The Sun.
London, England, 1860-03-16 00:00:00

Ito; buiN, A..c.mpuil, FRIDAY 1 VEN111(1, MARCH 16, 1860,

be necessary that the whole of an estate should be'
administered in bankruptcy as at present. The
office of messenger to the Court of Bankruptcy
appeared to be one which was much abused, as
the individual so called received emoluments
varying from £1,200 to £1,700 per annum,
while the duties were discharged by a man who
was paid 3s. 6d. a day for his services. It was in-
tended, therefore, to do away with the messengers,
and to transfer their duties to the official assignee.
The power of giving certificates of a different class
would no longer be vested in the judge, but a
power would be given to him to suspend dis-
charges, while cases of fraud would be sent to the
criminal courts. With regard to the provinces, it
was proposed that as the present commissioners
died off their functions should devolve upon the
judges of the county courts. With respect to the
expenses of the court, it was proposed that the
stamp fees payable on registration deeds of arrange-
ment and composition would produce a sum of
£60,000 per annum, sufficient to meet the expenses
of the court.

The bill, which gave general satisfaction, was
highly approved of by Sir F. KELLY, Mr. E.
JAMES, Mr. MALINS, and others.

Caveat Emptor—mind what you buy—is the
rule for us all. But what if the rule be insufficient
to protect us from fraud—is the vendor not to be on
his guard against the gains of imposture ? Here
Mr. ROEBUCK, and Sir G. C. LEWIS leans to him,
join issue with Mr. SCHOLEFIELD and the other
promoters of his bill against the adulteration of
food. " Much may be said on both sides," it is easy
to remark ; but on which side may most be said,
and truly said, is the practical question ? The
committee on the subject, and the majorities of the
House of Commons, affirm that the buyer, in addi-
tion to his own caution, ought to be protected by
proper legislation against the man who would sell
him water, alum, and potatoes, in the shape and
appearance of quartern loaves of bread; the other
party says that the social penalties are already suf-
ficient.

But are they sufficient ? Facts seem loudly to
answer, no. There seems, in truth, to be nothing
but the proverbial " egg and nut" which is not
adulterated ; and even the privileged egg must not
be too vain. Its very shell is easily made to appear
that of a new-laid one, although it may be very dif-
ficult to tamper, by admixture, with its contents.
An egg's age is, in truth, as great a mystery as a
lady's; and there is no family Bible to peep into in
the case of the egg. No one thinks of denying that
every article of grocery, of drugs, of condiments of
all kinds, as well as all that proceeds from the bake-
house and confectioner's shop, contains something
over and above what it professes to be, and always,
of course, something cheaper ; frequently something
deleterious, or, at least, something not so whole-
some as the pure article. In jewellery and textile

finery the deterioration of the article, while the
appearance is to a great extent preserved, does not
in the least endanger the health and constitutions
of her MAJESTY'S lieges. In food it must be the
reverse. Even if we but eat potato flour, when
we should have good wheaten flour, we must suffer

in the diminished formation of bone and muscle.
But many things are far worse than this. The
effect of alum on our system may be disputed; it is
certain, however, that it enables the baker to sell
us inferior flour, and a great deal of utterly worth-
less water, instead of " the staff of life." But the
adulteration of some articles of daily use with even
the poisonous oxides of lead is proved to be com-
mon. We ourselves once knew a respectable gentle-
man who was made dangerously ill by the adultera-
tion of snuff with lead.

Now it seems to us quite fair to ask—Why, when
a dealer offers to sell us bread, or to sell us " tea,
coffee, tobacco, and snuff," he should be allowed
to sell us anything else ? And this is the question
answered by Mr. SCIIOLEFIELD'S bill. If we are
offered bread, and alum or anything else mixed with
it, the demand is merely that we should be told
that it is bread and alum. People may mix things
as they please, just as they now may chicory and
coffee, but they must tell us that they mix them.
What honest man can well object to this? Why
should it be more objectionable than the obligation
to sell a pound for a pound or a yard for a yard ?
It is said that we cannot generalise our supervision,
and apply it to everything. That, however, seems
to be no objection to our supervising quality as
well as weight, as far as we can.
As to the main objection—that of interference
between buyer and seller, and the contrariety of
this to the principles of free trade, the objection
applies equally to interference with weights and
measures. In time, shops which sold by short
weights, or which curtailed a lady's muslin purchase,
would no doubt be known and shunned. Indeed
the detection is far easier in such a case ; if loss of
reputation were penalty enough, a fortiori, there-
fore, we might leave every dealer to sell by what
weights he pleased. We properly anticipate such
fraud, on the ground that customers cannot have
standard weights and measures always at hand ;
much less could any of them have the chemical
test and the microscope always in their pockets,
and yet more, the skill to use them. To us it seems
therefore very clear that all the reasons which can
be assigned for providing responsible supervisors of
weights and measures, apply with much greater
force to the appointment of responsible analysts of
articles of food.
We are told, indeed, that half-a-dozen competent
men could hardly be found in the kingdom. This
is not true. For the most subtle chemical or micro-
scopical investigations the number of qualified per-
sons may be limited. But who contemplates con-
victing men of adulterations as difficult of detection
as the alleged poisons of Dr. SMETHURST. No
bench of magistrates would, or ought to, convict
in such difficult cases. The worst and most com-
mon kinds of profitable adulteration are even now
well understood, and few medical men who have
passed the hospitals with credit would be unable
to prove the presence or absence of the adulterat-
ing article. It is also less quantitative than qua-
litative analysis which is needed; and the latter is
of course much easier. Some measure of the kind
ought therefore, we think, to become law, and diffi-
culties will soon vanish.

entertained at
Grosvenor-gate, the Hon. Benjamin
the Duchess of kontros
The Right
dinneron. Wednesday, at their residence,
Marquis and Marchioness of Salisbury,
in and Mrs. Disraeli
Viscount
Lord and Lady Burghley, Lady
Rothschild and Miss au
13 lrica Thynne, Viscountess Campd en, Baron
Rothschild,L Sir James and Lady Edith
Ferguson Sir Stafford and
yd Ir. Alex. Baring.
Northcote, Sir William
Jolliffe, Lord' Robert Mentaguaed
at the mail packet
superintendents of contract
The Admiralty superintendents,
ppaoerktsetNsv,ililnicnenfsuetquureenboee
of
de
transferred from the Admiralty to the Post-office and Board
of
Trade. The panish man-of-war steamer Alava arrived
at Southampton yesterday. She will undergo some repairs
at that port. This steamer was formerly the Lebanoa, and
was employed in the African trade before she belonged to
Spain. She is a Scotch built ship.
The electric telegraph has now been extended to
Bournemouth, in Dorset. This place is becoming very
populeus on account of its being a favourite resort for in-
valids.
The Committee of Joint-stock Banks yesterday
determined to recommend to the private establishments
that the general hour for closing on Saturdays should be
fixed at 3 o'clock, instead of 4 o'clock as at present. The
question will be decided by the private bankers on Monday
next, and no doubt is entertained that three will the hour
adopted. The agitation on the question commenced by the
expression of a desire on the part of a majority of the lead-
ing commercial houses that the closing on Saturdays should
take place at 2 o'clock,

LATEST NEWS.

The following telegrams hate been received at
Mr. Reuter's office :

PARIS, MARCH t

The Moniteur of to-day contains a decree nomi-
nating M. Michel Chevalier, Senator.

The Itloniteur also contains a report oe'
Minister of War,l,Marshal Randon, proposing—a:
the ideas of war are receding--to reduce the
effective of the battalions of Chasseurs from eight
to six companies, the force which existed before
1853.

The report is followed by a decree of the Empe
ror, approving the Ministerial proposal.

PARIS, MARCH 15.

The Swiss Envoy at Paris has handed to M
Thouvenel a protest against any measure of annex&
tion of Savoy to France.

The Swiss Government will address a note to the
Powers who signed the Treaties at the Congress of
Vienna for the maintenance of the status quo in
Savoy, and the guarantee of the neutrality of Swit-
zerland, and of a portion of Savoy.

FLORENCE, MARCH 15.

The proportion of votes in favour of annexation
to those for a separate kingdom, was as 70 to 3.
The number of persons who voted was three-
fourth of the total inscribed on the electoral lists.
MARCH 16.

The total result of the voting in Tuscany is as

ibllows :

Total number inscribed on the lists, 386,445.
For annexation

For separate kingdom 14,925
Cancelled 4,949

TURIN, THIIRSDA.Y.

The returns of the voting in the iEtnilian pro-
vinces are complete. The numbers in favour of an-
nexation to Piedmont are as follow :
The Romagna 202,659
Modena 115,621
Parma . . 88,511
The number of votes for separate kingdom has
not yet been announced.

ROME, MARCH 15.

The report that the Papal Nuncio at Paris bad
received orders to leave France is totally unfounded.

VIENNA, MARCH 16,

Lord Loftus having invi►ed the Austrian Govern-
ment to send an official delegate to the fourth in-
ternational statistical congress, the Emperor of
Austria has appointed Baron Czoernig as the re
presentative of Austria at this congress, which wil
open at London in July next.

DRESDEN, THURSDAY.

The official Dresden Journal publishes a power-
ful article on the annexation of Savoy, in which

it says—

" The whole blame is to be attributed to the
policy of England, which shook the basis of peace
agreed upon at Villafranca, and to the passive atti-
tude of the other Powers on the non•realisation of
the treaty of Zurich. To offer any opposition at
the present moment would be too late, as the an-
nexation of Savoy to France may be regarded as an
accomplished fact."

CALCUTTA, FEB. 8

Grey shirtings, 50 reed, 6 lbs, 3r 15a to 4r per
piece ; madapollams, 50 reed, 3 lbs, 2r 3a per piece.
Raw silk ; G. G. M'Cassibagnai, 15: to 17r 8a per
seer. Jute—Serasgunge, 2r 14a to 3r 6a per bale.
Sugar—First quality, 8r 4a to 8r 8a per maund.
Iron, flat, 32r to 34r per maund. Saltpetre, 108 r
per fy maund. Linseed firm, 3r 4a to 3r 6a ; low
to middling, 2r 12a to 3r 3a. Freights to Eng-
land—For saltpetre, 50s; sugar, 50s to 52s 6d ; in-
digo, 80s to 100 s.
COLOMBO, CEYLON, FEB. 16.
The native crop of coffee is very short. Freights,
80s to 85s.

SHANGHAI, JAN. 22,

Business is partially suspended, owing to the
Chinese holidays. Tea settlements small. Imports
—Grey shirtings 51 to 51 catties, 1.85 to 1.91 taels;
64 to 61 catties, 1.95 to 2.2 taels ; 71 to 7f catties,
2.45 to 2.50 taels; H.H. scarlet long ells, 7.5 taels.
Lead, 5.2 to 5.3 taels ; iron, 3.2 to 3.5 taels.
Freights to England—For tea, 30s. to 405.; silk,
70s.

Disastrous fires at Nagasaki and Jokuhama have
destroyed a large amount of European property.

FOO-CHOW-FOO, JAN. 19,

Tea 1 to taels lower. The quantity to complete
season's yield is expected to be small, and higher
rates are confidently looked for.

FRANCE.

PARIS, THURSDAY,

" Several foreign journals," says the Patrie,
" have announced that England was making a
present to Piedmont of sixty rifled cannon, and
that those guns were now being prepared in the
arsenals of Great Britain, preparatory to being
handed over to some Italian officers appointed to
receive them. A letter, which we have received
from London, rectifies this statement. The sixty
pieces of artillery in question are not a present from
the British Government, which has nothing what-
ever to do in the matter, but have been ordered
direct from private founders which are preparing
them for Piedmont."

BOURSE, March 15.--The market has been quiet,
but very firm. A rise of on the English Consols
contributed to this steadiness. Threes improved
from 67f 95c to 68f sc. Mobilier varied from
746 f 25c to 748 f 75c; Lyons, 893 f 75c to 895 f ;
Orleans, 1,391 f 25c to 1,392 f 50c; Northern, 922 f
50c to 925 f ; Austrian, 502 f 50c to 505 f ; Lombard,
536 f 25c to 538 f 75c. The following are the last
quotations :

4i per Cents. 95 75
Do. end month
3 per Cents 6B 6 I
Do. end month 6B 5
Bank Shares 2BOO i

Credit Fonder 745
Belgian 4t —
Piedmontese (5)
Roman Bl —.
Austrian

oreclit Mobilier .. 746 25 Spanish Throes 45
Do. Account ..... 747 50 Home Debt 43 75

RAILWAYS.

Cash. Account.
Orleans
Northern .. 927 60 .. 928 75
New ditto 835 .. 83.5

Lyons and Mediterranean 897 50 .. 897 60
Geneva 470 .. 470

Southern
Western 582 50 .. 585
Eastern
Sardiniaß 397 60 .. 397 50
Austrian
Lombard ..
Exchange on London, at sight, paper, 25f. 100. ; money,
25f. 71c.; three months, paper, 24f. 871 e. ; money, 24f 85c.

the most measured language and with every assur-
ance of the most respectful devotedness, Victor
Emmanuel, in substance, asked to be amicably in-
vested with the Vicariate of Romagna, the Marches,
and Umbria. This request, though made in the
most delicate manner, gave great offence ; and Car-
dinal Antonelli, when refusing, on two occasions,
to admit the King of Sardinia's almoner to an
audience of his Holiness, expressed himself in some-
what angry terms. In the course of the in-
terview, the cardinal said that he was astonished
to see an ecclesiastic, and not a diplomatist or aide-
de-samp, charged to bring such a despatch. To
that, the Abbe Stradella ingenuously replied ' that
the mission had been proposed to him, and he had
accepted it, precisely because it was thought, and,
in his opinion justly, that for a conciliatory mis-
sion to the Court of Rome, the ecclesiastical cha-
racter was preferable to all others.' As to the
Holy Father's answer, it was written with his own
hand. The cardinal declares it was not communi-
cated to him, which is very probable. Some persons,
usually well informed, assert that it contains this
phrase, ' Your letter is unworthy of a Catholic
King and of a prince of the House of Savoy.'
Whether this statement is correct or not, I have no
means of ascertaining."