The Sun.
London, England, 1839-03-30 00:00:00

THE SUN. LONDON, SATURDAY, MARCH 30, 1839.

largely -increased. He had ascertained that in the
week ending the ?-26th of May last, his house re-
ceived, by private hand, or by the drivers and guards
of mail-coaches, thirty-six parcels, containing 3,500
documents, the total value of which was 95,000/.
He did not doubt that the additional security, cer-
tainty, and regularity of delivery, together with the
additional convenience in sending the.n by post,
would put a stop to transmitting documents of that
nature to London bankers by any other conveyance
than the Post."

The sure way, then, to make the Post-office that
which Lord Lichfield wishes it to be, and that to
which he clings with such bigoted affection, viz., a
productive source of revenue, would clearly he to
reduce the rates so as to put down this enormous
extent of indisputable smuggling. But the pre-
sent high rates of postage have not only pro-
duced this immense mass of illicit traffic, but have
also prevented people from writing the same num-
ber of letters as they would do if we had a low
uniform rate of pcmage. The evidence on this head
also is of the most decisive character.

Mr. John Masson Ashlin, of the house of John
Ashlin and Sons, corn-factors, Mark-lane, one of
the most extensive firms in that line and established
for half a century, told the Committee that he sends
on an average 3,600 written letters a year and re-
ceives 1,500, and that at a low rate of postage his
correspondence would increase immensely; to what
extent must be matter of opinion. His outward
letters, if Mr. Hill's plan were adopted, would in-
crease, he thinks, to ten-fold, and his inward letters
to three or four-fold. In the two Corn-markets, the
Old and the New, there are about 150 houses en-
gaged in the corn-trade, of which about 50 are corn-
factors. Those 50 houses would increase their
corespondence in the same degree that the witness
would increase his. In Mr. Cobden's opinion,
" The number of invoices that would be sent by
Post, if the rate were reduced to one penny, would
exceed in in number the whole of the communica-
tions now transmitted by Post ; and the correspon-
dence of commercial travellers would amount to
not less than twenty millions of letters." Mr.
Richard Taylor, printer, said "That postage would
cease to be a matter of consideration in any indi-
vidual case. " Mr. L. Fenwick de Porquet, the
school agent, in Tavistock-strect, Covent-garden,
" That instead of receiving 50 letters of inquiry a
month he would receive 500."
Mr. Charles Knight, the publisher, stated that
" the average number of the letters sent by his firm
in the course of a year is 4,000, and of letters re-
ceived 7,000. Of the letters sent 1,000 are com-
mercial, and 3,000 relate to the literary conduct of
the works they publish. They send 7,000 invoices
annually with the parcels. At a penny-post it
would be an invariable rule that an invoice should
never be put into a parcel, but be sent by post ; this
would give an increase of 7,000 letters. The
transmission of circulars with a view of giving pub-
licity to their works, in the most advantageous
manner, would be another source of increase. There
are 1,860 country booksellers to whom, if the post-
age were reduced to one penny, they would send
a circular invariably about the 20th of every month ;
that would give an average of 21,000 such letters a
year." The testimony of Mr. G. 13. Whittaker, the
publisher, of Mr. William Parker, bookseller to the
University of Cambridge, and of Dr. Dionysius
Lardner, are equally cogent and distinct as to the
immense increase of correspondence which would
ensue in their respective departments of business
from an uniform low rate of postage. There can
scarcely be two opinions indeed, upon the subject.
Men of all politics and all classes must agree in ad-
vocating a reduction of the rates of postage to an
uniform price, and so small an amount as to make
it no drawback that it will be necessary to pay it in
advance. The landlord and the manufacturer have
here, at least, no ground for quarrel. Here are no
jealousies—no rents—no wages to be heightened
or diminished—no apprehensions of results can be
conjured against the policy of throwing open
the trade in letters upon payment in advance of
a very moderate fixed duty, so as to enable
the public at large to obtain communica-
tion with all parts of the country in the quickest
possible manner, and at the cheapest possible rate.
It cannot injure the revenue much even at the very
first, and in all probability it will make the Post-
office eventually far more productive than ever it
has previously been. The whole nation, without
distinction of party or of creed, have a bond of
union in asking this boon from the Executive.
All should unite in demandins, that the Post-office
should be restored to the use for which it was esta-
blislied=the advantage of trade and commerce ;- for
from `the peer to the peasant all, have a deep and
undivided intecest in carrying that object Jritc!
mediate effect. • • . ,

CONSUMPTION OF SPIRITS IN

NEW SOUTH WALES.

• - New South Wales Papers to the 10th of Nov.,
state that the colony was suffering from drought so
alarmingly, that the Governor had promised a day
of general fasting and prayer for rain. In looking
over ti►e revenue accounts, an extract from which
we give below, we observe something that even
more than the drought indicates the propriety of
fasting and prayer. During the year 1837, the
duty on wines and spirits consumed by a popula-
tion of about 77.000 souls, exceeded 142,0001. !
while, at a single Session of the Supreme Court at
Sydnev, there were no less than n►ne cases for
murder !
In Van Diemen's Land the Governor, Sir
John Franklin, proposes to prohibit distillation.
At Sydney we have something better than this
—a Society, namely, for the protection of the
Aborigines. This is magnanimous. They have
also Societies for extending education ; for the
diffusion of Christian knowledge, and for various
other purposes connected with the welfare of man
as man, and not merely as an animal, mechanic, or
herdsman. These things will bring dow❑ the bless-
ing of hea yen upon them if they faint not amidst
the tempest of inebriety that at present whistles over
the land.

(From the Colonist, October 20.)
The duties on spirits imported, duties on spirits
distilled in the colony, permits to remove sprits,
licenses to distillers, and licenses to retail spirituous
and malt liquors—these five classes of taxation upon
our appetite for stroug, drink, during the last four-
teen years, give the following amounts—frac-
tions of a pound not included. We give only the
extremes.
In 1824 £27,586 / locrease on the year £15,309
1825
1836
1837

5,671

Total in 14 years £1,158,136
Thus has the infant colony paid to Government,
an the space of fourteen years, upwards of one
million sterling, for permission to drink spirituous
liquors It appears that within these fourteen years
there were but three general musters—namely, in
1828, in 1833, and in 1836. The total popula-
tion in those vears respectively, including free and
bond—men, women, and children, was as follows :
In 1826—Total population
Revenue from spirits £57,112
In 1833—Total population
Revenue from 5pirit5.....,,,, £104,692
In 1836—Total population ............ 71,096
Revenue from 5pirit5.........

This last comparison gives nearly 2/. per head.
But the fairest way of putting the
case is to exclude
the amount paid for publican's licenses on one hand,
and children under twelve years of age. We shall
thus have, for the year 1836

............. : . .................... £62,925
Consumers,
Direct revenue from 5pirit5,................... 127,057
Showing that every male and female throughout
the entire territory of New. South Wales, above
twelve years of age,supposinj the consumption to
equally- divided, paid in direct taxation,
have been
for ardent spirits, rather more than two pounds ster-
lino' ! What part of the world, we mournfully ask,
could exhibit a parallel to this awful picture ?
Another most remarkable fact, in connection with
these comparisons, demands attention.
The entire revenue of the last fourteen years ?
exclusively of the land revenue, was. ...... s 1,702,7621.
From this deduct the amount derived from
} 1,158,136/.
duties on spirits and publicans licenses...

And we have left 0n1y.... ................
A similar deduction from the entire revenue o,
1836 gives this result,--
Entire revenue . .................................... £195,129
Revenue from spirits ................................. 136,562

544,6261.

61,59'

In other words, while the adult population paid
rather more than two pounds per head for spiri-
tuous liquors, they paid rather less than one pound
per head for all other taxes put together I