The Sun.
London, England, 1851-01-31 00:00:00

that indeed, in that case, where the shoe pinched. His
battle-field wes abroad, not at home; and it was in fo-
reign marts that he had to struggle against rivalry and
competition. Welt! how did the legislature deal with
his ease ? Why, by relieving him from the pressure cf
Excise duties which enhanced the cost of production.
Toe result is notorious to the least considerate observer.
Now, it is precisely this mode of treatment which we are
desirous of seeing applied to our now, we regret to say,
declining paper manufacture, declining not so much in ex-
tensiveness, as in what is far more important as affecting
the capital of the country—the rate and amount of profit.
We confess that when we first turned our attention to
the condition
of the paper manufacture in this country,
we had no just idea of the extent of its industrial im-
portance, or of the degree of repression which it is suf-
fering from the operation of the duties imposed upon it.
There is, perhaps, nu branch ot• industry, the vicissi-
tudes of which,from its birth to the present time, present
so complete an illustration of the effects of taxation upon
its development. Progressing gradually from its feeble
beginning in the reign of Elizabeth to a strength and
importance which, iu an evil hour, attracted the at-
tention of a Chancellor of the Exchequer, driven
to his last shifts fur ways and means, it suf-
fered on the imposition, and, during the continuance
of its first and most unjust taxation, met severe
and serious depression, but sprung again into position
on the reduction of the duties with an elasticity indica-
tive of the highest strength and vitality. Immediately
subsequent to the grant of that measure of relief, an ex-
given to this manufacture, and
n
were made by those who had
troaadrott rylara impulse
plsreofiwtsas
embarked their capital in it.
But what is the condition of the trade at the present
moment ? and why are the paper manufacturers press-
ing for a remission of the duty still remaining on their
production? and why are we, as public journalists, urg-
ing their claims in preference to many others? Because
they are alarmed by finding that their rate of profit is
steadily and continuously decreasing under the pressure
of foreign competition, and because they
.apprehend
that the result of the struggle m which
they are engaged will be, should the Govern-
ment unhappily listen to the loudest clamour
instead of the strongest argument, the displacement of
British by Continental labour. And we do nut hesitate
to say that, after taking the greatest pains to inform our-
selves upon the subject, we are convinced that that alarm
and that apprehension are just and well-founded. Now,
we will place before our readers one out of a thousand
instances which have come to our knowledge in the
course of our inquiries into the merits of the case, and
which has, with others of the same character, had its
share in guiding us to a conclusion. The Americans
are engaged at this moment in purchasing in this coun-
try, for import into the United States, the raw material
for the supply of their paper mills; they have the ex-
pense, of course, of the freight of a bulky article to pay,
in addition to the cost price here, yet they can afford—
such is the pressure of the Excise duty upon oar own
manufacturers—to work it up, in spite of these prelimi-
nary expenses, at so cheap a rate that they are now
effecting sales in our own colonies at so low a pipe
that-they have driven the. British salesman out of the
market.

We shall, no doubt, be met by a reference to the
Board of Trade returns, and we shall be told—oh, bat
look under the head of exports; why, under all this dis-
couragement of which you talk, there is a positive in-
crease in the export trade in paper. We acknowledge
unhesitatingly that it is so; but we answer in this case
precisely as we have answered on former occasions to
the allegations of general commercial prosperity, sup-
ported by references to the exports, as set forth in re-
turns of the Statistical Department of the Board of
Trade, that the amount of exports of any manufactured
article affords no true measure of the prosperity of the
trade, or of its value to the country. Tell us what profit
accrues upon the sales, and we will tell you what addi-
tion it renders to the capital of the nation.
Now, what are the claims of the window-tax as com-
pared with those of paper? The window-tax, we ad-
mit, is most unquestionably unpopular, though not to
the degree to which the Times and its clients would
fain persuade the Chancellor of the Exchequer it is.
It is offensive in its operations, unequally adjusted, and
awkward in its working; but after all it is only a per-
sonal tax. It does not with directness injuriously affect
to the investment of capital and the employment of
labour, as the paper tax does. On the contrary, capital
employed in the building and purchasing of houses
yields, as is well known, a very good return; nor, above
all, does it, as the continuance of the paper duty does,
put a most important branch of domestic industry to the
imminent hazard of being displaced by foreign enter-
prise. And for these, and other reasons, on which we
have insisted on- former occasions, we again beg to join

i
our voice to that of the deputation, whose interview with
the Chancellor of the Exchequer yesterday will be found
reported in another part of our paper, in urging upon
him most earnestly the primary importance of relieving
their manufacture from the tax which so heavily presses
upon its further development, and even renders its pre-
sent footing most precarious.

MISTAKEN OIDENTITY.
PARDON OF MR. GOLDSMID.

It will be recollected that Mr. John Goldsmid was
tried at the last Middlesex Sessions before Mr. Sergeant
Adams, for an ussault alleged to have been committed
by him on George Trevemea, an excise officer, and after
a trial which occupied a coheiderable time, found guilty
and sentenced to an impristrnment of three months. Im-
mediately after••the trial-'Messrs. Lewis, of Ely-place,
who defended Mr. Goldsmid, having, from the instruc-
tions the.), had received, felt• confident of the innocence
of Mr. Goldsmid, proceeded to obtain evidence in addi-
tion to that given at the trial, with the view of laying
the whole body of testimony before Sir George Grey.
Assisted by the efforts of -Mr. Goldsmid's family, and
numbers of his friends, his solicitors, produced fifteen
declarations upon the subject, and forwarded them to
the judge who tried the unlucky defendant. While this
was in the possession of Mr. Sergeant Adams the inno-
cence of Mr. Goldsmid was. placed beyond all doubt by
the appearance of Win. Hoggins, the person who
had, as was stated, committed the assault, and who came
forward to take upon himself the responsibility and to
relieve the individual erroneously charged from the im-
putation against him. Mr. Sergeant Adams, imme-
dtately upon hearing the statement of Mr. Hoggins, and
Messrs. Lewis having reduced that statement to a de-
claration on oath, addressed the Secretary of State for
the Home Department., and the result was that within
half an hour of the presentation of the document yes-
terday Mr. Goldsmid was liberated from custody with a
free pardon—the pardon being of course a mere form,
but necessarily arising from the fact that the verdict of
the jury was " guilty."

UNIVERSITY INTELLIGENCE.

MINERALOGY.

CAMBRIDGE, JAN. 30.—The Professor of Mineralogy
has given notice that his lectures will commence on
Thursday, Feb. 20. . .

These-lectures will be given on Mondays, Tuesdays,
Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, from two to three
o'clock, in the Mineralogical Museum, under the west
end of the new library.
Gentlemen who attend these lectures with the inten-

tion of obtaining the professor's certificate, which, by
grrce of the Senate (Oct. 31, 1848) is now required
under certain conditions for the degrees of 8.A., Hono-
rary M.A., and 8.C.L., must be provided with the pro-
fessorial lecture-ticket, for which they are requested to
apply to the registrary, or to their college tutor.
Gentlemen who do not require the certificate are ad-
mitted gratis.

Efforts are being made to establish a school of
design in the " faithful " city of Worcester with a view to
the improvement of the porcelain and other manufactures
there.
The maltsters of Ware met last week and agreed
to petition Parliament for a remission of the additional duty
of 51. per cent. imposed, in 1840, on the amount of the
malt duty.
APPREHENSION OF A MURDERER IN LIVERPOOL.—
In the month of November, 1842, Mr. James Scully, a ma-
gistrate of the county of Tipperary, was barbarously mur-
dered near to his own residence, at Killfeaele. The mur-
derer eluded the vigilance of the police, notwithstanding
that a reward of 2001. had been offered for his apprehension.
On Tuesday night he was given into the custody of the Li-
verpool police, through the instrumentality of his "if!,
whom he had deserted. The alleged murderer's Ran"
tAndrew Coffee. He was taken before Mr. Rushton, an
d
`ordered to be sent to Ireladd.
A 'LARGE MAIL.-01F Monday
evening there were
at one time not fewer thin 90,000
_letters (besides about
40,000 newspapers) in one clepartmenwteoreitne Liverpool Poet.
the correspondence
office-the ship-letter office: They
or prepared to be dis-
received from America by thee N_nitga'ar
dispatched
from patched to America by that rogne
tS
maila t ur d
ever
nde
Africa will probably take. o
from any post-office.—L:
RI; '337
SHIP LAU
stNCH T MOONLIGHT:
„outdone were made at the ship yard of
enPrci Holmes, of this port, for the launching
Wednesday last
Messrs. Hess"' ered) barque, of 525 tons burden, named
of a splend d
-iforereminent Greek firm in London. A large
Syria' bu,,ig'f persons were assembled, anxiously waiting to
concourse 0
witness the interesting event. The shipwrights' sledge-
wedges, and the ship was ultimately
boomers drove in the -
andto be ready. " Stand clear " was the order,
and the " dogshorea " knocked away, but the ship con-
tinued in her position, and although the screws were used
to force the vessel into her destined element, it was all in
vain, and this disappointed the anxious curiosity of many
hundreds of persons then assembled, who, soon afterwards,
rapidly dispersed. Immediately the vessel was replaced
on her blocks and the " ways ' got ready again, by being
soaped and greased, and at about three o'clock the next
morning, being then very moonlight, the ship was launched
in gallant style, and, although thus early in the morning,
a considerable number of spectators were present. The
vessel is the largest ever built at Rye, and is pronounced
an excellent model. She is intended for the Mediterranean
' trade.

-
A RAILWAY TRAIN ATTACKED BY A 13tiLLocK.—
The mail train ou Wednesday night narrowly escaped being
thrown off the rails between Headcorn and Buckley, bya
bullock which had strayed from a drove while crossing the
rail. The drover bad succeeded in turning the beast towards
the gate, when the mail-train was s etene red
plights roachi
on the
ng
to Lithe
which the beast made directly towards
h
parts
engine, with its tail in the air.
It ran full tilt against
60 of the body having
engine and was dashed to
been picked up at a distaPniceecesa yards from the place
where the collision occurred. The shock was felt by the
engine-driver, and the train was s stopped, but proceeded on
ascertaining the nature of the occurrence. Maidstone
Journal.
Experience—knowledge sold at a high price by
Misfortune to
Jlndiscrournaletion, and taken care of by Memory.--.
Eliza Cooles .
THE WiNnow-TAX.--A spirited and unanimous
meeting in favour of a repeal of the window-tax was held
under the presidency of the mayor, in the Guildhall, Ply-
mouth, on Wednesday.
The Rev. Robert Eden, Rector of L.igh, Essex,
has been elected Bishop of the diocese of Ross and Moray,
in the Episcopal Church of Scotland, by a majority of Aye
to two, in succession to the Right Rev. Bishop Low.