The Sun.
London, England, 1847-06-10 00:00:00

THE MONOPOLY IN CORN.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

SlP,—The lamentable high prices of provisions, af-
fecting, as it does, all classes of individuals (and espe-
cially the poor), induces me to offer a suggestion to the
public, through the medium of your kind indulgence.
No one can deny the failure of the potato crop last year;
but has not the report of a scarcity of corn in this
country been much exaggerated ? We now frequently
read of speculators and farmers, in various parts of the
country, having large stocks of wheat on hand, holding
on in the hope of further advance in prices, while many
of our poor are unable to purchase a supply of bread ;
and, alas ! in poor unfortunate Ireland hundreds have
perished by famine ; and this at a time when the grana-
ries of certain speculators have been almost choked
with grain, thereby tending to uphold famine prices for
personal gain, and thus taxing the poor. It appears to
me, Sir, that a great national calamity is inflicted on the
people by this monopoly in the principal staff of life; and
I humbly suggest, as a remedy, that the corn trade
should be placed in some measure under the power and
inspection of the Excise, to compel periodical returns of
the quantities held by private individuals in every
county throughout the United Kingdom. This would
enable the Government to know how to provide against
scarcity, and ascertain the real state of the market.
Further, I would suggest that no private individual
should hold beyond a given quantity of wheat (to loco
named by Parliament) after it has attained a certain
price. I consider the recent proposition of the Earl of
Winchilsea, to provide public granaries for purchase of
grain by Government, as most excellent, and deserving
serious consideration ; and I offer these remarks in
connexion with such a plan. Certain it is that bread is
very dear, and equally certain that there aro large
holders and monopolisers of corn. We are near a ge-
neral election—let then the constituents of England look
to themselves, and select such representatives only as
will pledge themselves to assist in correcting this great
and crying evil, that the Government fail not to apply
an early remedy. And let all remember the words of
Scripture—" lie that withholdeth the corn the people shall
curse him."—l remain, Sir, &c.,
AN ENEMY OF MONOPOLY IN FOOD.
June 8, 1847.

THE ACCIDENT at WOLVERTON.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
SlR,—The alarming and astounding account of the
simplicity with which a terrible accident is caused, deal-
ing so much death and destruction, arouses the anxieties
and feelings to discover where or how the remedy lies.
I, Sir, as a rigid observer during years of travel to the
extent of 700 or 800 miles weekly on all the railways,
have never failed to notice the every-day apathy evinced
by the inferior officials to some of the most important
details of the railway ménage. There has more par-
ticularly appeared to me to be an absence at such im-
portant stations as Wolverton throughout England
(York excepted) of any generally intelligent, eagle-eyed,
indefatigable party, who, with energy and delight in his
duties, should have to be here, there, and everywhere,
with a strong memory and clear head, to watch over all
sorts of matters, and see that everything is done that
everybody could wish. There are plenty such to be
had : other businesses have them, why not railways?
There is watching stringent enough that passengers
should not exceed their province or trespass on the
companies' interests ; but here is a lever which a child
can raise, and capable of hurling hundreds into eternity,
left to the charge and irresponsibility of one individual.
Again, if luggage and mail trains are expected at
Wolverton simultaneously, there should be a difference
in lights or signals. According to evidence the officers at
the station saw the train diverge (to their astonishment),
and were powerless. Granting that at inferior stations,
where there is no congregation of carriages, a policeman
is sufficient for such a purpose, it is the more obvious
that at such a station as Wolverton there ought to be
such a watching, ruling power of the working minutite
as I name above.---I am, Sir, &c.,
I. L. W., Commercial Traveller.

June 8, 1847.

EXTENSIVE FORGERY.

MANCHESTER, TUESDAY.—This morning a respectably
attired young German was brought up at the Borough
Court, charged with committing forgery, under the fol-
lowing circumstances:— The prisoner, who is a native of
Germany, and cannot speak a word of the English lan-
guage, gave his name as Adolphus Schutz, He appeared
to have been respectably connected. It appeared
from the evidence, and also from his own admissions,
that, some time ago, he and those with whom he was
connected, paid into the banking-house of blessrs. .T. H.
Stemetz and Co., at Vienna, 20,000 florins, or 2,0001, and
obtained for the amount a letter of credit on several
highly-respectable houses in this country. The letter of
credit set forth that any of the houses named might pay
the whole amount, or such part of it as they thought
proper, the balance of the 2,0001. to be paid by the
others, individually or collectively. The prisoner, whilst
in the bank at Vienna, managed to abstract two similar
letters, or blank forms, by which he was enabled to
commit the forgery.
On the face of the original or genuine letter of credit,
amongst other names, appeared those of Messrs. Mirck,
of Cross-street, Manchester, and Mr. Suse Sihth, of
London. On the 20th of May the prisoner went to
the office of Messrs. Mirck, and drew upon the letter
of credit 1,8001. in gold ; and it appears that he had
also drawn upon the London house for 1,9001. One
of those letters must have been forged. On Sunday
morning last Messrs. blircic received some infor-
mation which led them to believe that all was not right,
and they immediately gave information to the police,
together with a description of the prisoner. Mr. Bes-
wick, with his usual activity, at once dispatched two of
his most trustworthy men to Liverpool, and by the aid
of some of the Liverpool police, had him apprehended,
on board the Cambria steamer, bound for Boston. The
prisoner was assisted by an interpreter, through whom
he confessed many of the offences brought to his charge.
The prisoner was remanded until Thursday.