The Sun.
London, England, 1841-08-07 00:00:00

RUSSIA.

The following communication has been received by
the Seeretary of the Russian Company.:—
" ST. PETERSBURGH, JULY 12, 1841.

" SIR-I have the honour to transmit the copy of a
note from Messrs. John Booker and Son, addressed to
the Treasurer, dated July 8, 1841 :
" We have to inform you that the Custom-house of
this place has acquainted us this day that the following
tax has been laid upon all the shipping, both foreign
and Russian, for the use of the cookhouse, dedicating the
amount to the profit of the town of Cronstadt :
" ' Every vessel trading to this port is to be charged
three roubles silver per last each voyage.
" Every coaster with one mast two roubles silver ;
and with two or three masts, three roubles silver for one
summer.

" Every vadovick, or deck boat, employed in ca ry-
ing iron and deals, fifty roubles silver each voyage.
" Every cutter employed in transporting goods one
and a half rouble silver one summer.

" Every ship proceeding to Petersburgh without en-
tering the harbour is exempt from paying.
" That it is the intention of Government to request
the Vice-Consuls of the different nations to collect this
revenue.

•' Taking the lastage of the last year as a criterion, the
British ships produced 74,233 lasts, at three roubles silver
per. last. Silver roubles, 2,227. 14 ; or B. N. roubles,
7,794 99. .

(Signed) " ' JOHN BOOKER AND SON.'
By a manifest dated July 1, 1841, his Imperial Ma-
jesty orders the issue of notes of fifty roubles silver, of
a new form, to the amount of thirty millions of silver
roubles, to be advanced against securities of immovable
property ; half the interest to be made by the banks of
Moscow, and the other half by those of St. Petersburgh.

These notes to be placed on the same footing as the
notes now in circulation, and to be convertible into the
precious metals on demand.

" For every issue of such notes. to any amount, the
banks are obliged to deposit coin to the value of not less
than one-sixth of the amount of notes so issued. "

" An ukase has just been published, ordering an ad-
dition to be made to stamped paper required for peti-
tions, billets of residence, &c. Bills are not specified :
it is to be presumed they will remain as before. This
ukase to take effect from Jan. 1, 1842.—1 have the ho-
nour to be, Sir, your most obedient

. .
" CHARLES MOBERLY.
" Thomas Cope, Esq., Secretary, Russia Company."

CANADIAN USURY LAWS.

A subject of considerable importance to our Canadian
colonies, which from being perhaps imperfectly under-
stood has not attracted the attention of the press in
this country, is dwelt upon in most of the advices to
hand during the last few weeks, from that quarter ; we
allude to the state of the usury laws. The experience of
man 7 years must have taught the thinking part of the
British community the folly, and, indeed, the absolute
danger of investing their surplus capital in foreign
loans or improvement schemes, and it has often been
a matter of regret that a good portion of the heavy
amount locked up in those sources had not been em-
ployed to the benefit of our own transmarine posses-
sions. The small amount of money circulating in
Canada is absorbed, at high rates of interest, in those
necessary works and establishments, canals, roads,
banks, and forwarding companies, and there is still
a wide field for the profitable outlay of much more.
An important artificial obstacle, however, has hitherto
presented itself to the introduction of Britith capital
for agricultural purposes, and thus is the great dispre,‘
portion between the legal rate of interest in the col any,
per cent., and that currently obtained from in; estments
in trading speculations, viz., 8 to 12 per cent. To remedy
this, a Bill has been introduced into tb Provincial Par-
liament, under the auspices of Lord Sydendam, but which,
it appears, will require some amendments to meet the
exigencies of the case. The whole matter is well ex-
plained in the subjoined comments of a local writer:—
" Every one in Canada," he observes, " is aware that
tnoney is worth more than 6 per cent., the present legal
rate—that while thousands are willing to borrow at a
far higher premium, few are willing to run the risk of
losing principal and interest by a violation of the law.
While such a state of things lasts, the country can never
prosper, or her resources bo sufficiently developed.
Capital will not be loaned by those possessing it when
the law forbids their doing so, except at an undervalue
and a sacrifice.

" The change we should like to see effected in Canada
would be this—declare that any rate of interest that the
parties may agree on, not exceeding the tithes/ possible
value of money, say 12 per cent., may be received on any
contract. When no rate is fixed, then the law should declare
some adequate general standard. Our landed property will
never become available as security for the raising of money
until the lender and the borrower are allowed to fix on any
rate of interest they please, and make any bargain they
like without the intervention of a usury law, which may
vitiate the whole contract, if they pressurise to receive a
higher interest than the present rate, which every siMple-
ton knows is far below the actual value of money in this
country.

"Bank Stock, insurance companies, marine railways,
forwarding speculations, pay their 8, 10, and 15 per cent.,
and, as a natural consequence, engross every disposable
farthing of capital in this country. Not a penny can be
spared to lend the poor farmer to improve or pay for his
land. True he can offer undeniable security, but the law
says he must not give more than six er cent., and. the
moneyed man to whom be applies, tells him very coolly,
buttoning his pocket at the same time, ' my good friend,
I can invest my money in the Bank of Upper Canada, in
the British American Insurance, in the Ottawa and
Rideau Forwarding Company, and get my ten per cent.,
and a handsome bonus occasionally—surely you cannot
expect one to be silly as to lock it np with you at six per
cent. ?' This is common sense. We cannot blame the
capitalist, and yet we must pity the farmer.
" We understand that a Bill was to be introduced into
the Provincial Parliament, to assimilate the usury laws
of Canada to those of England—in other words, to abo-
lish them so far as they affect bills of exchange and pro-
missory notes that have more than twelve months to run,
and leave them untouched so far as they affect monetary
transactions.

"A change of this nature will be totally inoperative
as a means of alleviating the evils now pressing so
heavily upon the mass of our population. It can in no
respect benefit the farmer, whose interests wo are espe-
cially anxious to promote.; but it will be of no small
benefit to moneyad men and nil banking institutions.
" We want in this coitntry banking institutions which
will readily advance money on security of real property.
English capital, -we advisedly assert, can be readily ob-
tained for such investments, provided a rate of interest
be allowed by law, which will be something like the
value of money."

SLAVERY IN TEXAS.
Texas papers recently received to the end of May give
some curious details of the workings of republican
slavery principles. In justice, however, it may be re-
marked that a peremptory denial is given to cer-
tain allegations made in this country respecting slave
importation from the coast of Africa. The Galveston
Gazette observes on this head that—" Sir Fowell
Buxton, the Eriglish abolitionist, states in one of his
publications that he has it from ' high authority which
he cannot doubt,' that 15,000 slaves were imported into
Texas from Africa during the ',ears 1837-8. Now the
whole number of slaves in the country last year, as
appears from returns of the assessors, is only 11,323,
and of this number we do not believe a single
one was
was ever imported directly' from Africa." These
remarks would seem to evidence a laudable desire on
the part of Texas to bleach herself white of the re-
proachof
slavery in time if not presently, but they
contrast strancrelv with the tenour of a legisiati re enact-
ment in the strangely
same paper, entitled " An Act concern-
infg}:ree Persons of Colour." By the first section
..nis Act it is ordained " that it shall not be lawful
• for any free persons of colour to emigrate to this re-
public." By section 2' it is ordered that the sheriff
or any constable of the county, in which such free per
son of colour shall be found to have immigrated, do
arrest him, after ten days' previous notice, and take
him before the Chief Justice of the county or Judge of
the district, whose duty it shall be to receive the bond
of the prisoner in the sum of one thousand dollars,
with the approved security of a citizen, for his instant
departure from the territories of the Republic. Section
3 provides that if the person of colour shall not be
able to give the bond security provided, he shall then
be committed to the public gaol, with an order to
the Sheriff to expose him for public sale to the highest
bidder, with four weeks previous notice in the journals,
and sell him into slavery for the space of one year,
If, at the expiration of the term, he be able to give the
bond security, he may be discharged, but if unable he
must be re-delivered 'to the Sheriff, who shall again
advertise him for sale into
in slavery fort ife. Two
years are allowed for the emigration of all free per-
sons of colour actually the Republic at the passing of
the Act. But if any master of a vessel, or other person or
the inshtroouduc
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It
i s
for
the is at least no immediate intentionprovide to for
j
quite clear from the specimen of Texan legislation that
a
the gradual extinction of slavery, or to mitigate the seve-
rity of servile legislation.

ANIMAL MAGNETISM.—The aristocracy, 83
the London papers tells us, are filling up the interval
between the elections and the meeting of Parliament,
by crowding to the Hanover•square Rooms, where M.
Lafontaine puts people to sleep by the wave of his hand.
As Sir Robert Peel passed through town the other day,
a worthy friend of his—one of that good class who take
a man by the button, and bestow all their tediousness on
your weeship—wished him to stop and take a lesson.
" Me !—no, mon ami," said Sir Robert—" M. Lafon-
taine may put his audience to sleep by a wave of the
hand ; but when I dare wave my hand, I rouse 300 horn
nets." row. Sir Robert