The Express.
London, England, 1847-07-03 00:00:00

Wit should not have suspected Lord GEORGE BEN-
TINGE of lending himself to so disgraceful a trick as
that attempted yesterday afternoon—fortunately, in
vain—for putting off the debate on the Health of
Towns Bill. By the standing orders the house cannot
be counted out before four o'clock, and it is universally
understood that the house shall adjourn from the
morning sitting till five o'clock, without opposition;
but on this occasion the leader of the protectionists
delayed the adjournment till past four, and then tried
to count the house out. We are glad to say that this
trick was defeated in some measure by some of Lord
GEORGE BENTINCK'S own party, who refused to sanc-
tion it, or leave their seats. This gave time for a
reinforcement of ministerialists from the public offices,
which allowed the good progress made with the
clauses of the bill in committee last night.
From the large majorities in favour of the bill
and its most important clauses, from the circum-
scribed quantity and quality of its opponents,
Lord Muiteeru must, we think, regret having,
even for a moment, shown any hesitation. It is
quite evident, that antagonists of sanitary measures
are only those who are to be found opposed to every
measure of necessary improvement and liberal reform.
It was natural, indeed, that a few sturdy cocks should
be found to crow and make battle on behalfof theirewn
dunghills. But Mr. HUDSON made out no ease of
exemption for York, and, with Colonel SIBTRORP
for his companion in arms, it is little wonder that
he offered ineffectual resistance. Serious argument
would really be thrown away in such a controversy.
And we cannot but lament once more the great
deficiency of the liberal ranks of the House of Com-
mons in comic power and repartee. With such anta-
gonists, so vehement in such a cause, it was not for the
gravity and profound sense of the ministerial benches
to rise, in the person of the First Lord of the Trea-
sury. It was fur the wit of the party to have sabred
these heavy and lumbering dragoons. Where was
Mr. BULLER, who has mush in him more solid
than wit, but who nevertheless ought not to
eschew wit, for fear of losing character with
blockheads? Truly, the political party which once
boasted a SIIERIDAN ought to take some steps in the
ensuing elections to procure some admixture of wit
and readiness with their other sterling, but perhaps
too serious, qualities. Never was the English public
so mad after humour, so fund of jest; yet never were
the political dramatis persona so incapable of either.
In the way of serious argument, we prefer facts.
And of them we have many, all showing the necessity
of speedy interference with the sanitary condition of
great towns. A letter from a respectable inhabitant
of Poplar will be read in another column, and speaks
sufficiently for that district.
Of the unusual prevalence of fever in the metro-
polis, imported originally by the Irish poor in all
probability, but evidently increased and fostered by
the miserable sanitary state of London, there can be
no doubt. Oa Monday last we perceived in the
Times a statement by Dr. 'rWEEDIE, denying any
unusual prevalence of fever at the present season.
We beg to contradict the truth of Dr. 'fwEEDIE's
statement altogether. Orders have been issued by
the Home-office for returns of the state of fever in
the metropolis. We have seen some of these returns,
and may give the following extract from that made
of the south division of the parish of Whitechapel, by
the medical officer :
Cases of fever attended from the 30th of Dec., 1846, to
30th of March following
Cases of fever attended from the 30th of March, 1817,
to 30th of June

Another passage of this report is as follows:
On the 28th alt. I visited twelve new ciao& of fever, six
of which were in one court in Mee Anchor-yard, Rosemary-
lane. These cases were obviously produced by the malaria
arising from a large pool of stagnant water, into which
flowed the refuge of the houses, and the contents of the
privy common to the whole court. The pool occupied more
than half the length and the entire breadth of the court,
and was a foot and a half deep in the centre. The court
contains (minces houses. Fever has lately been in every
house on one side of this court.

So much for the sanitary condition of the first of
our great towns, and of the care with which the
population are guarded from fever in the present
state of sanitary law. We must rejoice that ministers
carried last night the exclusion of London, since the
vote was necessary to the success of the rest of their
bill. But we trust that, with respect to the metro-
polis, Lord MORPETII cloth but rreukr pour ',deux
&utter, or retreat to leap the farther, and that London
will next year share the fate of Lincoln and York in
having its health intrusted to some wiser men than
the Sir Pirrut LAuRIEs of the corporation.

To those who recollect that one-half (in value) of
the whole of our last year's exports consisted of cotton
articles, it will not be surprising that we recur on
every occasion to the prospects of the cotton manufac-
ture, under the influence of a deficient supply of raw
material. The estimates from America of the last
crop, continue constant at 1,800,000 bales. The ex-
pectation for some time cherished that the deficit
(about 270,00) hales) might be lessened by increased
shipments from India, has gradually been given up.
The apprehensions with which this state of affairs is
contemplated in the manufacturing districts, will be
imagiced when we mention that while the present
prices of cotton yarns and goods differ little, if at
all, from those which prevailed about this time last
year, the prices of the different qualities of Upland
fair cotton have increased within that time 333,
46 2-13, and even so much as 71 3-7 per cent.
The consequence has been, that the consumption of
cotton in the first five months of the present year has
decreased to the extent of nearly 200,000 bales. 'Co
effect this decrease, 12,167 workpeople had been
thrown entirely out of employment, and 6,628 set to
" work short time" at the end of May. Matters have
rather mended since that time, but the most recent
show that about the end of June there wereB,67l29rt
entirely unemployed, and 3,021 only par-
tially employed.
The falling off in the exports of cotton yarn during
the first six months of the present year is
16,145,860 lbs., or about 1(1 per cent. on the exports of
the year. The falling off in plain calicoes is 23,337,213
yards--compmsated to a considerable extent by an
increase in the export of dyed and printed calicoes to
the amount of 19,031,565 yards. The decrease in the
exportation of cotton yarns is chiefly owing to a fall-
ing off in our shipments to Hamburg (of about 111
million lbs.), to Russia (of about 2 million lbs.), and
to Sicily and Sardinia (of about 3 million lbe.). The
augmentation in our experts of dyed and printed
cottons is owing exclusively to an increase of 12}
millions of yards in our shipments for the United
States, and of 111 millions of yards in our shipments
to Brazil. It may also be remarked that there would have
been a much greater falling eff in our exports of plain
calicoes, but for the increased shipments to the same
countries. The quantity of plain calicoes shipped for
the United States in the first six months of 1846,
was 6,113,023 yards ; in the first six months of 1847,
it was 18,569,183: the amount shipped for Brazil and
other parts of South America, in the first six months
of 1846, was 29,881,832 yards; in the first six
months of 1847, it was 42,184,678.
During the last month there has been rather more
demand for yarns from Russia and Germany, parti-
cularly the former. But the high price of the raw
material threatens to put a speedy check to this
revival, as it has prevented the spinners deriving any
advantage from it. And the same cause may inter-
fere to limit the extension which is taking piece in'
our transactions with the (Uuited States and
brazil. It is, however, obviously to our increased
dealings with these two countries, that we
are mainly to look for compensation fur our re-
duced transactions with Germany. The falling off
in our exports of yarns to Germany (more than two-
thirds of the whole decrease) cannot be materially
checked until the legislators of the Zollverein have
been brought to entertain sounder views of commer-
cial policy. But, so long as the United States have
breadetuffs and cotton, so long may oar trade with
them go on expanding; and to impart an indefinite
extension to our trade with Brazil, nothing is required
but to place the Brazilians, in respect of commercial
intercourse, on the footing of the moat favoured
nation.

It ought also to be remarked, in respect of Brazil,
that there the chance of a marked and speedy increase
in their exports of cotton-wool are greater than in
any other country. And an increased supply and
diminished price of this article is a necessary condition
to the continued increase of oar exports. Indeed one
of the most urgent considerations with our cotton ma-
nufacturers at present ought to be how they can most
speedily and surely promote an increased production
and export of cotton in various countries. Much may
be done by re-establishing a cordial feeling in Brazil
towards Great Britain ; much may be dose by invest-
ing money in the construction of railways between
Bombay and the cotton-growing districts; something,