The Sun.
London, England, 1841-04-12 00:00:00

//.2_

EVENING EDITION.

TARIFF DUTIES.

A public and numerous meeting of the inhabitant
of Leer, near Oldham, called by the Constable, on a
requisition of the principal inhabitants, was held at the
Swan Inn, on Wednesday, the 7th of April instant. A
number of spirited resolutions were passed in favour
of the general principles embodied in the Report_on
Import Duties ;
Mr. G. LAWTON, Constable, in the Chair.
PETER SEVILLE, Esq., spoke of the very great im-
portance of a total revision and amendment of the
commercial tariff, inasmuch as they were at present
founded on wrong principles, and were inflicting a
serious injury on ail classes of the community, especially
those connected with trade and commerce ; and he
hesitated not to say, that, to their operation, much of
the evils so severely felt by manufacturers and work-
men, were mainly to be attributed.
Mr. W. Nielloasoei depicted the withering effects
produced by excessive taxation, and forcibly pointed out
that the oppressive amount of import duties fell the
most heavily on the middle and working classes, and
was destroying the energies and prosperity of the coun-
try. He said he felt persuaded under our present system
we were fast sinking down to the condition of the Irish
people, it therefore behoved every lover of his country to
raise his voice against the longer continuance of such
system of monopoly, especially against the Provision
and Corn-laws, which he described as laws enacted for the
benetit of one class, at the expense and injury of the
other. Some great change must be effected, or the
manufacturing population would be totally and irre-
trievably ruined.
Mr. A. OGDEN showed why protecting duties
yielded so little to the revenue, by supposing a case ;
viz., that if only one quarter of grain were imported
into this country, at a duty of ten shillings, that it
would have the effect of raising the whole quantity of
grain on hand to a corresponding amount ; and, taking
the quantity consumed at fifty millions of quarters, it
would be a tax on the consumer of twenty-five million
pounds annually, on grain alone ; the revenue, in such
a case, receiving only ten shillings on the one quarter
imported.
Mr. J. &taw, an operative, ably combated the
notion of the Chartists, that a repeal of the Provision
and Corn-law taxes would reduce the price of labour.
He showed, very clearly, that the price of labour de-
pended wholly and solely on supply and demand; and
that the repeal of eny tax left that money in the hands of
the people, and, consequently, gave them an increased
means of procuring more of the manufactures of the ,
country, thereby increasing the demand for labour, and
increasing its price.
Mr. MOSES Ctratassaer said the Provision and Corn-
laws had deranged our currency, and would continue to
do so ; that that derangement had ruined thousands of
honest and industrious manufacturers and their artisans.
He advised every man wishing well to his wife, his child-
ren, and his country, to petition, agitate, and petition
again and again, till the evil was put down ; for himself
he would never cease to cry out against so flagrant an
injustice. _

The Rev. Mr. Mortals addressed the meeting in a
beautiful and powerful speech—He said he was no poli-
tician, but be felt it to be his duty, as a minister of the
Gospel, to come forward on this occasion, and lift up his
voice against the evil and oppression of the commercial
tariff, which was ruining the country. lie said an allivise
Providence had given to every country its natural and pe-
culiar production, thus making one clime dependent on
another, and it was the interest of each to sell aed to
purchase at the best market, and thus to increase the
comfort and ,prosperity of all. He observed, that our
tariff, by inflicting punishment on other States, had infitcted
a tremendous mischief on ourselves, and that if we were
once to liberalise cur tariff, other States would be com-
pelled to do the same. if the Corn-laws were repealed,
he had no doubt the trade of the country might be ex-
tended almost to an indefinite extent, and the blessings
of peace, of knowledge, and of comfort extended
through the habitable globe.
Mr. ELLIOTT denounced the injustice of laws made
for the purpose of interfering with and raising the price
of every man's food. He said, great as is the injustice
of the Corn-laws, they are not the only laws on our
Statute-book for making provisions dear ; there are
other laws which forbid food from being brought free
into this country, commonly called the Provision-laws,
end he read to the meeting a long list of heavy duties,
imposed for the advantage of the agriculturists, and the
enisequent injury and ruin of the consumers. He con-
cluded by observing, trade is become profitless, our
manufacturers are becoming bankrupts, our work pewle
paupers and beggars, property of all kinds sinking in
value, nothing but one universal wreck presents it-
self. He therefore moved the petition to Parliament,
for a total and immediate repeal of the Corn and Pro-
vision.laves, and a thorough and just revision of the com-
mercial tariff generally, which was passed unanimously.
A GENTLEMAN at one corner of the room observed,
that he would not oppose the resolutions, for they had
his entire concurrence ; and he wished to have added a
rider to tile resolution, but, for the sake of unanimity,
he would forbear. He confessed he had no expectation
from the present House of Commons, their general in-
attention, speaking of him as a body, to the wants of
tire people, convinced them that nothing could be ex-
pected from them sufficiently large and comprehensive
to meet the dreadful state of the country. The Re-
form Bill must be reformed ; that House made to be
what it was not—a fac-simile of the public mind. If any
ono doubted his assei tion, he would point only to one
fact. Had we not, tor the last three years, been sink-
ing deeper and deeper in distress and ruin, so that the
commercial community were bankrupts, or on the point
of it ?—and yet what measures bad been adopted to
stay the evil ? He had been an observer of the doings
of the House of Commons for a long period ; but it
was his opinion that he had never known, not even the
old boroughmongering House of Commons, less die-
posed to do anything really effective to benefit the peo-
ple at large.
A N'nte of thanks was passed to the Chairman for his
able conduct in the chair.

EGYPT.—(From our own Correspondent.)—
Alexandria, March 25, 1841.—The Oriental steamer
reached here on the 17th inst., with London news to the
4th inst., and yesterday the French Government steamer
arrived with letters to the sth inst. His Highness re-
turned here from Cairo on the 15th inst., quite well, leav-
ing Ibrahim Pacha in good health. It is expected that
Cairo will be fortified, but I doubt it much. lam daily
expecting the arrival of the amended finnan from Con-
stantinople, yielding to the objections which the Paella
made. Till this does take place, little progress can be
made in the contemplated Government improvements. On
the 3d inst., Colonel Napier sailed from here for Beyrout,
in one of the Pacha's corvettes, having on board the Syrian
chiefs. The Acheron, French Government steamer,
arrived here on the 15di instant, with Count Chabot on
board, sent to replace M. Cochelct. Th. re was a sale of
ten thousand cantara of cotton on the 9:h instant, which
brought 141 dollars: it was chiefly bought for the Trieste
and Slarseilles markets; and another of ten thousand
more on the 17th inst., which brought 14 23-100 dollars
per eantar. It is estimated the Government have about
70,000 cantors more to receive from the country. There
is great activ;ty here with shipping grain for various parts
of the Levant. The Acheron steamer reached here from
Syria yesterday : she brings
h\‘uradetvilc heacsvof;soillmdaeirßietdvrouonriianttghtoetdthhoies
monthln.
c
10th instant, but nothing of any interest. Business, how-
ever, continued,6r
of plague
to thrive.plae ;
The exchanges
7 clianges are--70i London, at three months •
Marseilles, 5 35 ; Trieste, 12.5.3/4-; Leghorn,
British Queen.
.

A QUAKER ON COLOURS.—" Don't tell me,"
said Jasper, again addressing tine mahogany bedpost, " of
the sinfulness and vanity of colours. If the old Adam was
intended to wear drab garments, why was the primitive
man supplied with seven primitive colours, being one for.
every day in the week ? Verily, drab is plain, andd slactee
isut
neat, and olive is sad, and chocolate is sober, and
pseuason-
grave, and white is pure, and pepper-and-saltiallowed to re-
able—why, then, was the refractory
fract blue, red, green, and yellows except
?that
mtbhey world
might be beautiful as
well cats fle universe with
did nature paint
ay, and fast colours to
boot, or d•e they would ndca°lli°chtniarasvui washed out at the great
flood ! Na}, why was • 1 instead of a plain
arch of a bridge? If the rainbow's
stone colour, like the ,
vanities, would the dying dolphin be decked out
hues were .
moments ? Or if they were sinful,
in them in his last
posed of all those prismatica tints,
sometimes many colours at once, like
dhaievsis.li them as she doth, on birds, beasts,
k • or changeable, like the came!con ; or succes-
sive, peacock ,
blackberries,which are first green, and then
sive, like the
red, and then purple? Surely there be objects for orna-
nament, as well as things for use—or wherefore the gay
flowers, and aatnudrefl. ,
birds and butterflies—nay, why the crested humming-
birds, which seem to have butterflies growing out of their
beads ? Why the precious stones, topazes, ame-
thysts, emeralds, sapphires, rubies, garnets, and
the brilliant diamond, which flash with all tints
at once? Then, spin, there is woman, lovely wo-
man, with her bewitching blue eyes, and ruddy checks,
and red lips, and her yellow hair—" " That it
Hester
W
Primrose," muttered the voice behind the curtain. " hY
had she those blue eyes, like plums with tl:c bloom on hi..
stead of gooseberries—and these checks like red-streaked
apples, instead of russettins ; and those lips like the ripe
cherries instead of olives; and that hair, like golden
thread instead of flaxen string? And
blush, of a puce-colour, or a lead-colour, insteadwhy doth
,s,fhethnnott
fa ;r tints, but
beautiful objects and lovely creatures in s
Why
lively crimson? Why, I say, hath naturetipcal.:nted all these
else had I
for the delight of the sense of , 0
these bow. windows in my bead ?
•
hood's Friend in Need ,
them," said the voice.— Thomas
;isi,:nThee bad better shut
New Monthly for April.
TRE.— Mr. Macready
DKURY-LANE TiIEA .
nest with the Sub-Conn-nate con
concluded an g
last, take Drurv-lane Theatre for a
to(report says nin ears), and, in
years
this cement, has entered iitto engagements
pursuance of agreement, Thursdaylimitid
numbereven ian:gfree
11r W. Bennett, Mr. Serle (acting manager).
Mr. Elton, , •
witn Mrs. Glover, rMr. and Mrs. Keeley, Mrs. Nesbitt,
Mr. 3larshall (scene painter), and report adds Mr. An..
dersoo and Mr. Payne. Mr. Macready is compelled to
leave London for the purpose of fulfilling several provincial
engageaaents, at the termination of which he returns to the
Haymarket Theatre for a limited number of nights ; but it
is not expected that he will enter on his arduous duties i %
Drurplaue Theatre until the lattir end of October next_