The Sun.
London, England, 1849-12-03 00:00:00

IRELAND.

(FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT.)
DUBLIN, FRIDAY EVENING.—There was but one
case adjudicated on in the Encumbered Estates Com-
mission to-day. It was only remarkable for the
tenacious forbearance v;ith which the Commissioners
demean themselves in reference to all proceedings in
the Court of Chancery. In this matter a Mr. Ed-
ward C. Villiers was the owner, and a Mr. Sayers the
petitioner. Counsel appeared for Mr. Timothy
O'Brien, a gentleman residing in the county of Li-
merick, to show cause against the making absolute of
a conditional order fer a sale, and in case the order
should be made absolute, to apply to have the carriage
of the proceedings taken from the party who had ob-
tained it. The application was grounded on some
proceedings in Chancery.
Baron Richards, in giving judgment, said, that the
application should be refused with costs. The
Learned Commissioner remarked that where it ap-
peared that proceedings had gone to a certain extent
in the Master's office for the purpose of ascertaining
the rights of creditors, the Commissioners should give
a certificate to be laid before the Chancellor, that his
Lordship might be satisfied that he could allow the
proceedings to go on to some extent, notwithstanding
the order of their Court. The Commissioners' order
stayed proceedings in the Court of Chancery with
reference to a sale only, but did not stay other pro-
ceedings.
Some other cases that appeared on the list were
postponed.
Baron Richards said, he thought it well to observe
that for the future the Court would be very strict as
regarded the attendance of counsel. The Commis-
sioners wculd not postpone cases in consequence of
the non-attendance of counsel, so that gentlemen who
could not attend there had better give up their prac-
tice in that court,
The Coirt then adjourned till Thursday next, the
Chief Commissioner observing that, Judge Keatinge
having a very heavy case to go into, the Commis-
sioners could not have the use of his court sooner.
They (the Commissioners) would, however, sit in
chamber daily as usual.
T/1.11 UNIVERSAL DEPRESSION OP TRADE.—The
despairing complaints of the farmers, and the re-
clamations of corn merchants, conjoined to the
rumour that a fixed duty of six shillings per quarter
upon corn occupied Ministerial attention at a recent
Cabinet Council, have excited great agitation in the
minds of people here. Already even some of the
Liberal and quondam free-trade journals, have
" come out" in favour of the fixed duty. I have just
seen an early copy of a respectable weekly paper, the
Register, Dec. 1, which advocates " fixity' in this
mode :

"We observe that the conviction is forcing itself
every day on the most intelligent men in this country
that we cannot go on if something be not done in re-
gard, at least, to wheat. We have at present in our
harbour a regular fleet of Austrian, Turkish, and Gre-
cian vessels, all laden with corn. There is a constant
influx of grain even in a manufactured state, breaking
up the milling establishments of which we used to be so
boastful. We could not help being struck with an observa-
tion of one of our few manufacturers, some time since, in
view of a French vessel. ' Observe that ship,' said he to
the writer, 'it is landing flour free of all port charges; and
if I freight it on its return with linen, the article
will enter a French port loaded with 40 per cent.
duty.' It is not easy to see any trace of the
reciprocity which we were promised in that state of
things,' said the writer. No,' replied the merchant,
' our allies, the French, are now enjoying what
may be considered a monopoly [of our flour market,
to the ruin of our millers, and our only manufacturers
are practically excluded from their ports.' Such a state
of things is, on the face of it, anomalous, and the feel-
ing is becoming every day more prevalent that it cannot
by possibility work to our ultimate advantage."
For the satisfaction of the consumers, the writer
thus essays to prove the change will be a matter of
small moment to them :

" The statistics of the question aro these:—A quarter
of wheat, consisting of 4801b5., is transmutable into a
great number of four pound loaves. It yields in the
North Dublin Union 154 loaves, a moiety of fine
flour being added to the fine and coarse of the wheat
itself, ground on the spot. We will suppose that a
quarter of wheat will, in general, supply materials
for 144 of the loaves usually sold in bakers' shops.
These 144 loaves are delivered to so many pur-
chasers, each paying a portion of any tax, or duty, to
which the raw commodity may ba subject. Suppose
it to be a fixed charge of Gs. that will enhance
the price of the 41b. loaf exactly one halfpenny, or
add a farthing to the 21b. loaf, which is more commonly
delivered to the public. A halfpenny added to the cost
of 4lbs. of
_ bread is an imperceptible burthen. It would
I only make that 7d. w.' is now sp., leaving society
the agreeable cense' • that it enjoys great modera-
tion in the cost of t. ipal article of food—a mode-
ration not known for .4 • ny years.
" But it may be very questionable whether a fixed
duty of 6s. would add even one halfpenny tothe 41b.
loaf, or, rather, whether the loaf may not remain at
the present price, notwithstanding the imposition of such
a duty. The change in the navigation-laws is only
sow beginning to make itself felt. It is calculated

that it will reduce freights ss. or 6s. a qulrter, and with
I the advantage of freights so reduced it might therefore
be practicable to draw a small fixed revenue from wheat,
without raising bread to the smallest fractional amount
above the present price to the public."
When the writer proves that farmers can not be as
effectually relieved by a reduction of rents, and that
lands are not at present let at exorbitant prices, he
may be able to convince the consumers of bread that
they should tax their stomachs, however lightly, for
the ultimate advantage of the landlords.