The Sun.
London, England, 1853-07-21 00:00:00

pounds of sterling gold, sufficient to purchase many
gorgeous lounges for princely saloons. Its value
consisted in the knowledge of what it would afford
on close investigation ; and such may be the case
with many establishments now comparatively un-
known to the general community.
It will be seen from our Parliamentary Report
that the gratifying announcement was made dur-
ing the Debate on the Attorneys' and Solicitors'
Certificate Duty Bill—which yesterday stood
among the orders for a second reading. The
Finaucial Minister was wise in his generation, for
by deferring the statement of his intentions he
succeeded in throwing out the Bill for the Exemp-
tion of legal practitioners from any annual duty
for this session at least. The Right Hon. Gen-
tleman, who at this period of the session could
prevent either measure from being carried, plainly
intimated that he could not afford to give up the
two sources of revenue—to surrender 80,0001. to
legal practitioners in the shape of a total repeal
of the annual tax, and 80,0001. to the general
public in the shape of Advertisement Duties.
An option as to which would be taken was all
that he could offer. Under such circumstances,
there could be no doubt as to which side the
scale would incline. The repeal of the Certificate
Duty would only benefit a class—a numerous and
influential, and, despite the calumnies that have
been from time to time uttered, we will add,
meritorious and honourable class. The abolition
of the tax on publicity will benefit the community
at large. Every man who desires to make
known his wants of any description will par-
ticipate in the saving. Not a single bill of
costs would be abated a farthing in consequence Of
the repeal of the Certificate Duty. The attendance
would still be 6s. Bd. to 13s. 4d., or 11., accord-
ing to the time occupied ; but ninety advertisers
out of a hundred will receive the full amount, and
in some instances even more than the ls. 6d. now
surrendered. There -would.
,be uo compensation
worth speaking of for the abolition of the Certi-
ficate Duties; the busineBs would not be stimulated
thereby, nor perhaps would it be very desirable
to increase litigation, even if practicable. All
that would flow into the Treasury would be the
Income Tax, or 80,0001., or some 24,0001., and
possibly a very trifling addition to the consump-
tion of taxable articles. We say a very trifling
addition, because attorneys would be seldom de-
barred from any of the luxuries or comforts
of life in consequence of the payment
of 81. or 61., as the case may be. Whereas
there would be an ample equivalent for the Ad-
vertisement Duties, not merely in increased con-
sumption of duty-paying articles, and in trades-
men's income tax, but more directly in the
increased returns from the paper duties and the
newspaper and supplement stamp duties. There
could not then have been a moment's hesitation as
to which of these taxes was the greatest evil, and
which should be selected for repeal. We con-
gratulate, then, the community at large, more
especially public journalists, on this auspicious ter-
mination of the vexata questio. We congratulate
IMr. IVlllsna GIBsoN and his able and energetic
associates on the triumphant issue of their incessant
and efficient exertions ; and, above all, we con-
gratulate the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the
removal of a rock ahead, on which, had he reck-
lessly steered, he might have materially damaged
the vessel of which lie had undertaken the pilot-
age, and prevented its safe arrival at the desired
port.

ciples of Lord GREY'S Government were adhered
to, become now incapable of refutation.

COURT CIRCULAR.

The result is certain, and it is fatal to
the attempted union of sects. If Roman
Catholics are to monopolise the public funds in-
tended for all, a special and separate grant must
be made for the benefit of Protestants. Thus
sectarianism resumes its sway ; and the sacerdotal
caste will, as before, have in its hands the form-
ing of the national mind. How that power will be
used, experience sufficiently tells us ; and all this
is done because Lord ABERDEEN and Sir JAMES
GRAHAM cannot think themselves safe in their
seats without the purchased support of the Bri-
gade. Yet we are said to live under a Ministry
of progress!

OSBORNE, JULY 20, 9 P.M.
The Queen has an ttack of measles. The eruption
appeared slightly yesterday afternoon, and is now well
out. Her Majesty had much cough during the night,
but is relieved this morning.

JAMES CLARK, M.D.

OSBORNE, JULY 20, 6 P.M.
The Queen has less cough, and the eruption is more
fully out this afternoon. Her Majesty has no symptom
beyond those which usually accompany the disorder.
HENRY HOLLAND, M.D.
JAMES CLARK, M.D.
His Royal Highness Prince Alfred, attended by Mr.
Gibbs, arrived at Osborne yesterday afternoon from
Windsor Castle.

His Royal Highness Prince Albert and the Prince of
Wales walked out in the grounds yesterday.
The Marchioness of Ely has succeeded Viscountess
Jocelyn as Lady in Waiting to her Majesty.

Lord SHAFTESBURY and free voting do not ap-
pear to have any natural connection, but Lord
SHAFTESBURY and suppression of vice hang well
together. As might, therefore, be expected in
his Polling at Elections Bill, his Lordship is obvi-
ously far more concerned to put down drunken-
ness, demoralising bribery and violence, than to
secure the political liberty of the voter. Hence,
though we always welcome Lord SHAFTESBURY as
a legislator for juvenile mendicants, lodging-
houses, and the like, we must beg to decline his
aid in a province where his sympathies, we fear,
are all on the wrong side. The Tory Lieutenant-
General for heading the Lords' deadly opposition
to Jewish Emancipation, is hardly the fitting
leader in emancipating the voters of Great Britain
from the millionaire and the landlord. Lord
SHAFTESBURY'S Bill is, indeed, withdrawn ; it has
shared the fate of almost all reforming proposals,
having died in a tolerably happy hope of entering
into the clauses of the great Reform Bill of 1854,
much as Hindoos placidly surrender their indivi-
dual existence, in expectation of that consumma-
tion of bliss, absorption into the essence of the
DEITY. Still, from us, every serious proposition
of the kind claims attention, the more so as the
Noble Lords thought, that, in bringing his pro-
positions into public discussion, Lord SHAFTES-
BURY had obtained all he could just now particu-
larly desire.
On his proposal to limit all the legal expenses
to such only as should be incurred by a public
officer authorised to conduct the election, we will
not at present dilate. It would, of course, be
impossible to do away with Committees, and with
persons who should be the candidates' agents in
dealing with the electors as to everything but
mere pecuniary expenses. But if it be practicable,
and we hope it is so, to elect a Member without
putting him to any expenses but such as are really
necessary, and which need not, therefore, shrink
from publicity, any plan which would effect that
should have our most hearty support. Lord
SHAFTESBURY'S adoption of the Edinburgh Review
scheme of house-voting by papers left and called
for, as in the election of Poor-law Guardians, is
the chief point of interest. Now, we have no ob-
jection whatever to a fair trial of this plan
in a few of the next places which offer, just as we
demanded the same trial for the Ballot ; but, look-
ing at its probable working previous to any trial,
or with no better trial than it has already had in
electing guardians, we do not hail it as the desired
ultimatum. It will still leave an annual battle to
be fought for the Ballot by all the honest Reform-
ers. We will not deny that it is an improvement
upon the present mode of taking votes—miserable
praise that—nor that it will at least annihilate
one particular kind of bribery—waiting till after
two o'clock to make the best market of the votes.
It will also put an end to a system which has
become quite a costly nuisance in boroughs—that
of employing a large number of cabs to bring
voters to the polling-booths, till expenses of con-
veyance amount to something like those of a
county election. It will, however, even facilitate
the commoner forms of bribery. The voting-papers
are, of course, delivered some reasonable time before
the day of collection. The voter knows that he
must bag his bribe before the day ; the agent
knows it also. The ss. or 51., therefore, will be
paid with admirable convenience at the voter's
house, the paper will bo marked and signed in the
presence of the briber, and after that the latter
will be as sure as he need be of the man's vote.
It cannot, indeed, be given against him. It may
be withheld, certainly ; but as all the voter's
interest lies the other way, that is an improbable
supposition. We have no doubt the old Freemen
of Liverpool, Hull, Yarmouth, and Canterbury
will thank Lord SHAFTESBURY for his plan. The
voting-paper and the colour-ticket will be as regu-
larly exchanged as money and Mr. GLADSTONE'S
new receipt stamps. Indeed, the voting-papers
might be not inaptly designated the SHAFTESBURY
bribe receipts. Let them also be stamped, for
they will no doubt be regularly given for
" value received." Earl GREY—his genuine
Whig faith being confident of the immor-
tality of small constituencies—pointed out how
easy it would be in small boroughs to purchase a
seat to a certainty, since it would be only needful
to buy the requisite number of voting-papers
signed in blank. It would be unfair of us, how-
ever, to avail ourselves of cases which we main-
tain that any decent proposition of Reform ought
to banish from our representation. Of course
Earl GREY is perfectly right, if pocket boroughs
are to survive the Coalition Reform Bill. He
might have added, however, that the bribable
portion of even very large constituencies could be
manoeuvred with almost equal ease.
There would be no small difficulty also in dis-
pensing with the delivery of the voting-paper by
the voter himself, on the ono hand, or in re-
quiring him to stay at home until the collector
called on the other. We are pleased to see that
Lord REDESDALE took notice of this objection,
for it has always struck us as a very serious prac-
tical one. Not only, as Lord REDESDALE pointed
out, might the person in whose charge the paper
was left withhold it for a bribe, but, we
may add, the facilities for personation would be
largely increased. It would become quite a settled
practice to look out as early as possible for all
the dead and many of the absent voters,
and to secure, perhaps by a bribe, the ser-
vices of their families. The great, the
glaring defect of Lord SHAFTESBURY'S plan, how-
ever, is, that it leaves Lord SHAFTESBURY master
of his tenants' votes. We call it a defect. 'rim-
bably in the eyes of the Premier, the Marquis of
LANSDOWNE, Lord WHARNCLIFFE, and the Earl of
HARDWICK; it was a chief merit. It will render
pocket-borough elections a little more decent,
without delivering the dependent voter from his
old masters ; and when applied to counties, which
of course it would soon be, if only for consist-
ency's sake (as indeed Earl GREY seemed to take
for granted), it would leave the tenants-at-will as
much as ever without a will of their own. All
the " influence" boroughs would be as amenable
as ever to their respective nabobs, while every
voter in fear of the screw, of the good customer,
of the employer, of the landlord, of everything in
a word but the mob, would be as unprotected as
before. Indeed, the Earl of DONOUGHMORE de-
clared that in Ireland it would be no security
from the mob itself, not for the collectors at least;
but that these officials must perform their du'„3,
in helmets, or be escorted by the military, if 3,hey
were to be safe ; and he instanced a late electionof Poor-law Guardians. We are contim driven
back to the old conclusion that intimivation ad-
mits of but one cure, and bribery of but one
grand check, and that is the adh2aive envelope en-
closing the anonymous voting-ticket deposited by
the elector himself in the returning officer's ballot-
box.

Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent visited the
Princess Royal and the Princess Alice at Buckingham
Palace yesterday.

Their Royal -Highnesses the Duchess of Cambridge
and the Princess Mary visited her Royal Highness the
Duchess of Kent yesterday at Clarence•house, St.
James's.

A deputation from the Manchester School of Art,
consisting of Mr. Bazley, the Rev. C. Richardson, Dr. C
Bell, and Mr. Atherton, had an interview with the right
Hon. E. Cardwell and Lord Stanley of Alderley yester•
day, at the Board of Trade.
The Greek Minister transacted business at the Foreign•
office yesterday.

A deputation from the Liverpool Chamber of Com-
merce, consisting of Mr. Hubbuck and Mr. Forward,
had an interview with the Right Hon. E. Cardwell and
Lord Stanley of Alderley yesterday, at the Board of
Trade. The deputation was accompanied by the Hon.
H. T. Liddell, M.P., and Mr. Horsfall, M.P.
A deputation, consisting of Mr. Faulkner, Mr. Alder-
man Neild, Mr. Fletcher, Mr. Cheetham, M.P., and
Mr. Heywood, M.P., had an interview with Earl Gran-
ville (Lord President) yesterday, at the Council-office.
Sir James Graham gave a cabinet dinner yesterday,
at his residence at the Admiralty.

The Lord Chamberlain has given directions that the
funeral car of the late Duke of Wellington, being now
placed in a temporary building in the court-yard of Marl-
borough-house, be exhibited to the public under the fol-
lowing regulations :
On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, the public
to be admitted free.
On Tuesdays and Saturdays admission to be granted
by tickets, obtainable on application at the office of
Messrs. Banting, in St. James's-street.
On Fridays the doors to be closed.
The first day of admission will be Monday next, the
25th inst., and until the Ist of October next the hours
of admission will be from eleven to six o'clock.

THE QUEEN'S HEALTH.

(BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH.)
OSBORNE, THURSDAY MORNING.
July 21, 9 o'clock.
The Queen has had a good night ; all the symp-
toms of the disease are abating, and her Majesty's
state is altogether very satisfactory.
JAMES CLARK, M.D.
HENRY HOLLAND, M.D.

ritt SUN, LONDON, THURSDAY EVENING, JULY 21, 185

EXTENSIVE CONFLAGRATION.-GREAT LOSS
OF PROPERTY.

Yesterday morning between the hours of five and six,
I a fire, attended with a destruction of property valued at
some thousand pounds, broke out in the extensive pre-
mises belonging to Messers. Castell and Brown, whole-
sale confectioners, carrying on business at Nos. 44, 45,
and 47, Princes-street, Leicester-square. The premises
in question, independently of being of considerable
height, were so deep that they nearly touched the
houses in Rupert-street, and at one period it was
feared that the Three Tuns tavern, in the last-named
street, and several other houses adjoining, would have
been razed to the ground. The moment the police dis-
covered the fire they sent for the fire-engines and
escapes, and in less than five minutes afterward the
Royal Society's escapes arrived, as well as numerous
engines of the parish, London Brigade, and West of
England Insurance Office. Fortunately, the whole of
the parties living in the house in which the disaster com-
menced were enabled to effect a safe retreat, but so
furiously did the work of devastation spread, that the
whole of the warehouses on the second floor of Messrs.
Castell and Brown's premises became wrapped in one
immense sheet of flame. The heat was so intense that
very quickly the houses occupied by Mr. John Farrell,
No. 18, Rupert-street, Mr. Deaden, No. 19, in the same
street, and the Three Tuns Tavern, the property of
Mr. John Hodges, No. 20 in the same thorough-
fare, became ignited. The firemen upon arriving,
at once saw that, unless the flames could be easily
conquered, a fearful loss of property must fall a
victim to the fury of the destructive element.
They therefore lost no time in setting their en-
gines to work, or in taking up the best positions around
the blazing pile, so as to cut off any futher extension
of the flames. Fortunately an abundant supply of water
was immediately procured from the firemains in the
neighbourhood, from which the firemain, under the direc-
tion of Mr. Staples, Mr. Connorton, and Mr. Wilkinson
(engineer), went to work in first-rate style ; but in spite
of their most strenuous exertions, the flames continued to
mount high above the surrounding houses. The firemen,
however, stuck to their work, and by dint of great per .
severance they succeeded before seven o'clock in getting
the mastery over the fearful element, but not until the
following damage was done :—The second floor of the
warehouses burned out, the contents consumed, the
lower part of premises seriously damaged by fire, water,
&c. The stock and premises were insured in the Sun
and Westminster Fire-offices. No. 43, in the same
street, the property of Mr. Frederick Lane, baker ; 42,
Mr. Fitch, bricklayer, are also damaged by fire, water,
and hasty removal. No. 18, Rupert-street, Haymarket,
belonging to Mr. J. Farrell, 19, Mr. J. Beadon, (let
out in tenements), and No. 20, the Three Tuns Tavern,
the property of Mr. John Hodges, licensed victualler,
are also more or less damaged by fire, water, and
breakage. The origin of the misfortune is enveloped in
obscurity at present.
A short time before the above outbreak took place
another fire happened on the premises of Mr. Cooper, a
carpenter and builder, No. 111, Stanhope-street, Re-
gent's Park. It commenced in a range of workshops of
considerable extent, and at the time of the discovery
contained a vast quantity of work partially finished.
The engines from the Albany-street barracks, several of
the London brigade, and that of the West of England office,
were remarkably early in arriving, and plenty of water
having being procured from the fire-plugs in the vicinity,
the engines were set to work ; but, in spite of the exertions
of all present, they were unable to get the mastery
over the flames, until the workshops of Mr. Cooper were
levelled with the ground, the stock in trade therein con-
sumed, and the workmen's tools destroyed. Mr. Cooper
was only partially insured. The premises of Mr. Botts,
dairyman, in Augusta-street, and Mr. Saunders, carpen-
ter, No. 2 in the same street, have also sustained mate-
rial damage by fire, water, &c. The origin of this fire,
like the preceding one, is unknown. The police of the
S division, under Mr. Superintendent Fergusson, ren-
dered essential aid to the firemen by keeping the great
crowd of spectators out of danger.

NOTTIN G HAM RACES,

(THIS DAY.)

(EY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH.)

ADDITIONAL ARRIVALS.

Audubon, Brown Brandy, Bridesmaid, St. Leon,
Mountain Maid, Evadne, lanthe, Constancy, Candle-
wick, Ludwig, Twinkle, c. by Ratan out of Miss Martin,
Vestige, Antonia, Chief Justice, Peari, Village Lass,
Puritan, Sharavogue, Cariboo, Deformed, Miss Mary,
Nancy Martinson, Red Lion, Margaret of Anjou,
Angelo, Lerrywheut, Friendless, Incense, Cogniac,
Horatio, Ann Eliza, Hungerford, Indian Warrior, Caliph,
Ethelwolf, Italian, Calot, Luxurious, Meteora, Florist,
Thirkleby, Sir Rowland Trcnchard.
The ground is in good order.
BETTING ON THE COURSE-12.50 rat.
NOTTINGHAM HANDICAP.
5 to 1 agst Audubon (taken).
6 to 1 agst Florist (taken).
6 to 1 agst Contentment (taken).
8 to 1 agst Galvanism (taken).
9 to 1 agst Placid (taken).
Goonwoon RACES.—The following horses have left
Mallon for Goodwood :—Daniel O'Rourke, Greylcg,
Prince Arthur, Sycthian, Dervish, El Dorado, and
Beauty.

KNUTSFORD RACES-YESTERDAY.
NORBURY STAKES.

Remunerator
Tumbler

INNKEEPERS' PLATE
The Admiral
Cripple Kate

CAVALRY CUP,

Dunhaw ...
Knutsford .

SHERIFFS' COUBT--(THIS DAY.)

(Before Mr. W. Burchell.)

ALLEGED FORGERY OF A JUDGE'S ORDER.-BLACKBURN
V. DUMMER.

This was an action to recover the sum of 2/. 18s. 6d.,
the balance of an account for goods sold, defendant
having paid 30s. into court.
Mr. Clarke (Bedford-row), who appeared for the de-
fendant, said that before the case was opened he had to
make an objection. The plaintiff had sued in person,
but last night he (Mr. Clarke) was served with a judge's
order that he (plaintiff) should be allowed to appear by
attorney, and he was now represented by counsel (Mr.
Horne). The copy of the order was dated the 7th
January last, which was before the action was com-
menced, and on inquiry it was ascertained that no such
order had been issued.
Mr. Horne said that no doubt it was a mistake in
the copy, and that it ought to have been the 7th July.
Mr. Clarke said that inquiry had been made at
Judges' Chambers, and it was ascertained that the order
could not have been signed on that day by Mr. Justice
Maule, as it purported, for his lordship was on circuit,
and the clerks knew nothing of the order. He ,
therefore applied to the Under-Sheriff to impound the
original order.
The Under-Sheriff said he did not think he had any
power to try the question. All he could do was to hear
the case.
Mr. Clarke then submitted that as plaintiff had issued
the writ in person, declared in person, and appeared in
person on the record, he was not entitled to appear by
attorney and counsel, and asked Mr. Horne whether he
had been instructed by him.
Mr. Horne said he had been instructed in the usual
may by Mr. Hare, an attorney.
Mr. Clarke—Then I call upon Mr. Hare to produce
the original order.
Mr. Hare's clerk declined to do so.
Mr. Clarke said his object was to prevent frauds at
Judges' Chambers.

The Under-Sheriff repeated that he had no power in
the case, and if there was any irregularity the trial would
go for nothing. He never heard of such a case before.
Mr. Clarke then objected to oounsel being heard, and
requested that a note of his objection should be taken.
Mr. Horne said that there was no occasion to take a
note—the case was too extraordinary fOrAthenl to for-
get it.
The Under-Sheriff took a note, and the ease pro-
ceeded, but was of no public interest.