The Sun.
London, England, 1846-11-04 00:00:00

The expense of transfer consists of the costs of the
necessary deeds of conveyance, which, in the absence
of any special agreement, are usually defrayed by the
purchaser, and of the deduction of title, which
is borne by the vendor ; practically, how-
ever, all the expense falls on the latter.
The purchaser knows that he has to pay not merely
the sum agreed on, but also an unascertained amount
which ha naturally calculated at the highest possible
point, and deducts from what he would otherwise bid
for the property. This expense is of a twofold cha-
racter—the first occasioned by the high and exorbitant
amount of stamp duty, and, secondly, to the verbose
and prolix terms in which the deeds of conveyance
are couched. Most beneficial alterations might be mane
in both these respects, without any loss to the revenue
or the parties by whom the deeds are prepared ; but
the most important of all the changes IA ill be in the
simplifying the titles, and having the necessary
inquiry shortened and made at the same time cheaper
and more satisfactory. We shall shortly offer a few
suggestions by which we conceive these great points
may be attained.

Letters from Zurich state that the Government of
the canton of Lucerne has sent circulars to the Go-
vernments of the other cantons, declaring that it does
not recognise the new Government of Geneva. This
is nu peu fort on the part of the Jesuit rulers of
Lucerne, who themselves owe all their power to a revo-
lution, in which, with the aid of the ignorant peasantry
of the small mountain cantons, they overturned by
force the Liberal Government previously existing
and usurped all the powers of the State.

Madrid papers of the 26th, 27th, and 28th ult. have
arrived. The Gaceta of the 28th publishes a dispatch
from the Captain-General of Saragossa, announcing
the complete restoration of tranquillity in that city.
Twenty-four persons were arrested, and sixty stands
of arms seized. The object of the revolters was to
proclaim the constitution of 1837.

The British squadron sailed form Cadiz on the 21st
al a westerly direction, supposed for Lisbon.
The accounts from Portugal are to the 2,lst. The

cause or the Uovernment was going on well, but
did not mention a single fact to bear out the
statement. The Spanish Herald°, on the authority
of a letter from Vigo of the 22d, declares that Oporto
has recognised the Lisbon Government. This state-
ment, however, is exceedingly improbable. On the
other hand, the Clamor Publico declares that the
insurrection was spreading in every direction, that
the Count DAS ANTAS, at the head of 2,500
men, had entered Coimbra, and was marching
OR Lisbon. The same journal publishes a
letter, dated Lisbon, October 21st, which states
that the Ist regiment of infantry, only 400 strong,
had left for Santarem, and was accompanied by the
KING as far as the place of embarkation. His MAJESTY,
says the writer, met with a cold reception from the
peeple, and returned to the palace in a state of dis-
couragement. Another account, in the same jour-
nal, states that the junta of Oporto was proceeding
actively in the organization of troops, and that the
was spreading on every point. It is
11th regiment of infantry, which had
ai ndsduerdr,e ct
ht iaotn t
he
left Elves by an order from the Government, had, on
its arrival at Estremoz, declared itself for the insurgents
and marched for Evora. Their example, it is said,
has been followed by the 12th Regiment. It is
reported that the inhabitants of Alentejo have joined
the insurrection, and formed themselves into regi-
ments, that a junta has been established at Beja, and
that Marvao and Port Alegre have pronouncrd against
the Government.

MADRID Boma, Ocr. 28.--The Three per Cents.
were done at 341 for cash, and 34i for paper. The
other securities had not changed.

piper published on
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contain any news that could interest the English
reader.

King LEOPOLD was to leave Paris for Brussels on
Tuesday morning.
Marshal BUGEAUD was expected at Marseilles on
the 30th ult., to embark on board the Chameleon
steamer, for Algiers.
The Marseilles Courrier of the 29th ult. says—
" The favourable weather of yesterday has brought
into our port a considerable number of vessels laden with
corn. In the course of the evening 18 entered on qua.
ractine, and 28 with a clean bill of health. Letters from
Constantinople, by the last packet, state that 115 vessels
laden with corn had sailed for Marseilles." •
of
tlie ni SemaphoretlhoethOctober
c tober :
de
...11:.arseilles of the same date
we find the following extract of a letter from Smyrna,
" The Austrian steamer, which reached Constantinople
yesterday morning, brought advices from Tenedos, stat-
e that au English schooner, the name of which escapes
us, commanded by Captain Alexander Jones, lying at
anchor opposite that island on the coast of Troy, had
been boarded by pirates on the night of the 11th. The
seamen on guard having been murdered, and the re•
mainder of the crew confined to the hold, the vessel was
stripped of all its rigging
and valuable articles, &c., and
the captain of his money. It was believed that this act
of piracy was committed by the crew of one of the Greek
vessels anchored close by us."
The following accounts extracted from the French
provincial journals will give some idea of the horrible
destruction of life and property occasioned by the in-
undations :
" Official documents declare that the loss at Roanne
alone of houses carried away by the late inundations
to 200, and this number is being daily aug-
tuented. Not less than 2,000 persons are without food
or raiment ; and to this amount must be added sixty
families belonging to the neighbouring communes.
"A letter from Cosne, dated the24th ult., and published
in the Province, a journal of Moulins (Allier), contains
the following picture of horrors not before mentioned,
but which it is to ba hoped are greatly
exaggerated :
We have acquired the lamentable certainty that the
small town of Saint Firmin, above Briare, containing
about 600 souls, has been entirely engulphed, and that
the whole population have perished ! Tins horrible news
which was first circulated on the
21st, is this day con-
firmed by a letter from the President of the Tribunal at
Glen, which states that the banks are covered with dead
bodies. The inhabitants surprised in their beds were
unable to find any means of escape. Tho banks being
broken down let in the body of the river at the back of
the town, so that these unfortunate beings were com-
pletely surrounded by a torrent, which every minute
them.'
narrowed its inner Circle/ and at last completely covered

" The little commune of Epercieu-St.-Paul. near
Frurs, has lost 42 houses out of 91. Upwards of 40 im-
portant domains have been ravaged between Montrond
and Fours, on the two banks of the Loire. At Van-

or coal now be done, with respect thereto, viz , the
delay, difficulty, and exp:nse atteedant on the
making out and establishing a clear and marketable
title, which should be deduced before capital-
ists would consent to employ their wealth in
the speculation. The oviner had not the means
himself, and could not obtain the co-operation of
others from the legal impediments that exist. For
the same reasons fourteen millions of acres of land at
present in tillage, but undrained, unfenced, wanting
the necessary farm-buildings, and not producing one
quarter of what might be obtained under a better
system, are suffered to remain without the improve-
ments that would otherwise most probably have been
effectel. But this is not all the mischief. The value
of the land is materially decreased ; a large class of
persons, who would gladly invest their money, are
deterred from entering the market as purchasers. Mr,
STEWART has put this simply and well. He
says—" The greater the facility you can get in dispos-
ing of the land, the higher will be its value. The
greater ease, the less expense which attends its
transfer, the greater will be the number of persons
who will be disposed to deal in it, and if they can
part with it again as readily as they have acquired it,
the less hesitation will they have in purchasing it."
Every legal practitioner is aware that there are
vast numbers of landed properties, which, although
they can be enjoyed with perfect security, cannot
readily be disposed of; there is what is technically
termed a flaw in,or a blot on the title ; and if the
owner can, by any possibility, find a purchaser, it will
only be at a loss of several years' purchase-money.
Every condition of sale also lessens the value;
the regards not merely
the presentn
abinotuetrestte,
dividend,by or annual pro-
duce that he can obtain for his capital
during the period he chooses to employ it in a prac-
tical channel, but, also, that should he desire to
realise it, and to call in his money, he may do so with
facility, and obtain the full amount expended. Any-
thing, therefore, that is calculated to deter future pur-
chasers diminishes the value of the property to him,
although at the time he may have no idea of disposing
thereof.