The Press.
London, England, 1857-02-21 00:00:00

Valittral.

CABINET COUNCILS were held on Saturday' and
Wednesday afternoons last, at the orncial residence
of the First Lord of the Treasury in Downing street.
Present—Viscount Palmerston, the Lord Chancellor,
Earl Granville, the Marquis of Lansdowne, the Earl
of Harrowby, Sir George Grey, the Earl of Claren-
don, Mr. Secretary Labouchere, Lord Panmure, the
Chancellor of the Exchequer, Sir Charles Wood, the
Right Hon. R. Vernon Smith, Lord Stanley of
Alderley, the Right Hon. 31. T. Baines, and the
Duke of Argyll.

THE PROPOSED RETENTION OF THE WAR DUTIES
ON TEA AND SUGAR gave rise to an influential meet-
ing on Monday last of importers and dealers in tea.
Mr. MOFFATT, M.P., presided, and in opening the
proceedings of the evening alluded to the imposition
of the war duty on tea as having been imposed on
the distinct understanding—in fact, upon a pledge
by the Government—that, with the cessation of the
war, the war duty on tea should cease also :
This was contirmei subsequently by communications
with the Government. and the trade had since based
most extensive transactions upon the faith of this arrange-
ment ; and now they found, to their artonishment, that
the Chancellor of the Exchequer had come forward with a
proposition in direct opposition both to the pledge of
Government and the itzt of Parliament, and which would
deprive the trade, the country, and the revenue of the
advantages which would otherwise result from the in•
creased consumption.

Mr. GIII.MAN, in moving the first resolution,
condemning the proposal of the Chancellor of the
Exchequer, said:—

Some time ago the trade had taken steps to ascertain
the feeling of the Government upon the expiration of the
war duty on tea, in consequence of some difference of
opinion among themselves on the point, and he held in
his hand a letter which the Government bad sent in reply
to one asking them at what period the reduction from
Is. thl. to 18.3 d. would take place. The letter was written
to the Commissioners of Customs, and the answer was as
follows :

Sir,-1 am directed by her Majesty's Commissioners of Cus-
toms to acquaint you, in reply to your communication of the
11th inst.. that the reduction iu the duty on tea from Is. 9d. to
Is. 3d. will take place on the Bth of April, 1857.

After such a letter, and sifter the pledges given by Go•
vernment, what reliance could be placed on any pledge
given by the Government if faith was to be broken with
them now?

Mr. Aldermann SIDNEY, in support of the resolu-
tion, said there was an impression on the part of tha
press that, according to the plan of the Chancellor of
the Exchequer, there was to he a reduction of 2.1. per
pound on the sth of April, but that was not so ; on
the contrary, there would be an increase of fourpence
on the duty which would be payable under the
existing law. That duty would be only Is. :id.,
whereas by the Chancellor's proposition it would be
Is. 71.

He was at a loss to know how the statement of the
Chancellor of ti.e Exchequer would be received by the
House of Commons, but he thought the emintry would be
both surprised and disappointed to find the estimates ex-
ceeding in amount those of the year previous to the war by
twelve and a half millions.

Other resolutions were proposed, and a committee
at once appointed, who proceeded direct to havo an
interview with the Chancellor.

On Tuesday the meeting reassembled, when Mr.
Moffat, M.P., stated that at their interview with the
Chancellor Sir George Lewis stated that it was
impossible for him in the present condition of the
finances of the couotry to adopt the duties of 11433 as
a standard. A resolution was then passed reprobating
this departure from the act fixing the duty on tea at
Is. 3d. per lb. for the ensuing year, and a petition
to Parliament adopted.

A TEA-DrriEs MEETING was held in Edinburgh
on Monday, when resolutions were unanimously
passed that the proposed interference with the reduc-
tion of the tea duty was a breach of public faith,
tending to unsettle all confidence in any commercial
legislation whatever; that whilst thus protesting
against any further interference with a trade already

SATURDAY,

tampered with repeatedly within the last few years,
in the event of the proposed postponement of the
duty to Is. being carried out, it should be by two
changes—one just now, and one in 18n0—instead of
four, one every year, as proposed by Government, on
account of the excessive inconvenience caused year
after year, both to the trade and to the Customs.
These resolutions were communicated by telegraph to
the members for the city, and to Mr. Gladstone.
THE WARS WITII PERSIA AND CHINA were discussed
at an important public meeting at Ross, held in the
Town-hall, on Monday evening. The meeting was
fully attended, and was addressed by several gentle-
men, who protested strongly against our aggressive
policy in the East, with reference particularly to
Bushire and Canton. A petition to Parliament
against these proceedings was unanimously adopted.
A public meeting was held on Thursday at Bristol to
petition Parliament against the Persian and Chinese
wars. The chair was taken by Robert Charieton,
Esq. A resolution, proposed by the Rev. Mr.
O'Neil, was unanimously adopted, expressing deep
regret at the bombardment of Canton by the British
fleet under Admiral Seymour, " no sufficient cause
having been shown for such an extreme measure, so
repugnant to Christianity, and calculated to bring
dishonour to the British name." The resolution
also declared that they viewed with sorrow the expe-
dition against Persia as an aggression, without suffi.
cient reason, on the territones of a weak Govern-
ment, and which, if persevered in, might lead to
serious complications wish other powers. The meeting
also protested against the terrible power of declaring
war or of entering on hostilities being intrusted to
any subordinate official, such power being, by the
British constitution, vested in her Majesty alone.

FEBRUARY 21, 1857.

and neglect of a poor suffering woman, one Sarah
Balcon, who died on the 12th instant.
A RELIGIOUS-LIBERTY DINNER took place at the
London Tavern on Wednesday evening. Mr. J. R.
Mills presided, and there were present, amongst
others, Sir W. Clay, Bart., M.P., Mr. J. Cheetham,
M.P., Mr. T. Barnes, M.P., Mr. W. S. Lindsay,
M.P., Mr. E. Miall, M.P., Mr.l'. M. Weguelin, M.P.,
Mr. Sergeant Parry, Mr. J. Mellor, Q.C., Mr. W.
Pollard Urquhart, M.P., Mr. W. Shaen, Sir Morton
Peto. The customary loyal and patriotic toasts
having been given and duly responded to, the chair-
man gave the toast of " Equal Civil and Political
Advantages to Persons in every Class of the Commu-
nity, irrespective of religions Distinctions, an essen-
tial Element of Liberal Policy." The object of their
meeting there that night was simply to enforce the
old maxim of doing unto others what they would
wish done to themselves—of having, in short, a
religious peace, when civil advantages would no
longer attach to the religious opinions of any creed.
With what right or justice, he would ask, could this
Government refuse to interfere with any class of
religionists in a Mabommedan country when they
were not prepared to accord the same religious free-
dom to all the denominations and sects which were
already under their care? Mr. T. M. Weguelin,
M.P., adverted to the necessity which existed, in a
society constituted like that of this kingdom, iu
which religious differences abounded, that they
should be regarded rather as an evidence of earnest-
ness, and therefore there should he a mutual tolera-
tion among those who agreed to differ from the most
conscientious motives. No man should seek for any
civil advantages as attached to his religious opinions,
but content himself with a conviction of the truth of
the creed which he possessed. They were all storeys
in one common building, differing perhaps in form
and situation, but still belonging to the same general
edifice, with unity of sentiment, though differing in
action. Sir W. Clay, Sir Morton Peto, Mr. Cheet-
ham, Mr. Miall, and others, also delivered addresses
on the occasion.
A DREADFUL ACCIDENT OCCURRED ON THE 'LONDON
AND SOUTH-WESTERN RAILWAY near the Barnes
station on Monday. From the particulars obtained,
it appears that the wife of the switchman noticed her
child upon the line just as the whistle of the goods
train, coming up, was sounded. The unfortunate
woman rushed across the metals to save ber child,
which she succeeded in doing, but before she could
gain the platform sbe was caught by the train,
thrown down upon the line, and her two legs nearly
severed from her body by the passing of the wheels
of the carriages over her limbs. The poor creature
was placed in a train, removed to the Waterloo ter-
minus, and afterwards placed in a caravan and taken
to St. Thomas's Hospital, but little, if any, hopes
can be entertained of her recovery.

THE COAI.WHIPPERS OF LONDO; waited by deputa-
tion upon Lord Stanley of Alderley on Wednesday to
explain the grievances they now suffer from the with-
drawal of the bill which protected them from the old
public-house truck system. The deputation prayed
for the renewal of the old bill, and Lord Stanley
promised that inquiry should be made into the
matter.

THE REGISTR.AR•GENERAL'S RETURNS for the week
that ended on Saturday were 1,264, and exhibit a
decrease on those of the preceding week of 104.
Last week the birth of 947 boys and 904 girls, in all
1,851 children, were registered in London. In the
ten corresponding weeks of the years 1847-56 the
average number was 1,550.