The Sun. — London, England, 1864-04-15 00:00:00

LEPERIAL PARLIAMENT HOUSE OP LORDS—Last Evening. The LORD CHANCELLOR took his seat on the woolsack at the usual hour. _ _ PETITIONS. Lord DARNLEY presented a petition praying for an amendment of the Highway Act. PRIVATE BUSINESS. The following bills were read a second time:—Lea Bridge District Gas—Northiteet District Gas—Tunbridge Wells Gas—Huntingdon Cias—Ashton-under-Lyne--and Stalybridge Water. The following bills were read a third time and passed Shrewsbury Bridges—Llanelly Railway and Dock Com , parry—Newry and Gremore Railway—Southwark Park— Folkestone Water—Matlock Bath Water—Marple New Mills and Hayfield Junction Railway. SETTLED ESTATES ACT AMENDMENT BILL (IIAMPSTEAD-HEATH ENCLOSURE.) This bill passed through committee with amendments. VESTRY CESS ABOLITION (IRELAND) BILL. This bill passed through committee and was reported. PUNISHMENT OF RAPE BILL. Ou tho motion of the Marquis of WESTMEATH the holm went into committee on this bill. On clause 1, Lord WENSLEY DALE moved that instead of the word " may," the word "ahall" be inserted, in order to make the punishment of whipping compulsory, instead of optional. Lord RAVENSWORTH did not object to the punish• men.t of whipping in reference to other crimes, but as the crime of rape was seldom or ever committed with premedi tation, he did not think it would be advisable to resort to whipping as a part of the punishment. Lord CRANWO EtTH thought that whipping was a most undesirable punishment; but if it was to be resorted to, they ought to pass a general measure applying it at once in all the cases in which it appeared to he desirable, and not proceed to apply it to one case after another by piecemeal The Marquis of WESTMEATH supported the bill. The Earl of CARNARVON admitted the objections of piecemeal legislation, but said that, although this was not a satisfactory way of proceeding, it had become so much the habit of Parliament, that he did not think its adoption in the present instance was a valid objection to this bill. Prac tice had proved that the infliction of whipping had a power ful effect in darer ing from crime. He trimight this punish ment should also be inflicted in the case of an attempt to cemmit rape. After a conversation, in which the Lord Chancellor, Lord Cranworh, the Earl of Derby, and other peers took part, the amendment was adopted, and the clause as amended was agreed to.. The remaining clauses were agreed to. The Lill passed through committee, and the house resumed. The report on the Charitable Assurances Enrolments Bill was received. The Improvement of Laud Act, 1864, Bill was read a sound time. THE HIGHWAY ACT. Lord RE DF.SDALE presented a petition from the way %N.-arch-as and ratepayers of the Morpeth highway district, in the county of Northumberland, complaining of the size of the district, and the refusal of the justices to alter the same, and praying the house to adopt such measures for their re lief as might seem expedient. The noble lord also naked whether Government intended to propose any amendment of the Highways Act in the present session ? . . Lord (:T . aA:NVILLE was understood to reply in the negative. Earl GREY eaid that the Act was extremely defective, and required amendment. HICHAF,L DONEGAN, PATRICK DONEGAN, AND PATRICK EGAN. The Marquis of WESTMEA.TH moved for copies of certain correspondence relative to the pardon of three Irish convicts, named as above. Earl GRANNILLE consented that a portion of the cor re:Tondence should be produced. THE CHALMERS TARGET. The Earl of HARDWICKE presented a petition from Mr. James Chalmers, the inventor of a new mode of con strucion of ships of war. The petitioner camplained that the Board of Admiralty had long refused to try his inven tion—that his target was afterwards subjected .to a trial much more severo than had been applied to any other target —that it successfully stood this test ; that, nevertheless, the Board of Admiralty had declined to adopthls invention; that the Chief Constructor of the Navy had pirated its most important features, and had adopted them in the con struction of the Bellerophon; and that all compensation or reward had been refused him by the Board of Admiralty. The Duke of :iOIIERSE said that, although Mr. Chalmers' plan produced an excellent target, it was not applicable to:the construction of a ship. It was heavier than the Warrior target, it was more complicated, and it was users costly. Then it was very desirable that as much of the target as possible ebould contribute to the structural strenzta of the chip, Now, out of five parts of which the Warrior target consisted, only two did not so contribute ; but of the seven parts which composed Mr. Chalmers's tarat, four did not so contribute. He admitted that the Chalmers target had a greater power of resistance than the Warrior target; and on that ground the Admiralty had consented to pay the cost of its construction. But, as he had already said, it was not suited to the construction of ships of war. He denli'i that Mr. Chalmers's inv ntion had been pirated in the Bellerophon. The two targets were entirely different; and the latter contributed much more than the former to the structural strength of the ship. The test to which the Bellerophon target had been subjected at Shoeburynees was in many respects more severe than that to which Mr. Chalmers's h.d been exposed. Althou,;h Mr.:Chaliners's target was in some degree an improvement upon those which had preceded it, it was not much better than the Warrior target. He did nut desire to do injustice to any inventor, but the truth was that Mr. Chalmers's so called invention was not new, and was not suitable for application in the construction of a ship. Their lordships then adjourned. HOT.TSE OF COMMONS--Last Evening. The SPFAXER took the chair at four o'clock. PRIVATE BUSINESS. 13:1 following bills were read a third time and passed : Andover and Chilton Pond—Downs (the) Docks—Oke hamptou Railway—South Yorkshire Railway and River Dun Company—Stirling Water—Stockport District Water Taornset Road. THE MALT DUTY. A very large number of petitions was presentee in favour of the repeal of the malt duty. CANDIDATES FOR THE MEDICAL DEPART- MENT OF INDIA. Mr, BAZLEY asked the Secretary for India, how iDany candidates for employment in the medical depart ra,_nt for India were presented, and how many were the vacancies at the time of the competitive examination in January last, and again how many at the recent examine.- ? sir CHAS. WOOD said there had been no competitive examination for the department in question for the last three or four years. STREET DEALERS IN THE CITY OF LONDON. Mr. Alderman SA.LONIONS asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he had yet approved the pro posed bye-laws for the City of London, and especially if he intended to sanction bye-law No. 12, which virtually pro posed to withhold the common law right of way through the principal streets of the City from dealers in fruit, fish, and vegetables. Sir G. GREY said that these bye-laws had not yet been sanctioned, and he considered the question of such import ance that he had referred it to the law officers of the Crown. MEMBERS OF THE GENERAL HIGHWAY BOARD. Mr. R. LONG asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether Magistrates, resident in places which are exempted from the operation of the Highway Act, are or are not ex-officio members of the General Highway Board of the dimtrict in which they reside. Sir G. GREY replied in the negative. THE IRISH CONSTABULARY. Cap!. ARCHDALL asked the Chief Secretary for Ire. land it the Irish Government had directed the Inspector- G , neral of Constabulary to recall the instructions issued to the Police on the 27th of October, 1862, with reference to the Act 25 and 26 Vic., c. 114, and to issue fresh instruc *4l3 ia conformity with the provisions of the said act. Sir R. PEEL said the subject had been referred to the Irish Crown law officers.. LIGHTS FOR VESSELS. Mr. BBNTINCK asked the President of the Board of Trade Whether any penalty attached to vessels not carry ing the proper lights prescribed by the Merchant Seamen's .Act ; and if vessels infringing those regulations were sub ject to penalties, what those penalties wore, and what was the proper course to take for recovering them ? Mr. M. GIBSON said that, by the Merchant Seamen's Act, any infringement of th e regu l at i ons re l a ti ng t o th e . pl a cing of these lights vessels subjected parties so offend ing to ludic:LT:tent._ HARBOUR OF HOLYHEAD. Mr. STANLEY asked the President of the Board of Trade what steps wore being taken to mark more distinctly the Platter Rocks in the Refuge Harbour of Holyhead ? Mr. M. GIBSON said that buoys would be placed so as to mark distinctly the situation of these rocks, but there was no decision as to any plan respecting th e placing of l ights in the harbc.ur. VOLUNTEER DRILL INSTRUCTOIts. General BUCKLEY asked the Under Secretary of State fcrW4r whether it was in contemplation to provide the drill instructors of volunteer corps clothing and accoutre • meats in the same manner 33 if they were in a regiment of the line? Thelkiargois of HARTINGTON explained that if, in addition to the pay which these inspectors received, they were also to g e t c l ot hi ng, i t wou ld p l a ce them in a better position than serrauta of the regiments of the line, which was not intended. ELECTION DISTURBANCES AT LISBURN.. Nr. WHITESIDE adicd the Chief Secretary for Ire land, by whose directions, and whether upDn the recom mendation of any local magistrate, and whether upon any representations of breaches of the peace co ttted or apprehended, 150 additional police were recent :y dered to proceed to the town of Lisburn, and there to remain? Sir R. PEEL said that in consequence of the report of a magistrate of the neighbourhood it was 4pv t hended that political feeling was so strong in Liabura hat disturb ances would take place. This magistrate stated that there were placards posted in the town bearing the inscrip tion of "Verney for ever, and down with the petitioner," and that the town was paraded by persons with guns and sticks, and 107 policemen were sent to preserve order, a course which was approved by another magistrate in the neighbourhood. THE INCOME-TAX. HUBBA.RD asked the Chancellor of the Exche quer, whether he proposed to re-enact the income-tax as it stood at the close of 1863, or whether he proposed any, and if any, what, change in its provisions. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER answered the first part of the question in the affirmative, and the latter in the negative. THE DANISH QUESTION. In reply to Mr. B. OSBORNE, Mr. L &YARD said the French despatch on this subject was not officially communicated to the Government. THE MALT DUTY. On the motion for going into committee of ways and means, Colonel BARTTELOT moved that the consideration of the duties upon sugar be postponed until the house had the opportunity of considering the expediency of the reduction of the duty on malt. He contended that beer was an indispensable beverage to the agri• cultural labourer in this country, and that it was de sirable that a portion of the surplus revenue at the disposal of the Chancellor of the Exchequer should be applied to the remission of the malt duty. Mr. COBBETT seconded the motion, and argued that the duty on malt operated most injuriously on the agricul tural class, and in many cases led them into the consump tion of ardent spirits from being unable to obtain in many rural districts good beer. Mr. SURTEES also supported the motion, and as the representative of an agricultural district said that he had hoped the Chancellor of the Exchequer would have an nounced, in conformity with the wishes of the house, that he intended, at ail events, to make some reduction in the malt duty, and, that any future surplus of the revenue should be applied to its total abolition. (Hear, hear.) Mr. J. PEEL likewise supported the motion, pointing out the injurious effect of the Malt Tax upon the agricul ture of the country. Mr. STANH OPE undertook to show that, balancing the c aims of malt and sugar to the proportion of the surplus of V,570,000 proposed to be applied to the reduction of the sugar duties—namely, £l,33o,ooo—malt had a prior dorm, which he proceeded to demonstrate by deductions from a long array of figures, He shawed that the consumption of sugar had largely increased, proving that the duties were not burdensome, and he neutralised the argument that a reduction of the Malt Tax would be a greator boon to Eng land than to Scotland and Ireland by connecting that tax with the spirit duties, which operated in a contrary direc tion. Sir E. DERING said it was much to be regretted that a question of eo much importance as the Malt Tax should be presented in a shape whfch rendered it impossible to arrive at a satisfactory conclusion—namely, as a question of malt versus sugar, which brought into the field the great sugar interest. He supported the motion, but should have been bdttsr pleased it the issue had been raised simply upon the tax itself. Mr. BEACH, in supporting the motion, argued that the reduction of the malt tax would benefit both producer and consumer, and that its history showed that the increase of consumption had been checked by the oppressive character of the tax. Mr. ALCOCK advocated the entire repeal of the malt tax. Lord R. MONTAGU, in reply to Mr. Cobbett, observed that the reduction of the malt tax would not make the differ ence of a farthing in the price of a iot of beer, and that, in considering the labourer, his wife and family should not be forgotten, who had an interest in the cheapening of tea and sugar. He opposed the motion not only upon economical but upon moral grounds. He was no advocate of the malt tax, and if he saw his way to its repeal, he would vote for it; but when it was known that it could not be taken off, such a motion was not a fair one. Mr. P. URQUHAR t defended the reduction of the Sugar Duties ac a relief to a suffering interest. Colonel NORTH complained of some remarks of Lord R. Montagu. Mr. PUGH, tho:gh he looked forward to a repeal of the malt tax, could not support the present motion. Mr. 'WESTERN opposed the metier, beliLving that a reduction of one-fourth of the Malt Tax would be of no ad vantage to the agricultural interest. Lord INGESTRE cordially supported the motion. He thought the reduction of the malt tam would tend to im prove the quality of beer, and lessen the temptation to in dulge in ardent spirits, the incentive to vice and crime. Sir B. BRIDGES likewise supported the motion. Sir F. CROSSLEY disputed the assertion of Mr. Cob bett, that beer was a necessary of life to a lab,uring man. Mr. PACK E spoke shortly in favour of the motion. Mr. DU CANE did not quarrel with the principles of the Budget ; but the rule which should guide the house in the reduction of taxation was justice and fair play, and, it that principle were fairly carried out, the malt tax had a priorita• of claim for a reduction of duty over sugar. It was originally a war tax, and its reduction had been regarded as a complement of the repeal of the Corn Laws, and an essen tial part of the Free-trade movement. He disputed the in ference drawn by the Chancellor of the Exchequer from the price of barley, which he had assumed from that of the best barley ; but those who asked for a reduction of the malt tax were the growers of interior barley. The benefit to the farmer by the reduction of the tax would be great ; but it would be as nothing to that conferred upon the consumer. Ho ;:numeratEd the ingredients infused into the " villanous ?..ecoction" sold to labouring men in country beershops under the name of beer. He pointed out a fallacy in the argument of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, that the malt tax was only an English grievance, observing that all that was asked was that the malt tax might be put on the same footing as other branches of the revenue. Mr. COBDEN observed that there was no rule more deserving of attention by those who took charge cf questions in that house than that one question should not be brought into collision with another with which it has no connexion. Colonel Barttelot had not observed this rule, having blended together the two questions of the malt tax and the sugar duties, He should prefer abolishing the sugar duties. Sugar appealed to the sympathies of all—of working men, their wives, End children. He acknowledged his objections to the malt tax, which appealed to the Legislature in the interest of producer and consumer, and he thought there was good ground for asking a repeal of the tax as a com plement of the free-trade policy. If the tax was repealed, it did not follow that the consumption of malt would largely bkrease ; but other sources of revenue would becomo more productive without any greater consumption of intoxicating liquors. The expenditure might also be greatly reduced. Ile recommended Colonel Barttelot not to take the sense of the house on his motion, which would oblige him (Mn Cobden) and others, favourable to a reduction of the malt tax, to vote against it. After a few remarks by Mr. DARRO W in support of the motion, Mr. M. GIBSON complained that the resolution was vague and indefinite. He was no friend of the malt tax ; but when the house was asked to assent to the proposal to reduce the tax by one•quarter it should seriously consider whether the malt tax could be so dealt with advantageously. The loss of revenue by the proposed reduction of the sugar duties would be £1,330,000 ; but a reduction of one quarter of the malt tax would cause a loss of revenne in the present year of £1,880,000. Such a reduction in the tax would not cheapen beer, nor would it benefit the farmer. Sugar was more extensively used than beer ; it entered into the consumption of every family, and no article in our tariff was of greater commercial importance. He had no doubt that the house would support the proposal of the Government. Mr. BASS believed that the proposal to take off the war duties on eugar was generally approved. He suggested cer tain practical objeotions to a reduction instead of a repeal of the malt tax. Mr. BENTINCR suggested the difficulties with which this question was complicated. He considered the repeal of the malt tax was impossible without an entire revision of the whole system of our taxation, and especially of the un fair and onerous portion borne by th , , rural districts. Tho CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER, after a few preliminary observations, adverted to the bearing of the taxation of beer and ardent spirits upon the three kingdoms. It the mast tax was to be approached, it ought not to be approached, he said, in the manner proposed, by fractions, or withou►t considering its relations to the whole system of raxutton upon beverages. The question then before the house was a comparison between malt and sugar, and he believed that, had the Government given priority to malt, an outcry wouid hava been raised upon the opposite benches. The proposal they had made was dictated by sound policy, and he believed the house would support that proposal, which reduced the duties upon au article so intimately con- nected with the welfare and comfort of the people. Mr, DISRAELI cbsorved that the question had branched out into three distinct subjects—the c:zpediency of a total repeal of the malt tax, the remission of a part of the tax, and the engagement which Parliament had entered into with the country as to the remission of taxation geuerally. After brit fly discussing the first two subjects, he addressed himself to the last, which, he said, was the most important point that ought to govern the consideration of the house in this matter. He reviewed the circumstances under which the engagement had been entered into, and though he had not changed his opinion on the malt tax, insisted upon the duty of fulfiling that engagement with the country entered into at the period of the Crimean struggle, that the war duties should be remitted. Mr. MORRITT said, though he deprecated the manner in which the motion had been brought forward, he would never' heless back it. Upon a division, Colonel BARTTELOT'S resolution was negatived by 347 to 99. The house then went into a Committee of Ways and Means, when the several resolutions for giving effect to the propositions contained in the Budget were agreed to, after discussion, except that on the Fire Insnranc3 Duty. , . The Report of the Committee of Ways and Means was brought up and agreed to. The remaining orders and motions having been disposed of, the house adjourned at a quarter past 1 o'clock. THE SUN, LONDON, FRIDAY EVENING, APRIL 15, 1864. THE WAR IN DENMARK. (From the 2imes Special Correspondent with the Allied Armies.) BROACKER, April 10. At four o'clock this morning I was roused by the alarm bugle, and hurried out in full expectation that the Danes had tardily resolved to attack their enemy in the trenches—an attack which, were a little more audacity and dash combined with the numerous heroic qualities their friends attribute to them, they would long ago have made. It seemed unlikely, however, that, having neglected former opportunities, they would now attempt to carry out such a design. Batteries of rifled:guns and mortars were last night to be established behind the second parallel ; the work was doubtless done before the alarm was given, and the Dines would have met a warm reception. I hurried up to the church, how■ ever, to see in what direction the fighting was, but found such a dense fog—the continuation of one which lasted all yesterday—that I could not see A hundred yards ahead. No sounds of ear iion or musketry were audible, and soon I ' Learnt that al counter order had been given and saw the troops 'erg. The order to turn out returning to their quart ~me by telegraph from Graven was said to have c, stein, but wb ." - et occasioned it to be given I hav e n ot yet hee . - - ,a. The bombardment is expected to begin at nine o'clock this morning; and I am informed that 100 pieces of artillery, mortars, heavy siege guns, and rifled guns of various calibres up to 24- pounders, carrying steel-pointed shells upwards of 501 b. in weight, will then be in a position and playing upon the enemy in front and flank. I yesterday got a packet of English papers up to the 6th inst., this being the first time that a p.per has reached me here in due course of post, I per eeive that, as I expected, the bombardment of Sonderborg causes a strong sensation in Engin& which, if all its circumstances are as related by the Dinc.s, is not at all eurpris:ng. I wrote to you some time ago, just after the Prussians had thrown a few shells into the town to ascertain if they could reach it at will, that, when the assault on Duppel forts took place Sonderborg would be burnt down; and I still believe that it then was the intention to leave the place unmolested until that supreme act of the siege. What has induced departure from that decision lam unable to say. Bearing in mind that, after the Duppel position is taken the Dines have another strong one on the shores of Alsen Sund, it is quite conceivable that the attacking party . _ should desire to produce confusion and dismay, and, if necessary, convert retreat into rout by a conflag ration in the enemy's rear. But the object at the present time of so prolonged a bomb ,rdment as the telegrams from Uiltebol and Copenhagen announce to have taken place is to me a mystery. That the Prussians should have bombarded o❑ Saturday after noon and Sunday merning (the 2d and 3d inst.) is intelligible, Their object was to occupy the atten tion of the Dines on this side while they effected their crossing at Ballegaard. That they should have prolonged their fire against Sonderborg for 48 hours is inexplicable ; still more so that they should have done it (if this be true) without giving to the civil authorities of the place the notica customary in such cases. On this latter point I have no official infor mation, and I of course cannot venture to contradict the positive aLsertion from the other side on hearsay evidence. I believe nobody here was aware to what an extent the town had been bombarded, and at Flensburg the other day I heard the damage done estimated at some 20 houses burnt down. The firing is said to have been from more than one battery,and it is scarcely possible exactly to ascertain thenumber of shell used, but unless the Danes keep a regular register of the projectiles as they fall I cannot believe that. 1,500 were thrown. The estimate here is about one-sixth of that number. On Sunday morning the fire was seen from this side to break out in Sonderborg, The burning was in rear of the Schloss, generally known as the barracks. The vio lent gale which blew on that day probably pre vented the conflagration from extending itself to the upper and principal portion of the town. Tr, e fire seemed to commence with two or three houses visible at the west of the bsrracks, behind which large building it then spread, and its p'ogresscould ne traced ouly by the flames and smoke which the wind drifted away far to the south-east. A southerly wind would probably have reduced the greater part of the tow❑ to ashes. As it is, from the Observatory beyond the Gammeismark batteries, whence the best view of Sonderborg id obtained, no traces of the late disaster are to be detected, but gibe town appears just as usual. I am at present unable to explain or justify the bombardments of Frederick and Sonderborg, neither of which appears to have been a military necess'ey or to have yielded any advantage to the allies. After throwing shell for two days into Fre doricia, they suddenly left the vicinity of the place, drew back their outposts, headquarters came down to Flensburg, and the idea of taking the place seems entirely laid aside. As regards the bombardment of Sonderborg, the Prussians had a perfect right to proceed to it if they thought that thereby they should favour their attack on Duppol, deprive the enemy of resources, reduce him to shifts for shelter, and in other ways incommode and distress him. The objectionable part of the proceeding is the not having given notice of the intention, so as to en able the inhabitants to withdraw themselves and their property. The onus is of course upon the Prussian commanders to prove, if they can, that they did what is customary and right in such cases. If the shelling of Sonderborg, or at least its com mencement, was brought about by the desire to favour the projected crossing at Bsllegaard, it is a strong additional reason for regretting that the pro ject in question should ever have been conceived and attempted to be carried out. Thera seem now to be scarcely two opinions as to its rashness and impracticability. The unlucky egg had been, I sus pect, for some time hatching, but the most profound secrecy had been observed respecting it. On the afternoon of the 2d I was going down to Feneberg, and met, near Eckernsund, a staff officer of rank. He spoke about the bridges hard by, of which one had been taken up for repairs, and the other was to have been removed, but perhaps would be allowed to remain, as it seemed pretty strong. More t i p -,y artillery was expected up, and it was necessary to see to the strength of the bridges. This struck me as rather strange, as artillery usually comes up by the high road from Gravenstein, which, although longer, is far better adapted to the camp passage of guns than the narrow and often heavy country road from Treppe, by Eckernsund, to Broacker. A few hours later the second bridge was broken up and the pontoons were on their way to Ballegaard. But, secret though the plan was kept, the Danes were warned in time. I see in a telegram of the sth from Copenhagen the following piece of intelligence, A pontoon train has been seen near Ballegaard ;" nothing more. They are sly dogs, those Danes. They would have the Prussians believe this is all they know, and by feigning ignorance lure them to a second attempt, more disastrous perhaps than the first. I know, from sure authority, that, little more than 24 hours after the time the crossing was to have been tried, there were abundant indications on the Alen shore,—indications painly to be de tected through the glass from Ballegaard, that the Danes were completely on their guard, as I have little doubt that they equally were at the time the 20,000 men were there assmbled. There were look outs, chains of posts, and at the dour of one house sentries were posted, apparently indicating the presence of an officer of high rank. My belief is —and it is that of not a few others—that the Danes would desire no better than to see the Prussians attempt the crossing in quesiian. I remark some natural disgust among the Prus sian officers at the falsehoods propagated by the Danes with regard t o t h e con d uct o f t h e i r men in the field, of their refusing to go on, and of entreaties and blows being employed, but in vain, to induce them to advance against the enemy. When I first joined the headquarters of the Prussian army, somewhat against the wishes, as I believe, of its principal commanders, and by the authorisation of a Government the policy of which I had strenuously opposed, I felt that there was but one course for me to adopt in so peculiar and delicate a position, and that was to confine myself to the most strictly im partial narrative of that which I myself saw or fully , ascertained ; to exclude politics from my correspon dence ; and, while avoiding that partisanship into which it is net difficult to be led by good will towards those with whom one daily associates, to render full justice to the army with which I lived. And this is what I have done, or at least striven to do; and I think those would be mistaken who should imagine they detected a bias in my correspondence. I could cite the names of other foreigners, now at tached in one capacity or other to the Prussian army, who, like myself, have heard with regret and disappro valhundreds unscrupulous of f h t disciplineo e s f e iu x r e attempted tongues sto taken c ea a en s ap t n announced teie enh : (o:sy: order of General Gableez—an officer echuse gentle ness and kindness of heart exe w e ll k nown as hi s brillian th t gallantry in to make the Pressiansoldier appear as a coward, deaf to his officer's ve' eice, and on whom blows are well bestowed • makine• ' out have little effect in the way of elm advance against an enemy. I can assure J on that these young sojdiers need no such stimu lus. They are obedient, well disposed, and coura geous, and an excellent spirit pervades them. They are cheerful—a quiet gaiety, not noisy and obstrepe rous—and I have never heard them repine under any fatigue, hardship, or privation. I should be surprised if proof could be given of an instance in which they did not readily follow their officers but needed driv ing on, As to the story of their being beaten to induce them to advance, none acquainted with the usages and system of the Prussian army of the pre sent day will think it worth refuting. The great fault of the Prussian soldier is his youth, which dis qualifies him for the fatigues of a long and severe campaign. In this army there is a leaven of older men, taken from the reserve ; but they are only a small minority, or rather a fraction. Most of the others aro mere boys. The Guards are, perhaps, the least adapted of any to bear toil and hardship. Yuu are aware that the Prussian conscripts are sifted in their respective provinces, where those who pass through remain in the line regiments, white the big residue found in the sieve are sent up to Beriin for the Guards, in w hose ranks are thus assembled all the tallest men in the country. But as such men require m ire time to become formed and set and strong than smaller men do, I take the Guards to be the regiments which have the least stamina and which would soonest break down, They are fthl of big beardless youtha. Some of the light infantry battalions, the Jagers, composed of small men, although of much the same age, are more compact in build, manly-looking, and capable of resisting hardship. The Guards are very good for a " spurt." I am told that, coming down from Jutland, some of their battalions m arched 15 German miles in 2 days. A vary good trait in the character of the Prussian soldiers is their kind treatment of their prisoners, which I have had repeated opportunities of observ ing; and even after death they show them the re spect which brave men owe to each other. In West Duppel churchyard is a cross bearing the inscription " Here lie 25 brave Danes, who died the hero's death on the 17th of February, 1864." The cross and inscription were placed there by the soldiers of Gen. von Raeder's brigade, who buried the Ames after the sharp fight on the above date. They needed no prompting to pay this homage to the memory of a gallant toe. 1 r. al. The bombardment began at half past 10 o'cwck thip morning, and I have just returned from observing it, from a height near the Yenning Bund, wt ence, in clear weather, every shot fired at the first seven forts can be noted, as well as its effect. But, although the dense mist which lay over the country this morning has partly cleared away, the air is damp and heavy and no breath of wind is felt, so that 'the smoke, instead of rising and drifting away, spreads over the earth and there lingers. masking much of the view. The fire is general and heavy. lam told that 96 guns are at work to-day, and judging from what I saw and heard I should not think the estimate exaggerated. There are the mor tar batteries, erected last night without opposition from the Danes, the rifled guns in both parallels, the Gammelsmark batteries, threeothers on thesame line (part of the fl ink fire) but within theVenning Bond, a twelve-pounder battery to the right of the Ruhenberg, and a 24-pounder battery on the high bank at the innermost corner o' the Bend. Thie• lest is for the Rolle Krake, should she come, which t)-day she does not seem inclined to do, but lies out at a considerable distance from the entrance el that inlet. It is reported that she went towards Eckernsund early this morning and was fired at by the Alnoer batteries; but I know nothing of the truth of this. Besides the batteries enumerated and which were known, and some of them neat to me, I could discern the smoke of others away towards the left, which the inequalities of the ground concealed from me. The fire was very steady, and at times, when the smoke lifted a little, one could plainly see the shells end bombs plunging into Forts 1,2, and 3, which, if anything can dilapidate them, must be pretty well knocked about by this time, The Danes fired very little from those forts, if at all. I sometimes thought I discerned the smoke of a gun rising from one of them, but the view was so indistinct, owing to the clouds of smoke and dust, that I could not be sure it wee not the oursting of a Prussian shell. I certainly did not see any Danish shells burst on this side, and as they are apt to do so in a conspicuous manner, high in the air, I almost doubt whether any were fired, at least against the Prussian right. So, perhaps,, the Danes continue their old tactics of shutting themselves up in their bombproofs and leaving the Prussians to blaze away to their heart's content. Liter in the day we may hear something of the effects of the cannonade, but as I have to send my letter into Gravenstein, whence the post departs at half-past three, I must conclude. REUTER'S EXPRESS• The latest reports I, A l p in r i i s l t l ry l. of War were as follow : PubCh°sPaEedNribAyLE: " April 9. " Advicts from headquarters state that the vehe mence of the enemy's fire yesterday (Friday) was very great. From the Broager batteries alone, whin!: had remounted new guns, 1,150 shots were fired in the course of the day, while the far more vehement fire in the front could not be kept under. The enemy's parallels and batteries were advanced yes terday to within 600 paces of our left wing, and occupied by a strength of 1,000 men, notwithstand ing our energetic fire. Part of Ragebo: (Rackebull) was set on fire by our projectiles. Nearly 70 wounded were brought in. Th e bombardment of Sonderborg was continued last night, but the fire was weak. "April 10. Duppel position and weaker than usual of "Tice‘hetown m o b f a r s d o oa l d e n e r t b o o f rg t hseii as t 3 yesterday, but shells were thro wn u p on the g roun d in rear of the position. Twen ty-two brought i n to ho s pital, the majority, however, only slightly hurt. " April 10, Noon. "Advices from headquarters announce that yes. terday and to-day (Saturday and Sunday) thick fog has covered the ground in front of the pc:lßit ion. The enemy has probably availed himself of it to extend his works. After ft weak bombardment during the night fire reopened at 10 this morning with great vehemence, being spc,cially directed to the ground in rear of the works. OJcasional shells still fall into Sonderborg, but the flames they kindle arc im mediately extinguished. "April 11. "The heavy fire of the enemy wa s k e pt up all yesterday t: itil 7 p.m. Our loss in wounded is, how- ever, only 20 men. Duppel windmill was burnt down. DANISH ADDRESS TO ITALY. A very large pubic meeting, under the manage ment of respectable persons of every class, was held here on SAturday eN ening, at which the following address to the Italian people was proposed and unanimously adopted:— " Italian Brothcr;!—A fewyens only him elapsed since you, the noble people of Italy, made a gigantic step in advance towards the sacred end of unity and civil freedom. The sighs which resounded from your beautiful country over the entire universe and deeilly moved all free nations were replaced by ierleiliarib. able exultation at the elven n v r regeneration, the most splendid achievement of the century. You now stand equipped, strong through concord, free dom, and dominion over a great country, calmly and courageously awaiting the future ) which tnay per haps soon lead you to new batticb and victories. " When you recently lcught heroically for your selves by tho side of the French, you fought at the same time the battle of freedom, of civilisation, and of humanity fgt every people that, like yourselves, h"° suffered under the national arrogance and detes tation of liberty manifested by German powers. But, Italians, many of your countrymen stand now in the Austt lin ranks, side by side with Poles, Magyars, and Czochs, fighting for a cause alike hateful to you and to us. This feet hasfiiled our hearts with sorrow. Hundreds of Venetians have fallen in battle or have succumbt d to the hardships of a winter campaign in our rigorous climate, and yet we have no quarrel with you. The nation situated between us—a nation greedy of conquest and hostile to liberty—is your enemy and ours. Recently it wea you who waged war against this people to free a portion of your country from its domination. Its arrogance then was humbled ; it was pressed back within narrower fron tiers, and compelled to accede to a degrading peace. It is now our turn—a small nation hardly a tenth part as numerous as yours—to maintain a life and death struggle against this same enemy. He sends out his hordes upon a foray against us, and relying upon the circumstance that a number of Germans have immi grated into Schleswig and have been hospitably re ceived, supports Germany in her attempt to gain possession of this ancient Danish freedom. He desires to rob us of our nationality and our civil freedom, which areour strength and our pride. He endeavours to gain sa isf-...ction from little Denmark for the humiliation 30l have inflicted upon tin, and to re o. er Lola us the acre s v, Oa from him by 3 0,/r eroisrn. I sali ter evt erience • hat the peop . es of Entope dvdet ei fo ces he:k t)1€1 endeavour sng), ea h nation ro. •I f, 0 tesist opp ess n a•.d wro, g. It is a b tter experience hat Powers who abtor fre:eoaa c],nn ngiy know how to over throw their opp tc enti singly, ayr.Alit g t hem teyes of or.e c .nqae , ed nation t t enclave en t' e-. " Italian ! yo it cause 's s tcrel a. d will s. m day prevail. You comma' d ri,sour,u,s c n Inca cure thetnte:vf s with those of Vie o temy. Our cause too is holy ; we fig'it, fur our lives and our hopes, and, although in spire of the enormous supesicr:ty of the enemy we are not by any means vanquished, a heavy bu, dea Te ti upon our t h tuld ,, rs. The por tion of our country adjoining Germany is overrun by the Enemy, and we stand alone—alone ag, i :st two a :11-3 first military powers of Euri R. , . We are unable to expel them from the peninsula. I-, is true that we are still mere than a match for the enemy at sea, and can inflict on them sensible losses n that elemrnt ; but even these will be lessened It Austria should find herself able to despatei a large division of her fleet from your waters, manned by your seamen, to walch our coasts. " If wa are still compelled to stsnd alone in futu-e, we must ultimately succumb. Victory shall oust the enemy dear, if he attain it; and m,ny more will follow those who have already met 'heir death upon the la t'efif-lds of Schleswig and Ju , land. But, Itaiian brothers! if German is now permitted to vanquish us, yJu will have boat an ally who labours for toe same object as your moyes, who fights for freedom, tor right, for coun try, and for honour. " We send you our greeting in fraternal affection," Progress of the Thames Embankment. A sub-committee of the Board of Works, from the grand committee, under whose supervision and control the exten sive works intended to form the northern embankmont of the Thames is confi led,with their engineer, Mr. Bazalgette, a few days sinco, inspected tae rks at Westminster-bridge, and the several points on the line eastward, where large bodies of men, under the direction of the contractors, Messrs. Furness and Ritson, are employed in the prelimi nary arrangements for the construction of the new em bankment and street from Westminster to Blackfriars bridge, and thence to the Mansion-house. Subjoined we furnish an account of the present state of the works, and also an outline of those connected with this great project:-- The contract numbered " 1" in the working drawings is being carried out under the superintendence of Mr. Lovick, one of the engineers of the board, the contractor being Mr. George Fume ae, and tho amount of the contract £510,000. This portion of the embankment extends from Westmin ster to Waterloo-bridges, and about 250 ft eas•avard. thereof. It is 3,710 ft in I,ngt la, and will consist of a main brick embankment or retaining wall, faced with granite and backed with concrete. At the back of this wall ono of the main drainage sewers, called the "low level sewer," is to be con atructed of a circular form varying from 7ft Din to Bft Sin in diameter. With this sewer the following will be connected, and consequently intercepted from discharging sewage into the Thames, namely, the Northumberland-street sewer, the Victoria -street sewer, that of Regent-street, and the Savoy -street sewer, weirs, or safety channels in large cham bers will be attached to the main sewer for the purpose of letting off into the Thames the flood waters in periods of storm. On the top of the low level sewer, a subway (for gas and water pipes, &c.) 7ft Sin high, by 9ft wide, will be built. Steamboat piers will also be constructed. That at Westminster-bridge will be about 300 ft in length; that at fluagerford 509, and that at Waterloo 480 ft. The cele brate d" watergate" erected by ledge Jones, and at the pre sent time standing at the bottom of Buckingham-street, will be carefully removed and re-erected opposite to Whitehall gardens. It will be thoroughly renovated and restored, and sustained upon an arch and wall of rusticated work, and forming landing stairs; the improvements and alterations being from the designs of tbe chief engineer of the Board of Works, Mr. BazalgAtte. The whole work of the line of embankment will be formed with 'wrought iron caissons, the main caissons immediately facing the river b big about 12ft long and 7ft wide, their form being elliptical. These main caissons will be sunk through all the superficial strata into the London clay. One of these caissons has been sunken already to a depth of about 36ft below Trinity high-water mark, and they wtll continue to be lowered along the line as rapidly as possible. The pre liminary works of pile-driving for guides for the eaia sons, for jetties, landing places, travelling cranes, steam pumping, and engineer's work in general, have at the western end of the embankment been some time in hand, and are in several instances completed. Of coarse these are but, temporary works, intended to endure only until the completion of each section of the intended structure, but hey are the essentially necessary extension parts of a work of this vast and complex character, whilst they necessarily consume much of the time permitted for the completion of the work itself as a whole. The pile driving in the No. 1 contract commenced in December last, and has been actively proceeded with since ; and the "filling in" of the wharves, &c., has boon going on with rapidity, and along a considerable extent of frontage for some time. The formal order to Mr. Furness, the con tractor, was delayed in consequence of the difficulty expe rienced in obtaining possession of the wharves, and even up to the present time only a few of those required have been obtained, The order alluded to was given on the 16th Feb. last. Mr. Furness is the same contractor who has so suc cessfully carried out the northern outfall main drainage sewer and the northern reservoirs for the Metropolitan Board. The time allowed for the completion of this branch of the work it three years only. The contract No. 2 is under the engineering superintend ence of Mr. Cooper, the contractor being Mr. Kitson. It was let on the 18th i iecember last, the amount being £229,000. This pet tion of the great whole extends from and eastward of No. 1, already described, to the eastern end of the gardens of the Inner Temple. It is in length about 1,970 feet, of similar construction, and will have a steamboat pier and landing stairs at Essex -street. Both contracts have intsr • cepting sewers formed in and under the foreshore of the river for the purpose of taking the collateral sewers and drains which at present discharge their contents along the shore, much to the annoyance of the nearer residents and the thousands who are conveyed by steamboats, &c., along the river, The preliminary arrangements in the case of No. 2 contract are not so far advanced as in that of No. 1, but the pile driving and filling in has commenced, and is being vigorously proceeded with. The contract No. Zis not yet settled. This portion will join that of No. 2 at Temple -gardens, and pass along east ward to Chatham-place, Blacktriare, and join the new street leading to the Mansien-house, but its exact line has not y t been agreed upon, nor has it yet been determined whether the under eurface of the embankment and new street is to be used for railway purposes, these propositions still waiting the final decision of Parliament Persons who have been in the habit of paving weekly as borrowers of Sewing Machines will do well to apply at once and become members of Messrs. Watts and Co.'s Sewiug Machine Clubs. By so doing they will not only save the money they now foolishly throw away, but at the same time secure to themselves the possession of one of the best and most celebrated sewing machin,B in the world. Every in formation given on application; or by letter addressed, with a stamped envelope, to Messrs. Watts and Co., 12, tieaufort buildings, Strand, London, W.C., where men , rs are en oiled daily between 10 and 4 ; Saturdays, 10 anCk. SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS. TIMES.—Those who have followed the operatiors of the Schleswig campaign .i are ewers) that tne siege of Debeel bein . g . preesto with increasing vigour by the Prussians, and that in a few days it is likely that a general assault will be made. The telegraph informs us that firing has begun from the third parallel. Our correspondent, writing nearly a week ago, speak§ of the terrific fire which the Prussians were paring in. The shot and shell thrown by them averaged ten in the minute, thus re calling the hottest days of the siege of Sebas topol. It is not matter for wonder that the Prussians should thus bring all their strength to bear on the Danish positions. The war has been throughout one for reputation and influence, and the Prussian Government thinks its honour and its position in Germany involved in success against these obstinate Northmen. Unhappily the former actions did not give its soldiers the opportunity of distinguishing themselves ; the Austrians carried off the chief credit of these encounters, and the fiercer rivalry which subsists between Prussians and Danes forbids the former to refrain from the con flict without h sving inflicted on their enemies a signal defeat. On the other hand, the Danes are as obstinate as ever. They have suffered and are suffering mueh. The enemy vastly outnumbers them. They have fewer in their camp. They are exposed to the inclemencies of the weather far more than their enemy, because the smallness of their numbers makes their work more incessant. "The Danish army," says our correspondent, " begins to suffer from over-exertion nearly as much as it did when it was deemed expedient to remove it from the Dsnnewerk." And yet there is not the smallest inclination to yield. The Copenhagen Government would probably not allow another re treat. In spite of the 11 betieries from which the Germans are pouring in their shells continually, in spite of a numerous enemy ever threatening an attack, the Danes are apparently determined to hold out to the last. The enthusiasm of the nation, the pride of the soldiers, the conviction that in fighting for Schleswig they are fighting for a province essen tial to the very existence of the monarchy, inspire them to bear up under all the ills which exhaustion, atckness, and the sword of the enemy are bringing upon them. If there were no Conference in prospect ; if there were no public opinion in Europe; if there were no rival Austrians looking upon the Prussian soldier; if there were no France with its immense armaments and its uncertain policy ; if there were no tear of continuing_ too long the anxieties raised by this struggle , the Prussians might h(• content to pro long the siege and wear out the Danes by the slow process which is now going on at Dybbol. But there is reason to believe that a bolder and more adventurous style of warfare will be, attempted. It is desired to waster the Danish positions before the Representatives in the coming Conference can meet and give utterance to the opinions on the war which are held by all neutral nations. B.d as the matter is now, gratuitous as is the slaughter, it would be worse if the Prussians were to be pouring shells among the army of a Power with which their Go vernment was engaged in negotiations. We cannot but think, therefore, that the vigour with which the siege has been pressed during the last fortnight ht tokens that an assault will be made on the whole Danish position within a few days. If this be so, we may expect the most bloody battle of the war to ensue. fhe D :nes are inferior in number to their adversaries, but in case of an assault they would be fighting behind !heir own works, in a position they have been strengthening for weeks, and they would be roused to the greatest efforts by the belief that a signal repulse of the enemy would restore their own reputation, stained by their retreat from the D innewerk—and that it might possibly lead to the intervention of other Powers. It is is painful thought that at any hour we may bear of a sangui nary conflict, entirely useless, only engaged in to satisfy the miserable point of honour, and certain not on!y to cause untold human stiff , ring, but to en genthr hatreds which wili survive for years, and perhaps nullity all the labours of the coming Confer ence. Is it impassible, than, even at this hoar, to prevail oil these beliigerentsto consent to an armis ? Surely enough has been done for honour and military reputationiand the nem.nds of the German people ? Tee D ieieei have proved the sturdy valour ol• tt eir race; every one who has seen their army agrees that it is composed of men whom any nation might be proud to match in the field. If they sheathe the sword to-day, they are certain of the respect of Europe for the gallant manner in which they have made their stand against the great armies of Germany. We say this because the objec tions to the armistice were at first very strong on the part of Denmark, from the belief that its army had a certain part of its renown to recover by a further resistance. But it is, of course, with the Germans that the decision must really rest. The Danes are on the defensive, and will not stir out of Dt bbol. lf, then, the Prussians will simply withhold their fire for a few days, until the Con ference meets and the Representatives agree, if possible, on some preliminary principles, an artnis .ice will be aclAially established, and all that the Mends of humanity can &sire will be acc(m plisherl. We e , cnnot hut hope that the Prussian and Aumtri in Goverornews will refrain from pr. s in, no th,se bootless operations. Can Prussia ppoSP tint any reel reputation, any permanent credit in history, wili be gaited by driving the Danes across the Sound into Aisn? The neighbours of Prussia know what her military resources are ; she his shown that her regiments are brave, well com- manded, excellently armed, and that she possesses an artillery hi:zhly creditable to the military admini'- tration of Mrlin, What more can the Prussians desire ? if ever a time comes for them to measure themselves with any great Power of Europe, their enemy will judge their strength by his own observa tion of the efficiency of their armies, and not by any remembrance of their having, after grievous losses, stormed the works of Dybbol. Lord Ciarendon is now in Paris, communinitmg with the Fiench Go v , rnment on these Danish questions. As a member of the Cabinet, he is able to speak with authority, and the object of his mission is to unite the two Go. vernments by a clear uncerstanoing of each other's views before the conference meets. The postpone ment from the 12th to the 20th wes at the request of Prussia and Austria, in order that the Federal that mi4lat be able to choose its representative. Althougn this delay may possibly be the cause of bloodshed at the seat of war, it has had the good ffect of enabling the two Governments to commu nicste orally by means of a member of 'she Cabinet accustomed to diplomacy and to foreign Courts. Every friend of peace will hope that Lord Claren don will be able to induce the Emperor to join this country in placing before the German Powers a se Led scheme for the reconstitution of the D3Dish monarchy, and urging it upon their acceptance. But a scarcely less desirable result of the mission would be the establishment of an armistice, either formally by agreement between the belligerents, or practically by the cessation of the Prussian fire. It Lord Clarendon can prevail on the Emperor to urge this humane proceeding on the Prussian Govern ment, the Conference will meet with better chances of success, and the questions may be clt bated with more deliberation, than if Germans and Danes were destroying each other in a useless siege. POST.—The House of Commons, by a majority of three hundred and forty-seven against ninety-nine, have decided on the expediency of remitting the dwy on sugar in preference to that upon malt. The rival claims advanced on the part of these com modities to a remission of taxation in many re spects resembled those put forward three years ago on behalf of paper and tea respectisely. At that time it was urged that, in the interests of the labouring classes, the surplus at the disposal of the Chancellor of the Exchequer should be made available for the reduction of the impost on a com modity which had b. come a necessary of life ; and n iw, curiously enough, those who are opposed to Mr. Gladstone's pres-nt scheme adopted a similar line of argument when they demanded are. mission of the tax upon malt in preference to a re duction of that upon sugar. It was comparatively easy to demonstrate, three years sinc , ,, that the labouring classes needed cheap ford more than they did cheap literature; but, last evening, those who supported Col. Barttelot's resolution found them selves obliged to contend that beer was to the work iog man even more necessary than sugar. In an other particular the !opponents of the Government . laboured under a greater disadvantage than they did on the occasion of the memorable contest of paper versus tea. The available surplus at that time in the hands of the Chancellor of the Exchequer would have been equally exhausted had the counter pro onsition of the Oppositiou been accepted ; whereas, in the present instance, the advocates of a repeal in the malt tax would scarcely have been contented unless such a reduction were sff-cted as would hive absorbed a much larger portion of the existing sur plus then could have been fairly appropriated to it, regard being had to other claims the sufficiency of which is universally acknowledged. It is manifest that in all questions of remission of taxation there are two points essentially distinct from each other which must be taken into consideration. The one: is the extent of benefit conferred upon the com,mu nity, and the other the effect produced upon the Exchequer. Now, it is not too much to say that the latter of these was entirely ignored by those speakers last night who advocated the remission of the duty upon malt. It was asserted, indeed, by Colonel Barttelor, and those who supported his re solution, that in the case of malt, es in that of other commodities upon which taxation has been remitted, increased consumption would in time replenish the Exchequer to the extent of its immediate loss. that assertion wa s su pp or ted solely by empty sur mises) which the experience of the past must cam% pel us to distrust. It is easy to show that, CO' tently with that commercial policy which has Dov r for several years been successfully prosecuted be this country, the malt tax should, if rapealed ; and that argument would possess great_ weight if malt was tho sole commodity which wag similarly circumstanced. tilt howelrer may be the task, we are now compelled to de cid! between two imposts, both of them heavy . , l l ' e- a both of them affecting seriously the price possible, articles of daily consumption in the homes of the t labouring classes. The malt tax, Colonel Barttelo urges, has been condemned for many years pu t, , and the authority of Sir Robert Peel w as cited by the gallant member to stow that on the repeat of the corn laws that tax should have b ee n re mitted. But on the opposite side the Chancellor of the Exchequer, as guardian of the publi c p arse, when malsiug his financial statement, pointed out that altnough in the veer 1829 the beer duty was repealed, and the malt tax practically lesse ne half, still, during the time which has since elapsed, that impost had never realised within one quarter of the total proceeds of the combined tries pre' viously. If, therefore, within a period of five.o° d " thirty years the Exchequer has not recovered the loss infhoted by the remission of the beer duty, on e is justified in doubting the soundness of the Do" elusions of these who confidently declare that although a remission of one half of the existing tag, would diminish the revenue to the extent 01 £3,000,000, yet the greater portion of that 1 09 would speedily be compensated by the greatly in creased consumption of a commodity whose pri ce i would by this means be considerably cheap en "' Mr. Cobden placed the matter in its true light when he said that it was a short-sighted policy to r a ' s° an antagonism between malt and sugar. So ioai 41 taxation exists there must be certain classes tat the community, whether producers, traders, O r CO sumers, who will conceive themselves more hardly dealt with than others by the imposition of certain burdens. But this arises from the necessil things, and under any financial system, however impartially conducted, is inevitable. Wnen ea opportunity presents itself for the remission of tale' non, each particular class will conceive that its claims to obtain a boon which cannot be granted to all are paramount; and hence discussion such 5 that in which the House of Commons was engaged last evening can occasion no surprise. But the Government is compelled to act upon broad general principles, and, when enabled to release the taxpaye r tram a portion of his burden, mast not look to the interests of isolalted sections of the comnanDitit hut to the common good of all. Nor can 11 , Minster of Finance lose sight of the demands 0' the State, and the necessity of maintaining at fitting' standard the revenues of the country. Speelv ing generally, it may be said that in the remission of taxation the -souadest policy is to diminish the imposts upon those articles which are most !argil consumed, and which there is the greatest reason to believe will, through increased consumption, ult i° matey compensate the State for a present abancon• went of revenue. Viewed thus, there can exist Do doubt in the mind of a dispassionate inquirer that the Government exercised a sound discretion i° proposing a remission of the duty on sugar in pre: ferenco to that upon malt. The statistics of the pa" few years have shown that whilst the consuniptl °r/ of the latter commodity has been co mparativelY, stationary, that of the former has progressively 50 ' vastly increased. The reduction of the duty 0 ° sugar malt, however, have the effect of still farther increasing the consumption of that article, and tb° s recouping the revenue a large portion of its inorDe: diate icss. That the same result would have followe d on the remission of the malt tax is extremely pro' bletnatical. The immense majority by wbich th e House of Commons decided in favour of the Govern meat proposal proves, if proof were necessary, b Oll thoroughly satisfied the country is with that system of finance which has produced the astonisbia results that, a week since, the Ctiancellor of the Exchequer was enabled to publish to the word. COUNTRY MARKETS. -- BIRMINGHAM—THURSDAY. Thera was a large supply of wheat to-day, and Englis h sorts met a dull sale, at is per qr decline on previous quo" rations. Foreign wheat is 6d cheaper. Barley unaltered. Oats rather advanced iu price. Beans and peas ruled grtc?. —English wheat was sold at 40s to 4 5 s for white, and 36'1 to 438 per 36 stone for red. Barley, new malting, 30s to 388 per qr; grinding, 24s to 28s Oats, old, 22s to 3 05 per 30 stone ; Irish, 18s to 245. Beans, 34s to 40s per V' Peas, 32s to 42s per 36 stone. BURTON• ON• TR; A fair shuw of grain at our changed Old white wheat..4ss to 47s New do. . 44s to 47s Malting. barley....33s to 37s Grinding d0.....28s to 30s EN r—THrEsDAy. market, and prices were tire O'd red wheat, , 40s to 43g New do. 3Bs to 420 I Oath Beans 3Gs to 415 MANCHESTER—TnunsnAv. A very limited attendance at our market to-day, end English wheat met with a dull sale, at 6d to Is per quarter lower, while toreign was alcred at 2d to 3d per cental de' cline without leading to business. Flour a very slow over and 6d per sack lower in prices. Oats and oatmeal mere dull, at abow former rates. English beans 6d per q uarter hightr in value, but Egyptian were unaltered. Indian con was the turn in favour of buyers. BRISTOL—THURSDAY. English wheat iu tuuderare supply this morning, And At about, the currency of this clay week. Foreign met with au exceedingly slow demand. Fine malting bath) , a ste94 s.tle ; grinding sorts in limited sale, and d e cli n ing in pric e. Oats scarce, and late prices were maintained. For malts very little inquiry. EDINBURGH GRAIN—APRIL 13. To. day there was a fair supply of wheat, which suet slow sale at abut last week's prices. Wheat on the top 2s 6d down ..average is 10d doscrl' Barley on the top 2s Od down average le Id dowil. Oats on the top 180 d down average Os 6d up. Beans on the top 2s Cd dcwa average Us 2d up. Aver age Prices. Wheat.. Barley 3Us I Id 1 Beans Ns Total Supply and Sales. Wheat ... 920 qrs Sold 519 qrs 8ar1ey........ 1112 qrs Sold 529 qrs Oats Beans 391 qrs Sold 437 qrs „,, Flour sells as follows :—Whites, 39s Od ; extras, 378 Od, superfine, 35s Od ; fine, 33s Od. Foreign Mail Packet List. MAILS I) Il E. Australia and Mauritius, via Southampton ..April 1 6 " via Marseilles May 13 * .3razil and Cape Verds, by British packet. Mav 4. Cape of Good Hope, Ascension, and St. Helena April 29° China, Penang, and Singapore, via Southampton. April ,; via Marseilles April u' Falkland Islands Gibraltar, via Southampton .. India (Calcutta), and Ceylon, via Southampton April 113* via Ithirseilles April .!.,.. India (Bombay), via Southampton via Marseilles April , ° Portugal.... Nay ;ialta, Egypt, and Aden, via Southaniptou April d ig '2l via Marseilles Arn 4.. Newfoundland Oporto and Vigo U. 6. and British N. America, ty Brit. packet.... April 1 3 ' by U.S. packet.... by Canadian pack e t.Apr l i " 15 W.C. of Africa, Madeira, and Teneriile .. .. April -"" Bahamas, via New York .... MO 5 .,a 'slexico. All parts of West Indies, including Chili, Peru, 1,, 128 California. and British Columbia i .a.pri [ADVERTISEMENT ]—Holloway's Ointment is a Worcr, fut rauetly for bad 1 , -.gs, whether caused by external r ° _ fence or resulting from cold, erysipelas, varicose v eins t! gdut, or rheumatism. The deepest ulcerations of the ° yield to the powers of this unguent with the same reactor, floss and the same certainty as the simplest s cratch. slightest ibflammation or the skin. The heat and stnart!pb of scalds and burns are checked at once by this soothin,go applic,tiou, and the progress of the cure, to the suffe 7 e r aBtonishrneLit and delight, proceeds in its painful court; This important fact should induce every nne having . t s , charge of children always to keep this pin-saving app lic, B tion within reach. liolloway'e Oietment will spare "` child torture and the mother anxiety. Births. ELPRINSTONE.—On the 13th inst., at 46, CadogairP la r t : ale wile of Howard. Warburton Elphinstone, 113 ' daughter. HAZELDINE. 7 0a the 13th inst., at Oaklands, Gods"leP the wile ot G. J. Han(dine, of a daughter. MARSHALL—On the 13,h inst ,at 19, Leinster-ga rd e Hyde-park, the wife of W. J. Marshall, DST , daughter. Marriages. FRYER—SKEET.—On the 14th inst., at St. Saviour% l ' i , ° B ; dington, Christopher, eldest son of the late Cbxiat °l9 ,7,4 Fryer, E=q., of Chancery-lane, to Jane Catherine. aec7t. daughter of the late Robert Skeet, Esq., of W inu6- terrace, Maida-hill. TURNER—GARNETT.—On the 14th inst.. at St. J , til ies i ° :• Piccadilly, Wituam Turner, E-q., of • CheltenliaN, Louisa Carteretta, youngest daughter of the late Rev. T. Garnett, ALA. Deaths. # et• BEVAN.—On the 12th inst., at Lower Calthorpetrof4. Edward Bevan, late of Mford-wharf, S tr and, age" ELLICE.—On the 13th inst., at Edinburgh, liatberine Gordon Ellice, the wife of Edward Ellice, E , Gl.t 14 ' EIOLMES.—On the 13th inst., at 17, Lanark villas, gal - 3 vale, Eiward Holmes, Esq., late of Rot terdam, ag° 83. PERFECT —On the 13th inst., at Hammersmith, TL1°131134 W, C. Perfect, Esq., M.R.C.S., aged 88. w. StsPl e° ' STAPLES.—On the 12th inst., suddenly , Esq., of Knight's-hill, Norwood, aged 77. STORY —On the 12th inat , at 31, Mildmay-park , Story, Esq., aged 33. o f Cies' WYA.TT.—On the 12th inst., Hugh Wya tt, Es q .. bury, and Court Wick, Sussex aged 8! . , . ..---- London : Primed and rrbashed by WILL len ANNIE 73: of No. 112, Strand, Printer, .tt 'DIE S° Office No. IV: Strand, An the Precinct of the 'savoy; II tho Cotin'i ° I 31114109 Z --Friday, Airil 15, Is4l.