The Sun.
London, England, 1840-06-09 00:00:00

EVENING EDITION.

THE ROYAL GEORGE.

Since our last notice of the operations on the hull of
the Royal George much wreck has been brought on
shore, among which are entire deck beams, the stan-
chions or wooden standard of the orlop deck which re.stcd
on the keelson, some fragments of the after part of the
keel, with the dead wood framed into them, attached to
which arc strong connecting plates of brass, the stan-
chions of the pump, well, or shot-locker at the main
hatchway, with two vertical rabbits, into which the bulk-
heads connected with it were inserted ; all this shows
that the wreck from the stern-post to the main hatch-
way is completely thrown abro ld, and that little now re-
mains to do but to pick up the fragments.. Besides the
two divers, George Hall and Fullager, two others of the
Corps of Royal Sappers and Miners have commenced
with considerable promise ; one, a private, Andrew
Duncan, who distinguished himself before he• entered
the servi&e by saving several lives by swimming., for
which he received premiums from the Royal Hu-
mane Society ; to this man, however, a trifling acci-
dent, luckily attended with no serious consequence,
happened on Thursday morning, owing to one of the rig-
gers, who had charge of the life line, having al-
lowed it to become too slack, in consequence of
which he fell down, which rendered it necessary to
haul him up, as his helmet was full of water, and he had
become senseless, or nearly so, but he soon recovered,
and this spirited young soldier is ready to dive again ;
it was only the second time he had been down, the first

time ho got up a beam. Corporal David Harris has
also been diving for several days with great activity and
succass. This morning an iron 32-pounder and two
gun carriages were got up, and about two dozen bottles
of wine, but the quantity of wreck recovered during the
last two days has been rather smaller than usu d, so
that Colonel Pasley has directed two charges to be
fired on Monday next, one of 2GO!b. the other of 471 b.
at the mid-day slack tide, and it is probable that a large

charge of upwards of 2,000ib. will be fired at the next
neap tides, that is in about a fortnight from this, pro•
Lably on the 22d inst. Several small charges have
beck fircd during the week, as the mud has been more
troublesome than usual, and will continue so as long as
any great quantity of wreck prevents the current. from
carrying it off either by the flood or ebb tide.—
Hampshire Telegraph.

THE SPIRIT TRADE.

The recent additional duty on home-made spirits is
..creating a considerable sensation amcng the trade. We
understand that a deputation of distillers had an inter-
view with the Convener of the County here a few days
ago, and presented a memorial on the subject, which
Ur. Grant most readily agreed to transmit to Captain
Gordon, who has already shown himself quite a'ive to
this interesting subject.
On Friday week a meeting of the Formartine
_ - Agri-
cultural Association was held in the Royal lintel, for
• the purpose of taking into consideration the propriety of
. Petitioning Parliament. against the proposed reduction
in the duties on French wines and spirits. Robert Cop-
fara, Esq., Cairofechil, was Chairman. After some
conversation, the form of a petition, recommended by
.Fiddes, the Secretary, was adopted. Tne grounds
of complaint stated in the petition were, that the distil-
lers, a most respectable class of men, had an immense
amount of capital invested in the trade, and that the
,proposed redaction in wines and spirits, if carried into
effect, will prove highly injurious to thein, as well as
deprive' the farmer of a ready market for a mo,t impor-
, rant article of his produce.
That the distillers, like every other class of the com-

romaity myrilo are made liable to new taxes, may have
some litt.‘e cause for grumbling at the increase of duty
on home-made spirits we do not doubt ; but we think it
• Would be difficult for them to show ally gool reason
Why the article which they manufacture should be made
411 excepti.an to the Chancellor of the Exchequer's
general mule.
The complaint, as regards the landed interest, is the
most impudent thing we have seen for a long time.
Is it not enough that the people of this country should
he taxed many millions annually, in the shape of a
bre.ad-tax, to keep up the rents of the landowners,
but are these landowners to be exempted from all
itt,rice• of loss from an increase of taxation, rendered
—tlecessary by the occessities of the Exchequer The
distillers complain of the paltry 4d. a gallon of Atli-
ianal duty; but we do not recollect that they made
arty demonstration in favour of a free trade in corn,
*hen, in consequence of a couple of bad harvests, corn-
. bii ied with the operation of the Corn-laws, they were
_Li seed to pay double for their barley.
The reduction of the duty on foreign spirits is a
„Stieition- by itself.- The duty on brandy is at present
ict•less than 225. 6d. per gallon. If Vie are to have a
4.Nde with. France at all, duties of this kind cannot pos-
stbly maintained. It is a small, and a miserably
' al concession to the manufacturing interests to grant
eduction on spirits in return for a reduction of the
'nch tariff on British manufactures. Would the ag•
i 4".4uriiai-Prefer the. destruction of the linen manufac-
tilr e„of.the east•coalt of Scotland to the chance of im-
PC r ceptible loss from a slightly-diminiihed demand for
barley- by the tee-totallers'-?7—Aberdeen Herald.

REASON IeOR REFUSING TO

SWEAR.

TO THE EDITOR OF TER SUN.

,• Sra—The. introduction of a Bill by Mr. Hawes, in-
Tluded to afford relief to all persons who conscientiously
tifuse to swear, may induce some of your readers to in-
quire, What can be the reason why any person should re-
1-use to swear? In answer to this inquiry I reply that
;her* are two reasons which opera'e on my mind to in.
'lee me not to swear. First, the full conviction that
°lilt' Lord Jesus Christ meant what he said, when, in
caradistinetion to the command of Moses, " Swear
hl4 falsely ;" he said," But I say unto you, swear not at
L This conviction compels me to believe that all
'll%-earing is entirely prohibited ; as much so, as theft,
kialtery, or murder! so that a wilful and deliberate act
's.ls:wearing on my part would be a wilful and deliberate
fl'!t of sin ; for to sin is to do that which God has for-
4tiden ; or not to do that which God has commanded.
i -here. is, however, another, though less authoritative
ealort, why I would not swear. The act of swearing
;!' r°3;' part, believing such act to ha a deliberate act of
in. Would be a rev.sonable argument why a jury should
vithhold confidence in my veracity; fo; they might cor-
retly infer, that, having in their presence deliberately
lri ejected the authority of Almighty God, by making a so-
e km appeal to Him, in a way which I believed to be of-
nsive to Him, merely to escape imprisonment, it was
11r) t to be supposed thtt I could be induced by any
lea 1. of God to speak truth. Thus, the compelling
fr4t to swear, even if it could be accomplished, would
og ttrate the very object that is wished to be attained
!Y 1 'lle imposition of an oath, for the design of imposing
flen r atli on a witness is te compel him, by the fear of of-
, t'cl• 'lig God, to speak trtah ; but to induce a man to
th vat which he believes to be offensive to God,
_ vs ay of increasing his fear of offending God, is a
atiList absurdity, yet it is an absurdity that has hi-
k!ertotbeen enforced by the legislators of Britain, and
A
Go album has Intimated very candidly his intention
t 0 en:orce it. Vie must :lot forget, however, that.
Goulbitrit and the other representatives of our Ifni-
eirsi ties, woo oppose most dei.erminately every effort
i
at mends to ameliorate our laws in this respect, speak
not 02;'1y their own sentiments, but they give effect to
the of i&oris and -fishes of the whole clerical body. Oh
when, will these Christians cease to persecute those whom
forget that. our Great Redeemer declared that He should
estimq.te their love to kliraself thus ;--.6 Inasmuch as ye
(lid it •-antoone of the lest of these my brethren, ye did
it napalm?"

A SUFFERER.

I'ROPOSED GRANT TO THE
CHURCH OUT OF THE POOR-RATES.

TO ,THI:.7 EDITOR OF TIIE SUN.
_ ta,—Ycu stated the other day that the 20th clause
at the New Poor-law Amendment Bill gives a fee of five
!hillier to the Clergyman out of the Poor-rate; on the
15rtrial of each poor person, which would increase the
.1 venue of the Church 3,000/. a year. This, I presume,
It an error of the press—t,he increase will not be less
tin 20,0001. a year. The number of paupers and
°tiler destitute persons at present buried by the parishes
I btilieve; about 80,000 a y ear c these, at ss. each,
nuld amount to 20,0001. a year ; aod when it is made
t",_ PuL:ory on Guardians by a direct enxtment not only
bury, but to pay the Clergyman a hansisfme fee out
:I the rates, there will be a great increase m application
(,I°lextlense, and I think the increased revenve to the
,rurelt may be fairly estimated at 30,0001. ye a.
pn iwyment of any fee to the Clergyman out oi the
ttes is at present illegal.
I remain, &c. A. B.
wct[Pur Correspondent is correct ; the error he notices
a n tisprint.]

t;t we .have recently perused a little.volume,
en-
ItOP," The German Self-Teacher. by Henry 1111:idingetr,e
t'"cd by Whittaker and Co. As an introducticri to
ahc.
,;'Y of the• Geman language this book is, for all persontsuse.
tetilnt,cd tvith.the English the simplest and most
•tTli.`de that we have ever met. language,t
purposes to attain its ob-
and "Y commencing with lists of all the words of similar sound
the ',laning which, are to be found in both languages; and, as
of !she w°rds are ext-emely numerous, including the greater part
ti;eittnisratoastneletifrn Engiish, the consequence is, that the student
uhnexcteelly talking very correct German at the
guage......_.w when he is only commencing the study of the lan-
(-2 14 tots.
(14;A REENIVICH FA In.—The fine weather yester-
qice'ised, as usual, an immense concourse of persons to visit
fae„`enwich, and the Park, the Fdr, and Blackheath, were the
atriourite places of resort. 'There was no lack of the customary
dow"creents of monkey riding, leis.ing in the ring, and racing
th,jrn 9ne-tree and Flamstea(l-1 ills, and the gipsies eiljoyed
e,,ed419" hare of the holiday harvest. by telling the fortunes of in•
the p " young ladies," and ,of
" young gentlemen." In
Cireus pair Algar's booth, Johnson and Lee's theatre. and Clark's
ere the principal attrac! ions ; beyond them the arraaige •
wer'ils were of the ordinary eFaracter.. A few petty offences
tictri; e°llllbitted, and the offenders taken into custo ly, but
'rig worthy of particular notice occurs, d,