The Sun.
London, England, 1833-10-16 00:00:00

Y ESTERDA Y'S CONVICTION.

'Mr. ALLEY said he considered it was his duty, in joss
tie to the unfortunate man (Palmer) who had been con-
victed yesterday, to say that Sir Thomas Champneys had
informed him (Mr. All-y) that be knew wahine of the
man ; thatby had been brought down to the Court the
prosecutor in order
he
to identify him, but on seeing him he
had cone away, as ewenothingabout him. It was
necessary that such a statement should be made, because by
what fell from Mr. Adolphus last night, he bad no doubt
been misinformed.
The CHAIRMAN did not doubt but that Sir Thomas
Champneys was stating the truth when be made that
statement to 31r. Alley, but the officer was then in
Court who had the prisoner in custody ;
he stated that
be took him down to Kingston, where Sir J. Champneys
prosecuted, and the very same man, had been sentenced to
two years' imprisonment. fie again stated that he did
not doubt the impression On the worthy Baronet's mind
was as stated, but an officer was much more lik,ly to
have a distinct recollection of a circumstance of that na-
ture, which took place eight or ten years ago. That cir-
cumstance, however, had not influenced the Bench in the
sentence they bad given.
The COURT was engaged with several unimportant eases
up to4be time of our reporter leaving.

LONDON,
WEDNESDAY EVENINC;, OCTOBER 16, 1833.

We understand that at the Court held this
day at St. James's, Parliament was prorogued
from Thursday, the 31st inst., to Thursday,the
12[h of December.

We have just heard that in the storm of last
night the Chain Pier at Brighton was blown
down.

We have this day to announce the very grati-
fying intelligence that Captain Ross and his
crew are still alive and in safe.y! The gallant
adventurer and his daring companions reached
a whale ship in Davis' Straits, and may be
daily expected in this country. We have yet
little or no particulars of his perils or his for-
tunes, but it may be inferred that his vessels
were lost from the circumstance that he is said
to have reached the Fury, and contrived by
means of her boats to reach the Isabella whale
ship, on board of which he now is on his return
home.

It is singular that we have a letter to•day
from Captain BACK, who went last year in
search of Captain Ross by land. If he perse-
vere in his arduous undertaking before news
from this country reach him, Captain BACK
and his companions are likely to be themselves
in the predicament of those whom their chivalrous
sympathy so nobly prompted them to relieve T.
Since writing the above we have heard that
Captain Ross has actually arrived, but we cannot
vouch for its correctness.

The French papers of Monday contain no
news from Spain of an authentic character, but
private letters assert that the Manifesto of the
Queen caused universal consternation among
the liberal or Constitutional party without hav-
ing the effect of conciliating the Carlists.
This is always the fate of half or hypocritical
measures. Although Madrid preserved a gloomy
silence, the funds went down 10 per cent., the
3 per Cents. having declined from 47 to 37.
In the meantime the friends of Don CARLOS
were busy at the work of revolution, and are
said to have proclaimed him at Vittoria. Ac-
cording to the present accounts, M. ZEA seems
to carry everything his own way.
FRENCH FUNDS.—PARSi, OCT. 14.
Five per Cents., 100 f. 25e. 50c.
Three per Cents., 70f. 90c. 71f.
National Loan, 100 f. 50e.
Bank Actions, 1,700 f.
Rente de Naples, 85f. 25c.
Roman Five per Cents., 85.
Rente d'Espagne, Five per Cents., 15.
Rente d'Espagne, Three per Cents., 32.
Rente Perpet. d'Espagne, Five per Cents., 52z,,i.
Belgian l oan, 1831, 893.
Haytian Loan, 255 f.
EXCUANGE ON LONDON.
One month, paper, 25f. 35c. ; money, 25f. 35c.
Three months, paper, 25f. 25c. ; money, 25f. 25c.
—court Authentique.

We stated some time ago that the English
merchants, trading with Egypt, had taken alarm
at a report that there were, in the last treaty be-
tween Russia and Turkey, two articles which
were calculated to shake the stability of the
commerce between this country and Egypt. A
paper of this morning gives, in a letter from
Constantinople, an account of this treaty, from
which it would appear that the merchants have
taken alarm without cause, as relates to the letter
of the treaty ; but the spirit of it is such that
their apprehensions are not only justified as re-
gards Egypt, but also as to Turkey. The object
of this treaty, on the part of the Emperor of
RUSSIA, was evidently the subjugation of
Egypt, in the first instance, and, secondly,
the direct mastery over Turkey ; but if both
cannot be accomplished, he will make either the
instrument of his designs upon the other. We
hear also, and we give credit to the report, that
there are two secret articles to the treaty still
morei.outTsentosivtie interestseltotlied of herignityof merchants,thisthan country,alid
inim
those which
a published.
sufficient T
to
oe
rousepub li s h
theed
articles are, however,re
' indignation of the Cabinets of Great Britain
and France, particularly that which declares that

the Dardanelles shall, whenever Russia may
please, be closed to the vessels of other powers.
If there were no other grounds for insisting upon
the annulment of the treaty than the general
offensiveness of this article, that consideration
alone would, we think, justify an immediate de•
mand, even at the hazard of war in the event of
refusal, for its revocation. When the triple treaty
between Great Britain, France, and Russia, for
the pacification of Greece was entered into, it
was distinctly laid down by the Plenipotentiaries
that neither Power should ever attempt to obtain,
either as regarded Greece or Turkey, exclusive
advantages over the other. This agreement was
soon violated by Russia ; but when the treaty of
Adrianople was concluded, Russia, not being
quite prepared to defy France and Great Bri.
tain, again recognized the principle. The last
treaty between the Emperor NICHOLAS and the
SULTAN, shows how far the principle has been
respected.

At the instance of Sir HENRY PARNELL,
two returns were last Session ordered by the
House of Commons to be made and printed, of
great interest to the financial reformer. One is
a return of the quantity of certain articles which
have paid duties of excise and customs for home
consumption since 1828. The other is a return
of the rate and net amount of the duties on
articles being materials of manufactures, build.
ing, shipbuilding, &c., the duties on British
manufactures, the duties on articles of luxury,
the principal direct taxes, the land tax,
the duties on articles of food, and the taxes
on capital. Under the first head is com-
prised about three hundred articles, yielding
altogether a revenue of 4.525,0641., customs
and excise duties, of which 2,925,7091. is
on account of the customs, the remaining
1,599,354/. being levied upon bricks, tiles,
soap, and starch, the only exciseable articles
included under this head. Before entering
into the next, one or two articles present
themselves for remark in the long list before
us. Our iron ware is one of our staple
commodities, one in which it is impossible
that foreigners can compete with us if we leave
commerce in its natural state. Doubtless, by
forcing our own population to eat dear food
or perhaps, more stric ly speaking, forcing foreign
manufacturers to eat cheap food, it is possible
for us to raise up dangerous rivals in the iron
trade just as we have in the cotton and wool
trade ; but supposing us to act the wise part of
raising the price of food to the foreign manu-
facturer, it is utterly impossible that he should
ever compete with us in our iron trade.
We are the great iron manufacturers of
Europe, and have it in our power to
continue so. One would think that one
clear mode of keeping our trade was, to
admit the best raw material at an easy rate of
duty, wherever it might come from. What is
the fact ? The duty on iron in bars or un-
wrought, from any British possession, is two
shillings and sixpence per ton, which yields a
revenue of 21 9571. The duty on iron in bars
or unwrnught, from other places, is one pound
ten shillings per ton, and the revenue it yields
is just nothing ; in other words, the duty amounts
to a profaition of good foreign iron coming
into England, and an encouragement to its being
carried to our rivals. Perhaps no very great
quantity of foreign iron would come in under
any circumstances ; but supposing that there
were none, the fact only makes the enormous
duty ridiculous as well as impolitic. Timber is
another article on which the duties are pre-1
posterously unequal. In some cases the dif-
ference between the duty levied upon Baltic, or,
indeed, upon any other timber but that coming
from the British possessions in America, is ten
times that levied upon the last mentioned. Battens,
for instance, of a certain description, coming
from America, pay only one pound per 120,
but coming from Prussia, or any where else, ply
ten pounds. Inequalities, almost equally glaring
and equally injurious to the British consumer,
occur in other denominations of wood, except
masts and yards. In these articles the duty
on Canada timber is only five times less
than on that from every other part of the
world. The duty on oars from America is
only 19s. 6d. per 120, whilst from elsewhere
it is 14/. 19s. 3d. Can we wonder at Prussia
not being inclined to show our manufactures
much favour, when we thus treat her raw pro-
duce ? Can we wonder at Baltic shipwrights
building cheap vessels, when we thus force
them to use cheap timber ? Were the trade in
timber open, the price in the Baltic would rise
to the price in England, short only of the cost
of transport ; just in the same way as, when the
' ports were constantly open (which they virtually
were for many years), the price of corn at
Dantzic was always within 12s. per quarter of the
price in England, that being the cost of transport.
Ministers endeavoured in the boroughmongering
Parliament to modify this Canadian absurdity,
but were defeated by a junction of the Tories,
and what is called the Colonial party. As it is
to be hoped that the interest of those who pay
the taxes, the interest of the public of this
country is in future to be consulted, and not
that of Mr. GOULBURN or Mr. ROBINSON,
we trust Ministers will shortly renew their at-
tempt to unshackle this branch of our commerce.
Towards the end of the list we perceive another
gratuitous absurdity nearly as great as that
committed in the case of iron. There is
an import duty of two pounds per ton on
foreign coals. Of course it yields nothing, and,
as we are exporters of coals, can have no effect
whatever; but should it ever happen that a par-
ticular kind of coal was to be discovered abroad,
twice as fit for our iron manufactures as that we
ourselves possess, the duty would clearly cut
our staple from under us. Were such things
merely absurd, they might be passed unnoticed,
but they unfortunately operate as examples
abroad. In several continental states, for instance,
a heavy duty is levied upon our coals, and how
can w
their
e consistently o
ln
v
interestsla% ,r4ghat them as acting
against
The excise duties on the British manufactures

* As a proof of how slowly Governments, as well as people,
acquire political knowledge, a curious fact may be stated with
regard to this very article of coals. Some few years back a
Company was formed in the Mediterranean to run a number of
steam-boats between Marseilles, Genoa, Leghorn, and Naples,
for the carriage of goods and passengers. The coals for the
use of the boats had all to be brought from England, and what
with freight, and what wish duty, paid on their landing at the
several do pots, the price was rather heavy. The Company made
representations of the advantage of the traffic, &c., in which
they were engaged, to the different Governments concerned,
and finally succeeded in obtaining, not a general reduction of
the coal duty, but an allowance of a certain quantity of coals
for themselves, on which they pay no ditty.

of glass and paper amount to 1,316,5731. The
Customs' duties on articles of luxury are set
down at 14,059,155/. Most of the articles in
this list have tolerably moderate duties on them.
An exception to be regretted is in the article of
currants ; but we trust that the expectation of
a reduction, held out by Mr. POULETT THOM-
SON last session, will be fulfilled. The only
other remarkable exceptions which yield a large
revenue are the articles of foreign spirits and
tobacco, and upon these, we must confess, we
care little how high the duty is, short of offering
too great an encouragement to the smuggler ; and
we fear that the state of the population on our coasts
sufficiently proves that at present the duty on
hoth articles is too great. The duties of
Excise, classed under the head of luxuries,
are hops, malt, British spirits, sweets, tea,
and vinegar, which yield altogether 13,819,4471.
Tea, which yields 3,509,834/., will, under the
new Act, come under the head of Customs.
The greater part of the tea, and nearly the
whole of the other articles here enumerated,
are consumed by the middle and lower classes.
The principal direct taxes, amounting to about
3,845,0001., are also, mostly, paid by the
same part of the community. The land
tax, the only one hearing directly upon our
law-makers, yields 1,181,340/. The direct taxes
on capital not invested in land, in the shape of
legacy duty, is 1,223,008/ , of probate duty,
&c., 800,451/. In this summary we have passed
over the Customs' duties on articles of food.
They are too important to be treated of at the
fag end of an article like this, and shall, as they
deserve, shortly have a separate notice.