The Sun.
London, England, 1870-03-14 00:00:00

COURSE OF EXCHANGE.

litusterdam Short ..„ 11 18t ... 11 181
Do
Ilctterdam — ... 12 I ... 12 It
AtAwerp — ... 25 40 ~. 25 45
Brussels — ... 95 40 ... 25 45
Hatnburgh — ... 13 101. ... 13 1 tit
Paris
Ditto 3 Ms. ... 2 i 35 ... 25 4.1
Niameiiles
Frankfort-on-t he-M air!
V ienua — ... 12 7i) ... 12 75
Trieste ••• ... 12 70 ... 12 75
Petersburg ' ... 28i ... 2/1
Copenhagen. .......... ...... ~. 9 22 ... 9 26
Berlin
Mad rid.. -.— ... 481 ... 49>i
Cadiz
... 49 ... 4: 1
Leghorn
... V; 35 ... 21: 42
"-lad — ... 26 35 ..- 26 42
... 26 35 ... 26 42-
- ... 26 85 ... 26 42
~
... 26 35 ... 26 4. :
26 35 ... 26 42 ,
... 511 ....
... 52 ... 621

cieeoa
Naples
Palermo
Messina
Lisbon
Oporto

THE DIVISION ON THE IRISH LAND BILL

Four hundred and fifty-three members of the House o.
Commons voted on the second reading of the Irish Lan(
Bill : the majority numbered 442 ; the minority 11
Besides these there were two tellers on ea&
side ; raising the total number taking part
in the division to 457, the majority to 444,
and the minority to 13. The said minority is com
posed of ten Irish and three English members—of ter
Liberals and three Conservatives. The English members
and the Conservatives voting against the bill are .tht
same. The Right Hon. J. W. Henley, member
for Oxfordshire, is the most prominent of the
non-contents ; his brethren in opposition are Sir
William Bagge, the representative of Norfolk, and
Mr. James Lowther, the Conservative member for the city
of York. The tellers for the " Noes " were the mover and
tic scconderof the rejection—Mr. George Leopold Bryan,
the member for the county of Kilkenny, and Captain
White, who sits for the county of Tipperary. The
" sovereign counties," King's County and Queen's County
throw their total weight against the measure. Sir Patrick
O'Brien and Mr. David Sherlock, the representatives for
the former, and Messrs. Edmund Dease and K. T. Digby,
who sit forthe latter, appear with the minority. Sir John
Gray, the member for the city of Kilkenny, voted with
tie county member for the rejection. Mr. Philip Conan,
of Dundalk, Mr. M. P. D'Arcy, of Wexford ; and Mr.
Heron, of Tipperary, complete the list.
In the majority Mr. Gladstone and Mr. Disraeli, Mr.
Lowe and Mr. Hardy, Mr. Bruce and Sir Stafford North-
cute appear together.
The number of Conservatives voting for the measure
was about 147, and comprised nearly all the leading men.
Mr. Ward Hunt was, however, an exception. The tellers
for the , ayes were Mr. Adam and Captain
Greville. Sixty-nine Irish members voted for the
second reading ; twenty-three were absent from the
division. The absentees were :—Captain Archdall, Sir R.
I3lannerha.sset, Sir R. Gore Booth, H. Bruen, Hon. H.
A. Cole, R. Peel Dawson, W. W. F. Dick, M. C. Dow.
ning, Hon. Color el F. Fre-e), I. T. Hamilton, Sir F.
W. Heygate, W. Keown, Colonel C. P. Leslie, E. Mac-
E voy, P. MacMahon, H. Matthews, Hon. E. O'Neill W.
&raw, Colonel Sir J. M, Stronge, Lieut.-Colonel J. E.
Taylor, Lord Arthur E. H. Trevor, Colonel D. M. Van-
dileur, and E. W. Verner.

THE HALFPENNY POSTAGE.
DEPUTATION TO THE POSTMASTER-
GENERAL.

On Saturday, at noon, a largely attended deputation
waited upon the Marquis of Hartington, with reference to
the half-penny postage movement. The deputation con-
sisted of Liberal members of Parliament, the Postal Com-
mittee of the Society of Arts, and several representatives
of the newspaper press. Amongst .those present were,
Mr. Mundella, M.P., Sir C. Dilke, Bart., M.P., Mr. J.
A. Macfie, M.P. Mr. T. 0. Wetherhed, M.P.,_ Mr. J.
Helms, M.P., Mr. D. Chadwick, Mr. P. Rylands, M.P.,
Mr. R. Shaw, M.P., Mr. M. O'Reilly Dease, M.P.,
D. M`Laren, M.P. Sir D. Wedderburn M.P., Mr.
- Joseph Dodds M.P., Mr. Hyde Clark, Mr. Francis, Mr.
Naylor, Mr. Jeffery, Mr. Saunders, Mr. J. Latimer, Mr.
Arnold &c.
Mr. AIUNDELLA, M.P., introduced the deputation. Last
year (he said) notice of a resolution was given in the
House by Mr. Graves that the postage should
be reduced on all parcels of less than two ounces
Many gentlemen at that time supported the proposition,
but they did not vote upon it, in order that the Govern-
ment might have time to give their consideration to the
question. They were much obliged to his lordship for
the many postal changes he had introduced. They were,
however, greatly disappointed that there had been no
alteration in the rates for printed matter, this was a
great mistake. If there were a halfpenny postage, in the
en I it would add considerably to the revenue of the Post
OJice. The present rate acted as a deterrent against the
Lilerpool merchants sending away their cotton
cheulars. A penny was too much for them,
aid instead of sending daily circulars they were
obliged to be content with transmitting them weekly. It
was the same with the stockbrokers' lists, and it acted
in a similar manner generally throughout the country.
In an educational point of view it had an injurious eflect.
Taere was no better education than a cheap paper;
bat under the present arrangement the cost
of doing this acted against it. In France
in Belgium, and in other countries they had the cheap
p')stage. The hon. member read a letter which had been
written by one of the officials of the Crystal Palace Com-
pany, in which it was stated that as the matter now stood
letters posted in Belgium, where there was a halfpenny
postage, woul d be delivered in England for that sum, and
• it was a question where large numbers of letters were con-
cerned whether or not'they should send them abroad to be
peJted in order to effect the saving of the
heavier postage in this country. Under the present
arrangement they sent a newspaper weighing four ounces
to the Antipodes for a penie.-, and they couldnot send ono
- frem one side of the town to the other for a less sum.
They could send printed matter from Frankfott
Id Dresden to every part of this country
fjr a stamp representing three shillings, and he thought the
facts were so palpable that it was hardly necessary for him
to make any extended observations.
Mr. MeLanEN, M.P., also addressed the Marquis, and
• complained that the postal authorities would neither
deliver newsapers at the reduced price themselves, nor
allow anyone else to do so.
Mr. ARNOLD spoke on behalf of the press. and addressed
the Marquis
Mr. NAYLOR, president of the Provincial Newspaper
Society, said a great injustice would be done unless the
weight was so fixed as to allow all newspapers to be trans-
mitted through the post for a halfpenny.
Mr. CHADWICK, of the Society of Arts, said the altera-
tion would be a boon to all scientific societies.

FB.A.Ncis added a few words on the part of the Irish
press.
Mr. McFie, M.P., said, looking at it as a political
question he knew of nothing which would be more bene-
ficial to Ireland than that the English newspapers should
be freely distributed, and that the Irish newspapers should
find their way into England without difficulty. He
believed the postage would eventually come down to a
farthing.

The Marquis of HARTINGTON said he had listened with
great interest to the gentlemen who were so well
qualified as they were to give their opinions upon the
subject. He had taken the best measures in
his power to fulfiFthe promise he gave to the House of
Commons last session, that he would cause careful inquiry
to he made, both into the financial effects and into the
possibility on the part of the Post Office of coping with
the heavier labour which would be involved by such a re-
duction as they now proposed. He need make no mystery
about this. He had come to the conclusion it would be
perfectly possible for the Post Office to undertake the
increase of work which would probably be thrown upon
it. As to the financial result, he had not
been able to form quite so positive an
opinion, and it had been a subject of much interest to him
to hear their opinions upon it. Mr. M`Laren said the
revenue would only be compensated in the event of the
circulation of newspapers and small book packets through
the post being at least doubled. A double circulation,
however, would not compensateathem, because heavier
labour would have to be paid for. Mr. M`Laren had,
however, given his opinion that it might be trebled, but
he could not say that any information he had yet
received had led him to anticipate postively
that such would in reality be the result
and he could not place before his colleagues, especially the
Chancellor of the Exchequer,' estimates which ho could
not be perfectly certain would be realised. He thought
it would be necessary to calculate that there would be
some loss—not to say what that loss would be, but some
loss would result in the first year. Whether the conveni-
ences and advantages of it would warrant the Government
in making the alteration was not for him, but the Govern-
ment to decide. He should have great pleasure
in laying before his colleagues the statements which
had been made by so important and numerous
a deputation, and he hoped that on Tuesday either himself
or the Chancellor of the Exchequer would be in a position
to state what was their intention. It would not be right
on his part to anticipate what that would be, or to make
to the deputation a statement which ought to be reserved
for the House of Commons. He had not before him Mr.
Greaves's resolution, but he gathered that he proposed
the stamp to have reference to 2oz. There could be no
doubt but that the views taken by the deputation were
correct, and if there should be a change it should be one
which would extend to all ordinary newspapers. (Hear.)
There was another point to which his attention had been
called to in the inquiry, and though he did not promise
them to make a positive statement then, he should like
to ascertain their opinion on that point. Of course the
effect of a great reduction in price would be to greatly
increase the mass and bulk of business they would have to
deal with. He had stated he thought the Post-office
capable of dealing with such an increase ; but there was
under the 1, .sent system one great difficulty which they
had to contend with, namely, that I„ie size and weight
of the big packets were unlimited, and parcels,
which were very inconvenient and difficult to
deal with, were constantly transmitted through the
post. It appeared to them that it was not intended they
should be agents for the transmission of large parcels, and
it was wrong that in the delivery of small packets this diffi-
culty should be encountered. It was a branch which was very
unremunerative, and a great disadvantage to the public.
The proposition he intended to put was whether in view
of the great convienience and advantage which the country
would obtain in such a reduction of the postage as was
proposed they would submit to some limit in
the size and weight of parcels. Such limitation would,
fnaterially assist them to. deal with the increased bulk
they would have to deal with, though there was no desire
on the part of thl Post Office to place any undue restric-
tion upon the public. A more rapid and certain delivery
would be the result if they were not encumbered with
heavy parcels. It was a subject upon which he should
not expect the deputation to express an opinion, but they
might think it over, and when the question came before
the House, he should 100 glad to hear the result of such
consideration.

Mr. McFIE urged an alteration in the despatch of tho
mails which would enable letters to be posted later in the
evening. - -

The deputation then thanked hi§ lordship, and with-
dreY4

INTERNATIONAL COINAGE.

The French Ambassador at the British Court recently
asked the British Government what it thought of the
reports of the French commission on Monetary Questions—
the establishment of a gold standard, and of an interna-
tional coinage. The Lords of the Treasury, in reply, ex-
pressed their gratification at the decision of the French
Commission in favour of a simple gold standard. The
British Government appreciated the importance of
the International coinage movement, but could
not entertain it, unless France and other countries re-
nounced their system of a double standard. It is added
—" A consideration of the report of the French Com-
mission, supported as it is by the authority of a majority
of the Chambers of Commerce and of the Receivers General
throughout France, and, my Lords may add by the general
opinion and the experience of this country, will, it may
be hoped, influence the Government of the Emperor to
prepare, at an early date, a measure for placing the French
coinage upon a basis which will afford to her Majesty's
Government the opportunity of considering the question
of a common coinage, with fair expectation of a successful
result. My lords are hardly in a position at present
to pronounce an opinion to what extent the
coinage of a gold piece of 25 francs might facilitate an
arrangement for securing a coin common to both cqan-
tries ; but they think it desirable to mention that they
wauld consider it essential that in any system of inter-
national coinage between Great Britain and France, the
gold coins of the two countries should be identical in
weight and fineness, and that the amount of " brassage "
charged, and all the conditions of mintage, should be the
same." This correspondence is published in a Parliamen-
tary paper just issued.