The Sun.
London, England, 1830-05-10 00:00:00

enabled the daily Press of this metropolis to
bear up against burthens which, in no other
country in the world, could possibly have been
borne; but it is no less true than disgraceful to
the British Legislature, that the Press has for
some years existed, and still does exist, not
under the encouragement and protection, but in
spite of the hostility and persecution, of the law.
We again implore the CHANCELLOR of the
EXCHEQUER to pause, before he determines to
take the sense of the Muse upon the renewal
of these Duties. We beseech him to con-
sult persons of other and more enlarged views
than those by whom this Bill appears to
have been framed. Let Government go to
the Stamp-office for information on matters of
routine and technicalities, but let not the offi-
cers of the revenue be wholly relied on in their
estimation of the effects of an important financial
measure. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHE-
QUER should look to other countries, and see
whether their example is not worthy of imitation,
to the extent, at least, of the toleration of News-
papers here. The timbre upon Journals in
France, taking the average of the different sizes
of sheets, is stated by M. DUPIN not to exceed
1 1.3 d centime, or about the tenth part of a
penny; and, at most, the duty both in France
and the Netherlands does not amount to a sous
per sheet. M. QUETELET, of Brussels, has
calculated that the stamp duties upon Journals
are, to the population, in the ratio of—for
France, 1 centime—for the Netherlands, 5 cen-
times—and for Great Britain, 69 centimes, to
each individual. Is it not then almost a joke to
talk of the liberty of the British Press, when that
Press pays so enormous a sum to the Govern-
ment, as the price of its very existence ?
We call upon those Members of Parliament
who are distinguished for their zeal for educa-
tion, and the diffusion of knowledge, to support
Mr. THOMSON'S promised motion for the Re-
lief of the Newspaper Press from Taxes which
were, like many others, originally imposed as
temporary, but have not ceased with the circum-
stances which suggested them. We maintain
that the people of this country are greatly be-
holden to the London and the Provincial Press,
for the mass of information, however miscel-
laneous, which is thereby spread throughout the
land. The Press, though not free from evil,
is a great and powerful instrument of good, and
to check and obstruct its progress is to retard
the advance of civilization. This is a consi-
deration of which there are now happily many,
both in and out of Parliament, who duly appre-
ciate the importance. Let them, then, do what
in them lies, to turn the Government from its
indifference to the peculiarly oppressive taxation
of the Press, and to procure such a modification
of the new Stamp Act as will be equally con-
sistent with the interests of the revenue and the
wants of the public.

ERRATUM.—In our article of Friday on the
new Stamp Bill, the Duties on Irish Cash Credit
Bonds were, by a mistake of the printer, said to
be raised from 10s. to 11. 10s. It should have
been "from 101. to 1101."

The French Papers of Friday and Saturday
contain no news. Two official documents, rela-
tive to Greece and Xrince LEOPOLD, will be
found in another column. The price of the
Funds on Saturday will be seen in our City
article.

LAW INTELLIGENCE.-(THIS DAY).

HOUSE OF LORDS.

The House sat on Scotch Appeals to-day; the Lords
present were the Logn CHANCELLOR, and Earls ELnoli
and DOUGLAS.
SIR JAS. MONTGOMERY V. THE MARQUIS OF QUEENSBURy.
This case, involving many questions Gf Scotch entail,
occupied their Lordships the whole morning.

VICE-CHANCELLOR'S COURT.
IN THE MATTER OF SCRIVENER, A BANKRUPT.

The petition in this case, the object of which was to
discharge an order pronounced by his Honour some time
since, on the ground of irregularity in filing the affidavit
on which the order was made, was heard late on Saturday.
His HONOUR, on coming into Court this morning,
said that his reason for not disposing of this matter
on Saturday was his desire of not doing so until he had
had an opportunity of making inquiries into that which
was alleged as a fact, namely, that the affidavit upon winc4
the Court made the order, was filed on the 24th of April.
Upon that inquiry the Court found the fact to be this,
that the order made on the 24th of April was obtained
upon the original affidavit, before that affidavit was filed.
This fact had not been brought to the knowledge
of the Court, if he had, the Court would never have made
the order it did ; for it was a rule with his Honour never
to make orders of this kind in any case, unless the affi-
davit upon which the application was made, was both
sworn and filed. It was a fact, not unworthy of ob-
servation, that when the order was pronounced by the
Court upon the statements contained in an affidavit which
was supposed by his Honour to be both sworn and filed;
that the party obtaining the order went immediately to
the bankrupt's office, urging the drawing up of the order,
without taking with him the affidavit upon which the
order was made; the production of that affidavit
being required, it was brought into the office, but
taken out again, and it was not brought back till
the 28th of April, on which day it had been filed. His
Honour could not but designate this as a very gross abuse
of the mode of proceeding with respect to filing affidavits,
and his opinion was that the order he had formerly pro-
nounced must be discharged, and the solicitor visited with
the costs.

COURT OF KING'S BENCH.

BURTON ALE.-THE RING V. BALDWIN AND OTHERS.

Mr. Bitoutsurwat said, it would be in the recollection
of their Lordships, that last Term Mr. Campbell obtained
a rule for a criminal information against the defendants,
booksellers in Paternoster-row, for having published a libel
on the Bolton ale brewers, charging them with mixing
deleterious drugs with their beer. The matter was then
ordered to stand over, that further inquiry might be made.
He had now, in consequence, to state, that the Burton
ale brewers were most respectable men ; they had
consented to open their brewhouses, and subject
the liquor to the most minute examination. He
had also to state, on the part of the author of the
artiole complained of (who had himself been a prac-
tical brewer for twenty years), that he had been
misled in his statement. He had stated, that it was
impossible to make such Burton ale as was usually sold
from malt and hops alone, and that drugs must be used.
On inquiry, however, it turns out, that the springs at
Burton from which the beer is brewed run over rocks,
which gives the water a certain saline impregnation. He
(Mr. Brougham) had therefore to state, that the defendants
being satisfied of this fact, had consented to give
publicity to it in a future number of the work in which the
alleged libel at first appeared, and the plaintiffs bad in
consequence consented that the rule should be discharged.
Mr. CAMPBELL said the only object of his clients in
applying for a criminal iuformation, was a vindication of
their character. He had the affidavits of every brewer of
Burton ale stating that that beverage was brewed en-
tirely from malt and hops, and they were quite willing,
if any persons wished to satisfy themselves on that point,
to afford them every opportunity of inspecting the process
of brewing.

Mr. BiCouctuss.—We admit that there is nothing
deleterious in Burton ale.—(A laugh.)
Lord TENTERDEN.-Lovers of Burton ale may now
drink with impunity.—(Laughter.)
Mr. BROUGHAM.-With moderation, my Lord.—Rule
discharged.

Their Lordships heard arguments in the special paper
until One o'clock, when the Court rose, and Lord Ten-
tarden afterwards sat at Nisi Prins.