The Sun.
London, England, 1844-03-29 00:00:00

ECCLESIASTICAL CHANGES.

What the Rev. Dr. Hook is endeavouring to effect
by a' division of the extensive parish of Leeds into a
number of small parishes, for the improvement of the
parochial ministrations of the clergy, has already been
procured at Oldham by the efforts of the Rev. Thomas
Lowe, the incumbent of the parish church, or paro-
chial district church, Oldham. By a recent order of
the Ecclesiastical Commissioners, the ancient paro-
chial 'chapelry of Oldham is forthwith to be divided
into 14 small parishes, or ecclesiastical districtS, the
boundaries of which have been fixed, and other ar-
rangements provided for the ministers of each, accord-
ing to the orders of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners.
These important changes will be carried into effect-with-
out loss of time, so that the advantages of this -whole-
some and necessary creation of new parishes will be
almost immediately felt; for a clergyman will be
shortly, resident in each district, and temporary epis-
copal places of worship will be opened, either in
school-rooms or other buildings, in all the parochial
divisions, as soon as the requisite arrangements can
be made for that purpose. The present ancient paro-
chial chapel or parish church of Oldham will cease to
be in reality of greater ecclesiastical importance than
the rest of the churches in the borough, except in a
few respects, which relate chiefly to the solemnisa-
tion of marriage, and other minor points, more of a
nominal than of a substantial character. This paro-
chial partition will lead to the erection of eight
additional churches, which, with the six already
in existence in the borough, will render the
'number fourteen. Eight additional ministers are to
take Up their residences, in a short time within the
new parishes, and they will ultimately derive propor-
tions of their incomes.from the partition of the eccle-
siastical sees now enjoyed by the Rev. Thomas Lowe,
the present minister of the parish church, and' of the
other clergymen at present officiating within theie
limits. Such a measure, envolves no slightrsacrifice
of pecuniary advantage on the part of the above Rev.
Gentleman, more particularly than the other clergy,
as he will be most affected by its ultimate operation.
The Rev. Mr. Lowe is, doubtless, actuated by the
sincere wish to,contribute to the spiritual welfare of
the great population-60,000—entrusted to his
charge, and by. this partition of the parish into
parishes containing from 4,000 to 5,000 inhabitants
each, the several duties of the -clergy, religious, cha-
lritable, and educational, will be, it is to be hoped,
adequately attended to; and whatever light the sub-
ject is viewed in, whether as a means to promote the
spread of the principles of the Established Church, or
as a method of counteracting the effect of the extensive
diffusion of tenets of Dissent, it must be generally ad-
mitted that the residence of eight additional clergy-
men will produce advantages of such a nature as can-
not fail to have a beneficial bearing'on the intellectual,
moral, and physical' condition of the population.
Measures are in progress to secure the establishment
of efficient episcopal schools in each of the 14 parishes
in the borough.—Manchester Courier.

THE COST of FACTORY LABOUR.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE TIMES.

Sir,—There is one consideration which appears to
have been quite overlooked in the recent debates on
Lord Ashley's amendment, but which, nevertheles has
a very close and important bearing on the case. One
of the objections most strongly urged against this
amendment was the fall in wages which its adop-

tion must necessarily occasion. But it does not
seem to have struck any one, that if the operative
get higher wages for twelve hours than for ten,
the labour given also costs him more. From the lan-
guage commonly held on this subject, one would sup-
pose that the strength he spends in his day's work had
its source in some inherent and independent power
of life, and was a gift of God, free of all charge,
to its possessor. But not in the living body, Sir,
more than in the steam-engine, is force generated
without consumption of material; and for the extra
two hours' labour a proportionate addition of aliment
must be taken. But to the nature of this aliment
these two hours are by no means indifferent. It is
the last hour or two of toil, when the body is weary
and jaded, which, by impairing appetite and diges-
tion while it parches with thirst, drives the operative
to drink. It is not a matter of accident, or choice,
but one of physiological necessity, that under these
circumstances he resorts to what in common language
is called the stimulus of spirituous liquor. The
alchohol consumed is necessary to the repair of the
exhausted force ; and thus, Sir, it may be clearly
shown, setting aside the moral considerations to be
drawn from the argument, that the last two hours'
labour, by the necessity it brings of support of a
more expensive kind, costs the operative nearly the
full price he obtains for it.
But it surely can never profit him, in the long run,
even in the matter of wages, to work day after day
beyond his strength. The slight excess of daily in-
come is sure to be wasted again in the more frequent
attacks of illness that must occur. In the case of women
and children, especially, this retribution must be fre-
quent and severe. There is no escape from it : no
compromise can be made. With a fatal necessity,
all infringements of the great conditions of health.
take their revenge on the pocket by the expenses of
sickness. The blunders we have committed in our
internal administration are full of illUstrations
of this truth. Thus, in the prisons in which a
starving allowance used to form a part of the dYsc,i-
pline, it was invariably, found that more money was
spent in " extras" on the order of the surgeog than
would have supplied every prisoner with a s4cient
and wholesome diet. So that it is ever found in
these, as in other matters, that the right thing is in
the end the cheapest ; and I have no doubt, Sir, that
a profound and practical conviction of this was in the
minds of those operatives who declared to Sir G.
Grey that it would be better for them to take less
wages than to work the present hours.
If you think, Sir, these few reflections may in any
way serve the cause of these people, the insertion of
them in your valuable journal will deeply gratify one
who would be most unhappy were a single word left
unsaid that could be spoken in their behalf.
A PROVINCIAL PHYSICIAN.

THE HAMPSTHWAITE GHOST.

Perhaps no similar affair, if we except the Coßingham
ghost, has greated greater consternation in the minds of
the credulous and superstitious, nor caused more specu-
lative opinions among those more sceptical and better
informed than to allow these remains of dark and
superstitious ages to take possession of their minds,
in this age of reason and refinement, than that of the
Hampsthwaite ghost, as mentioned in the Conrant of
the 14th instant. It has been the country gossip for
many miles round, and numbers have flocked to
the place from different neighbouring towns and villages
to witness, if possible, its nocturnal peregrinations and
internal antics. Some have been so much alarmed by
this invisible visitant from the world of spirits, as they
supposed, as to declare they would never again, while
clothed in matter, seek the society of such an immaterial
being. While others, of stronger nerve, and better
judgment, have expressed their opinions that it was not
a disembodied spirit, but the work of a biped or quad-
ruped, yet still without being enabled to detect the of-
fender ; and the whole matter has been enveloped in the
most profound mystery until a few days ago, when we
understand the Rev. Mr. Shann, who is the owner of the
property, and not willing to be persuaded nor easy to be
duped by such a strange affair, procured the assistance
of an active and ingenious policeman, from Leeds, who
by lodging three nights upon the premises, unravelled
the whole mystery. And surely a more ingenious con-
trivance, or better conducted scheme, could not have
been put in operation for this purpose than the one re-
ferred to. It is supposed to have been the freaks of the
servant girl. She had, in some part of the house,
concealed from view, a ball suspended by a string,
and to that another string was connected similar to the
connections of a bell-wire ; this was constructed in such
a manner as to allow the ball to come in contact with a
thin ceiling, or partition, wlien pulled by the attached
string, which caused the ball to rebound with a greater
or less degree of force to suit the caprices of the opera-
tor, which by her mechanical skill, in working either by
light or strong jerks, made the noise appear either in
a remote part of the house or near at hand.
This was the greatest perplexity to those who went
for the purpose of discovering the affair ; while at one
moment it seemed almost lost in the distance, at
the next, booming close in the ear. In addition to the
the above mechanical contrivance, she had also others, it
is said, by scratching and thumping on the floor when
opportunities offered. Since the above discoveries, the
girl has been dismissed from her situation, and since then
this evanescent intruder has discontinued its visits. What
can have been the motive of this foolish girl, or whether
she has had instigators, we cannot tell, but some of the
ultra-suspicious gossips in the neighbourhood, and who
love to dwell upon the marvellous, assert that she is
possessed of a demoniacal spirit, and that since the com-
mencement of these fantastic freaks, they have discovered
an alteration in her general appearance, especially by a
strange obliquity of vision. We understand that she is
a native of Kirkby-Overblow, and has been in Dalby's
service three years. Does it not appear strange that
this affair should have been so long concealed from the
inmates of the house, especially as Miss Dalby, as we
are itiformed, was her sleeping partner ?—Correspondent
of the York Courant.

MILITARY PuNISHMENT.—The whole of the Royal
Artillery in the Garrison at Woolwich were assembled on
the guard mounting parade ground yesterday (Thursday)
morning, at eight o clock, to witness the remaining part of
the sentence upon gunner and driver Davis, of the 6th bat-
talion, who recently received 'Corporal punishinent for steal-
ing a cornopean, value 51., the property of Lieutenant.
Colonel Colquhoun. The prisoner was brought out by a
tile of the guard, and the sentence of the Court-martial
held upon him read to the whole of the assembled troops ;
and in terms of its conclusion, that the prisoner be discharged
from the regiment with ignominy, the facings and ornaments
were stripped off his clothes, and lie was drummed out of
the garrison. An examination took place on Wednesday of
two privates of. the Royal Marines, one named Bennet, for
leaving his arms and his post when on duty at the Old Ma-
rine Barracks, Woolwich, and not returning until the fol-
lowing morning.; and the other, named Lyons, for having
left his post when •on duty, at DePtford, and being found
asleep in a stable. --Both have been set aside to be tried by
a general court-mintial.
BERLIN, MARCH l.—lt is said that our King has
decided in favour of England in the differences between France
and England respecting the losses sustained by England at
Foxtendic. . . . . .

DUTY ON WINES.
, EXPEDIENCY OF MAKING A GREAT REDUC-

TION IN THE WINE DUTY.

(From the Scotsman.) ,
The folly of abridging our own comforts because
our neighbours abridge theirs, is well exemplified in
the absurd restrictions which our fiscal laws impose
on the use of wine. It is well known that wherever .
wine is the common beverage sobriety prevails ;
and not a doubt exists that if the article could be
procured here -nearly as cheap as .in those parts cif
.France where no wine is produced, more would be
done to promote temperance than 'if a thousand mis-
sionaries like Father Mathew were kept traversing the T
kingdom from January to December. It is equally
certain that if the obstacles created by our revenue
laws did not intervene, wine could be purchased as
cheaply in Britain as in Normandy and Picardy ;
and its use might be even more common here thin it
is there; because a much larger proportion of our
population are able to p4,lr for imported articles. We
do not mean that wine should be exempted from duty.
Far from it. But we think that, if the duty were
greatly reduced, the article might come into universal
use among the middle classes, superseding spirits and
ale to a large extent, to the great increase of temper- '
ance, and to the benefit of,health and morals ; and all
this without any loss to the revenue.
Those who are familiar with chronicles, family me-
moirs, and narratives, written before the union, are ,
aware that the " stoup of claret" was common in the
houses even of the smaller gentry and merchants.
The light palabable French wines, which females may
drink in moderate quantities with pirfect safety, -
were then in pretty general use among the middle
ranks. We learn from an excellent authority that in
1700 the wine consumed in Britain was very nearly
one imperial gallon for each individual of the popu-
lation. In Holland where the duty is trifling, it is as
much at this day, In Denmark, it amounts to three
gallons per head. In Britain at present, when
the number of persons able to indulge in the use ,
of luxuries is proportionally six times greater than
in 1700, the consumption is only the fourth part of
a gallon !* The wine consumed previous to the union
was chiefly French; and the expense of indulging in
such a beverage must not be judged= of by the price '
paid at this day for Burgundy and Chateau Margaux,'
since, owing to our high import duty, none but wines,
of a recherche quality are brought in. It was the.
ill-judged Methven treaty in 1703, which banished.
the produce of the French vineyards from the tables of
the middle classes, and forced the strong, harsh,
and comparatively deleterious wines of Portugal.
into general use. For many years during the war
and afterwards, the duty on French wine was as high'
as 13s. Bd. a gallon. In 1825, it was reduced to 7s.
3d. ; and on the expiration of the Methven treaty in
1831, to the present rate of ss. 6d., or 11d. per bottle.
To judge of the effect of such duties, we must bear
in mind that there are wines in France, purchased in
the wood at ls. 6d. or 2s. a gallon, which English-
men do not disdain to drink when they cross the
Channel.
The consumption of wine in France, says Mr.
Porter, amounts to 19 gallons for each individual, or
more than 70-times the consumption of the United
Kingdom.
But Paris will afford a better standard of compari•
son. Its consumption in 1834 was 877,000 hecto-
litres, or 19,300,000 imperial gallons ; and the popu-
lation being then about 850,000, this is equal to 22f
gallons for each individual, man, woman, and child.
It thus appears that Paris alone consumes three times
as much wine as the British isles with a population
of 27,000,000.
Some will object that the Parisians live in a
wine-producing country, and obtain the article
duty free ; but both objections rest on mistaken
notions. The vine is largely cultivated in the
vicinity of Paris, but chiefly to afford grapes for
the table. The wine made is small in quantity,
and too bad in quality for the dainty palates of
the metropolitan citizens. The yin ordinaire of
Paris comes chiefly from Burgundy, performing.a
journey of .150 or 200 miles; but much of the wine in
common use is brought from Bordeaux to Havre by
sea, and thence by the Seine to Paris, a voyage of 800
miles. Of the wines extensively consumed in the
capital, the champagne is raised nearest to it; but
even this comes chiefly from Rheims and Epernay, a
distance of 100 miles. In the second place, the arti-
cle is not untaxed. Wine in cask pays an octroi, or
municipal duty at the gates of 21 francs the hecto-
litre, which is equal to 91d. per gallon, or fully three-
halfpence the bottle. The duty on wine in bottles is
twice as much, that is 6 sous, or threepence, the litre,
which rather exceeds the contents of our quart bottle.
This applies to all the champagne; and probably to
some of . the more choice wines of Burgundy and
Bourdeaux.
It is evident, then, that in everything but the rate
of duty, the situation of London is nearly parallel
with that of Paris. Both stand in corn-growing
countries; both import their sines; and, so far as
respects the produce of the southern vineyards, those
if the Gironde, Charente, Loire Inferiur, &c., it could
'reach London at a less expense of conveyance than
'Paris, by probably 10 or 15 per cent. Wine at
Paris pays lid. per bottle to the municipality; wine
at London pays 11d. to the Government. Need we
seek any farther for the cause of the smaller
and poorer town consuming fifty times as
much as the larger and more opulent ?
If a duty of 11d. were levied at the bar-
riers of Paris, it would shut out all the wine
retailed at prices from 6d. to Is. 6d. per bottle, that
is, most probably nineteen-twentieths of the whole.
" There is a great deal of excellent French wine (says
Mr. Porter) better adapted to the English taste gene-
rally than the finest wines of Medoc, which could be
sold with a profit to the importer for less than sixpence
per bottle, independent of duty. If the rate of this
duty were fixed so low as to admit of the sale by the
retailer at one shilling per bottle, it cannot be doubted
that the consumption would be very much increased,
and a great addition would be made to the innocent
enjoyments of the people."
A small abatement of the duty would effect no-
thing, because there is the habit of a century's dura-
tion to combat. Even a reduction of fifty per cent.
would be insufficient. When we consider what the
consumption was in Britain 140 years ago, what it
is in Holland and Denmark, and still more in Paris,
Rouen, and Boulogne, which would really have no
sensible advantage over London or Leith in procur-
ing the article, if our preposterous tax were removed
—we cannot help believing, that if we had a financier
bold enough to reduce the duty to something near
the Paris standard, say to twopence a bottle, the con-
sumption would increase tenfold in a few years, while
the revenue would ultimately gain by the change.
In the the five years from 1789 to 1795, the wine
annually imported was fully as great as at present.
Now, the population has doubled in the interval ; and
froth all we have observed and heard, we are satisfied
that the habit of wine drinking has increased in a
higher ratio than the population. Is it not then evi-
dent, that one-half or more of the stuffsld as wine,
must be a factitious compound, made within the king-
dom, from herbs and drugs, and which probably few
would taste if the ingredients were 'known to them ?
* Porter's Progress of the Nation, vol. iii. p. 62.