The Sun.
London, England, 1862-07-05 00:00:00

THE riSUN, LONDON, SATURDAY EVENING, JULY 5, 1862.

the hon. member's arguments. He says that the
increase of the production of malt does not keep
pace with the increase of the community, but be
did not really show that the duty had much to
do with this. If we make out his drift rightly
it is this—to check the consumption of brewers'
beer, because the greater part of it is sold in
public houses, and to encourage the manufacture
of beer by private brewing, because he thinks it
would diminish the amount of drunkenness. The
farmers would brew, he says, then, a wholesale
beverage for their men.
We certainly do not wish to discourage private
brewing, but we must ask, where would be the fair-
ness either to the brewer, or to those who could not
make their beer at home, of taxing one man's beer
and not his neighbour's ? Mr. BALL is an invete-
rate Protectionist—he was one of the redoubtable
fifty-three who stuck to Protection even when Mr.
DISRAELI, to avoid ejection from office, hauled down
his flag—and, of course, Free Trade arguments go
for nothing with him, but all who do believe, with
undoubting faith in Free Trade doctrines would, of
course, scout the proposal to offer a bounty on one
mode of manufacture by laying a tax on another.
This is what Mr. BALL would do. As it now stands,
the farmer, the cottager, the public brewers, and
even the foreigner, all stand on a perfect level ;
and we must believe that this is just.

But we wholly differ from Mr. BALL as to his
main point. The truth is that malting barley is
relatively the dearest of grains. Comparatively it
is more costly than wheat. If the duty were re-
pealed the area which produces it is so limited, that
more would not be grown. The demand, we admit,
might raise its price somewhat, but the farmers
cannot complain on that ground: We believe that
to repeal, or even reduce the malt duties, would not
benefit the public at all—the limited supply of barley
fit for malting would put the whole difference into
the hands of the Landlords, for it is they who
eventually reap the advantage of the high prices of

grain.
The allegation of the value of malt for fattening
cattle, we believe, to be perfectly unfounded. For
one thing will Mr. BALL deny that meat is dear
enough now in all conscience, and has been for a
long time, although he complains so dolefully of
foreign competition. For another, we should like
him to take a trip to the continent, and ascertain to
what extent the small amount of foreign fat cattle,
we import, are fattened on malt. We have the
evidence of authorities we deem superior to Mr.
BALL, that barley in its natural state, or ground,
fattens as well, and most think, better than malt.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER adduced,
however, strong reasons for thinking that the tastes
of the community had more than anything else to
do with the small increase of the consumption of
malt. The public taste in beverages does vary ;
in wine the consumption had been long stationary,
till the recent changes. Even coffee, though the
duty had been much reduced, showed no apprecia-
ble increase. Spirits seemed to be receding. There
seems, therefore, much reason for thinking that the
change in public taste for beverages has more to do
with the consumption of each than the rate of duty.
We dislike Excise Duties, but if we must have
money, the Malt Tax seems as good a one as any.

MR. SOTHERON ESTCOURT.—This gentleman
was seized with alarming illness yesterday. On
inquiring at his residence this morning, in Eton-
square, we were informed that the unfavourable
symptoms had not increased.
The anniversary of the battle of the Boyne has
passed over in the most peaceable manner. There were no
processions or banners, no display of any kind, in Belfast,
Londonderry, or Enniskillen. _ _

ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS.—In order to provide
greater facilities for parties of excursionists from the coun-
try who are desirous of viewing the gardens of the Zoologi-
cal Society in the Regent's-park at the same time that they
visit the International Exhibition, the council of the society
are now issuing tickets in packets at the price of 20s. each
packet. Each packet contains 21 tickets, available for any
day in the week except Saturday and Sunday; or 42
tickets available only on Monday. They may be obtained
by personal application, or by letter (addressed to the Sec-
retary) at the Society's office, 11, Hanover-square, W.
THE REVISION OF THE PRAYER-BOOK.—The
annual meeting of the Association for Promoting a Revi-
sion of the Prayer-book and a Review of the Acts of Uni-
formity, will be held on Tuesday, at Willis's Rooms, King-
street, St. James's. Lord Ebury will preside.
A Royal order, in the Madrid Gazette, imposes a
fine of 6,000 dols. on the contractors of the Transatlantic
mail service for a delay of eight days in the voyage of the
steamer Ciudad Condal, which left Cadiz on the 19th of
February, and reached Havannah on the 10th of March
last. The delay was occasioned by want of a sufficient
stock of coal.
HOP INTELLIGENCE.—EAST RETFORD, July 4.

The growing crops cannot be reported so favourably of as
they were a fortnight ago, still they are not in a state that
a few days of fine sunny weather would not soon rectify.
The bine has not progressed so fast as we have seen it, but
this might have been anticipated. The midsummer shoots
in many of the north clay plantations are still somewhat
puny, but they look clean and healthy, and there is not much
filth of any description lurking about them. On several
former occasions they have looked much as they do now,
and a full crop has followed.
It is not necessary to dwell upon the sins and
and sorrows of the many children of George 111. It will
never be forgotten that their family history presented a
succession of scandals such as could never have happened
if marriage had been within their reach as it is with all other
young men and maidens. It has long been known that
all the daughters, as well as the sons, were married in one
way or another ; and there is no more affecting s-ttrry-Tin
the whole family history, than that of the disclosure to the
King, by his dying daughter Amelia, his favourite child,
of her long-standing marriage,—by the shock of which his
tottering reason was upset. One daughter—one of the most
amiable and dutiful, and the most distinguished of all for
the perfection of her manners,—the Princess Mary,—
waited through loog years of deferred hope, and saw pass
away, the spring and summer of her life, before she mar-
ried at last the object of her affection. Her lover did
not fail her. He was steady in his attachment from his
youth up ; and if they had been but a little older, all would
have been happy with them. But they were only one-and-
twenty when the Princess Charlotte was born; and, as it
was soon evident that the Prince Regent would have no
mlle heir, unless his estranged wife died, the cruel law
came in to forbid the marriage of the Duke of Gloucester.
The King had first precluded his heir from pleasing him-
self in marriage, and had thereby driven him to an illegal
union with the lady whom society, and finally William IV.,
acknowledged as his wife; he had then made a marriage
for him with his cousin whom he never could endure; and
then, when the unhappy pair were separated, he prevented
his daughter Mary from marrying her lover, because the
Duke of Gloucester must be kept single in order to marry
the Princess Charlotte, in case of the failure of any suffi-
ciently desirable ccntinental connection.—Once a Week.
THE METROPOLITAN RAILWAY. Yesterday
morning one of the most difficult pieces of work on this
line of railway—viz., the formation of a tube over the above
railway, as well a 3 over the tunnel now forming for the
Finsbury junction at Frederick-street, Bagnigge-wells-
road, for the purpose of carrying off the waters of the Fleet
sewer—was completed. This piece of work has been in
course of erection nearly six months. It consists of an
iron tube 63 feet in length, 9 feet 6 inches high, and 10
feet wide. It is carried across the two lines on four mas-
sive girders, and there are no less than 84 plates in the
tubes. In addition to these being well secured by rivets,
the whole of the joints have been filled in with strong iron
cement, which has the effect of making the joints AS strong,
if not stronger, than the other portions of the iron work.
Over the tube is an arch of brickwork. It may here be
stated that when the permanent way is laid at this
point the funnels of the engines will only be about three
inches clear of the bottom of the sewer. Now that this
portion of the work is completed, an engine will be ablse to
run through the whole of Mr. Jay's work, and thus
save
an immense amount of horse labour. The Finsbury junc-
,
tion, which joins the Metropolitan at this spot, will soon
be completed workmen being busily
engaged in getting
out the earthwork—in fact, on one side the bricklayers are
engaged in putting in the foundations. The works at
Eling's•cross, to form the Midland junction, are also being
rapidly proceeded with, The whole length of the new
cutting or grip for the diversion of the sewer water was
completed yesterday morning, and a communication hav-
ing been made into the old sewer opposite Castle-street,
the water was let into the grip, and was flowing freely
throughout the day. It is intended, either to-day or on
Monday, to make a more careful examination of the frac-
tured portion of the sewer, which is now free from water,
with the view of ascertaining the exact amount of da-
mage

LATEST NEWS.

PARIS, JULY 5.

The Moniteur of this morning contains an impe-
rial decree directing that sugars and molasses im-
ported into France from England and Belgium
under the treaties with those countries shall be sub-
ject to the following duties : raw beetroot sugar,
44f. per 100 kilogrammes ; refined, 55f. ; candied
sugars of Belgian manufacture, 58f.; molasses, 14f.
30c.

MADRID, JULY 4;

The same Spanish papers which formerly de-
fended General Prim attack him now, and express
doubts whether France has really the intention of
politically and morally reorganizing Mexico.

COPENHAGEN, JULY 5.
The King of Sweden will arrive here on the 15th
instant.

The city of Copenhagen will give a splendid
banquet in the Exchange, in honour of the Kings
of Denmark and Sweden.

ATTEMPT ON THE LIFE OF THE GRAND
;DUKE CONSTANTINE.
WARSAW, JULY 3, EVENING.
As the Grand Duke Constantine was stepping
into his carriage upon leaving the theatre a revolver
was fired at him. It is said that his Royal High-
neseis slightly wounded.
The perpetrator has been arrested.