The Sun.
London, England, 1862-03-18 00:00:00

THE LAST DEVICE OF AMERICAN

FINANCIERS.

The Note Bill which is soon to regulate the Ame-
rican currency has not yet become law, and any
account of its provisions must, therefore, be prema-
ture, and might be inaccurate; but it is now stated
that it will for certain contain a clause so important
to English exporters as to require immediate atten-
tion. The note is to be a legal tender everywhere
except at the Custom-house. The Government will
pay away its own paper, but will not take its own
paper. It will pay its creditors in a currency
which it manufactures and they must take, but
it will not receive that currency from its debtors.
The duties at the Custom-house are to be
paid in gold. The effect on the English
exporters to America is evident. They will have
to find gold on the spot for the purpose. They may
hare " credits" on America, but these credits will be
ordinarily cashed in the currency which is the legal
tender of America—that is in paper—and at the
Custom House that paper will be rejected. The
merchant must change his paper into coin, and this
exchange he will only be able to effect at a heavy
premium. The depreciation of the paper which is
about to be issued in large quantities mast be heavy
and must be uncertain. It may be one thing to-
day and another to-morrow. A sudden demand
for a large payment in foreign countries may raise
the premium on gold to a very high point quite
suddenly and without warning. Any sudden
event that impairs domestic confidence may
do the same. Of all elements connected
with the foreign exchange, the premium on
gold, as compared with an inconvertible
currency, is the most uncertain and difficult to
anticipate beforehand ; and yet an English exporter
to America is now asked to pay his premium in
addition to the existing heavy burdens on him. The
inevitable effect must be to depress foreign importa-
tion and protect native industry. A more disas-
trous device even American financiers do not as vet
seem to have thought of. Their principal revenue
is rtill derived from foreign imports, and yet they
impose, in addition to the heavy tariff charges, upon
that importation a tax of incalculable amount,
which no merchant can fcresee, which may be 5
per cent, when his goods are shipped and 20 when
his goods arrive, which may easily absorb all his
profits. If a financier had wished to annihilate
foreign importation and Customs revenue, he could
not have adopted a more effectual remedy than this.
—Economist.

BEDDING _PLANTS WITH CRIMSON ,AND
_PURPLE LEAVES.

Of late years quite a new feature has been intro-
duced in ornamental gardening by the substitution
of plants with strikingly coloured foliage in the
place of plants producing gay flowers. The inno-
vation was at first regarded by many as opposed
to principles of correct taste in gardening, and
it was regarded as one of those freaks of fashion
which az e popular for a time and then pass
away. But events have not justified such
criticism. What are called " foliage plants "
have become more and more popular every
season since they first acquired importance, in
the disposition of colour masses and ornamental
groups. There is one good reason why plants of
this kind, if possessing the properties requisite in
bedders," that is, if adapted to form masses of uni-
form colours for purposes of contrast and harmony
with other plants, should be held in high esteem.
That good reason is, that from the production of the
first leaf till frost kills them down in the autumn,
foliage plants maintains the same character as
colour agents, and produce the effect required of
them throughout the whole period of their
growth. In this respect they are superior
to all flowering plants; hut on the other hand
the colours they afford are not generally very
decisive, and the high colouring of flowers ;s needed
to bring out the foliage tints with due effect.
Rightly used, foliage plants enlarge the sphere of
colour designing, and produce combinations for
which we should seek in vain for materials among
plants with green leaves and gay flowers. The
system of bedding, now so elaborately developed,
derives some cf its most important features from
the association of plants with characteristic
foliage with those that afford rich floral colour-
ing. Thus Lobelia speciosa, which forms the
most beautiful bands of bright blue on the
margin of beds of scarlet geraniums, shows
with tenfold effect when edged externally with
Cerastium tomentosum, a silvery• leaved plant of
low growth, which may be clipped to a low close
line, so as to furnish beds and ribbons with a finishing
boundary, which by contrast with bright colours is
most beautiful. There are hundreds of plants of
similar character, varying in their habit of growth,
for the most part easily kept and easily propagated,
which may be used in the summer decoration of the
garden, both to increase the variety of subjects and
add to the brilliancy, by the contrast of neutral
tints, of the most highly-coloured flowers.—The
Gardener's Weekly Magazine.

Their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess
d'Aurnale have returned to Orleans House, Twickenham,
from their seat in Worcestershire.

His Excellency the Spanish Minister will leave
Hereford-street on Thursday next for Spain.
Frances Anne Marchioness of Londonderry comes
to town to-day from Wynyard Park, Durham, for the
season.

Lady Caroline Masse held an assembly last even-
ing at her residence in Upper Grosvenor-street, which was
attended by the diplomatic corps and the members of the
aristocracy at present in town.

Mr. and Lady Edith Hastings are expected in
town from St. Leonard's-on-Sea. Mr. Hast-
ings in a few dayshastakenaresidenee in Grosvenor-square for the
season.

A Vienna letter of the 14th states that Prince
Windischgraetz had become so much worse that no hope
was entertained of his recovery.