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

THE EXPERIMENTAL WORIIIIOUSE.

After an interesting experiment to decide whether
a man suffering from congestion of the lungs might
be safely dosed with castor oil and opium—the result
proving conclusively that he could not, the good
folks of St. Pancras have been trying.
to discover how long their "on people,"
as they call them, can do without food. An old man
has lately been a resident in the famous institution.
Ile was seventy-two years of age, and decidedly the
St. Pancras workhouse was the wrong place for him;
but like many other inmates he had the
good fortune to die a short time rtso.
At the inquest which followed this not in-
frequent consummation of St. Pancras treat-
ment, it was stated in evidence that the "old people"
in the workhouse had their teas at five o'clock in the
afternoon, and got nothing more until breakfast
time, which was at eight the next morning. The
Irish joke, and therefore thoroughly practical.
'it is to be Loped we have had the last of them, foz
we have before us serious work to do.

TRADE AND FINANCE.

SATEP.DAY EVENING.

The proposed revision of the Chinese treaties, as arranged
ny the Supplementary Convention recently sent home by
Sir Rutherford Alcock, continues to meet with deter-
mined opposition from the merchants engaged in
C,o trade. The increased import duty upon opium
will, prcbally, have the effect of gradually
diminishing the Indian trade, until the Cw inese
drug obtains complete possession of the market. If the
Indian Government have determined to gradually relin-
quish the trade, they cannot adopt a better plan than that
now proposed, for it is notorious that the cultivation of the
poppy is now carried on throughout the length and
breadth of China, and that one province—Szechuen—
produces opium to the extent of two-thirds of
the foreign supply. It is difficult to believe, however,
that the Indian Government are now troubled with
qualms of conscience on account of their having dealt
with so noxious a drug, especially when they have derived
a handsome revenue from this source for a long time past.
Even as the trade is at present carried on, Indian opium
finds some difficulty in contending with native pro-
duce in the Chinese markets, and if the additional
impost of twenty taels be conceded—or about £7 per chest
of 1331bs.—the chance of success becomes still more remote.
Unless very different arrangements are made for conduct-
ing the Indian trade, the revenue to be derived from opium
will gradually diminish, for it has become evident that the
Chinese authorities do not care to prevent the cultivation
of the poppy in China, and a considerable extension of it
may be looked for, to the great detriment of the Indian
trade.
The Money Market has remained without important
feature during the past week, though there has been an
active inquiry in connection with the settlement. There
has been no export demand for gold to the continent, and,
in the present state of the Exchanges, no shipments will
be made. Considerable disappointment has arisen on ac-
count of the non-introduction of the Turkish Railway loan
in London. There can be little doubt that if the loan had
been brought out in the ordinary way, bend fide holders of
Turkish stocks—a numerous and powerful body—would
have readily supported it, as a complete system of rail-
ways would greatly add to the resources of Turkey, and
increase the value of the older stocks. Instead of this,
the miserable device of a lottery has been adopted.
and the character of the loan lowered in con-
sequence. Lotteries have now been declared
illegal, even in Paris, and have become obsolete
institutions which are not likely .to be revived. At the
same time there is little doubt that the capital required
for the construction of the lines will be forthcoming, and
the Ottoman Empire will then be in a fair way of posses-
sing the means of internal communication, in which she
has been so long deficient.
The wheat trade has shown more firmness, not
to say animation. Stocks of wheat in granary
have been on the decrease, and this diminution
is likely to progress, as further withdrawals must now
take place, and our imports will not be sufficiently heavy
to compensate the inroads upon the stocks. The quantity
of wheat in the hands of millers is very small, but farmers
have large holdings, and the prospect of foreign supplies,
on the re-opening of navigation, is good. Whatever
may be the result, therefore, of the comparatively
short supplies now on sale, it is evident that prices
cannot permanently take up a higherrange unless the con-
ditions of trade vary very much from those now extant.
ilnglish wheat must be within is. per quarter dearer on
the week, whilst a similar improvement has taken place
in Russian and American qualities, which for a long time
past have been unduly depressed.

VERDICT AGAINST A POLICEMAN.-3 police-constable
named Norman, stationed at Slingsby, has been found
guilty of manslaughter by a coroner's jury.at Walton.
During the Walton steeplechases there was a not, and the
police charged the mob. The constable Norman struck a
young man on the head with his truncheon, and the blow
proved fatal. The man was committed for trial at the
York Assizes, bail being accepted. Great excitement
prevailed in the neighbourhood, and some rioting ensued.
ANOTHER CHARGE ON ARSON.—A young man named
Symons has been sentenced to a term of sever. years' penal
servitude for setting fire to his dwelling house at Sitting-
bourne, to defraud the Norwich Insurance Company. The
suspicions of the police were excited, and they instituted
the prosecution. The prisoner, who had previously►
borne a good character, fainted when he heard his
sentence.

FALSE PRETENCES.—Robert .Tames Brown, formerly •
merchant in Cornhill, charged with having obtained bllls
)f exchange for £1,500 by false pretences, has been com-
mitted to IsTenate for trial. -

The officers who have been selected to accompany
Lord Elcho to Brighton on Saturday next to make arrange-
ments for the review are Lord Italielagh, Lord Truro,
Lieutenant-Colonel Wilkinson, Adjutant Bottelier, Lieu-
tenant-Colonel Vickers, Lieutenant- Colonel Money, Lieu-
tenant-Colonel pu Flit Taylor, Colonel Thomson, and
Lieutenant-Colonel Cochrane. It is estimated that about
30,000 Volunteers will attend the review this year.
Professor Newman has delivered a lecture at Bir-
mingham on Women's Suffrage. Ile said that, in speaking
of women's satrap., they didn't claim universal suffrage.
In England all men hadn't the suffrage. All tint was
meant by "women suffrag " was that women should not
be deprived of the suffrage ty the mere fact of their being
women, if in other respects they were duly qualified. The
claims of the ladies general:y were advocated with much
strength and eloqueneo.
UARLYLEi=-A correspondence has been car-
ried on for some time in the new:papers in the county of
Durham on the question whether Mr. Carlyle is a pan-
theist. The Northern Echo publishes a characteristic
letter from Mr. Carlyle himself, in which he says :—"No ;
I never was a pantheist, nor a polytheist either. For the
rest, never mind. So far as they (his accusers) do not
t4e4 well, the damage is their own.'