The Sun.
London, England, 1860-02-28 00:00:00

THE CEMETERY AT CLAPTON.

Sir DE L. EVANS asked the Secretary of State for the
Home Department whether he had given or intended to
give his sanction to the establishment of a cemetery at Clap-
ton, which was not only within the prohibited distance, as
defined by the Burial Act 15 and 16 Victoria, bit adjoined
a populous district; and if so, what had caused the viola-
tion of the spirit and intention of the statute to be ad-
visable.

Sir C. LEWIS said that the Government had not given
their sanction to the, establishment of the cemetery in
question.
LICENSING PUBLIC-HOUSES.

Lord 17 ERM 0 Y asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer,
whether he had any intention of altering the existing sys-
tem of licensing public-houses, any further than what he
proposed to do by his budget.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said that
several years ago there had been a committee of the house
on this subject, but the question had been left open under
the supposition that it would be dealt with by the Legisla-
ture. However her Majesty's Government had no in-
tention to introduce a bill to deal with the sub-
ject at large. The changes that would be effected by the
introduction of wine into this country as an article of po-
pular consumption would be very important as regarded the
habits and morality of the community. However, some
time must necessarily elapse before the alteration took
place.

THE TREATY WITH FRANCE.
In reply to Mr. HORSMAN,
Lord J. RUSSELL said, with respect to the 11th article
of the treaty with France, which had reference to coal, that
the French Government would modify it if the Government
of this country had any desire for it, which, however, was
not the case.

FOREIGN WINES,

Mr. BENTINCK asked the Secretary of State forFo-

reign Affairs, as her Majesty's GovernMent, in considera-
tion of their undertaking to obtain the reduction of the duty
on French wines, had soicited from France the promise of
prospective concessions in favour of this country, whether
the contemplated reduction of duties would not confer similar
advantages upon Spanish wines; and i f so, whether Mr. Bu-
chanan had received instructions to urge on the Government
of Spain the propriety of making a corresponding conces-
sion in favour of the trade and commerce of England.
Lord J. RUSSELL was understood to say that Mr.
Buchanan had not received any such instructions as those
alluded to by the hon. member.
CUSTOMS ACT. . . . .

The house then went into committee on this Act.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said ho rose
for the purpose of submitting to the committee the resolu-
tion in respect to the wine duties, which stood second upon
the list. The first resolution had been voted in conformity
with the usual practice, without discussion, on the night on
which it was originally proposed ; but of course it would be
competent for any hon. member if he thought.fit to raise
a question on that first resolution hereafter. He considered
this a very important resolution in our commercial law—the
most important indeed which in the whole course of his
parliamentary life ho had had to deal with. He did not
conceal from the committee the sense he had of the extreme
difficulty of taking any step for taking off the wino duties.
The truth was that tho present system had continued a very
high duty, enforcing a severe pressure for many genera-
tions, with considerable variations in detail—to whichthere
was but one single exception, Mr. Pitt's treaty, that ever
proniised any substantial change with regard to access to
wine by the great body of the people. The effect of that sys-
tem had been to produce a state of things so artificial and
exceptional, that it was impossible to devise any means of
escape that would not be attended by considerable difficul-
ties, and be open to serious objections as regarded the stage
of transition. He had no doubt, however, that they should
arrive at some satisfactory solution of the difficulty when
that transition stage was accomplished, though no doubt
not without encountering very considerable inconvenience
on the way—(hear)—and now he would answer the question
of which the hon. baronet the member for Stamford (Sir S.
Northcote) had given notice with respect to the method of
it
ascertaining
wasd
inten the
ed top
ordinaryapl teh
strengthtem.
Hen
wines,eed andnoty
sathe
they
scale
had no official data properly so-called as to the, strength of
wines. The alcoholic test, though many persons took it to
be a simple novelty, was a test which had been in daily
operation for a very considerable time. The object of that
test as now applied was to ascertain what was wine and
what was not wine, because any fermented liquor which
contained a greater degree of alcohol than 40
per cent. proof was not admissible as wine into the
ports of this country, and it was the duty of the Customs to
ascertain that. But instead of simply referring to books in
relation to the subject in view he had thought it best to col-
lect from a great variety of samples which were believed to
represent the general course of trade as to the efLict of the
strength of wines in different classes ; at the same lime he
could not cull these samples official, and they were perfectly
ep3n to dispute. lie proposed that a portion of the lighter
wines should be admitted into this country at a duty of ls.,
and the remainder at ls. Gd. A.portion of the lighter wines
Of the Peninsula, Italy, Spain, and the Mediterranean would
be also admitted at a duty of ls. Gd., while a considerable
portion of the Sicilian and South of France wines would be
As to the reasons of the Government for negotiating
this treaty with France, and proposing these resolutions to
the house, they were actuated by the wish to have the most
convenient uniform duty on wine. He need not say that it
was also lately necessary to have something more than a
mere nominal duty, because the principle of the wine duties
lay at the very root of nearly one-half our direct taxation
'The Government felt it necessary to propose a plan which
should offer a prospect of admitting to our markets cheaper

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