The Sun.
London, England, 1831-02-18 00:00:00

NAVAL INTELLIGENCE.

PLYMOUTH, FEB. 17.—The Amity transport, Lieut.
Chapman, agent, is ordered to proceed from Portsmouth
to this port, to take on board part of the 87th Regiment
for the Mauritius.

Remain in Hamoaze—Caledonia, Kent, Revenge, Sa.
vage, Leveret, Carron steam-vessel, and Orestes and Arab
transports.

At the Island—Royalist.
PROMOTIONS AND APPOINTMENTS.-Mr. P. Black-
wood (lately returned from New South Wales) has been
confirmed in his rank as Lieutenant of the Success. Com-
modore Usher, C. 8., is appointed Commissioner of Ber-
muda Dock-yard, and Capt. Ascough, Commissioner at
Jamaica. Commodore Thomas Gallwey to the Ordinary
at Chatham, vice Gregory, whose three years have ex-
pired. Lieut. James Harvey to the African steam .vessel.
Mr. Wise, Master; Rev. E. Winder, Chaplain; and Mr.
J. Anderson (b), Surgeon, to the Asia.
John Miller, Esq. of the Admiralty, has been appointed
Store Receiver of the Dock-yard at Sheerness, vice King-
dom, deceased.
The following are among the reductions that have been
resolved upon by the Ministry :—Captain the Hon. C.
Boyle, Superintendant of Transports, and Joseph Tucker,
Esq. one of the Surveyors, are to retire from the Navy
Board; and Captain J. Wolley, R.N., Deputy Comp-
troller, and John Weir, M.D. are to retire from the Vic-
tualling Board. No successors are to be appointed to these
vacancies, but the boards are to consist of the present
members, with these reductions.
The undermentioned Clerks have been promoted to the
rank of Purser, viz.:—Messrs. Silas Stretten (his Ma-
jesty's ship Melville), James Newnham, James Pinhorn,
Henry Price, Robert Barron, Francis May, Richard
Singer, William Fiulayson, William Hood, and James
Chimmo.

The under-mentioned Midshipme❑ passed their examina-
tion at the Naval College at Portsmouth on Wednes-
day :—Mr. A. M. Noad, Tweed ; W. Cormitage, ditto :
W. Coffin, Kent; C. C. Powell, late Espoir ; R. Cozens,
North Star; J. L. Stoll, Winchester; W. W. Hornby,
Gannet; Peter Rainier, North S!ar ; A. H. Scott, Athol;
F. W. plant, Childers ; G. B. Anstruther, Undaunted ;
F. H. Stanfell, Pearl ; Hon. J. R. Drummond, Belvidera ;
P. M. Ozanne, Caledonia; Walter Need, Donegal; E. L.
Hoblyn, Kent ; R. R. French, late Revenge; G. G.
Phillips, Sapphire; Joshua Hutchinson, late Espoire ; H.
J. Giles, Kent; W. Wright, Primrose; T. P. Houten-
ville, Ganges; John Russell, Windsor Castle.
His Majesty's steamer Meteor sailed from Gibraltar for
Algiers 17th January. The Challenger arrived at Bom-
bay from Bushire 23d September. The Chanticleer ar-
rived at Trinidad from Para 29th October, and sailed for
Puerto Cabello 7th December, The Mersey arrived at
Antigua from Barbadoes 7th December, and ,'ailed 13th on
a cruise. The Hyacinth arrived at Barbadoes from Hali-
fax 25th November. The Kangaroo sailed from Berbice
for Barbadoes 14th November. The Badger arrived at
the Cape of Good Hope from the Mauritius 28th Nov.
The Ranger arrived at St. Kitt's 27th Nov. and Champion
3d December. The Volage arrived at Buenos Ayres
from Rio Janeiro 4th Nov. The Spey arrived at Madeira
from Falmouth 18th January, and s tiled 19th for Canaries.
The Wolf sailed from Rio Janeiro for India 25th Nov.
The Seringapatam arrived at Valparaiso from Lirna 14th
October.

The Union, Quance, from Newport for this port, and
the Hope, Smith, from Cork for Portsmouth, got iu con-
tact at the entrance of Penzance Pier on the 6th inst. : the
former's bulwarks and rails on the starboard bow were stove
io, and jib-boom carried away ; the latter lost her bowsprit,
jib-boom, head, cutwater, &c.
By accounts from Hull, dated the sth inst., the Beer anl
Wingyett, of this port, on shore near Saltfleet, was dis-
charging her cargo, and likely to be got off.
The Maria, Coming, from Messina for this port, has
been on shore in Gibraltar Bay, but is got off, and cargo
re-shipping.
The Eliza, Miller, from this port, arrived at Lisbon
26th January, and Elizabeth, Hammond, 27th. The Re-
ward, Goss, of this port, arrived at Palermo from Cardiff
28th December. The Amelia, Davis, from this port, ar-
rived at Prince Edward's Island 18th November. The
Experiment, Yahsley, of this port, arrived at Gravesend
from St. Michael's sth instant. The Launceston, Barnes,
of and from this port, arrived at St. Andero previous to
the 4th February. The Amanthei, Gamble, cf and from
this port for Bilboa, put into Penzance, leaky. The Cla-
rence, Crocker, of this port, arrived at Standgate Creek
from Xabea 10th instant. The Kerswell, Fawckner, of
this port, arrived at Mauritius from the Cape of Good
Hope 24th October. The William, Perry, of this port,
arrived at Gravesend from Teneriffe 11th inst.,

The proposed duty on steam-boat passengers
will be severely felt on the Witham, Trent, Ouse,
Humber, &c. From Lincoln to Boston the fires must
necessarily be more than doubled by it to the inferior class
of passengers, and the best cabin will probably be ss. or
ss. 6d. instead of the present moderate fare. It is gene-
rally expected that the steam-boat owners will, if the t
is persisted in, be obliged to dispose of their engines, &c.
at an enormous loss, and return to the old usage of towing
by horses. A similar result is anticipated by some from
the disinclination of the Witham Company to allow steam-
boats in any case upon their river, as they attribute to
them serious injury by the washing away of the embank-
ment : the subject will, it is said, be further considered in
a short time. But the proposed duty must be felt still
more seriously by the public on the waters which connect
Hull with Gainsborough, Thorne, Selby, Grimsby, &c.,
where the competition of the different steam-vessels has
opened new channels of communication, of vast import- •
ance to the different markets, as well as to the country
people along the banks.—The reduction of the duty upon
sea-borne coal must of course make considerable charges
in the various interests connecte I wit'a the inland col-
lieries, and the c finals, &e. communicating with them,
Boston, and the Fens on each side, will it is expected be
supplied in future by sea, to a degree that must seriously
affect the receipt of tonnage dues along the Witham, Foss-
dike, and other waters which give communication between
Lincolnshire and Staffard,hire.—Lincoln Mercury.

The Bishop of LONDON gave notice of his intention
to move the second readings of his two Bills, respecting
the Commissioners of Churches, on Monday next.
Lord ELLENBOROUGH rose to make his promised
motion for returns relative to the different articles on
which his Majesty's Ministers had proposed additional
taxation. He had prepared a number of returns rela-
tive to cotton, timber, and wine, and in general with
reference to Cape, to which he apprehended there could be
no objection. The first return he would move for, would
be an account relating to the importation of cotton. He un-
derstood that it was the intention of his Majesty's Ministers
to take off in toto the duty on printed cotton, and to im-
pose an additional duty of a penny per pound on all raw
cotton. He should have thought it necessary to address their
Lordships at length on a subject of such importance,
were lie not firmly persuaded that this duty would share
the same fate as that in contemplation on the transfer
of stock. He submitted there were objections to
the duty, as it at present stood, on printed cot-
ton. It bore very unequally on his Majesty's subjects,
pressing much more lightly on the rich than on
the poor. The duty which it was the intention of
Ministers to substitute in its place was liable to the
same objections. If the state of the finances of the
country were such as to permit the repeal of the duty on
printed cotton, and it was thought more desirable to re-
peal that duty than any other, Ministers had done well to
repeal it. But it appeared to him incumbent on
his Majesty's Ministers, if they wished to impose any duty,
to impose it on such articles as would bear such an imposi-
tion. The Noble Lord having read extracts from different
documents, in order to prove the injurious effects which
this duty would have upon the importation of cotton
wool from India, in which upwards of half a million
of money was annually transmitted to England, and which
remittance would be utterly destroyed, moved that there
be laid before the House a return of all the cotton-wool
imported into the united kingdom during the last ten
years, distinguishing the quantity imported in each year,
and specifying the countries from which the imports took
place.
Earl GREY said, lie certainly could have no objection
to the production of the papers moved for, but it cer-
tainly appeared to him rather extraordinary that the
Noble Lord should, instead of waiting until the ques-
tion of the duties should regularly be brought before the
House, come down to the House, and without having given
any previous intimation of his intention, enter into such
details, and read extracts from official papers, when it was
utterly impossible that his Majesty's Government, being ra-
ther unprepared, should be able to enter into these details.
But upon the subject of this tax on cotton, he would say,
that the commutation was resolved upon the principle of
relieving the labouring classes from a tax which the Noble
Baron Mast admit was liable to every objection which
had ever been urged against taxes pressiug with undue
weight on the working classes. As it was impossible, in
the present circumstances of the country, to repeal the
tax upon printed cottons without providing for the
deficiency by substituting another tax, it was thought
the most eligible way would be to transfer the tax to the raw
article; but if, upon inquiry, it should be found that that
commutation was liable to all the objections urged
by the Noble Baron, his Majesty's Government would
have no objection to remove those grounds of complaint
by some modification of the tax.—(Hear, hear, hear.)—
With respect to the policy of favouring the export of cotton
from India to this country, he entirely agreed with the
Noble Lord on that subject, and if upon mature investiga-
tion it should be found that the effect of the commutation
would be a diminution in the exports from India to the
amount stated by the Noble Baron, he (Earl Grey) for
one would be happy to abandon it.—(Cheers. )
Lord ELLENBOROUGH had every disposition to re-
spect the Noble Earl, and to pay attention to his sugges-
tions and advice ; but he was, at the same time, at liberty,
as a Member of Parliament, to select what subject seemed
to hitn most fit for comment or observation, and he could
not see that he had, in the present case, been guilty of any
irregularity. The Noble Earl had, however, with the
candour and honour and sense of right which he hoped
would always mark his character, distinctly intimated that
if the tax on cotton was open to the objection he had
stated, he would abandon it, at least as far as respected
India; and he referred the Noble Earl and the Noble Mar-
quis near him (Lansdowne) to the Report of the Lord's
Committee on the Affairs of India, in which he would find
every fact lie had mentioned stated in evidence.
The Marquis of LANSDOWNE, in a low tone, ob-
served, that the Government Were duly sensible of the pro-
priety of preserving the policy which had hitherto been
adopted with respect to India, and he was sure the subject
would meet with their best attention.

t reey rha sil ion d a y - - ... .. ....... ......., .. -
The Duke of WELLINGTON defended the course
adopted by the Noble Baron, and observed on the extraor-
dinary departure from general usage, in opening the Bud-
get of Ways and Means before the Supplies of the year had
been voted or even stated to the !louse. It was not,
therefore, extraordinary that the Noble Baron should, un •
der such circumstances, feel it his duty to comment on the
nature of the taxes to be imposed on the country. In his
opinion the House should know what the expenditure of
the year was to be--what supplies were required—before
they were called on to vote new taxes, so that the public
might have both sides of the account before them. At
present they knew nothing but that a proposition had been
brought forward to repeal some old taxes, and to impose
ne„nes, some of which had been since withdrawn, and
others were now extremely doubtful.—(Hear, hear.)
The returns were then ordered, and Lord ELLENBOROUGH
was about to move for others on the same subject; but he
abandoned his intention at the request of the Lord Chan-
cellor, who wished to attend a meeting of the Judges, in
and which they wished to dispose of before
on Circuit.
T
order to decide a question which had been argued for
s
tdNoaoyunstlE BARON (at the request of Earl Grey) then
fixed
for moving the returns respecting the timber
din order that Lord Goderich, who is at present
slightly
indisposed, may have an opportunity to be present,
iau
ttihe
the event of any discussion taking place on their prin-
ciple.--Adjourned at a Quarter past Six.

HOUSE OF COMMONS, FEBRUARY 17.
The Gallery was not opened this day until Five
o'clock, in consequence of there being a ballot for three
Election Committees.

Several petitions praying for Parliamentary Reform
were presented by different Members.
PUBLIC ACCOUNTS.
Sir 11. PARNELL rose, according to the notice he had
given, to move for a Select Committee. In doing so he
should but very briefly preface the terms of his mo-
tion. Nothing Was more essential than for the House
to have a clear view of the receipts and expendi-
ture of the public money. His object was to have
an uniform scheme for keeping the public accounts,
and for that purpose to obtain such annual returns to be
laid on the table as would enable the House to
go through the important business of the accounts with
a proper degree of information. I❑ short, his object was
to continue the Committee that had been commenced
i❑ the year 1828 ; therefore, he should move that a
Select Committee be appointed to inquire into what
improvement may be made i❑ keeping the public ac-
counts, and providing a sufficient controul over the ex-
penditure of the public money.
The motion having been seconied,
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said,