The Express.
London, England, 1864-04-06 00:00:00

THE SUGAR DUTIES.

The following are copies of a memorial addressed
to the Chancellor of the Exchequer by the Manchester
Chamber of Commerce on this subject, and the reply
thereto, which wu received yesterday :
"To the Right Hon. W. E. Gladstone, M.P., die., Chan.
Geller of her Majesty's Exchequer.
" The Memorial of the Board of Directors of the Manchester

Chamber of Commerce, I;irtheiicilirma7:..--
" Respectfully showeth, —That your memorialists have
in peat years on many occasions addressed her Majesty's
government and the legislature on the subject of the sugar
duties. That they have been at all times anxious to obtain
a considerable reduction in the rate of those duties. That,
in common with all free traders, your memorialists have
consistently advocated the abolition of all import duties,
except those absolutely necessary for purpose. of revenue.
That the duties on sugar are of the latter description, and
your memorialists are most desirous that they should be
fixed at u low • rate as possible ; and that in the interest
of the consumer no impediments be opposed to the impor-
tation of any class of sugar from the very lowest quality to
the finest loaf smut. In order that no one class of persons
shall be protected at the expense of another, it is, in the
opinion of your memorialists, needful that the duties be
assessed upon the article in proportion to the amount of
crystallissWe saccharine matter which it contains. Your me-
morialist., therefore, hope that you will take the matter into
your early and favourable consideration, and that you will
make as large • reduction in the duties now levied upon
sugar as may be consistent with the exigencies of the
public service.—And your memorialists will ever pray, Sic."
The following is the reply :
" 11, Downingetreet, Whitehall, April 4, 1864.
" am desired by the Chancellor of the Exchequer
to acknowledge the receipt, through you, of a memorial
from the Chamber of Commerce at Manchester, on the
subject of the sugar duties ; and I am to assure you that it
shall receive the full consideration of her Majesty's go-
vernment.-1 remain, air, your obedient servant.

. ' "J•s. F. STUART WORTLIT.
" Hugh Fleming, Esq."

Mr. W. Evart has deferred his motion for the
repeal 44 the punishment of death till Tneeder, the 3rd of
May.

Mr. John Benjamin Smith intends, on the 3rd
of next month, to call the attention of the Hones of Com-
mons to the expediency of adopting • gold currency in India.

. -
On going into committee of supply on Friday
week, Mr. William Fonder will call the attention of the
house to the arrangement between the Foreign-oftioe and
the Board of Trade is reference to communications between
her Majesty's government and foreign governments upon
foreign tariffs, and will nova for a select committee thereon,
To-morrow Sir Harry Verney will ask the'First
Lord of the Treasury whether, at the conference about to
erasable on the affairs of Germany and Denmark, "there
will be anyone who will protect the interests of the Jahn-
bitents of Holatelo and Sleswig."
To-morrow Mr. Osborne will ask the Under-
Secretary of State for War whether it is intended to build
the fort recommended by the Defence Commissioners upon
the Stourbddge Shoal at f3pithead ; and howfar the original
plan for the defence of the harbour of Portsmouth, as laid
down by the royal commissioners and sanctioned by par-
liament, bas been departed from.

Mr. Ormsby Gore has the following notice on
the House of Common paper, for' Friday :—" The govern-
ment having increased the allowance towards the mainte-
nance in county and borough rola of convicts sentenced to
penal servitude from a maximum of 4e. per bead per week
to a m►ximnm of Se. for such • period as they may be
detained in prison, beyond two calendar months from the
time of conviction, to ask the Secretary of Siete for the
Home Department, whether it is intended to keep such
convicts in county gaols for any time longer than at pre-
sent, as it will in Shropshire necessitate an increase of
accommodation and in staff, there being no means of
giving hard labour for any greater number than at preterit.'•
. .

On going into committee of supply, on Friday,
Sir Lawrence Palk will call the attention of Mr. Attorney-
General to a rule obtained for a commission to examine the
Nobs of Egypt and other witnesses at Cairo to obtain evi-
dence spinet the steam reins detained at Birkenhead ; and
to ask how long this investigation is likely to take, and the
probable expense of it ; whether the trial of the Birken-
head ironclad' will be postponed from May next, until this
information be obtained ; and, why this role was not applied
for when the vessels were first detained.

On going into committee of supply, Mr. Peacocks
will call attention to the cue of the Tuscaloosa ; end move
the following resolutions :—" I. That the instrneticias coo
tamed in the despatch of the Duke of Newcastle to Sir P.
Wodehouae, dated the 4th of November. 1863, and which
remain still unrevoked, are at variance with the principles of
international law. 2. That the opinion of the law oaken
of the crown, being a ooa6dential document intended for
the guidance of the government, upon which they can act or
not, as they see 6t in the exercise of their discretion, and
on their own responsiblity, ought not to have been trans.
mitted by any minister of the crown to Admiral Sir B.
Walker for his guidance."

The annexect notice was issued by the Bank of
England yesterday :—" Bank of England, April 5, 1864.
In consequence of the great number of letters returned by
the Post-office from being insufficiently addressed, the Bank
will require for the future in all new accounts which are
proposed to be raised in the boots kept for the public funds,
that the number of the house, as well as the name of the
street in which the stock proprietor resides, shall be stated.
C. E. ORLY, Chief Accountant, Beak of England."

PRINCE ALFRED.—His Royal Highnees Prince
Alfred returned to Holyrood on Monday rooming Iran
Wishaw House, where he had been on a visit to Lord sod
Lady Heller's. His royal highness has signified his inten-
tion of honouring the let /did•Lothian Rifle Volunteers
with his presence at their co.,cert in the Corn Exchange,
Leith, on Wednesday evening. .

RZYLL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY.—A meeting of
this society was held yesterday in the council-room at South
Kenaisgton, when a number of new fellows were elected,
among whom were Mr. Win. Nicol, hf.P., Mr. George
Plunkett, FAH of Sheffield, Madame R. de Valineney, Mrs.
Crawford, Mrs. Plankton, &c. After the election an in-
teresting lecture on the hyacinth was given by Mr. W.
Paul, of Manhunt, and was profusely illustrated by a
perfect show of the plant. A paper by Mr. dames Bate-
man, FALB., of Biddulph Grange, on the culti-
vation of the dwarf banana, Musa Cavendishii, was
next read. A large bunch of the fruit was ex-
hibited, and was afterwards broken up and distri-
buted among the andletice. Mr. Bateman had also sent
a magnifinnt specimen of dartdrobitun nobile to be alio wt ;
it wu nofortunately late in arriving, but was liberally pre-
sented by him to the society, to be balloted for among those
present, which was done on the spot Mime Nicoll. of Hyde
Park-gardens. proved the fortunais winner. Some curious
specimens lately sent from New Grenada by the society's
collector, Mr. Weir, were exhibited to the meeting.
The power of the penny is well illustrated in the
soecuste of the Birkenhead ferries. In the year ending
Marsh 31, their returns were nearly 38,0004 and their
profits above 13,0001.