The Sun.
London, England, 1848-01-26 00:00:00

JANUARY 26, 1846.

MARKET INTELLIGENCE.

t From the London New Frice Current of Jan. 25.)
SUGAR.—To day there was increased firmness in the
Raw Sugar market, and a fa!ling off in the supply of all
kinds was observable. The home trade appeared anxious
to increase their stocks, whilst exporters were inclined
to do business, and a rise in the value of all sorts
took place. West India of all qualitiess was
in excellent request by refiners, and the grocers
,were anxious to operate, but business was interfered
with by the chief part of the Sugar on show not being
suited for their purposes. Prices, as compared with
those of Friday, exhibit an advance of 611 to is
per cwt, and it is difficult to purchase dry brown
under 35s 6d, Supplies of all sorts are much re-
duced. The sales amount to 420 hhds, &c., including 123
hhds, 4 trcs of Barbadoes, which went briskly at a rise on
former quotations of 61 per cwt, fine yellow fetched 44s
to 455, good 42s 6d to 43s 63, good middling 41s sa to
425, middling 40s to 41s, and low 39s to 39s 6d per cwt.
The market for Raw Sugar closes with much firmness.
REFINED.—To day Retitled goods were much sought
a,trr by the home trade, and stiffer rates were of6.red,
but few parcels could bs obtained. Prices closed firmly
at 55; to 55s 6d for standard, and at 54s 6d for brown
grocery lumps. Bonded Crushed Sugar is unaltered in
value, but the market is dull.
Mauarrrus.—This afternoon Mauritius Sugar of all
kinds was in excellent request privately, and 2,996 bags
at public sale were sold at an advance of is per ewt;
good yellow fetched 40s to 41s, middling 38s 6tl to
39s 63, low 36s 6d, middling brown 325, low 29s 6d to
30s, washed 28s 6d to 395, syrupy 36s to 38s, sugar
drainage damaged 31s to 39s 6d per cwt.
EAST INDIA.—This afternoon the public sales of
Bengal Sugar, consisting of 1,085 bags and 168 chests
went off briskly at 6d per cwt. advance—good soft yel-
low but dingy fetehed 40s 6d to 41s, middling 35s 63 to
365, low 34s 6d ; 13enares, fine sound white 47s to
47s 6d, good 44s to 45s 6d, middling 428 to 435, damaged
white 40s to 445, yellow 34s to 355. Of Ceylon 109
casks sold at improved rates, and went at 36s for mid-
dling yellow. Privately large parcels of Bengal and
Madras Sugar were disposed of.
F.OBEIQN.—To-day there was no public sale of any
kind of foreign Sugar, but privately sales to a fair ex-
tent were made, and rather higher rates paid. The
market has a firm appearance, and supplies are on the
decrease.

Mo'Assns.—The dulness in the market for West
India Molasses has increased, all kinds having been
dealt in with much caution ; and there is a plen-
tiful supply. The value of West India is 15s to 17s,
according to quality. In Bengal Treacle there is still
nothing doing, and prices are nominal, whilst there is a
fair supply. Honey is offered upon rather lower terms.
COFFEE.—This afternoon Native Ceylon met with a
more active demand, and 706 bags at auction were all
disposed of at full market prices and in some cases
rather above. Plantation was in excellent request,
and at public sale 58 casks, 578 bags were sold
alt stiffer prices, good coloury fetched 605., good middling
sss, middling 50s to 535, low middling 47s to 48s 6d, fine
fine ordinary, 43s to 465, fine greyish ordinary 38s to 41s6d,
good ordinary 35s 6d, ordinary 33, pea berry 545. da-
maged 26s to 475, and triage 26s to 29s per cwt. Of
Mocha 90 bales, and 64 bags were nearly all taken in,
yellow long berry. at 90s, a few lots sold, good yellow,
not long bean at 57s to 57s 6d, middling greenish 525,
broken 40s, and damaged 7s 6d to 39s per cwt. The
market for Foreign Coffee had a tranquil appearance,
and the supply was larger. At auction 322 bags, 162
barrels, 20 trs of Brazil were taken in at the full value.
TEA.—There is firmness on the part of On holders
of all descriptions, and the supply is on the decrease,
whilst the home trade are desirous to get supplied.
The rates obtained for Black are fully equal to those, of
this day week, and from the town and country trade
a good demand has been experienced. In Green
extensive purchases have been made in all kinds,
and previous improved rates are well sus-
tained ; indeed in some cases rather more money.
has been obtained for middling sorts. For Pekoe
Teas the demand is on the increase, and prices continue
to improve, while the supply is on the decrease. The
public sales of 7,200 pkgs went off briskly; the large
proportion of 6,000 finding buyers at fully previous
quotations. To-day full rates were insisted upon, but
there was not much passing in Black or Green.
RICE.—To-day there was little passing privately in
East India Rice, and of 2,985 bags of Madras at public
sale a part only found buyers at rather lower rates—
good pinky white went at lOs to lOs 6d, good middling
9s 6d, fine pearl Barley 93 6d to 10s, and damaged 8s 6d
to 93 per cwt. The chief portion of the sound white was
taken in at 105 per cwt.
Cocoa.—This afternoon the quantity of Brazil offered
at public sale amounted to 1,177 bags, and the whole
was taken in at 37s to 38s for good grey, and at 36s
for middling, being above the value, but two lots of fine
red Bahia were sold at 37s per cwt.
SPIRITS.—There is still a desire on the part of the
home trade to get supplied with all kinds of Jamaica
Rum, and exporters have been purchasers to a fair
extent. Holders manifest more firmness, and less freely
supply the market, whilst an advance in prices of Id to 2d
per gallon has occurred. The sales are 250 puns since
our last report ,• 33 to 35 per cent over proof of plain
quality at 3s 8d to 3s 9d ; 36 to 38 over better quality
3s 9d to 3s 10d, and small parcels of fine 4s to 4s ad.
Demerara has been in good request, and prices are
firmer; 200 puns having been sold. East India is in much
better request, and prices assumed an upward tendency,
Leeward Island is held with firmness, and the sales are
200 puns at is 7d to Is 8d proof strength; there are
large buyers rather under these rates. Ihseamnah is
yet little required; still holders will not accept former
rates. Geneva has been sold to a fair extent at 2s 7d to
2s 8d for shipping sort, and at 3s to 3s 6d for fine,
fit for duty. For British made Spirits the demand is
more active, and prices are firmer. The deliveries of
Brandy continue upon a large scale, and holders have
confidence. A good demand has been experienced. To-
day Ruin was in good request, and stiffer rates were
obtained.

SPICES.—For Cloves the demand is brisker, and prices
are well sustained. 411 hags of Bourbon at auction
were all sold. Privately, Penang has been disposed of
at is 3d to is 10d, and Ambovna 9d to is. Cassia
Lignea is little required, and prices tend down-
wards, although the supply is small. Of
Cassia Buds, 6 cheats at auction were taken
in at 100 s. Cinnamon is little r, quired, and the ten-
dency of prices is downwards. The quantity declared for
public sale is 720 bales of Ceylon. Ginger is little
required. Pepper met with attention privately, and
2,643 bags at auction went d higher. Pimento sells
more freely. Of Mace 6 cases Penang were mostly taken
in at 2s 8d for good middling, and at 2s 4d for low mid-
ding. 12 eases Bencoolen Cloves, fine is 9d to Is 10.1,
rood la 7d, ordinary is 2d. The market is quiet for
Nutmegs.
SALTPETRE.—Tho business concluded by private
treaty has been of little moment by exporters or the
home trade, and previous rates are with difficulty sup-
ported. The value of Calcutta for home consumption
is 303 to 32s according to quality. The rates asked for
British refined are still 35, 6(1 to 36s per cwt, but the
amount of business concluded has been of little moment.
For Nitrate of Soda there is a much better demand,
prices have advanced from 14s to 14s 6d.
OILS.—The arrivals of Fish Oils have been small
s.nce this day week, whereas the deliveries continue
satisfactory. On the part of holders there is firmness,
and they supply the market sparingly, but the demand is
not so good. In consequence of the small :took of
Southern holders require 2JI to 321 fur good to fine
quality, and 261 to 281 for low and middling, but the
sales made are of little moment. The market is quiet for
Seal—pale a small supply, others plentiful. Cod is only in
moderate request at 241 15s to 251 per ton. Sperm is
held with firmness, and at 811 to 83/ purchases to a fair
extent have been made in good and fine quality.
Prices are not higher for Linseed Oil, but the
home trade have been larga purchasers, and sales
to a fair extent were made by exporters, whilst the
supply is less plentiful. The rates paid on the
spot at 23s 6d to 23s 9d per cwt. For forward delivery
several sales were conludt dat 24s to 24s 3d. Rapeseed
Oil is in good request, and prices are firmer, whilst the
supply continues small. Olive is in good request,
still there is no improvement to notice in the
value, although the deliveries are still exceeding
the arrivals. In Palm a good business has been
concluded. Cocoa Nut is yet little required, and prices
tend downwards.

TALLow.—To-day there was less activity in the Tallow
market, and prices are not so firm, fine P.Y. Candle on
the spot belling at 47s 3d to 47s 6d.

TETE LOST AVENGER.—One or two circumstances
relating to the unfortunate Avenger have come to our
notice, which, for their interesting nature and the testi-
mony which they bear to the manly eharacter of her
officers, deserve to be made known. Shortly before the
Avenger left Lisbon to proceed to the Me iiterranean, a
boy fell overboard, and as he was unable to swim and
was evidently sinking, Lieutenant Marryat humanely
plunged into the water, with the hope of saving him.
On Mr. Marryat reaching the water, the boy clasped
him round the neck with both arms, and so completely
paralysed his exertions, that Lieutenant Marryat was
compelled to call out for assistance. Upon this the first
lieutenant (Hugh Kinsman) threw himself overboard,
and succeeded in bringing his brother officer and the boy
safely alongside the ship. But the circumstance which
renders this anecdote remarkable is, that the boy, who
could not swim, is one of the few who out of the whole
crew of the Avenger were saved by the cutter which left
her on the night of the wreck and landed on the coast of
Africa.—Malta Times.

ARCHITECTURAL COMPETITIONS.—If the history of
competitions were written, it would display such an
amount of rascality as would scarcely be believed.
What injustice will not men, even honourable men, per-
petrate, when in committee ; admitting no personal
responsibility even to themselves! " Corporations have
no bowels," says the old saw; and certainly a committee
has no conscience. But at the same time this history
Would show even a greater amount of ignorance—ig-
norance of art, ignorance of the cost of its acquirement,
ignorance of the actual position, responsibilities, and
duties of architects. It is this which has led to more
injustice and evil than want of integrity has. An
architect's time is nothing ; a design, a pretty drawing,
such as people make for their own amusement, of course;
nothing else. Disregard by committees of conditions
imposed by themselves is of constant occurrence, with-
out thought of the injustice to individuals which results.
—Builder.

A PRESENTIMENT VERIPIED.—Mrs. Thomas, who,
on Friday last, was committed to prison for two months,
by Mr. Henry, in default of payment of a fine of 201.
for giving a fictitious character to a servant, expired
suddenly, at the Tothill-fields Prison, at about eight
o'clock yesterday morning. This is rendered remark-
able by the fact that, when taken in custody, she said it
" would be the death of her " if she were sent to prison.
An inquest will shortly be held on the body.

COMMISSIONERS OF SEWERS
FOR THE CITY OF LONDON.
Yesterday the Commissioners assembled in their
chamber in the Guildhall; Deputy Peacock in the
chair.

The REMEMBRANCER reported to the Court that
the standing orders of the House of Commons with
relation to the new Bill for the sanitary improvement
of the City had been complied with, and a few days
after the meeting of Parliament the Sheriffs would be
prepared to take it down to the House.
It was then determined to place the Bill under the
care of Mr. Pattison and Mr. Masterman, the working
Members for the city of London.

THE PRICE OP GAS IN THE CITY.

Mr. DAw, the chief clerk, read the following
letter, which had been sent by a number of the inha
bitants of Bishopsgate Ward to Deputy Peacock, the
Chairman of the Commissioners of Sewers. It was
listened to with much interest, as the subject has for
some time occupied the attention of the citizens :

" TO W. A. PEACOCK, ES,..t,

" Bishopsgate Ward, Jan. 17.
" Sir,—The undersigned have seen a paragraph in
the newspapers, stating that the Court of Sewers had
appointed a committee to inquire into and report upon
the price of gas paid by the citizens of London, with
a view to obtain a reduction in the rate charged, and
have subsequently learned that the city gas com-
panies, taking the alarm, have determined on reduc-
ing their charge to 6s. pr thousand feet.
" It will, no doubt, be within your recollection,
that some of us presented a memorial to the Court
of Sewers, signed by 260 inhabitants, gas consumers,
of the ward, at the latter end of the year 1846, at
which time we made the same complaint to the Court
as that you are yourself now reported to have made
(viz., that the company now supplying us at 7s. are
elsewhere charging 65.), and you are aware the
answer we then received to our complaint was by no
means such as we considered we were entitled to at
their hands.

" It it, therefore, with much pleasure we now re-
cognise, and congratulate you on the fact, that you
have shown-yourself amenable to the wishes of your
constituents, and exhibited a willingness to take up
their cause by bringing this matter before the Court
of Sewers, and we trust that you will not fail to urge
and obtain a thorough investigation of the matter,
when we firmly believe it can only be by the failure
of that Court to do its duty if an arrangement is not
effected much more advantageous to the citizens of
London than that now proposed by the gas companies ;
which offer at such a moment we cannot look upon
otherwise than as an attempt on their part to hood-
wink the independent members of the Court of Sewers,
and stifle inquiry by giving up an instalment of the
overcharge.
" Under these circumstances, pending any public
demonstration on the part of the ward, we have
thought it right at once, as fully as possible, to put
you in possession of our views (which we believe to
represent the universal feeling of the ward), in order
that, as our representative, you may be in a position
to support our interests, and in the belief that in the
position you hold, by ♦irtue of that representation
(as Chairman of the Court of Sewers), you possess
and can fairly exercise great power for the benefit of
your fellow-citizens in this matter.
" The considerations we offer to your notice are
as follows :

" Gas being an article of necessity to every trades-
man for the conduct of his business, it becomes him
and is his duty to obtain it as he would any other
marketable commodity of that party who will provide
him on the best terms, he taking fair advantage of
all circum*tances in his favour.

" The advantage of supplying any district with gas
is greatly in favour of one in which the lights are
numerous on a given length of main, and against
another in which the lights are remote from each
other; as in the former there will be less capital sunk
in pipes, less escape, less pressure required, and less
incidental repairs and restorations with reference to
the amount of revenue therefrom. The city of
London is the most densely lighted district in the
metropolis, there being in the city of London one
light to every three feet of iron main, while in no
other of the metropolitan districts is there more than
one in every five feet, and in others the proportion
will be one in fifteen.

" The city of London is known and acknowledged
to be the best paying district in the metropolis, the
amounts collected being larger and more promptly
paid than elsewhere and the defaulters less nu-
merous.

" Notwithstanding these circumstances in their
favour, the citizens of London have been paying
more for their gas than the inhabitants of most other
districts in the metropolis. The cause of this
state of things, it is clear to us, and must be to
you, is, that hile: other districts are accessible to
competition, the city of London has been permitted
to be parcelled out by the two companies that supply
it, so that by an amicable understanding between
them, they have been end-led to exact as much as
they pl6ased or thought prudent to demand from the
private consumers; and they have done this with im-
punity from the knowledge that the Commissioners of
Sewers have uniformly refused to admit another
company in competition, until it has been so gene-
rally understood by those who might have availed
themselves of the permission that they have ceased to
make application for the purpose.
" The pleas of the Commissioners of Sewers for
this state of things have been, that competition would
cause a further disturbance of the already too much
distubred pavement of the city; and that, as com-
panies must be remunerated, the investment of so
much additional capital by another company would
require, ultimately, a heavier tax on the citizens to
that end, While we are willing to give these con-
siderations their due weight, we must claim for our-
selves, that they are only operative when, on a full and
fair investigation of the circumstances, it can be shown
that the citizens of London are required to pay only
such a rate as will offer a sufficient inducement, under
fair circumstances of competition, for any company to
desire the supply.
" Making use of the best information at our com-
mand, we are led to believe that the city of London,
isolated from all other districts, offers advantages for
a supply of gas fully equal or superior to those of
any town in the kingdom ; it being our firm persua-
sion that the peculiar advantages we have mentioned
nearly, if not quite, outbalance even any of a local
nature with reference to the raw material of manu-
facture.

" We le:.ve been credibly informed that the supply
of such a district, apart from others of a less profitable
nature, may be afforded at as low a rate as 4s. per
thousand feet, and we feel confident that if not at
that exact amount, it may be at one more nearly
approximating to it than to the present or even the
proposed charge of gas companies.
" To avail ourselves of such advantages it is not
necessary the streets should be disturbed by competi-
tion for the individual supply. It may be perhaps
somewhat stepping out of our way to direct your
attention to the means; but we cannot refrain from
adverting to the plan by which the private supply
may be taken into the hands of the Commissioners
themselves, by means of possessing their own pipes,
and contracting with any of the companies for the
supply of gas ; the pipes already in the streets would
be available for that purpose; as, if it were known
they (the Commissioners) had decided on such ar-
rangement, it is not likely the present owners would
refuse to accept a fair price for them, but prefer the
alternatiVe of their being rendered useless, and there-
fore valueless. The full benefit of competition would
thus be obtained, and your fellow-citizens would no
longer be mocked by a pretended contract for the
street lights, or a one-sided bargain for a paltry re-
duction of Is. per 1,000 feet of their own consump-
tion, when they had become too clamorous to be
longer denied.
" Having thus, as we consider, shown you that our
interest, or, in other words, the common interest of
your constituents and fellow-citizens, requires that all
the circumstances connected with the supply of gas to
the city of London should undergo a thorough in-
vestigation, and believing that by a different, and as
we think a proper arrangement, we should be greatly
relieved in a serious item of business expenditure, we
respectfully, but urgently request, and trust we may
rely on your efficient exertions in order to effect so
desirable an end. And we pledge ourselves, should
the Commissioners of Sewers not at once obtain for
us far more favourable terms than those now pro-
posed by the companies, to use every means within
our power, by public meeting or otherwise, indepen-
dent of them (the Commissioners) to effect the aboli-
flog of the monopoly."
Upon the motion of Mr. IhaatsoN the letter was
referred to the Committee of General Purposes.
The CHAIRMAN informed the meetieg that the
Chartered Gas Company had reduced the price of gas
from 7s. to Gs. per 1,000 cubic feet.
The meeting then adjourned, after having received
intimations of the active exertions of the contractors
for cleansing the streets.

Tim noms AND COLONIAL INFANT SCHOOLS.—
The Marquis of Lansdowne has sent a donation of 301.
to the Home and Colonial School Society in aid of their
fund to enable them to meet the Government grant.
We read in the Courrier Franeais:—" A French
Protestant, who kept at flatifleur a small reading room
for English sailors, died one day last week without
friends or relations, and in a state of almost abject
poverty. The usual declaration of his death was made
by a neighbour to the Commissary of Police, with a
request that be would order his interment at the public
expense. The Commissary, however, declined interfer.
ing, because the fraternity who took charge of these
charitable offices were by their statutes confined to
Catholics, and recommended an application to the English
Protestants. The neighbour thereupon went to the
English Consul, but he replied that as the deceased Was
a Frenchman he could not interfere. The neighbour
was obliged to return again to the commissary, who, at
last, ordered the body to be carried to its lest abode by
common porters."