The Sun.
London, England, 1846-12-15 00:00:00

990 f. ; coffee, 4401. ; cocoa, I,loof. ; cochineal, 2,2001.,
the same quantity of 200 pounds. This was real in•
sa )ity. The consequence of such a tariff was to or-
organise a prodigious baud of smugglers. The year
1814 arrived,France was invaded, the Imperial throne was
levelled, and peace succeeded to war. In that year the
tariff was revised. All duties were removed from cot-
ton and wool, as under the Constituent and the Re-
public at the same time the duty on iron was fixed at
161 f. for 200 pounds weight. This was four times the
amount fixed by the Constituent. Butcher's meat was
suffered to enjoy the immunity granted by the Em-
pire. In the year 1815 France suffered new disas-
ters, and in 1816 the financial system of the country
was completely remodelled. A duty of 22f. per 200
pounds weight was imposed on cotton wool, and 3f.
a head was imposed on oxen. The prohibitionists
were modest, they only demanded prohibitive duties
for a few years, in order, as they said, to compete
with foreign manufacturers. It was thus that during
a long peace the severities practised during war
were continued against the pockets of the consumer, to
the detriment of the manufacturer ; and, if we examine
the customs laws of 1817, 1818, 1820, 1822, and 1826,
we find a series of uninterrupted aggravations. This
system was pursued after 1830. Thus machinery pays
heavier duties since the Bill of 1845. The year 1836
alone produced some reduction, and it abolished the
prohibition existing on above twenty articles. Thus the
general tendency of our commercial legislation since
1791 has been to prohibit, and that in the midst of as-
certained progress, whilst our manufactures are every
day acquiring new strength and even compete with the
English in the London market. Is not the moment
arrived to suspend this prohibitive movement, and to
demand a temperate liberty, which must produce ame-
liorations not to be procured by prohibition, even ad-
mitting that it ever was indispensable ?"

The following article from - the Slick shows the
beautiful working of the protective and prohibitory

system :
" The Northern Railway Company, after having at-
tempted in vain to procure rails in France, has applied
to the Government for leave to import 25,000 tons of
foreign rails. To avoid appearing to decide a question
of general interest by a private one, the company did
not propose to have the iron which it requires admitted
free. It merely showed that the Northern Railway
wanted 25,000 tons of rails for June, 1847, at latest ;
that the French establishments could not furnish them ;
and that in such a case of necessity it was only equitable
that it should be permitted to introduce these rails at a
duty which, joined to the prime cost and carriage, would
raise the whole price to 350 f. a ton deliverable on the
line, that being the price of the first contracts the com
pany has made. The rails are at present worth in
England from 240 f. to 250 f. ; the transport is
from 40f. to 50f. per ton ; so that it was
consequently a duty of 50f. or 60f. which the
company offered the state, in place of the absurd
and impossible tariff of 206 f. now imposed. The Go-
vernment publishes each year an account of the produc-
tion of mines and forges. It knows what quantity of
rails these establishments can furnish, and it is aware of
the engagements which the iron-masters have contracted.
Nothing, therefore, was more easy than to pronounce on
the demand of the Northern Company, and to decide on
its own information. But the present Ministry has no
more the sentiment of its dignity than of its duties. The
iron-masters, brothers-in-law, sons-in-law, or relatives of
the Ministers, hold the Government in ward. Could it
take any decision without consulting its high and
powerful guardians? The demand of the Northern
Company has, therefore, been sent to the superior
council of forge-masters. They, for the purpose of
avoiding the introduction of foreign rails, have not given
national rails; for if they undertook the contract, they
could not fulfil it. But they have sent in a reply, and
the Ministry, in order to give itself airs of impartiallity
in its slavery, has thought fit to communicate this answer,
not to the company itself, but to a member of it, with a
recommendation to be discreet. Should the company
persist, the forge masters will reply by another state-
ment, so that the Government will thus become a sort of
journal, not public, in which the arguments of the two
parties are to come together. Thus discussion will be
the order of the day, in the place of action. The
Ministry will gain time, and the monopoly will drag on
some days additional, which is all that is wanted. We
ought to add, that the Northern Company, having treated
with the Fampoux Company for the cession of 6,000 tons
of rails, hastened to reduce to 19,000 tons the demand
which it had addressed to the Ministers. It is said that
all the forge-masters are busied in making a subscription
amongst themselves to furnish this quantity, at the exor-
bitant price of 350 f. a ton, which they hope to impose on
the Northern Company. Unless the rails are fabricated
with Belgian or English pig iron, we should like to know
how they are to proceed. We may also mention that
the Northern Company is still waiting for the crossings
and platforms which our forge-masters had engaged to
deliver. But why should they put themselves out of the
way? When one has the Government in one's favour,
public censure may be treated with indifference."
It is said that the Chambers will not meet until the
11 th of January.
According to the conslilutionnel, ABD-EL-KADER
has written to the KING of the FRENCH, making
overtures for peace.
Algiers papers, to the sth, have been received in
Paris; but their contents aro unimportant.
The Paris papers of Sunday contain no news.
They are wholly taken up by reports of the proceed-
ings at meetings of electors of the different arrondis-
sements of Paris, preparatory to the municipal elec-
tions, which take place on Sunday.
The price of corn continues to rise in all the
markets of France.

The Three per Cents. closed on the Paris Bourse on
Saturday at 81f. sc. ; the Five per Cents., 118 f. 45c.; the
Orleans Railroad Shares, 1,267 f. 50c.; Rouen, 8951.; Havre,
6521. 50c.; Great Northern, 6461. 25c.; Avignon, 8821.
50c. ; Vierzon, 5931. 75c.; Bordeaux, 562 f. 50c.; Basle, 220 f.;
Dieppe, 3521. 50c. ; Paris and Strasburg, 481 f. 25c.; Tours
and Nantes, 491 f. 25c.; Paris and Lyons, 510 E ; Lyons and
Avignon, 485 f.; Spanish Three per Cents., 38;4 ; Ditto Do-
mestic Debt, 321/2 ; Ditto Passives, 6.

The Three per Cents. were done at Tortoni's on
Sunday at 80f. 90c.

BUSINESS DONE IN FOREIGN RAILWAYS AT THE
LONDON STOCK EXCHANGE, DECE3IBER 14.

Bordeaux, Toulouse and Cette (Espelete), .%—Central
of Spain, %—Demerara, 414—Dutch Rhenish, 4%g—ltalian
and Austrian, VA—Jamaica South Midland Junction, 114—
Louvain A la Sambre, 134—Luxembourg, %—Madras, Nel-
lore, and Arcot, 4—Namur and Liege, 3%B—Northern of
France Constituted, 10%—Orleans and Bordeaux, Bt Paris
and Lyons Constituted. 514,—Sambre and Meuse, 4%.