The Sun.
London, England, 1863-12-16 00:00:00

THAMES.

HEARTLESS HUSBANDS.—A respectable young woman,
named Sophia Eliza Best, applied to Mr. Woolrych for a
protection order. She stated that her husband, Henry
Sweetland Best, deserted her on the 17th September last.
At that time she was very ill, her life was despaired of, and
her child was lying by her side in a dying state. The child
has since died. Her husband had previously intimated that
he intended to leave her, and would never return. She had
never seen him or heard from him since. She was anxious
to protect the little property she possessed in the event of
her husband's return.

Mr. Woolrych granted the order, and advised the appli-
cant to register it at the Bow County-court within 10 days.

ANOTHER HEARTLESS HUSBAND.—A. poor, half.staried
woman, named Marsh, who has seen better days, and whose
application was highly recommended, respectfully asked for
a little aid from the poor• box Lund. Her husband formerly
carried on business as a broker in Little Britain, near
Bartholomew Hospital. He absconded with his servant
girl a few years since and proceeded to Australia. Ho had
previously converted everything he possessed into cash, and
left her and her three children in a destitute condition. She
struggled to carry on the business as long as she possibly
could, and tailed. All her furniture and effects had been
disposed of to procure food. All she cauld earn, with the
assistance of her daughter, in making up shirts was 7d. per
day. That employment was very precarious, and she was
now without the means of procuring a meal. Her husband,
who was doing well at Pert Phillip, with the infamous
woman, sent her a letter, but not a farthing of money, and
she despaired of ever Peeing him again.
Mr. Woolrych kindly sympathised with the starving
woman, and directed Mr. Livingstone, the chief usher, to
assist her with a donation from the poor-box fund.

Terrible Accident on the North-Eastern

Railway.

Yesterday an accident happened to a passenger
train on the North-Eastern Railway, which in its
results has probably been without a parallel in the
history of railway misfortune.

The circumstances are very brief. At 7.15 a.m.
the Government train to Hull and Leeds left
York and proceeded without interruption to
the first station, Copmanthorpe, some' three or
four miles from the city. The morning was
very dark, but otherwise favourable for travel-
ling. The train, consisting of an engine, two
guards' vans, and some eight carriages, left Cop-
manthorpe station, and proceeded on their jour-
ney at an easy rate, but when opposite the fifth
mile-post from York, Reynolds, the guard in the
first van, was alarmed by feeling a sudden shock,
which shook him violently. He was about to look
out of the van window, when another shock threw
him back with considerable force into the van. As
soon as he recovered he looked out and saw that
some six or eight carriages were loose from the first
portion of the train, and were turned topsy turvy
down an embankment some 10 or 15 feet high. At
the same instant the screams of the passengers and
the crash of broken carriages led to the impression
that a frightful accident had occurred, and the most
prompt measures were resorted to stop approaching
trains, and to alleviate the suffering and alarm of
the passengers. The engine was detached from
the train, and at the next station transferred
itself to the other line, returning to York at the
greatest speed to spread the alarm. In an in.
credible short space of time, J. Cabrey, Esq., the
company's engineer, and A. Christisen, Esq., the
general passenger superintendent, were quickly on
the spot, accompanied by Mr. J-Rutter, Mr. Nichol-
son, and Mr. Baines, the chief officials, and a body
of workmen. On arriving at the scene of the
accident it was found that the whole of the passen-
gers, some 50 in number, had scrambled out of the
carriages, and were crowded about the debris of
the smashed carriages. Several medical gentle-
men had been called upon, and they accompanied
the special train to the spot, where they at
once busied themselves in ascertaining the
extent of the injuries of the passengers; and now
we have to relate the most remarkable portion of
this otherwise serious accident. Though some 50
men and woman had been turned over and over
down an embankment, in railway carriages
proceeding at the rate of some 20 miles an hour,
not one was killed, nor was there any one seriously
injured. Indeed bruises were somewhat scarce,
and the doctors had but little claims upon their
attentions. One man had his foot crushed in one
of the carriage doors, but his injury was not
serious, and he proceeded to York by the
next train. Another man was very much
shaken, and he stayed during the day y at a neigh.
bouring farm house. The third of the wounded
was a gentleman whom it is feared has been injured
internally, though he is sufficiently well to proceed
on his journey home. Several of the other passen-
gers were alarmed, and had sustained slight con-
cussions, but nothing of that serious nature which
Was expected from the character of the accident.
The exertions of the railway officials were, of the
most strenuous nature, and the debris was so soon
cleared away that little or no interruption took
place to the traffic on the line. We may also add
that the strength of the company's carriages was a
powerful means of preserving the lives of the pas-
aengers.

THE SUGAR DUTIES.

We have been favoured with the following letters
on this subject :

"TO RICHARD COBDEN, ESQ., H P.
"Dear Sir,—As an old free trader, who fought under you
in the ranks of the Anti-Corn Law League, I am sure you
will excuse me for expressing surprise on reading the re-
port of your speech to your constituents at Rochdale. I find
you saying, 'There is no longer any question ot free trade
and protection to discuss,' whilst the article of sugar, se-
cond only to corn as an article of food and consumption, is
in much the same position as corn was at the time of the
free trade agitation, viz., a sliding scale of duties, pur-
posely contrived to protect the home refiner at the expense
of the grower and the consumer.
" Surely, you must have forgotten that it was to Lord
George Bentir.ck that we are indebted for the present
clumsy method of collecting the revenue on sugar, and that
he was only the mouthpiece of the home refiners when he
proposed the classified scale of duties on brown Muscovado,
brown clayed, white clayed, and refined, raising the duty at
every stage of improvement in quality.
" Now, sir, I have been connected with the sugar trade
for 35 years, and remember well how it was iu the old
slavery days, when the West India interest had the exclu-
sive monopoly in this market. True, some foreign sugars
were imported, but by
excessive preferential duty they were
excluded entirely from home consumption. But they were
refined in bond, and lump sugar was exported from here to
the West Indies that the negroes might use it, and send
home every pound they produced of brown monopoly sugar
for the poor tax-ridden English labourer at double the cost
of the lump sugar exported out of England. I remember
the first introduction of sugars from Mauritius and the
Essandies, and it was only after many years'
struggle that
those growers succeeded in getting justice by having their
sugars placed on the same scee of duties. And even
then every precaution was taken that it was British
grown, and yet this monopoly did not flourish. The
West Indian planters were periodically ruined,
and were frequently at the doors of Parliament corn-
plaining of distress, and asking for fresh bounties, for re-
mission of taxation, or for Parliamentary loans. After the
abolition of slavery, a gradual reduction of duty took place
in foreign sugars, and the West Indian interests were for
the last time completely ruined, but somehow happened to
survive, for the days of competition produced the natural
result of stimulating energy. Attention now began to be
paid to economical production, and machinery, such as
crushing mills and vacuum pats, were being extensively
introduced into our colonies, when the unfortunate law of
classified duty was adopted. Mark the consequences.
One Newcastle firm had established works at Cossipore, in
the East Indies, and had gone to very great expense in
fitting them up with the best machinery, vacuum-pans,
&0., for crystallising sugars. This they did to great per-
fection, and succeeded in sending the most perfectly pre-
pared sugars ever imported into this country. For every
improvement they made, the Government took more than
the benefit from them in increased duty, and it not un-
frequently happened at their sales that the inferior
sugars brought them more money than the finest qualities
when the duty was deducted off the prices. What was the
consequence P The firm was ruined by protection. At that
time large imports were made to Newcastle by three other
firms, and that for some years has been entirely abandoned.
Take another instance. A West India proprietor told the
writer that in consequence of our absurd law they had laid
aside three vacuum-pans on their plantations, and now, by
adopting a German patent, they were producing rum,
which brought 5s to Gs a gallon, such as generally brought
only 2s to 3s, and thus, because of its being a fixed duty,
they knew exactly what they were doing. As regards
sugar, they now send it in the crudest possible state, to
secure its being charged the lowest rate of duty. And this
is not the exceptional rule, for nearly all foreign sugars,
as well as much of our West India, and part of our Mauri-
tius and East India sugars, are imported to this country in
such a state as to be quite unfit for consumption
until they have passed through the hands of the refiners.
Mr. Fairie, a large refiner, in a letter published in the
Urocer ot November 21, says that it appears from Travers
and Son's circular, that their sales are four times as large
for refiners' produce as for all kinds of colonial sugar—and
this, I think, will about represent the truth with the trade
generally—that four-fifths of the sugar trade has passed
into the hands of home refiners. And yet this gentleman
admits that buyers and sellers of sugar must generally be
content with an examination by the eye, the touch, and the
taste, and what is sufficient for them must be sufficient for
the officers of Customs. He remarks further that the mere
strength of sugar is not the guide as to the class to which
any sample may belong, for two kinds may contain equal
quantities of pure sugar, and yet differ in price 10 per cent.
" Thus, even by the showing of the refiners, the classifi-
cation of sugar is attended with great practical difficulties
and the Customs rule is the rule of thumb. This leads to
different rates of duties being charged in different ports
for the same sugar, and to constant disputes between the
merchant and the Customs Board ; whilst the producer is
baffled in all calculations as to what rate of duties his sugars
will have to pay. This difficulty could all be got rid of by
a low fixed rate of duty, and it should be much lower than
at present, when this primary article of consumption pays
from ljd to 2d per lb duty. Yet this great question is never
treated in Parliament on the true basis, that of a question
for consumers, who ought to be allowed to purchase on
equal terms from the best markets in the world ; far it is a
startling fact that, with our increasing population, whose
consuming power in all other articles is so very largely in-
creased, the consumption of sugar is almost stationary ; and
though the Chancellor of the Exchequer ventured a calcu-
lation that the reduction of the tea duty would lead to a
large increase in the consumption of sugar, up to a recent
date his expectations had not been realised.

I commend the subject to your serious attention, for
within the last few weeks an advance of 103 to 12s per cwt.
has taken place in sugar. Owing principally to a failure
of the beetroot crop in France, large purchases have been
made on French account, and, only the other day, 2,000
bags of Cossipore were bought in Liverpool at 50s. per cwt.
because the high rate of duty, 163. per cwt., was equivalent
to a bounty of £2 3s. 4d. per ton on their export. This ad-
vance is equal to 25 or 30 per cent, on the value of sugar—
a serious extra charge to the public—for the working
classes must pay an extra ld. per lb. on every pound of
sugar with which they sweeten their tea or coffee.
Anything that tends thus to limit the consumption, to
deteriorate the quality, or to raiee the cost of sugar to the
public—as, I think, the present law in relation to sugar is
doing—must be deserving the consideration of all political
economists, but doubly so of the Apostle of Free Trade.
" I am, dear sir, with profound respect, yours truly,
"E. S. HILLS,
"Newcastle, Nov. 30, 1863."

"TO E. S. HILLS, ESQ.

" Midhurst, Dec. 3, 1863.

" Dear Sir,—I have already been favoured with the
views of Mr. Travers on the sugar question, and can only
repeat that the subject shall have my attention when
brought before Parliament. I thought I had as keen a
scent as most people in such matters, but I was bound, to
admit that I did not see that protection' was necessarily
involved in the principle of the scale to which he objected.
The only real solution of the sugar question is to abolish
the'cluty altogether. But with the present scale of Govern-
ment expenditure that is, of course, out of the questicn.—l
remain, truly yours, "R. COBDEX.
"B. S. Rills, Esq."

MARKETS—This Day.

MARK-LANE.

There was a moderate show of samples of English wheat
on the stands to-day, for the most part of poor quality. The
trade, however, was very dull, and even selected parcels
were difficult of sale, at Monday's fall in the currency of is
per quarter.
With foreign wheat the market was but moderately sup-
plied. All descriptions sold heavily, at the late decline in
prices of is per quarter.
With foreign wheat the market was but moderately sup-
plied. All descriptions sold heavily, at the late decline in
prices of is per quarter.
Floating cargoes of grain moved off slowly, on rather
easier terms.
The supply of barley was large. Fine malting parcels
supported previous rates; otherwise, the trade was dull, at
fully the recent fall in the currency.
Malt sold heavily, at Monday's decline in prices.
The supply of oats on sale was by no means extensive,
yet the demand ruled inactive, at barely late rates.
Beans and peas were a dull inquiry, and prices had a
downward tendency.
In flour a very moderato business was transacted, on
former terms.
ARRIVALS THIS WEEK.
1,510
Wheat. Barley. Malt. oa3tsdo
English..." 2,070 830 I 000 5OO I
Irish.. lO 500
900 sks,
Foreign...—. 5,860 6,250 brls.
Flow.

WHITECILAYBL.
The supply of meat on sato is somewhat extensive, and
the demand rules inactive, as follows :
eef, from 2s 8d to 484 d; mutton, 3s Od to 4s 6d ; yard,
B
3s 8d to 48 6d; and pork, 3s 6d to 45 4d per 81b8 by the
carcase.
130R01101-1 110 P.
Our market is firm, and the value of fine produce has an
upward tendency.

RIISSTA AND DENMARX.--vlls7i.esfiont(tihiela
itahset r
cattiens
e t te
-
,oifveAnugbysbuthreg
Ka
udsestiaan iledana
Government
to State Councillor
Ewers, charged to compliment King Christian on the occa-
sion of his accession to the throne. The representative of
the Emperor Alexander has for his spetial mission to induce
King Christian to modify the consticition of the 18th
of November, by which, rightly or wrongly, he is accused
of wishing to incorporate Schleswig in the Danish monarchy.
Moreover, he was instructed to declare to the Danish Cabi-
net, that if it did not
yield on this point the Powers would
throw upon him the responsibility of the C onsequences
which might result from the refusal of that inai*.zfi•;u•