The Sun.
London, England, 1854-11-09 00:00:00

justly treated if forced to adopt their present receipts
as a basis of valuation. As a mere matter of common
sense, however, the three toll•paying bridges ought to
be redeemed ; and it will be strange indeed if a fair and
equitable bargain between the proprietors and the pub-
lic is found impossible. Of course the proprietors
assess their value high ; and some even go to the ex-
tent of saying that the worth of Waterloo-bridge is
what it cost, because no similar bridge could be
constructed for less. Others propose to appraise the
bridges by throwing them open for a year to ascertain
the traffic, and making this a standard valuation.
Which view is more preposterous it would be hard to
say. On the one hand, the proprietors have no right to
be reimbursed for a bad speculation— on the other, the
traffic over a free bridge is no measure of the utmost
possible traffic over a toll bridge. The difficulties of
dealing with the proprietors are, in some quarters,
thought so insurmountable that it is proposed to construct

new bridges at the public expense, elOse to the existing
private ones—which would, of course, reduce the value
of the latter to nothing. This piece of mischievous
retaliation would no doubt succeed ; but the joke would
be rather expensive to the public, and its ingenious
contrivers have not, perhaps, considered its results on
the navigation of the river.
When we come to the sources from which additional
bridge accommodation is to be paid for the witnesses
differ, and, of course, view the matter according to
their own interests. The City people, with the Bridge-
house Estates in their hands, decline to do more than
provide for London. bridge. But they forget that, when
their property was originally granted to them, the City
was London, and London-bridge was sufficient for the ac-
commodation of the population ; and the object of en-
trusting these funds to the corporation was to provide
for the whole population of London—not a fraction of it.
The Bridge-house Estates ought unquestionably to be
exhausted in providing bridges for the whole metro-
polis before we go further. Tae Parliamentary Com-
mittee seem to acquiesce in the suggestion that the taxa-
tion for the purpose should be local, extending over an
area of twenty miles ; and the existing coal-tax, which
fulfils these conditions, is suggested as the seurce from
which the expense of the proposed improvements ought
to be levied. Mr. Lambert Jones assures us that a most
unnecessary fuss has been made about this tax ; and
that it is really a very pleasant impost. Others contend
that London, to say nothing of St. Alban's and Croydon,
ought not to be exclusively taxed for what will be a
benefit to the whole country, and that the extension
ought to be charged on the Consolidated Fund, because
as many country people as Londoners use the bridges.
However specious, and to some extent true, the objec-
tion may be, its answer consists in the danger of abae-
doning the principle of local taxation for local objects.
A great many Londoners cross the Liverpool streets ;
but a proposition to tax London for Liverpool improve-
ments would scarcely be thought of. The very notion
of redeeming toll bridges has, however, raised up
a host of claimants on public generosity. So large
is the prospective liberality of the Committee that
they suggest the redemption of all the bridges, inclu-
sive of, and below, Staines—though why we are to
stop short of Windsor, Maidenhead, and Hen-
ley, does not appear. Foley-bridge is already prac-
tically included in this wild suggestion. The notion of
the public purchasing Staines-bridge, which is mortgaged
to the toll collector, or those hideous structures at
Chelsea and Fulham, could only enter into the mind of
a Parliamentary Committee, which deals as liberally
with public funds as Mr. Brunel does, in this matter, with
private resources. This gentleman, with a refinement
which could only suggest itself to so eminent an en-
gineer, strongly objects to the idea of the Government
buying the existing bridges, because he thinks " that if
the public were left to themselves, they would soon build
new bridges, which, when erected, would pay"—Mr.
Brunel and his professional brethren.
To one proposition we strongly demur—namely, Mr.
Bunning's scheme for widening London-bridge by hang-
ing out a sort of cast-iron verandah for a footway outside
the parapet of the present structure. Mr. Bunning,
with some candour, "is free to admit that it does not
improve the appearance of the bridge ;" and he tells us
with all simplicity that Sir John Rennie, who built the
bridge, "certainly did not appear to like the scheme at
all.', We shall be very much surprised if the public
udgment on this matter differs from Sir John Rennie's.
—Morning Chronicle.

COMMERCE AND WAR.

(Prom, th,e Journal of Commerce.)

These, one would think, were two antagonistic ele-
ments in a nation's progress ; for commerce is essentially
an operation of peace, and war is calculated not only to
derange its system, but to impair its resources. Com-
merce undoubtedly has the fullest and freest course
when all is tranquil. The fields of its enterprises are in
in that case open and unobstructed ; there is nothing
to check its advance—nothing to stand in the way of
its success. And we have seen the force of this very
signally illustrated during the almost 40 years of peace
which, with slight exceptions, Europe has enjoyed since
the downfal of Napoleon I. The course of commerce
in that period has been rapid and extensive beyond all
previous calculation ; and for this reason, that all the
impediments which war created were removed, and the
nations were left at liberty to pursue a successful ca-
reer of industry and art—to give effect to the appliances
of science and invention, and to develope and appropriate
their manifold resources, while more of the markets
of the world were thrown open to their merchants'
energies. Moreover, the science of trade had time and
opportunity to be cultivated. As the operations of trade
kept extending and as the necessity for the still greater
extension kept gradually pressing upon public attention,
its whole system had to be reconstructed and made more
free and self-reliant. We speak now with reference more
especially to England. Most of the European Govern-
ments have, in some degree, had to adapt their commer-
cial systems to the altered circumstances of the times.
But England has done it boldly, comprehensively, and
judiciously, and she is now reaping the benefit in time of
war of what she did in time of peace. Notwithstanding
the pressure upon her national finances, the distraction
of her public mind, and the diversion, more or less, of
her people's means, not only is her commerce unim-
paired, but it is still progressive and prosperous.
This is a subject in which America could not but feel
deeply interested, seeing that it concerned the consump-
tion, upon a scale of hitherto increasing maguitude, of
some of her most important staple products. We have,
on this account, adverted to it from time to time, and it
has always been in our power to show how satisfactorily
the trade of Great Britain kept up under the war, and
how unaffected were the springs of her enterprise and
industry by its influences. The last intelligence we have
received is of the same encouraging character. We sub-
mit a few details of it, as bearing out, or rather going
beyond, the most sanguine anticipations.
We have the Board of Trade returns before us of the
declared value of the exports for the eight months ending
the sth of September, and their aggregate for that period
of the last three years—that is, the present year, the year
1853, and the year 1852—is as follows :—for 1852, they
were 47,009,146/. ; for 1853, 58,158,7291. ; and for
1854, 59,653,1501. So that, notwithstanding the coun-
try is now in the thickest of the fight, and all the usually
disparaging influences of war might naturally be expected
to be in full operation, there is still a progressive in-
crease. Not large, it is true—some million and a half or
thereabouts ; but it is an increase, whereas a decrease
might rather have been expected • and under the old
contracted system, in all probability, there would have
been one. Besides, last year was itself one of enormous
increase. It will afford, therefore, a fairer criterion to
compare it with that of 1852, which comparison gives an
increase of upwards of 12,500,0001. namely, from
59,653,150/. for the last eight months, and 47,007,1461.
, for the same period two years since. A more signal tes-
timony to the successful working of the new system of
trace could not ho desired.
If we examine the details, there are special reasons
why America should be satisfied with it. We aro, for
instance, deeply interested in the prosperity of the cot-
ton manufactures of Great Britain. Well, the exports
of those manufactures for the single month ending sth
of September, amounted to 2,298,1311., being an in-
crease to the amount of more than one-third of a mil-
lion on the same month in 1852, and of upwards of
100,0001. on that of 1853. The last month, it is
true, exhibits for the first time for many months a de-
crease as compared with the corresponding month of
last year. But this is accounted for by the shipments for
Australia having in that month of 1853 been of extraor-
dinary amount. The imports of wheat and flour which
have been principally of late from this country, were
losaferlpgatesertmbybyeeardr.,ouble the amount in the corresponding month
asß uerthpias is indicativered
with that endingo fprosperity
l a s t 5
rathert h o f
harvest,
products,draw naunpdo
what
hhae
tr
wown
loseresources
than otherwise ; it shows that England has, by her late
enresnoemeestthoinbgeedlsrea.wn f for those impor-
tant
T hgeaiinnfi we shall doubt-
less
from the whole detail of
i g
figures are, in fact, most encoura t
ng o both countries.
The consumption of the leading articles of food—
both of the comforts as well as
necessaries of life—
is shown to be very large and to be
tells us that the industrious classes,
whoform augmenting, which
bulk of the population, are well employedandthe great
well
re-
munerated ; and we all know that the more this is the
case, the better market there is for most of our own
great staple products.
There is another Board of Trade return which is not
without interest—via., that of the shipping entered in-
ward, and the clearance outward. The whole tonnage
inward far the month ending sth of September last is
922,889, while that of the same time in 1852 was 741,710,
showing an increase upon the two years of about
180,000 tons. This is for one month. But the most re-
markable and pleasing feature is this—that the greatest
item of the increase is in the United States' ships, the ton-
nage of which amounts to nearly twice as much as it did
in that period two years ago, which was then but 75,674,
while now it is 144,230—a very satisfactory indication
indeed of our rapidly augmenting commercial in-
tercourse with the old country. The clearances
outward are, in the aggregate, less favourable to the
British shipping trade ; but to our own they are most
encouraging, presenting a tonnage of 104,658 in th
month this year, to stand against one of but 80,
two years since ; showing an increase of nearly 25,000
tons per month. So that we are pushing our maritime
interests with more and more successful effect into Bri-
tish ports.
These
ausare gratifying facts. They tell a tale that is
picio.us for us as well as for Old England, and may
well animate our •
newed hopes. Jolntierchants and shipowners with re- i
to sustain himself, both financially
it is evident, is in a position
this formidable war e financially and commercially, in
extending and improving•and all we have to do is to go on.
largest and most rehab! onrdrelation with him, as our
and, in any time of need, most profitable customer
let us trust our and
considerate friend.generous