The Sun.
London, England, 1860-04-23 00:00:00

The following letter expressing the views of Pre-
sident Buchanan on this subject is published in the
American papers. It is addressed to the Chairman
of New York Chamber of Commerce :
" Washington City, March 31.
"To P`. Perit, Esq.—My dear Sir,—Your favour
of the sth inst., inclosing the able and interesting
report and resolutions of the Chamber of Commerce
of New York, in favour of the perfect immunity'
(from captUre) of all private property upon the
ocean in time of war, was duly received and referred
to the State Department. It has since occurred to
me that the respect so eminently due to the cham-
ber requires that I should address to you a few re-
marks in answer.
" War is a dreadful calamity, shocking to hu-
manity, and ought to be avoided by all honourable
means; but, while mankind continue in their pre-
sent state it will sometimes be inevitable. If, with
the small but gallant naval force of this country we
should be driven into a war with a nation possess-
ing a navy far more numerous and powerful than
our own, we should then be in a comparatively
helpless condition without the aid of privateers.
We might with almost as much propriety agree to
abs.ndou our system of volunteer militia, agd trust
alone to the regular arms for our defence on the
land, as to deprive ourselves of the services of pri-
vateers, which are our volunteers and militia upon
the ocean. Besides, privateers may be strictly
guarded from abuses by law, and be restrained
within the rules which govern our regain. navy.
" Neither would the abandonment of war against
private property upon the ocean of itself afford free-
dom and security to our commerce. In order to ac-
complish this object we must proceed a step further,
and obtain the consent of the powerful naval na-
tions that merchant vessels shall not be blockaded
in port, but be suffered to pass the blockading
squadron and go out to sea. If these should remain
blackaded in our harbours, there would be compa-
ratively but little private property on the ocean to
protect. A powerful fleet, by blockading the mouth
of the Chesapeake, could effectually prevent any
merchant vessel from going to sea from any port in
that noble bay or its tributaries. So in regard to
New York, New Orleans, &c.
"If the proposition to abolish war against private
property on the ocean were combined with a propo-
sition to secure to merchant vessels a perfect immu-
nity from blockade in any port, then the subjec
would be well worthy of serious consideration -
Yours respectfully,

"JAMES BUCHANAN."

THE ENGLISH IN EGYPT.

CAIRO, April B.—On the night of the 4th a most
disgraceful scene occurred in the Great Mosque, in
the citadel, which has led to the closing of the
Mosque of Cairo against Europeans. The Indian
and Australian travellers, on their way through
Cairo to Suez, took the opportunity of visiting the
Great Mosque, built by the late Viceroy, Mahommed
Aalee. During the Ramadan it is illuminated, and
being the anniversary of the death of the founder,
who lies interred there, his son, the new Viceroy,
was present in state. Some f our countrymen,
having previously indulged in " potations pottle
deep," presented themselves at the door •of the
mosque in anything but a state of sobriety, and
having been admitted with every possible courtesy,
repaid it, first, by obtruding themselves into the
Tice-regal circle, where they amused themselves by
mimicking the dervishes and others who were per-
forming the rites of their religion around the tomb
of the founder, and then proceeded to demonstrate,
by all means in their power, their contempt for Mos-
lem religious observances; this naturally incensed
the congregation, and that to such an extent as to at-
tract the attention of theViceroy,who sent his equerry
Mohammed Beg to expostulate, and request them
to remember they were in a place dedicated to the
service of God, and that they ought either to be-
have with becoming decency and propriety or with-
draw, as the Viceroy could not otherwise be an-
swerable for the excited fanaticism of his subjects.
His recommendation was insolently disregarded,
and, the irritation assuming a threatening aspect,
Mahommed Beg was obliged to surround the party
by cavasses in order at once to protect them and
get them out of the mosque. We forbear for obvious
reasons to mention the names of these travellers
who thus outraged public opinion, and insulted in
the presence of the Viceroy the memory of his
father and the religion which he professes. We re-
gret to add that an English lady (?) was foremost
in this disgraceful affair. We may take this oppor-
tunity of observing that the conduct of the Indian
cadets cannot be otherwise dsignated than as sys-
tematically disgraceful in their passage through
Egypt, and has become a matter of complaint and
representation to the British authorities in Egypt.
From the moment they land they commence a sys-
tem of outrage from the railway station in Alexan-
dria to their arrival in Cairo, where they issue forth
armed with sticks in gangs to commit disturbances,
which they continue until their embarkation at
Suez. It is sincerely to be trusted, for the mainte-
nance of the reputation of the British character,
that the Indian authorities in London will insist on
decorous conduct in fiiture, and enforce it under the
penalty of forfeiture of the commission which they
disgrace, in the first case of misbehaviour that may
be represented home by the British authority here.

THE: PENINSULAR MAIL.—The Behar arrived at
Southampton yesterday with the Peninsular mails.
She
left Lisbon on the 17th inst., and Vigo on the 18th. She
brought home 22 passengers, and 4,300 packages of fruit,
eggs, potatoes, Sze. '1 he Behar experienced strong nort, 'lheryrel
and north-easterly gales on her homeward passage. y
were two Dutch frigates and the usual Portuguese squadron
in the Teti's. The royal yacht Victoria and Albert, kit
Lisbon on the 15th inst., and her Majesty's ships Ti attic ar,
' s
Centurion, and Diadem, on the 16th. Majesty
Pluto was at Vigo. The Oieida, with the out said
steamer
Brazil mail, left Lisbon thee 13th inst. The Behar pat d
the Tagus at 10 p.m. onl9th.
THE CUCKOO.--This pleasant harbinger of spri
was both heard and seen by several persons at Calder ti
near Garstang, on Tuesday, the 17th instant. It is uncom-
monly early for this stranger, considering the very back.
wardseason.—.Etnanl Xercury.

The New York money market was unchanged.
Stocks were dull, but closed steadier. Sterling
exchange quiet at 109: to 109;1.
Cotton firm and in good demand. Breadstuffs
buoyant aid dearer. Naval stores dull. Provisions
drooping. Freight dull.
NEW ORLEANS, April 9.
Cotton market steady and firm, middling, 10c.
to 11c.

QUEENSTOWN, SUNDAY.

The Royal Mail steamship Canada arrived here
at 12.30 p.m., embarked mails and passengers, and
sailed for Halifax and Boston at 6.30 p.m. All well.

THE LATE MR. FINLAISON.

Some notice of the official career of this eminent
public servant may, perhaps, interest our readers,
and show to the youth of the present day that merit
will usually secure patrons, and will often prove
an efficacious substitute for what is commonly
termed "interest." Mr. Finlaison was born at
Thurso, in Caithness, North Britain, on the 27th of
August, 1783. Death deprived him Of a father's
protection about six years afterwards, but the loss
was to a great extent remedied by the care of a
discreet and affectionate mother. Approaching
manhood he made many friends, and by their help
qualified himself for practice at the Scottish bar.
Visiting London, however, on business about 1804
he was induced to change his views, and toon after
entered the civil service. Appointed, in 1805, to
the Admiralty-office he speedily distinguished him-
self by a plan, which was adopted, for the entire
reorganisation of the system under which the vast
correspondence of the department was then imper-
fectly carried on. The Nary List was first compiled
in its present semiaafficial form by him, and was
published under his superintendence. While Mr.
Finlaison was at the Admiralty he accidentally
became the recipient of the famous St. Helena corre-
spondence of Dr. Barry O'Meara, his private friend,
a distinction which, much to his dissatisfaction,
subsequently brought him into unexpected notoriety.
A scheme for the establishment of a 'widows' fund
in the civil service, and a similar plan (afterwards
carried out) on behalf of the widows of the naval
medical officers, drew Mr. Finlaison's attention, in
1817, to the study of vital statistics. The information
then extant on this question was extremely meagre
and unsatisfactory ; but, resorting to the official re-
cords of the Exchequer, where certain classes of life
annuities had long been payable, Mr. Finlaison esta-
blished from authentic data those deductions which
enabled him successfully to point out the unfit-
ness of the tables then made use of by
.Govern-
ment for the sale of annuities. Mr. Finlaison's re-
presentations met with a favourable reception from
Mr. Vansittart, Chancellor of the Exchequer at that
time, and ultimately led to the establishment of a
sounder system, that brought about an immense
pecuniary saving to the country. The immediate
result of his general services on this question was
his appointment, in IS2I, to the office of Govern-
ment actuary. From this time forward, until his
retirement in 1851, his counsel and calculating
powers were generally put in requisition when any
of the public measures involved considerations of
politic
ial arithmetic. Some of the principal sub-
jects n which he was consulted may be enumerated
in the order of their occurrence. The negotiation
with the Bank of England for its acceptance of the
charge for public pensions, in consideration of the
" dead weight" annuity ; the:investigation in 1825
and 1827 by select committee of the House of Com-
mons into the general condition of friendly societies;
the preparation of his report in 1829 on the evidence
and elementary facts on which his new tables of life
annuities were founded ;—This important Parlia-
mentary document contained 21 new observations
of the law of mortality, and one of the law of sick-
ness prevailing among the labouring classes in Lon-
don ; vast computations of the duration of slave
and Creole life with reference to the emancipation
of slaves in 1834, and the West India loan raised
for that purpose ; Mr. Finlaison's report on the late
Mr. Hume's resolutions on that loan is a Parlia-
mentary paper of that date well worth perusal. In
the measures. emanating from the Ecclesiatical Com-
mission.. in 1835 ; the steps leading to the " appro-
ppation clause" in 1836 ; and those preceding the
discussion.. of the church-rate question in 1837, Mr.
Finlaison's services were called out to an extent
greatly beyond what is generally known to
.the
public. He was also consulted on certain points
connected with the establishment in 1837
of the registration of births, deaths, and mar-
riages; and the closeness of his estimate of the
deaths which would be registered in the first year
(falling within 14 of nearly 336,000 recorded) at-
tracted much notice at the time when mentioned in
the Registrar-General's first annual report. The
demands made on his mental powers about this time
affected his health, and thenceforward he was
obliged to exercise more caution in his devotion to
the public service: His professional researches were,
however, still assiduously carried. on for some years,
and from time to time he was frequently called upon
to give evidence before Royal Commissions end
select committees of both Houses of Parliament, un-
til he finally retiredin August, 1851. from his posi-
tion as
tActuary of the National Debt and Govern-
ment Calculator. For the last nine years his
studies were directed to Scripture Chronology, and
to the universal relationship of ancient and modern
weights and measures. His researches, which were
exceedingly profound on the latter subject, led him
to form opinions decidedly adverse to the introduc-
tion of a decimal system of coinage and metrology
into this country. The last few years of his life were
past in comparative ease and:tranquillity, until he
was unexpectedly attacked by congestion of the
lungs, and after a brief illness ,
he passed away on
the 13th of April, 1860, in his 7th year, from a
scene in which he had long taken no useless part.
ng

CATSTAL PALACE.-HALF-CROWN MI, Satur-
day, April 21.—Admissions on payment, 1,145 ; ditto, by
season tickets, 2,906 ; total Tkitors, 4,054,