The Sun.
London, England, 1855-05-31 00:00:00

THE MEDITERRANEAN.

MALTA, MAY 24.
The Niagara arrived the night before last, with
horses and drafts, and proceeded yesterday.
The steamer Black Prince arrived from Constan-
tinople. She has had four deaths from cholera.
Many of those on board were suffering from dysen-
tery, and from taking a quantity of unripe fruit,
which brought on cholera. She sailed for England
yesterday.
We have a report brought by the City of Aber-
deen that, on the night of the 11th, the Russians
maple a sortie, in which, it is said, they lost 3,000 ;
but this is supposed to be an exaggerated account
of our former news of the sortie of the 11th.

A line-of-battle ship, towed by a steamer, passed
to the East to-day.

SHIPPING RETURNS.

The shipping returns of the Board of Trade for the
month ending the 30th of April have been issued, and
continue to exhibit a considerable decrease in the em-
ployment of tonnage. This decreass, however, has been
relatively felt to a greater extent in foreign than in Bri-
tish shipping, a further corroboration being thus afforded
of the fact that British vessels have the preference when-
ever there is a full supply of both. Those of the United
States have constituted an exception to the general de-
crease of foreign ships during the month, but in the pre-
ceding months they exhibited a falling off, although not
nearly to the same extent as those of other countries.
As regards the British totals, the dimunition in the
number of voyages of the various mill steamers con-
eributes materially to the reduction observable. Sub-
joined are the general figures :

Entered inward : -
TONNAGE FOR MONTIC ENDING MAY 5.
1853. 1854. 1855.
British vessels 280,792 357,455 269,003
United States"vessels 54,235 100,229 110,187
Other countries 174,375 207,205 86,251

509,402 661,889 465,451
The clearances outward were :-
1853. 1854. 1855.
British vessels 472,072 49`',939 480,725
-United States' vessels 82,093 81, 447 115,5'5
Other countries 137,735 193,820 119,425

691,900 769,646 715,725

With regard to the coasting trade, the returns show
that the tonnage entered inward was 1,145,014 in the
month ending May 5, 1853 ; 1,060,821 in 1854 ; and
in the present return it is 1,028,357, including 17 foreign
vessels, of an aggregate burden of 2,158 tons. The
clearances outward were 1,200,554 tons in May, 1853 ;
1,127,208 in 1854 and 1,087,478 (including 2,198 tons
of foreign) in 1855.

NEW PRUSSIAN DUTCH TREATY.— A letter from Berlin
says :—"The Dutch Government hats just concluded
with Prussia a convention on reciprocal liberty in the
coasting trade, the stipulations of which will be soon
officially published."

The more intimate friends of the late Mr. Lockhart
are raising among themselves a subscription sufficient
to erect a monument at Dryburgh Abbey over his re-
mains. The chief subscribers are the Earl of Ellesmere,
Dean Milman, Mr. Richard Ford, Mr. John Murray,
Dr. Ferguson, and the Rev. Dr. Wellesley.
ST. MARGARET'S MANSION, RICHMOND.-The Con-
servative Land Society, true to their title, being most
anxious to improve in every respect the localities in
which they purchase estate?, have given instruction to
sell by public auction, on the 28th of June, the magnifi-
cent mansion of St. Margaret's, rather than pull down
an edifice which may be tanked as one of the noblest
specimens of modern architecture. A more beautifully-
constructed mansion, of better materials, and of more
finished workmanship, is not to be found round London.
This has been admitted by the thousands of visitors from
all parts who have already viewed the mansion. The exe-
cutive committee, disregarding the merely financial ques-
tion of profit, which would suggest the clearing of the
ground for allotment, at once are affording every oppOrtu-
nity to preserve the mansion in its integrity. The
estate is daily visited with increasing interest and curio-
sity, now that the mansion is to be brought to the
hammer.

A meeting of the General Screw Steam Company
took place yesterday afternoon, Mr. R. Currie in the
chair, when the report' and accounts were carried by a
large majority. An .opposition was raised to their ac-
ceptance, on the ground that they had not been audited
as required by the deed, thee refusal of Mr. Crawford to
assume the office of honorary auditor having left the
duty of investigation to his colleague. Th 3 opinion of
Mr. Lavie, the solicitor to the company, had been taken,
and he considered that, under the circumstances, the '
directors were justified in offering the accounts for adop-
tion. Some discussion ensued respecting the large
amount of 143,4871., carried to the debit of profit and
loss, and it was explained that, taking the accounts into
practical form, this result was shown. Mr. Quitter, who
attended professionally to elucidate the statement, urged
that the course pursued was a legitimate one, and in
this view he was supported by Mr. Coleman. Several
of the shareholders appeared to consider that the pro-
perty has been unnecessarily depreciated, and that the
directors can, notwithstanding late losses, make a distri-
bution from the revenue of the past 18 month.. The
directors, on the other hand, contend that the affairs of
the company will not at present warrant them in doing
so, but they express a hope that the next half-yearly
accounts will exhibit a more favourable result.
PROVIDENT CLERKS' ASSOCIATION.—ELECTION OF
ANNIIITANTS.—In pursuance of a resolution pas-Tel at the
annual general meeting on the 15th January last, by
which a sum of 1101. was voted for annuities to clerks
and widows of clerks duly qualified, an election of six
annuitants on the benevolent fund took place yesterday
afternoon, at the offices of the association, 15, Moorgate-
street. A large number of members attended to record
Itheir votes. This was the sixth occasion on which these
elections have been held. The association is now paying
upwards of 8001. per annum to distressed members or
widows of members. The support which it has met with
from large banking and mercantile firms has enabled it
to pursue a career of unchecked prosperity, and the
amount of good achieved on behalf of a class peculiarly
in need of'its efforts has surpassed the most sanguine
expectations 'of its founders. The appreciation of its bene-
fits by those for whose special benefit it was instituted
is shown by the fact that thousand; of such persons are
now enrolle I among its members. The number of candi-
dates who offered themselves for election was twelve,
.comprising two clerks and ten widows of clerks, and in
two iestances it was a second application. The highest
annuity contested for was 251., which was obtained by a
candidate with the initials "J. G.," aged 42, who had
subscribed to the benevolent fund nine years, and whose
defective eye sight and extreme ill-health bad inca-
pacitated for holding a-situation. The other annuities
amounted to 151. and 20/.1 the latter amount being ob-
tained by a widow with the initials " A. N. D." whose
late husband subscribed to the fund for eleven years,
and who, upon very small means, has five young chil-
dren dependent upon her. Mr. R. Jones, in the absence
of Mr. W. G. Prescott, acted as chairman on the occa-
sion, and aneounced the result, expressing his regret
that the society's funds were not in such a state as to
justify still larger extension of its benefits, and that any
of the candidates should be disappointed.
INCOME-TAX REFORIL—BIRMINGHAM, Wednesday.—
Last evening a meeting, convened by circular, was held
in this town for theiformation of an Income-tax Reform
Association. The object of the promoters of this move-
ment is to remedy the present unjust state of the law as
regards the tax itself and the mode of levying it. It is
admitted (they urge) by nearly all great financial autho-
rities that to tax income from business at the same
rate as that derived from realised property is unjust.
This inequality is strongly felt by the commercial and
professional portion of the community, and the conse-
quence is that the income tax is the most unpopular of
all taxes, and cannot long be maintained in its present
state, if the electors take up the subject, and a pressure
be thus brought, to bear 'upon the House of Commons.
We understand there is. no wish on the part of the
originators of the association to embarrass the Govern-
ment, or to escape a fair taxation ; but they insist on the
taxation being made on equitable principles, and that all
parties in the state should contribute a proper proportion
of the public burthens. Resolutions constituting a so-
ciety, to be called The Income-tax Reform League,"
having for its object the carrying out of the following
measures, were unanimously agreed to :—"That income
tax paid from business and professions shall not exceed
Dee equitable proportion of that paid from realised
perty. That on appeal, a statement of income, supported
by the oath or declaration of the taxpayer as to his be-
lief of his income, shall be final." It
was also unani-
' mously resolved that every member of the society should
use his influence to induce all candidates for the repre-
sentation
jof the people in Parliament to support the
above principles. Detailed announcements of the ob-
. ects of the society will shortly be issued.