The Express.
London, England, 1863-02-10 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, TUESDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY 10, 1863.

is necessary if we are not to lose the large re-
venue we now derive from these artaciss,
and with it the means of absolving more
important commodities from excessive burdena.
Under the present system of duties the revenue from
tobacco and snuff is languishing. It does not par-
take of the elasticity and movement common to
the revenue derived from other articles which enter
into general consumption. The duty is checking
consumption, or at least what for fiscal purposes
is the same thing, it is checking the consumption of
the duty-paid article. In their report for 1861
the Commissioners of Customs show that while in
the preceding year the consumption of currants
rose 33 per cent., of spirits 11 per cent., of refined
sugar 6 per cent., of tea 6 per cent., and of coffee 3
per cont., that of tobacco roes only 1 per cent.
For the ten years 1850-1860 our importation
of manufactured tobacco stood still, and
since the latter date it has been falling
off. Nobody believes that we actually consume
less tobacco than we formerly did ; the falling off
arises from the evasion of duty. Our high rates
place a premium upon smuggling and adulteration.
The

Reports of the Commissioners of Customs are
full of stories, some of them very entertaining, of
the ingenuity by which the revenue laws are
evaded in respect of these articles. Against the
professional smuggler precaution may be taken,
but when the bulk of our seafaring population,
and nearly all the people who hang about the
shipping in port, dabble in smuggling as an
occasional occupation, it is another matter.
Indeed, our revenue officers admit that
they cannot prevent the smuggling of tobacco while
the inducements to it are so great. The true
remedy for this state of things, injurious alike to
the public treasury and public morals, is that
which was pointed out by Mr. Hors's Committee
in 1844; it consists in reducing the rate of duties
to such a point as that smuggling may becomeunpro.
fitable, while the loss to the revenue will be re-
paired by the increase in the quantities of the com-
modity brought to duty. We have reduced Customs
duties for various reasons of late years—some in

order to encourage trade, some to lighten the
burden to the taxpayer; these tobacco duties need
alleviating for the sake of the public revenue. The

enormous consumption of tobacco leaves not the
least room for doubting that an augmentation of the
revenue would follow the proposed change.

tbt Court.

The Prince of Wales, attended by Lieutenant-
General Keay, and Major Thesdale, visited Marlborough
House yesterday, and afterwards honoured the studio of
Mr. Walton with a vent.

The Duke of Cambridge paid a visit to his Royal High-

The Prince of Wales, attended by Colonel the Hon. Sir
C. B. Phipps and Major Teesdale, went at a quarter before
three o'clock in the afternoon from Buckingham Palace to
the Waterloo-terminus of the London and South Western
Railway, and left for Osborne, Isle of Wight.

A deputation, consisting of Mr. Hind, chairman of
the Birkenhead Commission, Mr. Mocatta, chairman of the
Library Committee, Birkenhead, Mr. A. Wain, law clerk,
with Mr. John Laird, M.P., bad an interview with Mr.
Hamilton, yesterday, at the Treasury, on the subject of the
erection of a public library at Birkenhead.
The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council sat yester-
day. Lord Kingsdown gave judgment on an appeal from
Canada, " Triggs v. Lavallee," that the judgment of the
court below could not be supported, and that their lordships
would advise her Majesty to reverse the judgment com-
plained of. An appeal from the Caps of Good Hope, " The
Rev. Wm. Long v. the Bishop of Caps Town,• wu com-
menced. The Lords present were Lord Kinpdown, the
Judge of the Admiralty Court, Sir J. Coleridge, and
Sir E. Ryan.

PRINCE LOUIS OP HESS, IN BIRMINGHAM.

His Royal Highness the Prime Louis of Hesse,
husband of the Princess Alice, arrived is Birmingham from
Windaor Castle yesterday afternoon by the express train,
arriving at the Snow-bill station of the Great Western Rail-
way at 1.45 p.m. Am his royal highness arrived at the
station incognito, the public authorities were not aware of
hie visit to the town, but • carriage and pair being in
waiting, he at once proceeded to the Hen and Chickens
Hotel, New-street His royal highness was accompanied
by Lieutenant-Colonel Du Plat, Captain Von Wolter-
wallet, and Dr. Ernst Becker. After partaking of
luncheon, the prince and the gentlemen of his suite,
with Dr. Alfred Evans, proceeded in the latter gentle-
man's private carriage to inspect the manufactory of
Messrs. Elkington and Mason, in Newhall-street. They
were there received by Mr. Frederick Elkington, who, with
Mr. S. F. RolLuon, accompanied his royal highness and suite
through the showrooms of that extensive establishment His
royal highner also visited the workshops, and observed with
much interest the several promise of manufacture. In the
foundry the large figure of the late lamented Prince Albert,
which Mews. Elkington are now outing, and which is to form
the Albert memorial of the Great Exhibition of 1851—win
much admired by his royal highness. Before he left the
establishment the prince made several purchases of articles
of virtu and art. He afterwards visited the works of Mr.
Joseph Gillott, pen manufacturer, Graham-street ; Messrs.
Edeleten and Williams, pin manufacturers, George-street,
Parade ; and the works of Mr. Watley Richards, gun
manufacturer, High-street, and manifested considerable M-
UNE in everything presented to his notice. His royal,
highness then returned to the Hen and Chickens Hotel,
where he afterwards dined in company with his suite. He
will remain in Birmingham until this (Tuesday) afternoon,
and until his departure will occupy his time is visiting the
several other manufactories of interest in the town.

EXPRESS FROM PARIS.

(71011 OLIN OWN

PARIS, llontay Evans°.

In the Corps Legislatif, this afternoon, M.
Picard took advantage of the question that the
minutes of the last sitting be confirmed to call
attention to the note in the Moniteur, which
seemed to prohibit the journals from making any
comments upon the debates in that house. He
alluded to the "black man" as one of those
messengers whose instrumentality had been fre-
quently mentioned in that house and who had
been sent to all the newspaper offices previously to
the publication in the Moniteur. He wished to
ask the President of the Council of State (M.
Baroche), who had lately told them that it was his
misfortune to read the journals every morning,
whether this new interdiction was to be
considered as one of those forms of that
liberty of the press in France in which
his excellency was almost the sole believer.
He wished to know whether it was really intended
that while a measure, when passed, might be com-
mented upon and discussed, the opinions pro-
nounced by members while laws were under dis-
cussion could not be criticised at all. From such a
strange interdiction it would follow that they, the
members, might make the most absurd mistakes,
or might speak with the most hopeless obscurity,
and yet the press was not to be allowed to correct
their errors or elucidate their imperfect expressions.
He trusted that M. Baroche would agree with him
that his recent prohibiition was the offspring of a
very unfortunate idea.
The Passim:sr (Duke de Morny) said be had
allowed K Picard to proceed because, as a general
role, he thought it always best that a member
should explain himself freely ; but he felt bound to
say, as matter of order, that the speech just de-
livered had nothing whatever to do with the con-
firmation of the minutes. He thought M. Picard
might find another opportunity of saying what he
wished upon the subject.
K BAROCHE—who seemed not to agree in the
latter observations of the President—said that
Neither now nor at any other time would he give
K Picard any explanations whatever touching the
note in the Monitcur, because that note involved a
question of law and of th 3 interpretation of the
constitution.

M. PICARD observed, "In that case, Monsieur le
Minister, the debates on the address will be sterile."
The incident thus terminated.