The Sun.
London, England, 1846-03-12 00:00:00

TRADE AND SHIPPING.

On the motion of Sir Robert Peel, a return has been made
to the House of Commons of the shipping, exports and im-
ports. Customs duties, &c., from periods varying from 1814
and 1826 to the year 1845 the results of which are highly
satisfactory. Tue folloiving is an outline of the docu-

ments :-
1. SHIPPING. —An account of the number of vessels,
amount of tonnage, and number of the crews, on the 31st of
December in each year, from 1820 to 1844.
In 1820, the number of vessels was 25,374, tonnage
2,648,593, seamen 174,514. In 1841, vessels 30,052, tonnage
3,512,480, seamen 210,198. In 1844, vessels 31,320, tonnage
3,637,231, and seamen 216,350.
The number of British vessels entered inwards in 1832
was 10,762, whose united burden was 1,936,846 tons; the
foreign vessels were 3,865, of 561,047 tons. In 1845 the
number of British vessels was 16,964, and their tonnage
3,639,853 ; the number of foreign vessels 7,895, and their
tonnage 1,333,735.
11. EXPORTS.—The declared value of British and Irish
produce and manufactures exported from the Uniied Kingdom
to all parts of the world was, in 1827, 35,860,376/. ; 1841,
51,634,623/. ; 1842, 47,381,023/. ; 1843, 52,279,709/. ; 1844,
58,584,292/.
111. CUSTOMS DUTIES. —The net revenue of the customs,
and amount received for corn duties, from 1833 to 1845,

Were :^

Revenue. Corn Duties.
1839 £21,583,997 £1,098,858
1810 21,784,499 1,156,636
18/ I 21,898,E44 568,340
1841
1843
1844 22,504,821 1,098,382
1815... ......... 20,196,856 367,008
IV. &lA.—The quantity of silk of all kinds entered for
home consumption in 1814 was 2,119,9741 b., in 1324 it had
risen to 4.011,0181 b., in 1831 it was 4,522,3311 b., and in 1814
it amounted to 6,208,0211 b.
The value of the silk exported in 1826 was 168,801/. ; in
1835 this amount had incaeased to 973,786/. ; in 1837 it had
fallen to 503,67.5'. ; and in 1845 reached 764,424/. _ _ _

The quantities of foreign silk manufactures retained for
home consumption since the removal of the prohibition upon
them in 1826, exhibit a gradual rise from 215,2781 b. in 1827,
to 310,1531 b. in 1845.
V. WOOL AND WOOLLEN MANUFACTURES.—In 1824 the
number of pounds of foreign and colonial wool imported was
22,554,485 ; and the price of Southdown wool was is. 2d.
a pound. In 1825 (when the duty on colonial wool was re-
moved) the import increased to 43,816,9661 b., and the price of
Southdown wool simultaneously rose to ls. 4d. a pound.
During the next twenty years the price fluctuated from Gd.
to ls. Bd. a pound, and in 1843 it was at 11 id. with an im-
port of 47,735,0311 b. In 1844 the duty upon alt foreign wool
was removed, the quantity entered for consumption increased
to 65,079,5241 b., and the price of English wool rose at once to
Is. 2J. In 1845 the amount imported had further increased
to 76,828,1521 b., and the price of domestic wool had risen to
Is. 4d.

Between 1831 and 1845 the declared value of British ex-
ports of woollen manufactures had risen from 5,389,1241. to
8,741,728.
VI. REVENUH COMMERCIAL SOURCES.—In 1842 the
total amount of revenue, exclusive of the corn duties, was
32,178,814/. ; in 1843 it was 33,415.4311., although during
that period the amount of Customs and Excise duties re-
mitted was 5,197,074/.
VII. &Ass' AND AucrioN DITTIE3.—The amount of re-

duction in the public expmditure effected by the repeal of
the duties on auctions and glass, in 1845, is 52,636/. The
demand for glass has increased to an enormous extent, and
such is the scarcity of workmen that for some time to come
the public will not derive the full benefit of the abolition of
the duties. Wages in some instances have increased 100 per
cent., and great numbers of workmen from France and Bel-
gium have bean engaged at high salaries. The consequence
is that in Belgium several manufactories are stopped for
want of hands. A great number of new glass works have
been established or are in progress in different parts of the
kingdom.

NEWSPAPERS B.Y POST.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
SlR,—Permit ma to suggest that the newspaper agents
should provide - themselves with stamps similar to those
used by the Post-office, arranged with the names and ad-
dresses of their customers, and that the newspapers should be
stamped with such addressee, and not the envelopes. Perhaps,
to make them more distinguishable it, would be advisable
that they should be done in red ink instead of black. You
will perceive that it can be so done wider 6 and 7 Wm. IV.,
c. t 4, s 14, which allows the name and address to be put on
the paper, but nothing else. If such system should be found
to be successful, a machine might be used similar- to that at
the Bank of England for marking the numbers on the bank
notes, which change at each operation; so might the names
and addresses for each newspaper be changed by a similar
contrivance. Proprietors of provincial newspapers (who are
loud in their complaints against the Post-office department),
who forward newspapers direct from their offices, might have
the names and addresses of their customers printed on the
paper before the press-work is struck off. I allude merely to
those that are ordered to be forwarded per post.

This mode of address wou'd also serve to enable subscribers
to public reading-rooms to get a view of the newspapers some
few minutes earlier than they do now, as they are detained
until the proprietor has stamped the newspapers with his
name, in order to prevent their being taken from the rooms.
If this marking be successful in stopping the pillage of news-
papers from public reading-rooms, I sec no reason why it
should not also be successful hi stopping pillage among the
underlings of the Post-office department.—l am, Sir, yours
obediently, MERCURY.
Ilfracombe, March 11, 1846.

Mr. Twyford, for many years a magistrate at the
Chief Police-court, in Bow-street, has resigned his office, and his re.
signatlon has beau accepted. Mr. Henry, of ilie_Lambeth Police-
court, has been appointed to succeed him.
lIEPRESENTATION OF WIGAN.—It is now said that
the Right Hon. W. E. Gladstone will undoubtedly be invited to be-
come a candidate for the vacant seat in the representation of Wigin.
No opposition is expected from the Halgh family, nor will any other
candidate be started by the free-traders. Report still places T. B.
Crosse, Esq., as a probable candidate on the Conserve ire intereet ;
but ha appears by no means popular with the mejority of the party.
It Is urged in his favour, that he has become a free-trailer to the ex-
tent of Sir It. Peel's ineasuree ; but, the fact of Ills hieing atiJiit a
month ago, taken the lead in getting up a petition in favour of pro.
tection to agriculture, places considerable doubt on the sincerity of
his new sentiments. We have little doubt, that, if Mr. Gladstone
comes forward, he will walk over the course. —MA ichester Guardian.
BATTERSEA. AND CIIELSOA IMPReiVEMENTS.—in con-
nexion with the projecteg imprivemente about to be effected by the
Cominiesionere of Woods and Forests, to which we referred a week
or two slice, In the formation of a new park and river embankment,
it appears to be the intention of Government to Introduce is the
Howse of Commons Bins, not only to empower them to convert Bat-
tersea-fields, &c , into a park, and to effect an embankment of the
• river on the. Chelsea side between the bridees of Vauxhall and Bat-
tersea, but alto for the construction of a bridge, and to open the ne-
cessary approaches thereto, to cross tile river between the Red-hone
and Chelsea Hospital, communicating in a line with Sloane-street. A
further measure, involving extensive powers vested in tile Commie-
sionera of Woods and Forests, will enable them to erect on the Surrey
side of the river, and in parts of and adjacent to the proposed Bat-
tersea New Park, villas, crescents, squares, or streets, arid such other
buildings and ereetione as may be decided upon, with a view of fully
carrying out, as far as may he deemed expedient, certain parts of the
report of the Commissioners appointed to inquire into and consider
the means of improving the metropolis, &c.