The Sun.
London, England, 1866-11-13 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONL ON, TUESDAY EVENING, NOVEMBER 13, 1866.

TLe Island of Cuba.

Article 2. The exemption allowed by the pre-
ceding article will be free, without any distinction
of flag. Exportations which may be made in the
period indicated from all payment of the estab-
lished duties, and neither now nor at any time
can be exacted of the exporters, owners or con-
signees, the payment of the duties which would have
been due during the six months counted from the
publication of this measure in Havana by reason of
the tariff duty, the collection of which is hereby
suspended.

Article 3. As a consequence of the termination of
the two preceding articles, whilst the aforesaid sus-
pension of export duties exist, no guarantee what-
ever will be exacted by the custom houses of the
Island of Cuba that vessels, loaded with goods
otherwise subject to export duties, will land their
cargoes solely and exclusively in Spanish ports.
Article 4. The custom house administrators
and marine authorities, without at all hindering the
liberty of traffic and exportation, will furnish to
the central dependencies of the Treasury charged
with the collection of revenue the necessary statisti-
cal data to determine, the quantity of articles ex-
ported and the amount of duties of which they are
exempted.

Article 5. The Colonial Minister will order the
necessary instructions for the execution of the pre-
sent decree.

Given at Zarauz, the 20th day of August, 1866
Signed by the Queen.

ALEXANDRO CASTRO,
Colonial Minister,

Which Royal order I communicate to your Ex-
cellency for your knowledge and the corresponding
effect, and his Excellency having fulfilled the order,
is published for general intelligence.
MIGUEL VERDEGUER MESTRE,
The Acting Secretary.

Havana, Sept. 24, 1866.

Am _rican Foreign Carrying Trade.

The following letter appeared in a contem-
porary :
Sin,-1 read with interest in your last issue Mr,

Silver's letter to the United States Commissioner of
Revenue relative to such modification in the laws
as would permit American merchants to build their
ships where it is most to their interests to do so.
Your own able argument for confining the modifi-
cation to the liberty of building our American ships
where it may be most desirable, when such vessels
are to be employed in foreign commerce, corre-
sponds with my views also.
- The exemption of " materials, machinery, &c.,"

from tariff for such building purposes, would pos
sibly lead to all the difficulties and confusion tha
you apprehend.

I was told but a few days since by a large owner
in ships running under the United States flag that
he must retire or sail under a foreign nationality,
as he could not replace his superannuated ships in
his own country.

It has, then, become a simple question—whether
the merchants of the United States may continue
running ships to foreign ports, abandon their busi-
ness, or the flag of their country.

In pursuing the latter course, it may, I think, be
presumed that a large amount of cash would cease
to augment the United States internal revenue.

American shipbuilders, particularly when iron
vessels are required, are not, under the present cir-
cumstances, likely to receive much patronage for
the construction of ships for foreign service. Iu
fact, I am under the impression that the repairs re-
quired from the shipbuilders and engineers of New
York on the foreign-built vessels would prove much
more advantageous pecuniarily to them than all the
re, under the present contingencies,
k_
contractsliel
y to
obtain.they a

I am a Protectionist in general, but here is a
commercial subject that cannot be protected.
Foreign-built vessels may be deprived by our laws
of any advantage in our long coasting trade, and
allow our costly domestic-built vessels to run at a
profit, but there is no protection against the com-
petition of foreign-built vessels in the foreign trade,
unless port dues of some kind are made so enor-
mous as to counterbalance the cost of building ships
at home.

Su policy toward foreign countries is not
likelyion beh a
t o be adopted ; neither would it, in my opi-
very n commendable.

improvements in ships, more espe-
niaAllys yfeoarrs pass,transa
transatlantic passenger accommodation,
will be required ; and I would suggest that after
foreign-built vessels had been in service under the
United States flag, and trading directly with the
United States for ten years, they should be consi-
dered naturalised, and eligible to the coasting or
ofthe them,
country.
any other service that a eiteizme, theitnwofhbo
liUuritty to runedStates
sthheomuldunwdisehr
theto flag employ
Hoping that our Government may not overlook
the importance of this subject--I am, yours very
respectfully, IIoWLAND.

The Standard informs us that Mt. James Haugh-
ton, the host of Mr. Bright and the advocate of
total abstinence and vegetarianism, has, through
the columns of the Freeman, addressed a strange
lecture to "the disturbers of the meeting in the
Mechanics' Institute." Some idea of the tone of this
gentleman's mind and of his power of forming im-
partial judgments may be gathered from the follow-
ing paragraph :---" I do not know, nor can I form
an opinion, whether the spirit of Ora,ngeistn or of
Fenianism predominated among you, the disturbers
of our otherwise peaceful assembly ; but if repre-
sentatives of either or of both these follies were pre-
sent, I would solemnly ask their upholders if the
time has not arrived when Irishmen should forget
the differences handed down tons by, I should hope,
our less civilised forefathers, and unite with the
men of Great Britain for the noble purpose of secur-
ing for all the inhabitants of these islands all the rights
and privileges of freemen ? I once had dreams and
fond aspirations myself for the national independence
of my beloved country, but they have passed away."
The amusing innocence of Mr. Naughton, as to
whether the disturbers were Fenians or Orangemen
is commented upon in sarcastic language by the
Evening Mad :—" Mr. Haughton himself (says the
Mail) has admitted that the meeting was influenced
by ' a spirit of fun and recklessness." They must
have been thinking of me (says Scrub in the play)
for they laughed consumedly.' But there was, and
the party' feel it, much more than fun in the ex-
pressions which gave emphasis to the occasion. The
working men of Dublin had no sort of sympathy
with Mr. Bright, and they certainly did not conceal
their contempt for his patrons. In making both of
these things clear they broke no law, whether of
hospitality or of courtesy. They had not invited thn
stranger 'agitator ; they did not wish that there
should be, iu their name, a demonstration' in
favour of agitation, they uttered a protest against
his coming, and the use made of him—which
was good-humoured, yet not wanting in serious
purpose--.rough, but intelligent and mightily effec-
tive."

The Secretary of State for War has decided upon
granting a substantial reward to the family of tha
unfortunate deceased Mr. Snider;
the inventor of
the new breech-loader.

The following is the official translation of the
Royal order suspending for the term of six months
the payment of duties upon exports from thelsland
of Cuba

Superior Civil Government of the Ever Faithful
Island of Cuba, Secretary's Office.--His Excel-
lency, the Colonial Minister, in a Royal order,
dated 22d of August last, communicates to the Most
Excellent Superior Civil Governor of this Island as
follows :

Most Excellent Sir,—The Queen (whom God
preserve) has been pleased to issue the following
Royal decree :

In view of the reasons shown me by the Colo-
nial Minister, and in accord with the council of my
Ministers, I hereby order the following :
Article 1. The payment of export duties on
articles in the actual tariff will be suspended for the
term of six months, commencing from the publi-
cation of the present decree in the Gaceta de la
Habana, in all the custom-houses of the Island of
Cuba.