The Sun.
London, England, 1864-06-24 00:00:00

NAVAL ENSIGNS.

Mr HANKEY (in the absence of Mr Crawford) asked
the Secretary to the Admiralty whether any steps bad been
taken towards granting the privilege of bearing the blue
ensign to merchant vessels commanded and partly manned
by utlleers and men of the Royal 2;,tval Reserve.
1,,,rd C. PAGET said that in tuture the blue ensign
would be allowed to merchant vessels.

ARMY SANATORY REGULATIONS.
Sir A. VERNEY asked the Unaer Secretary of State
for War whether the sanatory regulations far
ed fieldfore the
service,
issued by the Secretary of State, were obey
acmy took the field for the Ashantee war T
be
The
in theMarq ffivaisonnf
aHtiAveß. TINuTON was understood to
answer
THE EXCISE ON MALT.
On the order for going into committee of supply,
Mr MORRITT, in an able speech, moved a resolution
to the effect that, in the event of any modification of the
indirect taxation of this country, the Excise on malt re-
quired considera ion.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER agreed to
the propriety of the resolution in the abstract. but said it
would be unadvisable to pledge the house to any particular
course of action in dealing with the remission of a specific
impost. The arguments he (the Chancellor of the Ex-
chequer) used in reference to the retention of
the malt duty were founded on present circumstances,
and had no reference to future legislation on this
subject. If a Government had a surplus at its disposal no
doubt it should be applied to the remission of duties on
excisable articles, but a right of preference should be
conceded which would enable the Government
and Parliament to make remissions in a direc-
tion that would be oppressibie, but which would
not be felt in regard to some particular com-
modity. The hon. member had contended that this duty
was a mill none round the neck of the agriculturist, but
what was the fact? Why the duty on spirits was between
£lOO and £5OO per cent., and Ireland and Scotland were
pressed on more severely than England, because spirits and
not beer or ale formed the national drink of the country.
With regard to any amount at the future disposal
of Government, they could not pledge themselves to its
specific application, and he trusted that the house would
decline to embarrass itself by any pledge.
Lord J. MANNERS agreed that it was impossible to
deny that the malt tax operated injuriously on the producer
of barley. This grievance was admitted, and yet, Strange
to say, there was no attempt made to redress that griev-
ance. It had been said well by the rig-at honourable
member for Oxford (Mr Hanley) that beer was
to the poor man what wine was to the rich man, and he
contended by analogy that ii they reduced the duty on the
latter. they should have done the same with the former.
Hear.) Ho contended that a fallacy lay at the root of a por-
tion of the right hon. gentleman's theory, namely, that when
the duty on beer was reduced it would have the effect of di-
minishing the consumption of spirits, and thereforeinjure
the finances of the country. The right hon. gentleman
quoted statistics in support of his argument, and was
(LEFT SPEAKING.)

LONDON GAZETTE.—This Evening,

We had not received the " Gazette" when we went to

press.

LONDON SCOTTISH RIFLE VOLIIVTEERS.—CoI,
McMurdo, C. 8., Inspector-General cf 'Volianteers, will in-
spect this regiment to-morrow afternoon at six o'clock in
Regent s-park• The corp's will march from Wellington
Barracks at half..past five, under the command of Lieut.-
Colonel Lord ElCho.
A POLICEMAN IN A PULPIT.--The pulpit of King-
stai Wesleyan Chapel, Hull, was on Sunday occupied by
gr Burroughs, a member of the Hull police force. The
service was to have been conducted by the Rev. Mr Grif-
fiths, but from some cause he could not attend; Mr Bur-
roughs was consequently requested to take the pulpit. The
discourse, which was able, was listened to by a large con-
gregatiou.

The brilliant career of the Alabama is over.
Pirate or not, she lies fathoms deep in the strip of
ocean which divides France from England. Never
again shall she terrify the ty erchantmen of the
Northern States. Bat her gallant captain lives,
and of the brave men whom he led the greater part
are left ; and it will be strange, indeed, if we do not
hear more of Semmes upon the sea.
Captain Semmes knew his fate beforehand. He
gave to en English friend at Cherbourg papers and
other articles of importance, not easy to be saved in
hurriedly taking to the boats. The Alabama was
pretty well worn out by long and active cruises in
all waters. To refit her, as the usage of English
dockyards teaches, would have been scarcely if at
all less costly than to build another craft. For
some inexplicable reason, the repair of a ship—at
any rate in the Admiralty establishments—is un•
reasonably expensive : sharp critics might suggest
that it offers an opportunity especially favourable
to the waste of public money—which is nobody's
money in particular, so that it is unnecessary to ha
conscientious about it. Cap;ain Semmes, who found
that his ship could not long continue her victorious
career—and who may possibly have known (though
we don't say so) that a ship would in good time be
found for a Semmes—deemed it as wise as it was
certainly brave to end the Alabamescareer in fierce
contest with an overwhelming force. So he came
out of Cherbourg ready to fight, and struck the
first blow right manfully ; ay, and fought on till
his last shot was fired from a ship already sinking.
Sunday is very often desecrated by men of diplo•
macy and men of war. A calm Sand.ty morning in
June saw the great fight between the Alabama and
the Kearsage. The battle lasted from an hour to
an hour and a quarter. By good hap an English
yachtsman was close by to record his impressions
of the affair, end to pick up drowning men—one
more instance of the well-known fact that English•
men are to be encountered in places the most un-
expected. The fighting was all at long distances ;
there was no attempt at the hand-to-hand business
which English captains loved in the days before
iron ships and guns of long range; and the greater
speed and better artillery of the Northern vessel
made the combat throughout unequal. How it
ended we all know, though no accurate estimate has
yet been formed of the heavy injuries which the
Alabama must have inflicted on the Kearsage. All
we know is that the latter never came to close
quarters, and that Captain Semmes and the chief
part of his crew took to the boats wiihout being
interrupted.
There will be jubilation in the North when news
arrives that Semmes's flag floats no longer. Itna
partial observers see no reason for each rejoicing.
As on land, so on sea, the gallantry, the daring, of
the weaker party—strengthened by the belief that
right is on their side—suffice to keep their arrogant
invaders at bay. We suspect that the Federals
have not heard the last of Captain Semmes. At
any rate, not only has he, as he designed, avoided
the expensive reatment of a worn-out ship, but also
done a great amount of damage to the new vessel
of the enemy. Yankees, who admire clever calcu-
lations, will have to admit that he acted with a
prompt sagacity, amounting to smartness, which in
the gamut of Transatlatitic eulogy stands several
notes higher than mere heioism.

SHIPPING INTELLIGENCE —This Day,

LONDON, June 24.—Wind this day at noon—South-
West; moderaie breeze and fine weather, but cloudy at
intervals.

FALMOUTH, June 23.—Wind S.W.—Arrived—Minnie,
from Trinidad de Cuba.

SILCOMBE, June 22.—Wind S.W.—Arrived—Cl ocodile,

from Nassau.

PLYMOUTH, June 23.—Wind W.—Sailed—Mauritius,
steamer, for Madras.
CARDIPP, Juno 23.—Wind S.W.—Sailed—Melody, for
}hvannah.
PORTSMOrTII, June 23.—Wind N.W.—Arrived—Her
Majesty's ship Supply, from Coati.
(Br MAGNETIC TELEGRAPH
GRAVESEND, Friday Moulin

Arrived June 23—liamburg, from (44ebec--11oLud, from
Prince Edward
,s Island—Scotia, from New York—Urania,
Atdavia, -from Smyrn4—
Sarah, from
Caen —Otto Olof, from Foport—Flora, horn
Hob
end--Christiana Maria, from ltaistact.
gailud—Tartar, s earner, tor Li.sboc.—Rhine, steamer, for
Boulogne—F
inilurrQivacd, ":b f.une 24
techa, steamer, for Ghent—Sir Robert Peel,
steamer, for Dunkirk—Hanover, steamer, for Calais—Cor.
coera, steamer, for Alexandria,