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

TIE BRAZILS.

The Royal
Western, Ca pt .
--N- 1 Company's steam-ship Great
A. Bavis, with the usual Bra-
zilian and Rivero
late mails in charge of Lieut.
Fuge, h.N., arried at Southampton yesterday
morning at twelve o'clock. The Great Western
during the voyage 4omewards experienced very
fine weather.
Tile Great Westerwwings mails from the follow-
ing places, with theirrespective dates affixed :---
Buenos Ayres, Feb. 2 ; Monte Video, Feb. 5 ; Rio
de Janeiro, Feb. 14; Ba\ja, Feb. 18; Pernambuco,
Feb. 21 ; St. Vincent, Nrch 2 • Teueriffe, March
8 ; Madeira, March 9 ; Lisbon, March 12.
Landed at Lisbon 34 passengers, and brought to
Southampton 31 ditto.
The Great Western brings specie to. the amount
of 5,2001., and on freight, diamonds value 10,0001.,_
70 serous cochineal, 9 pipes Madeira, 70 barrels
tapioca, and usual number of samples from the
different ports,
With the exception of from Buenos Ayres, we
receive four days' later news than that which came
to hand last Saturday, by the arrival of the Bra-
ziliera steam-ship at Liverpool from the various
Brazilian ports.
There is nothing new from Buenos Ayres.
At Rio de Janeiro the amount of business trans-
acted had been limited as heretofore ; the several
markets had offered but little of interest. The
transactions in imports had been restricted ; the
sales of produce unusually limited ; a fair amount
of business had been done in exchange ; more
activity had been manifested in freights.
Freights were quoted to Antwerp at 85s. ; Chan-
nel, 85s. ; Hamburg, 82is. ; Havre, 80f. ; Lon"
don, 655. to 70s. ; Liverpool, 655. to 70s. ; Medi-
terranean, 755. to 85s. ; United States, 100 cents
to 120 cents.

In the money market exchange ruled on London
at 281 to 28g ; on France, &c.,340 ; on Hamburg/
640 to 642.

From Pernambuco there is little additional neWB
of interest to report.
As far as regarded imports business was limited ;
foreign articles of consumption commanded satis-
factory rates. In exports an active business had
been done in sugar ; in cotton transactions bad
been small, owing to a falling off in the crop.
In exchange business was fair at 28 ; monel
scarce, and discounts ruled at 11 to 12 per cent.
At Bahia exchange was quoted at 28d.
Her Majesty's ships at Rio—the Centaur, Mafia' ,
gascar, Crescent, and Star ; at Madeira, the Pene-
lope, about to sail for England, and Juno. The
Russian frigate Aurora sailed from Rio, on the 12th
Feb., for the Pacific.
A vessel called the Record was wrecked off St.
Antonio (Cape de Verds).
The transactions in exchange for the pa-r 4
amount to about 400,0001. sterling upon London,
100,000 f. upon Paris, and 5+,0,000 marcos de balloc°
upon Hamburg.

TAXES ON STAGE CARRIAGES.

A public meeting of stage carriage proprietors was
held yesterday afternoon, at the Whittington Ciab-house,
Arundel-street, Strand, for the purpose of adoptinf,
measures to place stage carriages upon an equality..!
taxation with otner public conveyances—Sir John VII
Tiers Shelley, Bart., presiding.
The CHAIRMAN said the object of the meeting was
~1
place stage carriages on an equality of taxation with
other public conveyances. It was urged against that
object, that the present time--with a war impending--;
thcrPrr•~aa:nn,4* *ha hurriong Of
taxation. The total repeal of these taxes was not novf
sought for, but they thought that stage carriage propre9'
ton ought only to pay their fair share of the necessary.
burdens. The gentleman who conducted the financial
affairs of the country was anxious to do justice in every
case, and when it was represented to him that during
the last year 285,0001. of taxation was remitted to
public conveyances, and from which the stage-carriage
proprietors derived no benefit whatever, he said he
would consider their case. It must be remem-
bered, too, that steam-boats and Parliamentary trains
paid no tax whatever, nor did country waggons, and
first-class and express trains paid a very small tax Upon
their receipts, while the stage-carriages, the moment the
wheels began to turn, paid taxes, whether they carried
a fare or not. He believed that these circumstances, if
urged upon the Chancellor of the Exchequer, would
meet with his attention, and he was quite willing to do
all in his power to obtain the consent of the Government
to a remission of this portion of the public taxation.
Mr. GREY, coach proprietor, moved " That the pre'
sent system of mileage duty levied on stage-carriages IS
oppressive and restrictive ou the supply
of conveyances
fin- the public accommodation, leads to great evasion of
the duty by spring vans and other vehicles, is unjust;
and oppressive in i eposing an excessive amount of taxa-
tion on the conducting of the stage-carriage trade, and
such tax ought in justice to be entirely abolished, or re-
duced to the amount of passenger taxes on railways."
This resolution was seconded by Mr. SHELDON, of
Windermere, and Mr. BRADFIELD of Bristol supported
it.—Carried.
Mr. HARTLEY proposed the second resolution—',That
a select committee of the House of Commons having
reported in favour of the total abolition of taxation on
private carriages, and relief from taxation being largely
granted to other carriages, the stage carriage tax ought
to be modified."
Mr. COSTELLO seconded the resolution, which was
supported by Mr. HAXELL of Ipswich.
Mr. ELLIOTT moved—" That a petition, founded ots
the foregoing resolutions, be prepared and presented t,
the House of Commons ; and that the chairman, Sir J.
Shelley, Bart., M.P., be respectfully requested to pre-
sent such petition, and support the prayer thereof ; and
that Lord D. Stuart, M.P., Sir J. Duke, M. p., T.
phinn, Esq., M.P., G. Hadfield, Esq., M.P., General
Wyndham, M.P., and other hon. members who have so
kindly interested themselves in the welfare of the trade,
be respectfully solicited to give their assistance to effect
the abolition or just equalisation of the stage carriage
tax." A vote of thanks to the chairman terminated the
proceedings.