The Sun.
London, England, 1841-02-01 00:00:00

worse than that of felonry, the conditions of such relief
as may keep soul and body from parting. It does
not enact the separation of wife from husband, and
both from children. " There were four workhouses
(said Mr. Wakley) in the Kensington Union : that for
fathers at Kensington, that for mothers at Chelsea,
that for daughters at Fulham, and that for sons at
Hanaraerstnith." Will Lord John pretend this cruel
classification and division of families to be part and
parcel of the Elizabethan " principle ?" One of
his largest boasts in favour of the new system is,
its tendency to moralise the people. " The labourer
(says he) was raised by this change in the law."
* * We hold the veracity of these reports,
from frequent and public conviction of their notorious
perversion of truth, at a very cheap rate. The exist-
ence of the Commissioners may be said to hang upon
the supressio yeti and assertiojal,si. As to the mons-
trously exaggerated abuses of old Poor-law administra-
tion—exaggerated with malice prepense and afore-
thought—they were slight and endurable evils, taking
them even as depicted, when compared with the fright-
ful barbarities perpetrated under the sanction of the
new system, and naturally fllwing, from it.
(From the Globe.)
We are happy to find that the Liberal electors of
East Surrey are alive, net merely to the necessity of
union and energy in the cause of Mr. Alcock, as the
candidate in whom are found the qualities which merit
their unanimous approval and support, but that
many electors, who would support a Conservative
candidate under other circumstances, are deter-
' mined to stand aloof from the present contest ; and
thus mark their sense of what is generally felt 'to be
an affront offered to the whole constituency, by the pro-
posal to convert the county of Surrey into a pocket
borough—to transfer it, with the ease of changing a
mere banking account, to the house of Coutts, Trotter,
and Co. One partner (Mr. Trotter) already repre-
sents the Western Division of Surrey ; and now an
attempt is made to introduce a mere youth, the son of
Sir Edward Antrobus, another of the firm ! The
young gentleman's pretensions to a seat in Parlia-
ment would not have been weakened in the esti-
mation of any constituency had be tarried a little lon-
er before he aspired to the honour and responsibility
of a Legislator ; but when the County of Surrey is
affronted by having a mere youth, scarcely emancipated
from the restraints of pupilage, proposed for one of its
members, and this in order to place the county under
the domination and control of a banking firm, we are
not surprised at the resentment high-minded men feel
at the indignity—the surprise would rather be ex•
cited if the indignity were not resented, and the
proposal spurned as it deserves. The Liberals of
East Surrey, on the other hand, have reason to
congratulate themselves on their candidate. Mr. A!-
cock's respectability, independence, experience, and un-
compromising consistency, render him all that an en-
lightened constituency could wish for in a Representa-
tive. The enthusiasm with which he has been received
at the meetings he has attended ; the activity evinced
by the Local Committees ; and the encouraging com-
munications received by the Central Committee from
the several districts, warrant a strong hope that the late-
ness of Mr. Alcock's appearance in the field will not
militate against his success at the poll.
(From the Standard.)
Lord John Russell proposes to continue the Poor-
law Commission for ten years more .1 in addition to the
:even years that it has been in existence. Is not this
without precedent? The Poor-law Commissioners are
/egietators, and to a considerable extent they exercise
the power of levying taxes. When before did the Le-
gislature delegate its legislative and tax-imposing
functions for ten years ? And what is the necessity
for such an extraordinary proceeding ? When the
New Poor-law passed, it was distinctly stated, that
the Commission was to be but temporary, to put the
new law in motion ; and now, after the Commission
have ruled seven years, a prolongation of their reign
for ten years more is demanded. The country, we
think, has a right to demand an explanation of this ex-
traordinary project. Why should not the Poor-law
Commissioners annually submit to their re-appointment
by Parliament as the army and navy do ? Is it that
they have given so much satisfaction to the country ?
We abstain, however, from this view of the subject, be-
cause we wish to hold attention to the constitutional
question—is Lord John Russell's project sanctioned by
precedent, by analogy, or by the principles and practice
of the Constitution?

MONEY MARKET and CITY NEWS.

(FRIDAY EVENING.)
CHRONICLE—The funds have been heavy to-day,
and prices gradually declined from the opening quotations.
This depression has been produced by discounting the
low prices expected to-morrow morning from Paris, where
it is expected that the market would bo lowered by
the contents of the Queen's Speech. Opinions here
have fluctuated from one side to the other. The first im-
pression was that the effect would bo bad in Paris, and
this produced an immediate fall with us, but when the
explanation of Lord Palmerston was read, it was seen
to be so reasonable and satisfactory that the Bears became
fidgetty and bought back their stock. To-day, however,
a change again has come over the spirit of their
dream, and all kinds of gloomy rumours have been cir-
culated ; amongst others, that the Paris prices of
Thursday have been actually received, but we have
not traced the report to any authentic quarter. The pro-
: bability is, however, that the French funds may be par-
tially affected, as ours were at the first reading cf the
Speech, because it will be received without the
explanatory comments. So soon, however, as they are
perused, we must give the French credit for sufficient can-
dour and good sense to allow that it afro. Is no cause fur
dissatisfaction on their part. If, therefore, the Routes
come lower to-morrow, we should have a rally in them
when time is given for the discussion and consideration of
the matter in its fair and proper bearings. In the mean
time, however, the market here has shown weakness, and
considerable anxiety has been felt upon the subject through-
out the day.
It will be seen that the communication from our Madrid
correspondent, referred to in the Chronicle of to-day cor-
roborates the statement which we gave yesterday of the
outline of the expected financial decrees relative to the
Foreign Debt of Spain ; the chief point of difference being
the rate of interest to be paid on the capitalized coupons,
which is now stated at 3 per cent., instead of 21, as was
originally announced. Our information yesterday led us
to say that the rate would be probably so high as 5 per
cent. We believe, however, that on the question of
interest some difference of opinion existed in the
Spanish Cabinet, which may have delayed the publi-
cation of the decrees themselves, and led to the dis-
crepancies which have appeared as to the precise rate of
interest to be paid on the coupons. Doubts also are en-
tertained as to the period when it is proposed by the Re-
gency to resume payment of the interest on the active
capital stock ; in other words, the accounts in the City to-
day do not coincide in that respect, as in some well in-
formed quarters the Ist of May, 1842, is named, and in
others 1843 Should the last named day be the date
fixed upon, the interest payable for the present year will
be included in the conversion of coupons, and capitalized
accordingly with those of the preceding years from 1837
inclusive.

This was settling day in the Foreign House, but the
extreme fluctuations in Spanish Actives since the last
settlement have scarcely amounted to 1 per cent., and in
the other foreign securities little business has been trans-
acted, consequently the Account arranged to-day was by
no means large. Money was easy, the rate of continuation
not being more than 6 to 8 per cent., depending, in some
measure, on the nature of the security.

TIMES.—By advices from Hamburgh of the 19:11 inst.
the price of gold is 424 per mark, which, at the English
Mint price of 31. 17s. 101 d. the ounce for standard gold,
gives an exchange of 13.4 - ; and the exchange at Ham-
burgh on London at short being 13.4, it follows that gold
is 21 per cent. dearer at Hamburgh than in London.
The premium on gold at Paris is 51. per mille, which at
tho English Mint price of 31. 17s. Mid. per ounce for
standard gold, gives an exchange of 25.27.} ; and the
exchange at Paris on London at short being 25.30, it
follows that gold is .10 per cent, lower at Paris than in
London.

It was mostly money business that was done in Consols
to-day, and there was a alight decline in values both for
Money and the Account as compared with yesterday.
The settlement of the Foreign Stock account to-day
was attended with no difficulty ; in fact, the business done
within the last fortnight has not been large, itnd was
chiefly confined to Spanish bonds, in which, however, the
extreme fluctuations have not exceeded 1 per cent. Por-
tuguese Bonds have scarcely varied so much. Dutch and
~,ther securities, which formerly used to be objects of spe-
culation, are now quite neglected as such, and the few
transactions which occur are almost exclusively limited to
bona fide sales and purchases for money, and the quota-
tions are steady.

Some remarks which are current respecting the influ-
ence the proposed alterations in the tobacco duties may have
upon the parties at present engaged in that trade, consti-
tute a very proper subject for public attention, though it
is obvious that such considerations ought not to stand in
the way of a decided public benefit. Among the per-
sons who expect to receive the greatest injury from the
alterations are the makers of home-made cigars, who at
present manufacture a leaf subject to a duty of 3s.
per pound, and who confine themselves to an in-
ferior sort of cigars, since persons who can afford the high.
est prices invariably prefer those made in the llavannah,
notwithstanding the protective duty laid on cigars of
foreign manufacture. Inferior, however, as the home-
made article may be, it is taken by a large quantity of con-
sumers, and employs some thousands of hands in making
it, who all run the ri.k of being thrown out of work in the
event of lowering the duties ; for if the duty be reduced
to ss. in the pound, instead of the 9s. which is paid at
present, thl protection which now is beneficial to the infe-
rior kind of cigars, though it is found not to extend to
the best sort, will be removed from the former, and as the
labour of home manufacture costs from Bs. to 10s. per
pound, the inferior cigars of foreign make will be taken
at a price scarcely higher than that paid by the home-
manufacturer for leaf tobacco, and thus competition will
be destroyed.
Several complaints are made by persons receiving Post-
office money orders, who have been subjected to what they
conceive unnecessary delay in obtaining their money from
the chief office in St. Martin's-le-Grand. The delay
SQCM3 to arise from the order, and the letter to the office,
containing advice% respecting that order, being sent at dif-
ferent times, for it is no uncommon occurrence for the pre-
senter of the order to be told, that it cannot be paid be-
cause no advices have been receive,?, and he has to wait
for several days to allow time for these advices. Now, as