The Sun.
London, England, 1847-12-28 00:00:00

strong probability is, that recourse will be had to I
illicit means of making the oilice support the officer.
And if this be the case with the deputies of the
provost marshal, as their offices are at present regu-
lated, how, we ask, can any one be surprised ? We
have been generally adverse to the placing of judi-
cial officers, heretofore paid by fees at the cost of
the private suitor, upon the public for remunera-
tion ; but there are considerations beyond the mere
' question of economy. The provost-marshal is an
indispensable officer, whose responsibilities are of an
incalculable nature. His staff of deputies must be
maintained under all circumstances, and in all
times ; and the safety of the public as well as his
own security requires that those deputies should, so
far as they can be obtained, be men of character,
respectability, and probity. It has been said that
one great source of the dishonesty of certain of these
deputies has been the rent extracted from them by
the provost marshal ; but there is some misconception
on this point. The provost-marshal's revenue
(inconsiderable as we believe it to be at the present
moment) is derived from those rents, which to a
much larger amount, were formerly paid by the depu •
ties, together with a bonus varying from 5001. to
1,0001., according to the value of particular districts.
Business, however, now scarcely yields this revenue
to the provost-marshal from the legitimate perquisites
of the deputy, and as it were to render the latter still
less able to make his office honestly equal to his rent
and to his own reasonable subsistence, the house has
done its best to reduce his just dues for arduous and
costly duties necessarily performed in the discharge
of his office, and under heavy penalty in case of
default. We have been led to these observations
by the perusal of the petition of Mr. A. S. Lyon,
which we this day extract from the Votes; and
it really seems very difficult to consider the alle-
gations of this document without arriving at the
conclusion that fair play is not done to these
officers. We take it to be an universal principle
that no public servant should be required to per-
form duties without remuneration. Now, in what
light is the warning of jurors to be held ? It is
beyond doubt a public duty, performed by an officer
who is unremunerated. If the provost-marshal were

a salaried servant of the ;public, pail a given sum,
no matter what its amount, for the discharge of the
duties which belong to his office, the claim of his
deputies for the discharge
.of a public duty which

necessarily devolves on their principal virtute °filch,
would be untenable. But the provest-marshal re-
ceives nothing from the public. He is paid by
specific fees for the discharge of specific duties, those
fees being payable by private individuals on the exe-
cution of process issuing at the instance of those indi-
viduals. The warning of jurors is a public duty not
exacted by suitors, but demanded by the exigency of
public polity. Why should the officer do that for the
public gratuitously which, in the case of .a private indi-
vidual, he would be entitled to be paid for ? Nor is this
duty a trivial one. Take the petition of Mr. Lyon
as an example. Here we find one officer engaged
within a district extending over the parishes of Port
Royal, St. Andrew, and Kingston, compelled by law
to summon various juries for public.jurisprudence in
these parishes in the course of the year to the number
of 1,200. It is not the duty merely, but there is
necessarily heavy expenses attending it. Is it corn •
monly just to ask a man to do this—to fine him if he
does not do it—and then to refuse to pay him a shil-
ling from the public revenue, whilst you prohibit the
vestries from making him just remuneration ? Why,
surely this is holding out a premium for the extortion
and the corruption of which so much complaint is
made. In some districts the country to be traversed in
the service of jury notices cannot fall short of from four
to five hundred square miles. Horses and runners
are to be kept for the duty, and the duty is compul-
sory, but gratuitous. There is real injustice here,
and no one can fail to see it. It does not do to throw
the blame on the provost-man hal. His office must be
kept up, and that can only be done, as things are at
present regulated, by the district rents. 'Whether it
would be advisable at once to place the whole estab-
lishment on a permanent or certain footing ought to,
and will no doubt, ere long, become a matter of grave
consideration ; but, in the meantime, fairness demands
a just regard to claims which cannot be denied, and
we hope that in taking up Mr. Lyons petition the
House will see fit to carry out with respect to the
deputies of the provost-marshal generally, the prin-
ciple that no public officer ought to be required to dis-
charge public duties without remuneration."
COLONIAL MARKETS.
JAMAICA.—KINGSTON, Nov. 23.—Tobacco--The
market is abundantly supplied with Cavendish, which
cannot now command over 7d. per lb. for a large
quantity. Some few boxes have changed hands at
71d. per lb. Leaf is worth 625. to 645. per 100 lbs,
We have been told of sales of a few hogsheads at
the latter quotation.
Rum-4s. 10d. per gallon may be considered the
full value of this article. The stock is light.
Sugar—Continues to sell at 18s. to 21s. per 100 lb.
according to quality.
Soap—Further additions have been made since our
last to the previously excessive stock, but holders do
not seem disposed to submit to any reduction of
prices. In fact, and notwithstanding the heavy
supply on hand, it is anticipated that better rates will
be maintained in consequence of recent events in
England, and the improbability that future receipts
will keep pace with the demand. The sales since the
6th inst. have been 300 boxes Steele's 601bs. double
crown 175., and about 2,000 boxes SS 561bs. at
12s. 9d. The latter description is now, however,
held for 135., at which price several small parcels
have been disposed of. Some parcels of inferior
Irish are ineffectually offered at much lower rates
than have been previously quoted for that de-
scription.
Candles-600 boxes Cook's and Dourdoure's 6's
and 12's to 16's were moved at Sid, with about 130
boxes 10's at 73d. The latter size is not in good re-
pute. Favourite brands are becoming scarce.
Butter—The arrivals of Cork since our last extend
to nearly 1,000 firkins, and the market is conse-
quently affected by the heavy quantity now on hand.
The trade refuse to operate at our last quotation
(13d), but holders appear firm at that rate. No
transactions, therefore, of any moment have occurred.
Several parcels of American were moved at 10d, but
this figure is now unobtainable, in consequence of the
heavy supply. For a small lot of Quebec Ild per lb.
has been obtained.

Hams—Prime Lancashire in canvas have been sel-
ling readily at 1O d, and out of canvas at 8d to 9id.
Inferior in canvas are being moved at very low rates.
American may be quoted at 5d to 8d per lb., accord-
ing to quality.
Lumber—The only sale of white pine since our last
was that of a cargo from New Brunswick, which was
taken from an outport at a figure not permitted to
transpire, but which it is supposed was something over
10s. Pitch pine is becoming scarce, and shingles and
staves are rather wanted.

Codfish—Four cargoes from Halifax and one from
Ragged Island have come in since our last, and prices
have consequently declined. One of the former car-
goes, consisting of dry fish alone, was parcelled out at
l 4s. for casks and 18s. for boxes, hut, on the receipts
occurring so quickly one after the other, the holder of
the Ragged Island cargo submitted to 133. 6d. for
casks and (the quality not being as good as usual)
16s. for boxes. Part of another of the Halifax cargo
was then disposed of at 14s. and 18s. for casks and
boxes respectively ; while for the entire of the third
cargo 121. 6d. for casks and 17s. for boxes was ac-
cepted. There is one cargo and part of another yet
unsold, for which higher rates than those last quoted
are asked. Another vessel from Halifax was tele-
graphed just as we were going to press.
Rice—The 500 bags East India alluded to in our
last were parted with (previously to the arrival of
another lot of 540 bags) at 235. per 1001bs.—the
quality being prime. Of the latter parcel, WO bags
had been engaged before arrival at 205., and the re•
minder is now commanding 235. The market con-
tinues bare of Carolina.

HAMBURGH and BRUSSELS MAIL.
BRUSSELS, DEC. 26.—The Journal du Commerce
contains an official table of the number of emigrants
who sailed from the port of Antwerp in the year
1846, the majority of whom went to settle at New
York. The number of emigrants in 1843 was 3,179 ;
in 1844, 2,861 ; in 1845, 5,223; and in 1846, 13,178.
The increase has not been so great this year; but
this may partly be attributed to the changes in the
legislation of America, and which have greatly aug-
mented the price of transport. The Mon.deur con-
tains the law which grants to the department of
Justice a supplemental credit of 1,219,360 f. 53c. for
the expenses of the army in 1846 and 1847.
COMMERCIAL lETELLIGENCE.--BRUBSELS, DEC.
26.—Very little business of any kind was
done in the course of lait week. About 2,300
bales of coffee were sold, chiefly from the Brazils, St.
Domingo, and Java. The corn trade has been rather
brisk, about 66 sacks of wheat, and 108 of rye, were
brought to market yesterday. The wheat sold
quickly at 18 10 to 21, and rye at 10 15 to 11 15.
The prices were almost the same as last week ; the
few arrivals of foreign wheat have kept up the prices,
and very little has been done in it. Rye, on the
contrary, has been much in demand. At the market
of Namur, yesterday, the price fell 15 centimes per
hectolitre. Barley, on the other hand, was the same
price as last week.
DoitpaEcicr, DEC. 23.—1 n consequence of the in-
terruption in the navigation, there have been scarcely
any arrivals of grain to-day. Very little business,
therefore, was done, and the bargains were chiefly for
home consumption. The prices have not varied
The weather is now extremely cold. 'We have had
several very heavy falls of Snow. The moats round
the fortifications are frozen.
BERLIN, DEC. 23.—The Russian Gazette, of this
date, contains the principal depositions of the Postal
convention recently concluded between France and