The Sun.
London, England, 1844-01-24 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

Six,—The Peel project of compensating the payers
of the income-tax by certain visionary advantages,
which they were to derive from an alteration in the
tariff and sliding scale, is now admitted on all hands
to have been a complete failure. But the experiment
of -admitting foreign sheep and cattle into this coun-
try, on the payment of a very low fixed duty, has,
nevertheless, been attended with a valuable result,
inasmuch as it has proved, beyond all question, that
the rich pasture lands of the United Kingdom enable
the agriculturists to meet any foreign competition in
those important articles of consumption, thereby
clearly indicating the direction in which agricultural
capital may be most safely and profitably emplOyed.
The advantage which the agriculturist possesses in the
fertility of his pastures, would be greatly enhanced
by a total repeal of the corn-laws, as he would then
be enabled to fatten his stock on cheap foreign grain.
Also, by the removal of those restrictions, employ-
ment would be given to a large starving or under-fed
population, which, instead of burthening the farmer
with heavy rates for its support, would, in its changed
condition of well. paid labourers and artisans, become
profitable customers, consuming annually many hun-
dred millions of pounds of animal food, more than
their present means enable them to procure.
With this extended demand for its produce, a pro-
portionate rise in the value of land would take place,
and rents would acquire a degree of steadiness never
to be expected under a law by which, on the mere
prospect.of a short harvest, and by a skilful working
of the averages, enormous quantities of cheap foreign
corn are suddenly admitted into competition with the
expensively forced productions of our own inferior soils.
As these remarks are addressed to the pockets, and
not to the hearts of the agriculturists, I have omitted
any reference to the great moral improvement which
would necessarily follow a mitigation of the physical
sufferings of the working classes.
If you can spare room for this letter in your jour-
nal, which has so ably assisted in fighting the great
fight against monopoly, you will oblige your obedient
servant, PHIL AN THROPIST.

EXTAORDINARY AGE.—An old woman -named Ann
Parry, lately residing on the Canal Parade, in this town,
with her daughter, who is also far advanced in 'years,
died on Friday, the 12th inst., of a verity " full of days,"
having . lived to the patriarchal age of one hundred and
five years and six months ! She retained her faculties
to the last. Indeed, so retentive was her memory, that
within a few clays of her death, she was able to talk co-
herently of circumstances which transpired in Newport
upwards of eighty years ago ; and it may be mentioned
that her medical attendant has frequently been requested
by her within the last few months to extract her last
tooth ! as it troubled hei occasionally. The habits of
the good old woman's daughter were those of the most
industrious and cleanly kind, whilst her filial devotion
was above all praise, thus rendering her parent's last
clays cheerful and comfortable. The ancient woman ex-
pired liko the last glimmer of a wasted lamp—without
pain or struggle, and full of the "certain hope" of a
joyful hereafter.—Monmouthshire Merlin.
ANOTHER INCENDIARY FIRE AT THE RED BARN
FARM.— On Saturday night the inhabitants of Polstead
were again alarmed by the cry of " Fire." It was soon
ascertained that a stack of haulm, standing on the Red
Barn Farm, was in flames, and though every effort was
made to save it, it was speedily consumed. Not a doubt
remains but that this fire was also the work of some ini-
, quitous incendiary. The name of the " Red Barn " has
already become sufficiently notorious by being connected
with one of the foulest murders on record ; but we are
de4ly sorry to find that there are still persons living,
who, in the form of humanity, but with the characteris-
tics of fiends, seem bent on adding yet greater darkness to
its blackened historY, by their fearful repetition of the
crime of incendiarism.

"REBECCA AND HER DAUGHTERS."—In answer to
a correspondent, who requests to be informed of the
origin of the above title, we beg to state that the term was
taken from the 60th verse of the 24th chapter of Genesis
which, having reference to gates and their destruction,
was adopted as the watchword of the first adventurous
attackers of toll-gates. The verse is as follows :—" And
they blessed Rebecca, and said unto her, thou shalt be
the mother of hundreds of millions, and thy children
shall possess the gates of them that hate them. Welsh-
man.

LONG LIFE.—The most remarkable instance of
longevity which we have met with in English history is
that of John Carn, who, according to the parish register
of St. Leonard's Shoreditch, died on the 2d of January,
1588, at the astonishing age of 207 years. He was born
in the reign of Richard IL, auno 1381, and lived in the
reigns of twelve Kings and Queens—namely, Richard 11.,
Henry IV., V., and VI., Edward IV. and V., Richard
111., Henry VII. and VIII., Mary and Elizabeth.—Annals
of Health.
A MATTEII of OPINION.--A good wife, the other
day, taking up a Manchester paper, said to her loving
husband—" This is just as it should be ; the marriages
are put before the births. The Guardian always has the
births first, and I think that very awkward." The
husband gave an opinion in favour of the Guardian, as
he thought " people were born before they were married."
The wife, however, persisted in the correctness of her
views of the matter, and preferred the Manchester
arrangement, as it was "a very ugly thing to have a
birth before marriage." The deaths, itwtchueyld appear,ahv
were each put in the right place, for
came last.