The Sun.
London, England, 1833-10-25 00:00:00

GATESHEAD.

PUBLIC MEETING TO ADDRESS
LORD DURHAM.
(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)
This day, Wednesday, the 231 of October, was the
day fixed on to give a public dinner to the Earl of Durham,
as a token of regard for his conduct as a statesman. Un-
fortunately, the gentlemen who waited on his Lordship to
request his acceptance of the dinner, omitted, perhaps
improperly, to invite Charles Attwood, Esq., to take part
in their proceedings, as one of the Stewards or Committee
of Management. This gave umbrage to Mr. A., and he,
out of personal resentment, it would seem, determined to
do all in his power to depreciate the dinner and its pro-
ceedings, even before it commenced. At Mr. Attwood's
instance, a meeting was called for two o'clock, professedly
with a view of getting up an address to his Lords' ip, to
show him that the electors and other inhabitants of Gates-
head were all ultra-radicals and not Whigs or Whig-
radicals, such as the persons who intended to give him a
public dinner and do him honour at five o'clock. Mr.
Attwood said he hoped his address would be presented by
ten thousand men at the dinner. His prediction has not
been fulfilled.
At about three o'clock in the afternoon, when the pro-
ceedings commenced at Sunderland Road End, within the
borough of Gateshead, from 1,500 to 2,000 people had
assembled. On the motion of Mr. Thos. Doubleday,
seconded by Mr. H. F. Cleghorn, Chas. Attwood, E-q.,
was called to the Chair.
The CHAIRMAN addressed the assemblage as his
brother electors of the borough of Gateshead, together
with other persons from the neighbouring districts, who
might have honoured the meeting with their presence,
whose right to be there was as perfect as their own,
because the principles which they advocated equally
affected every part of the country. As chairman of are
meeting, he had little more to do than request a patient
and impartial hearing to others, and therefore, though he
thanked them for the honour they had done him in ap-
pointing him chairman, he should have much preferred to
be the untongue-tied advocate of liberty on that occasion.
He hoped, however, to be allowed a few general observa-
tions in defence of the propriety and necessity of the
object for which they had been called together. What
the object itself was they all knew full well; and he
would frankly avow that it was with much anxiety he had
solicited the attendance of his fellow-countrymen on the
present occasion. The reasons for the object which they
had in view were of two kinds ; viz., of a general and of
a more particular nature. They were first of a general
nature. The meeting was aware that a public dinner
was that day to be given to the Earl of Durham. They
had been told that no reserve, no compact, no stipulation
tongue tied the voices of those who were intended to move
the toasts on that occasion. He (the Chairman) doubted
not, however, that other considerations, if not an actual
bargain, would make them cautious how they gave utter-
ance to the sentiments of liberty in the presence of a Lord.
—(Applause.) He dare say they sympathised too much
in the principles of Whiggery to say anything which
would outrage the high and aristocratic feelings of a
Whig; and therefore there was no need of a compact.--
(Hear.) Be that as it might, a dinner was intended to be
given to the Earl of Durham ; and he must say that, at a
crisis like the present, no public dinner should
be given to a Whig, unless some reservation were made in
favour of liberty. He was not there to depreciate the
claims which the Earl of Durham might have established
on the good-will of the electors of Gateshead. He
stood forward simply to take care that the opinions of
the honest and high-minded electors should not be mis-
represented. He wished the attention of the meeting to
be directed to the peculiar situation in which the Earl
of Durham stood in connection with the present Ministry,
by whom all the just expectations of the people had been
disappointed, baffled, and betrayed.—(Great applause.)
It was clear, therefore, that the Earl of Durham was not
the proper object of their present approbation. His
Lordship enjoyed whatever honour or credit attached to
him as the son-in-law of Earl Grey, and there was a time
when it was no small honour to have stood in that rela-
tion. But a sad reverse had since taken place ; for the
Earl had as much entitled himself to condemnation as he
had before deserved popularity. The sad reverse which
had occurred lie would not attempt to describe in his
own words, but would do it in those of the poet, Aken-
side, in his description of an apostate Statesman. Mr.
A. then read a long extract to the above purport, and
then observed, that how much of this description might
apply to the political delinquencies of the Earl, he would
leave for others to decide. lie (Mr. A.) would now
advert to the particular causes of their present object.
He considered that as the dinner had not been got up
under the sanction of the people, it was likely to mis-
represent their feelings. In arranging the toasts, and
appointing the speakers, it was very possible that they
might overlook or forget so humble an individual as him-
self, but how was it possible that they should forget his
friend Mr. Doubleday ?—(Great applause.) The only
construction he could put upon the fact was by a sort of
combination of Whig and Radical sentiments to saiugg'e
the views of the Gateshead electors. The Chairman con•
eluded by hoping that, however those be addressed might
that day chance to be insulted, they would refrain from
giving vent to their indignation until a more convenient
season.
Mr. THOMAS DOUBLEDAY then addressed the meeting
at considerable length. He observed that, although a
Gateshead elector, he had hitherto refrained from inter-
ference in their political matters, from a conviction that
the electors were fully competent to take care of their
own independence. But now that attempts were making
to constitute this borough, which had proved itself one of
the most independent in the kingdom, a Whig borough,
he felt himself compelled to come forward and assist in
preventing such a calamity.—(Great applause.) If any
proof were wanting to show the suspicious character of
the dinner to be given that day to the Eai l of Durham, it
was afforded in the exclusion of Mr. Attwooff —(flear,
hear.) The Committee for getting up this dinner had
gone East, West, North, and South, to a distance of seve-
ral miles, to procure gentlemen to attend it. He could
tell them that they need not have been at such great pains
to obtain au honest man, if that was the object of their
search, for had they properly bent their patriotic steps,
they would have found one without further trouble.—(Ap-
plause.) Why had they not invited Mr. Attwood ? So
humble an individual as himself, they might perchance
have overlooked. But the plain fact was, they were
afraid of them hoth.—(Hear.) It had been asserted by
their enemies, both in print and out of print, that the
present meeting was an insult to the Earl of Durham.
He (Mr. Doubleday) denied it. They met simply to give
a full expression of their sentiments ; and if his Lordship
were a reformer, it could be no insult to make their sentiments
known to him. He (Mr. Doubleday), for one, could by
no means envy the situation of Mr. Rippon as Chairman
of the dinner. He must say that the conduct of Mr.
Rippon, during the late session of Parliament had been
quite satisfactory, but that was not the subject of his pre-
sent remark. He was at a loss to know how Mr. Rippon
and his party would proceed, so as on the one hand to
gratify the feelings of their noble guest, and on the other
to be in consistency with the principles on which they had
hitherto acted. He saw no other plan which they could
adopt than to make long speeches about nothing at all.
What could they say, for example, on the subject of
Church Reform, on the subject of the Irish Coercion Bill,
or on the refusal of Alinisters to take off the assessed
taxes ? On these and other subjects, the speakers must
be completely tongue-tied. The speaker then animad-
verted at some length on the state of the representation,
and expressed his regret that Mr. Rippon had not set the
first example of resigning his trust to the electors at the
end of the year, and taking his chance of being re-elected.
Mr. Doubleday concluded by moving a resolution to the
effect that whilst the meeting were anxious to pay that
respect to the Earl of Durham to which his rank and pub-
lic services entitled him, they deemed it their duty, at the
same time, freely to express their opinions as to the in-
efficiency of the late Bill of Reform, and to denounce in
the strongest terms several measures which had passed the
House of Commons since its enactment.
This, having been seconded by Mr. WALSH, was put
to the vote, and carried unanimously.
A long address of the above character was then read and
agreed to.
On the Earl of Durham coming into Gateshead, at five
o'clock, to attend the public dinner to which be had been
invited as a guest, an attempt was made to present the
address ; but his Lordship said that that was not a
p at thatroperseastm
season to present it, and be should decline receiving
it

Sunday evening M. Thiers left a house in the
Rue d'Enfer in his carriage, but did not perceive that his
coachman, who drove very fast, had taken him out of the
harrier, till he found himself in the middle of the fields,
at upwards of a league from Paris. He stopped the car-
riage, and, getting out, discovered that the coachman was
completely drunk. He made the man get down from the
box, and seated the footman in his place. The servant,
however, not being accustomed to drive, soon overturned
the carriage and the Minister into a ditch. M. Thiers for-
tunately received no injury, and returned on foot to his
residence, which he reached about two o'clock in the morn-
ing.—..Courrier Franca'.

etitt,t ~tE v,, (I sTo s T cKit ~- tIA v ..k.--1‘ ONEO
sank s 'CiMCI''
' 208 New 5 per Cent. .• •'"'
Ape, C. nt. 11,11. 561,4 IA India Stock ............. :: . :‘,O
3 per Cent. Cons. 8714 7 , Ditto Bonds .......... .. 0
3% per Cent. 044 'South Sea Stock ........
Otto Bed
% per Cent. 9M % • .
- ;Old Annuities.........
New:;....... •
951 i % INew Ditto ..............
3 per Cent. Ann. 172 . -[3 per Cent. Ann. 1751'3}
I per Cent. 1821 ... 10214 1% 2 :Ex. Bills, £1,1X10.••••' 4,, 34
Rank Long Ann. to expire [Ditto ...500••••",.. ',5 34
Jan. 5, .IPW l6 11-16 % 'Ditto Small . ........... , -
Oct. 111, 1859 • . - !Ditto Commercial ...... .....
Jan. 5, 181(11 • • 17 1-16 i Ditto Advertised . ........ .
Jan. 5, ISRO -,Bank for Account i.. . ,•' ..
April 5, 1880 - India for AccoptA ...,i f;,,4.
Jan. 5, 1870 - I Cons. for A ccoit tit :_y

0 CIACI.'
PRICES OF FOREIGN FUNDS THIS DAY AT ONX - . .."!
Austrian Donuts
Belgian Bonds 941 975
PP
oe
rr
tu,Ni •gi
,aine sße oßnodrisd; .....................................
Ditto Account 9•IN 5j Ditto Account .......... A
Brazilian Bonds 6B ! Ditto New Bonds • .... 940
Ditto Account 6614 5% 6 j Ditto Account ...••• 59' .. i 'II:
Dilenos Ayres Bonds
Ditto Account - Prussian Bonds ... ... .
.......:;14;
—I Ditto Bonds, ISt. . 1
Chilian Bonds ... ....
t ..0 I
Ditto Account 23 ! Ditto Account ........ „, ,i
Columbian Bonds
Ditto Account
9. 11,i —SpanishDttci Ace.il'ir.ld..s.
........ ........ 1..: .. .................... I Ditto Bonds, 1824
_ Ditto Account `) 14 Ditto Bonds, 1811. ••":„.10,
I /anis,' !ion .0 7214 ' Ditto Account •••"Ter,(•s*
Ditto Account French Rentes, sp• 01 ~L
Greek Bonds — Exchange..''. ,f....,c,
Ditto Bonds, 1825 2B —3 per cent. •••••• /1 .0
Ditto Account — ! -- Exchange ••••••'
.00 4
&lex ica n Bonds, 5 per cent 27 Dutch, 21. p. c ........... ..
4'11)
A
Ditto Account — Ditto ccount ...... •.. „..,..i
Ditto, 6 per cent 2,5 V, ! Ditto, sp. c............°.9,11;
Ditto Account 34 Ditto Account.... ..••• Ii.,JV
. ,
Newolitait — French Scrip

- ---,t CP
PRICES OF SHARES THIS DAY AT ONE 0.. r ,
41,g6
Paid. PC 0
94 Alten Mining Company £4 10
Anglo Mex. Mtn. iv. less. at 5/. ptn I.EICO i,'4
Rolanos Mining Company £l5O
Brazilian Mining Company £s
Brazilian Imp. Min. Co. (iss. at 5/. pm.) £2O 6
Ditto National 2O e
Ditto St. John Del Rey
Ditto Cocaes 5 5%
Cata Branca Mining Company 1% 0
__.
11
Il

British Iron Minim; Corm;anv £so
Columbk.n Mining Co. (jut st 51. pm.) 51%
English Mining Company l2 '4
General Mining Association l2
Hibernian Mining Co. £lo 114 i
4.,
Mexican Mining Co £4B a 440
---Real del Monte Mining Co....(unreg.) 531' 11i
United Mex. Min. Co. (iss. at 21. pm.) 40 '4
Ditto New Scrip 5 1,6
Alliance Fire Insurance Comp lO 01
Protector Insurance Comp.
Australian Co.
Canada Company .. ... 17
•i
4,
General Steam Navigation Co.
National Provincial Bank of England 5 iIP4III. Rio Dace
Provincial Bank of Ireland 25

25' /
PRICES OF IRISH STOCKS, DUBLIN, OCT. sof' / ,
Bank Stock - i St. Patrick Insur.(Pei / /
Consols, 3 ner cent.
Gov. Stock, 33 per cent 94 ; National Ditto .........•'
~, /
Ditto, New
I per Cent - I Hibernian Bank ........ •••,„, ,
Gov. I)eb. 3% percent..,, 86% 'Provincial Ditto .. ...... ".,, ,
Royal Canal Stock 4l Royal Irish Mine. ......... „,, ,
Grand Canal Stock - Imperial Mine........''''/,„.. /
City Deb. 4 per cent. - Mining Co. of Ireland
..„,/
Ballast Office Deb. 4n. c. - Commercial Building

MAILS. Pr
0
Arrived. Due. Arrived. ~ 0
O America 0 0 Hamburg ......".-. ' ' 0
O Brazil
O Buenos Ayres 0
O Carthagena 0
1 Dublin 0 000 LjLaiesmebinaicra.d.....l.?..l.a. ............. .... :: v.:
O Flanders 0
1 France 0
O Guernsey &Jersey 0 0 SWMwaae di
eaer ni
..o. i
.". .d.............. ... ..... : : ':o°

HIGH WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE TO—T.IG—g[OVI te,
Aforning ...is minutes alter 0. i Evening...4l minutes..

On Monday next, Cheap and Complete Edition, fof vo °e
elegantly printed and embellished, neatly bound_ ,00
Libr,,ry, so as to range with the new Edition or; sio
Novels, Miss Edgeworth's Novels, By/IdsNovels, lir°r
price 305., 11/I'l
MISS JANE AUSTEN'S N'O •
namely :
Pride and Prejudice. Mu park.
Sense and Sensibility. N,a)
rtsfied
hanl g
Abbey'
Emma. Persuasion.
Richard Bentley, New Burlington-street.d
fow

LONDON,
FRIDAY EVENING, OCTOBER 25, 1895'

The Paris papers of Wednesday, which POI
rived this morning, contain a confirmation 0
,v frO
the statement which we gave yester.,-/
the official paper, the Journal de Paris, °f rote
acknowledgment of the Queen of Tilel
TUGAL by the Regent of SPAIN. ;be
give no later news from Madrid than jof
15th instant, at which time the clips
.
was perfectly tranquil. The Marquis
AMARILLAS, one of the Council of Reg:the
had arrived there, and was in favour Wit'',
REGENT, from which circumstance, as the er
quis entertains liberal opinions, hopes weresq,
tertained that the Government would Ode:"
to conciliate the Constitutional party.
dicateur de Bordeaux states that several P.3;00
Navarre had declared for Don CARL°S
the Indicateur is doubtful authority.
.00

We understand that a counts have hecePthe
ceived at the Admiralty from Lisbon, date
13th inst., from which it appears that 0400
guelites were on the morning of that daY
retreat for Santarem, where they would Preyti
intrench themselves. The Pedroites
on the night of the 12th on the ground
the enemy had just quitted. t ibe
It is evident, from this statement, tPoiiog
siege of Lisbon, which had become On etk
and inconvenient to the inhabitants, is atsoil11(1
and it does not appear probable that it fitieirl';
resumed ; for the army of Don PEDno is ollis
reinforced daily by arrivals from France °I/ °`t
ri‘
country ; and although it must be a '11„,
°lio°
time to put down the guerillas, the ContsWoio
alists will not find great difficulty in dile tl°
hithe
the regular Miguelite forces. Although
e 5
rapidly recruited from an ignorant and Ptf
peasantry, the Miguelite troops cannot resit ore
army in which valour and physical superi°are),pid'
blended with discipline. It must not be ortic,
however, that so long as a considerable Pvineeli
of the influential inhabitants of the Pral
shall adhere to Don MIGUEL, Porttjgapilii:
present many rallying, or at least defensive
At
for the scattered portions of his 301,v., 11'
ni
1.
Santarem he may, by skilful managelneo gtIP
4
his pursuers at bay for some time, the,,,feeee;
position of that place being favourable fer"hve ca';
and driven from thence, he may, if f °
f 0 ee
escape to Elvas, defy with a garrison ° Igt;
five thousand men a siege of months 14
army. The inhabitants of Elvas are, Ptoolllo
more Miguelite than those of any othere so / „
Portugal, and they will probably aclher the Pbe
last to the cause of the Usurper, unless ;ye
rison should abandon him, and reengn 011
tbe
authority of their lawful Sovereign. 0
tua rsyurip)eori nits, otfh
evriee wis,
stillt r eafoerhe
a,
nhe
eu n 101; ehtdrisucbtie
ti
o
able to protract the day of total desespo is:be
but moral causes may arise to hasten his
tea
from the Portuguese territory, and Wag-
-4 , 0
whole of the country. At present he whichby his army from a spirit of fidelitY beetder
le'
cannot help admiring for the motive' 104 he'
pwreaytendaythreegprreitneitphlee, iig)untortahnecenivvoshtiefl'aithfolloell
tl t
fightcome w
iltvhe
zealby da
when pp poi
thenyt mkennotw)
that thei
little

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25, 1895'

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cause is hopeless. Many of the superior
officers are known to adhere to MIGUEL from
.1t dread of retributive vengeance ; they fear,
from the character of one or two of the
Influential members of the present Cabinet of
PEDRo, that no leniency would be shown to them,
and therefore remain faithful from an impression
that fidelity is necessary to their security. Some
j of the Priesthood, also, who have kept up the
gy "thusiasln of the troops, are known to entertain
apprehensions for their own safety—an idea
which is very natural, considering the way in
which the Patriarch of Lisbon was treated when
he offered his adhesion to Don PEDRO. These
"'co, although they entertain a deep•rooted
hatred
of enthusiasm, vvill begin to think of
begntiating for their lives, when they shall see
the
authority of the QUEEN firmly established,
iatticularly
b' after the recognition of that authority
Y Spain, the only Government from which they
expected assistance. The REGENT, after
having become as powerful on the offensive as
h
tie has been firm and valiant in defence, will see
ac necessity of trying other means than the
Sword to subdue his enemies, and secure the
adhesion of the wealthy and influential classes
,r°°ghout the country ; without conceding—
‘t
.'°n forbid that he should concede—any impor-
ailt point to the disciples of Absolutism, he
lintY be induced to make changes in the
administrative power of the Government
:hich will tempt the timid and give an assurance,
amnesty to the more devoted portion of the
Partisans of the Usurper. It has been officially
41114ted to our Government that if the Duke of
:LMELLA had been in authority, and the
n
-ers of that time-serving priest, the Patriarch
fu
Lisbon, had been accepted, General MoL-
:tite's, and several other Miguelite generals,
ro°4l have abandoned his standard, and that
ha, of the guerilla chiefs would have dismissed
° followers. We do not blame Don PEDRO
fo
, Persisting in the course which he had chosen,
4or •
).;
tt was necessary to make a declaration of,
13.'llciples, and we, who have censured so fre-
(illentlY the truckling policy of our Ministers
°wards the Tories, ought to be the last to re-
Dllllltend any such truckling on the part of
things,
PEDRO ; but there is a medium in all
things, and what he could not do honourably
three months ago, when he was struggling for
:ttstence, he may do both honourably and safely
°w that he is possessed of power, and
411 hot expose himself, or the cause which he
represents,, to injury by concessions to persons,
although he is resolved to make none to prin-
eiPles.
The last accounts from Lisbon state, that
tbßo, actuated by the motives to which we
have alluded, had again invited the Duke of
PALMELLA to join the ministry, but, as a simi-
ar
nfrer had not been made to GUERRERO, the
f
rff‘e44 and able adviser of PALMELLA, the
offs bad not been entertained. It was be-
-I,ll:Led' however, that as soon as the siege of
04 should have been raised, PEDRO would
4„"114'e arrangements for calling both GuERRERo
,i
PALMELLA to his counsels, in which cas
in ill secure the accession of a powerful and
tuential party—that of the moderate Consti-
"vQualists—throughout the kingdom.

We some days back gave the heads of a
ptettini moved for last session by Sir HENRY
11441'14T, • showing the rate of duty charged
of
illP°4 articles of manufacture, upon articles
w 4 14Y, and upon articles of food respectively
the Postponed making any observations upon
4: last head, as well from want of space as on
th-e°uat of the importance of the subject. With
im exception of the land-tax, there is hardly an
EP°4t in the tables before us which does not
tellrally, or was not meant by our legislators,
121,,,"f1ers of land, to bear with unfair weight
poI:4 the middle and poorer classes, the non-
fitisessors of land. The first object of every
per -11eial measures has been to favour real pro-
Ladl and its owners. Hence we have for ages
oearn laws of different kinds. When our
frtilation was so thin that the owners
c 0,:,," were able to grow more than it
the consume, the natural step of leaving
4Z1:11., to cultivate no more than was wanted, was
7ed ; and because corn was cheap taxes
oweile imposed upon the people to pay land-
sale ers a bounty to carry their corn for
hood t° Spain or Holland. In order to
ton;`vink the payers of these taxes more
ter i
e,),le,t,elY, bounties were allowed to dif-
th fisheries, &c., and it is not till within
these few years that the nation has got rid of
e excrescences of the system. Auer a time,
4: Population so increased that the bounty
pa'°tltlted in the eyes of the most ignorant to
Yint for our own starvation. Matters, how-
wentev'p,r' on so long, and the price of
eveeat in England became so high, that
lon-ti the bounty rendered it, in general, no
bge" worth while to send the corn abroad.
bo ul's on the importation of corn existed long
these 1815 ; but circumstances having rendered
to f; inoperative, the landowners, beginning
iolh-e' the distress which others felt at that time,
A rf°Bed a duty which amounted to a prohibition.
co,tittline arrived, and the clamour of the people
aga•Pelleti its reduction ; but the land-owners,
aPeir:c finding they were not exempt from the
clas -"on of the general causes which made other
atato-,s reel distress, again altered the law to the
have '4 Which it now is. Their circumstances
time 11°t mended, and perhaps, in the course of
th_
thei hey will discover the folly and inutility of
Have eiat'fluct, as clearly as the rest of the world
Prevailed knavery. The manufacturers at first
whatit upon the Legislature to do for them
all fo did for itself, and impose high duties on
le • reigtl produce and even prohibit some. Our
slator
saw thel s, not being manufacturers, after a time
of absurdity of such a course in the case
nifactures, and gradually reduced the duty
ou 'i
he on manufactured goods, although not
t)4 ,t 1) Prevent the smugglers reaping a profit
414)re
(it" nation at large ought to have. They
treed the duties on many luxuries con-
Nlzer, hY the middle and lower classes. The
luenoes of the course they adopted in both


hese last cases have been just the reverse of what
we witness in the case of corn. The revenue
raised upon the luxuries of the middle and poorer
classes has increased, and their comforts have
been augmented tenfold. On the other hand,
not one of our manufactures has suffered
by the reduction of the duty on foreign goods.
On the con trary, they have all been much ex-
tended since the reduction took place. It can-
not be doubted that the same results would
speedily follow from a reduction of the duty on
foreign provisions. If as a principle foreign
food ought not to be admitted at all, the aristo-
cracy, acting as the Spartans did towards their
Helots, ought to issue orders for the immediate
annihilation of the superfluous mouths at present
in the kingdom. If it is to be admitted at all,
let it come in freely, as long as we can manufac-
ture goods to pay for it. The population
which the landowners now seek to starve off,
would then have the opportunity of shortly
doubling itself ; all the land now out of cultiva-
tion would grow some kind of food, prices
would rise not only here but all over the world,
and civilization might be reasonably expected to
advance at an accelerated pace. Let us look
at the means by which the landowners, for their
own supposed advantage, are endeavouring to
keep down the population to the number which
they can supply with food. The tax on bread
is graduated according to the price, so as just
to keep it up to a certain point below starva-
tion. Having found that the people will not
bear starvation, with food at their door, the
landowners consent to let it in free of duty when
it has reached the highest price they think the
people will bear. It would be some con-
' solation if any benefit accrued to the public
from the tax on corn. But instead of
that, the farmer is ruined by the fluc-
tuation of prices, the manufacturing classes can-
' not get the steady employment they otherwise
would, and the tax only yields a miserable
307,9881. If we must have a bread tax, let it
be fixed and low ; all classes will then know
what they have to look to, and even the land-
lords will be gainers. The state of the law with
respect to the importation of meat is perfectly
ludicrous. Beef not corned is admitted at a
duty of 12s. per cwt. ; corned beef is prohibited
altogether. The duty upon this article in 1832
amounted to 315/. 15s. 11d. Why not boldly
say at once, " We will not admit any foreign
meat ; let the people starve, or feed upon the
calico they could give for it ?" There would be
something open, if not honest or humane, in
this. Bacon and hams are somewhat more mer-
cifully treated than corned' beef, for they are
admitted at a duty of 1/. Bs. per cwt. ; but the
poor do not generally eat ham. Butter is
somewhat in the same situation as bread. There
is a high tax upon it (1/. per cwt.), but it is
fixed ; the farmers know what to calculate upon
receiving for their butter ; they do not give a
high rent for a dairy farm, under the pretence of
being protected ; the people want more butter
than is made at home, and import 128,293 cwt.
The subject cannot be exhausted, but we shall
do no more at present than express our hopes
that the Returns moved for by Sir HENRY
PARNELL will persuade some, and shame others,
into the adoption of fairer principles of taxation.
The people have pretty well made up their
minds upon the question of a free trade in food
and labour ; it will be bad for their rulers longer
to attempt the control of the one or the other.
THE MARKETS.—(THIS DAY.)