The Sun.
London, England, 1821-03-28 00:00:00

BRITISIi AND FOREIGN A I.7XILIAB,Y BIBLE SO-
CIETY.-Yesterday the Annual Meeting of the
British and Foreign Auxiliary- Bible Society
for the Western District of the:Metropolis, was
held at- the Great Hall of the Freemason's

Tavern, which was filled by a most numerous
assemblage the majority of K hom were respectable
females. CHARLES GRA NT,Esq. took the chair. The
Report represented that the Institution was highly
prosperous, and that he benefits of the circula-

tion:of the Holy Scriptures had already begun to
be apparent.—The Rev. Dr. Stienkotf represent-
ed the great progress of the Bible Societies at
Paris where upwards of 50,000 copies had been

distributed during the last year, and the demand
for them had been so very great, that the So-
ciety had been unable to supply it. In Spain,
Italy, Switzerland, and even in Turkey, the
Scriptures had been circulated by the Agents of
the Institution. In Germany the circulation of
Bibles had gone on with great spirit, and at on!..
University alone there were 14 presses constantly
at work printing Bibles,69,ooo.pf which had-been
circulated from that plaee in one"year.-1-n Russia
the same good work was going on as well as could
be expected. The Right Hon. C. Grant, M.P.
Secretary of State for Ireland, made a long and
powerful address to the Meeting, as did also the
Hon. and Rev. G. Noel, the Rev. Dr. Owen, Dr.
Wilson, Dr. Jefferies, and several other Divines
and Gentlemen resident in the district ; when
Officers for the ensuing year were appointed, and,
after a. large collection had been made, the Meet-
ing separated.

Sin—ln the very extraordinary aild,(tb British Ship Owners;
very alarming report on the subject of the Timber Trade which has. just been presented to. the liduse of CommonS by the
Select Committee on Foreign Trade, is the following para-
graph : •
, .
`°With respect to the exemption from duty in favoUr of co-
, lonial timber, that adi;antage was originally temporary, and has
been since continued from •time, to time for limited periods ;
and, although the persons concerned in the Colonial timber
• trade may have had a just expectation that they ihould enjoy_
for a considerable period the advantages afforded them, as well
by the exemption granted, as by the unties imposed by the 49th
and 40th of George 111. ; so far from any expectation being
held out, that the encouragement So given had been considered
by Government as permanent, or was intended to be indefinite-
ly continued to them,. that means seem to have been studiously
taken to produce, by explanation,- a conviction of a contrary,
tendency, and to impress them with the assurance, that previ-
ously to the expiration of the existing law, the timber trade
would be brought uncler,the consideration of Parliament, :With
the. view of iattpiltichig. ani alteration into the scale of the pre-.
sent duties 'that should render them more equal and more fa.:
vourable to our intercourse with the foreign States with whom
it was carried on."

From this statement, 1, Wi ear, that timely explana-
tions.lllPs
were given by the Executive Government of a nature to
prepare the Shipping Interest for that saerthee; more favour-
able ".to our intercourse with those foreign States with whom
the timber trade is carried on," which it - recommended in the
Report of the Seleet Committee : whereas,- on looking to the
commuications which you, as the organ of the Ship Owners,
have from time to time made to myself and others, on. this
vitally interesting subject, the only information which they ap:
is
pear to contain as follows :__.

In the month of
.Feb. 1817, you reported that a letter had
been received from Mr. Lack, Secretary to the Lords of the
Committee of Privy Council for Trade, to the following
effect :
That he had been directed to acquaint you, " that it being
deemed advisable by Lis Majesty's GoVernment, on various
accounts, to postpone the consolidation of the customs for ano-
ther year, there was no intention of submitting to Parliament
any proposition for the alteration of the timber duties in that
session ; but they thought it right that the Committee of Ship
Owners should be apprized, that his Majesty's Government
were of opinion that the extension of a duty to the timber im-
ported from the British North American Colonies, equal in
amount to the additional duty imposed on foreign timber in
1813, would be productive to the revenue without being preju-
dicial to the great interests concerned."
In January, 1818, you reported, as the result of a conver-
sation with Mr. Lack upon the subject of the duties on timber,
that his Majesty's Government had not come to any decision
thereon.

In the Month of February, 1813, you reported • that Mr.
Lack (in answer to a letter from the Committee remonstrating.
against the intention of subjecting the North American timber'
to a duty of 10s. 3d. per load) had stated, that " upon a full
consideration of all the circumstances of the case; and more
particularly with reference to the Act of 55 Geo. 111. cap. 85
(by which timber from the British North American Colonies
was exempted from duty till the 25th March, 1820), it was not
at that time the intention (Wills Majesty's Government to sub-
mit to Parliament any alteration of the law as it then stood; in
respect to the importation of timber, whether from our own
Colonies or froth Foreign States."
And in December, 1819. you again reported that, at an in-
terview with the. Lords of Trade, you had been informed that
" their Lordships' had called for some official papers ; and that
when the lame weft; laid bcfore them, they would resume the
consideration of the expediency of renewing the law for ad-
mitting tinther.fit for naval purposes from the Colonies, duty
free,. which was about to exnire on the 2.ith March. 1820."
The " explanations" spoken of in the report, cannot there-
fore have been-had with the Committee of Ship Owners, or if
they. were, they have been unaccountably withheld from the
parties most deeply interested. So far from those which I have
alluded to leading to the expectation that it was in the contem-
plation of his Majesty's Government to transfer the &•reater part
of the Colonial limber Trade to foreigners, by taking off 10s.
per load from the duty on foreign timber, and imposing 10s.
per load on the Colonial timber, the utmost that ever was
threatened was the intention of laying its. 3d.' per load on the
latter: • •

From the zeal which you have always manifested for the in.;
terest of British shipping, I trust you will excuse the anxiety I
feel, in common with many others, to receive a satisfitctory
answer from you on this subject ; for though the ship-owners
can be at no- loss to see what is to be their fate, now that the
era of « liberal principles" has commenced, and the Colonial
timber trade is considered as " supporting, by artificial :leans,,
a mercantile marine, in a state of magnitude at whieifit has
arrived from accidental causes alone, and which is neither con-
ducive to the commercial prosperity, or essential to the politi-
cal security of the nation ;" it will be a most sensible aggrava-
tion of the ruin in which the Ship Owners are about to-be in-
volved, to find that a warning was given by the Lords of the
Committee-for Trade, but withheld from those whom it most
concerned, by the party whose spacial duty it was to make it
universally known—a circumstance, however, that, from your
scrupulous regularity (which, as a Member of the Committee,
I have constantly observed), I cannot for one moment lielinrc
to be the fact, being well satisfied that no man can be more
alive to the vital importance of this subject to the Shipping In-
terest than yourself.
I am, Sir, your most obedient humble servant,
John-street, America-square, March 23.• WM. PARKER.

(COPY.)
MARK-LANE, MATtCII 23,1821. •
SIR-1 have received your letter of this date, and in reply
assure you That I have been as much astonished as yourself at
reading that part of the Report of the Select Committee to which
you allude, and the more so, as, on looking through the evi-
dence, I have net been able to. find any upon which the Com-
mittee ground their statement, that means have been studiously
taken to prepare the parties interested for a measure thus ruin-
ous to the British Shipping interest,
The only official communications that have been made to me,
either verbally or in writing, are, to the best of my recollection,
those which arc quoted -in your letter, and I must add that it is
not likely I should be forgetful upon a subject of such vital im-
portance. I am, Sir, your. obedient humble servant,
\Y: Parker, Esq. JOHN WILLIAM BUCKLE.

Prom the LONDON GAZETTE March 27.

BANKIUTPTCY, ENLIA.R.GED.
T. Leafs, Gerar4 Cheshire, cotton-spinner, from March
31 to April 28.

BANKRUPTS.

W. Ayton, Macclesfield, cotton-Spinner, to simender April
9, 10, May 8, at the Old Angel Inn, Macclesfield. Solicitors,
Messrs. Bell and Brodrick, Bow Church-yard.
J. Buckland, Newcastle-street, Strand, carpenter, April 3,7,
May 8, at Guildhall. Solicitor, Mr. Jessopp, Clifford s-Inn.
T. Alsopp, Gloccster, linen-draper, April 12, 13, May 8, at
the Horse and Groom, Glocester. Solicitor, Mr. Bowyer,
Cook's-court, Lincoln's-Inn.
M. Vaughan and C. Appleton, Liverpool, straw bonnet-
manufacturers, April ,13, 14; May 8, at the George Inn, Li-
verpool. Solicitors, Messrs. Blackstock and Bunce, King's
Bench-walk, Temple.
J; .111a4;on, Liverpool, linen-draper, April 12,-13, May 8, at
the Crown Inn, Liverpool. Solicitor, • Mr. John, I'alsgrave-
place, Temple.
J. Sloper, Batl, baker, March 29, 30, May 8, at the King's
Arms Inn, i'delksham, Wiltshire. Solicitors, 'Messrs. Slade and
Jones, John-street, Bedford-row.
T. Macdonagh, Chesterfield, wine-merchant, April 3,4,
May 8, at the Commercial Inn, Chesterfield. Solicitor, Mr.
Chilton, Chancery-lane.
T. Ashcroft, Liverpool, timber-merchant, April 12, 13, May
8, at the office of Alessrs. Frodsham and Taylor, Liverpool.
Solicitors, Messrs. Adlington•and, Gregory, Bedford-row.
J.'Clarke, Worcester, coach-proprietor, April 10, 11, May
8, at the Bell Inn, Worcester. Solicitor, Mr. Becke, Devon-
shire-street, Queen-square.
G. Backhouse, Kendal, ironmonger, April 8,7, May 3, at
the Commercial Inn, Kendal. Solicitor, Alk. Wilson, Furni,
val's-Inn.
_ _ _

• ---.....
G. Goundry, Knaresborough, Yorkshire, iron and brass-
founder, April 16, at the Crownjnn, Knaresborough.
[Dividends, &c. to-morrow.]