The Sun.
London, England, 1867-10-29 00:00:00

career.

It is becoming quite evident that the high price of
provisions has reached that point at which the
long-suffering British public does something more
than grumble. Day by day the columns of our
contemporaries are full of murmurs both loud and
deep respecting the exorbitant demand of retail
tradesmen, and when we compare their Hats with
those of the wholesale dealers there appears vent-.,
able ground for complaint. The food supply of the
metropolis is a question of very great importance
and extent, and long before the agitation about
pricts was got up it furnished matter for surmise and
comment solely on account of the immense quantity
demanded and provided for the annual supply.
But the attention of the public is now forcibly
directed to the food question, on account of the
heavy inroads which the tradesmen's accounts are
now making on the purse of every householder.
Men are prepared to allow a moderate share of
profit to the retail dealers, and will do little more
thais grumble if those profits increase ia a very

undue proportion ; but the position in which they
now find themselves is bad enough to arouse them
into vigorous and united action. It is a fact of
which any one who chooses to take the trouble
of a journey citywards can readily convince
themselves, that the prices of the suburban butchers
are one:third more, and sometimes even twice as
much, as the money asked of retail customers in
the wholesale market. Joints of mutton, for which
our family purveyors do not scruple to charge 11d.
per lb., are there obtainable for 7d. Beef, of the
best quality, changes its price from 10d. to 6id. or
7d., and beef-steak, which has long been the terror
of housekeepers, recedes from the inevitable 10d. to
53. per lb. And it must further be noticed that the
meat thus supplied is the best of its kind, and often
bears favourable comparison with what the local
traders often send to their customers. Of course
the latter are expected to charge a good percentage
not only for their ordinary expenses, but for the
other outlays which the arrangements of modern

society compel them to make; but with these facts
before our eyes we can hardly doubt that they take
very unceremonious advantage of the necessities of
their customers. Paterfamilias, unless he is driven
to absolute desperation, is not very likely to start
for Newgate or Leadenhall, and shoulder his own

meat, and consequently he has little or no
resource but the local butcher, who charges

him what he likes. A very ready excuse
for increasing prices already too high was
forthcoming in the cattle plague, but since its
disappearance we see very little corresponding re-
duction. A great deal has been said about the in-
creasing wealth of the country, and the consequent
increase of the numbers who consume butchers'
meat, but that does not account for the discrepancy
between the wholesale and retail prices. The pre-
sent system of housekeeping throws a great deal too
much power into the hands of the local dealers.
Our grandmothers used to start off, purse in

hand, and choose their own goods and

pay their weekly bills. Now-a-days the
feminine head of the household never sees the

joints till they appear on the dinner table, and the

account is a matter of quarterly arrangement. The
butcher charges as other people do for long credit,
and, what is more, he knows that it is often very
inconvenient to make a change in the middle of the
quarter. Then he charges a good sum for the wages
of the extra hands he employs, and for the time lost
in waiting on his customers, being toleraLly secure
that they will grumble a long while before they leave
him, and knowing, moreover, that if they do they
will be little or no better off. The butchers and
bakers need no defenders, as they have plenty of
advocates forthcoming, but however ably their case
may be stated, there still remains no valid reason
why the same meat should be sd. at one end of the
town and 10d. at another, or why the scales seldom
or never balance with a 41b. weight and a (supposed)
quartern loaf. The truth is that most people in
these days are living behind the world instead of
before it. The good old English rule of substance
without show has now been superseded by the pre-
vailing taste for show rather than substance. The
retail traders are affected by this like all the rest of
the community, and consequently their own domes-
tic expenses are heavy. They " make haste to be
rich," not content with the modest profits of

their fathers, and the money sunk in plate
glass windows, gorgeous shop fronts, and
other accessories of a dashing trade, of course
must come out of the pockets of their
customers. In houses, in dress, in every other
domestic arrangement, the butcher or baker in a
wealthy suburb must keep pace with the family of
die professional man, indeed he is very often more
than able to do so. How could this be done with
a moderate rate of profit and the long credit
system? It is a matter with which legislation is
often, after all, powerless to deal. In France the
monthly average of the corn market is taken,
profits allowed for the • several hands the
corn passes through, and the price of bread
fixed at a uniform rate. Some of the malcontents
among ourselves wish for the adoption of a
similar method ; but, supposing for a moment that
such a plan would bo tolerated, the bakers could
still find means to indemnify themselves by giving
inferior bread and using loss flour. Instead of
trying such unsatisfactory means, it would be much
better if the co-operative plan, spoken of in some
quarters, could bo adopted. If a dozen or two
householders in every suburb combined to organise
a system of purveying from the wholesale markets,
our retail tradesmen would be brought to
their proper level. By a system of indolence
and thoughtlessness we have allowed a
domestic grievance to swell into national propor-

tions, and it will need some vigorous steps to set
matters at all right again. The sums now paid for
the ordinary expenses of a household produces a
serious effect on all other trades and markets, and

if the butchers and bakers have reason to be satisfied
with such a state of things they aro about the only
members of the community who do so.

00.3.RESEONDENC3 FROl'el PARIS.

(FRODI OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)
PARIS, Monday Evening.

The Ministers and the members of the Privy
Council assembled yesterday morning in council at
St. Cloud under the presidency of the Emperor.
_ .

The Empress received at the Palace of St. Cloud
on Saturday morning King Louis the First of
Bavaria, who arrived in Paris on the previous
evening from Munich. His Majesty travels in
strict privacy, under the title of Count Augusta.
Baron Pergler de Perglas, Envoy Extraordinary
and Minister Plenipotentiary of King Louis the
Second of Bavaria, was present at the reception.

The Moniteur has the folloviing explanation of

the reasons which induced the Government to
rescind the order for delaying the departure of the

troops from Toulon :
" The departure of the fleet and the troops assem-
bled at Toulon for Civita Vecchia bad been sus-
pended until Saturday evening at the demand of
King Victor Emmanuel ; but no Ministry had been

formed at Florence, the revolutionary bands con-
tinued to invade the Pontifical States, and placed
Rome in danger. The French Government there-
fore could no longer adjourn the occupation upon
which it had decided, and the Emperor made known
his resolution at Florence. This measure has no

aggressive character against Italy. Both countries
are equally interestei in the triumph of order and
loyalty. The revolutionary invasions attempted
against Rome are but a violation of public rights
and treaties. The Italia❑ nation and its sovereign
can have no other feeling respecting these events
than ours, and we preserve the hope that the amiable
relations which unite the two people will not be
disturbed.

The grand favourite banquet given by the Foreign
Connuissioners to the Imperial Commission took
place on Saturday at the Hotel du Louvre, and, as

I announced would be. the case, Lord Granville
presided. Moro than 300 guests were present, and
the cordiality and good feeling which prevailed
rendered the banquet as interesting as it was im-
portant. Lord Granville proposed the health of the
Imperial family, which was received with appro-
priate and prolonged expressions of applause. M.
Rouher then made an excellent speech, to which
Lord Granville responded, and proposed a toast to
the Imperial Commission. M. Forcade de la Ro-
quette, Minister of Agriculture, Commerce, and
Public Works, returned thanks on the part of the
Commission. The health of M. Le Play, the Pre-

sident of the Commission, was received with well-
deserved enthusiasm. MarshalVaillant proposed the
health of Lord Granville, who, in returning thanks,
with much grace and courtesy proposed " The
Ladies."

M. Rouher, after doing full justice to the value
of the Exhibition, adverted prominently to politics.
He said—

"Some persons bad feared that a neighbouring
nation (Italy) would assume the heavy responsi-
bility of a war with France. That uneasiness, I
think, is without foundation. The only object of
the Imperial resolution is to stop the disorderly
progress of dangerous revolutionists, individuals
without authority, who dare to violate the fidelity
sworn by the regular powers of the country. (Pro-
longed applause.)
" The Italian nation know, thanks to God, that
blind anarchists threaten Florence as much as
Rome, and the existence of the Italian Monarchy
as well as that of the Pontifical States. For my
part I have confidence in the wisdom of that people
to whom we have given so many proofs of sym-
pathy. They will not allow themselves tobe towed
along by bad passions. The trial which we are
undergoing will only serve to consolidate peace by
suppressing those disorderly and perturbatory vio-
lences to which we cannot without shame and dan-
ger abandon the interests of Europe and civilisa-
tion."

The last despatch from Rome received in Paris
states that the struggle still continued at Monte
Rotondo, and that a reinforcement of 1,000 men
had been sent to the assistance of the Papal troops.
This despatch is not much credited here, but it is
right to mention it as one of the announcements of
the day, as well as some other reports which follow.
The municipal junta of Genoa has voted an address
to the King, stating that Genoa is ready to make
any sacrifices for the defence of the honour of the
country. More Garibaldiau manifestations are said
to have taken place at Venice and Turin. The
officers of the National Guard of Genoa have signed
au address of confidence and fidelity to the King,
and say they are ready to sacrifice their lives for
their country.
One of the letters from Florence states that the
insurrectional movement broke out at Rome after
the Pope refused to take into consideration the ad-
dress of the 12,000 Romans. The excitement was
at its height when Cardinal Antonelli gave orders
to arrest the promoters of the demonstration, and
to act against the municipal officers who have un-
dertaken to present the address. It is added that
200,000 needle Prussian guns have been received in
Italy to arm the troops.
In the correspondence from Piedmont it is stated
that several Englishmen of note and destination are
among the ranks of the insurgents who intend to
march upon Rome.

For several days we have been without Italian
papers in Paris. Some have arrived to-day, but
they are quite destitute of news. It was believed
at Civita Vecchia that it would be attacked. The
Minister had sent Colonel d'Argy with the Roman
Legion to defend it until the arrival of the French
troops.

Rather a serious accident has happened to the
mail train from Calais to Paris on the Northern
Railway. Near the station of Villiers le Bel, not
far from St. Denis, the train ran into a locomotive
which had been carelessly left upon the line; the
tender was broken to pieces, and the first carriage
of the first-class was much injured. The engine-
driver was so much hurt that he died soon after he
was taken to the hospital. An English passenger
had his thigh broken, and several other persons
were more or less hurt. An English surgeon who
was in the train rendered every possible assistance.
The weather has again a tendency to storm, and
it has become much colder.