The Sun.
London, England, 1841-11-16 00:00:00

QUARANTINE REGULATIONS.

We have received a Malla Chronicle of the 29th
ult., and a private letter of the 30th, brought to Naples
by the Acheron steamer. which conveyed thither from
Malta Lord and Lady Pm-monby, and the Noble Lord's
Secretary, Mr. Percy Doyle. The following article is
from the Malta Chronicle :

" In our late article on the quarantine regulations we
were accidentally led into error respecting the period
caber the existing arrangements of which we com-
plained were entered into. On further inquiry we
!cam that they were adopted in 1826, in consequence
of an arrangement with the Continental Powers. An-
tecedent to that time, it will be reaollected, this island
did not enjoy pratique with the Continent, in conse-
quence of the plague having existed here some
years before. It appears that Lord Hastings, then
Governor of Malta, was instructed by the Bri-
tish Ministry to ascertain cn what terms an
arrangement for taking the island out of quarantine
could be effected. It is needless to advert to miner de-
tails, but the result was, that one of the stipulations
required that the sea-time of no ships—not even men-
of war—should count. This irksome and utterly use-
less condition was unfortunately agreed to, and the con-
sequence has been the growth of those anomalies which
we lave felt it our duty to point out. The great incon-
venience of the regulation alluded to has no doubt al-
ways been felt ; but it is oel toe recent cxtensk e em-
ployment of steam navigation which has brought mat-
ters to a crisis of absurdity no longer tolerable. We
arc sure, indeed, that a far more enlightened as well as
enlarged spirit on the subject of quarantine has of late
years been gradually springing up in all countries, ex-
cept, perhaps, in one, which need na t be named.
We announced in our last number that the imposi-
tion of 25 days' quarantine from the Black Sea was to
be reduced to tea on English vessels in English ports,
And on French and Sardinian vessels in their ports. But
nothing., as we understood, had been agreed on as to the
right of foreign ships arriving at ports not of their own
nation.

" The Government of Malta, we are led to telieve,
in that true spirit of commercial liberality and good
sense which is the best promoter of national prosperity,
have decided to take the initittive in this matter, by
admitting not only vessels under the English flag to the
advavt tee of the above-mentioned reductien of qua-
rantine, but I.kewise those of all other nations. 0:
course such vessels must be duly qualified by a com-
p:ianee with the terms of the enactment.
" This is as it should be ; and we venture to the
incident, trivial though it tally seem—as the commence-
ment of a new era is our quarantine poliey—than
which, Heaven knows, nothing in the history of the
intercourse of nations requires more ‘igcrous revision
There is good reason, we rejoice to say, for hoping that
France ln:s at length opened her eyes to this matter—
and if, as we trust she does, she desires, in good faith,
to get rid of a'l unnecessary quarantine embarassments,
she will cheerfully co-operate with England.
" Since the above article was in type we have learned
with much regret that some practical difficulties have
occurred which prevent the immeliate admission of the
vessels of all nations to the benefits of the diminished
quarantine. We feel so confident, however, that the
difficulties alluded to must he merely technical, and as
such will be speedily removed, that we do not consider
it necessary to weaken so good a cause by postponing
our remarks. The disposition of our Government is to
act wisely, and therefore we feel sure that sooner or
later the thing will be done."
" DEPARTMENT OF QUARANTINE AND