The Sun.
London, England, 1853-07-15 00:00:00

SPAIN.

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The Madrid journals of the 9th have arrived.
The junta, or commission nominated by royal
decree for inquiring into the question respecting
the holy places at Jerusalem, in which, it is said,
Spain has an interest, has been duly installed.
The Clamor Publico mentions a report that Gene-
ral Narvaez, as a proof of his submission to the
Queen, will, before returning to Spain, apply for
a passport for Vienna. The Diario announces
that M. Salamanca has commenced a prosecu-
tion against it for libel. The Duke and Duchess
of Montpensier have presented an additional
sum of 4,000 reals (1000 francs) to the fund
raising for the relief of the sufferers from tho
famine in Galicia.—A Cabinet Council had been
held at La Granja, under the presidency of the
Queen ; but no decision was come to on any of the
great political questions which have been so long
in suspense. The Queen, however, is said to
be partiCularly anxious that those relative to the
return of General Narvaez and the Northern Rail-
way shall be settled as quickly as possible. A new
Ministerial crisis is accordingly not considered un-
hkely. The Minister of the Interior has drawn up
a new plan for the organisation of his department.
It is believed that the Council of Ministers cannot
deliberate on the reports of the Royal Council re-
lative to railways before the 20th of this month.
The Three per Cents. were done at 421.

SWITZERLAND.
BERNE, JULY 11.—The committee has submitted
the following proposition to the National Council :
" Resolved,—That the Federal Council sball be re-
quested to abstain for the future from ordering the judi-
cial and police authorities to expel persons who have not
been proved to have violated the right of asylum, and
whose conduct does not threaten to endanger the internal
or external security of the Confederation."
After a long discussion, the proposition was
adopted by a majority of 58 against 20.

THE ADVERTISEMENT DUTY.

(From, the Morning Herald.)

We write in ignorance of what Mr. Gladstone may, in
another hour or two, announce to be his intention with
reference to the newspaper controversy. First in order
comes the dispute about the sixpence. Three times has the
House of Commons decided that advertisements shall
in future be free from duty. Once did Mr. Gladstone
obtain a majority in favour of a sixpenny duty. Still,
as he must be the mover in a case of this sort, the whole
state of the question is something like a drawn battle ;
and it has been said that Mr. G. will refuse to move in
the matter, except he can have his own way, and be
allowed to levy the sixpence.
But really this is miserable work. One day exulting
in a rapidly-increasing revenue, and showing an augmen-
tation on the last quarter of no less than 1,146,0001.
The next pleading poverty, and declaring the Exchequer
unable to sacrifice a petty tax of 80,0001. a-year. Is
this either dignified or consistent ?
We doubt, too, the correctness of Mr. Gladstone's
arithmetic. We do not believe that the loss to the re-
venue would be even this poor 80,0001. per annum.
For Mr. G. ought to remember that a large increase of
advertisements, in all parts of the country, would as-
suredly produce both additional stamp duties, and a con-
sumption of much more paper, and hence an increased
excise duty on that commodity.
• •

Let us observe the working of these two circumstances.
Turning from the London papers, that we may not ap-
pear to be merely advocating our own cause, let us take
the case of a leading provincial journal—such as the
Manchester Guardian, or the Leeds Mercury.
Each of these papers now publishes a supplement, and
Mr. Gladstone proposes to let this supplement pass
without a stamp. But if there be a double supplement,
then there is to be an additional half-penny stamp duty.
Now it is a matter of absolute certainty, that if the
advertisement duty be wholly taken off, so that the
provincial journals can take advertisements at 3s.
or 25., or possibly even lower, the increase of ad-
vertising will be so great as to make it inevitable
that each of these papers must publish a double
supplement every week. The circulation of each
is about 10,000 copies. The use of a double sup-
plement would therefore bring into the Exchequer, each
week, these payments—

20 reams of paper, gross weight 8001 b., duty £5 0 0
10,000 stamps, at Ad 2O 16 8