The Sun.
London, England, 1822-09-04 00:00:00

GROWTH OF HEMP IN CANADA.

EXTRACT FROM THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE QUEBEC
AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY, JUNE2S, 1822.
The President laid before the: Conainittee a Circular adl
dressed to him by the Secretary to his Excellency the Governor,
in-Chief, dated the 21st of this month, and of which 'the follow-
ing isa copy : ~
St. Lewis, Quebec, June 25, 1822.
Sir—l have in command from bil'Excellency the Governor-
in-Chief, to acquaint you that he has received a despatch from
the Under Secretary of State for the Colonial Departm'ent, in-
forming him that his „Majesty's Government being desirous of
affording every encouragement to the fp OW th of hemp in Canada,
have instructed the Commissithier of the dock-yard at King-
ston to purchase hemp for the use of the navy in-the province,
provided the quality:be good, And the price not more than- that,
at which' t can be imported from England ; and that his,Ma-
jesty's' Goveinment have further authorize the purchase for
the use of the dockyard in- England (by way of experiment)
to the extent of one-fourth of the annual consumption of hemp,
provided the quality be certified by the Commissioners at King-
ston:to be good, and that, the price do not exceed, ,on delivery
in England, the price at which Russian hemp is to be delivered
according to the last contract.
have to request that you will communicate this information
to the Agricultural Society over which you preside, and that
you will also make known to them his Excellency's wish that
they should use every means in their power to give it publicity.
I have the honour to be, Sir, your most obedient servant,
(Signed) ANDREW W. COCHRAN.
The President of the Agricultural Society,
District of Quebec.

ST AGE COACHES.

There has been a scene of no ordinary bustle
among the stage-coaches leaving London; especially those that
run limited distances such as the Greenwich, the Brentford,
andnther.stage-coaches,—owing the provisions of an Act that,
as far as the. üblic are concerned in particular, somewhat sud-
denly came into operation. An Act was passed in the last
Session of Parliament, to amend the Licences Act, as far as
regards Stage-coaches ; and, according to this Act (3d George
Fourth, chapter 95), which professes " to reduce the rates and
duties," all Stage-coaches must have plates like the hackney-
coaches. As a measure of police and public convenience,
there will not bemuch reason to complain of the regulation ; but
it will soon be seen how it operates to " reduce the rates and
duties." This amended, or rather this relief Act provides,
" that the owners or proprietors of any carriage or vehicle, car-
rying passengers for hire at separate and. distinct fares, after
August 31, without having a license, or without having Plate
or Plates affixed on each door, or otherwise, will be liable and
subject to a penalty of twenty pounds • for every day such car-
riage or vehicle shall be so used, over and above'the duties pay-
able in respect thereof." And anotice has been` sent.to each
proprietor of each stage coach; or caravan, &c.. "that the pe-
nalties imposed by this and the several Acts of Parliament re-
lating to Stage Coaches will be strictly enforced against the
proprietor or proprietors of all carriages and vehicles carrying
passengers for hire at separate and distinct fares, that may be
discovered running without licenses or Plates, or running a
greater number of journeys, or a, greater number of miles, or, to
other places than are specified in such licenses,', &c.
The plates cost 6s. 6d. per pair, and every stage coach on
Monday appeared with a plate on the doors, having a number
on it. Heretofore the numbers were first made under the foot-
board, where nobody could see them ; and it was no extraor-
dinary. occurrence for a coach proprietor to run two coaches- at
least to one number. Some went, without any number at all.
Besides they would, as fares offered, gO to places not named in
their licenses, or run more journeys or miles than were specified
in them. Thus the Revenue was injured most extensively,
and- there was no means of detecting offenders without enor-
mous trouble and expence. However, this Act affords at least
relief to the public against such frauds, though the proprietors
will think it a very Hibernian way of " reducing the rates and
duties."
• The improveMent to the Revenue will be great, and the pro-
motion of the comfort of the passenger will also be extensive.—
But the expences of stage coach proprietors are not trifling,
and when they are stated., perhaps some persons will cease to
wonder that attempts used to be made to evade portions of the
duties, especially where a proprietor had eight; ten, or twenty
coaches to run the " short stages" in the neighbourhood of the
metropolis. The duties and expences are as follow:
For each stage coach of four wheels, per annum ten guineas.
License (the annual renewal being 10s.) for each 'coach forty
shillings. .For every mile that each of such coaches is " licens-
ed" to travel, one penny duty and to exceed the number of
miles- or the number of journies Specified:in such licenses is a
penalty of 201. for every offence. •
For plates for each coach, Us. 6d.; to be without them is a
penalty of 201. for each offence ; and there must be a separate
number for every coach, one number will not do'for two or
three coaches, as heretofore.
Duty for each coachman, two pounds. ten.shillings yearly.
Duty on grooms, &c.
Turnpikes, on the average, one guinea per week for each
coach, if the distance be only five or six miles.
Coachman's wages, 18s. per week; and the master calculates
On his pocketing about one guinea " pertniisites."
The coach proprietor has likewise to buy his harness, his
coaches, to rent his stables, to buy horses, to keen them, and
in fact, to live how he may, after having paid those expences to
Government and public trusts, of which the above is, we be=
lieve, an accurate outline. The expences appear enormous,
when put on paper, and yet how gieat is the opposition in stage
coaching !
Monday, at the different toll bars leading into town, were
stationed agents, or informers, to take the numbers of the
several stage-coaches, as they entered or left the .metroplis ;
also to collect the avowed names of the places to which
they carried fares; and the number of journeys taken by the
4.4 short stages f' so that the Stamp Office thus 'gives distinct
and open notice that, pursuant to Mr. Kappen's circular to
all the coach-masters, it isintended to enforce the provisions.
of-thelaw regarding the plates or: ,coaches, the- places • they g 9
to,.thejournies they take daily, the Mileage, &e. On all these
points,'heretofore, there has been a deficiency, in the checks on
the duties ; the •plates will 'remedy the evil, "and convenience
the public, f..:ough they doubtless may knocl6:up.some of the
" short stages." ..
* The four horse coaches pay fourpence-halfpenny per mile
duty in and out ; the short stages threepence per mile. -
.

NAPLES, AUG. 13.—A manuscript, entitled
The Story of the Vision of Alberico, was discovered
some two or three months since in the library of
the ancient monastery of Monte Cassino. This
story was written in the monastery in the begin-
ning- of the 12th century ; it narrates the vision
of Alberico, who was a native of Settefrati, a little
town in the district of A tina, and when at the age of
nine years, suddenly fell into aswoon that con-
' tinued 9 days,during which time he was (in vision)
conducted by the Prince of the Apostles through
Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise ; and' observed
the' punishments and enjoyments of the three re-
gions. It is known that Dante visited Naples
'twice at the end of the 13th century ; and as his
curiosity would have probably led him to so re-
nowned a place as Monte Casino, it is thought
that he might have there seen the vision of Al-
berico, and taken the idea of his Divina Com-
. ! •
media from it. A hIS vision Is now preparing for
publication,