The Sun.
London, England, 1860-02-29 00:00:00

AMERICA.

QUEENSTOWN, FEE. 28.
The Montreal Ocean Company's steamer North
Briton, Capt. Borland, from Portland, Maine, on
the 18th of February, has arrived. She landed the
Irish mails only.

The Bohemian, from Liverpool, arrived at Port-
land on the 14th ; the Prince Albert, from Galway,
arrived at Newfoundland on the 15th ; and Arabia,
from Liverpool, reached New York on the 18th inst.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 17.—A resolution has been
adopted calling for a letter to the French Emperor
on the subject of commercial relations and free
trade. The Senate has expressed its gratification
with the proposal of Paraguay. The bill abolish-
ing the franking privileges has been passed, and
referred to a select committee. It is stated in
democratic circles that if Kansas admitted the
Wyandotte constitution the President would veto
the bill.

The Treasury balance was last week nine millions,
subject to reductions for drafts drawn.

Francisco dates are to the 2sd January. The
markets were dull and unaltered.

NEW YORK, Feb. 17.—Stocks firmer, but no
material chaege has taken place. Money and ex-
change unaltered. Ashes firm. Cotton - lower for
grade below middling. Sales, 10,000 bales. Mid-
dling Uplands, l l c. Flour more active, and prices
are a shade better. Wheat and corn quiet. Pro-
visions—Sugar and coffee firm. Freights to Liver-
pool drooping; for cotton, 3-16 to 7-32; Orleans,
7-32.

NEW ORLEANS, Feb. 17.—Sales of cotton, 6,500
bales, at easier prices, but not quotably lower.
Freights to Liverpool, 9-16. Exchange unaltered.
MoBILE, Feb. 16.—Sales of cotton, 3,000 bales ;
middling, 101 to 10c. Market firmer.

MONTREAL, Feb. 17.—Flour stnady. Numerous
petitions have been signed for the repeal of the
newspaper tax and the 10 per cent. duty on books.

CUSTOMS DUTIES DURING THE PAST
YEAR.

The following account of the gross produce of
the Customs' duties during the past year, con-
trasted with the two previous years will possess
peculiar interest as the last of the period before the
complete adoption of free trade. Each article is
arranged in the order of the amount yielded, sugar
being at the head of the list—a place recently oc-
cupied by tobacco. Among the principal items
which will never appear again—the duties having
been entirely abolished—are silk manufactures,
which gave £307,561; butter and cheese, which
gave £154,343; and tallow, which gave £75,602 ;
while among those on which reductionc will operate
to the largest extent are timber, wine, spirits, and
fruit :

Sugar ..
Tobacco
Spirits ..
Wine ..
Timber ..
Fruit
Corn
Coffee
Silk manufactures ..
Retimal sugar ..
~folasscs
Spices ..
Butter
Tallow ..
Leather manufactures..
Cheese ..
Eggs
•••• • • • •
Watches ..
Cocoa ..
Embroidery ..
Clocks ..
Caoutchouc
Hops
Woollen manufactures
Worsted yarn ..
Other articles

Total

1857.

4,942,081
5,253,431
5,060,032
2,366,494
1,965,3i1
589,725
353,080
473,383
456,805
250,905
278,336
169,308
112,559
110,593
74,776
65,231
48,200
21,160
28,154
14,555
11,554
10,669
8,224

8,952
32,459
1,936
1,776
265,553

1858.

5,786,987
5,454,214
5,186,170
2,216,481
1,827,111
576,797
494,985
580,783
44 !,120
270,540
255,891
200,418
127,395
95,489
87,655
58,117
44,369
22,426
33,036
15,113
12,796
8,521

7.,748

1859,

3,663
37,320
1,5t9

2,207
289,911

LORD ELGIN AND SIR Al.. SEYMOUR.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
Sir,—l enclose a copy of a letter which I have
received from Lord Elgin, and of which he has
authorised me to make any use I please. I shall
feel much obliged by its insertion in your columns.
—I am, sir, your obedient servant,
LAURENCE OLIPHANT.
4, Mount-street, Feb. 28.

" 110, Eaton-square, Feb. 27.
"My dear Oliphant,—As I see that you are
blamed for some statements in your narrative of my
mission to China and Japan, I think it due to you to
state that I was cognisant of your intention to write
that book, and that my advice to you was, that
you should give to the public the fullest informa-
tion on all topics of general interest, and that when
you were compelled to touch on political points
you should confine yourself strictly to what had
been made public in the despatches already sub-
mitted to Parliament, abstaining from reference to
matters with which you were acquainted through
the confidential relations in which you stood to me.
Having seen your work both in proof and in a pub-
lished form, I am bound to say that I think you
have adhered very faithfully to this rule.
" The best evidence of the care with which you
conformed to my advice will be furnished by a com-
parison of your work with the papers which have
lately been submitted to Parliament.—Yours, very
truly, " ELGIN AND KINCARDINE."