The Sun.
London, England, 1854-03-17 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, FRIDAY EVENING. MARCH 17

ter, the Ministers' Money is a tax utterly out of
keeping with the intellige cc and temper of the
age. Taxes like these are mete ecclesiastical
blisters ; they may not seriously injure the suf-
ferer, but they keep up an intolerable irritation.
None of us like tax-paying ; and the only miti-
gation of the evil is, that we believe its objects to
be on the whole good, and that we receive an
ample return in the general security and order ;
but in these clerical taxes it is just the reverse :
we receive nothing in return, but are taxed to
teach doctrines we disapprove. The Roman Ca-
tholic or the Dissenter could live in peace and
charity with his State Church neighbour, they
would shake hands cordially as they returned from
their respective Divine services ; but when the
Churchman, in addition to his 600,000/. in
Ireland, and 6,000,000/. in England, per annum
of national property, demands from the man who
pays for his own worship a personal payment in
addition, human nature must be greatly altered
if it does not provoke a quarrel. All such anti-
social nuisances must be cleared away.

id 0 N N 1 A it

ANI.
COAIMERCIAL INTELLIGENCE.

CITY, TWO O'CLOCK.

The sales of cotton at Liverpool yesterday were
estimated at between 4,000 and 5,000 bales, all to
the trade. The market continue,l tame but steady,
with prices of all kinds in favour of buyers. The
sales comprised 240 Pernam and Maranham, at
6-id. to 7id., 500 Bahia at 60., 100 Egyptian at
6d. to 71d., 400 Surat at 31d. to 4d., 40 Sea
Island at is. Id. to Is. 3d. per lb., and the re-
mainder American. Railway Shares were dull.
Colonial produce has been duller this week, and
less firmness has been evinced by holders. Coffee,
sugar, spices, and rice are all lower, and the supply
has increased. Tea has been held at above the
market prices, tallow has been firm, and hemp at
full prices.
The tenour of the commercial advices by the
steamer Sydney, from Australia, is stated to be un-
satisfactory, but we have as yet no details, the only
information received being obtained indirectly by
the arrival of the Great Western steamer from St.
Vincent. The dates from Melbourne are the 17th
Dec., and from Sydney about the 7th, and it is
probable these will reach us to-morrow or Monday,
as the Sydney steamer was to leave St. Vincent
on the 4th instant, two days after the Great
Western, which called at various places after leav-
ing that place. It is reported that the Melbourne
markets were greatly overstocked, and that sales
were increasingly difficult, but that land maintained
its price, because the cheapness of imports left the
miner greater disposable means for its purchase.
The details of the markers must, however, be
awaited, ere we can state with any degree of confi-
dence what has occurred, although it is easy enough
to understand what will probably take place, viz.
pressure and failures before a healthy tone is re-
stored. One circumstance, however, should not
be lost sight of as affording hope of the reaction
being sensibly mitigated, if it be not arrested.
There has been such a decided advance in the
prices of many articles in Europe, since shipments
of them were made to Melbourne, that they could
not be replaced now upon the terms at which they
were originally invoiced.
Advices from Cologne state that a quantity of
arms manufactured in Belgium had been received
there for transmission to Russia. The police
stopped them iii transitu, but appear subsequently
to have allowed them to be sent away.
The Van Diemen's Land Company, at their
meeting just held, have declared a dividend of
10s.. per share.

The English Stock Market has been rather
heavy, and with scarcely a bargain on speculation.
The fact of 300,000/. having been withdrawn from
the Bank of England yesterday, making about a
million and a half within a few days, is suffi-
cient to deter operations for a rise, as money
is decidedly tighter, and the whole amount
withdrawn has been forwarded to Paris. The
arrangement by which a deposit of 10 per cent.
to be made upon subscribing for the loan, is at-
tracting, and temporarily locking up considerably
more than will ultimately be needed for the first
instalment, and representations have been made to
induce a relaxation of this regulation, though, we
apprehend, without much chance of success. Con-
sols have been 90i to 91 for transfer, and 901 to
90i for April. Exchequer Bills are Bs. to 11s.
prem. Bank Stock is firm, at 221.
The current prices for the Jamaica mines, not
officially quoted, are as follows :—Metcalfe, Y to
premium ; Sue River, discount to par ; Port
Royal, to premium.
Foreign Securities have been very quiet. Rus-
sian Five per Cents. are firm at 90. Spanish Threes
have been done at 37k. Dutch Four per Cents.
are 86g. Austrian Bonds realise 76, and Brazi-
lian 98.

The Railway Share Market has been duller, and
prices have been about to per cent. in favour of
buyers. The French lines, also, are in less de-
mand.

Gold Mines are nominal, and Banks steady.
Canada Land Shares are at very full rates.

BRITISH FUNDS THIS DAY AT ONE O'CLOCK.

( Front the Official List. )

Business Inn,.
3 per Cent Consols Annuities 9Ol 1 901 1
Long Annuities, Expire sth Jan., 180
Ditto 30 Years, Expire sth Jan., 1860 5 1-16
Bank Sock for Account 221
Consols for Account 18th April 9oi
Exchequer Bills, 2d.
£1000
-
....2500 ..- Bll p
—Small 9 8.12 p
PRIOE OF FOREIGN FUNDS AT ONE O'CLOCK.
&ustrian Bonds, 5 per Cent.......... ..... .... 76
rtrazilian Bonds, 5 per Cent. 9B
Ditto New, 1852, 4A per Cent 9O
Russian Bonds, 1822, 5 per Cent. £ St 9O
Ditto 4} per Cent BOl
Ditto Small
Spanish Bonds, 3 per Cent 371

Dividends on the above payable in London.
Dutch Exchange, 24 per Cent. 12 Guil
Ditto 4 per Cent. Certificates - 861
HALF-PAST TWO.
Consols 9Ol 1
Ditto April Account 904

Despatches were received at the Colonial-office yester-
day from the Governor of Gibraltar. Despatches were
sent yesterday to the Governors of the West India
Islands.

Sir Charles Wood, President of the Board of Control,
and Lady Mary Wood, received the following distin-
guished party at dinner on Wednesday, at their resi-
dence in Chesham-place :—His Excellency the Danish
Minister, the Archbishop of York, and the Hon. Mrs.
Musgrave, the Duchess of Inverness, the Marquis of
Breadalbane, the Earl of Zetland, Viscount Goderich,
M.P., Lady Dalmeny, Lord Charles Russell, the Right
Hon. Sir George and Lady Grey, Mr. Harcourt, and
Frances Counte-s of Waldegrave, the Hon. Mrs. Charles
Grey, and Mr. Granville Vernon.
ARRIVAL OF TROOPS AT MALTA.—The Himalaya,
with the 93d Highlanders and two companies of Rifles ;
th• Ernu, with the 33d Infantry ; the Vulcan, with the
2nd battalion of Rifle Brigade ; and the Manilla, with
the Grenadier Guards, have arrived at Malta.
LONDON AND COUNTY BANK.—At a special general
meeting of the London County Bank yesterday the reso-
lution adopted in 1841 for reducing the nominal capital
of the company from 2,000.000/. to 1.000.0001., and the
number of shares from 40,000 to 20,000, was unani-
mously rescinded.
ABD-EL KADER. —The Journal d' Indre- et- Loir pub-
lishes the following letter, addressed by Abd-el-Kader to
the Mayor of Amboise, in answer to a letter from the
latter, announcing the completion of the monument
erected over the grave of some Arabs who died during
their captivity :
" Praise to the one God ! To our excellent and well-
beloved friend, M. Trouve, Mayor of Amboise. I salute
you, as well as all my friends residing in your town. May
the peace of God be with you. I received your letter,
dated the 6th December last, in which you announced to
me that, according to the orders given by my illustrious
liberator, our august Emperor Napoleon 111., the works
are terminated. I thank you for announcing this news to
me, and I shall therefore be always grateful towards the
august Emperor.—Salutation.
" ABD-EL-KADER BEN MAHI.EDDINE.
" 18th of the Dpmaz-el-Oust, 1270 (Feb. 15.)

THE CHOLERA AT GLASGOW.—ChoIera is again pre-
valent at Glasgow. On Saturday there were 10 deaths
from it in the city parish, and 5 in the barony parish ;
on Sunday 16 in the former, and 11 in the latter ; on
Monday 10 in the former, and 6 in the latter ; and on
Tuesday 14 in the city parish. •
SINGULAR INnmnuAr..—We have to record the death
of a rather singular individual in Forgue, one who has
lived long in the esteem of a wide circle of acquaint-
ances, and one whom many will lament. We refer to
Janet Spence or Milne, Monelie, Forgue, who departed
this life on the 12th February, aged 84. For the last 60
years she has practised as a midwife, and in the course of
her practice she has, as nearly as can be known from the
register she kept, ushered into the world the almost in-
credible number of 2,400 children. Janet was a most
successful practitioner, and always a welcome guest in
the halls of the great, or at the humble board of the
cottar.—Aberdeen Journal.
DEATHS FROM WANT.—During the week, no less than
three women have died in the metropolis from want of
food and consequent exhaustion. One was the wife
of a tailor, living at 29, Playhouse-yard, Whitecross-
street ; another, the widow of a soldier, living at 6,
Tash-court, Gray's Inn-lane; and the third, a woman
who was taken from Holborn-buildings to the London
Fever Hospital, in the belief that she had a fever. The
medical authorities of that establishment, however, soon
put the matter in the right light. The poor creature
expired, not from fever, but poverty and want.
ROBBERY AT A BONDED WAREHOUSE.—Yesterday
morning a robbery was discovered to have been effected
on Chester Quay, Lower Thames-street, which has re-
sulted in the suspension of two officers of the Customs
and the private watchman employed on the premises.
The police are deputed by the Board and the proprietors
of the warehouse to adopt the most energetic measures
for the apprehension of the thieves. On the previous
evening a number of cases of brandy were landed at
Chester Quay, %but in consequence of it being after
hours, the stores were locked, and they were left in
charge of two tidewaiters and the private watchman.
Yesterday morning, on the arrival of the wharfinger, it
was ascertained that one of the eases had been removed
from one extremity of the quay to the other; and on
further examination it was found that several bottles had
been abstracted. The wharfinger having made inquiries,
which were answered in an unsatisfactory manner, called
in the police to investigate the affair, and gave immedi-
ate information of the occurrence to the Comptroller,
v.-ho at once issued orders for the suspension of the
officers.

- -
ERRATIIII. —ln our first article on Wednesday, in the
las line of the first paragraph, the omission of the word
"denied" made us represent the superstitious hordes of
Russia as " blinded by the light of the Word of God."
[lt should have read, " whom he has blinded by his
priesthood and denied the light of the Ward of God."l

1854.

„11:,1:11-4] STtip t) ii 14; SEWS Danske is nearly completed ;it is also said that
- the new frigate Nacade is to be got ready for sea.
Tue pilots have received orders not to take caarge
of any foreign vessels of war beyond their respec-
tive stations.”

THE WAR IN THE EAST.

OFFICIAL DECLARATION OF A STATE OF
SIEGE IN RUSSIA.

The M oniteur of yesterday, under the date of
St. Petersburg, March the 7th, gives copies of five
official documents declaring various parts of the
Russian dominions to be in a state of siege. Each
document is in the form of an Imperial ukase, dated
March the sth.

COMBAT AT IBRAILA.

The first states that, under present circum-
stances, his Majesty thinks it necessary to declare
the Government of Ekatherinowsla and the arron-
dissement of Taganrog to be in a state of siege, and
places those localities under the order of the Gene-
ral of cavalry M. Khomouloff, with the privileges
granted by the regulations issued on the sth of
December, 1846.

The second ukase declares St. Petersburg to be
in a state of siege, and places the Government
under the authority of the Grand Duke, heir to the
throne, Commander-in-Chief of the Guards and
Grenadiers, with the prerogatives accorded to the
Commander-in-Chief of the Army.
By the third ukase, the Government of Esthonia
and Livonia are placed in a state of siege ; Esthonia
to be under the orders of General Aide-de-Camp
Berg, and Livonia under those of the Aide-de-
Camp General Prince of Italy, Count Suwaroff-
Kiminsky, Military Governor of Riga.
The next ukase declares the Government of
Archangel to be in a state of siege, under the
orders of Vice-Admiral Boel, military Governor of
the place.

A correspondent of the Morning Chronicle writes
from Ibridl on March 2d :

By the sth ukase, the kingdom of Poland, and
the governments of Courland, Kowno, Wilna,
Grodno, Volyhnia, and Podolia are declared to
be in a state of siege. The ukase also states that
the Government of Bessarabia, and that part of
the Government of Cherson, situated on the right
bank of the Bug, which were declared to be in a
state of siege by the ukase of the 19th of Novem-
ber, 1853, are to be now in a similar position ; and
that all these places are to be under the authority
of Field-Marshal General Prince of Warsaw, Count
Paskew:tch d'Erivan, Commander-in-Chief of the
active army.

" I hasten to bring to your knowledge the details of
a combat of some importance, which took place last
night on the right bank of the Danube, at a short
distance above Ibraila, and in the direction of Galatz,
where the Turks have erected a battery to prevent the
Russian flotilla coining up as far as this.
" The commander of the said flotilla received yester-
day the order at Galatz to proceed immediately to our
port with munitions of war, which he had been to fetch
from Reni.

" To facilitate the passage in front of the Turkish bat-
tery, General Engelhardt ordered it to be attacked by
land, and for this purpose sent a battalion of infantry in
two large kerlatchs (flat-bottomed boats), which, cross-
ing the Danube, landed troops a short distance beyond
the said Turkish battery, which they hoped to surprise
and put in the impossibility of acting against the flotilla.
" The Turks, although not prepared for such an at-
tack, were, however, informed in time by their advance
outposts to enable them to point two guns so as to bear up-
on the battalion which was endeavouring to make its way
through the reeds and blocks of ice with which the ground
it had to get over is covered. At half-past two in the
morning the Turks opened their fire, to which the Rus-
sians replied, first by platoon firing, then, in consequence
of the nature of the ground, and the intention of
the Russians to surround the battery, the firing ex-
tended to different points. At last it came to a hand-to-
hand fight, with sword and bayonet ; a desperate strug-
gle ensued, which lasted for more than an hour, when
the Russians retreated and re-embarked ; they embarked
just in time to escape a small squadron of cavalry which
had hurried up from Matschin to support the bat-
tery. Ten minutes later, and they would have all
been made prisoners. During this time the two
steamers and six gun-boats succeeded in reaching the
interior of the port without damage. To judge by my
own eyes, the loss of the Russians was considerable ;
three officers killed, one captain mortally wounded ;
more than 40 men were left upon the field of battle, 13
made prisoners, and some 50 wounded, who have been
sent to the hospitals.
"The grand attack is fixed for the Ist (13th) March.
Will they he ready then ? That is the question. For
although new troops arrive daily, those here will not
suffice for a coup de main.

The ukase, in addition, states that the Emperor
ordains that the government of Podolia, the part
of the government of Cherson, situated on the right
bank of the Bug, and the province of Bessarabia,
shall at the same time be placed under the autho-
rity of Aide-de-camp General Prince Gortschakoff,
commander of the troops of the al, 4th, and sth
corps of infantry, who is to have the prerogatives
granted the commanders of detached corps by the
ukase of December 5, 1846.
The ukase then provides that the kingdom of
Poland and the governments of Courland, Kowno,
Volhynia, and Grodno, during the absence of the
Field-Marshal, shall be under the authority of
General Aide-de-Camp Count fludiger, and that
Aide-de-Camp General Baron Osten-Sack.en shall
retain in Bessarabia and in the government of
Cherson the powers granted to the commanders
of detached corps by the ukase of November 19,
1853.

The Russian journals, of the 6th, publish an
Imperial ordinance thus conceived :—" All the
Bulgarians who may present themselves at our ad-
vanced posts shall be received in our Bulgarian
colonies subject to the approbation of the Bulga-
rian communes, and under the responsibility of a
member of the commune who may show .himself
worthy of the confidence. The Bulgaria.ns who
may not be received in the communes shall be sent
into the interior of Russia."

"Prince GoAsch....koff left the evening before last, re-
turning to Bucharest. Before his departure he gave
orders to the local authorities to prepare quarters for
his aides-de-camp. It is said that the Prince will be
present at the grand a,,tack preparing ag .inst Mafschiii.
" Already the public estaislishinents, as well as the
best houses in the town, are converted into hosptt ila ;
nevertheless, a new order for 1,400 beds has been

LA letter from Constantinople, of March
5, says : The ground is still covered with
snow in the Asiatic provinces. The Russians are
assembling a large force there, but the Turks have
been not only re-organised, but reinforced.
Abd-el-Kader has contributed 6,000 francs, at
Broussa, towards the expenses of the war.
The combined fleets are detained at Beycos by
the tempestuous weather. The Fury and the
Vauban returned on the 2d, the authorities at Se-
bastopol having refused to receive the despatches
of which they were the bearers.

The following is dated Beyrouth, the 20th ult.:—
" Last week a considerable number of volunteers
from Palestine passed through this placa. The
Emir of the Druses of the Libanus received orders
to assemble 10,000 volunteers ; but as he has been
able to get together only 400, the Government au-
thorities have refused to advance him funds until
the full number is forthcoming. Orders have been
received from Constantinople to send the volun-
teers to Erzeroum. It would seem that the Porte
has no great confidence in the assurances oaf peace
made by Persia."
Several reserved parks of artillery have left
Poland for the Danube. The frontier towns of the
kingdom of Poland are completely without regular
troops ; they contain only veterans and Cossacks.
The troops which have marched are to take up a
position in the government of Lubin, between the
Vistula and the Bug. They will probably be sent
towards the Danube.

A letter from Vienna, of the 11th, says ::--Some
journals again speak of hopes of peace. They have
said that Russia has sent a new proposition of ar-
rangement in reply to that brought by Count
Orloff, and that that proposition of arrangement
has been accepted by the conference of Vienna as
the basis of ulterior negotiations. The i;ruth of
the affair is simply this : At a conference ltie.d on
the sth, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the
ambassadors declared that new. negotiati,ons for
peace could not be entered on except on 031.1 lawn
of Russia first evacuating the Danubian Princi-
palities, and re-establishing the status Tao ante
()alum, ; but, that the Emperor of Russia, having
refused to make that concession, the reply of his
Majesty would be duly enregistered.
Rumour was in circulation at Vienna, on the
11th, that troubles had broken out iu Servia, but
no credence was attached to it. It is certain, how-
ever, that Russian officers, disguised as Greek
priests, have been arrested in Servia and Albania.
Austria will not, it is said, tolerate any revolu-
tionary attempt, but will put it down at once by
force. A rumour prevailed that Austria had made
a separate treaty with England and France on the
Eastern question. It is not generally known that,
at the moment when the Cabinets of France and
England sent their ultimatum to the Emperor
Nicholas, the Austrian Cabinet sent them a note
inviting them to replace the sword in the scabbard,
but at the same time declaring that, in case hos-
tilities should burst out, Austria, having in view
only the point of right, would assume the attitude
which her interests might suggest. No one doubts
that the reply of the Czar will be unfavourable.
A letter from Berlin, of the 13th, mentions that
Lieutenaut-Colonel de Manteuffel was to go to
Munich that evening on his mission to the Em-
peror of Austria. The mission to St. Petersburgh
had, it was said, been abandoned.
The police at Cologne seized, on the 12th, 16
waggons laden with arms coming from Liege.
They are said to have been intended for Russia,
and were to be followed by other supplies.
The following note has been published by the
Austrian Government relative to the suspension of
the Lloyd of Vienna :

" The Lloyd in an article signed E. W. speaks of the
letter of the Emperor of Russia in ironical and con-
temptuous terms, which are incompatible with the
maintenance of order, and it would be unworthy or the
Imperial Government to suffer a public document, of a
Sovereign to be discussed in that form and in so im-
proper a manner. The direction of the police hats in
consequence received orders to suspend the said joutrnal
for eight days, a previous warning not having produced
any effect."

LATER FROM AUSTRALIA.

The Great Western brings news that the Sydney
steam-ship, had arrived at St. Vincent's (Cape de
Verds), from Australia, em route for England. Her
dates are--Sydney, Dec. 7 ; Port Philip, Dec.
17 ; the Cape, Feb. 4.
is said the markets in Australia were con-
siderably overstocked with English and other mer-
chandise sent out on speculation, and that conse-
quently there must he a great loss on its sale.
The yield of gold still continued to increase, and
several new diggings had been discovered. The
Sydney has nearly 80,000 ounces on board, a great
portion of which), is in the hands of the passengers.
Its price in Melbourne was 755. per ounce.
The Sydney brings 90 passengers. She would
leave St. Vincent two days after the Great
Western.

The intelligence from the Cape is of no moment.
Sir George Cathcart had received a notification,
through the General Commanding in Chief, that
her Majesty had been pleased to appoint him Ad-
jutant-General of the Forces--a duty which would,
no doubt, call for his presence in England. The
inhabitants of Graham's Town had, however, pre-
pared a petition, praying the Queen to continue
his Excellency as Governor of the colony.