The Sun.
London, England, 1863-01-02 00:00:00

JAN. 1.

The Right Hon. the Lords of the Committee of Privy
Council for Trade, give notice that the ifo)ziteur of the
30th ultimo, contains a French Imperial Decree, exempting
from Customs duties the following articles, when imported
into France:—

Silk unbleached, raw or thrown. including double thread
(Doupions). Waste silk in mass, unbleached or dyed.
Bones and hoofs of animals, of European origin, raw or
calcined (calcines a blanc), imported in French vessels, or
by land.

BANKRUPTS.
That portion of the Gazette containing the bankrupts
had not arrived when we went to press.

TO BE DISPOSED OF.

The correspondence published by the Federal
Government contains the two following letters
respecting negro deportation. On the 30th of
Sept. Mr. Seward wrote to Mr. Adams (London) as
follows :—" Some foreign Governments situated
within the tropics, and others having colonies or
dependencies there, have intimated to the President
a desire to receive such :accessions to their popula-
tion upon conditions favourable to the welfare,
prosperity, and happiness of the emigrants. In
view of these facts the President has authorised me
to enter into negotiations upon the subject with the
Government of Great Britain, if it shall be inclined
to such a course. It is not within the purposes of
this communication to present the project of a con-
vention, but simply to state some of the general
principles which this Government supposes proper
to be recognised in any treaties which may be con-
tracted with reference to the objects which I have
presented. First, that all emigration of persons of
African derivation to take place under the stipula-
tions of the treaty shall be perfectly free and volun-
tary on the part of the adults, and with the full and
expressed consent of parents and guardians for
minor children and wards. Secondly, the agents
of the Government desiring to receive such emi-
grants shall be recognised by this Government and
authorised co solicit such emigration, but such agents
shall be appointed by such Government, or with its
sanction. Their names, with the dates of their ap-
pointments, and the terms for which they are to
continue, shall be made known to this Government,
which shall engage to protect them while peace-
fully and inoffensively pursuing their occupations,
but shall have always a right to require the dis-
missal of any such agent whose conduct or deport-
ment shall be found injurious to the peace, safety,
or welfare of the United States. You are autho-
rised to bring this subject to the attention of Earl
Russell, and to inquire whether the British Go-
vernment has a desire to enter into such a negotia-
tion. Should an affirmative answer be given, you
may transmit to this department any suggestions
that Earl Russell may desire to make in the pre-
mises, and you will, upon due consideration of the
same, be furnished with a draught of convention. It
should be understood that it is not desired by the
United States to give to any State a monopoly of
the proposed emigration ; hut to open its benefits
on equal terms to all States within the tropics or
having colonies there, which, maintaining free con-
stitutional Governments, shall desire those benefits.
As it might be expedient to fix upon a definite pe-
riod for the duration of the proposed treaty, you
may suggest ten years as the term, with the privi-
lege. after that term, of terminating it at the ex-
piration of one year's notice to that effect." Mr.
Adams replied to this communication of the 30th of
October thus :—" Immediately after the reception
of your No. 360, of the 30th of September (negro
deportation scheme), I applied to Lord Russell for
an interview, which I obtained this morning at
half-past 10 o'clock. I then stated to his lordship
the substance of your communication, so far as was
necessary to put him in a position to reply to the
preliminary inquiry, whether his Government was
disposed to negotiate about it at all. Ho replied in
the negative. I gathered from what he said, that
the whole matter had been under consideration with
the Ministers for some time back, and that the
Duke of Newcastle had had much correspondence
with the authorities in the 'West India colonies
about it. The conclusion had been that, on the
whole, it might be the means of entangling them
in some way or other with the difficulties in the
United States, by possible reclamation of fugitives,
or in some way, a danger which they were most
desirous to avoid. Hence they should not be in-
clined tv enter upon negotiations, and least of all
to adopt the form of a convention. I explained the
reasons why we had wished to take this course, our
object simply being to secure for those persons vo-
luntarily disposed to emigrate (and we did not
mean to include any others), the enjoyment of
the rights to which they would be justly en-
titled as colonists. His Lordship seemed so to
understand it. Bat ho remarked that some time
ago ,n agent had been sent from the West Indies
to the United States to see if sufficient induce-
ments could be held out to the free negroes
to emigrate, but he had found them so corn-
, fortable and earning so much a higher rate of
wages than could be obtained at the place he came
from that any transfer of them seemed out of the
question. I then referred to an application that
had been made to me by a private individual here,
named Davis, styling himself the representative of
much landed property in the island of Jamaica, to
obtain as many as 5,000 families, to whom he would
be ready to assign lands if the expense of trans-
portation could be paid for. I had answered the
gentleman by referring him to my own Government,
and that only after he should have made his own
aware of his object and ready to approve it. His
lordship said he supposed that the grant of land
would be only in consideration of labour. He
thought it very likely that many of these people
'eight ultimately find their way over from the
United States, but ho did not consider it expedient
just now to make any provision about it. Ho ex-
pressed a little surprise that Hayti had not been
preferred. I observed that efforts had been made
in that direction, and some emigrants had actually
gone, but the negroes were sluggish to move, and
they were deterred by the difference of language
and habits, I had thought fewer obstacles would
be found to removal to the English islands than to
any other after it should once be set agoing. His
lordship admitted it as very possible, at least to
those of them where there was a sensible deficiency
of labour; but the rate of wages, though rising,
was still quite low. Under these circumstances, I
remarked that it seemed of no use for me to press
the point further. I should, accordingly, make
report of his lordship's answer as definitely closing
the matter."

A PRISON CHAPLAIN'S REPORT.—I have inquired
into the present doings and modes of life of all the
females who have been sentenced to penal servitude be-
tween the Ist of June, 1850, and the 31st of May, 1859,
and I beg to submit the following as the result :-211 were
sentenced to various periods of penal servitude during these
three years, of whom 31 aro still under detention in convict
prisons, leaving 207 who are supposed to have undergone
their sentences ; of these 207, 97 cannot be traced, because
many have only just received their liberty; others may, in
all probability, have emigrated, or passed to other localitiest
beyond the reach of my inquiry ; 73 have been ro.corntai
led, several subjected to second like sentences ; 17 are koncweives
to be living disorderly lives, and inaintainingitihiiden,,,i dead,
by crime; 7 have been pardoned on mediclt gr
or lunatics ; 4 are known to have migrat.e
Ltooniohner;
whili-
ties, and all trace is lost ; 1 is in a refuge in
whilst
tohodwraewyetrh,
8 are known to be so far doing well.
fearful state of things. I
Now, these figures exhibit a
their
cannot
give them as plain facts
mat mode of treatment
deductions from them.
con vithcatt ptrhiseOnpsresis a complete failure.—
' 'gnie eaveo
conclusion,th ers
adoptedbo
iu namely,ou r
failure.—
Fraser's Magazine.
The forests which surround the valley of the
Rhine are now more full of snipes than they have
been for many years, a fact which the country people in
that district consider as an omen that the winter will not
be very severe. The sportsmen, on the other hand, find
hares and partridges scarce, while foxes are more numerous
than usual,