The Sun.
London, England, 1821-01-06 00:00:00

IRON HOOPS.

PROHIBITION OF 1311,1T1541 IRON .HOOPS IN SPAIN,
A letter from a . Port in' Spain, recently pl.lb+
lisped, made a dismal larnt,ntation. -on the pro-hi-,
bition by the new Parliament of that -country, of
English Iron Hoops to hoop, their brandy casks
for exportation, complaining of the high price of
Spanish made Hoops, and of the hindrance to the
brandy trade, which this additional charge would
occasion. For this gross error in national and
'commercial economy, the writer appeared • to think
J.
that the whole Cortes should be sent back to theri
goats, guitars, and mountains, and the holy In-
quisition once mo:e recalled to regulate trade,
manufactures, andsbrandy-making. This !creara‘
and alarm is one among the numerous instance s
of the.bad habit of our times, to use big Words
on petty occasions, and to magnify trifles to ex.-
cite ill humour. and distrust of public measures..-7,
A plain statement will chew how*.insignificant
and trifling -slich a prohibitio3 would be, either
to Spain, England, or-the Spanish exporters of
brandy.. About 15 years ago, the price of aPng-:.
lish iron hoops, made of Russian iron was 31s„
to 365. a cwt. At this time, the ,Spaniards may.
buy in London better iron hoops, made of British
iron, at 13s, a crrt.l whizh, with charge's of
transport, and a duty in .paiu of Ss.
France, if admitted), would give them as lotv,as
Supposing the quantity of brandy annually'
exported from Spain tobe 20,G00 pipes, or pieces
• 7
the iron hoops. required for
_them could be pu;.-
chased here for the petty sum of 25001.! :This
is an amount' very, important to te'regretted- by
ogland, or prohibited by Spain.! If the Spa-
Irtiards are obliged by the Cortes to hoop their
brandy-cask with home-made iron, at a dersb'e
cost, this would add about :three quarters of a
farthing per galhisn'' to ,the price of their brandy
for export,—no' very serious addition to impede
its mixture with . Port, Sherry, and Made:ra
wines, or its consumption by the jiegrotk4 of
Africa, or the revolutionists of .Chili. The im-
port of an arti6leffo the amount of `;2..560/". hi., be-
tween Britain and Spain,',Very little important
either to
.perroit or,to.proh4;-!:. farthiLs
a gallon in the price.pf brandy, r ill uevtr tit-t.;1;
the trade or coiw2,mptiou, a that pvidtice, vthich
is SO.eager.ly and Ililfle.:CenarUy. pc,rhased here at
28s;. a. gallon, thO;igh..not the illrcf istilled brand),
horn of Spain. Selling n hoOPs'to `pain, or to all :f
country ;It 13S; a Cwi.4s,for all.cosizerned in It,
.landlord„ latioUrer, ManufiC' hirer,
~ar,d vender,
unprofitable .an 44:.ruotion;, ana..as ,w,retched,
slaver,y, as any peOplecao btu FedUccci to, by oo;2.-
. opprassion,, Icily, . ur
.104
money, trade, .or..comin?rcial,o.x;4'iange ; toile s
the , SpaplardS give. ,their and bran-
,ratio, deptEci;k6r,n of' I.lnd,
labtps, sisd fatitnl, as cut`ripared
_with gLild
Turt.,)- •

LITERARYandSCIF,'NTIFIC INTELLIGENCE

[FROM VARIOUS SOURCES.]
(No. IV.)

• POLITICS.-The public expectation will be
shortly gratified, by the publication of Lord Or-
ford's 'Memoirs of the last Nine Years of the
Reign of King George the Second. This cele-
brated Manuscript was found in the chest which
was directed ?y his Lordship's will to be opened
• by the first Earl of. Waldegrave who should ob-
tain the age of 21, after the year 1800. A t the
• same" time the Memoir of the Earl of Walde-
,
• -grave-, .ol•political occurrences from 1754 to
.1757, will make. its appearance. Towards the
close of this nemoir, his Lordship observe;,
4i I have now finished ioy Relation of all the material
Transa
ctions wberrin I wit•innordi tely concerned j and
though I
can never forget toy obligations to the kindest of
roasters, .I have been too long liehind the scenes, I have had.
too near a view of the machinery of a court, to roo ). any
tither the power of a Nlinistor, or the favour of a ',rine,"
'These works, with Mr. Nicholl's " Reflections
and RecollecAens during part of the Reign of
George the 2d', and the, whole of the Reign
of. our late venerable Sovereign," with Mr.
Glover's " Narrative," will add considerably to
out stock of political. information, and facilitate
greatly the labours of future writers of the history
of this country since the Accession 'of the House
of'Brunswick to the Throne of tkis 'kingdom.
OrArmetA.---The lovers of topography will be
gratified to War that considerable progress is
made. for the publication of a, splendid Work,
• entitled, " 0/pipit/ ; or TopOgraphY illustrative
• of, the actual state of-the Plain of Olympia and
the City of Elis," by 'John Spencer Stanhope,
F.R.S. and Correspondent of the• Royal Institute
• of Erance ; folio,- with Nails of Olympia and Elis.
The Plates will be engraved by the most eminent
Artists, and the Work, it is expected, will add
greatly to. the reputation of the English School.
THE TOMB OF TelloN.—Some Arabs, who
were diggin,' near Gournau, in Thebes, during the
month of September last,' discovered- a Tomb,
containing twelve cases of Mummies. On one of
them was the folloWing inscription, in *Greek
7 be tomb of Tfilion, son. of IL tacliusi Sitter and Sana-
" pains. He was horn on the second del), of Atkur, in the
" fifth year of Adrian our Lord. He died on the 20th of the
" month of Meehier, the eleventh year of the sante Lord, at
" the agc of six years,.two months, and twenty days."
As Adrian•cominenced his reign in the 117th
year of the Christian Era, the inscription is 1691
years old.
CARDINAL FE:soh—The valuable Library of
this•distinguished individual has been purchased
by Messrs. Sherwood, Nely, and Jones, and
Mr. Booker; a Catalogue of which will soon be
submitted to the attention of the public.
BACONIAN PrnI.OSOPHY..--- Mr. Hamilton's
Treatise on the Principles of Medicine, written
on the plan of the Baconian Philosophy to prove
that the only rational method of curing disease,
so as to induce by 'medicine an opposition or
Counteracting action, sufficiently powerful to
-expel the disorder, •is in a state of considerable
. forwardness. . •

•
DURHAM COUNTY.-The second volume of
Mr.•Surtees's History of the County Palatine will
soon make its appearance, and we have no doubt
will be as much esteemed as the first. We hope
this indefatigable and learned Historiographer
will continue to enjoy his health, and live many
years after he has 'completed hii laborious and
expensive undertaking.
THE MARQUIS or 11"dRCEsTER.—The original
MSS. of tit.: memorable work of this distinguish-
.-ed Nobleman, " the Century of Invention," has
-been recently discoVered,- and it is intended to
publish a new edition of it, with historical and
explanatory note's, a Biographical Memoir of
'Lord Worcester, and an original portrait. This
;,work has of late years attracted much attentien,
and it cannot fail to be acceptable to see ka. new
-and- correct edition of it, from the noble author's
own manuscripts. Its value to the mechanic is
-obvious, and the following commendatiOns of it
-are-deserving of notice :

A practical mathematician who has qitickness to seize a
hint, anctsagacity to apply it, might avail himself greatly of
•tbese scantling:. It is extremely probable. that Savery
took from the itiarquis.the hint of the Steam Engine, for
raising water with -a power made by fire, which invention
alone would entitle the author to immortality."—(Grant'.
Biog. Hist. Vol. v. p. 273).
" Here it may not he amiss to recommend to the attention
ofeverC mechanic, the little work entitled a Century of Inven-
tions, by the Mat Inis of Worce•ter, which, on account of the
;seerninvtmprobabilitV of discovering many things mentioned
.therein, has been too much neglected ; but when it is con-
sidered that. sonic of the contrivances, 'apparently not the
)east abstruse-, have, by close application, been found to
'answer all the Marqois says of them, and that the first hint
of that most powerful ntachine, the steam engine, is given in
that work, it is 14 nnecessary to enlarge on trine utility of it."—
-Trons. of the Societv of 4rts, vol. iii. p. 6.
_ - . . .

MECHANICS.—We also understand, that the
'Elementary Illustrations of the Celestial Media-
-nics Of Laplau, comprehending the first book,
:Will soon make its appearance, with an Intro-
duction, containing the Rudiments of the Motile-
iriatics ; being the first part of a work intended
•to supply-the Student with every link that is ac-
tually for a coniplete, chain of. demon-
stration, extending to the whole theory of Pla-
netary motions. •

I.4enn BYuoN.—The public anxiety for the
appearance of the Historical. Tragedy of this
Noble: Poet, " The Mitrino Faletro,'Doge of Ve-
nice," will, we- believe, soon be gratified': the
whole impression of the work being, we 'under-
. stand, struck .otf, with the exception of the last
sheet, the proof of whtch is daily expected.
Lair.—ln this department of Literature, we
are informed that a new. edition ol'iNfr:Scriven's
able Work on .the Law relating to' Ctipyholds,is
nearly ready
.ferpublioation ; to which is to be
added a new Volume en Court-keeping, compiled
from all the celebrated -Writers on the subject
namely,. Coke, S'croggsi Conipten, &c., and in-
cluding all the'mbdern:determinations. In this
division of the Work, the learned Author has, We
"understand, Jitto the law, and.clis-
:tossed with great—ability the modern right
claimed by the' Stewards of some Court'44eets to
• nominate and paefe-the .Turi-es of -thin.
EQulrty.--LA.'iidtlier"iMirortant work by the
Iknourable 11 r. ell•« INJUNCTIO.Ni.7" is
'itrcetßid4rathellrogress. It-has lo)tg been want-
ed) frind the tiecessitptlrere exists; that the law

on this subject should be Accurately' 'defined, and

made known. To the literary and scientific world,
it is of the first importance ; and, "rom the acknow-
ledged learning and talents of the author, there
is no doubt but that the work will be as highly
appreciated by the profession, as it will be most
acceptable to the public.