The Sun. — London, England, 1850-04-17 00:00:00

LAW INTELLIGENCE. BAIL COURT, April 16. (Before Mr. Justice COLERIDGE.) IN RE MOSES. Mr. SIMONDS was instructed by Mr. Thomas James ]Sloses, an attorney.of the court, to apply to his Lord ship for leave to amend the roll, by striking out the name of Moses. The gentleman was admitted in 1848, and his father had since consented to advance him a con siderable sum of money to purchase a practice, on con dition that he adopted the name of Thomas James. Mr. Justice COLERIDGE—But why should the roll be altered, which is right? Mr. Sinelins replied that the gentleman now passed by the name of James. There were two precedents fcr this application. The first was that of a gentleman who, on searching his pedigree, hound that he had been called by a wrong name, aad on representing the circum stances to the court, it was held that he could change his name without going to the expense of a royal licence. The next case was that of Mr. Thomas Doggitt, who was admitted as Thomas Doggitt Ingledew; but on suc ceeding to some property left him by his mother, he ob tained the leave of the Court to adopt the surname of Doggitt, the maiden name of his mother, without ob taining an Act of Parliament or a royal licence for the purpose. here the father of the gentleman had ad vanced him 8001. to purchase a business, and for some time passed he had dropml the name of Moses, and was now known as Thomas Jaasee. Mr. Justice COLERIDGE said the application was somewhat novel to him, and he must therefore take time to consider it. The Court afterwards sat at Nisi Prius cases, and dis posed of several undefended cases. GREECE. The Allgemeine Zeitung has letters from Athens, of the 2d mstant. The last French steamer which arrived in that city from Marseilles brought a letter from M. Trikupis, the Hellenic Ambas sador at Paris. M. Trikupis informs his Go vernment of the arrival of another Russian note, addressed to the Czar's Ambassadors in London and Paris, and dated from St. Petersburgh of the 231 Webruary. According to this note the Czar's Go vernment insists on the return of the captured vessels before the affiira -of England and Greece can be allowed' to enter into nearer consideration. But if the vesseA are not returned, adds Count Nesselrode, the Czar's Government will not consent to recognize any of the proposals which Baron Gros may have to make. ITALY. • The Monitore Tuscctno has the following from Rome of the 6th _ _ •.•.• •/••••• ,•• • " I t is now said here that the Holy Father will enter Romo on Saturday next (13th). All public demonstra tions have been forbidden, and the preparations made by the Commune and the Minister of Finance sus pended. A, solemn triduo (Service of three days) will, however, be celebrated in the church cf every rione, or quarter of the city. The Holy Father will not pass through the centre of the town. but through the rioni Menu, Traztevere, and Sorgo. The Neapolitan troops will escort him to Velletri; the Carabinecre from Velletri to Genzino; the French Dragoons thence to Albano; and the Chasaeurs of Africa from Albano to Rome. Cardinal Patriai, Bishop of Albano, will accompany his Holiness from his diocese to tho capital. When the Holy Pontiff shall have entered the gate of San Giovanni, General Baraguay d'Hilliers will ride on one side of his carriage, and Prince Barberini on the other. The Swiss guards will be drawn up on each side of the street, and the noble guards, the French staff, and the suite of his Holiness will follow. The Pontiff will stop at the Basilica of St. John's, where he will be received by their Eminences the Cardinals of the Government Commission and by , the Chapter. In this 'church the Holy Father will re- Ceive the benediction and Holy Sacrament." ^ The following notice was published at Turin on the 9th " Adminstration of Public Safety.—Questure of Turin. .--This day the kw for the abolition of ecclesiastical jurisdiction and immunities has been published. The gratitude of the nation manifests itself by an attitude full of dignity. All demonstrations and crowds shall be dispersed, as they may become a pretext for disorder and violence. " The Councillor Director of the Quatare, " ADVOCATE MICONO." THE GREAT SEA-SERPENT ASHORE. Marvels never cease. Scepticism has been ram pant against the existence in the " depths of ocean" of the leviathan sea-serpent. Pow dared to profess belief in the reality of the gigantic denizen of the deep ; and none were found bold enough to hope that the mystery would be solved by that veritable wonder . .being exhibited in all its long gradations on land. The sea-serpent, however, has at length apparently taken to heart this general contempt towards his monstership ; and accordingly, as we learn from an American con temporary, has determined himself to climb the shores and dethrone the general doubts. The follow ing we extract from the Christian (U.S.) Mercury : " The following letter from a gentleman of Beaufort gives exciting news of what may, by this time, be the seat of war.' The old fellow has got into close quarters, and if he does not make a sudden and for tunate dash, has nothing better than offering himself as an oblation on the altar of science Beaufort, alarch 15, 1350. The report of Ceptain Bankenship and passengers has been verified by many other wit nesses. This famidable sea monster has been seen again to• day, we understand, in our waters. When discovered by those on board the steamer, "his eminence" was in Port Royal Sound, a distance of _seven or eight miles from this town. Since that time he has been lazily making his way up Broad River, and was seen by a gentleman, we understand, to day, in White Branch River, an arm of the Broad. He is reported to be making his way higher up still, when, perhaps, he may be captured. He is described as being from 120 to 150 feet in length, and of proportionate bulk ; has the head of a ser pent, which he carries, when in motion, five or six feet out of the water. About ten feet from his head is a hump, resembling a huge hogshead, and as far as he could be seen out of the water a succession of humps was observed. He was pursued for several miles along the bank of the river, at times the party in pursuit coming very near to him. He was shot at with a rifle and shot gun, which had the effect of making him timid, and caused him to sink below the surface of the water when nearly approached. We understand that a party from this place has been made up to capture him if possible. The plan is to man two large fiats with a cannon to each, one going below, where he is represented to be, and the other above, and then approach each other, and, when he is discovered, to fire into him. In this way he may be taken, if, peradventure, he does not take them first. The Whale Branch is not more than one hundred yards wide, and there is every probability of an animated conflict with this king of the waters, within his own dominions ; and I suppose it is -admitted that the battle must be waged upon his own terms.' The Charleston Coarier has a letter from - Beaufort, of the same date, and of a similar tenor, to which is appended the following Information has just reached us that the said sea-serpent is ashore at the mouth of the Skull Creek. If. so, the prize is certain, and Beaufort immortalized.' -- MARKET INTELLIGENCE . (From the London IVew Price Current, April 16.) '''u s talt.—To-day the West India Sugar market pre sented a brisker appearance, and the business concluded by private contract was at full former rates. The total operations amount to 650 hhds, &c., including at public sale 150 hhds 5 trca Berbadooe, which went at steady prices for the better sorts, but a decline of 6d for infe rior kinds; fins yellow realised 403 6d to 425, raid to good 37e 63 to 403, inferior 35s 6d to 275. 32 hhds, 41 tree crystalised Demerara sold rather cheaper; good yellow at 41s to 413 6d, mid 40s 6d, low 37s 6d, and brown 33s 6d to 34s per cwt. REFINED.—To-day a further reduction took place in the value of Refined Sugar, and home dealers operated with caution. We quote brown Lamps at 47s 6d to 48s, and fair to good grocery 48s 63 to 60s per cwt. There are few buyers of Crushed Sugar, and 275 to 28s i s the value of British. AfAUBITIVE3.—This afternoon the pablic sales of Mau ' Tian, sugar consisted of 6,713 bags ; they went off at steady rates, and the whole sold ; fine and good yellow went at 37s to 38s 6d, low to mid 34s t o 36 a 6 d , fine brown 33s to 34 3 , inferior 293 to 325, and low to good refininc , sorts 33s to 37s per cwt. EAST IN D IA . — This T This afternoon there were eight p u bli c i Sugar, consisting of 16 , 5 28 bags, th e sales of Bengal" d chief portion of which compise r .w hite Benares ; near l y the whole sold, but at rather lower rates; other kinds went at full terms. Fine white Benaanres fetched 39a to 40s, low d washed 34s 6d to 39e to good 365 to 38s 64; damp 46s 6d; good and fine yel 6d; fine grainy white 46s to low 40s 6d to 41s 6d, and low to good soft ditto 32s to 35s 61. Of China 699 bags were taken in at 355 . 6d to 36a 6d fur greyish yellow. FOREIGN. —By private treaty s i n ce our last report 3 . ,ooo`chests yellow Havannah have been so Florettas atld at from 19s oa to 21s 63 f or l ow to fi ne , with a few 23s 6d per cwt, and two cargoes white llavannan for Russia, at 32s per c w t. There are, however, several buyers rather under present rates. At public sale 419 chesta of Pernambuco were withdrawn. and 7,456 bags Illnuilla were taken in; low to ord damp brown Muscavado at 13 to 16s, and ord yeller , at 17s. At auction, 1,022 che , 3ls ilavannah were all taken in at from 37s 6cl to 41s ,for low to fine. By private treaty the chief sale has been 150 hhds Cuba Muscovado at 35s per cwt. hi mAs s E s.—This afternoon there was not much de mand for Molasses, and at auction. 87 pkgs Bengal were all withdrawn. • . - COCOA.—There has been little business concluded in West India by private treaty, and a small parcel at pub lic sale was withdrawn. The value of rel Trinidad is • 41s to 465, sad grey 39s to 43s per cwt. There has been little business concluded in Foreign, and 288 to 30s is the value. CO7FEN.—This afternoon there was no public sale of Coffee, and the purchases made by private treaty were small for all purposes, still it was difficult to buy goo d ord Native Ceylon tinder 483 per cwt; there is, however. a disposition on the part of some holders to press sales for arrival. The public sales of Coffee declared to take place on Thursday and Friday are at present of little moment, but several parcels of various sorts are on offer by private treaty. TEA.—Operations in Black Tea have been small for all purposes, and the quantity on offer is larger than for some time past, while the rates acceded to have been rather under those that existed on Tuesday last. Sales of ordinary and good common Congou have been made at 9d to 91-d, better sort 10d to is 14d, and superior 1s 2d to is 8d per lb. Green has been operated in with caution, and supplies are getting larger. The amount of business concluded in Scented and Pekoe Teas has been upon a small scale, and prices are receding. For public sale large parcels of Tea are declared. SPICES.—To-day Pepper met with little attention, and at public sale 642 bags Black went at barely former rates—Malabar half heavy selling at 33-1 to 3-id, da maged 3 / 11 to 343, and Sumatra good sound 30; 24 bags white sold at 4-,L ; to 4iel for ord and good ordinary dingy, which are lower rates. Cloves are rather cheaper, and 212 bags Bourbon sold at 7d to 74e1 for mid to good, and damaged at 6d to 7d. Of Pimento 300 bags were takes in at 5d to 5d for good ord coarse. 180 chests Cassia Lignea sold cheaper, pile 1, at 93s 6d to 94s 6(1, ditto 2 at 91s 6d to 920, ditto 3at 86s 6d, out of condition 74s to 85s. 134 bags 450 pockets Bengal Ginger went at 19s to 19: 6d for fair export sort, which are lower rates. RicE.—The purchases amount to about 10,000 bags. Madras pinky white at Bs, pearl barley 7s to 7s 6d, cargo 6s 6d to 7s, Bengal low white Ba, middling 8s 6d to 811 93, better sort in small parcels 9s to lOs per cwt. There has been little desire to operate in cleaned Rice, with ready sellers of low to fine Patna at lls to 20s, broken 9s 63 to 105 6d, town dressed Carolina 20s to 265, and American 18s 6d to 19s per cwt. Saco. —Of Sago several parcels have been offered at public sale, and nearly all taken in. The value of Sago Flour is 21s to 225, with few buyers. This afternoon the public sales of 300 chts went at 22s to 24s for fine and good small white, and at 22s 6d for bold grain. SPIRITS.—For Demerara Rum a good business has been concluded, and the sales are 300 puns at 2s 3d to 2s 4d for 30 to 40 per cent over proof. Fine Jamaica has been sold to a fair extent at fully former rates; but other sorts continue to be operated in with caution by shippers and home dealers; prices have still a down ward tendency. The value of 20 to 29 per cent over proof is from 2s 3d to 2s Bd, 30 to 38 over 2s 93 to 3s 6d, and choice marks 3s 83 to 4s 21 The value of Lee wards is Is 4d to Is 5d proof, and there are still few buyers. East India has been operated in with cau tion at is 3 . 0 to is 43 proof. Only moderate purchases have been made in Brandy, and there are ready tellers of Cognac best brands of the vintage of 1849, 4s 4d to 4a 6d, 1848 ditto 4s 7cl to 4a 9d. 1847 at 5a ld to 5s 3d, and inferior sorts 2s 9d to 4s 4d. Geneva shipping sort is is 7d to is Bd, and home trade kind 2s 3d to 3s 3d. For British made spirit the market is still quiet at 9s 5d to 9s 6d, and for Gin at 7s 10d to 8s 4d per gallon. COCHINEAL.—To-day the public sales of Cochineal met with little attention, and consisted of 314 bags; the whole sold, but at rather lower rates—low to mid Hon duras silvers went at 3s 7d to 4s Id, ord and good Mexi can black 3s 6d to 3s 10d, and Teneriffe 3s 7d to 3s lld per lb. INDIGO.—This afternoon the public sales of 63 serons of Guatemala Indigo went at from 3s 2d to 4s 3d for coppery to fine sobres. and which are full rates. TALLOW.—Fur P.Y.C. the rates required are 36s 63 to 37s per cwt for first quality. Few contracts have been concluded for delivery in the last three months of the year, and sellers are willing to accept 38s to 38s 6d. Home melted in good demand, but at the moderate rates of 35s to 36s net cash. Other sorts met with little at tention, and are depressed in price. Of 380 packages South American offered at auction a part only sold at from 31s to 36s for low to fine ; 560 caski New South Wales 33s to 36s 6d, and 27 packages of fine Cape 31s 6d per cwt. Rough Fat is freely offsred at 2s per stone of Blbs. OlLS.—Although Olive Oil is to be obtained at a fur ther reduction, yet operations have been to a limited ex tmt: Gallipoli at 461 to 471; Barbary, Levant, and Por tugal, at 44110 s to 451 103 per tan. Only small pur chases have been made in Palm, and OR the part of holders a desire is evinced to sell fine at 30s 63 to 31s per cwt. Of Cocoa Nut large arrivals have taken place, and the amount of business concluded has been small, good and fine Cochin at 32s to 345, and Ceylon 31s to 33s per cwt. Rape Seed Oil is cheaper, yet a fair business has been concluded, pale at 39s to 40s, and brown at 37s to 38s. For Linseed Oil prices have de clined from 31s 3d to 31s 6cl on the spot, at which only limited purchases have been made by home dealers, and few expert orders were completed. Only trifling contracts have been concluded for delivery, although consump tion of Oil is getting larger. Sperm has been operated in with greater freedom, prices have improved to 811 lOs to 821 per tun for fine Colonial, and there is only a limited supply. In Cod the purchases made have been limited at 341 103 to 354 and a decline is looked for shortly. Seal has been operated in with caution, Pale is to be obtained at 36/ to 37/, straw and tinged 321 lOs to 354 yellow and brown 311 to 321, but the better kinds are least in de mand. Southern has been operated in with more rea diness and at stiffer rates ; sales having been made at 31/ to 331 lOs for low to fine. Headtnatter is yet in scanty supply and wanted; prime is worth 861 to 891 per tun. FROM THE LONDON GAZETTE OF TUESDAY. FOREIGN-OFFICE, APRIL 12, 1850, The Queen has been pleased to approve of Mr. Ben jamin Everett Smith as Consul in Turn's Islaad for the United States of America. DOWNING-STREET, APRIL 16. The Queen has tren pleased to appoint Jacobus Johannes Le Sueur, Esq., now Civil Commissioner and Resident Magistrate for the District of Swellendam, at the Cape of Good !lope, to be Civil Commissioner and Resident Magistrate for the District of Worcester, in this Colony, and Richard Southey, Esq., to be Civil Commissioner and Resident Magistrate for the said District of Swellendom. Iler Majesty has also been pleased to appoint James Daus, Esq., to be Colonial Surgeon for her Majesty's Forts and Settlements on the Gold Coast. OFFICE OF ORDNANCE, APRIL 12. Royal Regiment cf Ar:illery.—Erratum.—ln the " Gazettes" (,f 22d December, 1846, and 10th December, 1847, the name of Mr. Philip " Bedingfeld," on hii ap pointment as Second Lieutenant, and subsequent pro motion to First Lieutenant, was incorrectly spelt " Bedingfield." Commission by the Lord-Lieutenant of Inverness-shire. 76th or Inverness-shire Militia—Walter Grant James Macgregor, Esq., to be Lieutenant, vice, Grey, retired, April 6. BANKRUPTCY SUPERSEDED. John Holland, cloth merchant, Leeds. BANKRUPTS. _ _ Edward Hap and Joseph Wonfor, manufacturing chemists, Battersea, to surrender April 26, at half-past eleven, and May 31, at eleven, at the Court of Bank ruptcy. Graham, official assignee, Coleman-street; Cole, Tokenhouse-yard. Thomas Collingwood, butcher, Abingdon, Berkshire, April 27, at twelve, and May 30. at eleven, at the Court of Bankruptcy. Graham. official assignee, Cole. man-street; Graham, Temple ; Graham, Abingdon. George Williams, builder, Woolwich, April 26, at one, and May 23, at eleven, at the Court of Bankruptcy. Edw irds, official assignee, Sambrook-court, Basinghall street; Morgans, Old Jewry-chambers, Old Jewry. William John Alfred Joe, shipbuilder, Bexley-heath, Kent, May 4, at half-past twelve, and May 25. at eleven, at the Court of Bankruptcy. Pennell, official assignee, Guildhall-chambers, Basinghall street; Teague; Crown court, Cheapside. • Joseph Donovan ' fishmonger, Oxford-street, May 4, at one, and 25, at half-past eleven, at the Court of Bank ruptcy. Pennell, official assignee, Guildhall Chambers, Basinghall-street; Moseley, Radford-street, Covent garden. Charles John Hubbard, hop merchant, Crotched Friars, April 27, at eleven, and May 18, at half-past eleven, at the Court of Bankruptcy. Pennell, official assignee, Guildhall-chambers, Baainghall-street; Rus sell, Martin's-lane. Daniel Turton Johnson, Henry Hilditch Johnson, and George Hilditch Johnson, wholesale tea dealers, Alder /nary Church-yard, Watling-street, April 30, at half past eleven, and June 1, at eleven, at the Court of Bank ruptcy. Johnson, official assignee, Basinghall-street; Phillips and Voss, Sise-lane. Joseph Arundel!, brewer, Titchfield, Southampton, April 25, at half-past one, and May 23, at twelve, at the Court of Bankruptcy. Johnson, official assignee, Ba singhall-street; Compigne, Bucklersbury. Richard Dean, builder, Church-street, Trinity-square, Southwark, April 25, at eleven, and May 2s, at one, at the Court of Bankruptcy. Bell, official assignee, Cole man-street-buildings; Barnard, York , road, Lambeth. Benjamin Symes Saunders, quarryman, Stawell, So mersetshire, April 23, at eleven, and May 23 (and not on the 3d as before advertised), at one, at the Exeter District Court. Hirtzel, official assignee, Exeter; Pooles, Bridgewater; Stogdon, Exeter. Matthew Dixon Robinson, confectioner, Dudley, Worcestershire, May 2 and 23, at twelve, at the Bir mingham District Court. Christie, official assignee, Birmingham; Bolton, Dudley; Metteram, Knight, and Emmet, Birmingham. Alexander Brown and William Todd, provision mer chants, Liverpool, May 6, sad June 3, at eleven, at the Liverpool District Court. Morgan, official assignee, Liverpool; Bell, Liverpool. David Henry Beresferd, linendraper, Stockport, May 2 and 30, at twelve, at the Manchester District Court. Hobson, o ffi cial as signee, Manchester; • Slater, Man chester. George Alexander Von Dommer, merchant, New castle-upon-Tyne, April 30, at half•past ten, and May 28, at twelve,at the Newcastle-upon-Tyne District Court. Baker, official assignee, Newcastle-upon-Tyne ; Law rence, Crowdy, and Bo wlby, Old Fish-street; Griffith and Crighton, Newcastle-upon-Tyne. w SUPERSTITIONS REGARD I V FRLDAY.—It is enough that Friday is regarded, rna all c ° un considered tri2 a s u s n at c en k eg i e , liar day. In England it" is and many people will not ge undertaking that t e be a li n e y ve that the on that day; and most sailors believe day, on a Fri day.ves3el If is a s m u a re rria t g o e t b a e kes w p r n ed on that d sa a the old wives shake their heads, and predict all kinds of - misfortunes to the bride and bridegroom. Nay, they even pity all children who are so unlucky as to be born on a Friday. In Germany, on the contrary, Friday is considered a lucky d a y f or wed dings, commencing new undertakings, or other memorable events; and the reason of this superstition is said to be the ancient belief that the witches and sorcerers held their meet ing on this day ; and, of course, while they amused them selves with dancing and riding on broomsticks round the Blocksberg, they could have no time to work any evil. s n rn IN BERLIN.—APRIL. —The Jewish com^ ra unity here are at present working fora centralisation of the congregations of Prussia. A p rovisional com mittee , Jewishene Ehj co, a N 8 asbeen appointed for that purpose; an d a lengthy appeal is n ow i n circulation here, setting forth the advan tages which are likely to arise from the plan of centralika tion,..„/,,,ish Chronicle. THE SUN, LONDON, IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT. HOUSE OF LORDS, April 16. Their Lordships assembled at Five o'clock. Lord HATHERTON presented a petition praying for a total cessation of Sunday labour in the Post-office. ASSISTANT-SURGEONS IN THE NAVY. Lord REDESDALE presented several petitions pray ing for better accommodation for assistant-surgeons in the navy. The Earl of HARDWICKE opposed the prayer of the petition. It would be subversive of discipline if they were to mess in the ward-room; the room in which they messed was the gun-room, the best in the ship. They had the companionship of their own fellow assistants, and their presence and example was useful in keeping order among the midshipmen, and setting them a good example. He had a petition to present with the similar prayer, but he thought that the peti tioners did not understand the subject. The Earl of MINTO agreed with the Noble Earl, and regretted that the subject should have been mooted by those who were totally uninformed on the subject. The assistant-surgeons had in addition to the gun-room the reading cabin, of !the accommodation of which they had neglected to avail themselves for study, and had in too many instances appropriated it to improper uses. The Duke of ARGYLE presented severSl petitions deprecating any change in, the constitution of parochial schools in Scotland. The. Marquis of BREADALBA.NE pre3ented several petitions from divers Presbyterian congregations in Scotland against Post-office labour on Sundays. BRICK DUTIES BILL. This Bill was read a third time and passed. EXCHEQUER•BILLS This Bill was read a third time and passed. Their Lordships then adjourned. HOUSE OF COMMONS, April 16. The SPEAKER took the Chair at Four o'clock. PRIVATE BUSINESS. The amendments to the following Bills were considered and agreed to, and the Bills ordered to be engrossed:— Exeter and Crediton Railway Bill; Londonderry and Coleraine Railway Bill. KIDDERMINSTER ELECTION. Mr. WILSON PATTEN brought up the report of the General Committee of Elections nominating the fol lowing Members to try the merits of the petition com plaining of the return of Mr. Best for Kidderminster:— Viscount Enfield, Mr. A. Stafford, Mr. D. Morris, Sir William Jolliffe, and the Hon. Edward P. Bouverie (chairman). PETITIONS. Mr. EVANS presented two petitions froth Derby shire, one praying for the repeal of the paper duties, and the other in favour of the Education Bill. An HoN. MEMBER presented a petition praying for the abolition of the taxes on knowledge. An HON. MEMBER presented a petition praying for the abolition of church-rates. Mr. C. LUSHINGTON presented a petition from the parish of St. Martin's praying for the repeal of the window-tax. _ _ Mr. FOX presented several petitions in favour of his Education Bill. _ _ _ Mr. THORNELY presented similar petitions from places in Staffordshire and Cheshire. Mr. LOCKL presented a petition from the London, Brighton, and South Coast Railway Company against the Stamp Duties Bill. Mr. BROTLIEBTON presented a petition from Man chester in favour of the claims of assistant-surgeons in the navy to increased accommodation. Mr. \V. PAT FEN presented a petition from the same place, signed by 3,600 persons, praying for the abolition of the duty on paper. Sir E. BUX rON presented several petitions against Sunday labour in the Post-office. Mr. ROEBUCK presented a petition from Sheffield praying for the abolition of taxes on knowledge; also a petition from Bengal complaining of the defalcation* of Sir Thomas Turton, and praying the House to take steps to prevent a similar occurrence. Mr. COBDEN presented a petition from Hudders field praying for the repeal of the taxes on knowledge, and a similar petition from the West Riding. Lord GALWAY presented a petition against the Copy hold Enfranchisement Bill. Mr. HEYWOOD presented petitions from places in Lincolnshire in favour of the Te❑ 'lours' Bill. General LYGON presented petitions . : against Sunday labour in the Post-office. Mr. ELLIS presented a petition fcom Leicester pray ing for the rep2sl of the taxes on knowledge. Major BLACK ALL presented similar petitions. Colonel THOMPSON presented petitions to the same effect from Sunderland and Walthamstow. Lord NUGENT presented several petitions from places in Buckinghamshire against Sunday labour in the Post-office; also a petition praying for the abolition of church-rate; ; and several petitions in favour of the abolition of the punishment of death. Sir J. lIANMEPb presented a petition praying for the extension of the jurisdiction of county courts. Mr. RICARDO presented a petition from Worcester in favour of the Education Bill. Mr. MULLIN GS presented a petition from a place in Gloucestershire pra)ing fur the separation of Church and State. Mr. COCKBURN presented a petition from South. ampton praying for the abolition of church-rates. Mr. G. THOMPSON presented a petition from Roch dale .in favour of the Ten Hours Bill; also several petitions praying for the repeal of church-rates. Mr. A. HASTIE presented a petition from Glasgow against Sunday labour in the Post-office; also another petition from shipowners and shipmasters of Glasgow against the Merchant Seamen's Bill. Mr. BUTT presented a petition from the county of Durham against Sunday labour in the Post•office. Mr. DISRAELI presented a petition from the tenant. farmers of Forfar complaining of agricultural distress ; also a petition from the grand jury of the King's County, Ireland, praying to be relisred from local taxstion. Mr. DIVETT presented a petition from Exeter in favour of the claims of assistant-surgeons in the navy. Mr. EDWARD ELLICE presented a petition from Fifeshire against the Scottish Poor-law. Mr. FAGAN presented a petition from Cork against the Fisheries' Bill. TURNPIKE ROADS. Mr. EW ART moved, that standing orders Nos. 5 and 87 be suspended with respect to all opposed Turnpike Road Bills introduced in the present session; and that it be an instruction to the Committee of Selection to refer such Bills to a Committee or Committees, constituted of a Chairman and four other Members not locally or other wise interested in such Bills. Mr. WILSON BATTEN opposed the motion. He did not conceive that any good would be obtained. After a short discussion, the motion was ultimately withdrawn. IRISH POOR-LAW. Lord NAAS gave notice that on that day month he should call the attention of the House to the working of the Irish poor-law. PACKET STATIONS ON THE IRISH COASTS. Mr. HENRY HERBERT gave notice that on that day month be should call the attention of the House to the importance of establishing mail-packet stations oa the south and west coasts of Ireland." MILITARY KNIGHTS OF WINDSOR. Colonel SALWEY gave notice that on Thursday h• should move fir a return of the sums expended on the building for the Military Knights of Windsor. EIGHT SHILLING DUTY ON CORN. Mr. H. BERKELEY postponed, on behalf of his hon. relative, Mr. G. Berkeley, the motion for a reim position of an Bs. duty on corn until the 18th of May. TOBACCO. Colonel DUNNE gave notice that on an early day he would move that the House resolve itself into a Com mittee of the whole House to consider the laws relative to the admission of tobacco into this country. lONIAN ISLANDS. Mr. HUME gave notice that on this day week he would move the appointment of a Committee to inquire into the late cases of :riot and to proclamation of mar tial law in the lonian Islands. IRISH CHURCH. Mr. ROEBUCK gave notice that on *his day vitt3k he would propose that the Rouse take into its consideration the state of the Irish Church, with a view to the promo tion of the well-being of the people of that country. WEDNESDAY EVENING, APRIL 17, 1850 i pair of boots and then put them into the post-office, I they wculd go as a newspaper.—(Lauglia r.) It was well known that Savory, the silversmith, was able to send his catalogue of plated goods through the Post-office by getting it stamped as a , newspaper. It might be said that the tax on newspapers was a political question, and that its tax ought to be maintained in order to keep newspapers respectable. He would relate a circumstance which showed what security it afforded for that purpose. There was a paper called Sara Sly, which lived by libelling individuals; and amongst other persons it libelled a clergyman at Barking, by stating that he had been guilty of some improper communication with one of his female servants. The Solicitor of the Stamp-office was written to, and that gentleman (Mr. Keogh) wrote in reply that " the paper called Sam Sly was not liable to the newspaper stamp." If libelling individuals was not news, and that of the worst description, what was news? But according to the solicitor of the Stamp office they might actually circulate a paper like Sam Sly without being liable to the stamp duty. Where, then, was their security for respectability? With respect to scientific publications, although they contained matter which might savour of news, still the details assumed much of the character of a review. Now, considering the enormous penalties involved in breaches of the Stamp Act, he (Mr. Gibson) thought something more definite than speaking about articles which "savoured of news" should be given far the re gulations of persons liable to these penalties. He hoped the Noble Lord at the head of the Government would be more explicit, because the statute was a penal statute. He had been in correspondence with the proprietor of a small publication at Greenock, who had fallen upon an ingenious mode of evading the Stamp Act. The person informed him that he was prosecuted for an infringe ment of the Stamp Act, and was subjected to pay a penalty of 1001., being 201. far each of live numbers. Having studied the Act very carefully, be found that printing on cloth—(Hear, hear)—was not provided for; and, therefore, with the view of keeping within the law he resolved to use an inferior and more expansive me dium. He had received a letter that morning, from the same person, explaining that he had appealed against tho 'meaty to the proper authorities, and that the fine had been remitted. The name of the publication bad been changed, in consequence of what had oc curred, to the " Greenock News Club." (A copy of this publication, which appeared to be of the size of Cham bers's Journal, and printed upon cotton, was produced by Mr. Gibson, and handed, amidst some merriment, to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, who scrutinised it with sonic interest) Now, he would say, enforce your law. It was fatal to select particular cases, because it placed a censorship in the authorities of Somerset House as to what constituted a newspaper and what did not. If the House was not prepared to tolerate teat principle, let one of two things be done—reveal the stamp duty or enforce it—enforce it fairly and indiscriminately. Let there be no evasion ; let all bear the burden. If that was not to be done, do not let the House place itself in that other predicament of erecting and maintaining a censorship in Somerset House. These were the grounds upon which he called upon Hon. Gentlemen to vote for the repeal of the stamp duty. The revenue might be 350,000/., but the whole cf that sum would not be lost by repeal. All which went through the Post office would still pay the duty. Mr. Rowland Hill calculate.' that of 86,000,000 of stamps printed, 66,000,000 were trans mitted by post. He (Mr. Gibson) would not say that as many would be sent through the post as were now rent were the duty repealed, but it was fair to presume that a considerable portion would continue to be transmitted. All that he asked the House to do was to sacrifice a portion of the 350,0004, and thus confer a great boon end advantage upon the groat body of the people, by circulating cheap newspapers among them. There was no reason why newspapers should not be as cheap in England as in other countries. The case of America was well known. There was no reason why the working man in this country should not obtain, un der the new order of things, a faithful abridgment of the news and occurrences t f the day at the same cast that he paid for publications of a less useful kind. By means of a better class of newspapers working men might be taught useful hints as to the best means of get ting employment and of earning a livelihood, and by this means the mistakes and misconceptions which had in several instances occurred—such, for instance, as on the subject of machinery—would be avoided. Correct ideas, too, on the subject of factory legislation, would be circulated. He believed that cheap newspapers would be of infinite advantage in the discussion of questions affecting labour and employment. Let bins say one word in reference to the law. A man was not allowed to plead ignorance of the law. If so, why were steps taken to prevent men from knowing the law by excluding them from all knowledge of what occurred in courts of justice ? He would contend that cheap newspapers contained the best and most practical mode by which that information could be communicated. Few could study Blackstone or Coke, or other learned authorities; but the proceedings in police-courts and courts of justice were calculated to yield warning and instruction. On these grounds, then, he did hope that he should have a favourable consideration, on the part of the Government, of the newspaper stamp, as well as of the duty on paper.—(Hear.) With respect to the next resolution of the series, he hardly felt himself at liberty to enter upon it, inasmuch as it was in the hands of his Hon. Friend the Member far Dumfries (Mr. E wart), who had paid great attention to the subject. He (Mr. Gibson) had placed the subject of the duty on advertisements in his motion, as corning under the ge neric term of " tixes on knowledge," and without it his motion would have appeared incomplete.—(Bear.) It was, Wee'', a tax full of inequalities, and one that pressed very unfairly upon the poor; making, as had often been said, the poor servant in want of a place pay as great an amount for an advertisement as was paid by the rich proprietor for the sale of his estate.— (Hear, hear.) Tbey both paid ls. 6d, in the shape of advertisement duty. lie remembered that Mr. James Mill had pat this question of an advertise ment duty very clearly and strongly when he said that the old fashion used to be to advertise all our wares by means of the public cries, and supposed the case of an exciseman stepping up to him when he was about to announce some important event necessary to be known, such, for instance, as the loss of a child and any such circumstance, and telling him to stop, for that he must not say a word on the matter he was about to announce until he should have paid eightccupence into the public exchequer.—(Hear, hear.) This advertisement duty would have amounted to a tax upon speech. What would have been said if the excisemen had really stepped forward in such a case and asked for 1 s. 6d.? Why, he would have been scouted—(Hear, hear)—and people would have almost been tempted to have had recourse to physical force to get rid of him. Our advertisement duty operated, too, 63 a tax upon charity; for one could not subscribe 10s. to a ragged school without some portion of the money going to the State.—(Hear, hear.) People did not know that when they were giving their money iTs aidhe cr o hp f at no t the Chancellor toi g o r r e that a of fExhibition the object B x c went Exchequer, o an f l ut ert Bsl , 0 , t wheno partp complaints Exchequer. f t h c i r were made on the subject of this duty, said, " True, but the advertisement duty brings us 153,000/. a year." The Right Hon. Gentleman, however, ought to deduct that which he himself had to pay in the shape of advertisement duty, for he, too, had to advertise, like the rest of them. And, after all, what was this sum of 100,000/, or 150,0004, or whatever it was, in comparison with the wrong that was thereby done to the people, the injury to literature, and the cruelty to those wild were in distress.—(Hear, hear.) The Daily News, not lung since, proposed, he understood, to give a list of all sales that had passed, and all the sales to come, just as all the papers published accounts of where the hounds met, the law notices, and such other things, and which were not what was technically termed " news," but still information which was of use to many persons. The Stamp-office, however, said, " You must not do anything of the kind without paying the advertisement duty.— (Hear, hear.) One would imagine, at the same time, that the insertion of forthcoming sales in a newspaper was quite as natural as the publication in the Morning Post, Bell's Life, or any other paper, of the particulars of sporting matters, or many other things of a far less use ful character. He believed that the expense of adver tising in the United States of America, as compared with the cost of it in this country, was so largely against Eng land as scarcely to be believed by persons not acquainted with the facts. The charge for one advertisement in this country would be found to be six or seven times as large as for the same thing in the United States; and indeed he believed that the comparative charges would be found to be, in some instances, in the proportion of 8/. or 91. to 2001. The advertisement duty was, in short, a fatal drawback to all trades, and to the necessary intercourse between men, not only for commercial, but even for social purposes.—(Hear, hear.) His last resolution referred to a somewhat timelier matter, but one, at the same time, of much importance, namely, the duty on foreign books. It was true that this duty only gave about 8,000/. a year, but it operated as a very heavy per centage on foreign classics, and as a great obstacle to the supply of libraries with foreign books; and, as such were the effects of the tax, and as it led to so much fraud, he did hope that he should have the concurrence of the House in his opinion that this duty should be removed from the tariff, as it was ono of those which it had been contemplated to remove, acting, as it did, as a great obstacle to literature and the free circulation of books between this country and other nations, and being attended with many practical evils. The Right Hon. Gentleman then said, in con clusion, that he would proceed to place in the hands of the Right Hon. Gentleman in the chair the first resolu tion comprised in his motion, viz., that on the paper duties, hoping that it would receive the favourable con sideration of.the House; for it was his firm conviction that if they did not remove these taxes, which hindered and retarded the spread and progress of knowledge among the great body of the people, they were laying in store some great and serious evils that would fall on this country, at some future time, as a not unfit retribu tion for their erroneous policy.—(Cheers.) Mr. COWAN, in seconding the motion, said he was not afraid to say, before the lauded aristocracy of En gland, that nearly all he possessed in the world was con nected with that manufacture which had been referred to by his Right Hon. Friend in the earlier portion of his speech. And this, perhaps, might expose him to some disadvantage, inasmuch as that the Right Hon. Gentleman the Chancellor of the Exchequer might tell him ho ought to leave well alone—that he ought, in short, to beware of stirring in this question, as the repeal of this tax would necessarily create greater com- Hd p u e e t e i i t wn i o agc n , a n i og n tr, t e h ha e (t)ew m re a ny t ue i u rn: f a ba e of t rr u ao r i edf of r d ssuoc s ni a is l e at oroeefsnutpaper,letr_ iinto b pta y rra)d i nor, even it he were, would he refrain from denouncing this tax as one of a most injurious description, and one in the removal of which ho would not by nay means stand in the way.—(Hear, hear.) The Hon. Member then, in explaining the peculiar pressure of the restric ti ins the , were on Ole yri?.7 ,, ifq- , +. re of p , p2r. ! : sa id that ti'e duty was levied tat once, and by means of . atamps and labels that must be affixed to every paper ' parcel, however small in bulk or value ; that the paper, when mannfactured, was subject to detention on the premises, for the purposes of the exciseman, for no less than eight and forty hours.—(Hear, hear.) Many of those who then heard him might have known what it was, when visiting the Continent, to have been detained, if only for a few hours, in eonsequecce of the delays cau se d by the passport system, now, he rejoiced to say, passing away, in consequence of the moral mo mentum, it he might use such an expression, of the rail way train. But the law with reference to the duty on paper compelled him (Mr. Cowan) to detain his goods upon his premises for as long a time as would be occu pied in sending them to London and back.—(Hear, hear.) Was such a system as that to bo continued ? a system, which, after all, was more calculated to invite frauds than to check them. The reports of the Excise Com missioners themselves had gone far to prove that the at tempt to prevent fraud by means of stamps and labels had, on the contrary, led to frauds through the medium of successful imitations; and as some proof of this, he held in his hand a letter from an extensive paper manu facturer, who had obtained information as to a system of fraud that was openly, and no doubt largely, prac tised. What he was referring to had taken Viva, in the sister kingdom, and he hoped that Hon. .Members from that country would not impute to him any ill-feeling against their countrymen if he ventured to trouble the House fir a few moments with the details of this trans action. The person who had written this letter to a fiend of his said:— " I am the person who tent seven loads of paper into , with the same wrappers. It was long elephant. When the first load, which was regularly charged, went away, I sent a woman with a cloak to the stationer. As soon as the paper arrived, several hands were pnt to to untie it with all possible expedition. The wrappers were tied up in bundles and handed to the woman, who male the best of her way to the mill, where we had a load ready of the sane weight and prepared exactly to the same pressure, so that the wrappers exactly fitted. To work we want with all hands we could manage, tying up, and by the time the carter arrived were almost ready for him. But during the time of tying up we had always watchers out at every inlet to the premises, and if an officer made his appearance, a e put the loose covers away into a secure place; and as we always took the numbers progressively, n•e entered in the sending away book all the numbers we had hid—the numbers we bad tied up mere standing as not being sent. But it did not often happen that we were disturbed by an officer. The supervisor was more troublesome. Mills more distant from wrappers by gig or car, or by a man on horseback. This is DOW almost the (July wily in Which it io done_ There is only one mill round ahJut that ventures to send any out without covers," —(Hear, hear). His Right Hon. Friend had referred in a masterly way—(Bear)—to many of the various restric• Lions a Lich, in one way or other, operated against the manufacture of paper: and he (Mr. Cowan) held in his hand an address to George 111., which had been up wards of fify years ago printed upon paper made of straw; and he was sure that it was only owing to the incubus of the duty on paper that that species of ma nufacture did not exist in England at the present day. —(Hear.) When he stated, however, that the cost of the raw material was 2y. per cwt. end that the duty upon the same was I4s. 9d.—(Hear)—he raid enough to show the inductimeet held out to the commission of fraud, and that the slow progress of this manufacture in this country was not to be wondered at. The Honour able Member here also referred to several specimens of paper which had recently reached him, and all of which were manufactured from indigenous vegetable materials, not hitherto employed in this country, though in others they were used in the paper unaeufaetere.—(Hear.) They were composed, he added, chiefly of straw and cereal plants; and he was persuaded that were it not for the incubus ho had already referred to, ;they would be able to claim the support of the Protectionist Gentlemen opposite in favour of a new branch of native industry in the prosperity of which they would have a peculiar interest. Free trade was nothing short of a mockery in this countay so long as this system of oppressing any interest was kept up.—(Hear, hear.) His Right Hon. Friend had spoken of the exportations of paper from this country, but no such article could be found in the returns relating to our exports. Ile had been at the trouble of making an analysis to show the infinitesimally small amount which paper formed us a general article of expert from this country, even to countries where he knew there was a great coesumption in that article; and, in doing so, nothing had surprised him more than to find that, us re garded Brazil—a part of that new world called by Mr. Canning into existt ace to redress the grievances and to receive the produce of the old—the quantity imported into that country (Brazil) did-not exceed in value 4,000/. Let Hon. Members remark what was said in a letter which hal been received by the house with which he was himself connected. It was dated Rio Janeiro, on the 21st of February of the present year, and the pas sage to which he referred was as follows:- 6 ' We note your wish to make a further trial of our market, and nothing would give us greater pleasure could seisafely recommend your doing so; but !though against our own interest, this we cannot do, as long as expe rience and close_watching of the operations in the article of paper has convinced us it is impossible for you to compete with the French and Italians, who almost en tirely supply our market." hr - .) Ho had been much disappointed at the little progress they had been able to make towards con vincing the Government on this subject of the paper duties in the various deputations which for many years past he had accompanied to Downing-street, and at the little sympathy they appeared to meet with at their hands. Mr. Crompton, on the last occasion to which he referred, laid many grievances before them in con nexion with different parts of this question, and particu larly with reference to the contrast cif the position of those manufacturers who employed hater in their manu facture with that of those who did not; but they were ale ays, like au ancient people named in the book of Exodus, sent back whenever they complained, " to their burthens." The Chancellor of the Exchequer told them that " he could not afford it;" but be trusted that the result of this debate would be that they might be in duced to take this subject into their serous considera tion with a view to afford the manufacturers of this ar ticle, at no distant day, that relief to which they were so justly entitled.—(Hear, hear.) The Hon. Gentle man, atter some further remarks, concluded by second ing the motion. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said that he did not intend to make say objection to his Right Hon. Friend bringing forward this motion, and the more so as it had afforded him the opportunity of listening to so able a speech as he had delivered on the subject—(Hear, hear)—but he did object to his putting arguments into his mouth which he had never used, and which he was not now disposed to use, against the re peal or reduction of these duties. He by no means should, on that occasion, nor had he ever before done so, go into any defence of the abstract merits of this or of any other set of taxes that pressed heavily on the people; and he trusted he had shown ere this, that whenever he could remove a tax that pressed upon the people he had endeavoured to do so. It was but a very short time since it was stated to the House that there would be a portion of the revenue of the country which he thought might fairly be devoted to the remission of taxer. He then stated the taxes which he thought it would be most expedient to remit; and he did not think that the proposal he had made had been received with dis ' satisfaction by the House generally; and he could only say that the course he had adopted then he should be 'prepared, und•-r similar circumstances. to act upon in future.—(hear, hear.) When there was a surplus, he had dealt with it in such a way as he thought would be best calculated to promote the benefit of the country generally; and he objected to the principle of a Chancellor of the Exchequer being called upon to pledge himself to the reduction or repeal of any particular tax before the period arrived when he should be able to judge of the expediency of doing so. He thought it was far better not to commit himself by any arguments against this or any other tax, looking at each and every tax, in regard to the circumstances con nected with it, at such time as it might be in his power to attempt its reduction. He thought, he repeated, that it was far better to leave all such cases utterly unprejudiced till the time when tie, in the position he occup:e 1, was in possession of such a surplus as he might be enabled to deal with in the remission of public burdens. With respect to this duty on paper, he must say, however, that on the pre sent occasion, as on former instances, he bad been not a little surprised at the complaints that were made of the injustice and pressure of the excise regulations. And for this reason, that the excise upon paper did not interfere in any way with the process of its manufacture. It was constantly stated, and with much force he admitted, that the excise on malt, on spirits, on bricks, and other articles, interfered with the process of manufacture, so as, in a great degree, to prevent experiments and retard improvements in the manufacture of the articles. But what was the opinion of the Excise Commission in re spect to paper ?—an opinion delivered by Sir Henry Parnell, the chairman, than whom there was no greater friend to freedom from restrictions of this nature in that House.—(Cheers.) It said, " Unlike other commodi ties, the processes of this manufacture are exempt frome Excise interference, to which exemption the Commis sioners attribute the great progress made in the modes of manufacture, and the great improvement in the ar ticle itself, arising from an extensive introduction of ma chinery, by which the processes of making and drying were so combined and expedited that a quantity of paper could now be completed in a few days which formerly would have occupied, perhaps, as many months." The Commissioners said that the absence of excise interfer ence was the distinguishing mark of the excise duty on paper, and to that was attributed all the great improve ments which had been made in paper, and its now greater cheapness; and yet it was this p articular excise which was now singled out by Hon. Members to be assailed as the most unjust, the most obnoxious, and the most vexatious of all the excise duties.—(Hear.) When last year he bad the honour of seeing the deputation of paper manu facturers—to which the Hon. Member (Mr. Cowan) bad alluded, as having received a most discouraging answer, referring them to the absence of any surplus—he (the Chancellor of the Exchequer) asked them whether it was to interference with their manufacture that they (d -jected, or whether he could in any material degree facili tate its processes. What was their answer? They said that the excise did not interfere with their manufacture, that what they require.' was the abolition of the duty altogether. It was true that the /lon. Member did not complain of the weighing of the paper. When the paper was completely made and was ready to be sent out to purchasers, it was weighed by the exci e officers, and for that purpose the manufacturer was obliged io keep it a certain time on his premises. The deputetiou from the north, however, even when inseted to state any regulation which interfered with their business, did not complain of this delay, hut pressed for the ab it , Member for EAuburgh went on to complain of the heavy burden the duty was upon publications ; but he (the Chancellor of the Exchequer, thought th s b e he rather overrated the degree in whic h •ce duty pressed upon p u bli ca ti ons . H e h a d b een toldsl , A o he came into th e H ouse th at a most va l ua bl e book,: '" n is Commercial Diction ar y," w hi c h we i g h e d nilb. sou s ' s f for 503., only paid 41-d. paper duty. (Loud crilesre " Hear, hear.") Ho did not think that could iot er L e o much with the publicatio n o f t h a t wor k . Th e next 7. ) ; to which reference had b een ma d e was t h e dtiti on " o , newspapers. There, he m us t sa y, th a t the Rightms-d Gentleman had attribut e d t o hi m muc h that he ", - ho never said. Ho had never sa id th a t t h e d u ty t0u 9 ,40 kept un to prevent cheap newspapers, neither barbel, ever stisl that the stamp was a secur ity a gaiost. s A el The Right Hon. Ge n tl eman h a d di sp l aye d aOP ' - f e• of ingenuity in huntin g u p difficulties as to the inte,lb.o tation of the words " news" and " occurrencieS , 0 1 there had been no compl a int s whatever of any los ct.; f inc )nveniente being felt on that ground. The Boarn eo 'eland Revenue informed him that there had heed great dissatisfaction manifested upon those points ; t . he was inclined to believe that th e ex t ent o f the gri-e mice rested rather in ti e imaginatio n o f th e Right "; () 0 , Gentleman than in the practh e of parties Inor e Ln• corned in the inatter.—(Cheers.) He o bj e cted P": pally, however, to this proposition with respect i tr ° oo , bearing upon the revenue.—(Cheers.) The Right t ies Gentleman had fairly stated the amount of the u'',„ - $ 1 embraced in his motion. His object was to ter m the taxes on knowledge, and he (the Chancellor of t ot Exchequer) would not say that the time . migli t o si of come when they would be repealed; but he must on that it was impossible, with a due regar d t o the ne. no , creditor and the public faith, to repeal th em thii se r tte and that nothing could be more unw i se than it", House tr pledge itself for the next sess i on . If ~ of vim one thing more than another which a Cbanenito the Exchequer was bound to do, it was never to dise o t any intended changes in taxation until the or sj i t he came at which it was regularly made p u blic. 11° , 0 0 Chancellor of the Exchequer) objeCt e d t o th e repeal `t and he objected still more strongly t o an y prom' s , f ibe pledge as to what should be done in the future• ap o duty on paper was an increasing d u ty ; it shuovfne:sted symptom of decline from which it m i g I ht be 111 "n" r n that the excise interfered injuriously with it. t i ' s te duced in 1840, 581,000/.; in 1841, 758,0001. ; in 785,000/o and in 1849, 810,0001. The duty on ° i ne papers last year was 348,000/. ; on a d v ertisetth e ve 163,000/o and on foreign books, 7,000/. The Pr ° , i ":4s, of all the se-called taxe s on k now l e d ge was—i 3 01 1,264,0001.; and in 1848, 1,329,0001. ; and he vise prepared to sacrifice so much of the revenue.—(P' s- ntl He trusted the House would forgive him if he addr ei : it fur a motneub subjvot rho ';`;e11 propositions for the repeal of taxation w hi c h bad "", • made within a brief period, which was m a d e on the P t i e et sent motion, and which was to be mad e on 1 11 #19 motion which stood on the paper for that night., on hoped he was not more nervous than Chancellors 0' n o Exchequer might naturally be expected to be 14 e ; questions of taxation, or anything affecting the resel l o n but ho could not look without serious anxiety %t art course the House of Commons seemed disposed to rite sue on various questions connected- with taxation• h had had the honour of holding the situ a tion of C IO cellor of the Exchequer for about three years hire half, and he had the misfortune during that time, O n sin/ to deal with periods of extraordinarydepression• of there was the famine in Ireland; next, the nerL e e elr coremercisl panic which followed; and then the disvi e n antes on the continent in 1847 and 1848. All t , events, over which they had no control, had a Inc/ s ides, pressing effect upon the revenue, and the re was, b, es ; the the large expenditure for the Kafir war, over whic'incis House had no previo es control. Their financial Po! . t ee had now just begun to improve, and he bad he u the pleasure that night of laying a bala nce - s h ee t 110'0 table which showed a surplus of 9 ,500,00 0 / e at ' was the first time he had been abl e t o show 8 IO plus, but ho declared most solemnly that theretos greater danger when they had a surphis aegi s when they had none—(01), oh, and a lau g h) — bees e at:' deficiency created by events over which they had o ° trol was widely different, as affecting the public er';oo than a deficiency produced by the wilful and do conduct of the House.—(Hear, hear.) Ho bad h s ; be about a month ago that the surplus would probaut r i o ar 1,500,000/.; and he proposed to give relief on tw°i'fan of taxation to tho amount of 750,000/. He proposv - t ee' ther to apply 250,0004 to the purchase of that ni° s $ OO profitable annuity the Equivalent Society; and t ° le 1 0 500,0001. to he applied to the reduction of the deb pfs this scheme the stamp duty, which was now one•be' per cent., was proposed to be reduced t o one-quart er s ad cent.; but the House was not satisfied with tha t : n oel voted a further reduction, which, at the lowest .. .. c os t :11 1 involved a loss to the revenue of 100.0001. 24 °,",, t he Right Hon. Gentleman proposed to take off taxes the extent of 1,300,000/, less what would be paid 1° .',0 3 11 postage of newspapers. He would yield to no man I " te rlf desires for economy, but he contended that it was at eft ein impossible this year to ;effect a further reduction °ate peaditure to the extent of 1,000,0001. sterling, 35 4 010$1 large votes had already been taken. What, then' id' be done? Taxes of one kind or another must b e ( 01 Is posed to meke up the deficiency. Hon. Mew- e a se that side of the House wished to s u b s tit u t e direct " d 00 tion fir indirect taxation, and they therefore 13s i oli' objection to create a deficiency by abolishing i nn root taxes if it a e:e made up by direct WI, Hunourablu Gentlemen on the other side of the M iser knew there was no chance of re-imposing i m port and they were, therefore, not indisposed to suprr t deb' ilemen on the other side of the House in creating °. sa ciency.—(Bear.) Each party were an x i ous t o b° l , v ho til opportunity of carrying out their own seh emes , Wi'" l l3o reflecting what ould be the effect upon the House 0 0 Governinent, and the country. If th e H ouse by its; to deliberate act created a deficiency, it wou ld t h e n he,, - 0 0 1 settle how it must be made good—wheth er by add,itivini direct taxation or additional indirect taxation. J us till thought it possible that, before they w er e able to 0 5 .1 that point, both sides would come to the conclusiol!l the it was far better to submit to the old burdens un til ob' Financial Minister was able to deal with the Droste noxious of them. But what effect would this Ile ve e i the public credit?—(Loud cries of " Hear, he 'sir deficiency was bad enough when it was created bi r o 0,0 e cuinstances over which they had no controle - n n ee" hear.) It was most essential that the public Credit 6 OOP' be kept up. He did not impute to the Rig" nt eli n e Member any wish to imp a i r it — any not i on o f °roe:, tion had always, he w as h a pp y to say, b een disc-doSr in that House; and h e did not f or a mom ent no t e its sincerity; but he was afraid, if these vote s 0 agreed to, the country wou ld b e put into a 0 .; tion from which it would take years to renu l t e sol° the House wilfully created a deficiency witb oll ; a l e l 4 definite and probable prospect of making it goou', o lo 2 would be great difficulty in maintai n ing the, c r i as: credit. If propositions of this kind wor e carve deb so large an amount of revenue sacrificed witliotit,t e ia' nite proposal to make it good, the H ouse wool deli' flicting, he would not say an irrepar a ble, but ° ¢soo• gerous, wound upon the public ch arac t e r. "A eZ r Member for Montrose had, besides, a motion '' he night, which would sweep away 1,500,0001. of " venue. Mr. iIUNIE —lt is only completing free trade., 1' 0 ; The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUY 4 ';/ but on Geeing, the notice he had ord ere d a r e turn, a e pt . e found that, it duties were remitted acco r ding tu oil er position cf the lion. Member, the revenue would 4 , l er to the extent of 1,538,0001, which, with the eth er „ t 1 1 e : two now before the House, mad e u p a rem ission o °3° ties to the extent of 2,838,0004 lie trusted th e I ,jecli would not `think him unduly anxious on this t o tal' ) but when propositions of this kind we re mod e 15 ° ,i after night—when, on a recent oc casion, d o ce l non to repeal one single duty, w hich p ro to eie„ 1,820,000/., was defeated only by the O r 811 0 " possible majority—(llear, hear)—there was Illee r d " vote ! enough to excite the most serious anxiety to fi n vows: thus given without a full consideration of their „ queuces upon the public credit.—(Cheers.) The /3 ' o f 11 the grounds upon which he resi s ted th e motioe,„ Right lion. Friend. He thought it unw i se , unit ° yliP discreditable to the character of the House to 1 13 n; i eir t ' reduction of 1,300,0001.; and ho th oug h t it ,tlree though not so discreditable, for the ll ouse to Pl e eer, self to deal with any particular tax in the ensui e 'V'i si9n. Those must anxious for economy could 1. :1 0 0 ' wish to destroy, by this c ourse , the happy state quillity which, by the blessing of God, had made vet land the refuge of the world. (Cheers.) He e° ll o d .0 51 0 express himself sufficiently against a course which o et o be a political suicide. The question was not 0 1 0 matter of 10,0001. here and 20,0001. there, tlt i ol 1) 0 essentially a question touching the public credit; et trusted, therefore, the House would neither de rs o sio e ' these taxes now, nor pledge itself to do so next ~ but negative the proposition of the Hoe. Merribe e ',.,ll/ 9) „ Mr. HUME said no man was mor e d e sirous th e % self of upholding the publi c cre dit, an d he 1 " 1 , t further than the Right H on . B aronet, an d al ee ptilP i t ; any attempt to int er f ere w i t h t h e c l a i ms o f the 0 0e, creditor would bring on the country calaraitteso pre ti greater . than anything hitherto heard of. Bu t „, e 1 ° ll 6 raises of the Right Hon. Baronet were not oily - G OO/ I he would show that the House ought to take 7 30 .0 5e 0 just the reverse of that which the Right Hon. recommended. The Right Hon. Baronet said t hrs b ' e he stated his proposal how the surplus was t o t i o with, it met with universal acquiescence. Hume) considered the brick duty a very proper on o f O p :, repealed, but he objected to the purchasing Yes presto part of the national debt while there were tarhim vd ing far immediate repeal. That did appear f e u d t o e, error in judgment, and he said so at the drag , fjoilto the acquiescence was not unanimous e ven in the" 30 t' t , en vier ott It was absurd to apply a trifle like 500,0001. liquidation of a debt of 900,000,000/. ; which was insignificant as compared "" sefei d , debt would have relieved the public t . r °ni ned taxes, the repeal of which was loudly ce,be be The Right Hon. Baronet had not s t a t e d fairly L o ';s tam of the finances. It wa s t rue th er e bat! r ir hatl e o " famine, the commercial di s t ress , an d the d isk ' r i,, , ibt abroad; but the Right lion. Baronet had e f„ attribute the defleiences of the revenue to taloefi ti, arose mainly from the extravagance of the o , °/ ni ieiali e g , The revenue remained untouched and un" l ele v . The deficiency was created by the u nnecessa r .a bt e diture in the warlike establishments. The B IL F 00 1f,„ 1 7, latronet had speken of this motion 13 .! (e. 41 1,300 000/.; but in truth, his Right Hen. br ie- detY Gibson) only proposed to deal now with the 01. 10 saienps aed e d vert isements, amounting to 300,0eutot of deed, the speech just delivered was no replY e t( : ho the flight lien. 'Alember, which was ono et ," jee P e. ahl - ‘, the most convincing, and the most coar' v ; c iedg fic ever heard on the subject of the taxes 01 11 ' 13 .,„ o ert,t 1 p , (Cheers.) This question was the more ly o ' o etto e , Loeauee large aims were annually spent in . e l 5 01 03 6 and the House was about to consider a national ten e t fir that purpose, while the abolition of t a e 'l e a ea' would do more in that direction than all they eee vv es , this expenditure, actual and proposed. _ i trc t II ,Z; .• erou tae ; ,., •1 :he sv ' t , s l! l , w, re allowed to continue. It feetel' expending mosey in sanitary improvement and THE INDIA BENCH. - --- --- Mr. SADLEIR gave notice that on this day fortnight he would make a motion with respect to the exclusion of members of the Irish bar from the judicial bench in India. INCOME-TAX. Colonel DUNNE moved for certain returns of income tax arising from securities and possessions in Ireland, which were agreed to. MILITARY KNIGHTS OF WINDSOR. Colonel SALWEY gave notice that on this day fort night he would move the appointment of a Select Com mittee to inquire into the claims of the Military Knights of Windsor. POOR-LAW. Mr. HATCHELL stated, in reply to a question from Colonel Blacken, that the Poor-law Commissioners, had no power to award salaries to assistant poor-law guardians, nor had they any power to pay them out of the rates. They were in the position of ex officio or re presentative guardians, and were not entit'ed to any salary. TAXES ON KNOWLEDGE. Mr. LUSHINGTON presented a petition from print ers and others in London and Westminster, in favour of Mr. M. Gibson's motion for a repeal of the taxes on paper and advertisements, and for the repeal of the newspaper stamp duty. Mr. LABOUCHERE presented a petition from Exeter to the same effect. Mr. COBDEN presented similar petitions from Scar borough and several places in Lincolnshire. Mr. M. GIBSON rose, after presenting several peti tions to the same effect from the metropolis and other parts of the country, to move the following resolutions: — Whereas all taxes which directly impede the diffusion of knowledge are highly injurious to the public interests, and are most impolitic sources of revenue, this House is of opinion, Ist, Thai such financial arrangements ought to be made as will enable Parliament to repeal the excise duty on paper; 2d, that it is expedient to abolish the stamp duties now payable on newspapers in Great Bri tain and Ireland; 3d, that it is expedient to abolish the toaabeo upon at duties now payable on advertisements in Great Bri tain and Ireland; 4th, and that the customs r t i o g r right ehte w a make enteringk duty on for e i gn b oo k s ou ght to b e repealed. Be ft,eow t s toe preliminary eliitr me r its toin at o rb f ye the b observations, r sve t a i . c t i u ho l ne a s r , though t i resolu tionsn it or der to explain to the House why he had thought it con sistent with his views to make this motion in its pre sent firm of separate resolutions; also to explain to the House the way in which he wished the motion to be put, and also to explain how he could reconcile it with his sense of public duty to move for a rather large reduction of taxation after the financial arrangements of the year has been concluded. With regard to the last of these points, he wished to say, that if a Member of Parliament were to wait previous to asking the House to express an opinion upon the policy of particular taxes until there was a clear surplus, and no way pointed out of applying that surplus, he very much doubted whether he would ever have an opportunity of submitting such a motion to the House.—(Hear.) Why, at all times Government managed to spend as mach as it could get.—(A laugh.) The expenditure was always up to the revenue, and if they were to wait until there was a surplus before making a motion on the policy of taxation, an independent Member would scarcely have as opportunity presented to him for the purpose. Now, in 1842, the Right Hon. Baronet the Member for Tamworth entered on power with a large deficiency, but that did not deter him from dealing with taxation as a matter of policy, or from making such arrangements as enabled him to repeal taxes, without injuring the r evenue , w hi c h reste d upon the springs of industry and retarded the operations of trade and manufactures.—(dear, hear.) And, therefore, he said as a matter of priuciple they were entitled, without referen ce t o t h e mere f ac t o f th ere being a surplus, to raise the question of taxation as part of the national policy with as much right as if they were seeking the opinion of the House as to any particular contemplated tax.—(Hear, hear.) He did not ask any gentleman to do anythi ng ras h, or t o i n t er f ere indiscriminately with the public finances. It had been hinted that a new school of repudiation was springing up amongst them, but he was not of that school; he only desired the House to consider whether they could not raise the revenue of the country in such a way as should be likely the least to depress any important branch of trade or manufactures.—(Hoar, hear, and cheers.) He did not wish Hon. Members to adopt all the resolu tions if they could not do so consistently with their own opinions; they would be put separately, and those who could not vote fur the repeal of the duty on paper might feel at liberty to support the resolution for the repeal of the newspaper stam p d u ty.—(H ear , h ear .) Now, the resolution which stood first had reference to the duty on paper, which, when they deducted the duty paid on the paper consumed in the offices of the State, yielded something like 750,0001. per annum. If they considered the duty on paper simply in refe rence to its effects on an important manufacture, ho thought they would find a convincing case for taking its review into an early consideration. Without going into the more immediate object of his motion, namely, the effect of this duty in impeding the diffusion of know ledge, he would call the attention of the House to its effect on the paper manufacture itself, upon the "em ployment of labour, and upon some other considerations of a commercial character not immediately connected with the diffusion of knowledge. Now, ho held it to be fatal to the tax, if they could not protect by any device the honest trader against the fraudulent cue. What a Monstrous thing it was, if true, that the Excise had always failed to protect to any considerable extent the honest manufacturer from those that evaded the duty, that they should continue a tax of this description. That was an argument of itself fatal to the tax. A list was pub fished last year of the number of manufacturers who had been fined, and some of them imprisoned, by the Excise for carrying on a systematic violation of the Ex cise-laws. But, in order to protect the honest manufac turer from the fraudulent one, what did they do ? They had recourse to a system of vexatious inter • ference, and of constant prying and meddling with all the affairs of the manufacturer of paper; and they were obliged to do this to an extent that ho . hardly thought was true of any country, even of Algiers. Now with regard to the employment of labour, and he would just ask any of the Gentlemen opposite, interested as they were in the employment of labour in the rural districts, t) consider how materially the prosperity of the paper manu facturer was connected with the full employ ment of labour in many of the agricultural districts. The manufacture of paper was perhaps the only rural manufacture which they had. The paper -mills were spread over the whole country. They Iv , re fund perhaps in almost every county in the United Kingdom. They employed a large amount of labour, and if it was the tendency, as he believed it was, of these laws to lessen the number of paper manufacturers, asd to limit the production of paper, then he said, in producing those results, it lessened the employment of labour in those rural districts and increased the rates therein, and it became a legitimate question with Gentlemen opposite how far they would interest themselves in the abolition of those duties. There was no article of an equal value which employed a larger number of labourers than the manufacture of paper. Mr. Crompton, a gentleman of great experience in these matters, had made a calculation that a reduc tion in the duty would afford employment to no less than forty thousand persons, men, women, and clildren, in London alone. That gentleman also stated that a newspaper which purchased stamps to the amount of 3,0001. gave employment to 15,000/. worth of labour; and what more important consideration could there be than this, especially at a time like the present, when multitudes were leaving their country for want of employment? He was speaking in presence of those who could correct him if he were wrong, that all our colonies were getting their paper from France and Germany in preference to this country. where the manufacturers could not supply paper at a sufficiently cheap price. It was true that they were allowed a drawback, but that was more than overbalanced by the extortions of the Excise. The drawbacks he believed continued the same, they appeared to bo stationary matters.—(e. laugh.) But he would now take the effects of this taxation in its most important shape, that of preventing the diffu sion of useful knowledge among the people. Ile could not state this in stronger terms than it bad been stated by Messrs. Chambers, of Edinburgh. In a petition pre sented by them to the House, they Meted that they had been prevented by no other cause than these duties from continuing various periodi cal works calculated to diffuse useful knowledge among the people. They had also been obliged to abandon a publication which had a circulation of 80,000 weekly by the mere consideration of the Excise duties. The ' duties alone would have been sufficient to have ensured them a considerable profit. The paper formed the leading item in the expences. But he had another statement of a similar nature from Mr. Charles Knight. He s u pp ose d th e y h a d seen a ver y able pamphlet which had issued from tho pen of that gentleman, entitled "The Struggles of a Book against Excessive Taxation," in which he gave a history of the struggles of the Penny Cyclopedia against the fatal effects of the heavy ditty on paper. What did they think this little book—(Laughter)—which was in tended exclusively for the working and poorer classes, contributed to the revenue of the country? It paid in hard cash for paper duty no less a sum than 16,5001. — (Hear, hear.) What an enormous sum was this to exac t as a fine from a man before he was at liberty to spread through this vast country the inestimable blessings of cheap literature, which, in the words of Sir Henry Parnell, n formed the raw material of all social improvement among the great masses of the working people of this country." In fact the fiscal re strictions on paper did far more to hinder education than the educational grants of the Government did to promote it. He would quote another fact from the pamphlet of Mr. Knight. He stated that in the course of twenty years he had paid 80,000/, for copyrights and literary labour, but before he could give the world the benefit of that purchase he was compelled to pay the Government as much as 50,000/. for the duty on paper. Here was - a tax on capital, here was a pressure on the industry cf a talented man,' which had no parallel in any tariff or excise duty; bur he would take another weapon. The proprietor of the Poor Man's Guardian told him that before he r a;cl for labour of any kind he was obliged to pay the Excise-office 100,000/. per annum. And it was absurd to say that the duty thus imposed could be got back from the consumer, for the poorer classes were unable to give any but a very small sum for a publication, and unless a proprietor sold a very large number of copies his speculation would not succeed. The publishers of more expensive works suffered in the same ratio. If a per son published a work, and had a thousand copies printed, he bad to pay duty upon all, although h e might only sell 100 or 200, and the remainder found their way to the b u tterman or cheesemon ger . The Commissioners of Excise had inquired into the subject, and they was in flictedi they saidt was their opinion that " a great injustm upon the publisher of a book .by the making him pay duty on a greater number of copies than he sold. He had stated why he thought the duty on paper pecu liarly prejudicial to the progress of knowledge, while a great many objections might be urged against it upon indeed had ground that it obstructed trade. Numerous had been the Committees which had recommended its abolition on that ground, while the Excise Commission had contemplated its repeal, if it did not recommend its repeal.—(Rear, hear.) Had the Right Hon. Baronet the Member f o r T amwo rth remained in office it would have been repealed long since. That Right Hon. Baronet abolished the duty on leather and glass, and it was quite evident that he contemplated paper next. With these observations he would ask the House to ad o pt this resolution as an expression of its opi▪ nion that the paper duty ought not to form one of the perpetual sources of raising the public revenue. He came now to the next resolution, namely the one rel a ti ng to the stamp on ne w spapers. Ile believed he might b e permitted to consider this not entirely as a question of revenue. He remembered, when this questi▪ on was before the Parliame n t some years ago, the Noble Lo r d th en at the head of the Government expressed a hope that no man would think him capable for a moment of putting this question upon so narrow a foundation as that' of revenue. The Noble Lord viewed it si m ply i n reference to its effect upon the habits and feelings of th e people, a n d it was in that spirit he proposed to deal with it now. N ow , the newspaper stamp paid something like 350,000/. per annum to the Exchequer. Some Gentleman might fancy that newspapers enjoyed some postal privileges, and he begged to tell those Gentlemen that ho proposed to leave that part of the matter just as it stood now. Those who wanted to send their paper by post should be compelled still to pay the penny stamp, but let not those who did not use the post-office be compelled to p a y w ith those who did. This was no new principle, for it had already been adopted by the House, and he held in his hand a return which showed that there were fifty-three periodicals published in London which had stamped editions for those who wished to forward them by post, and unstamped ones for those who did not.—(Hear, hear.) He would take the case of Punch, the Atheneum, or the Builder, and he would ask if there was any reason, if they were allowed to be unstamped, when they did not go by post, why they should not allow the Daily News to be un stamped when it did not go by post? Perhaps the House would say these were not newspapers. Teen he wanted to know what right they had to allow them to go by post if they were not newspapers ? If that system was so anomalous with respect to the postage part of it, he did not think they could maintain it.' He thought the thing must break down. It had gone to such au extent that he believed if he were to stamp a