The Sun.
London, England, 1870-01-05 00:00:00

rHE SUN, LONDON, WEDNESDAY EVENING,

A FATAL DOMESTIC) QUAIiREL,

At an inquest held in Salford, on Monday, on a man who
had m et with his death at the hands of his wife, the jury
' returned a verdict which the Manchester Courier in-
terprets as " served him right." Tho deceased
and his wife quarrelled about three weeks ago,
and he thrashed her to such an extent that her
recovery was doubtful. She obtained a " recommend"
for the Dispensary, but did not use it for fear they should
ascertain the truth and lock her husband up. On
Christmas-eve they quarrelled again. He, though
sober, knocked her down twice, and was only pre-
vented from kicking her with his clogs when she was
down by the interference of a lodger. While she was
upon her knees, the deceased was making an attempt to
strike her again when she threw a chair at him. The
corner of the chair hit him on the eye. The blow frac-
tured his skull and caused congestion and effusion, from
which he died. The phrase employed by the jury to ex-
press their verdict was " Excusable homicide."

FOREIGN NOTES.

TILE AMERICAN REVENUE.

The Special Commissioner cf the Revenue for the United
States, the Hon. David Wells, has presented his annual
report to Congress. Mr. Wells says that the country is
msking rapid progress, the revenue during the
past year being nearly fifty million dollars in
excess of the expenditure. In September, 1805,
the debt was at its maximum, but since that time it has
been reduced 5304,129,836, while taxation to the amount of
2)0 million dollars per annum has been taken off. The
astual cost of the war to the North he estimates at a little
over 54,000,000,000, but adding the cost to the South, the
destruction of property, &c., it will amount to 0,000
millions. This lost ground appears likely, however, to bo
kseedily regained, since the South is recovering its pro-
sperity, and has exported a surplus of food valued at
3)0 millions in currency, while the present increase
of population throughout the country is at the minimum
r..te of 1,100,0)0. Five ihtnsand miles of railway and
ssven thousand miles of telegraph wires have been con-
structed in the past year. The present aggregate valuation
of property in the United States is estimated at
23,4)0,000,000 doll.. an increase of 65.8 per cent. since 1800.
The Commissioner is of opinion that the accumulation of
new capital in the States is much slower than it should
be, the country having transferred abrcad a large quantity
of State, railway, and other shares, and. 1,000 million
dollars of the national debt. Eighty millions are annually
sent away to pay the interest on these. This export of
securities has merely deferred a payment that must at
some day be made by exporting produce. National pro-
duction has not of late years increased at the same rate as
national consumption—a fact for the Protectionists, who
are not likely to be very well satisfied with several parts
of Mr. Wells's Report.
After discussing the cotton manufacture, the
currency and taxation system, and other topics
of purely American interest, the Commissioner
comes to the tariff duties. He quotes a significant fact.
Its 1808 the United States' export of goods to Great
Britain exceeded the impost of goods from Great
Britain in the ratio' of more than two to one.
Though the bulk' of -American imports represent raw
materials purchased from other countries than Great
Britain, the Americans do not pay for such materials
with their own products, but allow Great Britain to sub-
stitute herself, because she can sell cheaper. This
is the fact which Mr. Wells places prominently
before Congress. Prices must be reduced to make
foreign nations buy, and to do this there must be
contraction of the 700 millions of irredeemable paper
carreney. Rd, rms in the tariff on imports can only, ho
thinks, be made gradually as experience points out ; but
t'se maintenance of an average duty of 47 per cent.
upon all dutiable imports is excessive, unnecessary,
and opposed to the best interests of the States. Under no
circumstances should any increase of rate bo permitted.
There are 2,000 articles on the list of such imports, one-third
of which might, with advantage, be put on the free list. The
Commissioner recommends that all leather, except Morocco
and patent, be hereafter free of duty. The duty on im-
ported iron is also excessive. The ironmasters claim that
protection is necessary to. keep American labour em-
p!oyed, but the high price cf iron affects other trades, and
keeps many men out of work. Imported salt is
a sother of the overtaxed articles, and coal, wool,
c Atop, and timber are all included in the list. Some
articles might bear an increase of taxation, such as wines,
gloves, and other articles of luxnry. Respecting the
da`ies en steel there has been great dispute, as our
Sheffeld friends know. Mr. Wells recommends that they
should be wholly specific. The report has excited very
vent and general interest, but it is too much to hope that
Congress will accept its conclusions.