The Sun.
London, England, 1851-01-03 00:00:00

largest amount of public sympathy in his motion.—
(Hear, hear.) All these taxes were bad; but if he were
to express an opinion as to which was the worst, he
would say the stamp on newspapers was.—(Cheers.)
Powerful as the arguments were against the paper duty,
he thought those against the stamp net less cogent. He
was for cheap newspapers.—(Cheers.) If competition
IV is good for the farmer, if it was good for the trader,
why should it not b© good also for the newspaper pro-
prietor?—(Cheers.) Let them have the power to enter
into the hitherto unexplored field of those to whom a
record of facts has as yet been denied—with cheap news-
papers, and communicate through them not only
political, but social information.—(Cheers.) Statesmen
might put off the question on financial grounds; but the
fact was not to be disguised, that there was amongst
many of them a latent fear of the spread of the know-
ledie of facts amongst the working classes.—(Cheers.)
Why should there be this fear? What was to be appre-
hended? The stamp was intended to prevent cheap
periodicals from containing the current events of the
day. That could be the only reason, for the cheapest
publications WKS allowed to exist, to be circulated, and
to give theories, fictions, and come sort of information.
But when it was proposed to allow penny publications—
the only publications that practically could reach the
masses of the country—(Hear, hear)—to contain records
of daily occurrences and events—to publish those facts
which would give men a knowledge of the laws and in-
stitutions which they were to lire under—when it was
proposed to do this, they were met by the most unworthy
fears, and told that they should be flooded by an im-
mense torrent of trash, and that it would not be safe to
leave an unfettered discretion to such newspaper writers
as would be called into the field if this tax were repealed.
—(Hear, hear.) He entertained no such fear.—(Cheers.)
An enlightenad people were the best supporters of laws
and institutions.(Cheers.) He believed there would be
no such effective aid of education as to allow facts which,
after all, were the foundation of real knowledge, to be
circulated, cheaply in cheap publications, without
let or hindrance. (Cheers.) Without that they
had no free press.—(Hear, hear.) They may talk to
the world about the free press of England, but they had
no free press so long as there were previous restric-
tions by taxation and the vexations proceedings at the
S'amp-office.—(Hear, hear.) There could be no free
press unless men were allowed to print facts and com-
ments upon paper without previous restraint, making
them only responsible afterwards for any violation they
might commit, by libel or otherwise, of the laws of the
country.—(Hear, hear.) If he were permitted, he in-
tended to submit his motion to the House of Commons
in the same way he did before, and would ask them on
br sad grounds of public policy to abolish all taxes which
directly and specially impeded the advance of know-
ledge.—(Hear, hear.) He did not believe that existing
newspapers had any reason to complain of such a pro-
position, nor was there any real ground to fear that its
adoption would interfere with newspapers of established
reputation. They would retain their position, and the
only change would be tl-at you would have cheap pub-
lications circulating amongst the humbler classes who
have no newspapers now, conveying to them valu-
able information, and recording the current events
of life.—(Herr, hear.) The Times—(Hisses and groans)
paid a fine or tax every year to the Government of
93,0001.; 16,0001. paper duty, 60,0001. for stamps,
19,0001. for advertisements. As far as my recollection
serves, these wore the figures it geve itself. Of these
relative amounts, that for stamps was certainly the
greatest, and it showed that it wits the heaviest item to
be paid, in order to carry on a paper of large circula-
tion.—(Hear.) He had no doubt but the repeal of the
advertisement duty would be highly beneficial to the ex-
isting newspapers. It would increase the number of
advertisers, and, to quote an expression that had been
use'l, so put flesh on the bones of some of the news-
papers which now had a hard struggle to keep in exist-
ence.—(Laughter.) But not only would the great body
of established newspapers be benefitted by the repeal of
the advertisement duty, but society at large would be
materially advantaged by such a change.—(Elear, hear.)
If the present question should come to a vote, though he
was anxious to co-operate with his friends near him for
the repeal of the duty on paper, and would not
do anything to prevent them from obtaining the object
which they sought, yet, consistently with the course he
pursued in the House of Commons, and which, if per-
mitted, he would again take next session, he should feel
it his duty to give his vote for the amendment.—(Cheers.)
The resolution as amended was then carried.
Mr. EDWARDS moved a vote of thanks to the chair-
man, observing that the working classes rejoiced to see
such gentlemen as those now upon the platform coming
among them. for then they heard from the mouths of the
working classes themselves that they would not be satis-
fied with half measures.—(Cheers.)
The vote of thanks to the chairman.having been car-
ried unanimously, was duly acknowledged by Mr. Cowan.
Thanks were then voted to Mr. M. Gibson, who briefly
returned thanks, and the meeting broke up at about a
quarter past ten o'clock.

REWARD FOR MRS. SLOANE.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
beg to enclose twelve stamps towards a
suitable reward for the apprehension of Mrs. Sloane,
with her accomplice, Louisa Devaux. I am a bar-
rister's clerk in the Temple ; and, following the mag-
nanimous example of "J. D.," whose letter you
have justly praised, I would ply my brother clan with
similar arguments to those which his zeal, intelli-
gence, and humanity so happily suggested to his
mind, so as to stimulate them to "go and do like-
wise." lYhy, Sir, if every barrister's clerk in the
Temple were only to subscribe sixpence each in this
laudable, Christian, and (may I not add) incumbent
duty, in a very short time both Mrs. Sloane. and
Louisa Devaux would be in the grasp of that justice
which is literally thirsting for the administration of
its provoked retribution on the barbarous heads of its
three abominable enemies.

I will at once make a canvass amongst my "learned
brethren" the "Knights Templars," for their pecu-
niary aid in this urgent and important case; while
I trust that if any of them should see this letter
(i. e , if you give it publication) they may be in-
duced to make you the almoner of their smallest (as
well as their largest) contributions.
I am, Sir, yours, &c.,
ANOTHER "J. D."
Pimlico, Jan. I.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUZY.

beg to band you 35., the collection of my-
self and fellow-labourers, towards the subscription
for apprehending Mrs. Sloane ; at the same time we
wish it to be understood it is not from any vindictive
feelings we subscribe, but in the hope it may deter
others of Mr. and Mrs. Sloane's propensities from in-
dulging in them towards the helpless and unfortunate
of both sexes. I am, Sir, yours, &c.,
London, Jan. 2. W. D., a Labourer.

THE CASE OF JANE WILBRED.
We understand that several very handsome donations
have been forwarded anonymously to the Royal Free
Hospital, for the benefit of that institution, since the ad-
mission of Jane Wilbred, in addition to the regular an•
nual subscriptions in support of that charity. I❑ conse-
quence of these additional funds the hospital authorities
have been enabled to make very extensive improvements
in the kitchen to that establishment, and also to open a
new ward, capable of receiving about 40 patients.
Mr. William Tindal Robertson, the resident surgeon
to the Royal Free Hospital, begs to acknowledge the re-
ceipt of the following donations for Jane Wilbred:-11.
from " E.," 105. from " Tacker, Esq ," 25. 6d. from
" Robert Hawley. Esq.," and Is. 6d. collected from the
visitors to the " W' ward on Christmas-day. Jane Wil-
bred is in the " B" ward.

COWES, ISLE OF WIGHT.
(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)
COWES, JAN. 2, 1851.
Arrived from Havre, the American steam-ship
Franklin, and at two o'clock this afternoon she got
her anchor up, and was taken to the westward with
the ebb- tide, but she did not get her head round to
the wind till 2.30, and if we had not known her to
have been a good one, we should have thought that
she was afraid to show her breast to the gale. She
had her main and mizen topmasts struck, and steamed
steadily down the west channel ; she had :30 passen-
gers. We have no
channel in such a ‘h to be one of 'the party down
keen 'south-wester, but we heartily
wish Buick them a
and agreeable passage to New
York.

SHIPPING INSIDE THE WIGHT. On Friday last
there was nct one ship either at Spithead or at the
Motherhank, and only six in Cowes-roads, but the
gales this week have driven in a large fleet of out-
ward-bound merchantmen. It blows hard, but they
all ride well.

ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF LONDO3I,--A1 the
general meeting held yesterday, at the Society's Wo°Viir
Hanover-square, Mr. Yarrell, V.P., in the chair, Lanceelin
Dent, Esq., and James Crowdy, Esq., were elected fellow°st
and E. W. Cox, Esq., Mansfield Parkyns, Esq., and W,' Hartree, Esq., were proposed as candidates for the fellow-
ship. The report of the council stated that the number of
elections, during 1850 nearly doubled j the average of the
four years immediately preceding it, and that the total
number of visitors to the gardens amounted to 360,402, ex-
ceeding the most successful year hitherto known (1831) by
nearly 100,000. Upwards of fifty species of animals which
had not been previonaly exhibited,have been added to the col-
lection ; and among them three of the most singular and iute-
re in exiatence —namely, the Hippopotamus, the Wart-
hog, and the Thylacine. Many new names have been added
to the list of donors; anti the prospects of additions during
the ensuing season, both from this source and by purchase,
are of the most promising character. The first part of the
fourth volume of the transactions has been published, and a
sscond, containing the anatomy of the rhinoceros by Pro-
fessor Owen, and other important papers, is in the press.
The income of the society, during 1850. exhibits an increase
of 8,186/. over that of the preceding year.
SANIIIRE AND MEUSE RALLIVAY.—At the half-
yearly meeting of the Sambre anti rileuse Railway Company
yesterday a report of an improved description was laid before
the meeting, showing a profit on the, past half-vear of 1,',321.
In the corresponding six months of 1819 there- leas a !ohs of
5851. The traffic had been stopped by inundations in this
valley of the Sambre. The directors dw‘it on the propriety
of continuing the line in Vireux, so as to unite the Sambre
and Meuse livers and make the line profitable, the cost
of which would be 200,0001. The report was adopted, and
the directors were authorised to raise fresh capital for this
purpose.

Poor POSITITE.—A correspondent of the Glas-
gow Examiner, in re,cerence to Lord Campbell's assertion that
in Scotland a man cr,n scarcely tell whether he is married or
not, states,—" I think Lord Campbell labours under a
mistake; you will believe that I am really married; I keep
my mother-in-law and her three maiden daughters in the
house."