The Sun.
London, England, 1847-04-05 00:00:00

AND THE DISTILLERS.

A memorial, which has been signed by the governor
of the Incorporated Society of Licensed Victuallers, by
many of the past governors of that society, and by a
vast number of the trade, is about to be presented to the
Lords of the Treasury, the prayer of which is to remove
the anomaly that exists in the fact " That spirits pro-
duced by Irish and Scotch distillers cannot be brought
fairly into competition with spirits manufactured by
English distillers, because the Irish and Scotch distillers
are obliged to pay the duty on spirits forwarded to
England immediately on its being landed in that country,
and before the same can be bought and received by the
rectifiers ; whilst the English distillers send their
spirits the instant they are produced to the rectifiers,
without being called upon to pay the duty, until twenty-
one days have expired, from the date of produce. That
due preference enables the six principal distillers in the
metropolis virtually to enjoy a monopoly of the trade,
and at all times to determine the prices, and regulate the
supplies."
The memorialists pray that the Irish end Scotch dis-
tillers should be allowed to place their spirits in bond
under similar regulations to those applicable to the im-
porters of foreign and colonial spirits, and those who
purchase such importations, by which they have
the privilege of retaining the same in hand until sales
are effected for immediate consumption : for they
say that if this were so, they would be able to pur-
chase at the cheapest periods, and to pay the duty, as
the demand fur consumption might regulate, whilst
all parties being placed on the same footing, a fair com
petition mai ket would be established. The public
would gain by the cheapening of prices, and the revenue
would be improved by increased consumption.
The memorial which has emanated from Mr. T.
Keasley, of the Fox, Islington green, a past Governor
of the Incorporated Society, and also a past Chairman of
the Protection Society, lies at his house for further sig-
natures.

The memorial will be presented in a few days.

On Saturday Mr. \Vakley, M.P., held an inquest
at the Pollards' Arms, Guildford-street, Russoll-square,
on the body of Mrs. Newby, aged 52 years, a lady of
large property, residing at 16, MeAlenburgh square. It
appeared that the deceased, who was a widow lady, on
the afternoon of Tuesday last, about four o'clock, was
sitting alone in the drawing-room, when her dress was
suddenly ignited while she was asleep by a red-hot
cinder tailing out of the grate, and although she quickly
awoke, and her screams brought the servAuts to her as-
sistance, she was eo dreadfully burned that she only lived
until the next day, Verdict—Accidental Death.

MARYLEBONE VESTRY.

CONDUCT OF THE DIRECTORS AND

GUARDIANS.

On Saturday, at a very fully attended meeting of the
Marylebone Vestry (the Rev. Dr. Spry in the chair),
on an application from the hoard of directors and
guardians, for the sum of 9001. for the poor during the
ensuing week, _ _

Mr. POTTER, in rising to move that the application
be granted, proceeded with great warmth to defend
the conduct of the late board of guardians from the
imputations which bad been cast on them of being
the cause of reducing the parish of St. Marylebone to
a state of bankruptcy.—(hear, hear, and No, no.)
He regretted to see those charges put forth in the
public press, as emanating from gentlemen in that
vestry on the previous Saturday. They were also
charged with giving a low estimate for the relief of
the poor, with a view of pinching the bellies of the
poor inmates of the workhouse.—(llear, and No, no.)
He threw back the imputation with contempt, and
was prepared to declare that the late board of di-
rectors arid guardians, so far from being compelled to
hear malignant vituperation in that vestry, were en-
titled to that vote of thanks which the vestry had
unanimously accor3ed to them.—(Hear and No.) It
was true that when, in 1846,•an estimate for the re-
lief of the poor was proposed to the extent of 45,5001.,
the board considered that 42,0001., a one penny rate,
would be sufficient ; and how was it that it was not ?
Why, from circumstances which no human foresight
could have seen. At the beginning of 1846 it was
utterly impossible for the board to foretell that there
would be such an advance in the price of grain and
other provisions as there had been. On the contrary,
they had strong reasons for believing that, in conse-
quence of the free-trade measures passing the Legis-
lature, there would be a diminution in price, and up
to the month of June, circumstances showed hat they
were correct. With respect to the question as to
provisions in the commencement of the year 1846,
flour was 465., and subsequently 40s. per sack ;
whereas, in the latter end of 1846, and the be-
ginning of the present year, it was as high as
555. 6d., or a difference of lla. 6d. per sack between
April and April of the two years, and 50 sacks were
consumed weekly. In the article of potates, at the
beginning of 1846, they were bought at 41. 10s. per
ton, whereas for the last six months they had averaged

101. per ton, and three tons per week were consumed.
Oatmeal had risen from 14s. to 215., peas from 7s. 3d.
to 1 ls. and rice from 21s. to 28s. In addition to all
this unforeseen increase in the price of provisions, the
excess of pauperism, as compared with the previous
year, was 3,000 persons; the additional cost for which
during the last seventeen weeks had amounted to
3,8101., and the board of directors and guardians had
8100 been compelled to erect a nightly asylum for the
destitute, against their will, at a cost of 1,5001.
Yet, with all this extra expense and increased amount
of pauperism, as well as the high price of provisions,
the vestry were only called upon to raise 6,0001. be-
yond the estimate. He contended, therefore, that the
strictures upon the late board of guardians were un-
just and most unwarrantable. There was 31,0001. o
rates still uncollected, and if extraordinary exertions
were used, as on a previous occasion, 14,0001. could
be obtained in one week.
Mr. GEORGE DANIELL defended the course he had

thought proper to pursue on the previous Saturday,
and contended that had the late board of directors
acted with common forethought they might have
prevented the difficulty into which they had driven
the parish. With regard to the charges made
against the directors, he did charge them with doing
several acts which he considered most prejudicial to
the interests of the parish and the poor. In one case
they had dane away with industrious habits in the
workhouse, and had substituted for it a system of
idleness. Another point was, the alteration of the
diet of the workhouse.—(Dear, hear.) He would
not say that the board had altered the diet with a
view of inflicting suffering upon the poor, but he
would fearlessly assert that such suffering had been
inflicted by the change.
AI. ANDERSON, as a member of the late board of
directors and guardians, repudiated the defence of Mr.
Potter, as that of the board.

Sir JAMES HAMILTON hoped that this would be the
last time the vestry would visit the late Board of
Guardians with their displeasure. It was true they
had erred in giving too low an estimate for a poor 's
rate, but he must say he firmly believed the great
cause of the deficiency was attributable to the great
national calamity.—(Hear, hear.)
Mr. SODEN said that he believed there was only
one miserable rag of the system adopted by the late
board, and which had involved the parish in difficulty
left, and he had given notice for its abolition on Fri-
day next. He meant the obnoxious plan of doing
away with manufactures in the workhouse.—(Hear.)
After some further discussion, the motion was car-
ried, and the vestry separated.