The Sun.
London, England, 1852-11-27 00:00:00

are, indeed, enormous, 250 to 300 per cent.
Rumour, however, promises a reasonable modifica-
tion of them ; on boots and shoes, high protective
duties are still imposed ; and silks pay a protec-
tive duty, intended to have been 20 per cent.,
which, in principle, was bad enough, but which
now amounts to more. We trust if the motion
should ever come on, that the League members, for
consistency's sake, will give notice of an amendment
to make the Bill comprehensive of manufacturing
as well as agricultural produce. Silks and gloves, if
not so needful as butter and cheese, are now in
almost universal use. Nearly every decent ser-
vant "girl must have them ; and the brawny
hands which would certainly feel awkward in any
other gloves than hedging-gloves, are yet em-
ployed to tie on a silk neckerchief, at least on
Sundays. The chief thing, however, is the con-
sistency. The notice as it now stands looks too
much like an attack upon one class only.
There is yet a stronger reason than all for a
thorough Free-trade revision of our Tariff, and
that is—its effect on foreigners. America in the
return of General PIERCE, has openly discarded
the Whigs and Protection, and given in her ad-
hesion to the great principle of Commerce. It is
Continental States near us that seem to hesitate.
This is quite to be expected, as things now are ;
for we have repealed protective duties on Ameri-
can produce, and our conduct has produced its
natural effect of almost annihilating in America
the party which still clings to such duties.
Nearer home, on the contrary, we have re-
tained high duties on just those manufactured
articles of our neighbours in which they could
best compete with us. The effect is obvious.
They suppose that we admitted cheap food as a
social and political necessity, but they imagine
that we think there must be some advantage in
protection, or that we never should stick to it in
just those articles in which they could undersell
us. These remainders of a bad principle produce
more impression in its favour than all our other
homage to it. They induce a belief that we linger
after what we have given up, and that we distrust,
in a measure, our new policy. They keep, doubt-
less, half the politicians of Europe in a state of
hesitancy, and certainly furnish them with the best
possible reason for waiting ere they follow us, till
they see whether we shall go through with our
new course.

PRIVY CouNcirh—The Ministers left town by special
train this morning, to attend the Council at Windsor
Castle, at two o'clock.

VISIT OF DISTINGUISHED OFFICERS TO WOOLWICH.—
His Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge, the Right
Hon. Lord Raglan, G.C.8., Master-General of the Ord-
nance, accompanied by a considerable number of officers
attached to various foreign services, who attended the
funeral of the Duke of Wellington, visited the Royal
Arsenal at Woolwich yesterday, and went over the dif-
ferent departments of the establishment.
GRAND REVlEW.—According to present arrangements,
if the weather prove favourable, a grand review will take
place in the course of next week in Hyde-park, in the
presence of the distinguished officers who came over to
this country to be present at the funeral of the late Duke
of Wellington.
THE PENINSULAR MAlL.—Yesterday, at wo o'clock,
the Peninsular Company's steam-ship Tagus, Captain
Russell, with the Peninsular mails, arrived at Southamp-
ton. Her dates of sailing were—Gibraltar, 17th inst. ;
Cadiz, 18th ; Lisbon, 20th ; Oporto, no communication;
Vigo, 23d- The Tagus brought a large cargo of fruit,
&c., and specie to the value of 4,0001. _ .