The Express.
London, England, 1847-02-17 00:00:00

PROVINCIAL.

PROPOOID DEDUCTIO;CII Till DUTY ON Toss.—A
meeting wax held at Manchester yesterday, called by Ihe
mayor, upon a requisition signed by upwards of ninety pep.
sons and Krim " to take into consideration the urgent or
cessity for a large reduction of the present high duty upon
tea." E. Armitage, Esq., the mayor, took the chair. Mr.
Thos. Baxley, President of the Chamber of Commerce, pro.
mead the Lint resolution That, in the opinion of that meet-
leg, the remieska of heavy import duties upon articles of
peg deg had been proved by experience to hide
easeideuse MEL thi; true principles of commercial policy. To
show the irapidatice of the China trade, Mr. Baxley said Um
poople w. re emsidared to number nearly half those of the
globe, and yet, while our total exports were 60,000,0001.,
our exports to China in 1846, were only 2,450,0001.—0n1y 4
per cent. The motion was carried unanummily. Mr. Itobt.
G• ardner moved: That, in the opinion of this meeting, Use
exorbitant duty at present levied upon tea, is in the higher*
degree impolitic, wet injurious to the trade and
commerce of the country, and might, with great
advantage, be considerably reduced. In his opirisa
this was a subject which should be appreached with
much anxiety, because at present the duty produced a
revenue of nearly five millions, and it was a very lopestallt
item. A hundred years ago, in 1747, the consumption M
tea was 216,0191b5.: the consumption of 1846 was about
44 million pounds. In advocating a great reduction of the
duty on tea it was on the principle of the great advantage tt
would be to the working community as well as to the great
extension of our trade and commerce to which it would lead
he looked, and he thought he could prove that the riduction
of the duty would greatly humus the consumption. He
found that the duty on tea from 1740 to 1744 was de. 6d.
per lb. From 1746 to 1783 it varied from 2s. 6d. to it Y.
per lb. In 1783 the duty wee reduced to 121 per Nat ad
valorem. In speaking of the price he should speak Sr that
quality which was taken as the standard, for the price of tea
varied from a halfpenny per pound to about 4s. 6d., and the
trade, in speaking of it, spoke of a given quality. In 1783
the duty was levied on 4.741,0001 b. at 3s. 64. per lb. In
1784, Mr. Pitt, to prevent smuggling and to improve
the condition of the people, reduced the duty to
121 per cent., and at the sale price that 121 per cent.
amounted to 51d. per lb. In 1783, the amount upon which
the highest duty of 34.6 d. was paid, was 4,741,000 lbs.; but in
1784, when Sid. was the duty, the quantity increased front
4,741,000 to 10,169,000 lbs. In 1786, the quantity increased
to 15,851000, showing an increase of 327 per cent. in three
years. In 1783, the public paid for tea, 1,866,0001., the duty
being 3s. 6d. per lb, ; but in 1786, when the duty was re-
duced to 51d., the amount paid was 2,996,0001. In 1789, the
duty began tp be advanced, and every year or two there was
an addinon to this duty till it reached 30 per cent. In 1796,
the consumption of tea when the duty was thus increased
was 21,342,000 lbs. In 1833, it had been increased to
31,000,0001 M ; so that from 1786 to 1833, the duty was in-
creased till it reached 96 or 100 per cent. Thu under a low
duty they saw an increase from a low duty of 327 per cent.
in three yetis, whilst undern high duty amounting in the end
to 100 per cent., they only saw an increase of consumtion of 98
per cent. in 47 years. In the yearn 1833 and 1834, the govern-
ment tried the experiment of an ad valorem duty, the lowest
quality Is. 6d. per lb., the middle 2a. 24., and the finest 3s.
per lb. In 1836 it won advanced to 2a. ld , and in 1840 five
per cent. was added to it, snaking the duty Is. 21d. per lb.
In 1839 the consumption was between 36,000,000 and
36,000,0001 M. In 1840 there wee considerable speculation
in tm, and the price advanced from 9d. to 10d. per lb., and
this decreased the consumption to 32,000,0001 b. ; hut the
following year, when the price had fallen, the consumption
advanced to nearly 37,000,00011*. He thought this showed
that a redaction of price would greatly, increase the con-
sumption, and he was persuaded that if the present duty
, was reduced from 24. 21d. per pound to Is. 6d. per lb., It
, would give employment to many factories now standing still,
and nearly 100 mulls, now idle or not fully employed, would
be set to work again. (Applause.) He contended that our
' trade was limited, not because the Chinese were unable to
consume more goods, but because of our not having facilb
ties to take and to consume a great quantity of theirs.
(Applause.) He was of opinion he had made out a case
of the great advantage that would result from the
establishment of a low duty upon tea. Tea was now
a necessary and not a luxury, and 'twist every person
was a consumer of it. On looking at the consumption of tea
in 184.5, it was 44,127,000 lbs. at 2a. 214., which gave a
revenue of 4,896,3904 He would suppose that by the re-
duction to Is. 6d. there would be en inestam of consumption
to 66,000,000, or an increase of 12,000,000 lbs. ; and that
conclusion was arrived at by the details he had before given.
Then supposing the reduction he bed suggested took plant,
and the consumption rose to 66E30,0001M. that quantity
et Is. 6d. per lb. would produce to the revenue 4,201,0001.
Ent it was generally admitted that it was usual to allow
41b. of sugar to every pound of tea; and if that were so it
would lead to an increased consumption of sugar of 21,000
tons, giving a revenue of 460,0001. starling, and leaving a
lose to the revenue of 166,0001., en amount which, shoe
we consider the employment that would be given by it M our
inanufactitring population, our shipowners, and every other
elms, was a very small matter, =dons which would be made
op in other ways. An important conaideration in this quie-
tism Wee me China triode which, being conducted, not like
that with Alliance in the vessels of the two countries, but
altepther la our own bottoms, would employ from nine
is bra tissue the mount of ships now employed.
This was a question of great weight, espeeially to those who
Were in the habit Sr dwelling upon the fact that our mer-
Gentile navy is necomary to another service on which the
&Ewes of the country rested. Mr. Gardner contrasted the
duties we levied upon the teas of China with the duties the
Chimes levied upon olir cloths and yams, and contended
that it was an abominable and tricked policy to have forced
men them at the point of the bayonet such an unequal
spasm, sad said it was a anailar course to that we had pur-
sued towards the continents of Europe sad America in
respite to corn, till providence stepped in to Overrule it.
Mr. Wm. Peel moved a resolution to the effect that while a
reduction of the duton tea world not materially afeet the
revenue, it would benefit the population Sr this district,
would greatly' increase our trade with China, which trade,
already considerable, was capable of almost indafte exten-
sion. Mr. Fairbridge moved that a memorial be presented
to government embodying these resolutions, and peavine
that each • reduction might be made in the duty upon- tea
might or would greatly extend the consumption and im-
prove our relations with China. All the resolutions were
adopted unanimously.

EITINSION or THE titrranW.—lfesterday afternoon a
public meeting of the inhabitants of Leeds, convened by the
mayor, upon requisition, was bald at the Court-house, " to
take Into consideration the propriety of petitioning the
House of Commons for an on of the suffrage to al!
solo adults of the she of 21, of 0100 mind, sad not soar-

going the matance of the law for any offence, and sash
miter ossameas to lames an of carrying out of the
sae."—TM Rams '(Oeo. Ooodman, BR.), in opening the
sia.—
bquirEariadeittivinomeen I:iattalst being
ose o tilaendersitt. as. hold-
famed a resolution which declared that it was
the aservietiouet the meeting that the elective fraachise was
' the altar& inheritance of man, without distinction of clam,
or taeenofarycircomstances, and consequently, that no mass
or body of men can be justified in prevents/fig its exercise
by the people • that the present fraacWse, therefore, is aw-
',tad in pdactile, as it excludes six-sevenths of the lade
adult popalation from its exercise, as well as injurious in
practice,.. it allowed a minority et those who possessed the
franchise at the time of an election to send men to parlia-
ment who almost invariably protect the rights of pro-
put), whilst they leave labour comparatively unprotected.
Mr. Brook seconded the resolution, which was carried.
Mr. T. 8. Mackintosh then rose to move a resolution, de.
clariag that it was highly desirable that the existing state of
the franchise should be put an end to by the passing of a law
that would enable all male adults to elect their representa-
tives in pediment, instead of certain classes only, and that
seek other measures should be adopted ae would secure the
efficient carrying out thereof, and thus promote the happi-
ness of the people. [Mr. Mackintosh was speaking in sup-
port of this proposition when our report was despatched.]

Poo* Wanes.—The visiting justices to the county
prison, at Aylesbury, have just advertised fora schoolmaster,
for the prisoners, at a salary of 401. per annum, with rations.
la the same paper (the Bucks Herald), there is an adver-
Unload from the board of guardians, of the Aylesbury
anion, for a schoolmaster for the workhouse, at a salary of
only 201. per annum.

HER MAJESTY'S THEATRE.—ThO opening of Her
Majesty's Theatre, which marks the commencement of the
maga' season, took place last night, and excited even more
than usual curiosity and interest, the house being filled in
every part before the rising of the curtain. At half-put one in
the morrung,after along opera, followed by a ballet also of con-
siderable length, we cannot enter into those critical remarks
oar the performances which we desire to make, and which we
shall, therefore, defer till to-morrow, and shall mean-
while content ourselves with briefly mentioning their
general effect. No alteration has been made m the
appearance of the theatre since last season. The opera was
"La Favorite," an Italian version of "La Favorite "
of Donisetti, an opera originally written by him for
the Parisian stage, and produced six or seven years
ago at the Academie Royale de Mosique. Its subject
and incidents are well known to the London public, from its
having been performed here both in French and English,
but its full effect, both as a drama and as a musical piece,
was developed here for the first time last night. Mdlle.
Sanchioli appeared in the character ~f Leonora ; Gardoni, the
new tenor, who well deserves his brilliant reputation, in that of
Fernando ; Superchi, a new baritone, also of high and merited
reputation, in that of the King Alphonso ; Signor Bouche,
a bass singer of talent, in that of the monk Baldassare, and
Mdlle. Num in that of Ines. The performance of the
opera was highly effective : Gardoni, in particular, achieved
a triumph ; Superchi had a very favourable reception ; and
Sanchioli, though her vocal execution was far from perfect,
in some pumps of energy received much applause. After
the opera, the national anthem was rung by the whole vocal
strength of the theatre ; the audience standing, and the
house, presenting the most brilliant mu?-d' cell that can be
imagined, the company in every box looking like a beautiful
Ppieture in a gorgeous frame. The ballet was called " Cora-
ia, en. le Chevalier Inconstant:" the subject is taken from
the Baron de la Motto Fouque's famous romance of " Un-
dine." Corolla, the water.nymth of the German romance,
was reprsented by Pfedlle. Carolina Rosati, from the
theatre of La Reel at Milan, who made her
debut fa this country. Her success was triumphant.
The audience were delighted with the charms of
her beautiful figure and face, the ease end grace
of all her movements, the singular lightness and
brilliancy of her dancing, and her animated and expressive
action. The story was very well told for a ballet ; the spec-
tacle was splendid in the extreme, and some of the scenery
exquisite, particularly a view of the lake, in which the
moonbeams trembling on the water appeared was nature it-
self The piece, however, iatoo long, audits effect will be im-
proved by a little condensation.

UNIVERSITY AND CLERICAL NEWS.
()UM!), Po. 11.—Ihe Demornere (Dr. leans, Re.. L Hamm
and nee. K. Ka mid eggehied by the Trustees of Der brelend's
loundstiso glom nellen Sig en Insoination will he holmium in the
Soho& en Thredtg, the OD air.* ism the following dep. kr the
poor efeteralog • obit audit treededon. The nidereidp is
ern le ell neilogragnele arateni ranionaty who hove not
wessead Oak shim& MIL
Comonnono—in Os went of W. Prim Mort Webs time
Doneellorilhl&
_me here lood thermos( dr linneekef Neellesop
tan, L.D. (11111), Tardy mod Dirt Pr" mendsrel as
lady le tomme reollinlid se we es the Diaper Davelwadi.
In esdpepdta holden thh osenied, vergasy hi do 'Moo of
byreller, Wthe eggelailment ado ger et alle onopablhbed
y the emir Forretts yessioseL
larks ern** Degas de nerd tersi plod* Ihmonis Pony
Dods Ifeettsmgatmin plannoes= bah roes smoollerletna yam
.sans et sutra holm rem diet rienshei gelid Irina, am*
Tehreedl yew dodos emeltaril ludas asedeolo.'
NAVAL.
_ . _

THE EXPRESS, WEDNESDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY 17, 1847.