The Sun.
London, England, 1840-08-26 00:00:00

THE SULPHUR TRADE.

The Appendix to Mr. M‘Gregor's Report on the
Commercial Statistics of the Kingdom of the Two
presented by command of her Majesty to both
Houses of Parliament, contains a copy of the famous
sulphur contract, translated from the Italian, with some
interesting information upon the subject of the.sulphur
district, and the annual produce of the mines, besides a
series of elaborate tables of imports and exports into
the kingdom of the Two Sicilies up to very recent
dates, with a detailed account of the injurious effect
which a continuance of the sulphur monopoly would

have produced on British commerce. Mr. M‘Gregor
states that his Sicilian Majesty received him with
great condescension, and expressed a most earnest
wish to maintain a friendly understanding, and to con-
clude a commercial treaty with Great Britain ; but the
Minister of the Interior, the Cavaliere Sant-Angelo,
through whose instrumentality the monopoly to
Messrs. Taix and Co. was granted, was averse to the
British connection, and, through his influence at Court
and over the Royal Confessor, expected to maintain
it at all hazards. Being aware of the hostile views
at the Minister of the Interior to the object of his
mission, Mr. 111‘Gregor stated to Prince Cassaro that,
unless he received an assurance that the monopoly
should cease to exist on or before the Ist day of Ja-
nuary, 1840, he must break off all further negotia-

tions, and leave Naples for England ; and that her
Majesty's Government would hold his Sicilian Majesty
responsible for full: indemnification of all injuries
received in consequence of the monopoly. This
energetic remonstrance produced the desired effect,
Prince Cassaro having informed Mr. M'Gregor' at
the next interview, that his Sicilian Majesty had
determined to abolish the monopoly—granting it was
a great error—but that his Majesty could not
involve his honour so far as to commit a confession
of the error to writing. In consequence of this
assurance from Prince Cassaro, and the unsatisfac-
tory state of British trade with the kingdom of the
Two:Sicilies, Mr. M'Gregor in the absence of in
structions, entered into a consideration :of the several
articles of a treaty of commerce ; and on the 25th of
November last, having signed each article as agreed to
ad referendum, left Naples for England. Mr.ll,l‘Gre-
gor. says he understood that instructions to sign the
treaty were to be sent after him, and that he proceeded
to execute it subject to Lord Palnierston's approval,
from finding it impossible to arrange, or even to enter
upon the arrangements of the modifications of the tariff
to be annexed to a treaty, until at least the principal
provisions of such treaty should be understood by the
Neapolitan Government.

B,' minute personal inquiries at the different ports,
Mr. M'Gregor states that in the navigation of the
ports of Palermo, Ciirgenti, Licata, Catania, and Mes-
sina, there were employed annually, for five years
previous to this monopoly, 563 British ships ;
for the fifteen months during the monopoly, 179: dif-
ference of British navigation, 384. In short, he was
convinced that the continuance of the sulphur mono-.
poly, must inevitably destroy the whole British trade
and navigation with the island, and of necessity break
up from eighteen to twenty-five extensive British mer-
cantile establishments ; while, at the same time nearly
all the sulphur proprietors, who are remarkably attached
to the British nation, would be ruined. .

The sulphur contract itself, in favour of Messrs. Taix,
Aycard, and Co., proceeds upon a flagrant falsehood,
that the production of the article had increased
:300,000 cantars annually over the demand of the fo-
reign markets, and therefore the company is authorised
to found their establishment in the royal dominions on the
other side of the Faro, to purchase annually the sulphur
which should be produced in Sicily, amounting to 600,000
cantars, experience having proved a larger production to
be excessive, and the cause of great losses. To show the
fallacy on which the contract proceeds, it is only
necessary to mention that England alone requires about
300,000 cantars, and that France requires nearly as
much ; so that these two countries would take about
one million of cantars, and yet the monopoly confined
the exports to 600,000 cantars, specially prohibiting the
production of an additional 300,000 cantars, because
for a few years previous to the monopoly it is admitted
that the production had in gross been equal to 900,000
cantars.
The actual quantity exported was as follows :
Years. Catitars.
1832 400,000
1833.. ... 495,769
1834 676,413
1835 661,775
1836 855,376
1837 764,244
1838 1,011,591

Total export for 61 years
The excess of exportation in 1838 was made chiefly
in June and July, in anticipation of the monopoly.
The above returns give an average of 748,624 quintals
as the annual production. The price in 1837 was 151
1341 tares per Sicilian canter. The population of Sicily
in 1837 is stated by Mr. M'Gregor at less than
1,800,000. The judges of the civil courts are paid
about 1481. each, those of the superior criminal courts
about 2151. each, and of the superior civil courts 2501.
each. The taxation is extremely heavy. An estate
yielding an average crop pays 30 per cent. of its pro-
duce as the amount of land•tax ; and there are a variety
of indirect taxes besides ; altogether about 1,000,0001.
of net revenue is thus collected, one half of which is sent
to Naples, and the other half paid away to tha em-
ployes cif °the government and to maintain criminal
prisons. No country,"says Mr. M'Gregor, "exhibits
land-so highly taxed, nor one in which so little
good is ' extended to the general community."
The sulphur mines extend over a great portion of the
centre, and down to the south coast of the island. The
mineral is embedded in blue marl, and is occasionally
found in gypsum and limestone. They have been ex-
plored and worked for 300 years, but the quantity
mined and prepared for exportation was unimportant
until chemical discovery, within the last fifteen years,
caused an extraordinary quantity of the mineral to be
successfully applied to manufacturing purposes. It is
is separated from the various substances with which it
is combined by means of fusion in kilns built of gypsum,
stone, &., which contain from 50 to 60 cwt. each. It
runs off by a hole in the bottom in a thin brown fluid,
into a trough or mould, in which it cools and hardens
into the form and solidity in which it is shipped.—
Morning Paper.

THE LATE DESTRUCTIVE FIRE

IN BLOOMSBURY.

The fire which broke out on the extensive building
establishment of Messrs. Winsland, in Bloomsbury, on '
the morning of Monday last, has proved of a far more
calamitous character than was at first anticipated. This
fire, notwithstanding the great exertions that were made
on every side to get it, under, continued to rage with
much violence for upwards of four hours.
The arrangements made by the police (300 of whom
were on the spot) for the purpose of keeping back the
populace were excellent.
The premises destroyed were of extensive and sub-
stantial description, covering upwards of an acre of
ground, and forming a square.
At the period of the outbreak of the fire Mr. Wins-
land was with his family at Southend. A messenger
was instantly despatched to inform him of the occur-
rence, but before his arrival in town the whole of the
premises were consumed.
Yesterday Mr. Winsland caused an investigation to
be entered into, with a view of ascertaining, if possible,
the actual origin of the fire, in the course of which the
following facts were elicited :—lt appeared that when
it first commenced, which was about a quarter before
eleven o'clock, all the workpeople employed on the pre-
mises were there at their business. Those employed in
the joiners' shop, situate in the south-east angle of the
building, were first alarmed by large volumes of smoke
and fire issuing from between the floorings of the first
story from the deal-plank warehouse underneath. They
effected their escape (many by jumping out of the
windows), and on getting below the interior of the lower
portion of the building, which contained upwards of 200
loads of dried deal planks, piled in stacks, appeared to
be one mass of flame through the entire extent of the
building, nearly 50 feet in length. The men instantly
gave the alarm,and ran to the house of Mr. Spearing the
foreman, on the opposite sideof the building; and he being
out, they advised Mrs. Spearing and her family instantly
to remove. They then rushed to the counting-
house and saved the books of their employer, and
eight minutes had not elapsed from its first discovery
before the south-cast portion of the building was en-
veloped in flames. The cause of the fire is a perfect
mystery, the deal-room being confided to the care of
one man, and no light or fire being permitted near it.
In the adjoining portion of the building, however, there
was a furnace used for conveying heat by means of
pipes throughout the building, in order to dry the wood ;
that, however, bad no connection of itself with the
deal-plank room.
Since the fire has been subdued, the authorities of
the London Fire Establishment. have been actively en-
gaged in tracing out the actual amount of damage occa-
sioned by the occurrence, and the following is the offi-
cial report returned by them last evening :
The premises of Messrs. \Vinsland, comprising fin
large brick buildings, consisting of carpenters' and
joifierf workshops, show rooms, storehouse, marble show
rooms, moulding rooms, plasterers' and masons' work-
shops, enpineers' workshops, warehouses, stables, cart-
houses, dwelling-house of foreman, extensive drying-
rooms, counting-house, offices, &c., totally destroyed.
The buildings, which are the property of his Grace the
Duke of Bedford, arc supposed to be insured in the
Sun to the amount of 5,000/. ; the property and stock
therein arc insured by Mr, \Vinsland in the Sun and
other offices to the amount of only 7,000/., which is
stated to be greatly under the actual loss.
The extensive warehouse of Messrs. Hansard, in
Duke-street—slight damage to the roof ; the building
insured in the Sun, but stock uninsured

The British Muse.4p, ctoses on Tuesday tier
and will not 943? n 'tlie Tuesday following.

SPIRIT of the PUBLIC JOURNALS.

r7R011.1 THE DAILY PAPERS OF YESTEkDAY.)
(From the Globe.)
We extract an article from the Journal des Debats
of Sunday on the state of parties in England. The
.illorning Post has saved us the trouble of translating it
from the French original ; and has also saved us the
trouble of characterising the consistency of the Debats.
" The article altogether," says our contemporary, " is

. _
a bonne bouche. Such racy ratting we have never seen,
excepting, perhaps, the never-to-be-equalled turn of
our Conservative Contemporary the Times. That was
unique ; but the present political jump of the Debats
is scarcely less to be admired." The Post also re-
marks, " We felicitate the Debats on its new
career ; and can safely say its article is much more
stringent against its old acquaintances than any it
ever addressed against the Conservatives. The reason
of this is obvious. The Debals has now only to stick
to truth—and plain facts in all times are stubborn
things." They are !—and when the chance foreign ally
of a party dots stick to truth, he is apt to stick to some
truth which is just the most awkward he could have
uttered. Thus the Debats talks of Lord Stanley's
" unfortunate and impolitic Bill." It also talks of " the
moderate fraction" of the Conservative party. Now
this description of Tory proceedings and the Tory
party echoes exactly our own sentiments as to their
composition and policy. Yes ; their great gun of the
session was an unfortunate and impolitic project. Their
moderate men are but a fraction, much maligned by the
main body of the party. When the Debats was look-
ing out for reasons why the present Ministry maintain
their position, it might have occurred to it that, in a
Government like that of England, which ultimately de-
pends on its hold upon public opinion, a party in power
which prevents the adoption of unfortunate and impolitic
measures, affecting the political franchises of a third of
the empire, and which constrains the moderate fraction
of its opponents to support its own measures, is precisely
the party which ought to be in power, and which is
likely to remain so. These unfortunate admissions
neutralise the well-aimed malice of the whole article.

(From the Courier.)
We are very apt to cast blame and reproach upon
other nations for the little regard with which individuals
treat human life. In all probability we are wrong, as
regards the destruction of life by means which for the
present must be termed mechanical, and which are
connected with defensive positions. Had, however,
any observation of the kind been made as to the opera-
tion of the present Poor-law, it would not be in our
power to defend it from a challenge which its sup-
porters will find no little difficulty to refute. If the
Albanian or Bedouin be cursed with predatory ruffians
who destroy his domestic arrangements, we have in
England a power which to be sure does not invade
the house, but effectually breaks away all hope from
the poor but industrious labourer. Need we say that we
now allude to the new Poor-laws—such regulations as
were never imagined until the precious race of the
Whigs were enabled to assume a power, which they
have not failed to employ i❑ a manner that is much
better understood by their miserable victims than by
those who are compelled by public duty to take a view
of their case. A system (so to call it) has been adopted
by the political economists whom Whig notions of saving
have brought into existence ; by which we can easily,
and at the smallest possible expense, get rid of people
who might become very troublesome to such as deem their
pockets of more consequence than their hearts. What
is it to such persons that others are formed exactly like
them ? It does not exactly enter into our comprehen-
sion how anybody possessed of human feelings can coolly
subject their equals, in everything but property and pos-
sibly education, to the slowest and most dreadful of all
deaths. Yet this process is carried on in nearly every
Union placed under the direction of the aver-paid Com-
missioners of Somerset House.

(From the Standard.)
The Morning Chronicle has, to-day, a long article in
defence of the swindling trick exposed by Mr. Handley
in the letter which we yesterday quoted from the
Bristol .Mirror. Although our contemporary is good
enough to ascribe to us all the positions of Mr. Hand-
ley. with the remarks of the Bristol Mirror, we shill
not undertake to defend these positions and re-
marks. Not that they are not easily defensible, but
because we respect the real cuique SWIM, which is never
violated with more danger of giving offence than when
one undertakes to support the arguments of another.
We have merely to maintain our own position. We
say that the trick exposed by Mr. Handley is a swind-
ling trick, and so it is. It is well known that
the continental harvests are generally somewhat earlier
than the English and Scottish harvests. It is equally
well known that at this season of the year the stock on
hand is generally the lowest, and this, of course, without
reference to the prospects of the incoming crop ; but
these prospects, though they do not change the amount
on band, have a material and a proper effect upon
prices, which will be low or high as the expectation of the
harvest is favourable or otherwise. Now we have,
under the blessing of Providence, a prospect of an
abundant harvest, and prices would, therefore, be na-
turally low—so low, that the swindlers would have no
opportunity of importing at a rate of duty to satisfy
their rapacity. What do they ? They raise apparent
prices, in part by forestalling, in part by fraud ; and
thus contrive to get a good stock of foreign corn in
the country, at a low duty, before the English corn
can come to market.

COURSE OF EXCH.
Amsterdam CF. 12 4
Ditto,. at sight
Rotterdam 2U. 12 5i
Antwerp
Hamburg 111. B. 13 11
Altona
Paris, 3 days' sight
Ditto, 3 months 25 55
Marseilles
Bourdeaux
Frankfort on Maine 1494
Petersburg, 3 Us 37
Berlin
Vienna, effec. fl. 3 Al_ 10 4
Trieste, ditto lO 6
Madrid
Cadiz 36.1
Bilboa
Barcelona 36
Seville

NGE, YESTERDAY.

Gibraltar 4B
Leghorn 3O 25
Genoa

Milan
Venice 47
Naples 4O-
Palermo, per oz 122?,-
Lisbon 541-
Oporto 5,4
Rio Janeiro
Bahia
Buenos Ayres ..
New York, 21 days'sight 461
Philadelphia
PRICE OF BULLION, PER oz.
Portugal Gold, coin £0 0 0
Foreign Gold, bars...o 0 0
New Doubloons 0 0 0
New Dollars 0 4 10,
Silver in Bars 0 5 0.

We have been favoured with the following ex•
tract from a letter, written by an officer on board her Ma.
jesty's ship Pique, dated Gibraltar, Aug. 7 :—" In addi
tion to the 60 marine artillerymen and 112 supernumerar
marines, with their colonel, whom we took out from Eng.
land, we have been busily engaged all this morning em
barking 45 sappers and miners, ammunition, and 600 stand
of arms, tents, sand-bags, barrows, shovels, &c., for making
fortifications. We are off this evening, and our destination
is not known, except to those in command, but it is w his-
pered, Syria."
MURDERERS OF SHADRACII LEWIS.—The
unhappy men who were, at the last Pembrokeshire As-
sizes, convicted and condemned to die, for the murder of
Shadrach Lewis, hail been respited until further signifi-
cation of her Majesty's pleasure. On Saturday last an or-
der arrived from the Home Secretary's office, commuting
their punishment to transportation for life.
The accounts received yesterday give favour-
able reports of the corn crops. The fine weather of the
last few days appears to have been general throughout the
country, and there is, we are glad to see, a fair prospect
of its continuance. The only drawback we hare to notice
is, that the account of the hops in the various districts of
Kent is very unfavourable. The Maidstone Gazette
gives the apportionment of the duty throughout the
kingdom as follows, on the authority of a correspondent to
be relied upon :—The Rochester district, 15,000/. ; Can-
terbury, 4.000/. ; Sussex, 2,000/. ; Farnham, 700/. ; Wor-
cester, 4001. ; the kingdom, 2001. ; a total of 99,300/,
WHO ARE THE MURDERERS ?--If there be,
its any country, law by which a portion of its inhabitants
are deprived of food which they might otherwise procure,
and then, under the influence of want, commit ravages
upon the property of others, then are the makers and up-
holders of such a law deeply criminal, and morally, though
not legally, responsible for the offences thus committed.
But if, in addition to this, the same law is so constructed
as not only to deprive men of food, by limiting the
supply, but further to decrease their means of obtainirg
it, by shutting them out of certain markets for their labour
—then is the guilt and responsibility of such legislators
doubled, and they deserve, more than the criminal, the
penalty to which he may become exposed. Hundreds arc
brought to an untimely grave by gradual starvation. On
the heads of the Corn-law faction rests the dreadful guilt
of being immediately accessory to their death. There is
no escaping from this fearful truth. " Who are the mur-
derers ?" We solemnly and deliberately aEsert--the
authors and supporters of the diabolical Corn-law !___
Leicestershire Mercury.
A woman at Ponte Ferreira, up the Douro, was
so anxious to get rid of her husband, in order to marry her
paramour, that she actually murdered the unsuspecting
victim, and pretending to him that her husband had gone
from home for two or three days, she invited the paramour
to come and sup with her. He did so, and after supper
the monster in woman's clothes asked him how he liked the
'
pointing
food he had partaken of, and on his replying very
ouwell,
y wart, and you
must
she said,
s, 13, e
T ,
h teoroek h
teolaytbs—e
husband's
have been eating his I him by the hand into another
murdered body,where
myr dear,nr,
irunning u
marryo
tof
me.
the"
house, he
The fellow was Si horror-
struck that,w, uwent to the ma-
gistrate's house and gave information.
The woman was
taken into custody.—Lishon Paper.
ASSAULT.—On Monday Augustus
De Mor-
gan was brought up to the Greenwich Police-office,
charged with having committed '-
person of Mr. James Gillharn aahvi,.lent assault upon the
~ ootmaker, aged 70, re-
siding in Nelson-street, cwee
tae police sheet as P
-, kofess nwich.
He was described in
Lon-
don University, and
residing of Mathematics at the
hant Imxing described the on Blackheath. Mr. Gill-
assault, the Chairman said,.
Fay, Mr. Dc Morgan, what
plainant's charge ? Asir,D have you to say to the (X)I14-
e Morgan—l adrekt the charge
of assault, but feel . myself somewhat justiAed au the ground
of having received provocation '' •at *b., same time I beg it to
be understood that Idid P.,o':, siirl ' ike at his head, his arm was
not raised, and I str;;,et at him obliquely and not perptn-
. dicn.,ar!,,r,A swe'd. Mr. Smith (the elerk)—This appears
4 Most unwarrantable assault. The Chairman. told the
Professor that his conduct had been very bad. He was
therefore convicted in a penalty of 51i, which was icamz.,-
, diatcly paid, and the parties. withdrew. The defendant
i
was bailed by Profer.,.sor Airy, of the Royal Observatory.