The Sun.
London, England, 1822-09-09 00:00:00

CITY, SATURDAY EVENING•

The mercantile letters received by the last
Malta Packet speak of the beneficial effects experienced by the
inhabitants of the island from the abolition of that ancient
abuse the Univerieta, or Government monopoly of the supply
of grain. It ceased on the 30th of June last, and as freedom of
trade on all occasions is beneficial to society, the mercantile in-
terest immediately became active ; corn was imported into
Malta from the cheapest sources, and the people, whose annual
consumption was about 90,000 quarters of wheat, were deriving
incalculable advantages by the abatement of an institution
which heretofore had compelled them to pay double value for
the necessary article of bread. A similar Act at home, by
which the monopoly at present held by the agriculturists to
supply exclusively the inhabitants of the United Kingdom with
the necessaries of life might be abolished, would be followed
by results equally beneficial.
There is still, however, another grievance existing at Malta,
which must be abolished before prosperity can be restored to
that island. It exists in the present quarantine establishment.
In lieu of a Board of Health, vested with the entire controul of
this department, and completely independent of Government, it
is at present placed in charge of a single individual, called
the Superintendent of Health, who is appointed to this im-
portant office by Government. The countries on the Con-
tinent repose no faith in this novelty, and they consequently
subject all vessels and goods arriving from Malta to a strict
deprivation. The delay and expence thus arising on all in-
tercourse with Sicily, Italy, France, and Spain, are serious
injuries to the Maltese trade. The complaints of the inhabi-
tants are not unknown to the Government at home, but still no
remedy has been applied. The quarantine of every Continental
port is under the management of a Board of Health, composed
of the most respectable Members of the Community, many of
whom serve gratuitously, and whose dispositions are never
interfered with. by the Supreme Government. It is by an
establishment similarly constituted and respected, that these
Continental Governments can alone rely that this important
department will not be made subservient to the purposes
of the general Government, by occasional relaxations in
favour of individuals, and by opening direct communica-
tions with countries forbidden by sanitary maxims of pru.
dence. It is not yet forgotten in the Mediterranean, that
Sir THOMAS MAITLAND, on returning from Tunis in
1816, along with the head of the Health Department, imme-
diately took pratique at Malta ; and it is also well known
that Malta holds a free intercourse with the Seven Islands,
and in many other respects deviates from the rules of quaran-
tine enfe-ced, practised, and conformed to by other Christian
States. So long as these abuses are permitted to exist, the other
Christian States cannot repose confidence in their intercourse
with Malta, and that Island will not be placed on a proper
footing until a Board of Health be appointed, composed of /ler-
sons chiefly if not entirely independent of the Government.—
The only foreign ports to which ships from Malta have at pre-
sent free access, are those of our allies the Turks, to whom alone,
amongSt the many obligations which the civilized world owe
them, we are indebted for the perpetuation, of the plague, and
the necessary precautions on the part of the rest of mankind
against a free intercourse with .Malta, to prevent this most
dreadful visitation. It is, however, necessary to the present
system, that plague, pestilence, barbarism,_ white slavery, and
cruelty, should be continued for the sake of the legitimate
balance of civilization and ignorance. The Holy Alliance will
hold the beam, which may be turned either way by the weight
of any of the members being thrown into either scale. They
wish the human mind to remain as it is, and will not permit,
if they can help it, one additional particle of knowledge to be
at present introduced into Europe. England cannot at such a
solemn meeting be better represented than by the Right Hon.
B. EATHURST, for no Statesman is better qualified to allay
the fears naturally entertained of the progress of learning in
the British empire, and the motto on his equipages may be—
"ex uno disee omnes," for this would be a piece of finesse
worthy of a modern Ambassador.
The Dutch Mail due on Friday, and which might have been
received on Thursday, has not yet come to hand. The mer-
chants very justly complain of this unnecessary delay in the re-
ceipt of their letters. The Rapid steam vessel has arrived since
this mail became due, has again sailed for Rotterdam, and
the proprietors are as certain of her arrival again to-morrow
evening (Sunday) as that any of the mail coaches will come
in at their stated hours. If the Post-office would only hire
steam boats for a short period in the North Sea, their superi-
ority would soon be manifested. In place of the expence of a
mail coach to convey the foreign mails to Harwich and Dover,
they could all be dispatched by steam boats from the river, and
much expence would be saved to the Government, attended by
most important advantages to the merchants in point of time
and regularity. 'The Post-office, however, is not inimical to
improvements, and strong expectations are entertained that this
important department of their establishment will soon be placed
on a proper footing. The experiment could now be made at a
trifling expence by the Rapid and King of the Netherlands
steam passage vessels, at present on the London and Rotterdam
station.
Great difficulties continue to exist in the intercourse be-
twixt Great Britain and the Columbian States, partly
occasioned by piracies, which the naval power of the
United States of America has not been yet able to put
down, and for which service England cannot afford any
force of the slightest consequence, and partly by the want of
British public Envoys to protect British property after its ar-
rival. At Lloyd's it is almost impossible to get a vessel un-
derwritten to Columbia, even at any premium, and many
houses, who had prepared shipments for a vessel now loading
in the River, prefer keeping their property at home to the ha-
zard attending the speculation. The British Foreign Minister,
in place of attending the Holy Alliance at Verona, will be far
better employed at home in devising means to render the inter-
course with Hayti and with all the South American States, as
safe as possible, for it is very interesting to the British manu-
facturers, and, when properly regulated, must add greatly to
the wealth and prosperity of the Empire. There is no national
subject which requires so imperiously the consideration of the
Government as the State, of Trade, for in the present ruinous
state of the Agricultural interest, and with an overwhelming
National Debt, the existence of the present order of things,de-
pends on productive employment for the people, and increased
trade with Foreign Nations can alone effect this most beneficial
event. Unless, however, the prices of the necessaries of life
find their level in Europe, and unless the new independent
States be fully recognised by the British nation, Commerce Must
continue limited and harassed by restrictions or prohibitions,
' Agriculture can receive no relief, and the Public Debt must be-
come daily more intolerable.—(lllorniiig Chronicle.)