The Sun.
London, England, 1846-10-23 00:00:00

Dublin : J. M'Glashan

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FAMINE-ITS CAUSES AND CONSE-
QUENCES, being No. 25 of that popular publication
The TOPIC, Is ready this day. Price Threepence.
London : C. Mitchell, Red Lion-court, Fleet-street; and all
Rooksellers and Newsmen.

A FARMER'S NEWSPAPER.
Price 41,4 d.
The MAGNET. Farmer's Protector and Friend, Agricultural,
Commercial, and Family Gazette, price 416 d. (published every Mon-
day evening in time for post), contains the fullest and latest ac-
counts of all the London Markets—Original Reviews of the Actual
State of the Corn Trade—Copious Reports of the Provincial Cattle
and Corn Markets—Useful Articles on Practical Agriculture—and
all the Miscellaneous News of the Week. The Reports front Mark-
lane are furnished by unbiased and impartial gentlemen, and may,
therefore, be depended upon for their strict accuracy. The Magnet
is the only London newspaper that constantly and energetically sup-
ports the interests of the English farmer.
Orders received by all dealers in newspapers, and at the office, 30,

Holywell•street, Strand, London.
The price of the Magnet is 4%d. Important to advertisers—cir-
culation upwards of 4,000 copies weekly. Charges moderate.

THE BROTHERS BERKELEY, and more
PUNCHES on the HEAD—SECRET EMBASSY of LORD
BROUGHAM—The BISHOP of LONDON In DIFFICULTIES—
The CHURCH MOUSE at a DISSENTER'S FUNERAL —The
BARBER'S CHAIR, and NUMEROUS other ORIGINAL Artiele.s,
with all the News, in DOUGLAS JERROLD'S WEEKLY NEWS.
PAPER of Saturday the 24th instant.
Order of any Bookseller.

"The probable ultimate surplus has increased during
the year fri;li 49,5131. Bs. to 57,6901. 9a. id. This arises
from fur:her sums received on account of calls amount-
ing to 4,5131. 10s. and 3,6631. I ls. Id., which have been
realised beyond the estimates and accounts now finally
closed, after deducting interest and expenses.
" On the 30th September the liabilities were 29,6091.,
being a reduction of 10,9691. since the 30th of June ;
and the directors have much pleasure in being enabled
to state that they have, in the present month, paid 5,0001.
in full discharge of the debt due to their London bankers,
Messrs. Denison, Heywood, Kennard, and Co., to whom
the shareholders are much indebted for the liberal treat-
ment experienced at their bands during the liquidation.
" There are still some arrears of calls, and in a few
instances, where parties have the ability to pay, it will
be necessary to resort to legal proceedings.
" The lamented death of Mr. Alexander Bannerman
caused a vacancy in the direction, which was filled up
by the appointment of Mr. John Bannerman.
" The directors who retire from office by rotation are
Messrs. John Bannerman, Peter Bothwell, and John
Swainson. They will be proposed for re-election.
" By order of the Board of Directors
(Signed) "G. R. CHAPPELL, Chairman."
Mr. S. WALKER moved the adoption of the report,
which was seconded by a Shareholder.
The CHAIRMAN said that he had much pleasure in
putting the resolution, but regretted that there were not
more proprietors present. He had the pleasure to inform
them that the concern was out of debt and out of danger.
Their London bankers bad been paid off, as would be
seen by a letter which would be read to them by Mr.
Harrop.
The following letter was then read to the meeting :
" London, Oct. 7, 1846.
. .

" Sir,—We are favoured with your 'letter of yester-
day, and have received the remittance of 5,0001. therein
mentioned, being the amount of the last of the pro-
missory notes given for the debt owing to us by your
company.
" We have now the pleasure to enclose the said pro-
missory note, and to offer our congratulations to the
directors on the discharge of their engagement with us.
" At the period when our embarrassments pressed so
heavily on your establishment in the autumn of 1842,
when our cash advance was so considerable, and we
were under acceptances for a still larger amount, we
could not but feel a natural anxiety respecting our posi-
tion. We, however, placed reliance on the honour and
good faith of the gentlemen engaged in the direction of
the bank, and accepted their assurance of the ultimate
repayment of our advances. Depending upon their ex-
ertions, we allowed time for the winding up of its con-
cerns,and looked forward to a result by which we should
incur no loss. This confident expectation is now realised
by the payment of the last of the promissory notes with
interest, and it is as gratifying to us that our reliance
has been so fully justified, as it must be satisfactory to
yourself and colleagues that the undertaking entered
into has been so completely and honourably fulfilled.
" We remain, yours respectfully,
" DENISON and CO.

" G. R. Chappell, Esq.,
Chairman Bank of Manchester."
A SHAREHOLDER asked how much money was still
duo by the bank.
Mr. FRAZER, in answer, said, in round numbers
24,0001., and the available assets 45,000 L
The report was then put to the meeting, and carried
unanimously.
After some conversation as to the propriety of
reducing their annual expenditure, thanks were voted
to the directors and the chairman, and the meeting se-
parated.

REPEAL OF THE MALT TAX.
On Saturday last a deputation from the Central So-
ciety attended a meeting of the tenant-farmers at the
Norfolk Hotel, Norwich, to adopt means for securing a
total repeal of the malt-tax. The chair was taken by
Mr. Leaman, of Whitewell, a large number of the
leading agriculturists of the county being present.
Mr. J. SMITH, one of the deputation,
explained the
objects of the society by referring to the following re-
solutions, which had been passed
at a meeting held at
the York Hotel, Bridge-street Blackfriars, London, on
the 30th of March, 1846
" 1. That the object of this association is to furnish
employment to the working classes of the British com-
munity (the first source of national wealth), and by
setting the springs of industry free, enable them to ob-
tain both beer and meat at a moderate cost.
" 2. That the tax upon malt is unjust in principle and
oppressive in operation, inasmuch as it presses so heavily
upon the labouring classes of the empire, and at the
same time altogether prevents many of the more needy
from partaking of a wholesome beverage, the only nu-
tritious one arising from the produce of the British
soil.

4
of
b.
aTrhkayt tihneaonpienrearteiodnibolef tdheisgrtaexe,lbimyits the consumption
imp
pslu.rlpOess.e of
fr acre upon
; pon every acre of barley used a duty of
sedforthe
thus
andin tihne
the firstnext
instance
use of the produce for the purpose of fattening cattle.
" 4. That this meeting pledges itself not only to use its
precluding checking
e
h the cultivation of the soil,
most strenuous exertions for the total repeal of this ob-
tic xious impost, so detrimental to the comfort and morals
of the people, but determines never more to relax its ef-
forts, or entirely separate, till the desired object be
attained.

‘ado`p4t.sTuchhatmtheaesucoremsmaisttetehebye Tauyedsteeedmimexmpeeddiiaentetlyantdo
most proper for carrying into effect the above resolutions
upon a wide and extended scale, ar exercise
d to their ur-
gent endeavours for increasing the -subscriptions."
' Mr. NORTHOUSE followed in a speech of considerable
length, in the course of which he traced the quantities of
malt consumed and the amount of duty paid from the
year 1730 to the present time. He stated, that in 1730,
when there was a population of only 5,687,993, the con-
sumption was 28,410,421 bushels, the duty being then
only 6d. per bushel, and the consumption five bushels
per head on the whole population. In 1780, the duty
was Is. 4d. per bushel; the population, 7,814,827; the
consumption, 30,805,100 bushels, or four bushels per
head. In 1828, the population was 13,249,508; duty,
2s. 7d.; and consumption, per head, two bushels two
gallons; while in 1845, with a population of 16,711,725,
the entire consumption was nly 30,508,840 bushels, or
only one bushel six gallonso 2-3ds per head. These
he considered proofs as strong as Holy Writ of the
effects of taxation, and the deterioration of the comforts
of the poor.
Mr. CULLY, of Cossey,tliemnemetiorvigedsetphaerafotelldo.wing re-
solution:—" That this meeting form itself into a com-
mittee, with power to add to its numbers, as a branch
district of the Anti-Malt Tax Association," which was
carried unanimously; and a vote of thanks to the Chair.-
man having been passed, the

SANATORY CONDITION or LONDON.—Wednesday
evening a numerous meeting of members of the Society for
Improving the'Sanatory Condition of London, was held
at the London Tavern, Bishopgate-street, for the purpose
of receiving from the sub-committee a report of the plan
submitted to
Bcoeithey had prepared for carrying out the objects of the
association. The Rev. Mr. Lusignan having taken the
chair, Mr. Abrainvin gave a verbal report of the pro-
ceedings of the committee. He said that tbe sub-com-
mittee had drawn out a series of interrogatories in re
cr7petent per-
upon the
health
ference to the present state of London, and the influence
°
sons to answer. The ob.;acts of the association as last
agreed upon were to be the following :—" To instruct
the people on the evils of bad drainage and interment in
i its
of defective
the
to h e
towns, and to show how they might be removed ; to
disabuse the public mind of the expense attending their
removal ; to urge the appointment of properly qualified
officers of health, and to solicit the co-operation of
Government, the parochial authorities, engineers,
chemists, and medical men in promoting the above
objects." The:proceedings and recommendations of the
committee were approved of, after which the meeting
separated.

A FEW WORDS to the MEMBERS
OF AGRICULTURAL SOCIETIES AND OTHERS
INTERESTED IN LAND.
Gentlemen,—The Act which allows a free trade in
corn has passed. It may be regarded by you with dif-
ferent feelings—by many as the hat binger of ruin, by
some as the commencement of a sounder state of things;
but it is now the law of the land, and it cannot be sup
posed that a measure sanctioned by the leaders of the
two great parties in the State will be repealed without
a trial, even if temporary circumstances did not greatly
favour this view.
But there is a point to which you can immediately
direct your efforts, and which, I think I shall be able to
show you you may reasonably hope to carry. We are
to have free trade in the produce of the land—let us
also have free trade in the land itself. You all know
that the buying and selling of land is at present any-
thing but free ; you all know the expense and delay
which now embarrass all dealings in land. Is it not
worth ycur while to consider whether these must be sub-
mitted to as inevitable evils ; or whether, by taking the
proper pains, you cififigt, materially lessen them ? I
need hardly say thtirrr, this can be done, you, as the
owners of the land, will be benefited, and that every-
thing that gives greater facility to the transfer of land
will enhance its value. If you can buy land more easily,
or sell land more easily, or borrow money more easily
on your land, this is a direct benefit to you, for per-
sons interested in land usually wish to buy it, or to sell
it, or to enjoy it and to render it available for their ne-
cessities.
What, then, is the state of the law as to land ? Is
it clear, and simple, and easily understood, or is it diffi-
cult to comprehend ? You know, if you are wise men,
that you know nothing about it ; that the law relating
to it, so far from being simple or easily comprehended,
is the most difficult branch of our jurisprudence ; that
many lawyers profess not to be well acquainted with it ;
and that this responsibility is thrown on a comparatively
small number even of the, learned profession. Now, I
think you will agree with me that this is not as it should
be ; the laws relating to property should be few and
simple. Intricate and difficult questions will no doubt
arise is civiliked states ; but the familiar transactions,
the sale and the mortgage, should be easily understood
and easily performed. We know they are so in person-
alty, in produce, in stock, in the funds. Is it absolutely
necessary that the purchase and mortgage of land should
be so difficult and so expensive as they now are ?. The
law as to suits and actions may be hard and vexatious,
but then few people after all go to law, but almost all are,
more or less, interested in land.
What spell then binds the land of this country? We
cross over to Belgium, to Prussia, to France, and we
find that the transfer of land in those countries is nearly
as easy and simple as that of stock in the funds. The
Government of those countries demands a larger sum in
the shape of stamp than in England, and this may or
may not be a proper mode of raising a revenue; but, so
far as relates to the acts of the parties, the expense and
delay are very inconsiderable. This has been brought
out in a striking way in making purchases of land for
railways, of which the same persons are directors in
England and in France or Belgium. Now, what is the
result of this increased facility of transfer? We find
that land is more valuable in France, in Belgium, and in
Prussia than in England, it fetches more in the market,
and money can be borrowed on land at a much easier
rate there than here; and it is not unreasonable to attri-
bute this, at all events, in part to the difference in the
law. If, then, land is susceptible in one country of a
ready transfer, and not in another, there is something
wrong in the aw of the country in which it is impeded,
and I hope to show you what it is in our law which
occasions this loss and inconvenience to the holders of
land.
The primary rules of our law relating to real property
in this country are all founded on the feudal system.
The policy of that system was to restrict alienation, and
in some cases actually to prohibit it. It looked upon the
transfer of land with disfavour, and it was only by slow
degrees that land was emancipated from its most ri-
gorous rules. Many of them have been evaded after a
clumsy fashion, and indeed the history of the law
down to the present time is a series of struggles to evade
them; but to this day, on every alienation of freeholds,
the rules established by the feudal system must be borne
in mind, and in the alienation of copyholds these are in
full force. The spectre of feudality still haunts the
land, clanking its chains, and rising at the most unfore-
seen moment to scare the lawful owner from doing what
he will with his own.
Let it be remembered that down to the end of the
reign of Henry VIII. no one could will his freehold
lands, and that down to the 55th of George 111, no one
could will his copyhold lands, without a previous sur-
render; and down to the first year of the Queen no one
could will his customary lands without a previous sur-
render; that so late as the reign of King William IV.
an entail could not be barred except by a fictitious suit
called a fine or a recovery; that down to the fourth year
of the reign of her Majesty two, deeds werce,usually em-
ployed instead of oue in the most simple dealing with
land; that down to the commencement of this year those
useless phantoms termed " outstanding terms for years"
were in full activity; and that now, according to the
established practice, before an acre of land can be
sold, its history for the last sixty years at least must be
told.

But I am sure I need not say any more as to this.
You all know by woeful experience the present state of
the law as to reel property, and it is sufficient to say,
that if its present rules are strictly carried out, they
render many small interests in land absolutely unsale-
able. The only way of dealing with these is to dispense
with ceremonies considered necessary in larger sales,
and to take them on trust, without any inquiry as to
title at all. How then can this state of things be re-
medied ?
I conceive we should all endeavour to obtain-
1. Simplicity and uniformity of tenure.
2. Easy, cheap, and expeditious modes of transfer.
3. Shorter and more simple deeds.
4. A greater certainty as to time in completing the
sale and mortgage of land.
5. Some mode of shortening inquiry as to title.
In order to gain these desirable objects, let me direct
your attention to one or two points which will help us in
obtaining them :-
1. A general map of the country should be made.
This exists in every civilised land, and greatly facilitates
ar.d simplifies all dealings with land. Several recent in-
vestigations, as the Tithe Commutation, the Inclosure of
Commons, and in Ireland the Ordnance Survey, will be
found serviceable as to this. A state-map would assist
other changes, but it would be exceedingly useful as a
measure by itself.
2 A general registry of titles should be established.
This will, when once it comes into effect9al operation,
shorten both deeds and title. This also exists in. every
other civilised country, and even in an imperfect form in
Scotland and Ireland.
3. Proper consideration should be given to the whole
subject by competent and unprejudiced persons employed
by Government.
You will see that the times favour the chance of ob-
taining your reasonable demands in this matter. In
Scotland there is a strong desire to get rid of entails, for
here the feudal law presses on the land even more
severely than with us. In Ireland the whole law of
tenure is in a confused and unsatisfactory state, and en-
lightened persons are demanding laws which will facili-
tate the transfer of land, as a panacea for many of her
present heavy troubles. In England a Committee of
the House of Lords unanimously reported last session in
favour of a " thorough revision of the present system of
conveyancing." A little exertion, then, is alone wanting.
For who is to oppose you ?
The landed interest will not oppose any measure for
the benefit of the land. The mercantile body have
always been fond of investing their savings in the pur-
chase, and of lending their moneys on the security of
land. Even the lawyers are beginning to find out it is
not their interest to thwart measures which will multiply
all dealings in land tenfold. The present Ministry will
not withstand a strong and earnest appeal to them. All,
then, that is wanted in this juncture is, that the appeal
should be made. All that is wanted is a little exertion.
Let us, at all events, insist that these matters should be
fully inquired into, and if this inquiry results in raising
the value of your land to the price that it fetches on the
continent, you will perhaps have the less reason to regret
the present crisis, which will have enabled you to carry
the measures to which I have referred.—l am, gentlemen,
your most obedient servant,
JAMES STEWART.
Lincoln's Inn, October 21.

THE BUTCHERS' CHARITABLE INSTITUTION.—The
eighteenth anniversary festival of the members and
friends of the above institution took place on Wednesday
evening at the Freemasons' Hall, when about 190 gen-
tlemen sat down to a very sumptuous repast ; amongst
whom were B. B. Cabbell, Esq. (chairman), Mr. Alder-
man and Sheriff Challis, Mr. Sheriff Kennard, C. Pearson,
Esq., &c.
THE RELEASE CF THE INNOCENT MAN TIIONIAS
NOTT.—On Tuesday afternoon, an order came down
from the Horne-office to the House of Correction, for the
liberation of Thomas Nott„ who was convicted at the
Clerkenwell Sessions, on the 30th of last month, for
stealing a quantity of linen and wearing apparel, on the
16th of the same month, from the house of Mr. Still, a
tailor, in Lucas. street. The Governor of the House of
Correction, oho behaved with great humanity to Nott,
after his innocence was made apparent, gave him half-a-
crown on leaving the prison. On the same day, Mrs.
Nott, the wife of the innocent man, received 10s. from
Mr. Ellis, the chief usher of the Thames Police court,
who had been directed by Mr. Ballantine to relieve the
family weekly, while Nott remained in prison. On Wed-
nesday Nett called at the Thames Police-court, end re-
ceived two sovereigns from Mr. Broderip, who said that
one of them had been left by a humane gentleman, and
the other was from the poor-box fund, placed at the dis-
posal of the magistrates. Nott expressed his gratitude,
and asked the magistrate's advice as to what should be
done with the girl Evans, who had been the cause of his
imprisonment. Mr. Broderip referred Nott to Sergeant
Harris, of the K division, who was the first to expose the
conduct of the girl, and said the Court would render hiir
every assistance. The worthy magistrate, at the same
time, expressed the deepest commiseration for the un-
fortunate man, and said he was much to be pitied.
He should not lose sight of him, and in the course of a
few days, some further assistance would be rendered.