The Sun.
London, England, 1869-03-06 00:00:00

COMMITTEE OF CONVOCATION ON
INTEMPERAACE.

Some months since, as our readers will probably
remember, the Convocation of the Province of Canterbury,
becoming impressed with the great alarming evil, intem-
perance, appointed a committee to inquire into the subject,
and to make suggestions for the suppression of the vice.
The committee included four deans—Alford, of Canter-
bury, Hook, of Chichester, Champneys, of Lichfield,
and Stanley, of Westminster; six archdeacons—Coventry,
Ely, Exeter, Leicester, Nottingham, and Salop ; seven
canons—Argles, Cares, Gillet, Harvey, Oxenden, Wood,
and Fraser ; and two prebendaries—Gibbs and Kemp.
The Rev. John Sandford, Archdeacon of Coventry was
appointed chairman of the committee ; and his name
appears appended to the long report which has just been
published.
The inquiry instituted by the committee was thorough
and searching in its character. They obtained the opinions
of the clergy of the province, the evidence of the au-
thorities in the several parishes, and the experience of
persons of position throughout Great Britain. Facts were
also obtained to aid the committee from the governors
and chaplains of prisons and heads of constabulary, from
superintendents of lunatic asylums, from judges, recorders,
coroners, and masters of workhouses. Landed proprietors
also were here and there consulted ; so that the committee

claim the report to be rather a reflection of the opinions

of those who know best about the matter than the outcome
merely of their own considerations. As to the extent of
the evil, the committee state that drunkenness has de-
creased in the upper and middle ranks of society ;
but has increased amongst the lower orders,
especially amongst women and children. First among
the causes of the evil is placed the Act which called
beerhouses into existence. Passed for the purpose of
drawing men from drinking spirits, it has created a
class of the lowest houses, where crime and vice are fos-
tered and nurtured. The Act, to all intents and purposes,
has proved a failure, and Lord Brougham at one time
attempted to repeal it. As a whole, the complaint of the
committee is that the number of public-houses is too
large, competition, instead of being good in its effects, in
this case only leads landlords to hold out greater induce.
ments to hard drinking. "Itis a matter of painful sig-
nificance that men of position, wealth, influence, and
power, possess a large personal interest in the consumption
of intoxicating drink-3. It is well known that large
capitalists—such as brewers, distillers, and others in the
commission of the peace, and even occupying seats in the
Legislature—own public-houses, which they let at high
rents, thereby necessitating their tenants to resort to all
sorts of inducements to attract people to their houses for
the purpose of drinking." Other indirect causes of evil
are pointed out in the social customs of the country; that
which makes the public-house the place where bargains
are made, and certain meetings held ; the part pay-
ment of wages in drink, which is adopted in the rural
districts in harvest time ; and the use of large quantities of
drink on festive occasions. The committee protest against
the continuance of the hiring mopps or fairs ; against the
billetting of soldiers in public-houses, and against the
extensive adulteration of liquor; and they call attention
to the fact that policemen, who ought to suppress the evil,
are often tampered with by means of treats. Tho
results of the excessive drunkenness are referred to at
some length. Unhappy families, shattered characters,
destroyed health, full workhouses, lunatic asylums and
prisons, decline in national life and character, loss of
wealth and strength to the commonwealth, and consequent
heavy taxes, these are among the many disastrous results
of excessive drinking pointed out by the committee.
" Nor can any sacrifice be esteemed too costly, or any
efforts too great, to check and remedy what may be
shewn by accumulated and undeniable evidence to be
sapping the foundations of our prosperity, blighting the
future, and lowering the reputation of our country,
and destroying at once its physical strength and
its moral and religious life." In proposing remedies
the committee were evidently influenced by the
important fact set forth in the last paragraph of the
report, which runs as follows :—"Few, it may be believed,
are cognisant of the fact that there are, within the
province of Canterbury, upwards of one thousand parishes
in which there is neither public-house nor beershop ; in
consequence of the absence of the inducements to crime
and pauperism, the intelligence, morality, and comfort of
the people are such as the friends of temperance would
have anticipated."
Briefly stated, the committee propose that all benefit
clubs should be removed from public-houses ; that the
practice of paying wages in them should be discontinued,
that good tea and coffee-rooms should be everywhere pro-
vided ; that social gatherings should be encouraged, and all
institutions likely to raise the minds of men above the
sordid level of the beer-shop ; and that education, secular
and religions, should be given to the people. Thus far the
committee think the public can help themselves. To the
Legislature, however, it is proposed to apply for the
repeal of the Deer Act ; the closing of public-houses on the
Lord's day ; the early 'closing of public-houses on week-
day evenings ; a reduction in the number of houses ;
the placing the w hole system under one autho-
rity ; the rigid enforcement of present penalties, both
on drunkard and seller of drink ; the prevention of licenses
for music, dances, and billiards being held together with a
spirit license; the closing of public-houses during the
nomination and election days in parliamentary boroughs; the
prevention of such houses being hell as election committee-
rooms ; the appointment cf special police to look after
drinking houses ; and the repeal of all duties on tea, coffee,
chocolate, and sugar. The last paragraph in the recom-
mendations in effect endorses the Permissive Bill, advo-
cating that a legal power of restraining the issue and
renewal of licences should be put in the hands of inhabi-
tants.

IRISH REPRESENTATIVE PEERS. - The Lord
Chancellor reports that the right of the Earl of Bantry,
the Earl of Shannon, and the Earl of Normanton to vote
for representative peers for Ireland has been established to
his lordship's satisfaction.
SA URIN V. STARF'. AND OTHERS.—TIIC Tablet
states that the expenses of the defendants in this action
will amount to £6,000, and if they are not successful in
their appeal to the judges in banco, they will also be liable
for the costs of the plaintiff. Subscriptions in their aid
are requested.

THE SNOW IN CANADA.—A despatch from
Montreal states that the snow in the streets of that place
is eight feet deep, and some streets are almost impassable.
A statement had been published shewing that the fall of
snow during the winter had been about 118 inches, which
exceeded by 38 inches the total fall in any year for twenty
years past.

There are rumours afloat in the north 'of
England that the North-Eastern Company are about to
run to Edinburgh this season, thus exercising their long
dormant running powers over the North British Railway.
It is also said in well-informed quarters that another
attempt is to be made to fuse the North Eastern and
North British. " The East Coast Railway"
is suggested,
and the open stocks of both companies, when fused,
would bear that designation. It is very confidently ex-
pected that a bill for this purpose will he advertised in
November. We give the rumours without being in a
position, at present, however, to say that they are well.
founded. They are at least probable.—Railway News.
THE MINISTRY AND THE UNIVERSITIES. —The
Oxonians beat the Cantabs in the Ministry. Cambridge
can only claim four of the Cabinet—Lords Clarendon,
Hatherley, Hartington, and Mr. Childers. Oxford has
Messrs. Gladstone, Lowe, Cardwell, Fortescue, Goschen,
Lord Kimberley, and Lord Granville. " England never
before," says the Athenceunt, "had a Ministry with so
strong a force of brilliant Oxonians. In addition to this
affluence, the Cabinet has an abundance of literary laurels.
The Premier is a premier amongst men of letters ; Mr.
Lowe forced his way into public life by his pen ; the Lord
Chancellor and the Indian Secretary are writers of high
mark."

TRADE AND COMMERCE OF NEW YORK. The
report of Mr. Consul Archibald on the trade, navigation,
and commerce of New York for 1867 is not without its
lesson for the American Protectionists. The coal trade to
New York continues to decline, owing to the operation of
the high duty. In 1865 there were 355 British vessels
employed in this trade, while in 1867 there were but 189.
The trade in all British ships to New York, indeed,
decreased about 14 per cent. from 1866 to 1867, but the
trade in British steamers steadily increased. The burthens
onshipping still prove very vexatious to shipmasters,
and the
State Legislature seems indisposed to remove
them. The statements of the whole trade of the port of
New York for 1867 skews a diminution of 208 vessels
entered, and 179 cleared with proportionate tonnage ; an
average decline of about 4 percent. from the pre cedingyear.
The foreign commerce fell short both in exports and imports.
The foreign wool trade is much depressed, and it is said
that under the existing tariff the importation of foreign,
wools must almost cease. This is the more to be regretted
as the finer wools, such as those of the Cape, Australia,
and South America. cannot be produced in the United
States, and the American manufacturers are conse-
quently unable to compete with the European manufac•
turers in the better kinds of cloth. The exports of petro-
leum have again been very large, and the supply has been
more than equal to the demand, without signs of a failure.
The statistics of emigration shew that the number of
emigrants who arrived at the Port of New York during
1867 was 242,731 shelving an increase in alien emigrants of
0.313 over the preceding year. Of thse 33,712 came from
arrived Germany,isent 117,591. England, 6,315 from Scotland, and G 5,10-1 from Ireland.
however,
steamers, altogether
utypeorf3etdhievsge
ilie
vefisels in the emigrants favour.