The Sun.
London, England, 1862-05-26 00:00:00

CONSUMPTION OP DRINKS.

Twenty years ago the consumption of tea per head
among the population of the United Kingdom was only
1'371b; since then the duty nas been reduced from 2s 2id
per lb to is sd, and in 1861 the consumi tion per head was
2 671 b, and the revenue received had risen from 2s Hid
per head to 3s 91d. Of coffee the consumption 20 years
ago was I.oolb per head ; the duty has been very greatly
reduced, and the consumption per head in 1861 was 1.211 b;
the increase of consumption has not been so great as in tea,
and the population contributed on coffee to the revenue in
1861 only 31d per head, instead of 71d., which was the rate
in 1841. The consumption of sugar was 171 b per head in
1841; the duties have since been reduced and equalised,
and the consumption more than doubled; in 1861 it was
35.211 b per head, ani the revenue obtained was 4s 2.1 d per
head, having been only 3s 10d in 1841. If now we take a
stronger class of beverages, we find malt showing little
°hang° ; the rate of consumption per head was 1.35 bushel
in 1841 and 1 49 in 1861, and the rate of contribution to
the revenue per head in this respect 4s Id in 1841, and 3s
B,ld in 1861. The wine duties, it will be remembered, have
been greatly altered, and the consumption of wine rose
from 6,184,960 gallons in 1841 to 10,693,071 in 1861, or
from 0.23 gallon per head to 0.37, the rate of contribution
to the revenue per head in taxation upon wine falling from
Is 31d to 10d. The duty on British spirits has been raised
considerably, and the amount of duty received is greatly
increased, but the consumption has somewhat fallen off; in
1841 the rate consumed was 0.77 gallon per head, and the
individual contribution to the revenue 3s 81d ; in 1861 the
consumption was 0.67, and the contribution to revenue 6s
71d. But on foreign spirits the duty has been reduced ;
hence, though the consumption has largely increased, the
contribution to revenue remains about the same, is 91c1
per head, the rate of consumption rising 0.13 to 0%18 gallon.
The consumption of tobacco increases; in 1841 it was
0.831 b per head, in 1861 Fl 9 ; and the contribution to re-
ianTnleBdllß,
British
hme spirits3s l 0 da inon
alone have
Oavlelntuhee 2articles perk
aboveead n
di-
minished in absolute quantity consumed in the last 20
years ; the consumption of no beverage has increased so
much as that of tea; but smokers also have increased and
multiplied.

MALTESE SYMPATHY WITH THE POPE.—VALETTA,
may 21.—The Archbishop, Bishop of Malta, Monsignor
Pace Porno, left Malta on Saturday last for Rome, to be
present at the conclave of bishops which is assembling
from all parts of the world. He carries with him
an address to the Pope, to which is attached some
50,000 signatures. Double the number might have been
obtained 3f necessary. It expresses the warmest sym-
pathy of the Maltese people in his Holiness's present
troub!es, and their fervent prayers for his independence,
temporal and spiritual. The various copies of the address
from the difierent towns and villages were elegantly bound
together in velvet and silver, and formed a massi‘ e volume,
which was exposed for public inspection in one of the
churches, It was afterwards carried in state through the
streets by a deputation of the clergy and laity, to the Epis-
copal Palace, and handed to the Bishop, with the request
he would lay it at the feet of the Pope. Before embarking
his reverence went to St. John's to offer up the usual prayer
for his safe journey. The spacious cathedral was crowded
to suffocation, and innumerable thousands waited outside,
unable to obtain admittance. Such an immense
assemblage of people has seldom been witnessed in Malta.
The whole island seemed to be in the streets on that day.
It is calculated that upwards of 50,000 persons were pre-
sent. A party of lads carrying Papal and Maltese flags
preceded the bishop as he walked from the church to the
place of embarkation, and bestowed his episcopal benedic-
tion on the multitude. The vessel soon afterwards steamed
out of port amidst the most enthusiastic evvivas for rio
None Papa Re, Two or three Roman Catholic Bishops
from the East have ptmed thrQuglA
940 island during OA
week for ilorael •