The Sun.
London, England, 1853-03-03 00:00:00

Customs, at the examination-room at the London-bridge
Terminus of the South Eastern Railway, of the baggage
of passengers leaving Paris for London by the 7.30 p.m.
train, and crossing from Calais to Dover by her Majesty's
mail-packets, under such regulations as may be thought
necessary for the protection of the revenue, with a view
to do away with the inconvenience and detention now
suffered by passengers when the voyage of the mail-
packet is so lengthened as to prevent that examination
taking place at Dover in time for the passengers to leave
thereafter by the train in correspondence with the mail-
packet which arrives in London at 7.50 a.m."

We shall await the reply with some an-xiety.
It will then be seen whether the authorities are
still so obstinately bent on maintaining the objec-
tionable principle, and rejecting the simple but
very palpable amelioration now suggested. We
would venture to remind the Lords of the
Treasury that these are not the times
when obvious reforms can be disregarded,
or pooh-poohed in deference to the prejudices or
interests of a few officials strongly biassed in fa-
vour of long-continued abuses, and thinking a
rude and gruff bearing essential to the perform-
ance of their duties, and distinguishing marks of
their Anglican temperaments and Anglican educa-
tions.

With all due deference to such an authority as
Sir JOHN PAKINGTON, the Magistrates are not
" the largest Ratepayers in the county." We
acknowledge that all taxes paid by occupiers,
theoretically, fall ultimately upon landlords ; but,
practically, they do not, unless the amount be
considerable. A farmer would give neither more
nor less for his farm r,if the County Rate were
doubled or halved. Yet it would be a great mis-
take to think that the occupier does not grudge
a needless penny in the pound in the County
Rate. It galls him just as the unfair deprivation
of a. shilling annoys every Englishman more than
the needful payment of a sovereign. We should
therefore be glad to see Sir JOHN, and all the
County Members, not merely acknowledge, per-
force, the excellence of representative taxation,
but accept it as cordially and spontaneously as
Mr. DISRAELI did in his speech on the Budget.
He " saw no objection to the Ratepayers being
introduced into the immediate management of the
County Rate." After deducting the interest of
the county debts, and other things fixed by Act
of Parliament, the amount which admits of mo-
dification is, perhaps, like our national expendi-
ture, less than that which does not. Yet, in the
lesser case, as in the greater, that is no reason
why the Taxpayers should not assess themselves
by their own Representatives. The extravagance
of some Town Councils, elected by Ratepayers,
was alleged against Mr. GIBSON'S Bill. We should
cite them as an argument in its favour. The thing
chiefly to be feared is excessive parsimony, and
public inconvenience in consequence. Yet the
contrary turns out to be the case. Ratepayers
feel daily the need of things which the better ac-
commodated gentry imperfectly appreciate ; and
when allowed to use their own money for their
own convenience, they have proved willing to in-
cur the cost, provided they could have the com-
fort. As to the police especially, nearly all the
exposed property in the country belongs to the
Ratepayers. We should not be surprised if it
appeared in a few years that the Ratepayers did
spend more than the Magistrates, but we should
be very much surprised if they did not take good
care to have an adequate return for their outlay.
We cannot believe that any disrespect is in-
tended to the " Great Unpaid." They would still
remain a kind of rural House of Lords, and would
be in no way degraded by leaving money matters
to a rural House of Commons. They do not assess
the vastlymore important Poor's Rate, and should,
we think, be rather pleased than otherwise to throw
upon the representatives of the Ratepayers the
assessment of the County Rate also. We regard the
alteration of placing the election of all the members
of the Financial Board in the hands of the Guar-
dians as a decided improvement, and we have
very little doubt that the majority of them will
be chosen from th 6 magistrates themselves. The
farmers cannot easily spare time to leave their
business, and responsibility to the electors will be
quite a sufficient check upon the Financial Board.
We must confess that the farmers and the guar-
dians have shown by no means the interest in the
measure which it behoves them to do. The
pecuniary saving we regard but as a small part of
the advantage; the habit of self-government is in-
finitely more. Lord CRANWORTH was unwilling
the other day to allow parties who wished it to
dispense with juries, because he deemed them
valuable schools for training men's judgments.
We think municipal government of every kind of
the highest value for the same purpose. Even if
magistrates were not very generally elected to the
Financial Boards, there are an ample number of
farmers, men sufficiently sensible, shrewd, and in-
telligent in county matters, to raise and adminis-
ter the County Rates. The effect, however, of
measures like Mr. GinsoN's is to bring out the
latent talent in all departments of practical life,
with which England everywhere abounds. Muni-
cipal government creates municipal ability.
We should be gratified to see the principle of
municipality far more fully developed in the rural
districts. Why should not our Boards of Guardians
become country councils ? Why should they not
choose their own Mayor ? Why should they not
have in their unions all the powers of Town
Councils? Or if the business of guardian of the
poor and municipal duties were too heavy a
task for some, why not create at once our unions
into municipalities, and leave the Ratepayers and
the candidates to decide whether the same indivi-
dual should be a guardian and councilor too ?
An annually elected magistrate, and a bench of
union magistrates, nominated by the Crown, at
the suggestion of the councillors, would impart
great confidence to the administration of justice
in the country districts. Above all it would tend
to elevate the farmers in the social scale, to dis-
cipline them to self-management, and to afford
legitimate objects of generous ambition to the
ability which it wasted or unezercised, because
it has no appropriate field. We speak from know-
ledge when we assert that farmers, in country
matters, are quite as competent as shopkeepers,
manufacturers, and merchants in town matters.
If we would raise them to a level with the towns,
we should at least not refuse them the same fran-
chises.

AFRICAN MAIL STEAMERS.—The African Mail Steam-
ship Company have made arrangements to establish a
semi-monthly mail to the west coast of Africa, to sail
from Liverpool on the 10th of each month, the existing
service from London on the 24th of each month being
continued. The vessels composing the new line are to
be called the Northern Light, the Southern Cross, and
the Pleiades, and the first will sail in October next.
They will be of iron, of 1,100 tons burden, and 300-
horsepower, with screw propellers.

NEV? GOLD COMPANY.—A new gold company has
been advertised, called the London and Liverpool Aus-
tralian Gold Mining and Steaming Company, with a
capital of 120,0001., in 11. shares. It presents no new
features, except that a distribution of 20 per cent, of the
profits is proposed to be made to the staff, but the pro-
moters have the honesty to make the remarkable state-
ment, that they require 6,000 shares for their trouble in
bringing the company out, whereas among many similar
concerns the plan hitherto has been for the directors to
appropriate to themselves, without notice, as many paid-
up shares as they might deem sufficient.
AUSTRALIA.—Some time since a little party of gen-
tlemen holding high Government situations, obtained
leave of absence to visit Australia, with the view of
exploring certain districts, which the Colonial-office had.
already been informed were singularly enriched with
this precious metal. This little band, accompanied by
an intelligent:mineralogist and geologist, and armed with
the requisite power and the highest official introductions,
appear to have been indefatigable in their undertaking.
We are now informed that their reports fully confirm
the first advices, and that the " London and Liverpool,
Australian Gold Mining and Streaming Company' just
announced, is a commercial result.of the news thus re-
ceived. It would further appear that the principle with
which the adventurers commenced—the tie of a common
interest—is to remain intact, and the effective mining
staff about to sail forthwith are to have their services
responded to by a like arrangement with the company in
En gland . —Morning Paper.
THE MYSTERIOUS ROBBERY AND DEATH OF A GEN-
TLEMAN IN THE WATERLOO-ROAD.--Mr. Payne, the coro-
ner, held an inquest yesterday, at St. George's workhouse,
Mint-street, Southwark, on the body of Thomas Philip
Pickstock, a gentleman of independent property, who
was found dead on the pavement in the Waterloo-road,
at an early hour on the morning of Tuesday last, under
very suspicious circumstances. A juror said the cause of
death appeared to be clear, and they had nothing to do
with the robbery. Medical evidence having been given
iys to the cause of death, the jury returned a verdict
That the deceased died from a disease of the heart, the
result of natural causes,"