The Sun.
London, England, 1851-10-03 00:00:00

SIR CHARLES WOOD.

A curious instance of he submission of man to
fate, and the willingness to endure trickery and dis-
guised dishonesty, rather than be active in their re-
moval, is evidenced by the fact that Sir Charles Wood
continues to hold the office of Chancellor of the Ex-
chequer. He has profited little by the sunshine and
the dews of political life, and ministerial honours. His
ripe manhood scarcely possesses more sapience than
his budding youth ; and, like an unwholesome fruit,
he must be plucked and cast away.
The admission of this gentleman to the Cabinet,
which on more than one occasion he has exhibited
to the country in such a supremely ridiculous light,
was a blunder of the Premier's, only to be accounted
for on the ground of the overwhelming influence of
the Greys. But better would it be for the nation that
the Colonial and Home Secretaries should also be su•
perseded, than that Sir C. Wood should again seat
himself on the Treasury benches of the House of Com-
mons. So utterly incompetent has he shown himself to
deal with the commercial and trading interests of a
great nation; so exacting and harassing have been his
application of the fiscal laws of the empire, such
blunders has he perpetrated in straining law so as to
divert legitimate profits of trade to the revenue of the
country, that among the mercantile and trading
classes his name is a terror, his continuance in office a
dread.

Particularly unfortunate is it that the Exchequer
should be presided over by a man of such limited
capacity, at a period when our whole commercial
system is in a state of transition. Free trade is
happily no longer an experiment; the Navigation
Laws are gone. There are questions of external
trade, however, arising out of these recent changes,
which require exceedingly careful management by a
mind grasping the whole bearings of the questions at
i-sue. But here we feel somewhat assured, because
international commerce does not fall peculiarly within
the province of the Exchequer, but is likely to have
the masterly supervision of the First Lord of the
Treasury himself.
It is in the department of the inland revenue more
especially that the evil influence of Sir Charles is ex-
perienced. The income-tax we will now only men-
tion. Sir Charles Wood has admitted his inability to
grapple with its unjust assessment of incomes arising
from land and from intellect by the same standard.
He has also done his best to prevent the judgment of
others being informed on the questions he cannot
grasp, by withholding the evidence taken before a
Committee of the House of Commons.

With regard to stamps used in the operations of
business, the exigencies of the trade had for a long
time required that they should be simplified and
reduced. But instead thereof, a measure was passed
which harassed and crippled trade more than before.
And the sapient Sir Charles expected that tradesmen
would expend their money in Government stock of
this kind, and sell again to the public, with a profit
not even sufficient to pay for the paper in which it
was enclosed. It is true that, in the following
session, he repealed a great part of the crude mea-
sure he had passed, and somewhat modified the im-
post itself; but such is the evil genius of Sir Charles,
that at this time there are firms in the:City whoselpro-
fitsare yearly mulcted some hundreds of pounds more
than under the system formerly prevailing. Instead
of slackening the gripe of Government on the com-
merce of the country, the Whigs have fastened upon
it with even greater tenacity than the Tories them-
selves.

The spirit and circumstances of the times require
that knowledge should be free ; that intercommuni-
cation of thought should be unfettered as thought
itself; that the wants and wishes of man should be
uttered to his fellow man; that the riches of know-
ledge should be announced; that the misery of
want should be muttered. Has Sir Charles evinced
a desire to interpret liberally the statutes bearing on
the press ? Under his presidency their operation,
for purposes of revenue, has been strained to an
extent utterly without precedent. The monthly
chronicle of facts must be stamped, so also must be
the extracted report of a trial. The pump-room
gossips must not be informed of the arrival of a Peer,
unless the official of the Stamp-office receives his fee;
nor must the Bible Society any longer announce in its
Monthly Reporter, notwithstanding its nine years'
immunity, that " subscriptions will be thankfully
received at," &c., without payment of ls. Gd. for the
privilege.
Is Sir Charles bent on making the taxes on know-
ledge so odious that they shall be intolerable ? Or
is it not that the Chancellor's limited intellect pre-
vents him from apprehending great principles, and
confines him to the consideration of the petty details
of a desk or a store ? He exacts the utmost farthing
—he abandons credit for cash ; he demands that all
knowledge of passing events shall pay its toll and
receive his brand. And this at a period when igno-
rance is felt to be a curse ; when education is strug-
gling for a place in a national polity ; when great
social questions are being experimented; when
Church government, based on priestly supremacy, is
rocking to and fro ; when kingcraft and republicanism,
tyranny and liberty, are armed for each others de-
struction.

Is it at such a time that a man, unripe for his age,
is to stand at the toll bar of commerce, and to hold
the keys of knowledge ? Rather perish the Cabinet,
and give us back the man-bracing struggles with pro-
tection and test acts, than that, being free, we submit
to the burdens and restrictions of adolescence or of
senility. Free trade and free thought, who shall
refuse them ?—Morning Advertiser.

SEABORNE MAILS.
[N egnlfles that the malls are sent front the General Post-offic
by the night—and M by the morning—dispatch.]

When made up In
PLACES. General Poet-office
London:

From what
port dis-
patched.

When
due.

America (by Brit. pkt.)Nl Oct. 3 •.
America (by U.S. pkt.) N Oct. 14
America (by U.S. pkt.) M Oct. 8 •••
• • • Africa (West coast)., N 14th of the month
Alexandria* • • •• • • N 19th & 30th of mo.
Belgium • . NDaily
Brazil • • • • •• M 9th of the month
Buenos Ayres .. • • M 9th of the month
California(viaChagres)sl 2d & 17th of month
Cape of Good Hope N 14th of month
Constantinople* .. • • N 7th 17th 27th of mo
Central America • • M2d & 17th of mon.
Chillnel Isles •• • • IsT Mon., Wed., &Fri.
•• .. • M 17th of the month
France •• ••M & N Twice daily •• • •
Hamburgh • • .. N Tuesday & Friday
Greece* ..
liolland
•• MiliVednes. & Satur.
Honduras .. •• N 17th of the mouth
Ireland .. •• M & *Twice daily •• •
India (via Southamp.) 31 20th of the month
India (visu •• N 7th 17th 27th of mo
• ---ancilles) NiBth&24th ofmonth
Mediterranean (via
Southampton) ..
Mediterranean (via 1
Marseilles)
..
Mexico
Madeira • • • .
Malta*
Naples* • . • • • • N
Papal States* •• N
Peninsular.. •• • • 31
Tuscany* .• • • • • IT,
West Indies • • •• It
West Indies (except
Havanna & Nassau) 31
* The mails to those c
French packet via Marsei
CALIFORNIA.—MaiIs to
are now despatched and

Liverpool..
Liverpool..
Southampt.
Plymouth
Dover ..
Dover ..
Southampt.
Southampt.
Southampt.
Plymouth..
Dover ..
Southampt.
Southampt.
Southampt.
Dover ..
Dover ..
London ..
London ..
Southampt.
Holyhead..
Southampt.
Dover ..

20th of the month

13outhampt.

Bth&24thofmonthl
2d of the month..l
9th of the month
7th,17th,19th,27th
30th of month
sth 15th 25th ofme
15th 15th25th of rno
7th 17th 27th of mo
117th of tho month
sth 15th 25th ofmo
17th of the month

!Dover ..
I Southampt.
Southampt.
IDover

Dover
Southampt.
Southampt.
Dover •.
Southampt.

12d of the month ..
ountries thus marl

Oct. 9

and from Califm

lOct. 8

Lt by every Amer!

Arrived
Oct. 3

-- -
Arrived
Daily

Oct. 16
Oct. 16
Oct. 6

Oct. 3

Arrived
Oct. i

Ti. Th. Sat
Oct. 5

Twicedaily
Arrived
Ties. Sat.
Moi.Thiz
Oct. 20
Twiced ally
Oct. 23
Nov. 2

lOct. 23

Nov. 2
ilOct. 5
10ct.16
Arrived
Arrived
Arrived
Sept. 26
Oct. i
Arrived
Arrived

Sotithampt. (Oct. 20
Led (*) aro convoyed by

[a, via the united States
lean packet.

In consequence of the large number of passengers booked
for Egypt and India on the 20th of October, the day the
next India mail is dispatched from Southampton, two
steamers, the Sultan and Pottinger, will leave that port for
Alexandria on the above-named day instead of one. The
mails will be taken out by the Pottinger. This arrange-
ment will not interfere with the dispatch of an extra steamer
to Alexandria on the 3d of November.

THE NEW•ROAD.-0a Wednesday, at the meeting
of the vestry of St. Pancras, a resolution was carried directing
the contractors to 'pave one half of the New-road, between
St. Pancras Church and King's-cross, with the granite blocks
transversely, that portion with which they are at present
proceeding being paved diagonally. The object is to set at
rest by practical experience the disputed point of whether
the granite block-paying,
iaict diagonally or transversely, is
Paint durable.