The Sun.
London, England, 1852-05-13 00:00:00

R-
„vittl

Ear
MAY 13, 1852.
LONDON, THURSDAY,

Tne adjeurnad debate on Air. MILNER;Ginso,,B
motion respecting the taxes on knowledge was yester-
day resumed and brought to a conclusion. The
arguments were all one side, but unfortunately the
majorities were the other way. Not a single indivi-
dual had the hardihood to advance an argument in
favour of any one of the obnoxious imposts, and yet
nearly 200 Members of Parliament voted for their
continuance. An Hon. Gentleman (Ur. MOWATT)
justly remarked," it took years and constant repetition
to obtain from Parliament the removal of evils, how-
ever grose." This ie, indeed, the truth, and it never
received a more powerful illustration than yesterday;
but when the discussion has ceased, when the injustice
and impolicy is universally admitted by men of all
classes and parties—when the only answer is an ap-
plication for delay in order that the necessary finan-
cial arrangements may be entered into, we may,
without claiming any extraordinary powers of va-

ticination, declare that these objectionable taxes
will, ere many sessions have elapsed, be
completely and psrmanewly aholiihed, and that the
only wonder in future eges will be that any Govern-
ment could have ben so unwise as to have imposed,
and the people so docile as to hz,ve Ecinctioned, such
iniquitous charges for so long a period.
It i, to be regretted that those friendly to the re-
peal of these ehargts were not induced to adopt the
recommendation of the lion. Baronet the Member
for the Tower Hamlets, and to refrain from
pressing the Hri3t, or, indatd, the two first re-
solutions to Ifs%division, resting their case fur
seitro solely ou
the present the advertisement
duties. Ilad therdone so they would probably have
succeeded on the
objectionable
and least pro-
ductive of these When a surrender of

nearly one million and a half of pounds sterling was
demanded, there was at least some appearance of
reason in the appeal that Honourable Gentlemen
should rally round the CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER,
and, for this year at any rate, steadily set their faces
against any proposal for the remission of taxation. It is
now clearly understood that the fiscal system is
to be subjected to revision with a view to the removal
or reduction of the most objectionable items, and the
substitution of other more equitable sources of re-
venue. Indulgence was this year accorded to the
" provisional" and " stand-still" budget solely on
that ground, and in the spirit of fair play which Eng-
lishmen are always desirous of seeing practised. It
could, therefore, scarcely have been anticipated that
those who approved and lauded the financial statement
would have enforced the immediate abolition of these
productive items on the credit side of the national
balance-sheet. But if 1,500,000/. could not under
present circumstances have been relinquished, the
tenth-part of the amount might easily have been given
up. It would, in fact, have been regarded as a por-
tion of the system of compromises so pointedly
alltried to by the PREMIER in his Mansion. house ora-
tion. The speech of the CHANCELLOR of the EXCHE-
QUER in the early part of the debate led to the ad-
journment, in the hope that the speech on the budget
would have rendered its resumption unnecessary.
That expectation was not realised; but so far as the
advertisement duties were concerned, we have little
doubt that the Right Hon. Gentleman would have
yielded to a little gentle violence, and given up
150,0001., when he could not relinquish 1,500,0001.
Had it been announced at an early period of the
evening that the division would only be taken on the
third resolution, leave of absence would have been
readily conceded to all applicants by the whipper-in,
and the services of that useful functionary would
scarcely have been brought into requisition. The
opponents of the charges, however, went for all, and
the result was, that for the time being they lost all.
The discussion must, however, prove eminently
beneficial. It only requires the public attention
to be prominently directed to the subject, to have the
injurious consequences of the different taxes clearly
and distinctly explained to ensure their speedy
abolition.

As to the advertisement duties, their can be no com-
promise whatsoever. Any charge would be objection-
able that would prevent the full publicity, which is so
essential to the development of the national industry,
which prevents persons from making known their
wants and wishes, whether they want to purchase or
sell, to give or obtain employment. It would really
scarcely be worth while retaining the half or one-third
of the charge, more especially as the same machinery
would be required for its collection as there is now in
operation, and at the same expense. The injurious
operation of the advertisement duties may be best
understood from the fact :alluded to by the veteran
Member for Montrose, that while the advertisements
in the United Kingdom do not exceed 2,000,000 in
the year, in the United States, where there is no
restriction or charge, they reach five or six times that
quantity, amounting to 10,000,000 or 12,000,000 per
annum. This extraordinary difference cannot be
ascribed to any cause save the impolitic imposts.
As to the paper duties, although we feel as
strongly as any person can possibly do not only the
propriety, but the absolute necessity, for their total
abolition, yet, considering the large returns to the
revenue, and the importance of maintaining the
public credit, we would willingly accept a com-
promise, allowing one-half of the duty to be taken
off next year, with a modification of some of the
most stringent and vexatious Excise regula-
tions, which are even more objectionab►e to
the manufacturers than the amount of the tax,
and perhaps enhance the prices to the consumers
in as great a degree. The remainder might follow
another year, and the community would be contented
when they knew that the existence of the obnoxious
impost was limited, and that it must necessarily expire
at a fixed period.

A compromise, too, might possibly be entered into
with respect to the stamps on nowspapers. A re-
duction to one halfpenny would be received as a great
boon both to journalists and to the reading portion of
the people, while it would effectually guard against
any of the evils predicted as to its removal
There would be no great loss to the revenue, and
the change might., and most probably would, lead to
the ultimate repeal of the entire charge.

Tne most critical year, according to the tables of
mortality, was happily passed yesterday by the
Royal Literary Fund, oa the celebration of its sixty-
third anniversary. Besides this circumstance there
were other reasons imparting a more than usual in-
terest to the occasion of these festivities. By an
admirable selection, the LORD Cisiar JUSTICE of
England acted in the capacity of Chairman,
being singularly well qualified to preside
over any such banquet in support of
the interests of literature by his noble
contributions to the intellectual treasures of the

land, as well as by that brilliant career which, in his
instance, has once more and most honourably asso-
ciated the cultivation of letters with the attainment of

the highest rank within the reach of a legal digni-
tary. Already it has been long understood by his
contemporaries that the capacities of Lord CAMPBELL
have proved themselves equally valuable in holding
the balance of justice and in guiding the pen
of the biographer. Recognised as one of
the most gifted writers of our time, the Noble and
Learned Lord is respected also by his fellow-citizens
as one of the ablest and most distinguished judges
that ever adorned the bench. It was by a more than
ordinarily excellent arrangement, therefore, that Lord
CeetrauLa last evening presided at the dinner of the
Royal Literary Fund, upon the occasion of an anni-
versary attended likewise by several other noblemen
and gentlemen whose names we might almost ven-
ture to assert are in some instances imperishably in-
scribed upon the scroll of our national literature.
Alluding to the improved position which has been
attained by the student of letters, the Noble and
Learned Chairman remarked, that among the most
munificent donors to the funds of the society was the
reigning descendant of that first GEORGE, who was
barbarian enough to avow his antipathy for both
poets and painters. Fortunately, indeed, the mid-
night oil need no longer be burnt in the squalor of a
garret. The age of Grub-street has passed away, and
the disciples of CATNACH are at length, we may
rejoice to think, restricted to the halfpenny
elegists of the last malefactor at Newgate, or to those
depraved romancists whose literary garbage is con-
fined to the brothels and the lower order of beer-
shop?, and the rest of the moral cesspools of the metro-
polis. Amongst ourselves there are but few DAVID
FALLENS to starve upon occasional crusts and be
buried in Poet's Corner. Those among living
authors who are reduced even in the maturity of
their powers to penury, now-a-days, descend in the
settle of society chiefly as poor JOHN BURLEY
descended, by their own improvidence--by their
Squandering of those " talents" which might better
even
nh
only
have
been wrapped in the napkin, or hidden
under the bushel, than dedicated:to orgies leading in
the end
to degradation. It has recently been ob-
served that while the author of a Rasselas" was driven
at times to dine upon broken meats behind the screen
at St. John's-gate, the author of " David Copperfield,"
on the publication of the first number of his new work,
entertained at his table one of the most illus-
trious of cur patricians. As affording further illus-
tration
t
advance made in recent times by the
miscellaneousofthicaultivators of literature, it was grati-
fyingo remark among those present at the anniver-
sary dinner of the Literary Fund, not merely a Lord
Chief Justice
of writer of biographies, but
another
Judgesi of the land, who is a writer of
th e who s a
tragedies. Gratified, moreover, as the Chairman
must have been by the graceful allusions made
by Sir THOMAS TALFOMID to his rapid eleva-
vatien both in law and in letters, he, nevertheless,
avowed
wag not at all surpriAng as a remark
coo
man of enlarged intelligence—that he
n great dramatist as superior to a Lord
cinsindgere frdoul a a
Chief Juetice, and a great poet to a Lord Chancellor.
Among the many
interesting toasts
given yesterday
to whom Noble and n
during the agreeable festivities here alludedigeshnto,stwas,the
PRINCE
as
Ralmatter
c o course,NosfoßT,
in allusionthat of
ho
his Romya the
Learned Chairman erroneously observed that be had
not yet (saving possibly by the speeches delivered
by him upon various occasions) made any
direct contributions to literature, Lironeoway, we I

say, because among the numerous evidences afforded
by the Prince ALBERT of his intellectual endow-
ments, possibly not the least valuable, and certainly
not the least interesting, are those elegant verses
which have been translated from the German by the
late geologist RlCHARDSON—beginning :
.

"It is the lofty Inselberg—a mountain high and
strong—
Where once a noble castle stood—the giants held it
long:"
verses inculcating through the fabulous the golden
truth of the inborn nobility of the peasant, a truth
conveyed towards the close of the poem in a line of
music, and in its very music of a certain solemnity—
"' Tis from the peasant's hardy stock the race of Giants
come!"

Another toast proposed by the Hon. Gentleman
the Member for Pontefract, himself favourably
known in the Republic of Letters by his " Palm
Leaves" and other poetic compositions, was
that of "Professor CREASY (or as our contemporary
the Morning Herald, by a rather unfortunate mis-
print, designates him "Professor CRASSY") and the His-
torians:" while " The Biographers" were associated
with the author of the "Memoir of Arnold," the latter
toast being proposed by the Hon. and Learned Gen-
tleman the Solicitor-General of Ireland in a speech
in which—[after the manner in which Lord
VERISOPHT remarks that " SHALSPERE was a cley-ver
man !"]—Mr. WHITESIDE informed his hearers that
" PLUTARCH had written some delightful lives," and
that the Vita Julii Agricola of TACITUS was "a
charming piece of biography." Almost as important
,as the foregoing! observations, was the remark of
the Hon. and Learned Gentleman, that "it is
matter of-regret that we have no perfect biography
of SHAKSPERE"—a discovery which we would
seriously commend to the attention of Mr. PAYNE
COLLIER, and which may tend possibly to throw
much light upon the forthcoming essay of M.
GUIZOT. Possibly the same eloquent speaker may, in
some odd moment of his existence, have met with
that epigrammatic but absurdly exaggerated line in
which POPE vilifies and eulogizes in the same breath
the glorious author of the Inductive Philo-
sophy, as—
_-"The wisest, brightest, meanest of mankind."
d to the remembrance of this line we may, per-
chance, be indebted for the very remarkable informa-
tion given to the world last night by Mr. WHITESIDE,
namely, that "the biography of BACON fills one with
pleasure, but at the same time with sorrow and re•
gret." While, however, the interest of the evening
was somewhat marred by the string of truisms uttered
by Mr. WHITESIDE and called a speech—as it
bad previously been interrupted by the harangue
of Sir CHARLES PASLEY—an harangue listened to
" with marks of impatience," the Literary
Fund dinner of yesterday passed off with a sense of
enjoyment not slightly contributed to by the hu-
morous address of Mr. THACKERAY. Literature
may now, in truth, look forward to brighter
days for its disciples, with a Literary
Fund, collecting as it did, i 770/. last evening, with
a Literary Guilrl recently created but already
flourishing, with a biographer as a Lord Chief
Justice, and a novelist es a Chancellor of the Ex-
chequer.

THE FRENCH REPUBLIC.

We have received the Paris journals of yesterday.
The Government has permitted M. ARAGO to re-
tain his place as Director of the Observatory, though
he refuses to hke the oath of allegiance. In a reply
to M. ARAGO'S letter tendering his resignation, the
Minister of Public Instruction says—" The PRESI-
DENT of the Republic has authorised me to admit an
exception in favour of a savant whose works have
thrown lustre on France, and whose existence his
Government would regret to embitter. The publicity
given to your letters will not change in any respect
the resolution which I consider it an honour to trans-
mit you."

The Earl of DERBY'S speech at the Mansion-house
has caused much satisfaction in Paris. The Cnnstitu-
tionnel, in an article of a very pacific character, con-
nects together the a&lress of LOUIS NAPOLEON to the
army and the speech of the noble British Premier, for
the purpose of showing that both Governments are
animated by the same friendly disposition.
The Dibats introduces the report of the speech of
the Premier, translated from the Morning Herald,
in the following terms:—
" We present our readers with a remarkable speecb,
pronounced by the Earl of Derby at the dinner given by
the Lord Mayor of London to the Ministers of the
Queen. Nearly the whole diplomatic corps present at
this banquet were represented by Count Milewski, the
French Ambassador, who spoke in their ntme, and
rzeited amongst bis suditory sympathies which all the
English journa►s teke pleasure in recording. The pre-
sence of the diplomatic body suggested to Lord Derby
the principal theme of his discourse; and Europe and
the civilised world will read, with a lively sentiment of
pleasure and of admiration for the orator, those noble
words with which the circumstance inspired the English
Prime Minister, promising to the world the aid of his
Government for the maintenance of peace, while he de-
scribed in glowing terms the solidarity which unites all
the nations of the earth for the preservation of this
supreme blessir g."

'The following graphic account of the grand mili-
tary ball given to the PRINCE PRESIDENT of the Re-
public, on Tuesday night, appears in yesterday's
Galignani :
" BALL OF THE ARMY TO THE PRESIDENT.
" The grand military ball, to which the army had in-
vited the Prince President of the Republic, took place
last night at the Ecole Militaire, and was remarkable
for its magnifience. The company began to arrive about
nine o'clock, and by ten the rooms were already filled
with an elegantly dressed crowd.
" The Court of Honour of the hotel had been covered
over, and converted for the occasion into a series of spa-
cious saloons or naves to receive the company invited,
the dancing taking place in the centre one. The en-
trane for tha guests was by the large gate on the Place
Fontenoy. The first room was a vestibule, at each cor-
ner of which were pilasters, the base of etch being sup-
ported by four large pieces of cannon, cue at each cor-
ner, tied a mortar between each cannon, surrounded by
natural flowers. The upper part of each pillar was formed
of sabres, holster-pistols, and battle-axes. In the muzzle
of each cannon was also placed a large bouquet
of flowers. Before the door, leading from this vestibule
to the ball-room, stood two knights on horseback in
complete armour, with lance in hand as if guarding the
entrance. Inside the ball-room, on either side, stood a
colon] five metres high, formed of cannon-balls, musket-
barrels, and sabres; the summit being formed of lance-
heads with their pennons, and crowned one with a bust
of the Emperor, rend the other with one of the Prince-
President. Behind these two columns were to be seen
the cross of the Legion of Honour and the recently esta-
blished military medal, in colossal proportions, formed
of miltary weapons of every description.
"The ball-room was nearly 70 feet high, and included
the inside front of the hotel and a part of the remark-
able façade, due to the genius of the architect Gabriel.
Down the whole length of the room were placed 80
pillars of arms, which, rising to the roof, supported tv. o
large galleries constructed at about 20 feet from the
ground, and ascended to by wide staircases.
" The ensemble of the decoration of the front bore
the stamp of the 15th and 16th centuries. The drape-
ries were of red velvet, trimmed with gold; four lofty
columns, made of gun-barrels, and ornamented with
trophies of arms, stood in front, and before them were
placed knights bearing brilliant armour. In the space
which separates the columns on the right and left were
two other figures of mounted knights, their horses also
in armour, whilst other pieces of armour were placed at
the corners of the central window of the first floor. A
wide scroll, with the words Ilonneur et Patrie written in
letters of gold, ran along above. Near this point, and
arrived at from the interior of the hotel, was placed a
tribune for the Prince President.

"The orchestra was placed opposite the front, in a large
tribune erected over the principal entrance; on the front
was represented an eagle with outspread wings, and
below it the inscription of L'Armis au Prince Louis
.Napoleon.
To each of the square columns already mentioned
were suspended groups of arms, arranged with great
taste, and interspersed with tricoloured flags. These
martial ornaments were composed of Saraoen and
French armour of the time of Henry 11. and Henry 111.,
coats of mail, helmets, pikes, lances, and halberts.
Each of these groupsiof;arms were surmounted by an
escutcheon bearing on it an eagle, and having the words
Honneur et Patrie. At the foot of the pillars, all of
which were surrounded with flowers, were placed large
mortars, the mouths of which were filled with Mori*
ferous flowers. The balustrades of the two galleries
were formed of the blades of s ,bres placed perpendicu-
larly, and terminated at tho top by pistol barrels. The
interior decoration of these galleries was white and
orange. A forest of lustres, bearing 24,000 wax•lighte,
shed their lustre on the different arms, and produced the
most brilliant effect.
" Between the upper part of the galleries and the in-
side of the roof hung large grrlands, with escutcheons
bearing the names cf some of the victories gained by the
French armies, since the revolution of 1789. Under the
galleries seats were arranged for the accommodation of
the ladies.

" The nave, situate:l to the right of the ball-room on
entering, was int?rided to serve as a conversation and
card-room. The fine erchitecture of the Motel was
malt tiEe of for the dccorstiou of this s,Afic, which is of
tbe same s:ze es the baii-room. The stint) galltry at the
end opposite the entrance was covered with crimson
velvet drapery, fringed with gold; the inner parts of the
walls between the columns was lined with velvet, and
adorned with various arms representing allegorical de-
signs or 'military attributes. This saloon was lit up by
15,000 wax lights.
" The nave on the left served as the supper-room. The
table of the.Prinee President, in the form of a horse-shoe,
acc9_l22l;ll9dged pero9us. the chair 91 $149 rxiAg°

was to be seen the figure of an immense eagle, with
wings extended, the whole formed of different war-
like weapons. In the middle of the room were
twelve tables of 50 covers each, which were occupied by
parties of 600 ladies in succession. The supper room
was opened at midnight. At the side of this room as
well as at that of the conversation room, galleries were
fitted up with sideboards to supply lighter refreshments
during the ball.
" The grand apartments of the Ecole Militaire,
which had lately been completely repaired and fitted up
with great magnificence, were, with the exception of
some rooms reserved for the use of the Prince President,
all open to the guests. l'he stone staircase which leads
to these apartments was lined with crimson hangings,
and ornamented with steel armour. The ball-rooms,
ante-room, and supper-rooms, exceeded two acres and a
half, and the whole of that space was filled to overflow-
ing by all the variety of splendid costumes, whether
military, civilian, or feminine, that the gayest capital in
Europe contains.

"The line of carriages:extended, at half-past:ten o'clock,
from the Boulevart des Italiens to the Ecole Militaire,
and at lust the delay in moving en became so great that
numbers of ladies left their carriages, some on the Quid
d'Orsay and others at the Invalides, and walked the rest
of the way. Carriages from the Faubeurg St. Germain
found themselves impeded. Many carriages had not yet
Let down their occupants at three in the morning. It
was, besides, almost impossible to get a public carriage
during the evening, as nearly all bad been engaged at
prices varying from 15?. upwards. Nor aced this be
wondered at when the great number of strangers now
in Paris is considered, and that 15,C00 invitations had
been sent out for the ball.
" The President of the Republic left the Elysip about
ten o'clock, escorted by carbinects, and passed by
the Avenue de Marigny, the Avenue des Champs
Elyse .s, and the Pont d'lena, and thence through the
Champ do Mars to the Ecole Militaire. The passage by
the Pont d'lena had been closed at an early hour, and
was interdicted the whole night to all other carriages.
The President proceeded at once, on alightieg, to the
private apartment set apart for his use, and, after a short
delay, entered the ballroom, accompanied by his staff,
by the Marshals of France, the 'Princess Mathilde, the
Marchioness of Douglas, and the Corps Diplomatique.
Lie was received with loud applause, and all the music
struck up an anthem in his honour. The dancing then
commenced, and continued till six o'clock this morning.
Supper was served in two lateral rooms, and so good
were the arrangements that, notwithstanding the enor-
mous crowd, there was but little confusion.
"On the whole, it may be said that, notwithstanding
the height to which expectation was raised by anticipa-
tory descriptions, the reality infinitely exceeded all that
could have been imagined.
" The locale of the Ecole Militaire which served for
the ball is to be thrown open for a few days to the
public."
We read in the Pattie :—" The PRINCE PRESI-
DENT of the Republic, from a feeling which will be
appreciated by the army, wished that each of the
Marshals of France should wear the military medal
which is only given to sub-officers and soldiers. It
may be remembered that the Emperor NAPOLEON,
his uncle, was the only grand dignitary of the Le-
gion of Honour who had the right to wear the-cross
of a simple member at the same time with the insignia
of the grand cross of the order. A single exception
had been made to this rule ; it was in favour of the
Archduke CHARLES, generalissimo of the Austrian
armies, an illustrious and brave officer, to whom the
ESIPEROR had granted the honour of sharing in this
privilege which no other had Obtained."
One of the Paris journals states that advantage has
been taken of the recent great influx of visitors to
raise enormously the price of provisions—this state-
ment is erroneous. In very few instances has there
beers any addition made to the previous charge, and
the supply of the markets has been abundant.
The PRINCE PRESIDENT of the Repnblic has placed
on the Budget of State,from Ist January last, an an-
nual allowance of 2,000 f. for the Conservatoire de
Musique of Marseilles.
The Academy of Sciences has elected Mr. FAIR.
BAIRN, of Manchester,: as corresponding member of
the section of Mechanical Science, in the room of M.
BRUNEL.

The wines of the late Marshal SOULT, which have
just been sold by auction, fetched almost as high
prices as those of the late thr.TRArroRD. The sherry
was sold for nearly 200 r. per dozen, and the port wine
at from 140 r. to 150 f. per dozen. The splendid
carriage, called the silver carriage, which was built
for the larsbal for his visit to the Court of England,
and which cost, it is said, 42,000 E, wassold for 1,9101.,
exclusive of the harness, which was sold separately
for 195 f. The carriage was purchased by a coach.
maker.

The Bourse was extremely feeble, and public securi-
ties of every description declined. The Foir-and-a-Half
per Cents. opened at 100 f.., rose to 100 f. 10a., fell sub-
sequently to 99f. 85c., and closed at 99f. 95c. for the end
of the month; the Three per Cents. closed at 70f. 40c.;
Orleans Railway Share;, 1,180 f.; Rouen, 767 f. 50c.;
Havre, 2991. ; Great Northern, 587 f. 500. ; Avignon,
290 E; Vierzon, 5851.; Basle, 2451.; Bordeaux, 616 f. 25c.;
Paris and Strasburg, 562 F. 50c.; Tours and Nantes,
3701. ; Paris and Lyons, 6121. 50c.

BUSINESS DONE IN FOREIGN RAILWAYS AT THE
LONDON STOCK EXCHANGE, MAY 12.
Luxembourg, 3;A--Namur and Liege, 6 —Northam of
France, 23% ex div —Orleans and Bordeaux, 151 A—Paris
and Rouen, 2934—Paris:and Strasbourg, 21%—Rouen and
Havre, 11 lA—Sambre and Meuse, 4 Y 8 —Western of Franca, 7 %I