ar the wife of Edward Drury Rayment, of a son. M E sne s i Rgo Augustushnr E ct I lion. daughter —BROWNS: nL B .e n D m o ewae Denis osn E f rB . — i ei. theroo, w, E i l 1 the 3lst 1 t at D° v e r 7 11 of Marriages. Tire i a l `' t o p s ° q. joto county Mayo, Ireland, naastegne:ds-R°ograhanDldudaatiug'agij3nhi:°eerrwsn'°f 'tile WINKLEY—CRIPPEN.—On the 3d inst. at Se int -L ete : l Eaton-square, Frederick Augustus Akrinkley. -,,,;rie9 Peckham, to Ellen, second daughter of the late v'• Crippen, Esq., of Peckham, anastcheap D aaths. Ittte ls- COLLYER.—On the 4th inst ,at 13, Nelson-cresconf, To' gate, Joseph Collyer, Esq . , of 13, Bedford-01f77 don, and of Castlebury, near Ware, Hertel neLb.urne- DATIS.—On the 2d inst , at his residence, IA " — c i 75. street, Hyde-park-gardens, T. Davis, Esq., averrruize upp -. GR h E iI E I N , . I — sa o ac n G th r e ee 2 n d , inst. .; antgSedtaffsBo.rd Cottage, e • side nce MARKEY.—On the 4th in_ 2 st , at 'Wimbledon, at the l rector of of his son, the Rev. Wm. H. Markey, 13• P " re Duxford St. Peter, Cambs, aged 80. . u ...,.. 1g hfield, SimmoNs.—On the 4th bast his reside nce, Basingstoke, Charles Simmons,m. l'• _ sq ., aged a . "•1- __sel'us' Ws Torms,—On the 3d inst., at E dmonton/ aged y Hill 91. GlO ll- VIZARD.—On the 3d inst., at Ferne, cestershire, Henry Vizard , Esq., aged 90. Dursley, ws London : Printed and Published by WILLIAIIf .01911. 4% -of ) of No. 112, Strand , Printe r, at MB SUN 011 . 10 , 1. ,; Strand, in tits, Preeinot of the Savoy . In th e CO7n" Bliddleoex.,--Tuesclsy, February 6, Oa